So for Labor Day weekend the Tamers decided to do something that they have not done in a while. We went to Rim Rock would be the Labor Day weekend club run.
I had never been to Rim Rock and over the years I have heard many people say the same things time and time again. Rim Rock is loose, steep, off camber, dry and as a result very dusty. Well here was my opportunity to make up my own mind.
The location where we camped was in a small camp ground that consisted of a fenced area with a creek running down one side, the river on two sides, and the road on the final side. We were back a way for the road with trees between us and it so that there was some break from the traffic on the road which was nice. Camping was $8 a night per vehicle (less with a golden forest pass) and for this you got trash service and an old outhouse that needs to be replaced. Something to also keep in mind about this camp site in the future is that town is 45 miles away which means that if you forgot something it is a two hour round trip to try and get one from town.
The weather all weekend was dry and it probably never made it over 70 degrees. The nights were chilly and there was frost on the windshields each morning reminding us that fall was on the way. Rock, Jeanne, Mark E., Michael, John, Gina, Melissa, Alex, Cassidy, Phil, Shaun, Hip, and Mike R all arrived in the afternoon or evening on Friday trying to get just a little more time in camping and relaxing. Curt, Rachel, Tom B, and Carl all arrived on Saturday midday.
I am not going to go into a blow by blow description of the whole weekend but instead will just touch a few highlights.
Even though it was dry and dusty there were people that needed to pull winch for safety or to prevent a major break. It was a long trail ride from camp so no one wanted major breakage and I am glad we did not have any.
There were a few trails we ran that traversed the top of a ridge and had steep slopes on both sides. At the same time you were afforded views from the trail of everything around you including Mt Rainer, Mt St Helens, Mt Baker, Mt Adams, and even the Three Sisters at times.
Yes there were off camber sections and there was a little high siding to keep the rubber side down when someone got into a sketchy situation. For those that do not know, high siding is when a person steps onto the uphill (high side) of a vehicle to add weight and change the center of gravity thus helping to prevent the vehicle from rolling over.
We all made it to the top of Mt Darland (Darlin if you look at the survey marker) which is 6900 feet in elevation and from which we could see Mt Rainer, Mt St Helens, Mt Baker, Mt Adams, and the Three Sisters.
On the way back to camp Hip ran out of gas or so we thought. Turns out that his pick up in the fuel cell turned upside down in the cell and so was floating with the pickup facing up and it could not get fuel. Turned it over again and the problem was solved.
Rock brought out his Cruiser which had been repowered with a V6 after ripping the V8 out. Rig ran really good and I think that he can be very pleased with the results.
No camp fires allowed so we had the bug zapper and the propane heaters going in the evening while we sat around talking and eating peanuts.
It was a good weekend with friends wheeling in an area that I had never been to before. I look forward to going back there again in the future. If you go wheeling at Rim Rock I highly suggest that you have a winch, rear locker, good tires, good sense, and with a group of people that know the area. If you have all of that then you will do just fine. The trails are long, and the scenery is wonderful.
Until next time,
Rudi #227
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