Another great day to be out wheeling. I had attempted the same feat the previous weekend but got denied about 15 minutes into the trip when my rear wheel fell off. Note to self: torque the lug nuts down each and every trip out. For the longest time I thought GaryTJ and Dirtball were just talking crap, but when my wheel fell off it turned out to be the end of the day.
Anywho on with the run report. Ruth and I met up with Tom, Penny, Terry and Amy at Dan’s for breakfast. After breakfast in Sultan, we headed out and noticed the rest of the Tamers flying by us on RT-2. Well, we caught up with them and all assembled at the main pit at Reiter.
Everyone unloaded and aired down. Our group consisted of Myself and Ruthie, GaryTJ, John and Gina, Ann T, Rudi and family, Mike and Claire, Tom and Penny, Ron Laborn and his brother, and a few candidates whom I can’t remember their names. One was in a stock TJ, and the other was in a Flatty (With the stock motor I might add). Shortly after we got together Ed Tenney showed up with his quad to hit the trails with us. All aired down and ready for an adventure we followed the leader to the trails.
Instead of getting warmed up on some easy stuff, Tom and I had conspired to head straight for the stair step. I hung back in the group and helped get folks psyched to try it out. I watched many a folk try it, but the majority of the group ended up winching. Amy seemed a bit worried about the obstacle, but after some words of wisdom from myself that went something like “I’ve only seen two rigs roll on this obstacle, one was an ass over teakettle to the bottom, the other was a mild flop. If you follow Tom’s direction you will be fine.” Amy seemed a bit timid but I assured her it would be fine. After getting the main group up, I moseyed my Jeep up the first part of the stair step and walked back down to help others with their fears. As Amy started into the obstacle, I was confident in the brief tutorial I gave her that she would pass the obstacle with flying colors. This was not to happen. As I was mingling, I heard Terry SCREAM: BACKUP! BACKUP! And I looked up as Amy’s Jeep came to rest on the passenger side. Whoops. Now it’s cowbell time as there was no way she was driving out of it. I do have a good point here. Most folks in the club tell everyone not to listen to my spotting advice, and also not to follow me. As I had not driven up it the rock yet, and also I was not there to spot. Therefore I am in a no harm no foul status for this particular portion of Reiter Trails. I drove up as the main winch to Tom’s expert rigging advice and we got Amy back on her feet. Amy’s Jeep came away with a broken mirror and also a little wrinkle in the passenger door. Due to some expert rigging by Tom and Ruthie, the rig was righted quickly and efficiently. Though to Amy it probably seemed like a lifetime. On with the fiasco, the group on top of the stair step we moseyed on with hopes of flatter ground and greener pastures.
At this point, the candidate (Sorry I never got your name) in the silver TJ was behind me and we all headed down the poop chute across the road, and then back up the hill toward Rhinoland. I entered into Rhinoland and was impressed as the farther I got into the trail, the closer the little sliver TJ was on my ass. Jeep or driver it was mighty impressive. We all had fun on the first obstacle on the trail with only Tom, Myself, Mike, and GaryTJ making it. Everyone else took the bypass. (With class and style I might add). We all moseyed up the trail to the main hill climb.
One by one we attempted the hill climb. Some more fortunate than others. I will add that the Rookie in the silver STOCK TJ SPANKED the hill that John struggled multiple times to get up. Mad props. No sway bar disconnect or anything… Anywho on the hill, the more implemented rigs took the bonus line with the smaller rigs taking the easy line. With only Mike J and GaryTJ to go the crowd assembled to watch them to drive up the hill and attempt the bonus like. Mike J gave it a few tries, got positioned right and drove right up it. Last but not least we had Gary. He proceeded to drive right up the hill and head for the bonus line. But as he lost forward momentum as his huge D60 front differential SLAMMED into a rock, he asked for a different line. I was more than happy to offer advice and directed him hard left or hard right. He chose more than hard right, and as he was driving up a stump in frustration, managed to lay his rig over onto its side. This would be the second ringing on the cowbell that day. A few folks took photos and a happy group of Tamers pushed Gary back on to his wheels. A little repositioning from Gary and he too was up the obstacle.
We then continued on the trail, with a few Tamers going ahead, and Amy started having real trouble with a spot that didn’t look so bad but turned out real nasty. We ended up winching her through, and I got hung up in the same spot for a bit. The rest of the group took the bypass and we arrived at the final hill climb on the trail that leads into the rock garden. Tom and I dinked around in the rock garden, I got myself stuck between a rock and a hard place, and everyone else mingled and made fun of me as they always do.
It was here that some of the group split off, and Tom, Mike J, Terry and Amy, John and Gina, headed for cable trail. We got right up that in a jiffy. It was kind of funny watching Terry drive in the tippy spots. They looked fine to us, but I think they were a little spooked from the days previous flop. Mike and Tom made it up most of the hard obstacles, with others taking the by passes. From the top of cable, we all moseyed back down the power line trail to the trailers. Tom and Mike J went back the way they came, crossing back over the road, up the poop chute, and back down the stair step. The rest of us “street legal” folks, headed down the road to our trailers.
Everyone loaded up, we all headed to Bubba’s in Sultan for some most excellent food and beverages. A fine day of wheeling, multiple cowbells rang, and no major damage to anyone’s rigs. Till next time.
Karl
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