DeJA joined the Blue Mountain Jeep Alliance at their annual August Oink this weekend at Rausch Creek Off-Road Park. We wheeled on Saturday during the day, at roast pork for dinner, did a night ride, then wheeled again on Sunday.
Here's a report of Saturday's activities...
DeJA split into two groups, modified and hardcore. Chris Hall (JeepSahara) let the modified group, and I led the hardcore group. Two folks from BMJA also joined into Chris's group. With the hardcore group we had MOPARTECH (Brian), Ian CLENDANIEL, salvagexj (DJ), and 2000Sahara (Ed). We started out with a warm up on C trail, with a quick dip on on of the new trails off that one, then up the black rated rock steps. At the top, we waited for another group to exit trail 4 so we could head that way, but of course, they stopped right in our path - two on the left, one disabled with a bent tie rod, the rest to the right, so we had to wait for them all to come through.
After we finished trail 4, we headed to black-rated trail 5, which I had never seen before. The first interesting obstacle was an off-camber big rock descent with a nasty tree hanging down over the trail. I didn't like my original line, too close to that tree (don't want to smash ANOTHER windshield), so with some maneuvering (spotting by Brian), I made it down. The rest then followed the good line. At the exit, I turned off the wrong way, so when we resumed the trail I was at the back of the line. Our first damage was at the next climb, where Ed did something to his new Detroit. Either the locker was damaged, or the axle shaft splines got stripped, but anyway we parked his jeep off of trail C and Ed continued as a passenger.
Meanwhile, Chris's group has some mechanical issues of their own. Jeepers (Greg) went through the deep mud puddle on the pole line (the one that had a sign saying "DANGER 5 FT DEEP PUDDLE") and messed up something -- clutch, tranny, who knows -- and had to be towed out of the park by I.N.M. Tom, with Chris leading. Meanwhile DJ took his XJ through the mud puddle also, successfully, but may have messed up a cylinder or two in the process. I took the rest of the group to Crawler Ridge for lunch, after a brief circle to campsite C to drop off the BMJA folks.
Chris and Tom met up with us at Crawler Ridge. Brian was playing on the rocks, desperately trying to try out his new roll cage from Up'N'Over. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your point of view), he never had fewer than three tires on the ground. I took one stab at climbing the Ridge also, had a good line, and almost sailed right up. Almost is the word, because I stalled and slipped down and sideway. After some maneuvering and bumping into trees (a recurring theme), with spotting by Brian, I backed out and led the group on to the West side of the park.
In the West side, we made an afternoon of it on Trail 12 (not too exciting, not much mud), and then headed back to the East side.
Those who were signed up for the Oink stood around at the upper staging area waiting for dinner, and the rest headed down to the Comfort Inn to grill their hamburgers outside McDonald's door. The dinner was pretty good - roast pork, macaroni and potato salads, and cake. We had seen the pig go onto the grill at 8:30 in the morning, and were not sure how it would turn out, but it looked great. It was definitely thoroughly cooked (I peeked at the meat thermometer), and it was moist and tasty. Tom was first in line for the food (first in line for seconds also, doesn't your wife feed you, Tom?), and I was only a few behind. The rest of the slowpokes were further back in line, but we all got to eat out fill. MMMM!
At 8:30 we formed up for the night ride. I don't think the BMJA folks planned this one any more than saying to be ready at 8:30, because Bruce Shallis and Mark Lecher (two of the three RC managers, with Lynn Erenfelt) were pressed into leading duties. To have smaller groups, I volunteered to lead a group and they accepted the offer. So I took a group of 10 or so jeeps, with Outten County Chrysler's Brian Moyer at the back, up the pole line (bypassing the big puddle), over to the West side, all the way down H, looping back on Trail 11, then through blue-rated Trail 15. On Trail 15, there's a big (maybe 40 yards), deep (up to the headlights), stinky water hole, so I led the group through. Two declined, but everyone else dove in and made it through. I had some muddy water slosh in over my door sills, and Paul's jeep was totally mud covered -- inside and out. The rest had varying levels of water in their jeeps (except those with doors). Then we headed down J to H, and back up to the East side. We went back via trail C and then cut up to enter the C campsite from the back, and dropped off all the BMJA'ers who were camping there. The rest of us headed out of the park, returning to the staging area a little after 11. I packed up my jeep onto the trailer and headed back to the Comfort Inn with Paul right behind.
I didn't stay for Sunday's ride (too much to do at home), so Greg and I hit the road around 10:00 and headed home. Someone else will need to give us a report of the second wheeling day.
I had a good time, no breakage, a bit of mud to clean up today, but it was a successful DEJA event.
I'm a dumbass. I was going on, but then it felt like it was starting to bog down so I gave it a bit too much pedal. I'll try and post some pics tomorrow. It's the muddiest my Jeep has ever been, and I'm not looking forward to cleaning the inside. It won't look as bad in the pics though, because all of the stuff in the back that took the brunt has been removed already.
)
I will say that between Andrew and Chris, and with spotting by Dave (Chris' Dad) and Brian (mopartech), we did I think 3 black trails over the weekend, which was the first my Jeeps ever been on. Sunday was a bit nerve racking for me, mostly because I had a killer headache most of the morning and afternoon, and wasn't focused real well. We hit a few nasty spots, and regardless of the comments from another Jeeper there (not in our group) about us not having lockers and we shouldn't be on a particular trail, Chris and Brian got us through the rough stuff just fine. Ian had a few problems on one nasty trail, but that allowed for the COOLEST rebeading of a tire I've ever seen! Again, I'll let Chris explain....
).The clean up will suck, and the smell will probably remain. Can't wait for next trip!
The highlight of the meal was Chris attempting to order a cheesesteak with, god forbid, ketchup...waitress thought he was a nutcase!
After traversing a particularly hairy section with the help of Brian's excellent spotting I proceded to go through two tires on a seemingly easy obstacle...that's strike 3, those stinkin' TrXus are gone as soon as I figure out a decent replacement. We stopped for a quick break for Chris to repair his OBA and me to reseat the bead. After a couple attempts the "traditional" way I had Brian get out the 2+2 so that I could demonstrate the hillbilly method of seating beads... 
), and then login to that site. Then come back here and click Chris' link again and it should open to his album.