Project-JK Maple Honey Rubicon Trail Run 2010
08-27-2010, 01:51 PM
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Project-JK Maple Honey Rubicon Trail Run 2010
Earlier in the summer, 07Rubi2dr had contacted me by PM to let me know that he and a handful of Canadians were planning a Rubicon trip in August and had asked if I might be able to join them on their run. Being that WOLette and I were already planning to do a run in July, I was hesitant to say yes for sure but, left it open as a possiblity. And, I'm glad that I did as luck would have it, we were able to make this happen and had one hell of a time. In fact, we had so much fun with our new Canadian friends that we may just make it an annual event. Here are some pics from our trip...
6:00 AM at the Super 8 Motel, lining up and getting ready to roll....
Down at the Loon Lake trailhead and airing down...
MBATF and mmccurdy met up with us at the trail head - here's mmccurdy showing us his breakfast of champions...
MBATF getting ready to spot people through the gatekeeper....
Unfortunately for us, crews have come in and virtually paved it over with crushed rock....
The end of gatekeeper still had the optional rocky climb out and fortunately, it still proved to be a challenge. Here's GeeBee getting some help from MBATF as he works his way up....
mmccurding making his drop onto the top of the Granite Bowl...
Bill making sure that RubiconFan makes his drop ok...
Group shot at the top of the Granite Bowl...
Making our way down into the bowl....
Toward the far end of the bowl, there's an optional double ledge challenge that can be tough to climb but here, you can see Shed making it up in his open diff Sahara....
As nice of an idea as they are, without the proper amount of backspacing, swaybar quick disconnect storage pins like these can dig into your sidewalls and cause a blow out....
After hearing these pins rub hard on a couple of the rigs in our group, we decide to stop and remove them...
Rolling again, 07Rubi2dr makes several valient attempts up the double ledge and almost makes it when we here a sound that we thought might be a ring gear blowing....
As we would discover, the adapter his 1350 driveshaft was hitting his gas tank skidplate and the yokes were grinding hard on one of the bolts holding the skid in place...
After backing 07Rubi2dr off the obstacle and guiding him through the bypass, the rest of our group take a stab at the double ledges. Here's 07RubiSteve making his way up with ease....
As you can guess, this was a cakewalk for brainchild as well...
Due to the position of the ledges, this obstacle is always tough on 2-doors and unfortunately for GeeBee, one of his attempts lands him up against the big rock to his left....
And, this is the souvenir he got to take back to Canada....
Before moving on, we decide to remove the gastank skidplate bolt coming into contact with 07Rubi2dr's drive shaft and purposefully adjust rear track bar so that it push his axle out and away giving a bit more clearance....
While we were working on 07Rubi2dr's JK, Dennis just happend to notice this on RubiconFan's JK....
After some debate as to what we should do, we decided to replace the U-joint with a spare that mmccurdy had. Here we are beginning the process of pulling the axle shaft....
Lacking the proper tool for the job, mmccurdy improvises with a 3 lb. hammer and a socket...
With a considerable amount of effort, we finally manage to extract the U-joint and see why it failed....
Installing the new U-joint...
Unfortunately... there is a problem. While the new U-joint installed just fine, we soon found that it was a very loose fit. As we would soon find out, this was a Dana 30 U-joint and we were working on a Rubicon 44 - Doh!!
MBATF reaching out to me in the hopes of receving a signal on his phone....
Somehow, he's able to get a call into JKDinker and make plans to get RubiconFan fixed up....
After reassembling RubiconFan's JK, we turn around and head back to Loon Lake....
Back at the Loon Lake Chalet, we decide to break up and have part of our group find and set up camp while the other part heads down to Placerville with RubiconFan and get him fixed up....
Down in Placerville, we meet up with JKDinker who was gracious enough to open up his company's shop to us....
RubiconFan and MBATF on the phone trying to order up parts...
With mmccurdy and RubiconFan on their way to pick up parts, we begin to pull apart RubiconFan's front axle again and get it ready for the job ahead of us....
While we were working on the Jeep, MBATF buys us some lunch and brainchild and Diane pick it up for us....
With parts in hand, it's time to get the new U-joint installed...
Wrapping things up - amazing how the right tools can make a job so much easier to do....
Getting back to Loon Lake at sunset.....
Fortunately for us, our Canadian friends were able to find a great campsite and had a fire already going for us...
Just for fun, MBATF decides to try and catch some dinner. Of course, as soon as his line drops into the water, this is what he reels back in....
Time to introduce our Canadian friends to some good ol' American Honey!!
See post below for more pics!!
6:00 AM at the Super 8 Motel, lining up and getting ready to roll....
Down at the Loon Lake trailhead and airing down...
MBATF and mmccurdy met up with us at the trail head - here's mmccurdy showing us his breakfast of champions...
MBATF getting ready to spot people through the gatekeeper....
Unfortunately for us, crews have come in and virtually paved it over with crushed rock....
The end of gatekeeper still had the optional rocky climb out and fortunately, it still proved to be a challenge. Here's GeeBee getting some help from MBATF as he works his way up....
mmccurding making his drop onto the top of the Granite Bowl...
Bill making sure that RubiconFan makes his drop ok...
Group shot at the top of the Granite Bowl...
Making our way down into the bowl....
Toward the far end of the bowl, there's an optional double ledge challenge that can be tough to climb but here, you can see Shed making it up in his open diff Sahara....
As nice of an idea as they are, without the proper amount of backspacing, swaybar quick disconnect storage pins like these can dig into your sidewalls and cause a blow out....
After hearing these pins rub hard on a couple of the rigs in our group, we decide to stop and remove them...
Rolling again, 07Rubi2dr makes several valient attempts up the double ledge and almost makes it when we here a sound that we thought might be a ring gear blowing....
As we would discover, the adapter his 1350 driveshaft was hitting his gas tank skidplate and the yokes were grinding hard on one of the bolts holding the skid in place...
After backing 07Rubi2dr off the obstacle and guiding him through the bypass, the rest of our group take a stab at the double ledges. Here's 07RubiSteve making his way up with ease....
As you can guess, this was a cakewalk for brainchild as well...
Due to the position of the ledges, this obstacle is always tough on 2-doors and unfortunately for GeeBee, one of his attempts lands him up against the big rock to his left....
And, this is the souvenir he got to take back to Canada....
Before moving on, we decide to remove the gastank skidplate bolt coming into contact with 07Rubi2dr's drive shaft and purposefully adjust rear track bar so that it push his axle out and away giving a bit more clearance....
While we were working on 07Rubi2dr's JK, Dennis just happend to notice this on RubiconFan's JK....
After some debate as to what we should do, we decided to replace the U-joint with a spare that mmccurdy had. Here we are beginning the process of pulling the axle shaft....
Lacking the proper tool for the job, mmccurdy improvises with a 3 lb. hammer and a socket...
With a considerable amount of effort, we finally manage to extract the U-joint and see why it failed....
Installing the new U-joint...
Unfortunately... there is a problem. While the new U-joint installed just fine, we soon found that it was a very loose fit. As we would soon find out, this was a Dana 30 U-joint and we were working on a Rubicon 44 - Doh!!
MBATF reaching out to me in the hopes of receving a signal on his phone....
Somehow, he's able to get a call into JKDinker and make plans to get RubiconFan fixed up....
After reassembling RubiconFan's JK, we turn around and head back to Loon Lake....
Back at the Loon Lake Chalet, we decide to break up and have part of our group find and set up camp while the other part heads down to Placerville with RubiconFan and get him fixed up....
Down in Placerville, we meet up with JKDinker who was gracious enough to open up his company's shop to us....
RubiconFan and MBATF on the phone trying to order up parts...
With mmccurdy and RubiconFan on their way to pick up parts, we begin to pull apart RubiconFan's front axle again and get it ready for the job ahead of us....
While we were working on the Jeep, MBATF buys us some lunch and brainchild and Diane pick it up for us....
With parts in hand, it's time to get the new U-joint installed...
Wrapping things up - amazing how the right tools can make a job so much easier to do....
Getting back to Loon Lake at sunset.....
Fortunately for us, our Canadian friends were able to find a great campsite and had a fire already going for us...
Just for fun, MBATF decides to try and catch some dinner. Of course, as soon as his line drops into the water, this is what he reels back in....
Time to introduce our Canadian friends to some good ol' American Honey!!
See post below for more pics!!
08-27-2010, 01:51 PM
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DAY 2 Part 1 - Maple Honey Rubicon Run Reboot
DAY 2 Part 1- Maple Honey Rubicon Run Reboot
View across Loon Lake the following morning....
A friend that came by to say good morning...
Dennis being the responsible camper that he is and making sure our campfire is dead out!!
Loon Lake staging area TAKE 2 - being a Friday morning, there were a lot more people this time around even though is was just past sun-up....
Captain just chillin in the warm sun as we get ready to roll....
Officially past the Granite Bowl and back into the rock gardens....
Pulling into Ellis Creek and checking in with the Friends of the Rubicon volunteer...
In an effort to make up for lost time, we elect to bypass the trough just past Ellis Creek. However, the big rock climb to the left is always a lot of fun too...
07RubiSteve shows just how easy this is to climb in a 4-door with lockers....
mmccurdy kicking up some dust as he makes it up....
Being in a 2-door, 07Rubi2dr has a bit of harder time getting up....
GeeBee hits it just right with a good bump and he's up and over....
Shed working his way up Walker Hill...
brainchild following close by as he picks up the rear....
07RubiSteve at the start of this very off camber section of trail...
RubiconFan decided to remove the top of his snorkel before making his way though....
07Rubi2dr decides to keep his on but takes on a higher line...
The rock garden just before the Soup Bowl is always a lot of fun and a chance to get some nice flex shots....
07Rubi2dr following the same line as me....
Shed making his way down...
GeeBee smiling big for the cameras....
RubiconFan making his descent...
Dennis decides to take a more conservative line...
07RubiSteve gets a little off camber as he negotiates a slightly different line down...
Following Dennis' lead, mmccurdy takes a tough but conservative line down...
brainchild walking it down with ease....
Just before the Little Sluice, we encountred a group with a JK that was in need of repairs blocking the main route. Fortunately for us, there was a steep offshoot to the side and we were able to get by. Here we are giving it a good look before making our way down....
mmccurdy getting ready for the drop....
As you can see from this view of 07RubiSteve, the drop is significant...
Just in case, Bill and GeeBee offer a little extra back end weight as 07Rubi2dr takes the plunge....
Before bypassing the Little Sluice, we all got out to give this extreme section of trail an upclose and personal look....
More pics below....
View across Loon Lake the following morning....
A friend that came by to say good morning...
Dennis being the responsible camper that he is and making sure our campfire is dead out!!
Loon Lake staging area TAKE 2 - being a Friday morning, there were a lot more people this time around even though is was just past sun-up....
Captain just chillin in the warm sun as we get ready to roll....
Officially past the Granite Bowl and back into the rock gardens....
Pulling into Ellis Creek and checking in with the Friends of the Rubicon volunteer...
In an effort to make up for lost time, we elect to bypass the trough just past Ellis Creek. However, the big rock climb to the left is always a lot of fun too...
07RubiSteve shows just how easy this is to climb in a 4-door with lockers....
mmccurdy kicking up some dust as he makes it up....
Being in a 2-door, 07Rubi2dr has a bit of harder time getting up....
GeeBee hits it just right with a good bump and he's up and over....
Shed working his way up Walker Hill...
brainchild following close by as he picks up the rear....
07RubiSteve at the start of this very off camber section of trail...
RubiconFan decided to remove the top of his snorkel before making his way though....
07Rubi2dr decides to keep his on but takes on a higher line...
The rock garden just before the Soup Bowl is always a lot of fun and a chance to get some nice flex shots....
07Rubi2dr following the same line as me....
Shed making his way down...
GeeBee smiling big for the cameras....
RubiconFan making his descent...
Dennis decides to take a more conservative line...
07RubiSteve gets a little off camber as he negotiates a slightly different line down...
Following Dennis' lead, mmccurdy takes a tough but conservative line down...
brainchild walking it down with ease....
Just before the Little Sluice, we encountred a group with a JK that was in need of repairs blocking the main route. Fortunately for us, there was a steep offshoot to the side and we were able to get by. Here we are giving it a good look before making our way down....
mmccurdy getting ready for the drop....
As you can see from this view of 07RubiSteve, the drop is significant...
Just in case, Bill and GeeBee offer a little extra back end weight as 07Rubi2dr takes the plunge....
Before bypassing the Little Sluice, we all got out to give this extreme section of trail an upclose and personal look....
More pics below....
08-27-2010, 01:52 PM
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DAY 2 Part 2
DAY 2 Part 2
Leaving the Little Sluice, mmccurding getting ready to drop down Thousand Dollar Hill....
Over the years, the bypass for Thousand Dollar Hill has become a lot more technical and in my opinion, more of a challenge and just dropping down the hill....
brainchild following me down...
Heading over to the slabs, the trail becomes a relentless rock garden...
Back in July, this muddy pond was deep enough that I started to take on water even with my 40" tires....
By mid august, it was little more than a puddle....
Moving along, GeeBee giving RubiconFan a bit of help as he makes his way down this off camber section...
Buck Island Lake in sight...
Last rock obstacle before getting to Buck Island Lake...
Making our way around the spillway...
Along with several of the Canadians, Tessa wastes no time and gets right into the cool waters....
Leaving Buck Island Lake, there are some steep but fun boulders to climb. Here, a good bump will get you a long way especially if you don't have lockers....
mmccurdy hovering on the rock smoking his tires for what seems like forever...
Back on the ground, MBATF starts to backseat drive...
After another go with a better bump, he gets up to the top...
And, that's when we start to hear the hssssssssing - yup, mmccurdy had officially become the only person I know to get a flat on his SPARE tire!! Apparently, he had a glass bottle in his Trasharoo and it must have broken when he dropped back down off the rock. As luck would have it, a shard of glass punctured the brand spankin new spare that he borrowed from beepjeep 2 days before....
07Rubi2dr nailing it in his 2-door....
brainchild finishing it up....
Having no lockers for this run, I ended up needing a lot more gas on just about everything - notice the trashbag flying....
RubiconFan starting his climb up....
Shed getting some nice flex as he rounds the corner of this obstacle...
At the Big Sluice and getting ready to drop in....
RubiconFan gets high centered early on and requires a little help from Dennis to get going again....
Learning from what he saw, Dennis decides to take a different line in...
07Rubi2dr making his approach....
Heading on down to the next set of obstacles....
Rather than try and squeeze our 88" wide JK, I chose to work my way down the boulders....
Unfortunately, the squeeze to the left of this tree is narrower than our JK and so, taking on the off camber line to the right was our only option....
Being a lot narrower, RubiconFan was able to squeeze by here...
Tippy as it was, mmcurdy and everyone else deciding to take the same line as I did here....
07RubiSteve carefully watching his spotter....
07Rubi2dr getting real close to his Bushwacker fender here....
Shed takes a bad line here and gets high centered....
GeeBee getting ready to get Shed off....
With everyone through the hardest obstacles, Bill decides to help spot the rest of our group down to the bottom of the Big Sluice....
More pics below...
Leaving the Little Sluice, mmccurding getting ready to drop down Thousand Dollar Hill....
Over the years, the bypass for Thousand Dollar Hill has become a lot more technical and in my opinion, more of a challenge and just dropping down the hill....
brainchild following me down...
Heading over to the slabs, the trail becomes a relentless rock garden...
Back in July, this muddy pond was deep enough that I started to take on water even with my 40" tires....
By mid august, it was little more than a puddle....
Moving along, GeeBee giving RubiconFan a bit of help as he makes his way down this off camber section...
Buck Island Lake in sight...
Last rock obstacle before getting to Buck Island Lake...
Making our way around the spillway...
Along with several of the Canadians, Tessa wastes no time and gets right into the cool waters....
Leaving Buck Island Lake, there are some steep but fun boulders to climb. Here, a good bump will get you a long way especially if you don't have lockers....
mmccurdy hovering on the rock smoking his tires for what seems like forever...
Back on the ground, MBATF starts to backseat drive...
After another go with a better bump, he gets up to the top...
And, that's when we start to hear the hssssssssing - yup, mmccurdy had officially become the only person I know to get a flat on his SPARE tire!! Apparently, he had a glass bottle in his Trasharoo and it must have broken when he dropped back down off the rock. As luck would have it, a shard of glass punctured the brand spankin new spare that he borrowed from beepjeep 2 days before....
07Rubi2dr nailing it in his 2-door....
brainchild finishing it up....
Having no lockers for this run, I ended up needing a lot more gas on just about everything - notice the trashbag flying....
RubiconFan starting his climb up....
Shed getting some nice flex as he rounds the corner of this obstacle...
At the Big Sluice and getting ready to drop in....
RubiconFan gets high centered early on and requires a little help from Dennis to get going again....
Learning from what he saw, Dennis decides to take a different line in...
07Rubi2dr making his approach....
Heading on down to the next set of obstacles....
Rather than try and squeeze our 88" wide JK, I chose to work my way down the boulders....
Unfortunately, the squeeze to the left of this tree is narrower than our JK and so, taking on the off camber line to the right was our only option....
Being a lot narrower, RubiconFan was able to squeeze by here...
Tippy as it was, mmcurdy and everyone else deciding to take the same line as I did here....
07RubiSteve carefully watching his spotter....
07Rubi2dr getting real close to his Bushwacker fender here....
Shed takes a bad line here and gets high centered....
GeeBee getting ready to get Shed off....
With everyone through the hardest obstacles, Bill decides to help spot the rest of our group down to the bottom of the Big Sluice....
More pics below...
Last edited by wayoflife; 08-27-2010 at 02:04 PM.
08-27-2010, 01:53 PM
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DAY 2 Part 3
DAY 2 Part 3
Again, not as deep as it was back in July but the length of trail just after the Big Sluice was still submerged in mud...
Near to the Rubicon Bridge, there is a bastard child length of trail that is never really mentioned but is still quite technical and gives you a chance to test out your flex....
As I was making my way down, I get a call on the CB from brainchild who says "hey Eddie - I broke". After running back up the hill, this is what I saw....
Shot of the arm after I pulled it off - as you can see, the axle mount tore clean off....
Fortunately, I knew he could easily finish up the trail with just 3 links and so, brainchild was still in good spirits about it all...
The rest of the pack working their way down....
Did I mention that this is mmccurdy's least favorite section of trail....
brainchild working the trail like nothing every happend....
GeeBee becoming one with the trail....
Next stop, Rubicon Springs...
Crossing the historic Rubicon Bridge with the sun still shinning....
The ramp coming off is narrower than the already narrow bridge. Knowing this, mmccurdy cautiously lines himself up before exiting....
07RubiSteve with his tires hanging off either side of the wooden runners...
I'll be honest and tell you that I'm not a big fan of mud so when we got to Rubicon Springs, I made sure to take the bypass around the bog. Of course, Shed and GeeBee shared a different opinion on the matter - This is Shed getting started....
And, this is GeeBee after coming back up on the other side - please note the muddy water sloshing out of his passenger side door....
What else can one do but smile and enjoy the spectacle...
The aftermath...
Home for the night...
wildandwillin giving MBATF a big hug after hooking up with us at Rubicon Springs....
Surprise surprise - IT"S HONEY TIME!!
Hanging out by the fire...
Oh - did I mention it was HONEY TIME again!!
After about 3 more rounds in the span of 5 minutes - this happend....
Me, I went to bed but the stories I heard the next day were frightening. Let's just say, I'll leave the story telling to wildandwilling and the Crazy Canadians.
More pics below...
Again, not as deep as it was back in July but the length of trail just after the Big Sluice was still submerged in mud...
Near to the Rubicon Bridge, there is a bastard child length of trail that is never really mentioned but is still quite technical and gives you a chance to test out your flex....
As I was making my way down, I get a call on the CB from brainchild who says "hey Eddie - I broke". After running back up the hill, this is what I saw....
Shot of the arm after I pulled it off - as you can see, the axle mount tore clean off....
Fortunately, I knew he could easily finish up the trail with just 3 links and so, brainchild was still in good spirits about it all...
The rest of the pack working their way down....
Did I mention that this is mmccurdy's least favorite section of trail....
brainchild working the trail like nothing every happend....
GeeBee becoming one with the trail....
Next stop, Rubicon Springs...
Crossing the historic Rubicon Bridge with the sun still shinning....
The ramp coming off is narrower than the already narrow bridge. Knowing this, mmccurdy cautiously lines himself up before exiting....
07RubiSteve with his tires hanging off either side of the wooden runners...
I'll be honest and tell you that I'm not a big fan of mud so when we got to Rubicon Springs, I made sure to take the bypass around the bog. Of course, Shed and GeeBee shared a different opinion on the matter - This is Shed getting started....
And, this is GeeBee after coming back up on the other side - please note the muddy water sloshing out of his passenger side door....
What else can one do but smile and enjoy the spectacle...
The aftermath...
Home for the night...
wildandwillin giving MBATF a big hug after hooking up with us at Rubicon Springs....
Surprise surprise - IT"S HONEY TIME!!
Hanging out by the fire...
Oh - did I mention it was HONEY TIME again!!
After about 3 more rounds in the span of 5 minutes - this happend....
Me, I went to bed but the stories I heard the next day were frightening. Let's just say, I'll leave the story telling to wildandwilling and the Crazy Canadians.
More pics below...
08-27-2010, 01:53 PM
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DAY 3 - Cadilac Hill
DAY 3 - Cadilac Hill
The next morning at camp listening to the stories from the crazy midnight run...
This is a shot of Shed's interior - yes, that is mud in the cup holders...
Yes, that is a muddy pool of water on the floor pan with carpeting still installed...
A few shots of the pretty pools at Rubicion Springs...
wildandwilling took so much mud into his radiator that he was now suffering from overheating problems. Here mmccurdy helps add water to the overflow to help replenish what was boiled off the night before....
Making our way up Cadilac Hill, 07RubiSteve negotiating his way around the first obstacle....
07Rubi2dr showing how much easier it is to do in a 2 door....
When you're as big as brainchild, you can just go over obstacles like this....
After making some room for a bunch ofquads to get by, GeeBee was lined up to the right of the first obstacle and in such a way that I thought he could just finish it up. And, as it turned out, he could and did....
Moving on up to make room for the rest of our group to come up...
Randy James giving RubiconFan a spot through the first obstacle....
Shed using his rocker guards for what they're made for as Randy James watches on....
HOGSTATUS trying to give the same line that GeeBee took a go but, without front lockers, wasn't able to clear it...
Randy James in his lil' TJ squeaking by with little effort....
Being as wide as we are put me on a line that was off from where I wanted to be and not having lockers made this off camber climb tough...
Dennis making his climb up...
07RubiSteve making his way up the last big climb...
07Rubi2dr taking a different line up...
Half way up Cadilac Hill, Shed rolls his front passenger side bead and on an off camber section of trail. Near by, there was a group (same group who broke down the day before but managed to leave camp before us) who had pulled over to let us by and decided that they were going to help out. One of them had seen a YouTube video where they were able to reseat a bead with some brake cleaner and a lighter and was determined to try it out for himself. And, inspite of the position of the Jeep on the trail, was convinced that a Hi-Lift jack was the best tool for getting the wheel off the ground. The below is a great example of
WHAT NOT TO DO!!
Because the Jeep was sitting off camber and in the direction of the rolled tire, the Hi-Lift jack needed to be cranked all the way up, near to the top and dangerously unstable. If a chain or strap had been used to secure the axle to the frame, they may have been able to get away with less lift but, they didn't. You can't really see it in this pic but, at this height, the Hi-lift started to bow and the Jeep started to fall back over. Of course, these brilliant group of guys decided that they would be able to hold it up...
After spraying a little brake cleaner on just one spot along the wheel, they light it a fire.... nothing happens.... well, that is, expect for the fact that the tire is now on fire - OH NO, THE TIRE IS ON FIRE - GOT TO PUT IT OUT!!
In the end, they got lucky and were finally able to get the tire back on the wheel but, I had long since left the scene as I just couldn't bear to watch these rocket scientist at work. What could have taken minutes to do and safely with a bottle jack ended up taking about half an hour.
At the top of Cadilac Hill - Just take it!!
Airing up at the end of the trail...
Back on pavement, 07Rubi2dr has a bad case of death wobble and so we stop to address it...
Sure enough, the track bar is loose and so we work to get it tightend up again...
Back in South Lake Tahoe, we make a stop over at Izzy's Burger Spa to have some dinner...
After dinner, we follow Shed and GeeBee to the car wash....
07RubiSteve finds a liquor store near by and picks up suppiles...
Looking in the back of GeeBee's JK - looking at the center console, you can see how deep he got. Fortunately for him, he had removed his carpeting before coming down to California....
Shed wasn't as lucky and the interior of his JK was screwed...
What it looked like with the carpeting removed...
The first of many handful of quarters to be used that day...
When all else fails, just spray everything down....
Just a few more pics below...
The next morning at camp listening to the stories from the crazy midnight run...
This is a shot of Shed's interior - yes, that is mud in the cup holders...
Yes, that is a muddy pool of water on the floor pan with carpeting still installed...
A few shots of the pretty pools at Rubicion Springs...
wildandwilling took so much mud into his radiator that he was now suffering from overheating problems. Here mmccurdy helps add water to the overflow to help replenish what was boiled off the night before....
Making our way up Cadilac Hill, 07RubiSteve negotiating his way around the first obstacle....
07Rubi2dr showing how much easier it is to do in a 2 door....
When you're as big as brainchild, you can just go over obstacles like this....
After making some room for a bunch ofquads to get by, GeeBee was lined up to the right of the first obstacle and in such a way that I thought he could just finish it up. And, as it turned out, he could and did....
Moving on up to make room for the rest of our group to come up...
Randy James giving RubiconFan a spot through the first obstacle....
Shed using his rocker guards for what they're made for as Randy James watches on....
HOGSTATUS trying to give the same line that GeeBee took a go but, without front lockers, wasn't able to clear it...
Randy James in his lil' TJ squeaking by with little effort....
Being as wide as we are put me on a line that was off from where I wanted to be and not having lockers made this off camber climb tough...
Dennis making his climb up...
07RubiSteve making his way up the last big climb...
07Rubi2dr taking a different line up...
Half way up Cadilac Hill, Shed rolls his front passenger side bead and on an off camber section of trail. Near by, there was a group (same group who broke down the day before but managed to leave camp before us) who had pulled over to let us by and decided that they were going to help out. One of them had seen a YouTube video where they were able to reseat a bead with some brake cleaner and a lighter and was determined to try it out for himself. And, inspite of the position of the Jeep on the trail, was convinced that a Hi-Lift jack was the best tool for getting the wheel off the ground. The below is a great example of
WHAT NOT TO DO!!
Because the Jeep was sitting off camber and in the direction of the rolled tire, the Hi-Lift jack needed to be cranked all the way up, near to the top and dangerously unstable. If a chain or strap had been used to secure the axle to the frame, they may have been able to get away with less lift but, they didn't. You can't really see it in this pic but, at this height, the Hi-lift started to bow and the Jeep started to fall back over. Of course, these brilliant group of guys decided that they would be able to hold it up...
After spraying a little brake cleaner on just one spot along the wheel, they light it a fire.... nothing happens.... well, that is, expect for the fact that the tire is now on fire - OH NO, THE TIRE IS ON FIRE - GOT TO PUT IT OUT!!
In the end, they got lucky and were finally able to get the tire back on the wheel but, I had long since left the scene as I just couldn't bear to watch these rocket scientist at work. What could have taken minutes to do and safely with a bottle jack ended up taking about half an hour.
At the top of Cadilac Hill - Just take it!!
Airing up at the end of the trail...
Back on pavement, 07Rubi2dr has a bad case of death wobble and so we stop to address it...
Sure enough, the track bar is loose and so we work to get it tightend up again...
Back in South Lake Tahoe, we make a stop over at Izzy's Burger Spa to have some dinner...
After dinner, we follow Shed and GeeBee to the car wash....
07RubiSteve finds a liquor store near by and picks up suppiles...
Looking in the back of GeeBee's JK - looking at the center console, you can see how deep he got. Fortunately for him, he had removed his carpeting before coming down to California....
Shed wasn't as lucky and the interior of his JK was screwed...
What it looked like with the carpeting removed...
The first of many handful of quarters to be used that day...
When all else fails, just spray everything down....
Just a few more pics below...
Last edited by wayoflife; 08-27-2010 at 02:14 PM.
08-27-2010, 01:54 PM
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DAY 3 - The End
DAY 3 - The End
To celebrate the completion of the Rubicon and the new Canadian friends we made, we stopped by the Riva Grill and ordered up a round of Rock Hard Wet Woodies....
CHEERS!!
Did I mention they have a 2 drink limit on the Rock Hard Wet Woodies? Sure enough, this is what one did to our Canadian friends....
If you can believe it, this was just a small sampling of the pics we took on this trip and if you want to see all 1453 of them, simply click on the link below:
Project-JK Maple Honey Rubicon Trail Run 2010 Photo Gallery
I'd like to take a moment and personally thank JKDinker for being the selfless great guy that he is and for helping out total strangers in the way that he did. Larry, you rock!! I'd also like to thank brainchild and Diane for coming up from SoCal to join us on this run and mmccurdy and MBATF for helping us out on the trail. As for you Canadians, I just hope this isn't the last time we get to wheel with you as we had a hell of a good time.
Just take it, eh!!
Your Friend,
Ken... Canadian for Eddie of course
To celebrate the completion of the Rubicon and the new Canadian friends we made, we stopped by the Riva Grill and ordered up a round of Rock Hard Wet Woodies....
CHEERS!!
Did I mention they have a 2 drink limit on the Rock Hard Wet Woodies? Sure enough, this is what one did to our Canadian friends....
If you can believe it, this was just a small sampling of the pics we took on this trip and if you want to see all 1453 of them, simply click on the link below:
Project-JK Maple Honey Rubicon Trail Run 2010 Photo Gallery
I'd like to take a moment and personally thank JKDinker for being the selfless great guy that he is and for helping out total strangers in the way that he did. Larry, you rock!! I'd also like to thank brainchild and Diane for coming up from SoCal to join us on this run and mmccurdy and MBATF for helping us out on the trail. As for you Canadians, I just hope this isn't the last time we get to wheel with you as we had a hell of a good time.
Just take it, eh!!
Your Friend,
Ken... Canadian for Eddie of course
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08-27-2010, 02:17 PM
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Eddie (and of course Andrew & Cindy) awesome pics as always -- looking through them I feel like I'm right there two weeks ago, except I'm a lot less muddy and fully clothed at the moment
Gotta love the irony of this shot -- there's a powertank right there in the pic and the thing is on fire. Glad I was way up the trail when this was going on -- not to say I haven't used the brake cleaner trick myself in the past
Can't wait for MapleHoney '11....
Gotta love the irony of this shot -- there's a powertank right there in the pic and the thing is on fire. Glad I was way up the trail when this was going on -- not to say I haven't used the brake cleaner trick myself in the past
Can't wait for MapleHoney '11....
