Calico AFD "RApture Run" 5/21/11

[Desert Dog]

What a run!!!!!

We had 3 buggies, 2 full-size monster Chevys, 6 JKs, a sami, an SAS toy, and a TJ. Victor, the Sami, and the TJ decided not to run Scrambler Canyon - which turned out to be a good call.

Scrambler canyon was tough, much tougher than I anticipated. I would put it on the same level as Sledgehammer in Johnson Valley. And like Sledgehammer, there is no breaks between obstacles, the whole trail is one obstacle after another. The full sized Chevys gave it hell, but sustained major damage due to their size and had to winch off the trail about a 1/2 way through; those guys be some crazy SOBs. SASyota was getting shredded due to his overhang on the bed, and winched out of the trail too while he still had a vehicle capable of driving home. Even jeeps fully locked and on 37s were having a "winch-fest". Frylock said "screw crawling up the waterfall" and went throttle down resulting in a pretty wicked flop from the top of an 8' waterfall. We pulled the plugs, patched him up, ripped off the fenders, cleaned out the airbox - AND HE FINISHED THE TRAIL!!! I laid my jeep over on a rock while doing a bonus obstacle and was able to back out of it and put the rubber on the ground, luckily the tube fenders prevented body damage. Everybody came out of there with a trophy, even Richard and Cliff. Ty (4x4lawyer), damaged his top leaning into a big rock, and B-Rad got some body damage on the same rock. James did a great job in his 4-door. I highly recommend 37s and 2 lockers for this trail (or a very experienced driver on 35s with 2 lockers and lots of armor). Id keep D35s, factory D30 axleshafts, and stock tie rods off this trail. We got to the big waterfall in scrambler at 10:30am and didnt get the group past that spot until after 3:30. After 5 hours of stacking rocks, I was BEAT! But like sledgehammer, a really good driver in a heavily built Jeep that stays off the bonus obstacles can do the whole trail in less than an hour.

Gatekeeper was a great time as usual. Richard and Cliff got B-rad and I through it easy in just a few minutes. SAS had a little trouble on the Jeep-eater, and had to winch through. Tilly got through pretty much unscathed with that big beast of his. Had a great time with a great group of people.

I used a can and a half of black spray paint on my Jeep today on all the bare metal.

Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VflroL37NQ


[attachment=0]frylock carnage.jpg[/attachment]

[abendx]

Fuck yeah. Great run. Will give my assessment and over some pics soon.

[casaintsfan]

Looks like it was a great run, way to go guys!!
I defiantly gotta go next year.
Happy armed forces day to all that serve past, present and future.

Can't wait to see more pics and video.

[Desert Dog]

Video of run:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VflroL37NQ


(My son screwed up a lot of the video, about 30 minutes of sky and ground had to be cut)

[abendx]

Great video Chris!! Thank Troy from the rest of us for taking it.

I just looked at my pics... will upload when I can, but there are very few. Damn camera and camcorder batteries took a shit early in the day,

Everyone else... please upload your pics/vids.

[jcook]

Had a great time, I stayed out of the part that caused most of the damage. But that gave us a chance to drop in doran and run it up to the road you all would have come out. While we were waiting we ran into Richard and Cliff in the buggies and both my wife and I were able to hitch a ride, now were shopping for rock buggies lol. Coming down odessa was a blast too and thanks to some awesome spotting we made it through without a scratch. At least on the body, smashed up the skid plates and crushed stearing stabilizer, but no harm. The coolest part was going through that narrow spot and using Richard to drive over.
james

[abendx]

[quote="jcook"]Had a great time, I stayed out of the part that caused most of the damage. But that gave us a chance to drop in doran and run it up to the road you all would have come out. While we were waiting we ran into Richard and Cliff in the buggies and both my wife and I were able to hitch a ride, now were shopping for rock buggies lol. Coming down odessa was a blast too and thanks to some awesome spotting we made it through without a scratch. At least on the body, smashed up the skid plates and crushed stearing stabilizer, but no harm. The coolest part was going through that narrow spot and using Richard to drive over.
james[/quote]

Great pics James! Can't wait for the next trail!

On your steering stabilizer, take a look at [url=http://dominionoffroad.com/jeep_jk_steering_stabilizer_relcoation_kit/index.html]dominionoffroad.com[/url]. I had one before I went hydro and liked it.... kept the shock up and away from harm.

[TheBigDogg]

[4x4LOYR]

[color=#FF8000]Thanks for allowing my boys and I to tag along on your "little" trail run. We had a great time, and look forward to wheeling with the group more in the future.[/color]

[color=#FFFF00]Video of the Yellow JK coming back to all 4's[/color]
[url=http://s257.photobucket.com/albums/hh227/tycarss/Calico%20-%20Scrambler%20Canyon%20run%2005-21-2011/?action=view&current=YellowJKbackonall4tires.mp4][img]http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh227/tycarss/Calico%20-%20Scrambler%20Canyon%20run%2005-21-2011/th_YellowJKbackonall4tires.jpg[/img][/url]

[color=#80FF00]A bit of damage to my soft top[/color]
[img]http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh227/tycarss/Calico%20-%20Scrambler%20Canyon%20run%2005-21-2011/IMG_20110521_151022.jpg[/img]

[color=#80FF00]some flex[/color]
[img]http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh227/tycarss/Calico%20-%20Scrambler%20Canyon%20run%2005-21-2011/IMG_20110521_171057.jpg[/img]

[color=#80FF00]Brad at Gatekeeper (Video)[/color]
[url=http://s257.photobucket.com/albums/hh227/tycarss/Calico%20-%20Scrambler%20Canyon%20run%2005-21-2011/?action=view&current=BradonGatekeeper.mp4][img]http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh227/tycarss/Calico%20-%20Scrambler%20Canyon%20run%2005-21-2011/th_BradonGatekeeper.jpg[/img][/url]

[color=#FFBF00]Full-sized Monster[/color]
[img]http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh227/tycarss/Calico%20-%20Scrambler%20Canyon%20run%2005-21-2011/IMG_20110521_175202.jpg[/img]

[color=#FFFF00]More damage discovered -- I lost the bolt that holds the rear lower control arm in place.[/color]
[img]http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh227/tycarss/Calico%20-%20Scrambler%20Canyon%20run%2005-21-2011/IMG_20110521_211314.jpg[/img]

Fixed
[img]http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh227/tycarss/Calico%20-%20Scrambler%20Canyon%20run%2005-21-2011/IMG_20110522_114733.jpg[/img]

More videos:
[url=http://s257.photobucket.com/albums/hh227/tycarss/Calico%20-%20Scrambler%20Canyon%20run%2005-21-2011/?action=view&current=PushingtheJKwithaHighLift.mp4][img]http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh227/tycarss/Calico%20-%20Scrambler%20Canyon%20run%2005-21-2011/th_PushingtheJKwithaHighLift.jpg[/img][/url]
[url=http://s257.photobucket.com/albums/hh227/tycarss/Calico%20-%20Scrambler%20Canyon%20run%2005-21-2011/?action=view&current=TeamworkmovingtheYellowJK.mp4][img]http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh227/tycarss/Calico%20-%20Scrambler%20Canyon%20run%2005-21-2011/th_TeamworkmovingtheYellowJK.jpg[/img][/url]

[color=#40FF00][b]All the photos can be viewed here:[/b][/color]
[url]http://s257.photobucket.com/albums/hh227/tycarss/Calico%20-%20Scrambler%20Canyon%20run%2005-21-2011/[/url]

[VICTORG93307]

pics sorry guys it only let me upload 300 pics


https://picasaweb.google.com/1141986809 ... Iz-5M_lSA#

[Desert Dog]

Awesome pics, im stealing a few of them!

[abendx]

[quote="VICTORG93307"]pics sorry guys it only let me upload 300 pics


https://picasaweb.google.com/1141986809 ... Iz-5M_lSA#[/quote]

I'll down, then up into my large account. If, after that, you want to replace the ones up with the others, I'll do it again and they will all be available. What do you think?

[VICTORG93307]

I'm going to upgrade my storage on picassa I think I'm out. Plus it took forever as I think it uploaded them in full Res.

sent from HTC evo iPhone killer.

[abendx]

[quote="VICTORG93307"]I'm going to upgrade my storage on picassa I think I'm out. Plus it took forever as I think it uploaded them in full Res.

sent from HTC evo iPhone killer.[/quote]

I just pulled all your pics and I don't know.... maybe 50 have uploaded to my account so far. Plus a few others from my camera.

EDIT: less than 20 minutes in, I have all your pics and about 200 of them in my album. It isn't slow.

[JeremyRowell]

Looks like you guys had a great time! Great pics and video. Would have like to have gone... Maybe next year!

[VICTORG93307]

It was really slow last night. I have a 4 Meg uoload.

sent from HTC evo iPhone killer.

[abendx]

[quote="JeremyRowell"]Looks like you guys had a great time! Great pics and video. Would have like to have gone... Maybe next year![/quote]

We'll go again before next May.


Some video I took.... which I think is all I got.

[youtube]YqmIgSHAcDQ[/youtube]


And damn Vicki.... GREAT PICS!!

[VICTORG93307]

Thanks Brad. Those slr cams are awesome they shoot instantly instead of waiting to focus like the lil cams and you can shoot as fast as your memory card can write.

sent from HTC evo iPhone killer.

[abendx]

[quote="VICTORG93307"]Thanks Brad. Those slr cams are awesome they shoot instantly instead of waiting to focus like the lil cams and you can shoot as fast as your memory card can write.

sent from HTC evo iPhone killer.[/quote]

Yeah.... that is a NICE camera. Can't wait for the other 300 pics!






And... as promised, here is my AFD review:



So.... what can one say that hasn't already been told? DD did such a good job with his description; I'll only give details in spots he missed.

So... we met up at the trailhead. The DALIEN crew got there shit together and we headed over to camp to pick up the SGV crew. A few minutes later, we were running up the bypass to Gatekeeper, as we planned on doing that one last. We met up with the buggies at the exit of the Gatekeeper and followed the trail up some until we hit the secret turn off to Scrambler. A few twists and turns and a small hill climb, we were in the other canyon... ready for the trail.

The drop in was steep, long, and had a dead end at the bottom. Did I mention that the rocks were seemingly made of Vaseline? Everyone came down that planned to and we ran up the trail. Within 30 feet we were in the hard section... one or two hundred feet that was hell. I think after five or six hours we emerged.... emerged three vehicles short, one rolled vehicle, and too many winch line pulls to count on my fingers and toes. The remainder of the group rolled through the rest of the trail and met up with a few others at Odessa. We ran Odessa down, to the Gatekeeper. The full size boys were already there. Mark was being denied the first obstacle with his bad ass burb. Not sure if it was a wheelbase issue or just that his tires don't stick out wide enough to grab and use the sidewalls. So after a bunch of tries, he backed off and the buggies ran up. After the buggies made it all look too easy, myself, Tilly, Chris, and Alex ran up the Gatekeeper. Richard showed me a new line and it was superb. We have been running that thing way too far to the left. Look at DD's vid and Vicki's pics to see what I am talking about. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much easier using Richard's line.

After that.... most of the BAKO crew went home. Oddly.... the fun then started.

So... most of the day I am wondering who the fuck is the giant group of groupies that Mark brought along. They all seemed nice, but didn't seem to be four wheelers. So... after spending some time with these guys, I have decided that Mark should bring his posse every time. These guys rock and damn... they know how to party. One by one, most of us went to bed... but Mark was different. While I was up at the camp fire, he had gone to bed twice and showed up 15-20 minutes later, screaming and laughing. After I went to bed... as I laid there.... Mark must have done his sleep dance three more times!!?!? WTF!

So the next morning, we are up bright and early to the smell of fresh coffee... damn that Tilly, he brought his kitchen sink! Breakfast, some fucking around, some quick trail repairs, and we were on our way back to the Gatekeeper, as Tilly wanted to show Mark, one more time, how things got done.

After that, we packed up and headed out. Vicki has some problems once we hit the hardball, but a few minutes of troubleshooting and the right sized bolt out of Tilly's bolt bin, we were back in action... working our ways home.

Good trip boys! Can't wait for next time.


Some other notables/oddities:
* Pasadena firemen showing up to take rides in Tilly's rig up a near vertical mountain side at midnight.
* Tim's new beau.... the D.I.L.F. (yes, Vicki is upset)
* Ryan's rollover
* The Rapture Line
* Mark's desire to remove all the sheet metal from his rig (he told me at least 20 times)
* Mark and hard booze is a fun combo

[Goatman]

Pretty damn good day of wheeling. It was fun wheeling with you guys, you guys like to get it! That was the most sheet metal damage I've seen done on one trail in a very long time.....and everyone was still in a good mood. I'm glad you all liked the trail so much.

I guess the bobbeb burb can only open one of the four doors now, and the guys had to climb in through a back door. The Chevy truck ripped off one of it's rock sliders and took the door sill and part of the floor with it. I understand this is a good excuse to do less sheet metal and a bunch more tube work. Alex has plenty of new dents in the Toy, and I hear he's dumping the bed and building a flatbed. I also hear he's already found some low geared t-cases, he and Frylock had some trouble with their sticks and stock t-case gearing. I guess Brad fubar'd one of his B pillars so the door doesn't fit well now. And...and...and.

Cliff and I ended up running what we'll call Upper Scrambler Canyon, for the first time. When we got to the side canyon we normally turn out on, lot's was happening behind us, so we decided to poke our noses further up the main canyon and see what we found. We worked our way up for a ways and came to an impassable section, big rocks blocking the canyon and an impossible waterfall, but there was a good side canyon right there so we turned and started up it. It was pretty steep and loose, with big rocks, and it took us from around 10:30 to 2:30 to work our way to the top. My rear air locker quit working on my last trip, and I haven't fixed it yet, so I was running all day open in the rear, which made it a good challenge. I had to work the heck out of the rear cutting brakes. I got hung up once and had to winch, and then Cliff and I both had to winch one spot that was just too steep and loose and rocky for us to make. We both had to throttle over a couple more obstacles to avoid winching again, but we made it all the way out. We then went over to the out for Lower Scrambler and drove down the canyon to meet back up with the rest of the group. We found that the two full size rigs and the Toy had winched out up the side of the canyon, about halfway up the trail, and the yellow JK had rolled. Plus there had been quite a bit of body damage and winching, but everyone had big smiles on their faces.

We all worked our way up the rest of the trail and then headed over to the top of Odessa Canyon and drove down the canyon and then back over to Gatekeeper where we played some more. Some of the folks stayed and camped for the night, which would have been nice to join them, but Chris, Cliff, Wayne, and I headed over to Peggy Sue's for some dinner and then drove back to Bakersfield. Another great day of wheeling!

[Desert Dog]

[quote="4x4LOYR"][color=#FF8000]Thanks for allowing my boys and I to tag along on your "little" trail run. We had a great time, and look forward to wheeling with the group more[/quote]

Thanks for coming Ty!

Looks like your River Raider corners and fenders absorbed the brunt of your rock encounters. Too bad about the top, I hope you can get it fixed rather than a full replacement. And, its good to know that our JKs can keep wheeling minus a control arm

You and your family should join us in Hungry Valley on June 26th. We will have a very large group and almost all of the wheeling takes place right at camp.

[4x4LOYR]

[quote="desert dog"]
Looks like your River Raider corners and fenders absorbed the brunt of your rock encounters. Too bad about the top, I hope you can get it fixed rather than a full replacement. And, its good to know that our JKs can keep wheeling minus a control arm

You and your family should join us in Hungry Valley on June 26th. We will have a very large group and almost all of the wheeling takes place right at camp.[/quote]

Thanks, Chris. We had a great time. the corners and fenders do an alright job. As for the top, when we got back up to Big Bear, I purchased a roll of black duct-tape -- I'm thinking that I'll use the tape for a while, at least to keep the water and rain out in those instances where needed.

The missing bolt was kind of scary, once discovered (I'm kind of glad I didn't know about it until I got back to the cabin). On the drive home the rear end of the JK seemed like it was swaying or squishy. My first thoughts were that I busted one of my Fox Shox (again - for like the 4th time), but upon inspection, they were still intact. That's when I caught sight of the missing bolt and nut. Oh, and on the passenger side, the same nut was only finger tight. Whoops! Lucky the local hardware store in Big Bear City had a metric automotive bolt/nut section and I was able to find the right size to replace the missing one--and tighten down the passenger side. Made for a much safer drive down the mountain.

I will have to check with the Boss-lady about June 26th.

Thanks again for the invite.

[abendx]

Damn Ty.... you edited the post and I never knew you had pics up there. My girl found it while she was spying on my from her office. Good stuff! Thanks.

[abendx]

Another video I made... Not edited much at all.

[youtube]RBH0_oiv0tE[/youtube]

[4x4LOYR]

[quote="abendx"]Damn Ty.... you edited the post and I never knew you had pics up there. My girl found it while she was spying on my from her office. Good stuff! Thanks. [/quote]

For the first few posts, I guess I have to be approved, so my posts show up later, but in the spot where they would have been if I didn't go through the approval process. something like that.

Hopefully I have my first 5 posts now. We'll see