Prologue
The biggest trip of the year always generates plenty of buzz. Many folks were veterans of the previous year's trip and knew what to expect. Dan, from San Jose, was with us for the first time on the Rubicon. Dave, Chris and I made the drive up to Sly Park. There we met Dan, Bill, Damon, and a Toyota friend of Chris'. After topping off the tanks, we were off to the Ice House Road turn off for the twisting ascent into the wilderness. At the spillway, we aired down after passing a sea of tow rigs and trailers. More traffic than usual was scheduled for this weekend and we were hoping to avoid the big groups where we could.
Particpants
| Bill - 1996 Chevy 1500 | Dan - 1990 Bronco |
| Damon - 1994 Bronco | Dave - 1991 Bronco |
| John - 1989 Bronco | Les - 1985 Toyota |
| Steve - 1989 Toyota |
Locking the Hubs
There were a few Jeeps heading through Gate Keeper by the time we rolled up to the first and argueably most challenging required obstacles of the trail. We were there long enough to watch a few people go through and look at the changes since the last trip. The obstcale was totally rearranged and tougher than the previous years. The Jeep Jamboree had not come through the trail yet, so it was still fairly 'wild'. Dave was in the lead and didn't have much trouble thanks to his heavy-duty equipment and high ground clearance. I was next and made it through with no fuss. Damon followed and we stacked a few rocks to shoehorn his Bronco through. Bill was up after Damon and things went sour from there. He had recently installed a West Texas Off Road power steering hydraulic assist steering box and ramn and the setup was on it's maiden off road trip. Apparently a sector shaft seal was installed incorrectly. This resulted in the box evacuating several quarts and making steering near impossible with the welded front end. I finally got the idea to unlock one hub and he had some steering. Chris, who had already snuck through, ended up winching Bill out to safety where he could set to work. |
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We started the trail a bit after one in the afternoon and Bill was back up and running a little before four. The sun was getting lower in the sky and blinded us in some places. We headed down the slabs in search of the new route between the slabs and Ellis Creek. It was well marked but very narrow and dusty. This meant we had to wait at spots for some Jeeps with lower ground clearance. The new route was pretty easy to follow. Daylight was really beginning to fade by the time we reached Ellis Creek. Under the cover of the thick forest canopy, we sought to move as fast as possible to the campsite located right before the Little Sluice. We were hoping that no one had claimed it by the time we arrived. Les was at the rear of the group and we were happy to see him doing everything with ease. His Toyota was well setup for the trail with custom bumpers, air lockers, solid axles, no doors and 33" tires. |
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