February 2001 Newsletter

SCHEDULED EVENTS

2/17 Acton to Glendale
3/24 Rattlesnake Canyon
4/21 Truckhaven
5/19 Cleghorn

For more trip information, see TRIPS.

CONTENTS

Trip Report
A New Year's Event
Newest Members
Schedule Changes
For Sale
T-shirts
Tech Tip
Run Safety Requirements

We met on Abbott Road at Red Rock State Park, north of Mojave at 9:00 a.m. After the usual hellos and the drivers meeting, at about 9:30, our fearless leader Dennis Sullivan and his group of 12 other vehicles headed into the wash that parallels the road. We had gone only a few hundred yards when, over the CB, someone announced that there was an unidentified white TJ with FITS plaques going in the opposite direction. It turned around and followed us to where the road and wash intersected. It was Jay Jiminez in his new TJ, without a CB. We soon hooked him up with a hand-held and we were off for Nightmare Gulch.

Nightmare Gulch was a great narrow canyon with a few challenging obstacles. Rocks to crawl over and a V-notch to straddle. Jay's Jeep loved it so much that it's roof rack reached out and kissed the canyon wall.

After a little breather we headed through a series of canyons on our way to our lunch stop at Cudahy Camp. Arriving at Cudahy we had a little challenge getting up the hill. It's a short loose climb, similar to the one on 3N93 at the Beaver Ponds. But we all made it and settled in for lunch.

While having lunch, some guys with highly built TJs also stopped for lunch. One had to park with his tire up on the tire of his friend's! We were sure impressed. NOT! Too much ego for me!

After a nice lunch, and for one guest a HOT lunch, we headed out down Last Chance Canyon. In a couple of very narrow places, Dave Felando had fond (?) memories of taking the Hummer through it last year.

At one point we met up with an Xterra club of 8 - 10 vehicles, including a Frontier and a new Land Cruiser, in a challenging wash while we were up on the road. We would have loved to stick around and see them trying to get through, but we were starting to hear the faint call of root beer floats at Randsburg.

We arrived at the pavement at about 1:45... Much too early to end a run, even by Dave Felando standards, so everyone but Jerry MacDonald, who headed back to camp, wheeled towards Garlock to the Adopt-A-Cabin area. This is an area where the BLM has taken over the land, and the cabins there are available for people to stay in on a limited bases.

While hanging around at the cabins, we had our only causality of the day. Jay Anderson gently closed the window on his hardtop and the glass shattered. What's up with that? We cleaned that up, and did what we could do for Jay. (Aren't you glad you wore shorts, Jay? A little breezy going home?) By then we were hearing the call of the root beer floats at Randsburg.

The Sullivan kids must have really heard it clearly because they decided to go to Randsburg via the pavement (like cheaters!) to beat us there. The rest of us went via the dirt. They ended up beating us by about 10 minutes and were enjoying the root beer floats, and in James' case, a LARGE banana split. He claimed it was his 3 year old daughter's though. Yeah right! You should have seen her eyes when they put it on the table!

After exploring Randsburg, we either headed home or back to camp at Red Rock. I understand they had a great potluck of epic portions.

Thanks, Dennis for a great trip. And thanks to the Rices for their spotting in Nightmare Gulch. Dennis also asked to thank his son James and Jon & Dale Rice for helping with the scouting the day before.

Guest present were: Donald & Becky Clevenger, Elaine, James, and Devyn Sullivan, Chuck & Mike Boyle, Robert Day & Sally Kinsey, and Randy & Katie Goodman.

Members: Dennis Sullivan (intrepid leader), Jon & Dale Rice, Mike & Carol Kelly, Rick & Suzy Schaffer, Dave Felando, Jay Anderson, Jay Jiminez, Jerry MacDonald, and Ric Jones with Brad Quick riding.

It all started on Thursday, with the Bays staking out a claim near the escape road. Others slowly gathered at the circling up place on the golf course near Truckhaven, near the metropolis of Salton City. Jerry MacDonald showed up Friday afternoon, with the Rices close behind. The Kellys showed up at their regular time, quite late. Lots of people started showing up after dark and early Saturday morning including the Beggs, until the circle was complete plus a few extras.

Since this affair was an annual event for the Kellys and their extended families, they outnumbered FITS people by a lot!!

The weather last year last year was something to forget, windy and cold! This year it was something to remember. The sky was clear most of the time, slight breezes, lots of stars, warm sun, and great people to swap stories with.

Saturday morning we decided that, since we were there, maybe a little Jeepin' was in order. Someone said, "Jim's leading." And I said, "huh?" So off I went not really knowing where I was going. We wound up on this rocky mesa and I was about to give up finding a way down into the washes, when I finally found one. It was a rocky way to go, but proved doable for everyone in our group of six. We knocked about in some very sandy, as well as rocky washes. About the time we were starting to feel like we would never find a way out, we were back up on the mesa again. Heading west a ways we came to another fairly steep wash that looked kind of, well, bad, certainly not overly used! Everyone did themselves proud and made it down without any problem.

We headed up Palm Wash to the Calcite mine road where we had to wait for a few minutes for a guy to finish coming down the washed out road in a "Baja" Bug. He was all over the place!

Jerry was hungry and so was I, so we stopped for lunch. After lunch, we headed back to camp via a long sandy wash, which wasn't unusual, but the little red car with Oregon plates halfway down the side of a high bluff, on it's top was a bit different.

Sunday, Jerry led us to "5 Fingers" which is now about 10 fingers and we had a great time running up and down the hill and exploring the area.

Slowly, everybody started to leave for home. Come Tuesday morning, there were only a handful left. Just after we left the strong winds came! Good timing.

We believe that they be a welcome addition to the club. We haven't told him yet, but he will become the official club photographer. He has brought to the meeting some great photographs.

The September run to the Los Coyotes Indian reservation has been changed to Banner. The Indians are closing down the reservation to off-roading as of April.

The April run location has been changed from Joshua Tree to an area north of Barstow, Inscription Canyon.

The May trip has been changed to the 2nd Annual El Mirage Days (clean up), May 5-6.

Sail boat trailer. Excellent shape except for needing a little work on the lights. Twenty years old, in the water 6 times. Call David Felando at work (714)962-0025 or home (714)894-8062

The T-shirts are in. They will be available at the next meeting, or you can get with Carol Kelly and be the first on your block to have the new design.

Radio Shack has (had?) a nice LITTLE (1 3/8 x 4 1/4 x 5 7/8") CB on sale for $39 normally $59. I bought one and it fit nicely between the dash and the shifter on my TJ, but It won't fit there on the newer TJs.

RUN SAFETY REQUIREMENTS