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Archived Newsletter |
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NOVEMBER 1999
SCHEDULED EVENTS
For more trip information, see TRIPS. |
CONTENTS |
CLUB PICNIC
The club picnic was a lot of fun this year starting with a little 2:45 a.m. wake up call thanks to Ma nature by the way of a 7.1 earthquake. Those camping there with motor homes found that being about 50 miles from the epicenter made for a lot of rocking and rolling!
Mike Kelly led the run in the morning without problems. In the afternoon Dave Felando had a senior moment and got off the trail a bit and, but was strapped back.
Around 4:30 everyone got together for dinner and the raffle. They even had an excellent campfire. I understand that some prized possessions changed hands at the white elephant raffle. Everyone said the food was great as always, and a good time was had by most except for a couple of people who had a little problem with a cranky baby.
This essay was written by a young lady named Rachel McClusky. I thought it would make interesting reading for the club paper. A new perspective to offroading and men 's grunting is always fun to read about. -Dale Rice
Dad and His Machine by Rachel McClusky.
Most kids see their fathers around the house fixing things. My dad enjoys
working on his Jeep, usually between the months of June and August, as he
prepares his 1972 Orange Jeep Renegade for this year's 21st Annual Jeep
Jamboree. The Jeep Jamboree is a grueling 16 mile trek over rocks, boulders, and
rock slabs. It is a man's weekend as they drink beer, and talk about Jeeps.
August 29, 1999 was the first year I was brave enough to go. The Jeepers motored
into Georgetown, CA ready for a great weekend. As we pulled in, my
Dad noticed that something was wrong with his Jeep. He sheered off all the rear
driving flange bolts. He whipped out his manly tool box as we pulled up to our
camp in the park. A crowd started to form around the Jeep, as the sound of
clanking screws and thumping wrenches filled the air.
The Jeep Jamboree mechanic pulled tip with his welding machine. The sound of the tools and metal turned the men into grunting primates. The sparks the machine omitted were like fireworks on the Fourth of July.
Meanwhile, my Grandmother and I were watching in amazement at what was going on. The amazement soon turned to hysterical laughter that made us look like two cartoon hyenas. It was amazing to me how so many guys seem to have a better solution to fix a problem. We had a few problems on the trip. But nothing would compare to the crowd that formed from my dad's compromising hub citation.
The next morning the hub was fixed and we were ready to hit the dusty road. But, before we even started down the dusty road, my Dad's friend Dan broke the rear axle on his Jeep. There were six Jeeps in our group, and we all waited two and a half hours for Dan to fix his Jeep before we started offroading. We would crawl like snails in granny gear over the boulders. I could feel the Jeep bending and flexing underneath me. The body of the Jeep had dents and scrapes from the 28 years of Jeep Jamboree trips and wasn't exactly attached to the frame. It seemed to make the trip more adventurous. It was a challenge to stay in the Jeep as it crawled over the vertical boulders and rocks. It was almost thrown out of the Jeep a few times, but I held on and made it through the trip without injuries. I loved it!
One bad part about the weekend was the giant swarm of mosquitoes. You never see them coming until it's too late. They sucked too much blood from my body. It got very cold at night and I didn't bring enough warm clothes. I treasured the first shower after three days of dust, dirt and sweat. In spite of it all, I do plan on going back next year. Next time, with some female reinforcements. I hope to be more prepared next year with all I learned from my first Jeep Jamboree about guys that weekend. They care about each other but nothing can come between a man and his Jeep!!
Rick & Suzy Schaffer are planning a trip to Jerome, Arizona some time early next year. They were there in July for a day while on a roaming vacation. They would like to invite any club members interested in meeting in Jerome for a 3 or 4 day weekend. Plans are to stay at the newly re-opened Jerome "Grand" Hotel. It's a renovated hospital, the town's 4th and largest (Why did such a small town need 4 hospitals? -ed.), that sits high on a hillside overlooking the town, Verde Valley, and Sedona to the north.
This is not an official run, just a place with many very interesting things to do and see. The hotel has a restaurant and saloon. We're trying to get as many rooms on the top floor as we can. The rooms face the valley and have an outside balcony. The rooms are $95 a night. However, other rooms are available for $70.
There are lots of places to explore, sightsee, and some 4 wheeling if you wish. If you are interested, please call Rick Schaffer (562)427-6039, and he can give you more information. What we would like to do is get everyone interested together at a meeting to discuss what time is best for those going.
If you would like to see what a 7.1 earthquake can do to the countryside, check out the USGS website showing pictures of the cracks that it produced. It's at: http://www-socal.wr.usgs.gov/hector.html
It's really impressive what power an earthquake has to crack the earth like it did.
This year we are breaking from tradition and most people aren't going to Salton Sea and One Way Canyon. Instead, they are going to Laughlin and exploring around Oatman. They will be staying at the Riverside RV park. If you are interested in joining them, give Rick Schaffer or Carol Kelly a call (see side front page for phone numbers)
Also, I've been told that the Cherskys are still doing One Way, so if you are interested in doing that, give Russ Chersky a call at (949)837-0569.
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