Felix 808
Huge Member
Attendees:
Me+
1. @tom b 2-door Gen6
2. @terrynsd 4-door Gen6
3. @@Built2Wild 2-door Gen6
4. @GilZis Bronco Raptor with Paper Dealer plates
5. @Shrek27 4-door Gen6
6 @BrickNoseFSB Jason T. '89 FSB Pre-runner
7 @Napoleon Dumo -door Gen6
We met up at the wide section on Van Dusen at 7:30 where we aired down & had a quick driver meeting to kick off this redemption run for @tom b & @terrynsd that were with us for last year’s fiasco. Though we were still missing 2 from the sign up. We were getting ready to leave when @BrickNoseFSB shows up in his 89 full size. I told him to get aired down while I filled him in on the details. During this process the @GilZis rolled up shortly after in a still paper dealer plated Bronco Raptor. Said get aired down & we are out of here. Looking over the BR I noticed the factory side steps were still attached & I made the comment that those were not going to make it by days end.
We had our group & were on our way about 8:50 & off to Little John Bull, not to be confused with Big John Bull by any means as Little John Bull is the warm up. It is getting a little spicier, but you really can’t compare the two.
We made our way along to where Little John Bull gets started and a place I call the Jinx, because It’s been a number of years since when Leading any group through that we don’t get stopped by some event. Whether it’s Dave’s Classic throwing the fan through the radiator or some one getting hung to imped our progress. So, this year I called out the Jinx and we all rolled through without issue. Must have been a Jedi mind trick
.
We all made it to the gatekeeper at Big John with zero stoppages. We took a break and surveyed a way through. At this time @BrickNoseFSB decided to conserve his strength & energy for his run the next day. Having only LSD’s & no lockers. While we could have dragged him through the harder sections but I think he made the better decision.
And then there were 7.
At first, I thought to take a pretty dug out line on the left that looked like pretty much a straight shot except for the large holes and anticipated large slippery boulders one would have to climb to get through. I didn’t think I would get much traction to pull it off, so rather than mucking around & holding up the group I opted for the route on the right. Basically, the same route I took last year but it looked a little better this year. Well, no big surprise, just like last year I got hung up and showed the group how deep the holes still were. Time to pull cable & free myself. Once freed, I made my way up the notorious slippery hill, but his time I grabbed all kinds of traction & cruised right up with no drama of spitting sideways or sliding into the right-side wall. Nope, up she went easy peasy. @Shrek27 headed down the same path as me & ended up with the same fate of pulling cable. His Badlands winch had an interesting feature I hadn’t seen before. When the winch controller was hooked up via the wired connection, it wouldn’t reel in. Not a desirable feature at all
. But when using the wireless connection, it decided to work. Thank goodness the battery was charged. We didn’t waste anytime proving if it wouldn’t reel out in wireless mode as we had a lot of challenging trail to get to.
Well after @Shrek27 & my failures that proved that yes, the holes are still deep. The rest of the group took the line I was initially eyeing and made it through with minimal issues.
We made it to the top of the mountain & stopped for lunch while overlooking Johnson Valley.
Once fed & rested we made our way through the large rocks. @Built2Wild & @Napoleon Dumo were doing a great job of spotting everyone on the back end. Even @Napoleon Dumo’s kids were getting in on the action. He’s training them up good. No doubt they will be our future trail leaders. They were great! With all their help at the middle & back end, they really made an easy day for me where I all had to do is stay up front & drive. Well until we get call on the radio for the Hi-Lift Jack. Relax all you pearl clutchers, this is a valuable trail tool and can be used safely. I’ve been doing so for >30 years it’s saved the day more than a few times. Anyway apparently, @Shrek27 found himself being spit roasted by to large boulders. One was barber poling the rear drive shaft while another one had propped him up in the front. While I was freeing & awakening the Hi-Lift from it’s slumber, they were able to get @Shrek27 sorted and back on his way. Apparently. this old man moves a bit too slow sometimes, so I bolted her back down & away we went.
Then at some point things got even more exciting as @Built2Wild was getting really tippy with the back end up in the air. @tom b rigged his winch line to the rear of @Built2Wild to help stabilize the situation & @Built2Wild was able to stay upright.
We came up to the Old Tree Squeeze where things would get a little exciting for some. There use to be 2 standing trees years ago but now one is on the ground, but the rocks are big & the holes are deep & you get pitched over real good into the tree. Mere inches are between the tops & the tree when you come through.
We guided @terrynsd through with a little pucker factor but no harm done. Next was @GilZis who guided his co-driver through using a European language I didn’t quite catch, but I wasn’t going to disrupt him and confuse the situation. He did a great job.
The 2 doors had a fun time as they would teeter-totter on 2 wheels all while tempting the still standing tree to take a bite out of the roof which would offer some weight savings but would not enhance the ascetics of the vehicle. Through it all, the seat covers remained in tact
We made our way out via Harvey Mine trail which has a couple fun V notches and a small rocky section.
We all made it back to our starting point & aired back up. I did a little free marketing for an air compressor mount by JD Marz https://broncoaccessoriesusa.com/products/onboard-compressor-plate. John is a good guy that is very responsive to any correspondence & this is a great addition. It saves lugging that thing in out & around the vehicle. Thanks @oldhippie for showing me the way.
While airing up, I ran into to Fan Man Dave in his Classic who stopped by to chat. They were running John Bull behind us and he was having clutch & starter issues. I told him that John Bull is just not a kind trail to him. It was good seeing him again. My wife even offered a bit of first aid as he had spilt his hand open a bit from his earlier adventure.
Apparently they had a Classic roll at the top of the Gatekeeper where our good friend Trail Hero Ralph helped right him over and get him back to base. Not wanting to cheat the guy out of any adventure Ralph inadvertently pulled him through the Squeeze on the way out. 3+ years Tail Hero Ralph is yet to finish John Bull as he is always helping others with their misfortunes.
This was a great trip with a great group. Everyone pulling weight to make it seem as if I had the day off. I appreciate everyone that came out with us today & look forward to wheeling with you all again sometime.
Damage Report:
@Shrek27 modified his exhaust to be high clearance.
@GilZis The previously predicted Raptor side steps. They got twisted up and a chunk or two out of them, but at least both sides matched
Thanks again everyone! Please post pictures & comments on your experience. Until next time
Me+
1. @tom b 2-door Gen6
2. @terrynsd 4-door Gen6
3. @@Built2Wild 2-door Gen6
4. @GilZis Bronco Raptor with Paper Dealer plates
5. @Shrek27 4-door Gen6
6 @BrickNoseFSB Jason T. '89 FSB Pre-runner
7 @Napoleon Dumo -door Gen6
We met up at the wide section on Van Dusen at 7:30 where we aired down & had a quick driver meeting to kick off this redemption run for @tom b & @terrynsd that were with us for last year’s fiasco. Though we were still missing 2 from the sign up. We were getting ready to leave when @BrickNoseFSB shows up in his 89 full size. I told him to get aired down while I filled him in on the details. During this process the @GilZis rolled up shortly after in a still paper dealer plated Bronco Raptor. Said get aired down & we are out of here. Looking over the BR I noticed the factory side steps were still attached & I made the comment that those were not going to make it by days end.
We had our group & were on our way about 8:50 & off to Little John Bull, not to be confused with Big John Bull by any means as Little John Bull is the warm up. It is getting a little spicier, but you really can’t compare the two.
We made our way along to where Little John Bull gets started and a place I call the Jinx, because It’s been a number of years since when Leading any group through that we don’t get stopped by some event. Whether it’s Dave’s Classic throwing the fan through the radiator or some one getting hung to imped our progress. So, this year I called out the Jinx and we all rolled through without issue. Must have been a Jedi mind trick
.We all made it to the gatekeeper at Big John with zero stoppages. We took a break and surveyed a way through. At this time @BrickNoseFSB decided to conserve his strength & energy for his run the next day. Having only LSD’s & no lockers. While we could have dragged him through the harder sections but I think he made the better decision.
And then there were 7.
At first, I thought to take a pretty dug out line on the left that looked like pretty much a straight shot except for the large holes and anticipated large slippery boulders one would have to climb to get through. I didn’t think I would get much traction to pull it off, so rather than mucking around & holding up the group I opted for the route on the right. Basically, the same route I took last year but it looked a little better this year. Well, no big surprise, just like last year I got hung up and showed the group how deep the holes still were. Time to pull cable & free myself. Once freed, I made my way up the notorious slippery hill, but his time I grabbed all kinds of traction & cruised right up with no drama of spitting sideways or sliding into the right-side wall. Nope, up she went easy peasy. @Shrek27 headed down the same path as me & ended up with the same fate of pulling cable. His Badlands winch had an interesting feature I hadn’t seen before. When the winch controller was hooked up via the wired connection, it wouldn’t reel in. Not a desirable feature at all
. But when using the wireless connection, it decided to work. Thank goodness the battery was charged. We didn’t waste anytime proving if it wouldn’t reel out in wireless mode as we had a lot of challenging trail to get to.Well after @Shrek27 & my failures that proved that yes, the holes are still deep. The rest of the group took the line I was initially eyeing and made it through with minimal issues.
We made it to the top of the mountain & stopped for lunch while overlooking Johnson Valley.
Once fed & rested we made our way through the large rocks. @Built2Wild & @Napoleon Dumo were doing a great job of spotting everyone on the back end. Even @Napoleon Dumo’s kids were getting in on the action. He’s training them up good. No doubt they will be our future trail leaders. They were great! With all their help at the middle & back end, they really made an easy day for me where I all had to do is stay up front & drive. Well until we get call on the radio for the Hi-Lift Jack. Relax all you pearl clutchers, this is a valuable trail tool and can be used safely. I’ve been doing so for >30 years it’s saved the day more than a few times. Anyway apparently, @Shrek27 found himself being spit roasted by to large boulders. One was barber poling the rear drive shaft while another one had propped him up in the front. While I was freeing & awakening the Hi-Lift from it’s slumber, they were able to get @Shrek27 sorted and back on his way. Apparently. this old man moves a bit too slow sometimes, so I bolted her back down & away we went.
Then at some point things got even more exciting as @Built2Wild was getting really tippy with the back end up in the air. @tom b rigged his winch line to the rear of @Built2Wild to help stabilize the situation & @Built2Wild was able to stay upright.
We came up to the Old Tree Squeeze where things would get a little exciting for some. There use to be 2 standing trees years ago but now one is on the ground, but the rocks are big & the holes are deep & you get pitched over real good into the tree. Mere inches are between the tops & the tree when you come through.
We guided @terrynsd through with a little pucker factor but no harm done. Next was @GilZis who guided his co-driver through using a European language I didn’t quite catch, but I wasn’t going to disrupt him and confuse the situation. He did a great job.
The 2 doors had a fun time as they would teeter-totter on 2 wheels all while tempting the still standing tree to take a bite out of the roof which would offer some weight savings but would not enhance the ascetics of the vehicle. Through it all, the seat covers remained in tact
We made our way out via Harvey Mine trail which has a couple fun V notches and a small rocky section.
We all made it back to our starting point & aired back up. I did a little free marketing for an air compressor mount by JD Marz https://broncoaccessoriesusa.com/products/onboard-compressor-plate. John is a good guy that is very responsive to any correspondence & this is a great addition. It saves lugging that thing in out & around the vehicle. Thanks @oldhippie for showing me the way.
While airing up, I ran into to Fan Man Dave in his Classic who stopped by to chat. They were running John Bull behind us and he was having clutch & starter issues. I told him that John Bull is just not a kind trail to him. It was good seeing him again. My wife even offered a bit of first aid as he had spilt his hand open a bit from his earlier adventure.
Apparently they had a Classic roll at the top of the Gatekeeper where our good friend Trail Hero Ralph helped right him over and get him back to base. Not wanting to cheat the guy out of any adventure Ralph inadvertently pulled him through the Squeeze on the way out. 3+ years Tail Hero Ralph is yet to finish John Bull as he is always helping others with their misfortunes.
This was a great trip with a great group. Everyone pulling weight to make it seem as if I had the day off. I appreciate everyone that came out with us today & look forward to wheeling with you all again sometime.
Damage Report:
@Shrek27 modified his exhaust to be high clearance.
@GilZis The previously predicted Raptor side steps. They got twisted up and a chunk or two out of them, but at least both sides matched
Thanks again everyone! Please post pictures & comments on your experience. Until next time
Last edited:
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