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Post by Archangel on Mar 18, 2007 22:12:59 GMT -5
I just walked in the door, and I'm going to eat and then shower. I'll write a short trip report tonight before I go to bed...Let's just say this...My jeep...is broken and at Christine's house. Scott's jeep...is broken and at Christine's house...oh, and did you know that two high lift I beams bolted together will work as a temporary tie rod on a full width axle? GUess who broke their tie rod among other things...trip report will be up in an hour or so
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Post by 7Lbar on Mar 18, 2007 22:26:42 GMT -5
and my Jeep is at my house and maybe broken, will know more tomorrow. I'm cleaned up and the trailer is unloaded.
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Post by scooterd58 on Mar 18, 2007 22:47:43 GMT -5
WOW a shower never felt so good. Very nice trip, Trixie has been sleeping since I got home. I post up pics once I relax for a little bit..
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Post by K5 on Mar 18, 2007 22:48:17 GMT -5
My truck is leaking rear diff fluid and oil. I also had some pretty interesting vibrations on the way home. I think its a u-joint. I think we have a pretty good carnage list going. ;D
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Post by scooterd58 on Mar 18, 2007 22:55:15 GMT -5
My truck is leaking rear diff fluid and oil. I also had some pretty interesting vibrations on the way home. I think its a u-joint. I think we have a pretty good carnage list going. ;D you had some interesting vibrations ;D ;D well at least you made it home with your rig..
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Post by 7Lbar on Mar 18, 2007 22:59:32 GMT -5
I also had some pretty interesting vibrations on the way home. That should be left for the campfire, or might have to explain what Pumpkin was doing.
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Post by rstep on Mar 18, 2007 23:05:29 GMT -5
Sounds like an interesting run.Hope you at least had fun breaking everything,can't wait to see some pics.
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Post by scooterd58 on Mar 18, 2007 23:17:06 GMT -5
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Post by rocktoy on Mar 18, 2007 23:23:50 GMT -5
Well, my jeep is just fine in my garage sleeping from a very fun weekend....just a little dusty - amazing it didn't break considering James had to drive it home (just kidding honey). I really didn't want to come home today, but someone had to trailer James' jeep home. Despite the carnage we had an absolutely awesome weekend of wheeling!! Camping with 5 guys wasn't half bad either!
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Post by Archangel on Mar 18, 2007 23:28:53 GMT -5
So, where to begin...hmm..How about Friday Morning. Thursday was pretty uneventful. We all drove up to Cottonwood Canyon Rd, setup camp, and slept...
Those who were in attendance Friday morning were..
Archangel Rocktoy K5 & Travis 7Lbar
So, Friday morning, we all got up with excitement and anticipation. The day was perfect for wheeling, even though it got hot later, it was an awesome day. We secured camp and headed for Upper Woodpecker. Upper Woodpecker runs up through a very tight wash, and it is mostly smaller boulders and rock ledges with the occasional obstacle, but most of the serious stuff is optional. Kyle and his K5 discovered once again that his carbureation sucks. Stalled on the first obstacle, but overall, he didn't have too much trouble the entire weekend. Once we cleared the first set of obstacles, we came to a small rocky section where Kyle's truck recieved its first body damage. Nothing to serious, but while backing up to get a better line at a rock ledge, his drivers side front fender went into the rock. It only scratched the paint and dented it a little. The funny part is that Kyle was happy about it...
It was about this time it was decided to hook up a strap to Kyle's K5 being that he was having a little trouble than I cared for. We didn't need any carnage on the first day, so the strap was attached. But, it turns out he didn't need it. After a couple of tugs on the strap, and the K5 refusing to crest the ledge, Kyle just happened to find the perfect line and drove right up. After driving up, I asked if he had aired down his tires. He of course said yes. After observiing him through the next section, I asked him what pressure, and I cannot recall what he told me, but it was too high. So we started to let some more air out of the tires, and we all came to realize that the pressures were FAR to high and his gauge was faulty. I gave him on of my old ones, we aired him down, and it was like the truck had lockers all of a sudden. THe K5 had little trouble on the rest of the trip through upper Woodpecker.
We came to an obstacle called Devil's Back, and me being the trail leader decided to take it. There was a bypass which Austin and Kyle both took...Devil's Back is a 4 - 5 Ft tall ledge which is taller on one side than the other and it tilts you into a sheer rock face. I made the obstacle after some struggle, but I did scrape my roll cage on the rock. Christine was next, and with my spotting only knocked the dust off of her flare. She did an awesome job taking my directions as a spotter and driving her rig. She made the obstacle as well.
The rest of the trip out of Upper Woodpecker was uneventful, and we headed for camp around 4 in the evening. Scooterd58 and Trixie arrived about 20 minutes after we got to camp. Once everyone was there, food was cooked, beer was consumed, airsoft wars ensued, and a good time was had by all.
Come 7AM Saturday morning, we were all ready to go again. The original plan was to run Upper Ajax on Saturday, but since Upper Ajax was a short run, we decided to leave it for the last run on Sunday. Instead, we loaded up and headed for Martinez Canyon. The trip to the cabin was scenic and uneventful. Upon arriving at the cabin, it was agreed by all to run the loop...yea, what were we thinking...
Let me being by saying that I've run alot of trails in my time, and never has one unnerved me as much as Martinez Canyon did. According to my GPS, we reached an elevation of 8000+ feet. Our fastest ascent was 416 Feet Per Minute, and our fastest decent was almost 1800 Feet Per Minute, and yea...those numbers are accurate. Let me also say that the view from the top of Martinez is worth every nailbiting, hairraising moment, although some of those who went may not agree (Kyle & Scott).
Anyway, at the cabin (the bottom of the loop), it was decided that due to the tightness of the switchbacks that we would leave Kyle's K5 at the cabin. Kyle rode shotgun with me, and Travis rode with Austin. Martinez Canyon starts out as a fairly difficult rock crawling trail going through boulder gardens, off-camber rocky sections and some hill climbs. Then you reach the switch backs. In less than 1.5 miles traveled, you go up 8000+ ft. Some of these switchbacks are so tight in nature, that a standard length jeep has to make a 4 point turn including reversing to clear the turn. If you back up to far, its a LONG way to the bottom. All was going well until the first major switchback. Rains had eroded the trail badly enough that it tried to lay my jeep on its side as I made the turn. Kyle asked if I would like him to get out.....I said no, its ok... He then asked if he could get out...lol
I ended up backing up, finding the right line and driving out of it with 1 - 2 ft of air under my drivers front tire. Everyone else saw where I went, and they took the corner differently. Closer to the top, I drove through a washout, instantly eroding 6-8 inches of road. That was a good pucker factor. We reached the top with everyone intact and alive, however a few of us were shaken... But, as the saying goes, what goes up, must come down...
Remember earlier I said that we climed 8000+ ft in 1.5 miles...well, I think we came down in less than 3/4 of a mile. Allow me to introduce what is now called the luge. Imagine if you will a 150 Ft. section of steep hill. There are 3-4 ft. walls on either side, and its just wide enough to fit a jeep through. Now add to the fact that its about 50 degrees straight down, and its covered in loose shale, rock, and dirt. On top of all that, at the end of the luge is a 15 ft drop into a wash. You have to make a 70 degree turn at the bottom while your sliding... You might stop if your lucky... Well, I was first in line...
Kyle and I dropped into the luge, and a game of pinball ensued. I bounced off one side, then the other, then the large rock in the trail, then one side, and then the other, and at the bottom I slid it sideways. Kyle never said a work coming down the luge, although I was cursing obscenities. Kyle's finger indentations are not PERMANENT in my dash bar...
Christine was next... She slid, and stopped and slid, and went sideways and slid and stopped... She had done the trail before, so she was expecting it.
Scott was next up. Keep in mind that poor Trixie is in the passenger seat through all of this. Scott drops in and slides...Slides some more, and manages to come to a stop, which at that point, poor Trixie slides off the seat and into the floor under the dash. While stopped, Scott got Trixie up and put her in the back of the Jeep. After some more sliding, some cursing and finally making it to the bottom, I believe Scott's exact words were F&*K THAT.
And lest we forget about Austin. Who DROVE DOWN IT, with barely a slide on anything. We are now calling his Jeep magic.
After the luge, we were on our way out. Scott, who had scraped his sidewall earlier on the boulder garden in Martinez, blew his tire on the way down. Kyle and I continued down to Martinez Cabin to get his truck, while Christine, Austin and Scott changed the damaged tire. Once everyone reached the cabin, we decided it was time to head for camp. We had all had enough fun for one day.
On our way out, at the Box Canyon turnoff, we ran into a CJ who had sheared his carrier right at the ring gear. He was trying to remove the guts of the carrier so he could limp back to camp on front wheel drive. He had a small prybar and a hammer...wasn't working.
Austin hooked up to the front of the CJ, while I hooked directly to the carrier, and 9000 LB's of pulling force later, and a few quick blows with the hammer, it was out. After it was all buttoned up, we caravaned back to camp together, and even with the wrong turn I made, we still made pretty good time. I followed the CJ back to his camp, and he was very grateful for the help. Upon arriving back at our camp, Austin and I went searching for firewood in CottonWood Canyon wash, while Kyle and Scott went into town for supplies. Once everyone was back, food was cooked, beer was consumed, and we all went to bed.
So, now its Sunday... My poor CJ's day of reckoning. Like I mentioned earlier, we headed for Upper Ajax. Again, it was predetermined that Kyle's truck would not make Ajax, so it was left at camp. Boy, we were right.
Apparently, Ajax has changed significantly in the three years its been since Christine last ran it. Uppper Ajax is a very short trail, and it its all in a wash. Apparently, this wash has seen some serious rain. Considering that boulders the size of hondas had been moved, I'd say there was just a little bit of water. The first section wasn't to bad, and everyone made it. I took the harder line to the right while everyone else took the bypass. We decided to see how far I could get and that would determine who continued.
I took my rig past the first obstacle. The second obstacle is a three stepped water fall. Nothing too hard, with the exception of that I had bald tires, and there was water in the low spots of the falls. Once my tires were wet, I was having a difficult time getting them to hook up. But, after some spinning, some turning, some backing up, and some line finding, up I went...to the next obstacle. Nothing major, but it took some work to get around.
Then there is the 4-5 ft tall v-notch, the last major obstacle on Upper Ajax. You drive down into a 6" deep pool of water and then attempt to climb out over the V-Notch. I got my front end up over the v-notch with little trouble, but the rear was a different story. What I didn't realize is that my passenger front tire was wedged into a small hole, and when I was turning the wheel, my hydraulic ram was severely stressing my tie rod...Well, it stressed it to the breaking point...SNAP...right in the middle and my tires were now pigeon toed /---\. I immediately hooked up the winch, and pulled up and out of the v-notch. Then the trail repair began. I realized very quickly that Christine had brought her jeep up on the trailer, and that all I had to do was get it to the trailer. So, we started taking ideas on how to fix it... Then it dawned on me...the I-beam from a 60" hi-lift was close to the width of the needed tie rod. We bolted it on, and the tires were still toed in hard /---\, but with the assitance of Travis, I drove the remainder of the trail like that, literally plowing my way through the rocks. Travis had the idea of getting another hi-lift jack and bolting the I-beams together to make it longer and restoring my steering back to normal |---|. We met up with the other group, who, after seeing my carnage, decided to return back to the start of the trail. Once we met up, I borrowed AUstin's 60" hi-lift I-beam, bolted them together, and we were on our way. Driving very slowly and checking the bolts often, we limped it back to camp.
On the way, the rear driveshaft decided it was tired, and let go at the rear u-joint. I simply tied the driveshaft up out of the way, took the rear t-case output out of drive, and drove the rest of the way to camp in front wheel drive, with a hi-lift tie rod...
Well, we thought we were home free. After packing up and heading for the highway, Scott discovered that if he drove over 40 MPH, he got very violent death wobble. Upon arriving in Florence, we also noticed his Jeep was listing heavily to the passenger side. So, long stroy short, we drove 40 MPH from Florence to Christine's home where both my Jeep and Scott's jeep now sit. We will be going up tomorrow night to work on them and likely Tuesday night. So, all in all, here is the carnage report for the weekend...
Archangel
1 Snapped Tie Rod 1 Broken Driveshaft 1 Faulty Switch (Rocklights) 1 Broken/Cracked Frame Mount on Rear Bumper 1 Rear Flexible Brake Line
Scooterd58
1 32" BFG A/T Death Wobble
K5
Body Damage Bent Front Bumper Diff Fluid Leaking and Oil Leak Strange Vibrations
Austin
1 Clicking/Popping Sound in Drivers Side Front Hub Area
Rocktoy ? (She didn't try hard enough)
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Post by slick1100 on Mar 18, 2007 23:31:38 GMT -5
So Christine, you running a Jeep salvage yard now? Sounds like a trip I'm glad I missed. Really pretty pics posted so far though.
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Post by slick1100 on Mar 18, 2007 23:45:49 GMT -5
That much carnage when I have to depend on my rig as a daily and don't have a work truck to baby me during the week.
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Post by Archangel on Mar 18, 2007 23:49:05 GMT -5
Understandable...but ya know...when you play hard, you break hard... I'll have my rig up and in service by Wednesday... Besides, carnage is just an opportunity to upgrade...
Anyway you look at it, you missed a hell of a run. It was awesome. Great scenery, great friends, great fun.
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Post by trebor on Mar 18, 2007 23:49:31 GMT -5
Sounds like a awesome trip.Man i wish i could have gone like planned.Glad everyone made it home safe.I hope all goes well with the repair of your rigs.
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Post by rocktoy on Mar 18, 2007 23:54:48 GMT -5
You could have bought my Range Rover and not worried about carnage then.....ha, ha!
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Post by zjeep on Mar 19, 2007 0:00:31 GMT -5
That much carnage when I have to depend on my rig as a daily and don't have a work truck to baby me during the week. Im with ya on this one Slick lol, my jeep is broke d*ck enough right now and wont be repaired to trail condition until i return. I do wish i was in town and could have came out with you guys though sounds like a good time and i would have liked to finally go on the Martinez Loop run. Hope you all get your rigs fixed and back on the trails soon, and get some more pictures posted!
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Post by zjeep on Mar 19, 2007 0:11:44 GMT -5
Its a good thing you have 5 to choose from if this repair is gonna take anywhere as long as it did for you to TRY and fix poor old sniper ;D ;D ;D love ya
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Post by Archangel on Mar 19, 2007 0:32:08 GMT -5
Its a good thing you have 5 to choose from if this repair is gonna take anywhere as long as it did for you to TRY and fix poor old sniper ;D ;D ;D love ya Nah...this repair is easy...mechanical stuff...nothing electrical....
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Post by slick1100 on Mar 19, 2007 7:04:39 GMT -5
Understandable...but ya know...when you play hard, you break hard... I'll have my rig up and in service by Wednesday... Besides, carnage is just an opportunity to upgrade... Anyway you look at it, you missed a hell of a run. It was awesome. Great scenery, great friends, great fun. Eh, playing hard just opens up the greater likely-hood of breaking hard. It's entirely possible to break hard sitting in the driveway if one does something stupid. Carnage and upgrades are great if you've got a wallet deep enough to pay for anything that might break. I'd rather spend money on fuel for the next trip. But I digress.
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Post by rstep on Mar 19, 2007 8:57:02 GMT -5
The pics are great and after the run report it sounds like a great weekend for you all.Hopefully the damage to all is easily fixed and you guys will be back out on the trail.
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Post by dragon51 on Mar 19, 2007 10:03:04 GMT -5
Wow that sounded like one hell of a trip glad everyone had a good time, now hopefully next time I don't get screwed by work a gain and I will make it.
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Post by rocktoy on Mar 19, 2007 11:15:19 GMT -5
Understandable...but ya know...when you play hard, you break hard... I'll have my rig up and in service by Wednesday... Besides, carnage is just an opportunity to upgrade... Anyway you look at it, you missed a hell of a run. It was awesome. Great scenery, great friends, great fun. Eh, playing hard just opens up the greater likely-hood of breaking hard. It's entirely possible to break hard sitting in the driveway if one does something stupid. Carnage and upgrades are great if you've got a wallet deep enough to pay for anything that might break. I'd rather spend money on fuel for the next trip. But I digress. Well, the way I look at it, you only live once. Sometimes you just have to do what you really love to enjoy life. No matter what the cost. We all know you can't take it with you... Some people prefer more difficult and challenging trails, others the more scenic. Different strokes for different folks. As for me, I love both....and I'll just drive nice and slow and enjoy what I can, as long as I can. Well, maybe once in a while I'll get a little "brave", huh guys....can't wait to hear the comments on the "ledge" shot.
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Post by zjeep on Mar 19, 2007 19:10:35 GMT -5
So all these pictures and nobody but Scott has posted them yet? what a shame you guys dissapoint me
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Post by rocktoy on Mar 19, 2007 19:12:04 GMT -5
I was busy driving (not breaking, that is).....Kyle took all the pics. LOL
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Post by rocktoy on Mar 19, 2007 19:12:41 GMT -5
....and by the way, Kyle took almost 400 pics....I'm sure he'll be a while....
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Post by zjeep on Mar 19, 2007 19:32:45 GMT -5
Ya i know its gonna be awhile, but Kyle should hurry it up, his rig isnt broken come on kyle dont keep us waiting
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Post by zjeep on Mar 19, 2007 20:45:59 GMT -5
Thanks for postin the pics Kyle, i like the part on upper woodpecker where Christin is coming through the rocks and had to make a hard right and the front passenger wheel was coming up in the air, very nice. Great pics cant wait for the rest of them
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Post by rstep on Mar 19, 2007 21:25:01 GMT -5
Great pics Kyle thanks for getting them up for us.
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Post by slick1100 on Mar 19, 2007 21:57:26 GMT -5
Well, the way I look at it, you only live once. Sometimes you just have to do what you really love to enjoy life. No matter what the cost. We all know you can't take it with you... Some people prefer more difficult and challenging trails, others the more scenic. Different strokes for different folks. As for me, I love both....and I'll just drive nice and slow and enjoy what I can, as long as I can. Well, maybe once in a while I'll get a little "brave", huh guys....can't wait to hear the comments on the "ledge" shot. LOL, understood. I try to go more places and see more things before my time comes.
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Post by slick1100 on Mar 19, 2007 22:03:03 GMT -5
Great pics guys! I only browsed through, but very cool so far!
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