Post by Archangel on Jan 29, 2007 22:29:37 GMT -5
An article from the Anchorage Daily News, regarding one of the many cleanups our club(s) accomplished in Alaska. I've seen plenty of junk cars on the trails here, and I'd really like to see us get involved and get these things out of here. I am going to coordinating with the BLM and FS this week and figuring out where we want to go first, and how to do it legally. The other benefit of car removals, is that if we can get a clear title from the proper authorities, we can sell the car for salvage which will bring funding in for the club... Anyway, enjoy the read, here is the article.
Anchorage Daily News (AK)
August 17, 2005
Section: Mat-Su Weekly Section
Edition: Final
Page: G6
Playing dirty
Group of big-rig enthusiasts enjoys sharing tips, organizing trail runs
OFF-ROAD MISSION
KYLE HOPKINS
Anchorage Daily News
Lugnut, Oddball, Georgia and Mudbones, among others, met Aug. 6 at a trail head just north of Sutton, intent on taking out the trash. Oddball, whose real name is Curtis Anderson, said an old Chrysler sedan had been collecting bullet holes on the trail along the Kings River for nearly two years, and today's mission was to haul it out.
The group of Valley and Anchorage residents drive four-wheel-drive rigs, mostly Jeeps, with thick, knobby wheels and tall suspensions that allow them to scramble over sofa-sized boulders. They communicate mostly through online posts at Web sites, where they swap gear, trade mechanical tips and plot their next trail runs.
Most everyone uses a nickname or handle, and a few name their rigs. Anderson, for example, drives a barely recognizable Jeep Cherokee that from the door handles down looks like a giant Tonka toy. Everyone calls it Hero, and this Saturday morning, it led the charge up the trail with eight Jeeps, SUVs and pickups behind it.
The trail begins on private property, said James "Georgia" Hill, a carpenter who lives on Elmendorf Air Force Base with his wife. Hill drives a green 1995 Jeep Wrangler that he bought used for about $4,000 or $5,000. And he spent that much again to outfit it with all the bells and whistles necessary to make trail runs.
After a short drive, the path split. The off-roaders took the trail marked Ruby Lake, along the bank of the clear river. Everyone stopped to wait for a smaller group of four-wheelers to back up and let the larger rigs pass.
If anyone was hiking or biking along the trail that morning, they never passed the four-by-fours. But the notion that everyone has to share these trails and the topic of off-roaders' reputations for making them wider, deeper and muckier each year came up often in conversation,
The group knows its hobby isn't exactly good for trails, but the drivers wanted to show they take pains to protect the trails and drive responsibly.
After 20 minutes of crawling along the bumpy Kings River trail, the abandoned Chrysler became more and more of a mystery.
How did a two-wheel-drive, 1985 New Yorker that rides just a few inches above the ground make it so far into the woods? Even the towering Jeeps swayed and tilted as they climbed over stumps and small boulders.
By 11:30 a.m., all nine rigs had reached a clearing where the trail widened. A family of ATVers rumbled past as the group inspected the Chrysler.
The car was filled with trash and broken glass. Most of the tires, which were planted in a swath of mud maybe 50 feet wide, had been shot or slashed.
Someone fired up a chop saw, and the surgery began. Within an hour, the group had filled a small trailer with scrap metal, but it disagreed over the next step.
Should the car be cut in half?
There wouldn't be enough room for all the scrap metal, so someone suggested towing the car out. After grabbing a couple of spare tires from the waiting rigs, the group had the Chrysler ready to roll.
The caravan progressed slowly, allowing plenty of time to speculate about where the abandoned car had come from.
One of the off-roaders, a young man driving a hulking SUV, had taken digital pictures of the vehicle identification number, and someone found scraps of a counter-check with an Anchorage man's name written on it: Jason Brunelle.
Called a few days later at his home, Brunelle reminisced about the car. Yeah, he'd owned it, he said. He's a fan of old American-made sedans, but when it was time to get it registered again, the Chrysler wouldn't pass the emissions test without extensive and expensive repairs.
Brunelle recalled selling the car to a Valley man, who couldn't be reached for comment.
"I turned to the guy next to me and said, 'Do you want to buy a car for a buck?' " Brunelle said.
The off-road enthusiasts pulled into the trail head parking lot with the Chrysler, which now looked like it had been part of a demolition derby.
Hill said he would arrange for someone to haul the car away a few days later, then prepared to head back up the trail.
Contact reporter Kyle Hopkins at khopkins@adn.com or call 352-6710.
FOR MORE, go online to
www.alaska 4x4network.com
Anchorage Daily News (AK)
August 17, 2005
Section: Mat-Su Weekly Section
Edition: Final
Page: G6
Playing dirty
Group of big-rig enthusiasts enjoys sharing tips, organizing trail runs
OFF-ROAD MISSION
KYLE HOPKINS
Anchorage Daily News
Lugnut, Oddball, Georgia and Mudbones, among others, met Aug. 6 at a trail head just north of Sutton, intent on taking out the trash. Oddball, whose real name is Curtis Anderson, said an old Chrysler sedan had been collecting bullet holes on the trail along the Kings River for nearly two years, and today's mission was to haul it out.
The group of Valley and Anchorage residents drive four-wheel-drive rigs, mostly Jeeps, with thick, knobby wheels and tall suspensions that allow them to scramble over sofa-sized boulders. They communicate mostly through online posts at Web sites, where they swap gear, trade mechanical tips and plot their next trail runs.
Most everyone uses a nickname or handle, and a few name their rigs. Anderson, for example, drives a barely recognizable Jeep Cherokee that from the door handles down looks like a giant Tonka toy. Everyone calls it Hero, and this Saturday morning, it led the charge up the trail with eight Jeeps, SUVs and pickups behind it.
The trail begins on private property, said James "Georgia" Hill, a carpenter who lives on Elmendorf Air Force Base with his wife. Hill drives a green 1995 Jeep Wrangler that he bought used for about $4,000 or $5,000. And he spent that much again to outfit it with all the bells and whistles necessary to make trail runs.
After a short drive, the path split. The off-roaders took the trail marked Ruby Lake, along the bank of the clear river. Everyone stopped to wait for a smaller group of four-wheelers to back up and let the larger rigs pass.
If anyone was hiking or biking along the trail that morning, they never passed the four-by-fours. But the notion that everyone has to share these trails and the topic of off-roaders' reputations for making them wider, deeper and muckier each year came up often in conversation,
The group knows its hobby isn't exactly good for trails, but the drivers wanted to show they take pains to protect the trails and drive responsibly.
After 20 minutes of crawling along the bumpy Kings River trail, the abandoned Chrysler became more and more of a mystery.
How did a two-wheel-drive, 1985 New Yorker that rides just a few inches above the ground make it so far into the woods? Even the towering Jeeps swayed and tilted as they climbed over stumps and small boulders.
By 11:30 a.m., all nine rigs had reached a clearing where the trail widened. A family of ATVers rumbled past as the group inspected the Chrysler.
The car was filled with trash and broken glass. Most of the tires, which were planted in a swath of mud maybe 50 feet wide, had been shot or slashed.
Someone fired up a chop saw, and the surgery began. Within an hour, the group had filled a small trailer with scrap metal, but it disagreed over the next step.
Should the car be cut in half?
There wouldn't be enough room for all the scrap metal, so someone suggested towing the car out. After grabbing a couple of spare tires from the waiting rigs, the group had the Chrysler ready to roll.
The caravan progressed slowly, allowing plenty of time to speculate about where the abandoned car had come from.
One of the off-roaders, a young man driving a hulking SUV, had taken digital pictures of the vehicle identification number, and someone found scraps of a counter-check with an Anchorage man's name written on it: Jason Brunelle.
Called a few days later at his home, Brunelle reminisced about the car. Yeah, he'd owned it, he said. He's a fan of old American-made sedans, but when it was time to get it registered again, the Chrysler wouldn't pass the emissions test without extensive and expensive repairs.
Brunelle recalled selling the car to a Valley man, who couldn't be reached for comment.
"I turned to the guy next to me and said, 'Do you want to buy a car for a buck?' " Brunelle said.
The off-road enthusiasts pulled into the trail head parking lot with the Chrysler, which now looked like it had been part of a demolition derby.
Hill said he would arrange for someone to haul the car away a few days later, then prepared to head back up the trail.
Contact reporter Kyle Hopkins at khopkins@adn.com or call 352-6710.
FOR MORE, go online to
www.alaska 4x4network.com