Here is my run report as an instant messenger conversation with Toby:
so, gimme the skinny on FYBR!!!
James Moss says
http://youtu.be/AglUw7V6B3w
Toby says
downloading.........
James Moss says
https://picasaweb.google.com/1000970437 ... 9aS4oiLpQE
Well
For starters, it was NOT motorhome friendly
Toby says
I had the feeling that was going to happen based on teh WJ webcam
James Moss says
We rolled up to the gate at around 3PM to find Tim and Chrispy in the parking lot at the road unloading their junk and chaining up their tow rigs.
Toby says
love
James Moss says
Got the trailers off and parked next to the gate. They had already been up to the lodge. The trail up was pretty steep and just under a mile long. . .no one had driven it since it snowed
I went ahead and aired down Orville and plowed my way up with the trialer in tow
dropped the trailer and headed back down to help
Only to find Lee stuck in the entrance to the driveway with his winch cable strung out.
Toby says
LMFAO
James Moss says
So, I gathered up his kids/wife and took them to the top
then came back for Chrispy's kids/wife
and figured I was due for some wood stove time and a little supper.
No
wrong
Toby says
ruh roh
James Moss says
Tim/Chrispy had towed Tim's truck up the hill w/Chrispy's wheeler and Lee did just fine after he made it past the driveway. . .but Chrispy's 2wd Dually w/camper was still at the bottom as was DJ's Winnebago.
Toby says
LOVE the in-car btw
James Moss says
I got the nod to drive the Dually. 4x rigs hooked to the front of it and Dale watchin' the rear. . .
and
Toby says
hory cow
James Moss says
We immediately ripped the tow hook off the phrame.
Toby says
LOL
James Moss says
Eventually, we managed to get a pharmtastic apparatus of tree savers and straps around the beams in the front and got the thing kinda sorta moving. . .about 2' at a time until we had the misfortune of running into a log on the driver's side and getting it wedged inside the DS rear wheel.
Toby says
sunova
James Moss says
DJ's bow saw removed teh offending log.
We were a good 50' past the gate at this point
4000' to go
AFter much injuneering and a fair amount of Pendelton's consumed by the bystanders, we devised a method by which Chrispy would winch me up the hill then tow until we got stuck. . .then winch some more. . .rinse, repeat.
That worked pretty well until we past the rest of the crew and he couldn't see behind him anymore. By that point, I had gotten the hang of driving the big oil burner and we had a little Rythmn going. . .so. . .all we needed was light and more power.
He got turned around and put Tim's Bronco in front of him
SBC + SBF + Dually Diesel. . .2 out of the three floating valves and the oil burner just keeping the wheels turning. . .
and we cleared the summit
Toby says
nice
James Moss says
It took around 3.5 hours.
3.45 hours for the first 50'
.05 for the rest
DJ = Camped at the bottom in the Bago. . .
Toby says
so... no Jose?
James Moss says
Nose'
and it is a good thing too. . .or we'd still be trying to get him IN to camp.
Toby says
surely
James Moss says
TJ Dave didn't bring his home either. . .and Curtis was a no show in his. . .so we got a little lucky there. There is only so much room for an RV park at the bottom.
OK. . .Saturday. . .
The Day Trippers. . .TJ Dave + His pal and Rich/Laura in the big teal YJ. . .showed up at the bottom. Lee was temp delayed getting out of camp but we still managed to get on the road by about 9:45.
Toby says
not bad
James Moss says
Nope
We had:
Tim, Chripsy, Rich, Dale, DJ, Lee, TJ Dave, and Orville all lined up and ready to hit the snow. 8x rigs
Up we went
There were tracks, but not since the last 2x snow storms so we were essentially bustin' new trail
It was rally fast for the first 6 or 7 miles and I was getting a little impatient in the back of the pack.
Toby says
nooooo, no you
LOL
James Moss says
Some kind of fluid or another was coming out of Chrispy's chevotta so we stopped the train to see what's what. . .
I pulled out of line and clawed my way up closer to the front.
but
Lee had already done the same so the second lane was blocked
Tim took off and Chrispy was 2nd in line. . .
Toby says
was Lee stuck?
James Moss says
I axed Lee if he would be kind enough to pull me out if I got stuck (No, he was just parked in the outside line)
He, with a curious look on his face, agreed.
Me: 2nd gear low, sidestep clutch DOVE into the ditch
around the Rubicon and Chrispy and climbed out the other side. . .to go chase down Tim
Toby says
love
James Moss says
Up, Up. . .UP
Tim had to stop once in a while to cool off his tranny so I took over breaking trail for a little while. . .
Stopped to let DJ take a turn and make some yellow snow.
Girl kids had to get a ways off the track so it took a little bit. . .
Orville really exceeded all expectations to this point. He really was giving it his all.
Then we got saddled back up and dropped into line right behind Chrispy.
He was spinning pretty good with his big Gumbos
I was SO proud of Orville at this point that I had jumped out of the line into the fresh snow a couple of times to find that I could actually gain ground on the big rig in front of me. . .
so. . .as you can imagine
I looked for an opening, put my blinker on and jumped out in the fresh snow to pass.
Toby says
loves the blinker
James Moss says
Yeah, well. . .when I got to about his rear quarterpanel, I spied a little "bump" in the snow. . .bah. . .no climb for a climber.
except
that 2' under the little bump, there was a log
so
Toby says
uh oh
James Moss says
and immediate stop was simultaneous with a loud bang
and suddenly
I am without 4wd.
Toby says
uh
oh
no!
WTF?
James Moss says
Driver's side axle
Toby says
WHAT?!
James Moss says
Ka Boom
Toby says
how in the
James Moss says
2nd gear, wide open
Log
Toby says
still...
wow
U-joint or actual shaft?
James Moss says
wells
I think it was the joint first, but the inner yoke is MIA
Gone
history
The outter yoke is missing one side
and there was 1/4 of a trunion in the other side
Toby says
hory cow!
James Moss says
uh huh. . .
so, undaunted, but in 3wd, I carried on at the back of the pack
Toby says
good thing you got another 13mm wrench befor eyou left
James Moss says
The bigger rigs (Rich, Time, Chrispy) were not having an easy time breaking trail.
NO JOKE
On the last long straight climb, I lost directional control. . .I could only go left
Luckily DJ's kid and his buddy (strappin' 18 YO boys that can RUN A SHOVEL)
Seriously Dude, those kids need to come on every snow run. Period. Great attitude and can dig like mofos.
Toby says
love that
James Moss says
anywho. . .Kid A helped dig out from underneath and I went down there to discover that the remaining yoke ear was contacting one of said 13MM bolt heads causing the tire to drag
Thor got the nod.
removed remaining cap/trunion and bent the yoke ear in a little bit and now the tire spins
but
it is 60% dark
Call on the radio is that Rich and Chrispy are the only ones to summit. The rest of the gang was within sight of the top. . .both of my new tow hooks are bent (DJ was DETERMINED to help me summit) and it is time to go get our grub on. . .so. . .DJ helps me get turned around and after one small cave-in event, we start to head down the hill.
It took us 6 Hours to go 2500' Vertical Feet.
I came down the same distance in 18 min.
Toby says
LMFAO
love that
only Chris and Rich... What happened to Timmay?
James Moss says
Wells . . .
His front ARB wasn't working and his tranny just wouldn't stay cool
He was frustrated to say the least.
Toby says
yeah... that POS trans has been giving him problems for a couple years now?
James Moss says
Wells
He just built a new one. . .but, it is undercooled I think.
and, he did the right thing by stopping and cooling it off.
works great. . .just needs morecolder
OK. . .
Back at the cabin. . .lodge. . .thingy
That place is AWESOME
Wood stove tots heats the whole joint. tables abound. . .etc.
Toby says
fantastical
James Moss says
We did a pork themed potluck. I made pulled pork tacos. . .Dale's sis (who's a PEACH by the way, she's a nurse and fixed up my finger when I stabbed it with a can opener) brought a ham, Lee had bacon wrapped pork, other's had sides/deserts, etc. Nichole's fudge was to DIE FOR.
I was in bed by 8:30
Last man standing was like 10:20
Toby says
*sigh*
James Moss says
Sunday:
Kids sledded their asses off. I zipped tied the axle shaft out of the way. . .
Rode Tim's snow machine a little
Man Quiche
Told lies
Cruised home
To let you know how good the time was:
We stopped and had manifold hotdogs at the park in Granger. . ..
Toby says
bastards
James Moss says
Truly