Photos by Joan Blair & Susanne Williams
Photo of the author by Doug (Big Guy) Abrams
This was supposed to be THE expedition that capped off the summer. I know Big Guy had been planning this one ever since the cold time, when water becomes hard and slippery. Even though plans changed, we went up to where the air is clean for three days of bouncing around the inside of the Jeep, and some good eating, too.
Big Guy finally loaded every one and everything into the Jeep around time for eating in the middle of the day, and we took what was most definitely the long way up to our motel in Ervin Massachusetts, the French King Motel (with the French King Restaurant and the French King Bridge: who was this French King guy anyway?). As evening rolled slowly into night, Chen the Madman arrived in his newly lifted TJ, with brand new Goodyear MTR’s. It looked like it was going to be a very sparse turnout for the trail for Friday.
When the morning came and we went out to relieve ourselves in the dewy grass, we found another truck had arrived in the early morning hours, Paul North and his Montero. And as we were talking in the parking lot, Jersey Jim in his Cherokee, and the other two guys (I forget their names . . . I’m only a dog, you know, no one ever formally introduces me anyway) flat-towing a nicely set-up CJ rolled into the parking lot. Shortly Bob and Joan arrived in the Howler and we left to gas up and get food for the day. The trail we ran, called Tipping Rock, was almost a two-hour ride on pavement to the trail-head. What we found was a nice trail with a few challenging obstacles and a good way to start the weekend. Paul North and Jersey Jim learned the value of airing down, and Paul, early on, made a little adrenaline rush for himself by trying to see if he could make everyone else say "whoah!!, stop there!" by lifting his left rear tire a good two-three feet off the ground. This trail featured a series of steps and streambed-like rock gardens, capped with a giant balanced rock atop a fun to play on shelf at the pinnacle of the trail. Being only six trucks we made it to the top and back down by mid-afternoon. As it had grown warm, Chen the Madman’s suggestion of heading back to the French King so the humans could avail themselves of the pool seemed like a good idea, and I NEVER mind getting back to a stable bed and out of the bouncing Jeep. So we ran on back to Ervin, had a nice dinner in the French King and hit the rack early.
Jersey Jim in front of the Tipping Rock
NJ Mike playing
Samson & Delilah? No it's Bark's Dad & Howler's Mom
About 9:00 pm that night hizoner the Prez arrived, stoked for tomorrow’s ride at a place called xxx Road. This, too, was a not-short ride from the French King, but worth it as we curved through the Massachusetts mountains along the same road Hawkeye and Chingachkuk used over 200 years ago. xxx Road is an old state road unmaintained to the point of its being a relentless rock-garden for most of the trail. On the first major obstacle in the trail there were three lines and BG, wanting the challenge but not the damage took the middle line after watching Prez and Chen the Madman easily climb up over the big rock in the middle of the trail. However, BG’s Cherokee just didn’t have the clearance, and we ended up winching off the rock, leaving a bolt from the t-case skid plate somewhere among the stones on the trail. At least BG was able to keep the Cherokee on an even keel most of the day, which is more than Uncle Bob can say. He started dragging his right rear shock almost as soon as we hit the trail, and by the time we got to a place that was dry enough for Bob to crawl underneath, he’d bent the shock, leaving Howler with a definite list to starboard.
At one obstacle, a rock ledge preceded by a jumble of boulders the size of doghouses, we each managed to somehow clamber up over the ledge, though Chen the Madman gave us a little thrill by balancing on his two left tires for a moment before climbing the ledge. Montero Paul also thrilled us a little on this obstacle by playing a balancing game.
Chen the Madman
As we were following Big Dog 4-Wheelers up the trail, Prez kept a furious pace, cracking the whip, so that we wouldn’t have to meet them on their way down (no bypasses here, folks) and we in fact caught up to them at the top of the trail, just before the bottomless pit of a mudhole that blocked the exit at the other end of the trail. BG tried to polish the underside of his Jeep on the way down the mountain. He really ought to try something other than rocks for that. Needless to say, the run down was much faster than the run up, and we hit pavement again at about 4:00pm. A quick run back to the French King, time for BG to shower the crust off, and it was time for dinner again. Love those burgers!
One more day of trails. As much as we love it, I know I was getting tired of the abuse. Following Ted the Fed and Lucy, we set out to meet Uncle Bob in Northampton at 8:30, only to wait for an hour. Ted may be a bright guy, but his timing was off this day. Uncle Bob swore that he said to meet at 9:30, and I certainly hope we didn’t leave anyone behind at French King, but, well, we had a chance to get a nice lunch while we waited. This trail is the infamous Ma Bell, which starts with Monster Rock. We agreed to bypass MR at the start, saving it for the last thing of the day (considering the damage potential, smart move).
What a super trail!! Starting with a series of rock steps, the trail then curves down into the woods with some twisty off-camber (spelled "white-knuckle") tight turns and a couple of freaky descents down rocky rutted slopes. Even freakier were the ascents on the way back (the way out is the way in). It was on Ma Bell that Chen the Madman fully earned his moniker, especially climbing up the steps in the first part of the trail. Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead, was his motto, and it worked for him that day. And I know it earned him anew regard from the rest of the two-leggeds who watched Chen bouncing up over the steps in what must have been a controlled frenzy. It must have been controlled because, well, his beautiful purple TJ remained shiny side up, though that wasn’t always a sure thing.
Ted eases down Garlan's Hump
(aka Ziggy's Staircase
