LIOR Trailride
May 20, 2000
Ahh, springtime in the northeast, time to enjoy the bright sunshine and partake in some good trails. Well at least the trail was good. With the limited number of trails around the lower NY area we are always traveling further to do trailrides. This is fine most of the time except for the ride home when you wish you had that transporter device off of Star Trek. 5+ hours in the Bronco listening to those Swampers sing their song is enough for me. Along with Willie and Evan’s routine about Evan’s new Ram. Which will be in on Thursday, btw for all of you who missed the trailride and Evan’s CB transmissions. He’s pretty psyched as I would be too, I remember when I picked up the Ram that I had, it was a great feeling.
Our trailride for May was to the Mason/Brookline trail. I had done this once before back in 1996 and had 2 sets of different directions to it. After getting everyone assembled from our campsite we headed towards the trail, about 45 minutes away. We decided to stop for breakfast after a vote as to stop or just go on to the trail. Since we knew that another group was also doing the trail that day and didn’t want a logjam to occur so we figured to start after them.
By the time we got to the trail it was nearly 11:00 am and then our first breakage occurred on the access road to the trail. Jay Wrecker Reed’s Toyota toasted a front wheel bearing and after trying to fix it, with no luck I might add, the whole assembly was put back together and he wheeled it and later got his trailer to get the yota. After not recognizing any of the trails, we ran into some locals on quads and they helped us out and pointed us in the right direction and even watched for awhile. We came upon a creek crossing and a series of short climbs and small boulder sections to deal with, nothing super hard, just good enough to keep you awake. This trail is mainly access roads for the power lines in the area and the displaced rocks from the road construction are usually loose and vary in size.
Our first major obstacle was in the form of a swampy area that also had a boulder edge to it. As you snaked your way through the boulders you had a few different lines you could take. To the left was closer to the water and a bit more of the muck. To the right were bigger rocks and that’s the line most people took. It was in this section that we had our first breakage of the day. Marc Roseman’s Tan Whale beached itself on the rocks. One of its front leaf spring shackles inverted and in the process it also bent the main leaf. After closer inspection we also saw that he sheared the heads off of all the bolts on one side of his transfer case skid plate. A bit of wire and it wasn’t hanging anymore and with the help of the Hilift jack and a crowbar the shackle was also fixed.
Then it was onto some twisting and turning through the woods and as we came around a bend we came to the hardest obstacle of the day. It’s now named BJ’s rock. More for the 2 people who made it over then for any kind of oral gratification, though they had smiles on their faces after making it up and over. This rock is pretty flat and a little wider than a Bronco. At the base of the rock to your left is about a 3-foot drop-off. To your right is the go around for the obstacle. To approach the rock you’re coming uphill and have to make a hard right to get the proper approach angle. Out of 12 rigs only two made it up; a Toyota mini truck and a Scout II. All the shorter wheelbase rigs just couldn’t make it and Evan’s CJ-7 almost did an end-over on his first attempt.
After this point in the trail it opens up to a series of shorter side trails that have a nice mix of small rock gardens mixed in with downed logs and stumps to negotiate. The only problem we had in there was with Ted the Fed’s TJ. He snagged his rear ARB air line and broke it off at the diff. Seems like the skidders have been through the trail by the looks of things. After playing around on the side trails we then found a couple of nice ascents \ descents to play on. On one of the descents you are coming down a loose rocky section and have to sort of nerf around a big rock on your left and hope not to mash in the tail end as you go around it.
After that we made our way back to the trailhead and aired back up. Next time I’ll have to remember to come in the other entrance to the trail so that we can hit some of the other climbs and the 3-6-10 Hill Climb. After the long ride back to the campsite it was time to fire up the grill and time for adult beverages. After a bit of marinating the steaks and burgers were ready and once Evan and Jay made it back from picking up Jay’s yota they partook in the red meat madness.
The next morning wasn’t the brightest especially my face. Can you say major hangover, I can. Lots of fun breaking camp in the rain and John Acconi breaking wind that would wake the dead. I think he could give Howard Stern’s "fartman" a run for his money. Well until next months run to the infamous MaBell trail with Monster Rock this is Wilbur saying happy trails to you.
--Jim Guld
At least this time we didn't have to leave with the chirping birds, but finally climbed into the Bark-mobile around the time we get hungry after eating when we wake up. We zipped over the big road that hangs over the water (yikes!!) and out into the tree-lined really fast road . . . only it wasn't so fast. Boy did it take a looooooong time to get out to where the air was clean, but we finally made it just as it was getting dark. Just about then, the water stopped falling out of the sky, and the speckles in the darkness started to show all over the sky.
Big Guy was expecting to meet all the other guys but we were the first there. He opened up the Bark-mobile and started pulling stuff out. He set up the little house with thin walls, made a fire and cooked some sausages, which we shared with Wrecker's buddy John, a real nice guy. Now it was quite dark, and tho I kept hinting in ways so obvious even the thickest of you two-leggeds would understand, Big Guy just wouldn't go into the little house and go to sleep. Then I saw why; in rolled Wrecker Reed, and not far behind came Techno-wiz, Big Daddy, and Lil' John (he make me think of pizza, I dunno why). Also, Prez brought up the rear in his ride Mr. Ed. So we got down to some butt-sniffing, and a little drinking of beverages before we all crawled off to our little soft houses. One thing I can tell you, man, my ears just about froze off that night. It was c-c-c-c-c-c-cold!
Morning came, Big Guy groaned his way to upright and stumbled out, made his infamous camping coffee, and we all managed to drag ourselves back into the trucks. After a kind of long wait in a parking lot, BG came back and told me how you all walked into a Friendly's, (which was none too) and scared the poor person who brings the food. Made me laugh, and then I settled in for a little nap as drove a while only to park on the side of a sandy road, while Wrecker investigated why his toy . . . ota was going lame. Not even on the trail yet, and the Wrecker earns his name. A credit to his breed, I say.
After swatting gnats for a while, we climbed back into the trucks and wound our way onto the trail. Lots of jouncing me around the back, plenty of rocks and boulders to crawl over, with good muddy splashes in between. Our first big wait once on the trail was when the Tan Whale, driven by Mark "Rock Mars-man" Roseman beached itself over some pointy rocks, dropping it's skidplate and part of its front axle in the mud. Rock, buddy, even a dog can see you gotta get some height under that baby, or you'll be dealing with skinned bellies for the rest of eternity (7 eternities, to me).
Coming up over the next incline, I watched as a bunch of us tried to roll over backwards going up a rock face. I was praying BG would chicken out on this one, I had no desire to find myself face to face with the dome-light. Citing his own father: "Discretion is the better part of valor" and using the excuse that the New England group was hot on his tail, BG answered my prayers, and much to Lil' John's disappointment took the trail (no superhighway itself) up over the crest rather than the rock face. Just remember BG, he who drives and turns away, lives to drive another day (hey!!, write that down!) Never mind the chicken clucks, BG, I didn't miss anything.
We continued on the trail, Tan Whale like a three-legged dog, limping along, and started up a trail covered in broken logs, downed wood. Not a problem until Lucy's ride managed to snag an airline (that's what I heard BG call it) rendering the rear locker dead. Down over the hill Lucy's ride (with Ted driving) and Rock in his Whale bugged out for kinder roads (boy were THEY in for a surprise!) while the rest of us idiots turned around to see if we couldn't actually jar our kidneys out of their usual places driving over the rock gardens we found. To quote the Prez: "Yeah, that was a gnarly little hill coming down!" I don't mind saying, by this time, I was ready for a big chunk of meat and a soft bed. I focused on it real hard, and tried to get BG to hear what I was thinking. It must have worked, because as the light started to fade, we eased back out the gate onto the sandy road for the ride back to our sleeping place. And the most important thing of all . . . DINNER!!!!!
Fire raging in the fire ring, grills going, meat charring, nothing better after a day on the trail. Poor Techno-whiz and Wrecker had to go back for Wrecker's truck, too lame to limp back to the campsite, but we saved food for them. I jumped up into the Bark-mobile to sleep: that ground was too wet and cold for me, while BG rested his chin on his chest and made loud honking noises by the fire. Pretty soon, Big Daddy Guy was tilted over in his chair, joining the chorus of honkers. After a while, everyone stumbled off to their little soft houses and the full chorus burst into honking and wheezing.
We woke to rain, just enough to make everything wet and sloppy for breaking camp. We crawled to upright (two feet for most of you, four for me), had coffee, stuffed all the stuff back into the trucks and headed down the highway. A new twist for the ride home: BG pulled the Bark-mobile into this big kind of garage, which hummed and moved a lot. I wasn't risking getting out of the Jeep there, man, it was too scary for me. But BG and the others (Techno, Lil'John and Fast Willie) all enjoyed themselves, having a snack by the Jeep and chilling for an hour or so. I guess we'll be doing this from now on, as it made all the guys much happier. Me?? I slept. Until we got home, where I bee-lined it to the big bed, as usual, and sighed in relief to be home. Until next time, remember: Keep all four paws on the ground and your furry side up!