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Bobby Coco started his run by taking the right side of Monster Rock. After a valiant try and getting a little sideways his rig was winched to the top to spare a roll with in the first five minutes of trail. Abe’s truck was making transfer case grinding noises. He checked to make sure it was in low range and continued on.
Bobby found the mud hole a little deep for a cold day. After coming to a stop I thought someone would have to go into the water to pull line. Another try with lots of gas got the truck moving with mud and water flying.
Up the trail was a split. All went to the left except Bobby and Mike. They went up this steep trail with big rocks and a very large ledge at the top. I didn’t see Bobby till he was at the top, but watching Mike was fun. He did end up going around after a couple of tries.
Just after the first set of ledges Abe and Skylar parked their jeep and rode with Craig. Transfer case just wouldn’t make it; time for a rebuild. The large rock ledge was a major obstacle. Some made it right up, some made it after many tries, but we all made it up with out winching. The go around is now looking as hard as the ledge with some trucks attempting it but only one from CT jeeps making it taking out his exhaust at the same time. Mike took the hardest line. With tire spin and finesse his jeep scrambled to the top. Bobby also took that hard line giving him plenty of air and tilt. His expert driving, nuts of steel, and a little spotting from Mike got his TJ out of a jam and up that steepest part of that ledge.
The rest of the trail consists of smaller ledges, up and down hills, a tight spot between two trees, and going down the “turn gully” which we all did with out any problems. Lunch and conversation was at the turn around. There Mike noticed new damage to his truck but didn’t know where it happened. Riding out is almost as fun as going in. Up the turn gully made for lots of burning rubber; then, what gave me some trouble, the slippery spot between the two trees going up hill. With some coaching from Mike and Bob and many tries the YJ finally clawed its way through. The rest of the way out we played on the rocks, slid down the ledges, and watched Bobby blast through the mud hole.
Ma Bell is a great trail with many spots for potential trouble. I think we all had fun and look forward to running it again. A special thanks to Bob Blair for leading the way, Mike Barbara for spotting, and Bobby Coco for his mechanical help and endless entertainment.
