Sorry it's been a while since the run, but everybody just got busy, still haven't got all the pictures together yet, but here are a few.
So the plan was to meet at 9am on the east side of Loveland. Shawn (riding shotgun with me) and I ran into a little trouble coming up, the oil pressure kept slowly dropping, but we stopped and checked it and it appeared that it was just a loose connection at the oil pressure sending unit.
It was cool and rainy, but I was hoping this would actually make it more fun, and so did Uncle Ben ('97 FZJ80 40th) and Kipper ('89 V8J62 right?). So after a few minutes of waiting we decided it would just be us three and we headed out into the clouds, rain and fog...
We aired down after turning off onto Moody Hill and took off, but got stopped at the first little ledge, which I am told usually isn't much of an obstacle. Kevin took a harder line up it and was actually surprised (I think) that he actually had to use all three buttons to get up it! Kipper was next, and as he was working on it I was sitting back there like, O great if he can't make it what's gonna happen with me with open diffs and bald A/T's? When Kipper tried to engage his rear ARB a hose blew and so we had to stop with him on the obstacle to fix it.
So Kevin and Kipper fixed the hose and then tried to start going again. Well now Long Grain wouldn't start! Kipper said that this is the second time that the started wouldn't turn, but it's only happened to him while he's been wheeling!? So he moved aside to let me give it a try, and after a couple different lines I tried the most promising line and just kept it on the skinny pedal and used momentum to bounce up it! Well now Kipper went to get going again, and now Long Grain started, but even with the ARB it just wasn't his day to make it up the ledge. He got hung up on a rock so that he couldn't move forward or backward, so after some strapping (did we break the winch out? can't remember) we were all ready to keep going.
Came up to another ledge that I think is the biggest I've ever climbed, and then to the playground for lunch. I tried following the wagons, but lost the nerve, and so the other guys tried wheelstands and slinky lines for a bit and then we ate.
Got going again, had to try a couple times to find the trail, went up to the quarry where Kevin worked his way up the two ledges from the bottom to the top! Who says 80s can't wheel?
So after another couple ledges and an off-camber into the trees section, we came to the last hillclimb to the summit of Crystal Mountain. Again Kevin went first, took it nice and slow, and one section he locked a diff again. Kipper followed up the loose, steep rocks, and I was last. We sat at the bottom a while and then just skinny pedal'd up that sucker! For some reason Kipper stopped, and I had to stop, but it was steep enough that my engine was trying to quit at idle and I couldn't get going again! So I had to back down a bit and try again and finally just kept traction and bounced and revved my way all the way to the top! I was impressed that my truck could make that!
At the summit we were above the fog for the first time and got a pretty neat view of the surrounding valleys, and we were kinda wondering where the crashed DC-3 (6,8 ?) was near there. Coming down was uneventful, got some poser pics on the twisty section, came blazing down baja style down the dirt roads, and saw some elk on the way into Loveland. All in all a great day! The wet rocks made things interesting, no breakage, just great wheelin'!
However, Shawn and I got shimmied and vibrated all the way back to Castle Rock. Couldn't figure out what it was, felt like a mix of u-joints and out-of-balance tires. And guess what? I looked at my u-joints a couple days later and ALL FOUR bolts in the rear were ALMOST missing their nuts
Well I tightened them back up and then it was just out-of-balance tires...funny how that works
So the plan was to meet at 9am on the east side of Loveland. Shawn (riding shotgun with me) and I ran into a little trouble coming up, the oil pressure kept slowly dropping, but we stopped and checked it and it appeared that it was just a loose connection at the oil pressure sending unit.
It was cool and rainy, but I was hoping this would actually make it more fun, and so did Uncle Ben ('97 FZJ80 40th) and Kipper ('89 V8J62 right?). So after a few minutes of waiting we decided it would just be us three and we headed out into the clouds, rain and fog...
We aired down after turning off onto Moody Hill and took off, but got stopped at the first little ledge, which I am told usually isn't much of an obstacle. Kevin took a harder line up it and was actually surprised (I think) that he actually had to use all three buttons to get up it! Kipper was next, and as he was working on it I was sitting back there like, O great if he can't make it what's gonna happen with me with open diffs and bald A/T's? When Kipper tried to engage his rear ARB a hose blew and so we had to stop with him on the obstacle to fix it.
So Kevin and Kipper fixed the hose and then tried to start going again. Well now Long Grain wouldn't start! Kipper said that this is the second time that the started wouldn't turn, but it's only happened to him while he's been wheeling!? So he moved aside to let me give it a try, and after a couple different lines I tried the most promising line and just kept it on the skinny pedal and used momentum to bounce up it! Well now Kipper went to get going again, and now Long Grain started, but even with the ARB it just wasn't his day to make it up the ledge. He got hung up on a rock so that he couldn't move forward or backward, so after some strapping (did we break the winch out? can't remember) we were all ready to keep going.
Came up to another ledge that I think is the biggest I've ever climbed, and then to the playground for lunch. I tried following the wagons, but lost the nerve, and so the other guys tried wheelstands and slinky lines for a bit and then we ate.
Got going again, had to try a couple times to find the trail, went up to the quarry where Kevin worked his way up the two ledges from the bottom to the top! Who says 80s can't wheel?
So after another couple ledges and an off-camber into the trees section, we came to the last hillclimb to the summit of Crystal Mountain. Again Kevin went first, took it nice and slow, and one section he locked a diff again. Kipper followed up the loose, steep rocks, and I was last. We sat at the bottom a while and then just skinny pedal'd up that sucker! For some reason Kipper stopped, and I had to stop, but it was steep enough that my engine was trying to quit at idle and I couldn't get going again! So I had to back down a bit and try again and finally just kept traction and bounced and revved my way all the way to the top! I was impressed that my truck could make that!
At the summit we were above the fog for the first time and got a pretty neat view of the surrounding valleys, and we were kinda wondering where the crashed DC-3 (6,8 ?) was near there. Coming down was uneventful, got some poser pics on the twisty section, came blazing down baja style down the dirt roads, and saw some elk on the way into Loveland. All in all a great day! The wet rocks made things interesting, no breakage, just great wheelin'!
However, Shawn and I got shimmied and vibrated all the way back to Castle Rock. Couldn't figure out what it was, felt like a mix of u-joints and out-of-balance tires. And guess what? I looked at my u-joints a couple days later and ALL FOUR bolts in the rear were ALMOST missing their nuts
Well I tightened them back up and then it was just out-of-balance tires...funny how that works