Where it all started

[bh4rnnr]

A bully in middle school gave me this copy of Larry Hecks Pass Patrol book.

I locked on to it.

Larry wrote about there adventures chasing Butch Cassidy and his "Wild Bunch". Traveling across the American West to old hideouts and robbery sites.

During high school, when I should have been doing homework, I was deep in the travels of Pass Patrol. I had plans to join the group after graduating, but sadly they were no longer active. Thankfully I stumbled upon Rising Sun shortly after ( more on that later).

With all the hours I spent reading and re reading Larry's tales of there travels, I look at Larry as an officially unofficial mentor. Prepping me.

20 years later (2004 was the first Outlaws Run), I find myself just as excited to get out and explore the exploits of Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch.

I'll keep adding to this thread.


Thank you Larry, and thank you Rising Sun.

 

[VoodooBlue_Vixen]

Bullies at my school never gave out such cool stuff.

 

[Corbet]

Bullies at my school never gave out such cool stuff.

Yah they generally gave out black eyes until one returned the favor.

 

[Inukshuk]

Kind of you not to mention that time I burned your original - by accident.

 

[bh4rnnr]

Bullies at my school never gave out such cool stuff.

To be honest, I kind of never gave it back.... Lol

Yah they generally gave out black eyes until one returned the favor.

He would always come up behind me and slap both my ears. F'ing hated that.

Kind of you not to mention that time I burned your original - by accident.

Glad that was able to get another copy!

 

[bh4rnnr]

So after years of reading the tales from Larry Heck and his Pass Patrol gang, I finally graduated High School and landed a job at Kuni Lexus in Denver. Fate? The longer I worked there, I got to know everyone. As it turned out, Scott Desnes, who works at the parts counter and was an honorary member of Rising Sun, had a nicely built 1st gen 4runner for sale. I jumped on it. Things were finally looking like I'd be able to go out on a Outlaw adventure with Pass Patrol.

After High School, I pretty much lived paycheck to paycheck. After managing enough money to acquire Skelator, I reached out to Larry with the hope of joining them in Moab that spring (2002). Sadly as we talked I found out they stopped as a club.

Bummed, I hopped in Skelator and went for a drive one day in January thanks to some cabin fever. Some driving later and I found myself at the trailhead for Rollin's Pass with a whole bunch of snow, one stuck Xterra and a nicely built 80 series Land Cruiser trying to pull him out. Madison, in the 80 saw my 4runner and the winch on the front of it and came to ask if I could help. I obliged, but noted I had never used it yet. Madison showed me the proper ways of using a winch while we helped free the man in the Xterra. As we were packing up, Madison told me about Rising Sun and Cruise Moab.

After getting home, I registered for Cruise Moab 2002.


Dropping down Wipe Out Hill in 'ol Skelator with Dave "Red Fox' Brown spotting and Treeroot watching on. Cruise Moab 2005.

 

[bh4rnnr]

After years of reading about the travels of Pass Patrol, one thing I took away was that Larry seemed to know the good spots.

In 2003, I signed up for Event Coordinator. And doing so, started looking at our clubs adopt a trail. At the time we were working with the local district in Glenwood Springs. Realizing that seemed a bit far for the club for an adopt a trail, I got to work. After a few calls, the local 4x4 club in Glenwood Springs took over adoption of the trail. After, I reached out to Clear Creek Ranger District.

This began our great relationship with Clear Creek. Brant was my point contact at the time and things lined up. Our first clean up day on Argentine Pass in 2004, Brant was standing in front of Red Chilly, waiting for an atv that just drove down a section of trail we closed earlier in the day.

As the relationship developed, Brant trusted us as a club enough to give us there tools during the clean up days so they could be other places.

Love the history of the East Argentine Mining District. Only train to not run on a Sunday.

The Honey Badger and I exploring remains of the Vidler Tunnel. This whole valley has little bucket list Items.

 

[nuclearlemon]

This began our great relationship with Clear Creek. Brant was my point contact at the time and things lined up. Our first clean up day on Argentine Pass in 2004, Brant was standing in front of Red Chilly, waiting for an atv that just drove down a section of trail we closed earlier in the day.

i remember that day plain as anything. it was crazy that they just took off across the valley. it wasn't even trail, it was just a closed valley and they just took off across it....
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVC3MZpQnmk

 

[Inukshuk]

I can attest Perry was at CM 2003. My first.
Digital cameras were rudimentary back then. So were we.