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Day 1 Updates - 4/20/2007
BCG 1 snaps a drive line and rear leaf springs. Luckily we are within an hour of Ridgecrest and locate replacement parts at 2 local wrecking yards. We lose 5 hours for repairs and send BCG 1 and 07 Tundy on the highway to our dinner destination. The crew regroups at 9:30pm in Beatty Nevada. We loose re-Pete on Day 1 to carnage incurred. Mamma’s Boy finishes with blown shock and chooses to not start day 2. BCG 1 has major driveline vibration after the repair but chooses to forge on and limp it on pavement sessions. Sights include town of Ridgecrest, Trona Pinnacles (for some), Barker Ranch, Goler Wash, Furnace Creek, & Death Valley.
Approx. miles = 240 +
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Day 2 Updates - 4/21/2007
We add a Nor Cal truck to the TEAM and split into 3 crews. Destination is set for Bishop. The sights would include Rhyolite ghost town, Titus Canyon, Scotty’s Castle, Ubehebe, The Race Track, Saline Valley Road, and Silver Creek Canyon. Today turned out to be more than an adventure for a few of us, a true test to Toyota’s claim that the 2007 Tundra is a tow horse. It was also a reality check to all of us how fortunate we are on every off road trip if you return home without carnage! Friendly fire between Turtle 2 and Squeegee resulted in an immobile vehicle due south of The Racetrack. Smack dab in the middle of nowhere we sat and developed a game plan. AAA rescue at highway 190. Tow vehicle summonsed, a 2007 4wd Tundra that tested the TOTAL CHAOS upper control arm system and Donahoe coil over and rear replacement shocks. We knew from GPS and Gazetteer mapping that this was going to be a long haul and would include 2 very steep climbs with switch backs. 6 trucks split off from the rest and proceeded to navigate the alternate route to the highway. Scout trucks marked all Y’s……………..EXCEPT 1. The last Y in the road was not clearly marked and the scout trucks all failed to clearly mark the correct way. A navigation error by the tow pack lead them back into the valley and sure enough added 6 hours and 100 more insane stories to their ADVENTURE ;-)
Buffet, 3 Ball and BCG 1 had surprised the crew by renting a U Haul box truck, and car trailer and intersected the scout pack at highway 190 where we were supposed to call AAA. They even brought out pizza. We thought we were saved. As the sun set I had a bad gut feeling. See M-Chaos was driving the tow vehicle and I knew by now they sure should have been at the highway. I was frantic to get radio communication as the sun was setting. We received the transmission we all feared. M-Chaos calls back “we’re headed north and have been for over an hour”. We all dash to determine our next possible intersection location with the 3 rig tow crew. A total of 140 highway miles on the U Haul before it sees the carnage crew we finally see the guys at 9:30 pm at highway 168. Delirious, tired and beat up, we mad dash to get T2 loaded and get back into Bishop. Over 15 hours pinned and 340+ miles driven by a few of us, it again was the reality that this LM crew functions as a TEAM and will never leave a man or vehicle behind.
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Day 3 Updates - 4/22/2007
The So Cal crew chose to head south at the start of day 3 while the remaining trucks packed up and headed to Farmboy’s house in Yearington, Nevada. Farm mom delighted this crew to a fresh cooked meal for lunch and then we hit the VORRA course and parts of the BITD Nevada 1000 course and hit highway 95. We scattered like ants and headed home.
When you reflect on trips like this it makes you realize that we are a posse of random individuals from all different walks of life but are bound by the thrill for adventure. Oh, and this trip was for sure an adventure.
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| •| 2007 LM Nevada Adventure |
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Define adventure? I am sure every one of us who attended will rate this years “ADVENTURE” on a different scale from 1 to 10. The 3 day Locos Mocos Nevada 07 adventure included 17 rigs ready to tackle 3 days of trails that were plotted by BCG 1 and Buffet. Some of us would run flawless, one of us would go home on a U Haul rented truck & trailer, one of us would loose a wheel @ 50 MPH, and a few of us would have hangovers.
The TEAM assembled in Mojave and hit our first trail that headed into the El Paso Mountains. The remaining trucks that could run on Day 3 would end their mission in Silver Springs Nevada and run like roaches to get home and unpacked. Last Chance Canyon almost wound up gobbling one of the trails guides within the first hour and a half on day 1. This raised question to what the rest of the adventure would have in store. I will say she was packed with punches!
Are you prepared when disaster strikes on the trail? Do you travel with a vehicle that is capable of towing you 70 miles in the dirt over an 8,000 foot mountain peak if necessary? Every year this crew finds a few new crazy souls willing to attempt the trip, and proves to the rest of us who hook up every year it is undoubtedly one of the most unpredictable off road adventures we embark on together. I will refer to this crew as a TEAM this year. We proved this time without a doubt that the effort of multiple people, plethora of gear we all determine to be vital to pack for us individually, and effort above and beyond from those who stepped up when necessary, that we were determine to get every one of our crew members back to safety and home in one piece.
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I’d like to thank, Buffet and BCG 1 for all their hard work plotting this trip, I can’t wait till next year!
Ashley- You never knew what happened to ya?
Squid & Cookie – How many drive lines you think that place had? Lots of laughs all weekend and great party!
T2 – Good times huh :-)
3 Ball – You rock and thank you for all your help.
Patio – Thanks for the smiles and all the miles!
Cortez – Great to see you finally make it on a Nevada run. I won’t tell anyone about you being on a bowling league :-) either.
El Presidente – You are a Kamakazie!
Bobby Hill – You suck at bowling but were a great bobble head.
Farmella –Oat meal cookie and the salad recipes I have to get from you.
Farmboy – Save Matt a spot in your guest house. Lets go fishing!
Farmgirl – You’re a great bartender.
Minion – Don’t kill the Smurf already.
K$ - Is the oh $HIT handle still bolted to the roof :-)
Sloppy – Where’d you go?
Toodle Tundra – You are a trooper. Got long travel?
T1 – Thanks for action shots.
Squeegee & Bam Bam – Leader of the pack……..glad no one got hurt.
Lamont – BRAKE CHECK? Right not straight! You never lost that seat.
Thanks to everyone for another CHAOS adventure!!!!
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