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April Fools Run 2001

I was early. It's a rare event, granted, but I had to make note of it.
Being my standard Sunday off of studying, I had to get out wheeling. Only being out on the new tires once, I had to put them through more trials.

With "Eye in the Sky" in mind, the crew met at A&W/Western Foods for breaky at 10am sharp (sorta). To Harbor View shortly thereafter, to air down and begin our ascent. At this time it was raining pretty heavily; there was even a bit of snow/slush mixed in (Editor's note: I think they call it hail Keith!). It was not looking like it was going to be a pleasant day.

We decided to do the trail backwards. I had not yet done the trail, and some suggested it would be easier to do in reverse. A short way up past the trailhead, we came to our first obstacle. So had the TJ.

There were a pair of vehicles in front of us: a TJ and late model Chev S-10. Both were stock, and were having a tough time with the first obstacle. It was a nasty scene: a large tree stump protruded from the left side of the trail, with a small outcropping of bedrock planted in the middle. At the base of this configuration, was a pretty serious hole: the result of erosion. The TJ just couldn't get the traction to pass. Matt, probably being the most capable of our entourage, passed by the TJ, and winched him to the high ground.

I was next. I attempted a few runs at the far left side, and finally made the right line. With a bit of flying debris, I was up and over under my own power. Jo and Chet were next, in their Samurai's, and had little trouble with the section. Jo did get bit of air time in his drivers front tire as he came up hill; he entrusted me with the digital camera to get some shots of his ascent, which I did, but I had but the camera to bed when he got mud on his face (see the after shot). Gord, sporting a weak U-Joint, had a few attempts, then decided to get a tug, rather than risk carnage.

The rest of the trip was perfect. The sun came out, as we approached the summit, where we ate lunch and made jokes about Shannon. LOL!

The descent was uneventful; we passed the TJ and S-10 combo at about the half-way point (they continued on when we stopped for a ~45min lunch). Towards the bottom, Jo started to feel the need to "play". Where possible, he was sending Bazooka into every possible off-camber position he could find: large rock here, tree stump there etc. Then he came across a section with a ~3ft high embankment on the left side. Riding high on the driver's side, he managed a good 2-3ft of air under the drivers back tire. Following suite, I did the same, probably getting just a bit more air. To many cheers of onlookers, and Teri's dismay: Chet's turn. Being so high (SPOA) (Editors note: Originally being a Jeep guy, I still don't understand why Suzuki owners continue to insist on using SPOA when SOA is more appropriate.) this maneuver was quite a display. Beadlets of sweat were showing on Chet's brow: Dave was spotting! REVENGE is a dish best served cold. For those unfamiliar with the last statement, Dave rolled his YJ at Rock Creep this last year while Chet was spotting.

The finale of the day was Chet and Matt doing their thing at Show Off Rock. An amazing site was to see Chet climb near the top, only to have his front turn sideways, and nearly ROLL!! See the video footage on this, ya can't miss it!

As per Island4x4.com mandate: lunch at the 6 Mile on the way home. What a perfect day.

Keith Daly
(aka RedApe)