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MLK 2003
Brian Obstacle
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MLK 2003
BACK
2000
2000
Assorted Pictures
August Trail Ride
Tellico November
Tellico N.C. November 2000
Allen
Big and Little Yellow Jeeps
Bill Guardrail
Bill Guardrail
Checking alternate
Dale
Dale and Ginger
Dale Fains Ford
Ellen
Ellen and TJ
Jeff
Jeff
Jeff
Jeff Helicopter Pad
Jeff
Jeff
Jeff
Jeff
Paul
Paul
paul
Axle bit
Worthman
Paul
Ray
Ray
Ray
Ray
Ray
Ray
Ray
Ray
Scott Allen Mustard Hill
Scott Allen
Scott
Scott
Scott Allen
Scott broken parts
Scott M tail pipe casualty
Scott M
ScottM M
Scott M
Scott M
Scott M
Scott M
Steve Felder
Steve Felder
Walt
Walt
3 CJ5 Slick
BrainShipleyMustardHill.jpg
BrainShipleyMustardHill.jpg
BrainShipleyMustardHill.jpg
BrainShipleyMustardHill.jpg
Jeff_going_down_Trail2.jpg.JPG
BrainShipleyMustardHill.jpg
Jeff_going_down_Trail2.jpg.JPG
Brain Shipley Mustard Hill
Pam Fainsfort
Ms Dirt Roll
Jeep Blood
Ms Dirt Pose
Ms Dirt
Matt XJ
Matt
Matt
Snow
Snow lineup
Tellico June
Tellico N.C. June 2000
Jeff
Scott
Scott
Troy
BACK
August 2000 Trailride
August 2000 Trailride
Bob Deloatch
CJ air
Jeep Jamb-o-water
Ricky Stuck
Ricky
Shorty Water
Troy
Assorted Pictures
OLD OJC EVENTS
Ricky
Pam on Bridge
Mighty Jeep
Lunchtime Lineup
Bill
Scott
Chris
Bob
Dr. Dirt
Corner Panel
Troy
Dirty Scott M
Bat Boy Ramping
Dale and Ginger
Line Up
Randy
Ray
Scott Montgomery
Scott
Scott
Troy
Jason
Steve Felder
Tony
Troy Dunn
The Line Trail 6
Bill Lanman
Chris Hawthorne
Scott
Scott
Joe
2001
2001
Alpha River Run
Alapaha River Run - Jennings, FL Memorial Day 2001
Jeeps River
Allen Scram
Scott Scram Damn
Bill
Bill
Bill
Dale
Jana
75 Bridge
Rm
Ernie
Ernie
Jeff
Jeff
Jeff
Shipley
Gigner
We camped at a local farm within shooting distance of the Alapaha River. This tributary of the Suwannee River often runs dry in the summer, leaving open to the public a pristine white sand riverbed with deep cuts at the riverbends, exposed rock gardens, and surprisingly deep pools of springwater! I had heard about a river in northern Florida that ran underground in the summertime. The Alapaha river meets the Suwannee and Withlacoochee rivers near Jennings, but runs underground in limerock tunnels. Only when the water table is high does the water bubble up through the limerock riverbed, forming pools that feed the surface flow. Unfortunately the water has running cold and deep at the surface during our two earlier scouting trips in the spring - nevertheless I marked prospective entry and exit points on the GPS map. Public access is allowed near SR 6, and riding the river bed is allowed by the county. However, climbing the high banks is forbidden and strictly enforced - except along one small stretch along the Suwannee Water Management District. Before last weekend's camping trip I had heard that the river was dry, and later after dinner at camp I casually mentioned that it "may" make for a good night ride. Ten jeeps started out at 10:30 from the SR6 access - the cloudless night, a full moon, and our off road lights made an eerie lightshow illuminating the deep river gorge. A highway of pure white sand, ground from the limerock, squeaked in the still night air with the pressure of our shoes and tires. You could see where the current had washed away the sandy bottom in the river bends, creating huge, steep funnel-shaped sinks with limerock rocks and boulders below, and revealing towering pockmarked limestone boulders on both sides. Several Jeeps forgot to air down, and either bogged down in the deep sand or side-slid down the sandy slopes. It was impossible to see how deep the next drop-off would be, or what laid just around the bend. There were some sharp moments when the taillights of the Jeep in front suddenly disappeared over a drop-off, seemingly falling off the end of the world. We wisely avoided those small seemingly bottomless springs that were at the bottom of these pits. The sandy bottom was almost six Jeeps wide in places, and at times massive fallen oaks left only a small gap to squeeze through. We eventually reached the I-75 overpass - the highway traffic roared a hundred feet above our heads; the water line on the bridge trestles 70 feet above us. It was 12:30 am, but the cool night air and starry night made nobody want to turn around. Everyone wanted to continue exploring southward, towards the Suwannee Management area that I had earlier marked. As we proceeded the riverbed changed from wide and meandering to narrow, deep, and sharp. We played for a while at a stretch were the river had exposed a stair stepped bedrock boulder and a rock garden with small deep spring pools. We were still chattering about the fun when we began to encounter water....!
Steinhatchee
Steinhatchee Scouting Ride March 2001
Testing out some private property for a possible future club ride, our elite scouting team once again finds trouble...
2001 January
2nd Ocklawaha Jamboree, January
One of the hardest things to accomplish growing up with the Ocala Jeep Club is letting everyone know just when you're "all grow'd up." Harder yet when both your parents own and drive Jeeps and regularly remind you that they've been doing it longer and better as they cruise by in the mud while you sit waiting to be pulled out. But attacking life on his own terms has always been the way for Jeffrey Priest.Cutting his teeth on a moth-eaten Kaiser CJ5 that he terrorized the animals on his family homestead, Jeffrey wanted to build his own "Southern Lowrider" when he turned 16. Working in his father's shop, Jeffrey built a '95 YJ which arguably has more combined off-road experience than it's driver. The body is from Bill Lanman's rolled '92 YJ. Opal Lanman's '95 YJ donated its frame, 2.5 liter 4 cylinder, AX-5, and NP231. A narrowed Ford truck Dana 44 front axle and a AMC-20 rear axle from a full-size Cherokee (both Las Cruces-tested by Jeff's dad) are mounted under sprung-over leaves and a MORE shackle reverse kit. Lockrite'd 4.56 gears spin 36x12.50 Swamper SX's on Rockcrawler wheels. The tub was treated to a 3" body lift, TJ flares, homemade rock bars, bumpers, tire rack, and a modified MORE rollcage. The Jeep swallows all the off-road abuse that Jeffrey gives it thanks to a heavy duty slip yoke eliminator kit, Tom Woods drive shafts, Moser axles, and a Warn M8000 winch. Neon green interior lighting, a thumping stereo, CB, some well earned rock (and tree) rash, and a dried coat of Florida mud are personal Jeffrey touches.Jeffrey has proven himself to be a formidable and respected Jeeper, and has been known to scamper through a mud hole or over a rock ledge that gave the "Big Jeeps" a fit. So if you hear a screaming 4-cylinder banging against the rev-limiter, pull over fast-Jeffrey's coming through, and he's "Locked to Rock"!
2001 Jan Mesa
MESA Park Jeep Show January 2001
Alarm Clock time: 4:00 a.m.House departure time 5:00 a.m.Met at Wildwood 6:00 a.m. Amazing!Arrived at 9:20 a.m. The road trip was great, hardly any traffic at 6:00 a.m. The humming of the tires and the wind rattle will keep you awake. Jeff was pulling Scott Allen’s jeep in front, Ray flat towing his jeep and Paul and I keeping up the rear. It took us about 3 ½ hours to get there. Paul Worthman was behind me when we came upon some road construction. He noticed I was pulled to the right a little and he figured he better hold on cause he still was disconnected from the campout trip last weekend. Well it was a good thing he was paying attention cause he said he just about had a rolling experience. We can’t seem to go on a trail ride anymore without the famous phrase “Hey guys we gotta turn around”. This time it was out of Jeff’s mouth. Only about a 20 mile horseshoe detour back to our exit. Mesa Park is a large attraction area with lots of food venders and grandstands. The swamp buggy track is one large pond with a figure eight track. There were 35 Jeeps entered in the show, which was held right at the main entrance and in front of the venders. Seven clubs were present. Scott Allen’s Jeep received a trophy for People’s Choice Best of Show. Ray Woo received a trophy for the longest traveled. The big Green CJ-7 that was at our campout received the tallest jeep award. Jerry Therrien received best rock prepared. Other awards included cleanest Jeep, Best Street prepared, muddiest and best dent, which was an old jeep pick up, not a straight panel on it. Carl Rieche did an excellent job on the show. They ended up putting $200. into the FL4WDA treasury. We had 75 people and 37 Jeeps parked around the lake at the entrance to the Park and got lots of positive comments by spectators on the show. Other clubs attending were Interstate Four Wheel Drive Club, Jeepers Jeep Club, Legendary Jeeps, Mud Monkeys, Orlando Jeep Club, Palm Beach Off Road and Adventure, Spacecoast Four Wheelers, Suncoast Flatlanders and Jeepers Jeep Club who had the Best Club Particpation Award with 17 Jeeps! The Buggy Races were a lot of fun to watch in person. Once they go around the track all you can see is muddy water spray. If you had the right set up you would skim right over the big hole in the beginning of the track. If not, you kind of just sunk in the water hole. The 4 cyl. Jeep buggies were more interesting to watch as they just puttered around the track with water just waving across the hood. They would really sink in the big hole. Most of the drivers were wearing wet suits. I wonder why? In closing, it was a great trip and I’m sure that if there is another one, it will be even better.
Jennings February
Jennings Camping Trip February 2001
It was pure accident and fate that resulted in this month's trail ride and campout. On an earlier scouting trip on the Alapaha River near Jennings Florida, we found the river running impassably high and signs pointing to a new "ATV Trail". A local farmer had posted these signs hoping to attract riders to a ATV track that he was building on his field. His family had earlier decided to stop farming and turn the family's 500 acres into a offroad motorsport park. He had no idea what folks wanted, but was willing to use his heavy farm equipment and materials to "build anything that you want". "Okay," I said,"how about a heavy clay mogul field, a high speed dirt track, and a couple of mudding holes? And oh yeah, how about a 100 yard long Tank Trap filled with water and hiding some drop-off holes?" We put the farmer to the test and he did not disappoint. Eleven families arrived on an early Saturday morning and were led to our campsite in a cleared oak hummock that was fitted with water, electricity, and firewood. Later, with Scott Montgomery behind me I decided to check out the Tank Trap - a 100 yard long trough bordered by a dirt berm and with a sturdy oak at either end. The water at the end "seemed shallow" - at least until my Jeep's nose disappeared underwater and the humming of the engine was replaced by the sound of water gurgling through the floor into the Jeep! Of course, by then a crowd had gathered and the farmer (who had just pulled up to check on us) was witnessed wearing the biggest ****eating grin! After Scott rescued me, we all went to the clay mounds. The farmer had built 4 parallel rows of moguls on the side of a clay hill. Each mogul was one jeep wide, one jeep tall, and separated by a hole one jeep long and one jeep deep. For fun, he also flooded the last mogul of each row with water! Big E was driving the big-hearted-but-ground-clearance-challenged Mighty Jeep and proceeded to top off every mogul with his bellypan before driving Mighty's nose deep (real deep) into the muddy final hole. Lee Myers broke a front driveshaft trying to pull him out, and Ernie give new meaning to the term "clutch smoke". Everyone else tried their hand on the challenging moguls - with some good stucks. We all then went to a neighboring rye field that was flooded with water. Rye grass is real slick. And my water-and-sand-filled starter decided to seize right in the middle of the field. The local farmboys had a good laugh as Ellen buried her jeep to the frame (so much for keeping it clean for the Jeep show, eh Ellen?), and two jeeps trying to drag a very dead TJ through the muck. We push-started the Jeep and proceeded to the dirt track. Originally designed for ATV's, the farmer had cut 2.3 miles of switchback turns, whoops, jumps, and high speed dogleg turns in a hillside field. Steering with a heavy right foot and 2WD was the key. And everyone soon mastered the art of roostertails and lock-to-lock powerslides through the corners. Everyone was thoroughly dusty and smiling when they were done, and we all headed for the Suwannee river to see Bill Lanman ford the waters. Scott Allen joined up with us after dinner (with a new starter for me), and we decided to do a night ride on the moguls. The earlier TankTrap episode got the best of Scott, who after warming up with some bank-to-bank crossings, decided to charge the length of the Trap at full speed. Everything looked good until the final 10 feet when Scott's TJ lost contact with the bottom and began to float...before sinking rapidly up to the doorhandles. His engine died, and his voice clearly began to waiver on the CB "could you please hurry, the water is coming up to my butt". It cost me my pager and last change of dry clothes as I volunteered to wade out with the winch cable....until my foot dropped into a 38.5" Baja Claw deep hole! It took the winches on Bill Lanman's, Harry Portellos' and my Jeep, with Lee Myers' Jeep and an oak tree to pull Scott out. Needless to say, his starter also bit the dust. Sunday was spent fixing Jeeps and then riding on the moguls and mudding fields again. By then the hills had been knocked down enough for us to start criss-crossing across the moguls. John Micelli demonstrated the art of being high-centered, and I demonstrated how it is possible to roll a Jeep on a farm field in the middle of Florida. After a final mudbath in the rye field, everyone started packing up and heading home. I think it was unanimous that this place is a must-do event for the future. The farmer is optimistic, and interest from other clubs appears high. Let's do this again !
Forest Trail Cleanup
Trail Cleanup and Ride Ocala National Forest April 2001
Ocala Brick City
Ocala Brick City Days, May 2001
Upper Tellico June
Tellico June 2001
Twenty one families and 24 Jeeps from the OJC went to Tellico, (and thanks to car trailers), all got back safely. It rained most of the week until Saturday - the mud and rain made the challenges more interesting. Thursday was spent running the "easier" and "more difficult" trails 1,4,6. Everyone made it without too much problem, and later Scott Montgomery, Paul Worthman, and Bill Lanman broke off to try to climb trail 2's BobSled Run. The infamous Rack Root at the stairstep hooked Paul's HiLift and almost ripped his tire rack off (a la Jeff Priest). The same root pinched Scott Montgomery's softtop bow and proceeded to convert Bill Lanman's top to a SunRider as it peeled the front completely off. The Beaty brothers, Bill & Greg, decided to tackle trail 7’s Peckerwood ledge. Bill gave a valient attempt but gravity took over and flipped his CJ7 over destroying the hardtop. On Friday Scott Montgomery, Scott Allen, Ricky Maron, Bill Lanman (with a spanking new SuperTop from Farmer's 4X4), Joc (driving Diane's new CJ) and Jeff Priest decided to try to climb trail 12's SchoolBus. The combination of the Chevy V8 and 38" Swampers in Joc's CJ was too much for the front Dana 30, which grenaded it's ring and pinion before pretzeling the tierod. Going down was even more difficult due to the slick mud. Most made it down in a barely controlled slide - Bill Lanman's descent went bad when he lost control and bounced from wall to wall before flipping over. Greg and Bill Beaty were clawing their way up Schoolbus with their matching monster YJ's until one broke a draglink. Bill's Jeep made it back to the Best Western on a trailer by 12:30 am, and the Beaty's finally drove back at 3 am after swapping draglinks. On Saturday, Glen & Steve Felder, Pam Smith, Brian Shipley the two Scott's, and Jeff Priest decided to try their luck on trail 2a's RockGarden. They all made a great show for all who watched. Unfortunately the Rock Garden claimed two Jeeps as Scott Montgomery grenaded his rear pinion yoke and u-joint, and Jeff broke the rear Wagoneer axle on his YJ. But this wasn’t discovered until afterward he drove his way out. With some rookies and rookie Jeeps, another large group tackled trail 9's Slick Rock. With some winching all were able to make it up. At the top of SlickRock, almost all were able to escape the reach of CornerPanel rock - with the exception of my full sized Cherokee Chief that now sports a crunched rear flare. The grand finale was seeing Ron Westcott walk his way up Slick Rock without the aid of a winch! Everyone made it home safely (with the usual roadside trailer problems).
Doe Lake Camping Trip
Doe Lake Camping Trip July 2001
The private facility at Doe Lake is fast becoming a favorite event each time we go there. Were else can you get exclusive rights to a facility that offers so much for so little? We’re talking private camping next to a sandy bottom spring fed lake that includes a historic lodge building that could house over 100 people easily. Oh, and lets not forget the bath house with hot & cold showers, all to ourselves. If you missed this last trip don’t worry we’ve applied for this facility again in Nov. to host our year end party.Now on to the events coverage. Most of the campers pulled in on Friday night and were welcomed with numerous thunderstorms throughout the night. These wet conditions put a stop to a campfire but that didn’t stop people from gathering around another source of entertainment. That’s right, the killer bug light. Yep, some big boys bit the dust that night including one mother that went up in smoke after several minutes of zapping.Saturday morning came and mother nature held off the rains until late that afternoon. The previous rains made for some great trail riding. No Dust!!! Not to mention several low lying areas filled with water. Big Ernie Prevedel took the point and led everyone on a meandering route to the Bombing Range perimeter road. Along the way a wrong turn led to some pretty tight areas and caused Big E’s ears to bleed a little. Once we arrived at the first, and worst hole on Perimeter Rd, it was clear we were gonna be here awhile. Imagine a traffic accident involving an overturned semi loaded with crates of butterscotch pudding. Nice and creamy. When you stepped into it you sank to your knees. Prime mud. Only the biggest Jeeps attempted at first searching for the proper line. Big E said that there was a bypass if anyone was interested. About a half dozen elected to wait behind to take the ‘bypass’. Big E told everyone to load up he was getting ready to take the ‘bypass’, only his ‘bypass’ was staying to the extreme left side of the road. As you can tell from the picture of Shorty on this page, the bypass was a little deep, but all came through just fine. Time was taken to change two tires on Paul Worthman’s TJ after unseating the beads on both of them. Remember, low air pressure for rocks, high air pressure for mud. The ride continued around and ended up at Blueberry hill for a short time until the rain clouds moved in and all headed back to base camp.That night somewhere in the neighborhood of eight turkeys were fried up along with plenty of side dishes. There was so much food that there was plenty for sandwiches the next day. A short meeting was conducted in the lodge and then much to the surprise of Ernie & Beth, a surprise party complete with anniversary cake and champagne was brought out to celebrate 25 years of marriage. After all the toasting a night ride was put together that involved some high speed runs down pipeline road that had several rev limiters working overtime.Sunday morning brought more great weather and a ride was organized to the old railroad bed and Disappearing Creek off US 19. Once we got there the only thing disappearing were bumpers and headlights as the water was running high. Hard bottoms provided excellent traction so no one was ever in trouble except when the high water ate all of the fan blades on Big E’s YJ. Since he had an auxiliary fan on the front he just switched that one on and away we went. It was then that Lee Myers got on the radio and asks the trail boss if we were gonna continue straight? When there was mention of some big trees to climb over and a creek crossing that had railroad timbers on each side, it didn’t take long to decide we were pressing onward. The combination of damp swampy ground and downed trees criss-crossing the trail made for some slow going. The real fun didn’t start until we got to “The Creek” Imagine a creek with about a 24 inch ledge on each side and as wide as the distance from the leading edge of the front tires to the trailing edge of the rear tires on a YJ. Just as your rear tires dropped in, the fronts were pinned against the other side. The majority made it through until Jeff Priest, driving Ellen’s TJ (something about cold ac) got caught up in a nasty way. We haven’t had to pull so much winch cable in Florida in along time. Both front wards and backwards, using snatch blocks and double line pulls. He almost pulled a tree over on him until Ellen spoke up and said that she really didn’t want a tree on her Jeep. The remaining two Jeeps also had to be winched through but different lines made their extractions much easier. From there it was getting late and we headed back to camp until Scott Montgomery demonstrated how to break the rear u-joint straps and twist the axle tubes on his 4 cyl YJ. That little chainsaw puts out some torque I tell you.Camp was cleaned up and inspected by the caretakers who said we had done the best job of any group attending. If you missed this trip, well I’m sorry, but like I said we plan on going back at the end of the year so make plans now to attend
Tellico ORV
Tellico ORV, Murphy N.C. September, 2001
Jeeptoberfest 2001
Jeeptoberfest October 27, 2001
End of the Year
End of the Year Party Doe Lake Campground November 2001
2002
2002
Shiny Down
January 2002
February 2002
Alapaha 2002
Following up on last year's exciting ride, the Ocala Jeep Club decided to pay the Alapaha River another visit last month. We decided to stay again at Mr. Wade Howell's farm in nearby Jennings, and the farmer graciously prepared for our arrival by flooding the notorious tank trap, rye field, and the mogul hills with thousands of gallons of aquifer water. Most folks made the Sunday day ride, and those who did stay the weekend did for from the comfort of the Days Inn. A few of us die-hards camped in the farm's oak hummock, and were graced with the most serene (read: COLD) and clear starry nights. We played on the farm Friday night, the grass overgrown mogul field made for very exciting climbs and drops. Tony Sommo, drawn irresistibly to the rye field, made crazy whirls in the dark with his headlights as he made donuts in the mud. The last stop was at the far end of the tank trap where we tested our mighty Jeeps against the shallow water....and got stuck.Saturday's day ride concentrated on the downstream portion of the river. The river was dry.....very very dry......and it looked like we were going to make it all the way to Live Oak when we encountered a spring-fed hole in the river bed that was deeper than Jeff Priest's fenders (and my shorts). After a dinner of famous Camp Chili, complete with bits of potato and chunk beef from a stray can of beef stew, people started flowing in for the night ride. We decided to run upstream towards the Suwannee river - hoping for some of the deep water thrills that we had last year. The river was dry....very very dry....and as we quickly reached the exit point of the ride it looked like we were going to have an uneventful ride. That is, until we had to climb the high bank!Many tried to climb the harder, root infested bank with throttle and momentum, but our rock-crawling heavy axles and low gears didn't fare too well in the sand. People began looking for another place to climb when Chuck Higgins launched his mighty mite CJ5 up the hill, bouncing over the holes and going fully airborne as he crested the top. Troy McCall tried to duplicate the feat with his 360-powered jeep, only to break a front stub axle and eventually climbed the hill on the end of a winch cable. Tony Sommo also tried, only to have a front axle u--joint explode....bad news for a fixed-hub TJ! By this time most folks had (chickened) moved to the other face of the bank which was thick in sugar sand. Most were able to power up the side of the face if they could make the sharp bend a the top and avoid a Chuck-Higgins-eating hole (that leg'll heal eventually, Chuck!). The Big Boys had to go straight up, which was good if they could avoid Brian Shipley's 40" Bogger-sized holes at the top. Tony's crippled TJ was dragged up the bank on the end of Scott Allen's so-hot-it-glowed straining Warn HS9500, and made it to the road where Brian's trailer awaited.Sunday's ride followed the reverse route of the previous night ride, and was altogether a nice ride - if you could escape the constant whoopdedoos of the sand bed. This was eclipsed by the warm up events beforehand as folks played on the mogul hills and Tank Trap. The Trap, like most things muddy, looked deceptively dry and shallow, especially when Chuck's light CJ5 scuttled effortlessly from the deep to the shallow end. But once you break the hard top shell, its nothing but slick, frame sinking, baby-poo mud. After Ron Westcott and I were dragged out we all watched as Chuck, looking confident in his CJ5 and clean white T-shirt, announced "Hey Y'All Watch This" as he launched his CJ down the mouth of the Trap and towards the steep berm at the end. It looked like Chuck was going to pull another clean run until he hit the far end and we all watched as the CJ caught a rut and was thrown right towards the corner of the berm. In seeming slow motion the CJ went up, up, and over onto its rollcage lid. Thankfully nobody was hurt as Chuck cut himself and his newbie copilot Holly (isn't this what it's all about?) out of their belts, landing headfirst in the mud. As a good example of why the OJC has a mandatory safety list, the CJ's rollcage saved the occupants and the Jeep - with only minimal cosmetic damage to both. And thanks to the experience of those around and the available safety and extraction equipment we quickly had the CJ righted and pulled out of the Trap where it started up and was driven off the field.
April 2002
Monster Truck Show, April
May 2002
May 2002 Rich Mountain
Clinic 2002
How to Clinic 2002
Easy Street 2002
Easy Street 2002
Tellico 2002
The Quest for "Bam Dammit"
Each trip to Tellico has its own flavor, and last week's trip was no exception. As part of Jeff's Tellico Rock Run, most of us chose to forgo the traditional digs at the Murphy Best Western (and the looong drive to the staging area) and stayed in one of the many cabins close by the trails. Not only was the scenery invigorating, but the days felt more relaxed as we felt less pushed.In addition to renting out cabins, our host Chuck Davis also has a sticker business - the most infamous are those bright neon "Bam, Dammit!" ones that are reserved exclusively for placement next to rock-massaged Jeep metal. Despite the fair number of rock-novices (including one snorkeled red TJ!) our group was eager to conquer all that Tellico had to offer:Thursday: We gathered at Jeff's cabin to wait for stragglers before hitting the trails. Some of the more macho types decided to show Chuck how easy he made his mini-rock garden at the cabins. Ten feet later, after being spun three times by the huge slippery bolders, I was winched off again and decided the rock garden wasn't for me. After they all stopped laughing, everyone saddled up for a leisurely ride on trails 1,4, and 6 to hone their skills and prepare for the upcoming days. Many left their doors and tops at camp. Things were fine until it began to rain...and rain....and rain.....Friday: Jeff wanted to run Lower 2 before the Labor Day congestion begins. Despite an early start the Allen Gap staging area was packed with ATV's and other 4X4's all getting ready to ride. Luckily we got the jump on the others and nine of us started up Lower 2 as the others watched from above. Our leader, Brian Shipley, was making a flawless run up the final set of ledges when his front Tom Woods driveshaft grenaded. Ditto for Jock, who pulled the splines out of the front driveshaft of his fiberglass bodied, bumblebee yellow Humm-J. Next victim was Greg McCracken, who bent his tie rod and snapped an axle in the front Dana 50 of his TJ, then succeeded in stripping his steering box as we valiantly tried to winch his way to freedom. I made it through with a little Warn help, but only after I ripped off a rear axle shock mount. Joe Pollick, Chuck Higgins, Tony Sommo, and Jeffrey Priest made it through with a rich mix of throttle, more throttle, and a liberal helping of cable....although Tweety looked a little wobblier than the others afterwards. Ellen Priest had a smooth run, but managed to smoke her winch in the process. Jeff Priest once again showed just how durable the rev limiter is on a 4.0 liter engine as he roared, bounced, and knocked his way up the trail - and almost laying it over in the process. Afterwards we regrouped and headed up Upper 2 and the BobSled. The key line up the big ledge was HARD right, enough to rake the right side of each Jeep against the bank. We all got a small dent or two in either the windshield or the tub. Tony impressed us again on just how high he could stand Tweety up on the spare tire without actually rolling over. Saturday: Brian Shipley led us up trail 12's Schoolbus . It was pretty washed out, with sharp rocks and slick ledges. David Nash stopped to replace the clutch linkage on his freshly-prepped narrow axle CJ7, and I managed to snap a front SuperWinch hub. Chuck Davis also broke a SuperWinch hub, but had more difficulties due to a balky winch, and had to turn back. The last ledge at Schoolbus was well eroded, with a wide offcamber path to the left, and a smoother but risker line on the right. Most people conquered it on the left with a combination of throttle and deft steering. I chose the right. I started up the hill as I saw David Nash begin his climb, but was called back by the sound of a rolling Jeep and Kelli's excited screams. Luckily it was a "soft" roll as David lost the angle and laid the CJ on it's side. Everyone and the Jeep was fine, but David earned his Bam Dammit! At the top of 12, we started down the back side of trail 11, past the infamous Rainbow Rock (painted by the Jeep tubs that it catches). It was really eroded, but most folks found the line and squeezed through with only mild carnage....Bam Dammits to Ron Westcott and others. Somehow, the perfect line that I thought I took was too wide for my wide axles, and suddenly my Jeep was rolling into the Rock - stopping only as the Rock crunched my windshield frame, tub, and door surround. I ended up on my side, with the boulder pressed against my left thigh. Thank god for full rollcages and 5 point harnesses! Another Bam Dammit!!!!!Sunday: Joined by Scott Allen, we decided to tackle trail 9's Slick Rock. Almost everyone made it over the rock garden below with little trouble, but all had to winch up the SLICK ledge at the base of the rock. I somehow grenaded another SuperWinch hub (replaced this time with a Warn Premium), but managed to rip off the shock mount again and twisted loose my rear wishbone suspension arm. Jeff roared over the bottom of the rock garden, but somehow got crossed up on a particularly large boulder. The combination of the angle, and Jeff's tall Jeep was too much, and once again we heard the "crunch" of a rolling Jeep. Jeff was OK, and his Jeep was righted again quickly. Chuck Davis used up the rest of his supply of Bam Dammits marking all the dents on Jeff's jeep. Jock was doing well, and almost made it to the top of the rock when a front Dana 44 axle exploded and he had to winch. Luckily I had a spare that fitted his Jeep, and soon he was rolling again. Scott wanted desperately to run Lower 2 again, but sadly discovered that he had sheared two bolts that held his rear suspension arms to his frame. We all limped home on trail 1to camp and some hot food.Later that night, there was enough interest for a night ride, and Chuck Davis led those few folks who still had a running Jeep on a midnight ride up Lower 2. Brian Shipley followed, trailed by Joe "Rookie Luck" Pollick with Scott Allen as copilot. Upon their return at 4 am, we found out that Joe's luck may be running low as he underestimated the size of the ledge, and overestimated his throttle foot - creating what Scott Allen vows is the highest tailstand he's ever seen without a rollover....and subsequently blowing a Bogger off a bead upon landing.I hear that we missed a lot of excitement on the other rides, but that's another story.......
Vanguard 2002
Vanguard HS Homecoming
Octoberfest 2002
Jeeptoberfest 2002 "Build it and they will come"
That’s exactly what happened this year once word got out that an evil obstacle course was being constructed for this years Jeeptoberfest. 132 jeeps made it inside the gates before we had to enforce the 11:00 cut off time because to be truthful, we had no more room. With another 20 or so more Jeeps outside the fences comments like “I haven’t seen this many Jeeps in one place since Camp Jeep” to “That was one BAD ASS Show” could be heard throughout the day. There was something for everyone. Patrons consumed almost 500 burgers and hotdogs in a couple of hours, all free of charge of course, keeping Ernie and the custom Jeep BBQ grille very busy. The obstacle course had two possible routes. One not so easy for stock Jeeps and one axle, twisting, ring gear shredding more difficult side for modified rides. Between the Articulation Ramp and the Slow Crawl Course, this kept the crowds entertained until it was time to hand out over $6700 worth of door prizes and awards at the end of the day. Notes have already been taken on ways to improve next years show. This was a massive increase in attendance this year and I am proud to say that everyone involved with the show stepped up to the unexpected challenge and performed flawlessly. Great work people.
fest 2002 pics
Jeeptoberfest 2002
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End of the Year Party 2002
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