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January 2000
Volume 3, Issue 2 |
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With the turning of the page on our calendar, preparations for this year’s events
are already well under way. The Rock Crawl 2000 Committee has been established,
and will be ready for registration to begin on February 1st. The planning stages
and the organization of the event itself will be largely unchanged from last year.
We will definitely be looking for lots of people to assist in brushing back the
pesky new alder growth that seems to spring up overnight. If you want to sign up
to “adopt” a trail, please contact Wyatt Sabourin. Rock Crawl 2000 Rock Crawl 200 will take place May 19 - 21, 2000.
For anyone interested in attending, registration officially opens on
February 1st, 2000. To request a registration form, please send your name, address,
and phone number to our PO Box.
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Upcoming Events South Island Contact Events Co-ordinator
January 2000 February 2000 Mid-Island Contact Steve Duifhuis for more information. January 2000 February 2000 New Secretary With his new job, Drew Kirkpatrick couldn’t make it to meetings, so Al Vandervelde kindly stepped forward to assume the responsibilities of our society’s secretary. Thanks for your commitment, and welcome to the Board Of Directors! |
January 2 was chosen as the day for the annual New Year's Snow run. This allowed
everyone a full day to recover from the Year 2000 celebrations before heading out
for a full day on the trail. I for one appreciated it!
 The morning started out with meets at the Spencer Road Payless for the Victoria crowd, and Mason's store for the Duncanites. The mustering spot for the trip was to be at the foot of the 'Big Hill' on the Renfrew Road. 
Most trucks arrived pretty close to
9:30AM, but a couple were delayed for a trail repair before
the trail ride even started! Gotta love those underhood welders! By the
time everyone arrived, there were over 20 vehicles carrying more than 50 people.
Handshakes abounded as everybody wished each other all the best for the new year, century, and millennium. By about 10:00AM, people were aired down and ready so we headed out on 
our quest for snow. Our chances were pretty good since the previous night had seen
a cold front pass through, which left a light dusting of powder on the mountaintops
that were in view.
We headed up the hill and took a left onto the Weeks Lake Road. On the way, we passed
a gravel pit containing a pond that was frozen over.
That was just too tempting, so a number of vehicles piled in to test the depth. Al
Vandervelde made like an icebreaker as he was first to cross the water.
He had to make
way for the former ferry guy who figures his Hummer would be a great replacement
for those trouble-plagued fast-cats! You should have seen everyone scrambling to avoid
the bow wave generated by Garrison and his White Rhino! Jay was next as he tested Brutus'
seaworthiness. Once we were sure there were no sink holes in the middle to add to
our excitement, we decided to venture onwards to Weeks Lake.
After arriving at the lake, the sunshine and the scenery was too nice to just drop in and then leave again, so we decided 
to stoke up the barbie and have our lunch there. Rob had packed his legless BBQ
for the Brats and Burgers and a Coleman stove for some hot chocolate and apple cider.
More than fifty people were on hand to take part in the grits that were 'cued to perfection by Rob McF. and Rick. Even though the sun was out, people sure appreciated the bonfire that was fueled by wood that Rob Bryce and Wayne had brought along for the occasion. 
Once all the appetites were satisfied and the fire was totally out, we headed off to
continue our quest for snow. A beautiful drive through Jordan Meadows led us down to
Walker Main, where we gained altitude quickly. At first we were driving
in someone else's ruts, but not long after that, the ruts ended and we were breaking
trail. Rob Brooks led the way, but it was tough going. When progress was halted,
Al tried pushing bumper to bumper, but that just made 8 deep holes instead of 4.
The trick here was to keep from breaking through the old crusty snow beneath the soft 
layer that had fallen the previous night. To accomplish this, everyone aired down to
between 4 and 8 lbs. Some drivers even chained up, but I think airing down was the
better solution - floating was the key to making well over a mile in over a foot
and a half of snow. Near the top of the hill, there was one last challenge. The
trail lead up to what looked like the summit of the hill—but the steep angle made
a front locker mandatory in order to get anywhere. Jay, Al, Wayne, Rob Brooks,
and Rob Bryce were all determined to make it further than anyone else, but it was
Jay's whoop of triumph I heard over the CB proclaiming himself "King of the Hill"!
By now, light was beginning to fade, so everyone pointed their rigs downhill and 
slowly made their way back down to the Walker/Butler/Jordan West intersection. After
chowing down on the last of the potato chips, the mid-island crew headed out the way
we came in, and the rest headed home via Butler Main. By six o'clock we were back
on pavement and looking forward to kicking back after a great day of wheeling.
We had set out to find snow, and we ended up finding plenty to keep us busy, with an awesome lunch thrown in to keep our fires stoked. Now I'm sure everyone is excited to go play in the snow again next weekend! Thanks to everyone who attended and also to Rob McFadyen for organizing such a fine event! Rob deLange |
 E-mail: Bow-Mel Chrysler |
IRC Parts Bin
If you have parts for sale or parts you need, contact Rob McFadyen, Email: mcclan@telus.net with subject = “IRC Parts Bin” |
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