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August 1999
Volume 2, Issue 6 |
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After a very successful Rock Crawl ’99, we took it a little easy
through the month of June. The quiet period allowed us time to document
the organization process, the results of which should make planning next
year’s event a snap! The smooth running of Rock Crawl ’99 can be attributed to a
very conscientious committee, and lots of hard work by all people involved. It’s
great to see how our club can come together to pull off an event of this magnitude. On Sunday July 25, the IRC hosted its second annual Bigs and Littles Run to Shields Lake. The 12 Big and Little Brothers/Sisters who attended the event had a fine array of vehicles in which to ride. Chris Beausoleil & Christopher rode with Rick in his Bronco, Dean had Mike Ball and Seth Parker in his TJ, Monty Monforton jumped in Wayne’s Toy P/U, Jesse rode with Justin & Joanne in Garrison’s Hummer, Mari-Anne’s YJ had Tina Terrei & Katie, and David Hope and his YJ carried Greg Askham and Eric MacDougal. Rob McFadyen’s CJ, Chris in his Unimog, and Wyatt and Joan in their Bronco II provided seats when riders or other drivers wanted to try something different. Paul Cooper and James Jones also travelled with us in Paul’s Ford Megatruck. James’ little puppy Lucky is already an avid four-wheeler—she loved being on Paul’s flatdeck! Al V. (with Stephanie) and Andrea drove the supply vehicles which carried the food up to the lake. The weather looked a bit grey through the morning, but by lunchtime the sun was peeking through, and the afternoon shaped up to be very nice.  The first stop at Show-Off Rock provided a great opportunity to introduce our guests to real rock crawling. There were lots of grins from the passengers as each vehicle clawed slowly up the face. Before moving on, we took a few minutes to pick up the broken glass and trash that always seem to accumulate at the top of the rock. Next stop would be at the “2nd Rock Face”. Participants were offered the choice of walking up the obstacle or riding, but nobody had come to walk! They all strapped in a little tighter and urged the drivers to take the hardest routes! Again, no troubles getting up these hills—everybody has done them quite a few times, or in Wayne’s case a few thousand times. Last stop before lunch was the Crabapple/Shields junction, where some vehicles could try the first section of the Crabapple Lake road. Lunchtime found us at the west end of Shields Lake for the barbeque. We offered a fine spread of smokies, potato chips and pop, all of which disappeared in short order. On the way back down Harbourview, we ran Eye in the Sky backwards, which offers one of the best views around. Then, a quick bounce down the hill and we were back at the parking lot bidding adieu to our new friends and making plans for next year. Thanks to everyone who participated, it was a memorable event and definitely time well spent. |
Upcoming Events South Island Contact Events Co-ordinator
August 99 September 99 Mid-Island Contact Steve Duifhuis for more information. August 99 September 99 |
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Some IRC members attended the PNW4WDA Trail Jamboree in Naches,
Washington, from July 7th to 11th. I rode shotgun with Rob McFadyen in his ’79
CJ, Al Vandervelde was accompanied by Ron Low, Drew Kirkpatrick and Tracy
Zala came in their Bronco II, Dean Bradley and Steve Johansen in a ’97
TJ, and Pam and Grumpy rounded out the Canadian contingent. Drew and Tracy and the two Robs took the Princess Marguerite to Seattle on Wednesday, came through some pretty heavy rain in Snoqualmie Pass, but after passing Ellensburg, we saw nothing but sunshine. South-Central Washington sure is a beautiful area! We were all very impressed with the scenery, but the wind that hit us as we crossed a bridge into Yakima made us very thankful that the swaybars hadn't been disconnected yet! After a quick stop for food (gotta love those Bing cherries!) and miscellaneous liquid refreshments in Naches, we headed west along Hwy. 410 to the PNW Jamboree basecamp. On Thursday, we were on a trail called Shoestring/Upper Kaner, where we ran into some excellent mud and snow. These trails are pretty skinny for the most part. We didn't see too many participants driving anything wider than a Jeep. I figure even a Cruiser with a hardtop would get seriously bashed between the trees on these runs. That's probably why most vehicles ran with tops off and windshields down. One trail has a very strict 73" width restriction (Sorry Garrison, no Hummers!). We Canadians got a real kick out of the CB banter—at one point someone wanted to stop in the ‘crick’ so they could ‘warsh’ their ‘rig’. Friday we went to Clover Springs/Mud Springs—a bit of a dozer as far as wheelin’ goes, but again, beautiful lookouts all along the way, including a great view of the Cascade Crest. Back at camp on Friday night we were visited by Rob Bryce and his mother Connie who were heading back to Manitoba. I wonder if Connie appreciated Steve’s account of that morning’s Battling Trombones contest down at the portapotties? BRONK! On Saturday morning, having tired of the 6:00am organized trail departures, the Canadians slept in. After a liesurely breakfast, we struck out on our own. The road right across from the campground takes you a great playground called Moon Rocks, which consists of acres and acres of lava in all kinds of formations. 
After posing for the requisite photos with tires perched atop the hoodoos,
we began searching for some challenging climbs among the Moon Rocks.Albert spotted a narrow chute with a sharp right-hand turn about half-way up the grippy conglomerate rock. Unfortunately though, his Jeep was suffering from acute-angle carbueritis combined with a little altitude sickness, so he deferred the first climb to Dean. 
 After his initial couple of tries, Dean used careful tire placement, some well-timed throttle, and a nugget protruding from the corner portion of the obstacle to successfully launch the TJ up and out of the chute. |
The next guy in a Samurai, had to pick a completely different line due to the lesser
width of his vehicle. He ended up backing down, but not before poking a hole in his
jerrycan, and treating us all to some gas fumes. For the afternoon, we made our way over to an area called Funny Rocks, which is set up like a huge natural ampitheatre. Huge, sloping meadows offer a great view and tons of space to park and watch all the action on the rocky protrusions below. While we were there, we counted over 150 vehicles coming and going or just milling around—about 98% of them Jeeps of some sort! 
Not wanting to attract any attention, the first thing Dean did when we arrived was
set up a tent right on the Funny Rocks to provide some shade for the Canadian group.
Then, after crawling his Jeep all over the Funny Rocks in order to size up the
obstacles, Dean finally lined himself up for the main attraction called The Crack.
 With the theme from "Mission Impossible" blaring from his speakers, he made two separate attempts at it, falling in first on the driver's side, and then later on the passenger's side. Linda is going to love the scar on that door post (oops, was I supposed to mention that?)!
Later, however, he proved how crazy he really is by attempting a climb just to
the left of The Crack. With sparks flying from his skid plates, he repeatedly threw
the TJ at the steepest portion of the rock, and eventually managed to jump up
onto the top. A cheer erupted since nobody figured he stood a chance,
especially since he has not yet installed a lift, and runs on 31" tires.
He really had the crowd going when he topped off his feat by planting a Canadian
flag at the top of the rock he’d just climbed. I heard that they might name
that particular rock “Canuck Rock” to commemorate the achievement.That night at the awards dinner, Tracy and Drew won the grand prize, a Warn XD9000i winch. It really was their lucky night, because they had already picked up a Warn winch accessory kit and an ARB tow strap in some earlier draws! You should have seen Drew’s “Find the ticket stub” dance on the way up to the stage! I had no idea how much stuff some guys keep in their pockets! Needless to say, there was celebrating going on well into the early morning hours. On Sunday, after packing our gear and airing up, we boogied home through Chinook Pass and right past Mt. Rainier—what an incredible view! There’s still 15-20' snow banks beside the highway at the summit. After a sleepy ferry ride back to Victoria, and breezing through customs (big sigh of relief from Drew and Tracy) we were back in time to catch the Simpsons on FOX. All in all, it was a very enjoyable weekend, and I’m sure when people hear how the Canadians ‘reaped’ at the prize draw, there will be lots of interest in going next year! Rob deLange |
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Island Rock Crawlers
Four-Wheel Drive Society P.O. Box 48034 3575 Douglas Street, Victoria, BC Canada V8Z 7H5 |
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| The Rock Review is produced by the IRC Newsletter Committee: Dean Bradley, Dave Podmoroff, and Rob deLange. Questions, comments, or kudos are welcome! | ||||||||||||||||
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