DATE: 05/25/2008 17:43:38 / MOOD: disapointed

I guess I'm the only one that had to work this weekend.  by the attendence in the forum anyway.

Back to work!

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DATE: 05/15/2008 14:52:49 / MOOD: other

Recently the online group I belong to (outside of MJS) adopted one of the more difficult trails in the San Bernardino National Forest designated 3n93.  More commonly called Holcomb Creek.  This is a black diamond trail and very popular amongst a variety of OHV users.

Last summer we had three huge fires that ripped through the SBNF and destroyed thousands of acres of woodland.  Many of the OHV trails used are within these boundaries.  The burned areas are mostly closed to the public.  Giving the Adopt-a-Trail groups time to work on them, get them ready for public use.  3n93 probably won't be re-opened for 2 years or so because of extensive damage to the forest.  The thick scrub brush that keeps many on the trails has been burned away.

Once the scrub brush was burned away, there were things found on the trail that nobody realized were there before.  On 3n93 we found an entire Ford Bronco that was completely hidden by the thick brush.  Our last trip to 3n93 was to remove this vehicle and clean up the surrounding area.

  

It was a fight getting it up there, difficult to attach the straps to it and not have that piece pull apart.  But we finally did get it up onto the trail.  We cleaned up the drag marks too.

 

There were some pieces that were cut off so we stacked them up and drug those behind another Jeep.  Problem was they kept coming apart as we went over obstacles.

 

  After putting that little sled back together about 20 times, we said to heck with it and just loaded the tailgate on our YJ.  This worked much better.

 

So that was our fun on the trail, working to keep it open for others to use.  I'll probably be posting things like this each month as the trail gets more and more work done to it.  There are a lot of washouts to fix, trees to remove, illegal trails to block off...things like that.  I hope you are able to work with your BLM, National Parks, National Forests to help ensure your trails are available for public use for everyone.  If you don't know about any programs like this in your area, do some investigation and see what you can find, and where you can volunteer. 

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DATE: 04/21/2008 12:01:34 / MOOD: happy

Looking around MJS I see lots of pictures from multiple clean-ups done this weekend.  I'm pretty certain that nobody saw anyone from the sierra club out there helping us. (?)

Our project was our newly adopted trail in the SanBernardino Nat'l Forest designated 3n93 (Holcomb Creek).  The fires of 2007 have left the landscape ravaged and a lot of work to be done on the trail.  We have a co-adoption of this trail with a club called Riverside Ruff Riders, however we (MJR) did not have any of that club with us when we went up this last Saturday.

Unfortunately, even if we do get all of our planned items done this summer, the trail may not be re-opened until 2010 or even later.  Illegal trails are a big problem in the SBNF and with all the underbrush gone, it will be very tempting for people to make thier own trails, and bypasses to the obstacles on the trail.

With all the underbrush gone, it also is easy to see all the trash that was hidden before.

The biggest part of our day was spent cutting and removing trees blocking the trail, allowing us to do follow-on work days without needing the ranger to go with us with the chain saw.  I'm not sure how your rangers run thier programs, but ours requires a certification to use a chainsaw in the SBNF.

After a long day of winching trees and moving rocks around...it felt very satisfying to have gotten the trail passable for the AAT crew to get in and out of the area.

I hope all of your clean-ups were safe and you feel very accomplished in the work you've done to keep our precious few OHV trails and areas open for everyone to enjoy.

Until next time.~

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DATE: 04/18/2008 11:28:42 / MOOD: disapointed

So yesterday, I drove 400 miles to get my Liberty fixed.

The local dealership sucks.  Really it does.  When we purchased our used Liberty from the Bob Baker dealership in Carlsbad, CA I specifically asked if the warranty would be honored at ALL dealerships (Jeep Type) or was it just Bob Baker?  "Of course it's any Chrysler/Jeep dealership..."

However, when the check engine light turned on the day after purchase, we were first told that the gas cap was probably the source of the warning and if it doesn't go away in a few days to bring it to the dealership.  I was told this same thing from two seperate dealership service centers so I agreed to just keep an eye on it and we'll see what happens.

Light stays on...for a week.  I just didn't have the time to deal with it, but the vehicle ran fine so I wasn't that concerned.

Finally I decide to drive the CJ to work for a few days and allow the Mrs. to take the liberty to the local dealership for a check-up.  When she got to the local dealership they weren't interested in our warranty, and told her it would be $89 to just look at it, not withstanding any charges for repairs.  She explained that we have a 30 day, 3,000 mile full warranty for ANYTHING that goes wrong with the car.  Their response?

"Ma'am, the technicians have to make money, so there is a mandatory $89 charge for them to take a look at it."  To which my intelligent spouse replied, "I'll take my keys back in that case."

So...we drove to San Diego yesterday, it was nice to get out of the desert for a while, but it sucked putting SO many miles on the Liberty for warranty work that SHOULD have been able to be done locally at no charge (which is what Bob Baker's did for us.)  Turned out to be an O2 sensor, some vaccuum lines and a fuel line with a crack in it.  All the work was covered at no charge and they even replaced a lug that cracked which I hadn't noticed.

I really wish all dealerships were created equal.

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DATE: 04/16/2008 17:40:44 / MOOD: feel like wheelin

I'm not sure how, but I have GOT to find a way to link images from Fotki to MJS.  I'm not paying for another image host and I already have all my pictures there!  So I will be testing a few things.

 

[img]http://images111.fotki.com/v738/photos/9/9459/2103202/060514021-vi. jpg[/img]

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DATE: 04/14/2008 12:27:31 / MOOD: disapointed

I'm not sure who to contact, how to contact, or what exactly is going on as I'm a newb here...but it seems that the [img] tags don't work with other photo hosting websites, or at lease fotki.com which is where I host all my photos.  Fotki works with all of the other websites I use, just not MJS.  How do I address this problem?  I have limited space on MJS to host photos, but that is the only way I can currently get my photos to appear in blogs.

Anyone with knowledge or help is greatly appreciated.  Thanks!

~nick

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DATE: 04/13/2008 20:39:53 / MOOD: feel like wheelin

On Saturday, Barb and I attended our first W.E.Rock event at the Perris Raceway.  The Raceway is actually the oldest motorcycle dirt track in California, so we were curious as to what the courses would look like.  We envisioned false rocks put onto the infield of the raceway and large grandstands to watch the event from.  Were we ever suprised...

When we first arrived the day didn't start well.  The website had posted five dollar parking, and it was actually ten.  Which made us wonder if the fifteen dollar admission fee had been changed as well.  It had not; and after signing our "hold harmless" agreements we paid, and entered.  We had never been to Perris Raceway, in fact never heard of it before, so were weren't sure what to expect.  What we could see was about ten to fifteen vendors set up with nothing we needed or really wanted.  Although I did hear that the steak sandwiches were good.  It was somewhat of a "carny" feeling, you know the one...when you're walking around the County Fair and you've not seen your daughter for an hour... Beyond the vendors you could see a hillside with huge rocks embedded in the ground.  Natually occurring, this would be a course made with what was on hand.  Nothing was brought in to make the courses except some orange cones and flagged rope to discern one course from another.  There were about seven courses if I recall correctly.  Overall the courses were shorter than I imagined, but much more challenging.

As we crossed the motorcycle course, which was under construction for an upcoming event I believe, you needed to keep your head on a swivel as the rigs drove unimpeded around the raceway.  I was glad I didn't have any young children with me, as it probably would have distracted me keeping a close eye on them instead of the course and competition.

There was an atmosphere as if this was just another day on the trail for the spectators.  Families saying hello to each other that hadn't see each other since the last trail ride, friends talking about their buddy that was competing or what their favorite rigs are.  Discussions about horsepower, ground clearance, and tire grip seemed to dominate the din of background noise.  Over all of this the whine of a 4banger's turbo charger, tube frames smacking the rocks and the announcer(s) voice broke into the crowds ramblings, grabbing everyones attention.  There was almost too much to take in, but the crowd kept you informed of where the action was taking place.Audible gasps would be heard, and certainly there would be someone in a precarious position on the hillside, or rolled over from a misplaced movement.   Loud cheers would erupt as a driver would make what seemed to be an impossible move, and land his or her rig in a perfect line for the next obstacle.  Certain courses proved to be crowd favorites with obstacles it seemed nobody would conquer, and sheer drops of eight to ten feet.It was a great day after all.  I certainly hope to get out to another W.E.Rock event in the future.  I know what to bring now to be better prepared for a long day of photography, video clips and action.  A 512Mb SD card just doesn't cut the mustard at an event like this.  At around 1300, Barb and I said our goodbyes to friends, having run out of water to drink and the feeling of dehydration setting in.I highly recommend going if you have the opportunity.  If I come across more pictures from friends, I'll be sure to post them up.

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DATE: 04/11/2008 10:51:55 / MOOD: other

Well...the wiring nightmare continues.  I really wish I could just rip out all of this electronic crap and wire it up just like the CJ.  Eight circuits and most of those are for lights and accessories.

 Anyway, the YJ sits in the garage in the following state:

 

and I've gone out and bought two new test lights.  One for the trail toolbox because I don't ever want to be on the trail without one again...the other because I cannot for the life of me find my old one...weird.  I tore my garage apart looking for it yesterday.  Ah well, they're only a few bucks and good to have.

So yea...I've got my evenings tied up for a while.  This blows.

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DATE: 04/07/2008 12:15:23 / MOOD: other

Well, lets sum up this last weekend...

 On Saturday, wife and I were supposed to go out to Old Dale Mining District with both Jeeps to play around, explore.  Well, in prep for leaving that day, the CJ's throttle cable snapped.  Lovely...but I can't blame it, the damn thing was 32 years old.  Still, don't like going out into the desert with only 1 Jeep, so we opt'd to not go...bummer.

Saturday night, some friends asked if we wanted to go up the Mountain to hit the Gold Mountain trail in San Bernardino Nat'l Forest.  YAY!!!

On the way up however, something in the acc. circuit on the YJ shorted out EVERYTHING except the lights.  I think the electric choke did it...but I dunno yet.  Ugh...not looking forward to tearing that apart...again.

 So the next project for the YJ sorta gets picked FOR me again...which is typical.  Any help is appreciated!

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