A Funny Thing Happened...
#1
10-20-2006, 12:33 AM
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A Funny Thing Happened...
...on the way back to camp. (cue suspenseful music here)
a couple of weeks ago i was out @ cougar buttes in johnson valley for the PRO-ROCK comp...several buddies of mine were competing - and i always try to make it out to support 'em - and and shoot pics of the event.
however - it was MY first weekend back out in 'the nowhere' after taking the summer off from the desert - so i watched a little bit of the comp - then decided to take my new one-fitty out for a little 'pre-running' with a guy my buddy had invited from england who had NEVER BEEN WHEELIN' BEFORE IN HIS LIFE.
apparently - in europe/england - its virtually impossible to own a full size 4 wheeler - due to tire size restrictions, vehicle height and width restrictions - not to mention that gas is about $10 a gallon there. he always wanted a big truck - and he had moved here just two weeks prior - so he went right out and bought himself a used '00 dodge ram truck 4x4 with a decent amount of miles - a superjacker 4" lift (with dead shocks) and a set of 35" BADyears...
i told some friends we were going out for a bit - and that we'd be back in a little while - "we're just goin' for a little cruise' says i.
so - we made like a baby and 'headed out' - and @ first we take it easy - because most of johnson valley is fairly whooped out - but once we got to the lake bed for some donuts - the fangs started to come out - and little by little we picked up the pace...and then we went off to another lake bed - even further out...no biggee - ive been out here quite a bit.
off in the distance i notice what looks like a trophy truck haulin' *** - and soon after i see a class 8 and then a class 16 goes by - i quickly realize - theres a race this weekend - and we're ON THE FRIGGIN' COURSE. SHEEIT.
(i forgot to mention - that on the 2nd lake bed - i realized i had a case of beer in the cooler - HMMMMMM)
so we pull off and watch about a dozen vehicles go by - as we cheer them on swilling beer in the afternoon sun...it was magic.
naturally when you see that kind of stuff up close - and you have a truck - and theres a road with nobody around - high speed runs sound like a perfectly GREAT IDEA!! (150 = IFS) (RAM = solid axle) uhh oooh!!!
nuff said - we videotaped - it was cheesy - but it was fun.
so we decided to head back - we were down to 18 beers and we'd been out for a while - so i decided to try to cut over the mountain via a powerline trail to save a little time.
@ the top we realized it was a dead end - and had to back down the road(very narrow) - no biggee.
i get to the bottom...no tristan...i wait a bit....still no tristan. i know this feeling - ive been here before...its TROUBLE. so i head back to find him on the road with a flat on one of his BADYEARs...still - NO BIGGEE.
since it was a used truck - he didnt know (until now) the truck had a jack - but no lug wrench...NO BIGGEE. i head to my truck - unlock the pass door and go around to discover - NOPE. I FRIGGIN' LOCKED IT.
ROOKIE DESERT MISTAKE #1...(especially when the week before i had said, "i really got get a hide-a-key and some tow hooks!!")
the only thing left to do now was to break a window on my beauty...thats like someone telling you that if you want to survive - youve gotta knock the crap outta one of your kids!! dang!!
after about a dozen or more whacks with his JACK...the window finally breaks - sending a million microscopic pieces of glass all over the cab. GREAT.
we change the tire - and as we sit drinking another beer - looking @ his crap spare and my broken window - i laugh and say - "ya know, it doesnt get much worse than this"...to which he says - "you know mate - bad things come in threes" - I COULDVE KILLED HIM RIGHT THEN AND THERE!!!!!!
about 5 minutes later - finally on our way again - he stops for a whiz - and once again i wait - NO TRISTAN. this time i go back to find his hood up...OH CRAP!!!!
we're not totally incompetent - but we cant figure out the problem with the truck...when two 4runners roll over the hill and stop to help out ( i LOVE desert wheelin' folks!!! ) - they sit with us for an HOUR w/volt meters and other a bunch of other tools - and they cant seem to figure it out either. crap!!
the one saving grace is that i DID have a tow strap...FINALLY A BREAK!! says i.
however - i dont have a d-ring - and he has no tow hooks. the 4runner guys were nice enough to give me a hitch pin (again - I LOVE DESERT WHEELIN' FOLKS!!) - so i hook it up - and all we can do for the dodge is loop the other end over his torsion bar - YIKES!!
and off we go...
i now have to drag him about 25-30 miles back to camp - its pretty late in the day...and my gps is a little screwy...but as long as theres light - i know the way.
as i drag him thru a soft sandy riverbed - the meathead behind me is videotaping and tryng to steer ONE-HANDED - as he clips a boulder which takes out his bumper...still, we keep going.
a little further up the road - the strap breaks...because its fraying on his end - and we cant do anything about it...it gets a granny knot - and off we go again.
its getting later and later - now its dark - and i realize i have AB-SO-freekin'-LUTE-LY NO IDEA WHERE WE ARE!!
we push on.
the strap breaks a 2nd time.
i find a camp and ask directions - they have no idea where 'camp rock road' is either...great...and im almost outta beer.
as im towing him in the dark - i notice his truck come along the side of me just before i get yanked 180 degrees around and end up nosing in to a ditch...
THE ******* FELL ASLEEP ON ME...
moments later the strap breaks a 3rd time...its now only about 8' long.
i finally find the road we need to be on - im low on gas from dragging that DODGE all afternoon - not to mention being just plain tired and as we near the FINAL corner i tap my breaks a few times to warn him we're gonna slow down and as i enter the corner - BANG! BANG!! he rearends me twice.
with what little strap i have left - i haul im up the last hill and finally back to camp. the boys naturally were gettin' pretty worried by now - but had no idea where to look. johnson valley is HUGE!!
we left camp @ noon - it was now after 9pm - and i had only put 50 miles on the odometer!!!!
alls well that ended well i guess - except for my window - the rearending - and my new tow strap (now tattered and torn)...needless to say - i slept like a baby that night...only to realize a few days later - that somewhere that day or night - i had been bitten by a brown recluse on the knee...and the remains of the window (that i tried to keep in for as long as possible) WAS SUCKED OUT ON THE 10 FWY on the way home. nice.
so what did we learn...GOODYEARS SUCK. DODGES are iffy (@ least that one) ALWAYS HAVE A HIDE-A-KEY, TOW HOOKS AND EXTRA SUPPLIES - JUST IN CASE.
and when it was all over though - i loved my truck even more that i already did!! thank god for fords!!!!
drj
a couple of weeks ago i was out @ cougar buttes in johnson valley for the PRO-ROCK comp...several buddies of mine were competing - and i always try to make it out to support 'em - and and shoot pics of the event.
however - it was MY first weekend back out in 'the nowhere' after taking the summer off from the desert - so i watched a little bit of the comp - then decided to take my new one-fitty out for a little 'pre-running' with a guy my buddy had invited from england who had NEVER BEEN WHEELIN' BEFORE IN HIS LIFE.
apparently - in europe/england - its virtually impossible to own a full size 4 wheeler - due to tire size restrictions, vehicle height and width restrictions - not to mention that gas is about $10 a gallon there. he always wanted a big truck - and he had moved here just two weeks prior - so he went right out and bought himself a used '00 dodge ram truck 4x4 with a decent amount of miles - a superjacker 4" lift (with dead shocks) and a set of 35" BADyears...
i told some friends we were going out for a bit - and that we'd be back in a little while - "we're just goin' for a little cruise' says i.
so - we made like a baby and 'headed out' - and @ first we take it easy - because most of johnson valley is fairly whooped out - but once we got to the lake bed for some donuts - the fangs started to come out - and little by little we picked up the pace...and then we went off to another lake bed - even further out...no biggee - ive been out here quite a bit.
off in the distance i notice what looks like a trophy truck haulin' *** - and soon after i see a class 8 and then a class 16 goes by - i quickly realize - theres a race this weekend - and we're ON THE FRIGGIN' COURSE. SHEEIT.
(i forgot to mention - that on the 2nd lake bed - i realized i had a case of beer in the cooler - HMMMMMM)
so we pull off and watch about a dozen vehicles go by - as we cheer them on swilling beer in the afternoon sun...it was magic.
naturally when you see that kind of stuff up close - and you have a truck - and theres a road with nobody around - high speed runs sound like a perfectly GREAT IDEA!! (150 = IFS) (RAM = solid axle) uhh oooh!!!
nuff said - we videotaped - it was cheesy - but it was fun.
so we decided to head back - we were down to 18 beers and we'd been out for a while - so i decided to try to cut over the mountain via a powerline trail to save a little time.
@ the top we realized it was a dead end - and had to back down the road(very narrow) - no biggee.
i get to the bottom...no tristan...i wait a bit....still no tristan. i know this feeling - ive been here before...its TROUBLE. so i head back to find him on the road with a flat on one of his BADYEARs...still - NO BIGGEE.
since it was a used truck - he didnt know (until now) the truck had a jack - but no lug wrench...NO BIGGEE. i head to my truck - unlock the pass door and go around to discover - NOPE. I FRIGGIN' LOCKED IT.
ROOKIE DESERT MISTAKE #1...(especially when the week before i had said, "i really got get a hide-a-key and some tow hooks!!")
the only thing left to do now was to break a window on my beauty...thats like someone telling you that if you want to survive - youve gotta knock the crap outta one of your kids!! dang!!
after about a dozen or more whacks with his JACK...the window finally breaks - sending a million microscopic pieces of glass all over the cab. GREAT.
we change the tire - and as we sit drinking another beer - looking @ his crap spare and my broken window - i laugh and say - "ya know, it doesnt get much worse than this"...to which he says - "you know mate - bad things come in threes" - I COULDVE KILLED HIM RIGHT THEN AND THERE!!!!!!
about 5 minutes later - finally on our way again - he stops for a whiz - and once again i wait - NO TRISTAN. this time i go back to find his hood up...OH CRAP!!!!
we're not totally incompetent - but we cant figure out the problem with the truck...when two 4runners roll over the hill and stop to help out ( i LOVE desert wheelin' folks!!! ) - they sit with us for an HOUR w/volt meters and other a bunch of other tools - and they cant seem to figure it out either. crap!!
the one saving grace is that i DID have a tow strap...FINALLY A BREAK!! says i.
however - i dont have a d-ring - and he has no tow hooks. the 4runner guys were nice enough to give me a hitch pin (again - I LOVE DESERT WHEELIN' FOLKS!!) - so i hook it up - and all we can do for the dodge is loop the other end over his torsion bar - YIKES!!
and off we go...
i now have to drag him about 25-30 miles back to camp - its pretty late in the day...and my gps is a little screwy...but as long as theres light - i know the way.
as i drag him thru a soft sandy riverbed - the meathead behind me is videotaping and tryng to steer ONE-HANDED - as he clips a boulder which takes out his bumper...still, we keep going.
a little further up the road - the strap breaks...because its fraying on his end - and we cant do anything about it...it gets a granny knot - and off we go again.
its getting later and later - now its dark - and i realize i have AB-SO-freekin'-LUTE-LY NO IDEA WHERE WE ARE!!
we push on.
the strap breaks a 2nd time.
i find a camp and ask directions - they have no idea where 'camp rock road' is either...great...and im almost outta beer.
as im towing him in the dark - i notice his truck come along the side of me just before i get yanked 180 degrees around and end up nosing in to a ditch...
THE ******* FELL ASLEEP ON ME...
moments later the strap breaks a 3rd time...its now only about 8' long.
i finally find the road we need to be on - im low on gas from dragging that DODGE all afternoon - not to mention being just plain tired and as we near the FINAL corner i tap my breaks a few times to warn him we're gonna slow down and as i enter the corner - BANG! BANG!! he rearends me twice.
with what little strap i have left - i haul im up the last hill and finally back to camp. the boys naturally were gettin' pretty worried by now - but had no idea where to look. johnson valley is HUGE!!
we left camp @ noon - it was now after 9pm - and i had only put 50 miles on the odometer!!!!
alls well that ended well i guess - except for my window - the rearending - and my new tow strap (now tattered and torn)...needless to say - i slept like a baby that night...only to realize a few days later - that somewhere that day or night - i had been bitten by a brown recluse on the knee...and the remains of the window (that i tried to keep in for as long as possible) WAS SUCKED OUT ON THE 10 FWY on the way home. nice.
so what did we learn...GOODYEARS SUCK. DODGES are iffy (@ least that one) ALWAYS HAVE A HIDE-A-KEY, TOW HOOKS AND EXTRA SUPPLIES - JUST IN CASE.
and when it was all over though - i loved my truck even more that i already did!! thank god for fords!!!!
drj
#3
10-20-2006, 12:45 AM
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#4
10-20-2006, 01:46 AM
He has Goodyear MT/R's on there
those are some of the best off road tires ive ever used.
i never had an issue the entire time i used them (on or off road)
and im not sure what you have as the last pic are BFG (and those DO suck,, they dont clean themselves at all)
the first pic i wanna say those are Firestones?
**Edit: the first pic looks to be BFG's as well, but better (more agressive) tread pattern
either way just had to defend my fav tire!
those are some of the best off road tires ive ever used.
i never had an issue the entire time i used them (on or off road)
and im not sure what you have as the last pic are BFG (and those DO suck,, they dont clean themselves at all)
the first pic i wanna say those are Firestones?
**Edit: the first pic looks to be BFG's as well, but better (more agressive) tread pattern
either way just had to defend my fav tire!
Last edited by Kikkinasphalt; 10-20-2006 at 01:48 AM.
#5
10-20-2006, 02:42 AM
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fairs fair - but he lost not one but TWO goodyears in the SAME week - for the EXACT SAME REASON...a 5" tear in the sidewall - ill post those pics tomorrow (and one was in the city - on pavement!!!!)
as for the first pic - those are BFG MTRs - and the 2nd set are BFG A/Ts (theyre smoother on the highway) - ive had 5 sets on two diff. trucks over the last 10 years - ive NEVER had a problem - NEVER (except the odd nail here and there of course) - and they seem to clean out just fine...
just had to stick up for my BFGs.
as for the first pic - those are BFG MTRs - and the 2nd set are BFG A/Ts (theyre smoother on the highway) - ive had 5 sets on two diff. trucks over the last 10 years - ive NEVER had a problem - NEVER (except the odd nail here and there of course) - and they seem to clean out just fine...
just had to stick up for my BFGs.
#6
10-20-2006, 03:10 AM
Originally Posted by drj777
fairs fair - but he lost not one but TWO goodyears in the SAME week - for the EXACT SAME REASON...a 5" tear in the sidewall - ill post those pics tomorrow (and one was in the city - on pavement!!!!)
as for the first pic - those are BFG MTRs - and the 2nd set are BFG A/Ts (theyre smoother on the highway) - ive had 5 sets on two diff. trucks over the last 10 years - ive NEVER had a problem - NEVER (except the odd nail here and there of course) - and they seem to clean out just fine...
just had to stick up for my BFGs.
as for the first pic - those are BFG MTRs - and the 2nd set are BFG A/Ts (theyre smoother on the highway) - ive had 5 sets on two diff. trucks over the last 10 years - ive NEVER had a problem - NEVER (except the odd nail here and there of course) - and they seem to clean out just fine...
just had to stick up for my BFGs.
oh yeah!
we my dad can beat up your dad!
LOL
fair enough
#7
10-20-2006, 03:33 AM
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10-20-2006, 02:52 PM
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