Cleveland O.C. Open
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 157
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Cleveland O.C. Open
Well, for the yuks while it was raining took the wife and kids up Silverado Canyon today and found to our surprise they had opened the Forest Gates. Not every day you see that. The 4x4 gods were on my side. Good thing I have that Annual Forest Pass.
Ran it pretty much in 4x4 because of the mud, ruts, foot deep puddles, and general neglect of the road. Saw a couple of guys on the way down trying to go up in 2x4. I doubt they would make it. Did the summit and also ran a couple miles North on the ridge route from the Silverado connector. That one is a 4x4 must. One section completely washed, up hill for 100 yards and slick mud, forget it if you have a 2x4. Started pouring rain at the peak with about 20' visibility so we figured it was time to get down.
All in all it was a good time.
Only real issue is there was a couple of young kids up there in there 4x4 thinking they were running the Baja 1000. We had them brake within 2" of a head on with us. I guess they figured they better mellow out when they realized coming around the bend that they almost nailed my F350 CC 4x4 weighing in at around 7600 lbs. My wife, after she got over the initial shock of almost being in a major wreck on a mountain road started laughing because the guy sitting in the back of the F150 extended cab went half way over the passanger seat (not wearing his seat belt) when the driver slammed on the brakes. I don't think these guys realized that when they braked they were on the outside of the road and missed going over by a foot. (Fog and visibility)
I figure next time I go up during the weekend its with a group of people, safer in Numbers. So anyone interested let me know and we will make a complete day of it with a lunch at Saddelback Peak. Probably start at either Silverado or Corona and go up and south to Ortega and if Time is availabe swing south from Ortega to the Cleveland Forest Off Road Recreation Area.
Ran it pretty much in 4x4 because of the mud, ruts, foot deep puddles, and general neglect of the road. Saw a couple of guys on the way down trying to go up in 2x4. I doubt they would make it. Did the summit and also ran a couple miles North on the ridge route from the Silverado connector. That one is a 4x4 must. One section completely washed, up hill for 100 yards and slick mud, forget it if you have a 2x4. Started pouring rain at the peak with about 20' visibility so we figured it was time to get down.
All in all it was a good time.
Only real issue is there was a couple of young kids up there in there 4x4 thinking they were running the Baja 1000. We had them brake within 2" of a head on with us. I guess they figured they better mellow out when they realized coming around the bend that they almost nailed my F350 CC 4x4 weighing in at around 7600 lbs. My wife, after she got over the initial shock of almost being in a major wreck on a mountain road started laughing because the guy sitting in the back of the F150 extended cab went half way over the passanger seat (not wearing his seat belt) when the driver slammed on the brakes. I don't think these guys realized that when they braked they were on the outside of the road and missed going over by a foot. (Fog and visibility)
I figure next time I go up during the weekend its with a group of people, safer in Numbers. So anyone interested let me know and we will make a complete day of it with a lunch at Saddelback Peak. Probably start at either Silverado or Corona and go up and south to Ortega and if Time is availabe swing south from Ortega to the Cleveland Forest Off Road Recreation Area.
