MESA 4 WHEELERS HORN NEWSLETTER

Transcription

1 MESA 4 WHEELERS HORN NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 2012 Mesa 4 Wheelers, PO Box 107, Mesa AZ MESA 4 WHEELERS STAFF President Bob Nyberg Vice President Nate Van Keuren Secretary Pat Jenkins Treasurer Ray Jenkins Corres. Secretary John Guthrie Membership Lori Moore Editor Mike Drawsky Remembrance Gert Leible Trophies Lee Coppage Safety Chairman Bill Mihailov Publicity Jessica Fesh Next Meeting Oct. 19, 2012 Third Friday of every month, 7:30 PM. Location: Brown & Brown Chevrolet, Downstairs under sales room 145 East Main Street Mesa, AZ PRESIDENT'S CORNER Presidents Parley Ann and I along with all of M4W were saddenedd by the news of Lee Coppage s mother Judy passing away. She was a great supporter of our group and her world famous Heavenly Hash will definitely be missed at the pass a rounds. Our hearts go out to Lee and his family. Thank you Nate for doing such a wonderful job of standing in for me at last month's meeting, it was really appreciated. There are lots of events and trips this month so let s get out and have fun in this awesome weather. REMEMBER WHEN? 30 years ago The Mesa 4 Wheelers had a full calendar for October. There was Williard Kodatt s Steak Fry near Globe. The meeting place was at Hobo Joe s between Miami and Globe. (I wonder if it is still there?) The trip started from there. The ASA4WDC Jamboree was scheduled for Oct. 15th - 17th near Globe, Az. Again, Williard Kodatt was the Trip leader. The Spook Rally was being hosted by the Arizona Rough Riders on October 30th. A registration was included in the M4W Horn. A trip report, by Brian & Marque Fisher, was about the Forest Service's Fence Building Project up near Christopher Creek area. It was a shared work project with the Forest Service, the Mesa 4 Wheelers and the Phoenix 4 Wheelers. That evening there was another famous M4W potluck dinner and fun and games around the campfire. The next morning Ken Morehousee led a trip to Preacher s Canyon. The trip participants included Ken Morehouse, Dick Williamson, Ray Jenkins, Gary Keller, Walt Jenkins and Brian Fisher. An excerpt from the President s message said, When all the Clubs of Arizona begin to gather together as 4 Wheelers, we will again become strong and more recognized in the future of 4 Wheeling for generations to come. Keep up the good work Arizona Rough Riders. Hec Ramsey Ray Jenkins Doc Staff Bob Nyberg AZ LONGSHOREMAN

2 CLUB TRIP REPORTS Crown King's Annual Fire Department Fundraiser Trip Leader: Steve Ezzyks Date: September 15 nd, 2012 Members in attendance: Trip Leader Steve Ezzyk, Jim & Wendi Kawa, Nate & Judi VanKeuren, Tail-end Mike Drawsky. Attending guests: Jake & Karen Baker replaced Murphy s Impossible Railroad ran through the old train stop of Cleator as it made its way to Crown King; now just a few shacks and what had been the original bar from the early days of Turkey Creek (renamed Cleator in 1925). The trail turned into the switchbacks, narrow roads and single bridges that wound through the burned areas of the Gladiator fire of this summer that could clearly be seen scarring the hillsides. The hills are already showing signs of greening and recovery although it was evident that several areas of the road had washed out and been repaired from water flow and erosion resulting from that fire. The day started out with Jake & Karen Baker meeting up with Nate & Judi Van Keuren at the Safeway in Fountain Hills and taking the back road through Rio Verde to meet with the others for breakfast at the Denny s in Carefree. The surprise of the day was Jim and Wendi but no zuki. They had decided to bring their alternate set of wheels sporting a 7 slot grill. After a great breakfast, trip leader Steve Ezzyk led us North on I-17 to the Bumble Bee exit towards Crown King. After a short distance on paved road, we were soon on the unpaved trail that wound up to Crown King. We stopped shortly to air-down and provide a smoother ride while allowing the rigs to have a bigger foot-print for the tires should we encounter any rocks or other terrain that would need that extra grip. We continued to follow the trail that in some places was the remains of the old Bradshaw Mountain Railroad originally running between Cordes and Crown King. The road that had

3 Crown King (Continued) Upon arrival in Crown King we made our way to the Mill Restaurant and bar on top of the hill where Steve bought the first round for the table. We got a chance to view some wonderful pictures from Mike taken during Linda s and his recent trip to Newfoundland & Labrador. After a brief rest, we left the Jeeps parked at the Mill and walked down to the main town area. There we found everything set-up for the Annual Fire Department fundraiser. The group posed for a photo in front of the Crown King Saloon that originally stood at the site of the Oro Bella Mine just down the hill, before being dismantled and moved by burro in 1916 to its present location. The group decided at that point to break off with a wildcat run down the backside of Crown King led by Nate and Judi, joined by Mike and Jake & Karen. Going down the backside was a first for the group as most people go up the hill ending at Crown King versus starting at Crown King and ending up at the Lake area. Steve and Jim & Wendi decided to stay at Crown King for lunch and then indulge in some of the afternoon planned activities before heading down back through Cleator. There was a farmers market with local goods, the museum was open showing old photos and maps of the area, the general store had a wide variety of locally made ice cream, fudge and a number of Crown King logo clothing and other items. Panning for gold in Humbug Creek, near the Oro Belle Mine.

4 Further down the trail set in a clearing alongside Jones Gulch, we came across the remains of the old cabin of Al Francis, The backside trip started out about 2 PM leaving Crown King who hauled ore from the Oro Bella mine to the railroad at on the Senator Highway and reaching Tiger Summit. After Crown King. The local history states that Al jokingly referred passing the remains of the Tiger Mine and maneuvering the to his home as Fort Misery and the name has since stuck on shelf road we made a brief stop at the old site of the Oro Bella Mine for some gold panning in the flowing stream. While that site. we did find a few flakes of gold we all decided it was not enough to retire fully funded. We had a brief lunch there before continuing on down the trail. Crown King (Continued) We encountered a number of wildlife on the trail. Starting with a squished rattlesnake on the way up, followed by several wild burros, cattle, javelina and some smaller rodent types on the way down. We continued down the hill past the remains of the Gazelle Mine and met a number of vehicles filled with firefighters making their way to the top for the Crown King Fundraiser. We encountered an oncoming group of 10 Jeeps that was a challenge to pass on the narrow trail. Not long after that shuffling, another group of 10 Jeeps, also heading up the hill were encountered and the whole process was repeated again. The last encounter was a disabled Jeep setting crossed on a bypass of the trail heading back between Sand Creek and Cow Creek on the downhill heading towards Lake Pleasant. Mike made his way up to see if anyone was there or in need of assistance but it appeared that the owner had broken gears or axle parts in the rear differential and already left in search of repair parts. As we neared the end of the trail heading back towards Lake Pleasant, we passed the old road to Castle Hot Springs but with day light fading, decided to save that trail outing for a return run. We made the end of the trail to pavement at about 6:30 PM and proceeded to air back up for the return trip to the Valley. Other than some dust from the trail and mud from the several water crossings, the Jeeps made it down the trail unscathed and ready for another Club run. Thanks to Steve for leading the trip up the hill and Nate for leading the trip down the backside. Karen Baker

5 CLUB TRIP REPORTS (Continued) Boulder Creek Trip Leader: Mike Drawsky Date: September 29th, 2012 Does this Rubicon look familiar? Previously owned by Paul & Joanna Hutchinson, Jim & Wendi Kawa are now the new owners. This was Jim's first off road test drive and by the smile on his face throughout the day, I would say he was quite happy with its overall performance. Members in attendance: Trip Leader Mike Drawsky, Steve Ezzyk, Jim Kawa, Jake & Karen Baker, Steve Fleming and Clete & Randi Hurska. Attending guests: Don Doty and Jim Hopper. Our first point of interest stop was the Crested Saguaro, along Boulder Creek. The day began with our ritual breakfast at Denny's. Jim Kawa, with his gifted sense of hummer, placed the head of a tyrannosaurus rex on the hood of his new TJ Rubicon to get our reaction. A day on the trail with great weather and wonderful friends, what more could you ask for! The starting point for the run was Table Mesa Road, just off Highway 17. Before pulling out, trip leader, Mike Drawsky, went over the day's route and places of interest along the way. Once again the M4Ws had the pleasure of having Jim Hopper's participation. Jim is well known in the four-wheel community for his dedication to the sport. Every weekend you can find Jim either rock crawling with his club, the Arizona Rough Riders, or blasting up and down sand dunes in his sand rail with family members. When his is not driving them, he is fixing them for a living.

6 Boulder Creek (Continued) Snap shot of Jake & Karen and the rest of our caravan crossing Boulder Creek. This spot can be quite a challenge to cross at times. When the creek is flowing, after a good rain, those large rocks do not remain in one place! they had made other commitments for later in the day and needed to turn back. While preparing for departure, Clete & Randi told Mike they were interested in finishing the loop. Mike radioed to see if there were any other takers and Don and Jim Hopper answered yes. Knowing Jim Kawa would be able to lead the other half back, Mike decided to lead the other half around. By noontime, we had reached our intended goal, an old windmill and watering tank. For the last 10 miles our group Steve Ezzyks has been very active in the club these last had been laying down fresh tracks. All previous tire tracks had been washed away leading us to believe it had been some couple of months, both attending and leading runs. time sense this trail had been driven. This was Jake and Karen's first run as members after being voted in last meeting. Even before meeting club requirements Shade was at a premium, fortunately this mesquite tree provided just enough coverage for all us to gather under for a for membership, Jake had already began contributing to the club by introducing his well written monthly article "Trail lunch break. During the break, Mike asked the group if they were up for driving the entire loop? Those who responded said Tech".

7 Boulder Creek (Continued) After saying goodbye to the other half of today's group, Mike, Jim Hopper, Clete & Randi and Don continued northward. The remaining photos were taken from Mike's camera while running the loop. 30 minutes later we have climbed approximately 1300 feet to an elevation of 4,300 feet. Looking to the south, you can make out Lake Pleasant. This group photo was taken at the highest point, at around 5200 feet. Black Canyon City lies just below us with Squaw Creek Mesa, Cooks Mesa and a number of others off in the distance. These bright yellow/orange bushes covered the surrounding mountainsides for miles. The last time Mike ran this route was in 2007 and by the amount of overgrowth, the trail looked like it had not been driven on since then! To have such a beautiful place like this right in our own backyard that very few people ever see, makes this run so memorable! Distance, remoteness, challenging road conditions and lack of publicity is what has saved this trail from over-use. Let us hope it stays that way! Mike, enjoying the peace and quiet and remoteness. Driving a wide wheelbase rig meant Jim had to climb over some rocks in the road that the rest of us were able to squeeze between. The other challenge Jim was facing was conserving fuel. Equipped with a big block V8 and a 15 gallon gas tank, Jim's rig was set up for short distance rock crawling not 50 miles of off road!

8 Boulder Creek (Continued) The last 5 miles was by the light of a full moon. Although Don has not yet become a member of the M4Ws he has participated in a number of our runs over the last 2 years. After his first couple of outings with us, he had decided to have his Jeep refitted with 3" larger diameter tires; lifted the body a couple inches; added additional armor plating underneath and installed a rear locker. ASFIR Warehouse Sale On Saturday, October 13th, ASFIR 4X4, a worldwide 4x4 parts distributor, held a warehouse sale. I went on their website to find out what products they specialized in and whether they had anything for a 23 year old Jeep Wrangler. Although I was unable to find something for my old YJ, I was impressed by the quality workmanship of their products. Since they were kind enough to send our club an invitation, Lin and I decided to head on over and introduce ourselves and our club. While I was there, I was given the VIP treatment from both their staff and their CEO, Eitan Urman. Eitan showed me a couple of TJ Jeep products that also bolted right up to my YJ! I told Eitan that I was the editor for the M4Ws Newsletter and asked if he minded me taking his picture in front of their promotional Jeep JK. He not only was happy to oblige, he also had his busy staff come out to be in this photo! With an hour of sun light remaining we were finally finished with the challenging stretch of road and back on a more traveled route, FR 999, running from Tip Top Mine to the Milk Ranch. With Tip Top still 45 minutes south of us and Table Mesa Staging Area another 45 minutes, we knew we would be driving by the light of the moon before completing our adventure. Fortunately, I was with a group who enjoys a challenge and the opportunity to explore new ground!