So today a bunch of us ran the Snakes: me, Meat(riding shotgun w/me), Richpblaze(3-wheeling), BuckingBronco(in his break-apart buggy-- more later), Spruiett(T-Rex 6x6), ChestonScout(TTC Scout), 774x4ram(on the KTM, and shooting video, POST UP!!), maquet24(in the Isuzu buggy), Byron (huge TTC Wagoneer, 52's and a 455, woot), and assorted others whose names I didn't get. Sorry guys!
After the usual parking lot BS and dilly-dallying, we took off and headed up. Something is seriously wrong with my transmission-- so it was kind of frustrating for me, but in low range all was well so I kept on keeping on. We all enjoyed the Rattlesnake obstacles up until the stairsteps....
... which is where Bucking Bronco, after walking up the far right line in his driveway-built buggy, headed up the rock outcropping to the far left. After a few attempts, he made it-- but not until he screwed the driver's front about 5' in the air, which made us all scramble out of the way of what looked like a roll about to happen... but it didn't. The lovely Danielle excused herself from the vehicle, after we winched the seat cover out of her butt, and watched the rest of the hijinks from the sidelines. She's a good sport, but did not enjoy the adrenaline dump. Video will be posted to YouTube by one of the attendees. Unsatisfied with that thrilling conquest, BuckingBronco decided, at the peanut gallery's urging, to drive it in reverse. So he did.
I was on hand to supply an unused wheel stud to fix his rear limit... chain.
Around this time, Cheston's Scout started earning it's new nicknames: The Hesitation Buggy, The International Stumblemobile... I forget a few of them. Engine gremlins are still working against our intrepid Cheston. Perservere!!! When it was running, it did awesome, and while I am not a Scout guy, really, I think it looks awesome.
Stan Prueitt's 6x6 T-Rex Dodge walked over everything with ease, partly due to the 6 wheels, and partly due to the wheelbase... It was pretty sweet seeing the big green monster out there today.
Byron's enormous tires were rolling over pretty much everything.
At the tailings pile climb, I discovered some issues and barely crept up the hill. BuckingBronco hammered the big climb, and lost a rear u-joint almost right at the top. Jokingly, he asked me for more spare parts, in the form of a rear shaft this time... and surprisingly, I actually did have a rear shaft in the back of the Blazer, but it was too small.
While I checked out my transmission, everyone else rolled up, and Steve got busy removing his rear shaft to finish the trail in FWD only. This sounded great but didn't really work out for him as it turned out....
Rich was up ahead wondering where the hell the rest of us were....
And then we got to Wayne's World.
Maquet24 got no love from the slop at the bottom, and slid around for a while until admitting defeat. It's a tough climb in the muck.
BuckingBronco, having lost his rear driveline, decided to try and ride it out anyway. Going forward wasn't getting him anywhere, so he decided to back up Wayne's World. Might have worked, too... except that while violently manhandling the bump, a front inner axleshaft let go, breaking the ears off, snapping the joint, and popping the drive flange about an inch out of the hub.
Sparks flew, it was awesome. He winched himself down, and that was the end of his day.
I want him on every trail I'm on, it was fun to watch him and his attitude is to be commended.
Stan's enormous Dodge went, and after searching a bit for the right line, successfully made it up. Surprisingly, he managed to lift a tire on the UPPER ledge. Usually it's the start of the thing that's the exciting part! Rich gave it a shot but in 3-wheel drive, it was no good.
So some of us went home, the rest headed up to Constrictor. Meat talked me out of trying it today (THANK YOU, well my doors thank you)... so we walked it and took some pics. Radiator Rapids looked ugly this time, fangier and nasty! Stan had some length-related hassle there, but made it up just fine. Byron's 52's spanked the Rapids like they weren't even there. Just up and over. Maquet24 and Rich were already up at the Nest waiting for us... Cheston's rig rolled up with Mrs.Scout driving, and taking a pretty exciting line high and to the right, until the Stumblemobile reared it's shiny chrome head again, sending her reeling backwards w/no power. Not much drama, just a surprised shout and lots of laughing.
I walked up to the Nest to see Maquet24 on top ("I just drove right up... " rrriiiiiight...
), Rich off to the side, and few TJ/XJ's parked eerily on the hill to the left. Park pawls don't fail me now!!!
Right as the T-Rex sallied up to the bar, my camera battery crapped out.
So no pics of the action. After much, much struggling, stacking, backing, gassing, bumping, flooring, turning, slipping, sliding, and general malarkey, there was no Win, just Fail. I believe Stan said that was the first obstacle he has been defeated by, so if so, NEST 1 T-REX 0 Woot! He did manage to break the Nest though-- so 36pts for that.
At this point my kids were cold and I was hungry and worried about my transmission, and also a couple hours late, so we bailed. Don't know how Cheston and Byron did, hope to hear about it.
It was a pleasure to see some old faces and meet some new ones, and I hope to see you all on the trail again in the spring... or next weekend if the weather holds and I can fix the !$##% Blazer again.
pics coming, but there's a lot so hold on.
