Arizona Rocks!

[Robert J. Yates]

Literally and figuratively Thanx again to Stu and Donna for putting me up and feeding me really really well. Your generosity is much appreciated.

Afer an uneventful drive tp Phoenix on Thursday - we hooked up with Dion (Blatant) and ran Lower Terminator on Friday morning. Seems we brought the rain with us and it made the first several obstacles even more interesting. Lower Terrminator is down in a wash and the slab rocks right in the bottom are worn smooth from water. Add a little rain to them and they become slick like grease. Suffice to say we all made it but all took the bypass around an obstacle called "White Line". Dion hopped on it but its very off camber and will toss you right into a wall if you get the slightest bit off. He ended up sliding down towards the wall 2" for every inch he moved forward so we hung onto the high side of the Jeep Jeep while he slowly backed out of it. The best obstacle was the Terminator Rock and Z Turn. The Z Turn is supposedly the bypass but on this day - it was the harder route to travel. First Stus' Jeep and then Joe Dillards' and then my Jeep took all turns "mooning" the bystanders as the line through put your drivers side front tire about 4' into the air. Our day ended a little prematurely as Joe blew a brakeline so we headed off into town to get new hoses made for him.

Friday nights' agenda consisted of a little soiree hosted by Stu and Donna where I got to meet alot of the Arizona folks whom I have seen around on the boards on and off for some years now. Stu Pisdaso was a riot - I have to go wheeling with that guy sometime Everybody else was very friendly and we had some great conversations about Jeeps and Jeeping while reliving Stus' and mine adventure from the Rubicon last summer.

Saturday we ran Martinez Canyon over in the Florence area east of Phoenix. Very scenic trail with old adobe cabins, a oasis area complete with a spring fed creek and lots of old mine works. While it is scenic (the trail can be mostly traveled by a stocker) - its can also get serious as the optional routes put you in the wash with the rocks and they are not small. I ended up sucking a rock the size of Montana under my Jeep and got hung up on my skid, driveshaft, muffler and air tank. I must have been trying hard because I have never managed to tag either my muffler or air tank Looks like I also got the driveshaft enough to end up with a little vibration at speed and I also managed to shear off a beadlock bolt. Add to that 2 MTR's with damaged sidewalls and I would say I got out of the entire trip fairly easy.

If folks ever have the chance to run over in Phoenix, I suggest it heartily. There is a very nice rockcrawling scene there as there are tons of trails all scattered around town with easy access. I'm glad to be back and will see some of you on Saturday out at JV.

Peace out.

98 TJ Sport
D44ARB/D30Detroit/Teralow/35" MTr's

[Joe Dillard]

My hat goes off to Robert, Stu, Dion, Joey, Steven & all the other folks who made this trip a great one! Thanks go to all for being patient with me & my 2 youngest kids as we were new to the territory too.

I think I tested you guys patience a couple times while I got myself into a few pickles.

I have a new appreciation for the trails around the Phoenix area. I knew they were great, but it takes running some to actually get a small feel of the difficulty & beauty they offer. There sure is no lack of either & I appreciate you guys letting us tag along.

Yep, my limiting strap brakeline put a damper on things. But I can't say enough about how quickly you guys were on top of things & assisting me & got me going, and also following through to see that I got great replacements fabricated quickly later that day!

[Stu Olson]

It was nice to have Robert visit again and the fact that we could wheel with Joe and a group of locals was just plain more fun that we should be allowed on any given day.

Robert did get away with a new Wrangler, with the help of Donna and her Easter humor! Sorry she could not find a black one, but you already got one of those! LOL Me thinks you need to post a pic of it!

I magined, for the first time in 3 years, to put my front drive shaft on a rock. I noticed the vibes at 65 MPH and higher. Not real bad, but I didn't want to live with it very long. I stopped by the local drive shaft shop that all use and they told me, after attempting to balance it, that it needed to be retubed. So, $100 later and I now have a nice rebuilt front drive shaft. (something in the back of my mind doubts the need to retube....I still don't believe the dent was significant enough to require a replacement). I muttered to myself most of Monday about not having a Warn hub conversion....the one that lets you run an out of balance drive shaft at low speeds!)

Lower Terminator was more fun that usual. A group of friends ran about 8 Jeeps through there a couple of weeks ago and de-stacked the obstacles. Too damn many under equipped vehicles have been going through there!

I am glad that Robert and Joe made it safely back home!

I wish I was going to be here when the rest of you come to visit. Bring your suntan lotion and your shorts! Shirts are optional!

The ONLY cabana boy in this community who has won a raffle!
http://www.stu-offroad.com

[Blatant]

Robert: Good to meet you. You're always welcome to come on back and hit some different trails.
Dion

94 YJ Wrangler, soa, 36 SX, locked, gears, skids, winch, questionable judgment. Sawzall'd and flat painted.

[Robert J. Yates]

Thanx Dion.
I am thinking around Thanksgiving might work for me for another round. The drive is nothing really - took me 5 hours 10 minutes to get home from Stus' on Sunday night. With the time change, I was home and in my own bed before midnight

98 TJ Sport
D44ARB/D30Detroit/Teralow/35" MTr's