Friday afternoon and late into the night the vans roll in and pitch camp. Saturday morning we get up and get ready for a day at the park, and disaster strikes! Brady tries to start his van and we all hear a crunch as the gear on his starter breaks in half. John R. saves the weekend for Brady, pulling a starter from his personal van to get Brady's Zetec ride moving again. But that will take a while...
While Brady waits for his starter, the rest of us head to the park and register. While waiting for everyone to register, a park photographer pulls up with a tricked out Jeep Rubicon and asks to tag along and take some photos. The VWs always attract attention! We have four vans and a friend with a regular Jeep comes along for the ride. Vans left to right are Seth, Sam, Kim, and Rob, and Stefan with the Jeep. Up the park road we go, an easy ride that a 2WD with ground clearance could navigate. Along the way, Seth decides to storm a water pit (see the video) and everyone else goes around and watches.
The park is set up with a long park road with trails of varying difficulty looping out from either side every so often. The photographer asks if these things are really 4WD, and suggests a trail that gets a little muddy. Muddy was an understatement. Rob and family wisely ducked out of the trail but walked down to watch the show. Here are some photos and see the first set of videos below. Our tow straps got a work-out pulling the vans through. The prize goes to Seth in the silver hardtop syncro with 15" BFG ATs, who was the only van to get all the way through without assistance. Good job, Seth! The photographer's Jeep got everyone else through, including a little help to Stefan's red Jeep!
After fun in the mud, we head out down the park road looking for more fun, have a little meal, and finally head back out of the park. At the parking lot we meet Brady who wants his off-road fix for the day. Off to the quarry for a half-hour of fun. See the videos section for more. While climbing hills in the quarry, Brady breaks not one, but two CV joints! The park closes and it's back to the campground. The group heads into town to get some Mexican at a local restaurant. Back at the campfire enjoying a brew and swapping stories.
A peaceful but very cool morning at the campsite, camped next to the lake. We survey the results of yesterday's ride. Seth checks out his engine bay mud and the engine underneath it, from his water pit excursion. Brady sets up his "floormat of shame" of various broken machinery for all to see. Brady's van is intact for the moment, ready for another day at the park.
Not far into the park, Brady decides to try out a trail for us, taking one way up a steep incline. It doesn't work out so well, and we all pitch in to tie off the van and let it down slowly
We are light on photos but heavy on video for the second day. After a hard day on the trails, the group gathers together in the parking lot. A good time was had by all!
Videos Section Click on the photo at left to play the video.
A chain of short clips from the mud pit. The photographer's Jeep Rubicon is set up for this stuff! We muddle through with a lot of tow straps and grunt.
First prize in this loop goes to Seth who made it through all the mud un-aided with his early hardtop syncro riding on 15" BFG ATs. Here's a short clip of him charging through the last section.
We come across a water-filled pit and Seth decides to charge through it. The rest of us go around and watch the show. This is actually the return trip through the pit, on the way out of the park!
After a hard day's driving, we head out of the park and run into Brady in the parking lot, back in action thanks to John's starter.
We head to the old quarry so Brady can get his fix. Here is Seth conquering his own hill with waterboxer power.
Running through the quarry car wash.
Sunday we come back in full force with Brady back in action with zetec power. Right away he decides to take the hard way through the water pit for fun. Also some footage of a muddy stretch of the park road.
The vans take a rocky path to give the tires a bit of a work-out.
Down another trail, Sam and Seth cruise through a small mud-puddle.
Brady finds just the right spot to get the van rocking. A handy tire-changing spot!
Listen to the songbirds chirp as we watch the rare syncro vanagon in its natural habitat. This small pack is oblivious to our presence as they cautiously pick their way along this streambed. Note the distinctive orange flag found only on syncros in this area.
Brady finds another water hole and after a little investigation decides to punch it and powers through. The rest of us find another way around.
Running along the stream bed, Brady makes short work of this last stretch before we hit the park road again.
Seth's van gets a punishing work-out on the same stretch of stream-bed. Somewhere he lost most of his power steering fluid - listen to that pump whine! Sam opts to take another route to avoid the worst of it.
After another hard day on the trails, we head back toward the entrance.
Ok, just one more video. Brady sees this on the way out and can't resist. Maybe next year he will make it all the way up!
