Sliders!!!!

Got my sliders installed... and I love it!  Looks great.  Thanks for Richard at Stubbs Welding for doing such a great job and shipping it out to me so quickly.  Also like to give a big thanks to Lance and Bob for installing it!

My First Land Ops event

My first Land Ops Meet-up event took place in the desert area just north of the 40 hwy by the Mojave Desert.  It's a tactical geocaching event where teams of truck head out to find caches that were planted throughout the area.  Had planned to leave early Saturday morning but didn't get to leave until 1pm.  I got there really late, so I only participated in the night op, which was still good.  Took about an hour and a half to get to the desert, but another two hours to get to the base camp.  Didn’t get there until dinner time.

I would guess there were about 15 to 20 trucks that showed up.  I didn’t end up camping there.  After the event, I packed up and left.  A few others did the same.

I don’t think I took the right roads that the other guys did, but cause there were so many loopy-coops, I was averaging 10 miles an hour… which was why the 19 miles to the road to two hours.

Lunch with Ryan

City Slicker Off-Roading Alamo Run

Download KML file [***HERE**] (Right mouse click & select Download)



First off, this run was BEAST.  It was the most challenging run I've ever been on.  I only have a lift with center lockers.  I guess I'll have to add front and rear lockers on my wish list.

We first met at a local Chevron gas station.  Great group of guys (and gals).  Once all the group members showed up, we set off!  As soon as we started, it was hairy for me.  I'm just not used to this kind of off roading as most of mine have been in the deserts or sand dunes.

First of many stops for "mechanical" reasons.

This particular run was really hard on my truck, and my A/T temperature warning light went on during one of the many climbs.  First time I'd seen this come on for me.

About half way through, our first major breakdown.  Scott's Jeep suffered broken motor mounts.  Attempts to repair were only temporary and eventually put his truck completely out of commission.  The rest of the run was spent pulling the Jeep.  Great job to Jeff, who eventually suffered damage to his truck trying to pull the Jeep as far as he could.  Also a thumbs up to Adam and André who also gave their great efforts to the cause.

At the end, we could not get the Jeep completely out of the course and had to call for help.  As most of us left, Brett and Igor stayed behind with Scott and his wife until recovery help arrived.  Great job to everyone and their efforts.

"Well, let's say it as it was... an unfortunate cluster fuck of catastrophic mechanical failures..." - Adam

[Click HERE for the Gallery]

iPhone Charger

The iPhone chargers seem to be kind of weak on the connections at the plug ends.  I swear I don't abuse these things, but a few of mine are coming apart.  Good thing I have several, but figured I'd just reinforce a couple that are coming apart.  I basically reinforced with electrical tape and wrapped with string going down and back up.  Super Glued the end of the string, which dries in literally seconds.

Wheat Grass..... Yum

Tried juicing some wheat grass tonight.  Thanks for Kari for growing them for me!  It wasn't as bad as I expected, but maybe it's because I was expecting the worst.

Took a bunch of the grass, washed them down, then put them through the juicer.  I got the juicer from my mother-in-law, but used it only once to try it out.  Apparently, this is a good one because not all juicers can handle grass.  Did a little research on the web regarding wheat grass and its benefits.  One of the websites actually mentions the Green Star juicer I have as the type needed to juice wheat grass.

  

 

I juiced enough to get a shot glass worth.  Read about people taking wheat grass shots and it was advised not to drink too much.  Some of the side effects are nausea.  I held my breath, took the shot (I actually sensed some sweetness, which I read someone else mention), and chased it down with some grape juice I happened to have.  It's not something I'd drink chilling out w/ some crackers or anything, but it was manageable.  I did have some aftertaste of grass, but as I said, it was manageable.  I was able to get another shot's worth which I'll save for tomorrow.

Spydertrax

Installed Spydertrax wheel spacers in the front to prevent rubbing.  Thanks for Lance for the spacers!!!  8D
 

When installing, make sure the spacer is flush with the rotors all the way around.  Actual installation is pretty self explanatory.

The actual area of rubbing before the spacers came between the new BFG A/T and my UCA.  You can see the are circled in red.  This was the case on both sides.

Once the spacers were installed, rubber came from within the wheel well plastics.  I had to remove the front mud flaps.

The tires were also rubbing against the plastic on the front which many people cut off, but after seeing a post somewhere (not sure where or I'd give credit), I just moved the plastic forward instead.

On the Driver side, I removed the two screws holding the plastic portion.

Place the clip that was removed and shove the protruding portion into the hole of the black plastic.  When you put the plug into the hole, place a screw with a washer in it to keep the plastic from "jumping" up during a big bump and coming loose.  This happened to me and I ended up cutting off the plastic wheel well portion that eventually wore off from tire rub.

Put the clip back onto the middle hole and put the screw back in.  That's it for the Driver side!

The Passenger side is a little different.  Remove the screws holding the black plastic at the bottom, just like the Driver side.

Here, you can see I had to drill a new hole.  Once the hole is drilled, move the black plastic and align the hole to the front bumper and attach, using the clips that were taken off.

This is what the Passenger side will look like when you're done.

After the wheel well plastics were moved, I have not had any rubbing issues.

Lucas Oil Off-Road Expo

Went to the Off-Road expo at the Pomona Fairgrounds.  Didn't get there until the afternoon, but I still had time to see everything.  Had to leave so Linda can get ready for plans she had later in the evening.  Toyota had a display there.  I was checking out the new 4Runner when I turned a around and saw who?  Ivan "Ironman" Stewart!  I was so stoked, I went over and got an autograph and photo.  Made my day!  :)

2012 Pismo Jamboree

Having missed the last year, it was great going back out.  Had a lot of fun.  Took along the family and caravaned up with Bob and my brother.  You can follow the link below to the gallery.

>>>>> Click here for the 2012 Pismo Jamboree Album <<<<<

Bolsa Chica Reserve

Linda and I decided to take a walk at the Bolsa Chica Reserve again.  We've done this a couple of times now in the last month or two which is more often than normal, but the air is cool and it's right across the street from the beach.  This time, we were greeted with three pelicans that happen to be an endangered species (according to the photos of different birds posted at a sight-seeing post).

Sturtavent Falls Hike

Went on a hike with Linda and Ryan.  It had been a while since going on this hike the last time.  It was more strenuous at the end than I remember.  The total distance is only a little over 3 miles, but the is a pretty steep asphalt incline that got me winded.

Here's a KML file for GPS.  Right mouse click and select to download the file:  KML File

There was a sign that the parking lot was full, so a lot of the people end up parking on the side of the road and walking up to the beginning of the hike.  The weather was sunny and warm with a blue sky and puffy clouds.  We packed some water and went on our way.

The trail is very easy to follow with plenty of signs to keep you on track.  There are some parts of the trail that narrows down.  You'll have to watch your step in some areas because it will cross over small streams with wood and rocks.

 

You'll also see some small cottage like houses on this trail.  I've never met anyone who live there, but there are several.

When you get to the end of the trail, you're greeted with a raging waterfall.  Even found a small snake resting on a rock.  It's normally pretty empty, but this time, there were a bunch of people who decided to take a "swim".  That guy under the falls must be sitting or squatting down because the water is seriously not that deep.

Next time I'm there, I'll pack some more water and try out the longer trails.