Topic: Camping trip to the Highlakes this weekend 3/21-3/23(Pics added)

[Snowtoy]

This is kind of last minute, but it we didnt have definate plans until this evening.  Myself, Rockyoat and 92crawler(with some others maybe)are heading up to the High Lakes this weekend for snow wheeling and camping.  We will be leaving Friday afternoon around 1-2pm(if we are on time), and return Sunday morning.  Our rigs range from IFS Toy w/33's to a Rover on unimogs w/42's.  Anyone that would like to go and can get ready by Friday let me know.  We do have some other rigs that will be commig up Sat.(84Rocktoy?), some will stay others will head back Saturday evening/late afternoon.

[Thomas P]

damn that rover sonds sick, where exactly are you guys camping? i may go for a ride this weekend

[Snowtoy [OP]]

The Rover is pretty awsome, though a bit high for my tastes.  I would post a picture of it in action from our Rubicon trip, but it basically turned the Rubicon into a fire road.

As to where we are going to camp, it kind of depends on conditions of the trail, and when we actually leave Chico on Friday.  We usually try for Spring Valley or the "T", but since we  may have to head back Sat morning to meet other rigs we will likely camp somewhere closer to the Philbrook area.  The Rover is grey with stickers on it, then there is a white Tacoma X-cab and a white '91 X-cab w/grey flat bed, we usually run on channel 32.

84rocktoy is coming up Saturday, he has an orange exo'd 83 now, running on 39's or 40's.

[Thomas P]

where is everyone from? a bunch of us magalia and paradise guys may roll

[Snowtoy [OP]]

Rockyoat, 92crawler, and 84Rocktoy are all from Chico, I use to live there but now I live over near Grass Valley.  Here is the Pirate link http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?p=8035393#post8035393, let Pat know if you are wanting to come up with us on Friday.

[Snowtoy [OP]]

Here are some pics, nothing like Little Buddy's trips, but we still had fun. 

As slushy/icy it was, there wasn't a lot of action shots to be taken, just a lot of holes to be found.  At our campsite there was about a 10'-12' base
Here is one at the turn-off.

The Rover Towing the Tacoma slushy uphill climb.

My '91 waiting for the others to catch up.

Group shot after climbing a hill.

The Tacoma towing the Rover(yes the 42's got stuck once)

Our toasty campfire.  It was hot enough that all that was needed was shorts and a sweat shirt to be comfy.

Al in all it was a pretty good outing, it was slushy in the afternoon, but not too much trouble, and at night everything was frozen solid making it easy to go fast enough to break things

[Thomas P]

looks like fun!! check out the road signs on the right of the pic, dayum the rover has some nice clearance with those axles 

[Thomas P]

too bad i had an anniversary party to got to

[Snowtoy [OP]]

Yes it does have a lot of ground clearance, but all that clearance makes for a scary ride on of camber sections.  Here is one of him going through a corner(we dubbed pucker corner years ago).
  The snow always seems to be bad on this corner most of the season, especially during the spring.  In the past it has actually been so bad that we have cut a trench on the uphill side to level out the rigs, and to keep them from sliding.  His uphill tires were just barely on the snow, I think if it had a steel body instead of aluminum he would have been into the tree.

We may be heading back up in April, it really depends on the snowfall between now and then, and whether or not Pat tears the Rover apart.  The PO didn't do a good job/or who ever he paid when putting the unimogs under it, the panhard bar broke off during a night run, or even maybe on the way in, it wasn't noticed until Sat. morning.  Then of course there is the whole British engineering/electronic issue.  He is considering swapping the axles over to a S10 blazer, or maybe a 3rd gen runner(if he can find a wrecked one), He wants to build something that is at least streetable, so he doesn't have to trailer it for short trips, and that sits lower than it does now.

[jrock]

Very nice.

[kiyul4130]

i didnt know pat owned a new rig till today. thanks for the pictures.

[Rockcrawlintoy]

he had it at the round up

[Snowtoy [OP]]

i didnt know pat owned a new rig till today. thanks for the pictures.

Yep, he has a new one again, I think this is his 6th rig in the last 8yrs , he will soon be on his tenth.  He traded his '96 Runner straight across for the Rover right after the Labor Day weekend trip last August.  It was all grey before he rolled it Oct., just after the Roundup.