Topic: Wheeling near Sonora? [Fordyce Sept 12th & 13th]

[Steve-44]

I'm sure it's partially because its the easiest "fun spot" to get to, and in and out of, but is it a fun place due to lots of different lines to take or something?  Like it is a big rock garden or big slab or what?

[1985CRAWLER]

Wh 3 is kinda the party place now

 

steve, stew can go possibly

[1985CRAWLER]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyvicRX3E6o

WH3,

they recently blew up the bypass and made is easier to take

[Stew_pedaso]

I'm working on finding a babysitter

[Steve-44 [OP]]

How you guys looking for the trip?  Anyone for sure yet?

[1985CRAWLER]

i need to put in a request for those days with the new manager and i should be good to go.

[Stew_pedaso]

I won't be able to make. Hope you fellas have a good trip

[Steve-44 [OP]]

What an epic trip!  Although you guys didn't get to join in this time, I really appreciate all the tips and answers to my questions.  It certainly won't be any time soon, since the 15 hour drive isn't real fun, but I do plan to get back to Fordyce ASAP.  Bumped a lot of places down to claim the #2 spot on my list of favorite places to wheel - which says a lot considering the below statement.

I broke a rear chromo shaft at WH3 that turned into a bigger problem, so I'm sad to say I didn't get to see anything past that - which I hear there's some pretty awesome stuff still to be seen between there and Summit City/ML.

[Stew_pedaso]

Wh3 creates a lot of carnage. It's less travel time for the obstacles past wh3 for sure. Great to hear you had a good trip overall.

Did you do an overnight at Fordyce?

[Steve-44 [OP]]

Yeah, we started the trail at the VERY beginning and camped the first night just before Committee.  The second night we stayed on the side of the trail about 1/4 mile above WH3 once my carnage became evident (I'll explain below).  Have you guys traversed the section between Cisco Grove Campground and Eagle Lakes Rd?  The people at the front desk at Cisco said they cut that trail themselves not too long ago and they charge $5 to go that way - it was pretty cool.

My carnage shoudn't have been so bad but we made a mistake in the first repair.  I was attempting the far left line of WH3 - the wall/notch - and popped the left rear chromo axle shaft  .  While my buddy ferried me back to Cisco to grab a spare shaft, another buddy stayed to get the remaining piece out of the carrier.  Upon return with another shaft, he said he got the piece out of the carrier but didn't retrieve it out of the axle .  I reluctantly agreed to proceed with it still inside after he seemed pretty confident it wouldn't be an issue.  He's taken part in many many more trail repairs than I have, so I took his word for it.  Just up the trail approaching another little technical spot he hit me on the radio and said I had something leaking badly .  Upon inspection it first looked as though the carrier was just really loose and leaking through the seal so I cinched up all the nuts and continued.  Another 100' further, just as I got up onto one of the stair-steps of rocks, he said it was still pouring out .  Upon looking at the axle from the back, I could now see a 1" hole in the top of the diff "cover" just above the diff armor .  The hole was "splined" so it was obvious what had happened.  That's when I limped it up the trail a few hundred feet to the first place we had room to work on it as well as set up ().  Once we got the diff out we saw that the damage was a lot worse than just the hole we saw at the top.  The broken piece had actually gotten wedged in at the bottom and sliced open almost the entire back cover as one of the ring gear bolt heads carried it up; we just couldn't see it on the outside due to the diff armor.  We hammered all the openings back as closed as possible then 24VDC stick welded the whole slice, followed by a half tube of blue RTV over the entire damaged/repaired area inside .  Drove out Committee to Cisco on Sunday and still hasn't leaked a drop yet!  Hell, my front leaks more and it isn't damaged!  haha

Truck has been in need of some serious TLC anyway so I think it's time for an overhaul.  Coming up on the long, wet winter time up here in the PNW anyway so I won't be missing much desireable wheeling.  Besides, wheeling the hardcore awesomeness of Fordyce combined with experiencing the renowned mystique of Rubicon should hold me over for a while.

[1985CRAWLER]

sounds you u had a blast! typical fordyce trip, never a dull moment.

the whole time i was at work that weekend i was just wishing i was up there beating the snot outa my rig like u were doing to yours!

yea those two trips should hold u over forsure, til awhile passes and u get the itch to go again, trust me, itll be back.

glad to hear u had fun steve!

[Stew_pedaso]

My daughter first trip at 2.5 was the $5 trail. She was pretty upset to start there. Straight up and down. Freaked her out for a little bit. Now at 4 in oct she doesn't say much bout being scared and sleeps a lot. It's time to take it up a notch and flop it with her in. Lol

That sucks bout the piece blowing a hole in your housing. Did it mess up the gears?

How far did you go into rubicon? The section between staging to Cadillac feels like forever doesn't it?

[Steve-44 [OP]]

sounds you u had a blast! typical fordyce trip, never a dull moment.

the whole time i was at work that weekend i was just wishing i was up there beating the snot outa my rig like u were doing to yours!

yea those two trips should hold u over forsure, til awhile passes and u get the itch to go again, trust me, itll be back.

glad to hear u had fun steve!

Definitley not dull at all.  Really glad we did the whole thing.  There's plenty of scenery and plenty of fun stuff on that 7 miles or so before WH3.

Sucks you couldn't come out.  You would've probably gotten into a "beat-down" contest with my buddy that showed up from Sac.  There's not a straight panel on his 1st gen, but it just plain WORKS!  He actually CRAWLED the right line at WH3.  How often does that happen?

Believe me, the itch to return only continued to get stronger the whole time; not once has it receded at all.  Wish I could go back right away, but I'm sure it won't be until at least middle of next year some time, probably longer.

My daughter first trip at 2.5 was the $5 trail. She was pretty upset to start there. Straight up and down. Freaked her out for a little bit. Now at 4 in oct she doesn't say much bout being scared and sleeps a lot. It's time to take it up a notch and flop it with her in. Lol

That sucks bout the piece blowing a hole in your housing. Did it mess up the gears?

How far did you go into rubicon? The section between staging to Cadillac feels like forever doesn't it?

Yeah, we got off the pavement and immediately were shocked at what we encountered.  Not the most extreme hills I've ever done, but definitely some of the most unforgiving if you screw up.  Loooong way to the bottom down below 80 in some spots.

You should totally plan that flop.  Wait for her to be asleep and set up a camera on her to share the moment.  I've had buddies that did that to their significant others just to "initiate" them into wheeling.  Get it out of the way so they know what it feels like so it won't scare them so bad in an actual, unplanned situation.

The gears are completely untouched; the broken shaft was DS and so the piece got knocked out into the DS of the housing, which is the bolt side of the chunk, not the teeth side - damn thankful for that.  No doubt that it would've completely destroyed the [almost brand new] ring gear.  The housing repair will be a little labor intensive, but not very expensive in the end, so no big deal really.  Might even redo the front the same as the rear while I'm modding stuff (front axle will be out for an overhaul anyway - nothing will stay tight anymore and everything leaks after this trip).

On Rubicon we got to Buck Island the first night, then went to Soup Bowl and all the way back out the next day.  On the way out we stopped at Spider Lake? (the high point just above Little Sluice) where RTF (John?) was set up handing out info and spill kits to passers-by.  Upon arrival back at the staging area, we ran into the one and only father of rock crawling, Mr Marlin himself.  He and Christine were heading in to meet some peeps that we'd passed earlier.  I was at his shop on Tuesday and he'd told me he might be up there that day, but I didn't tell my buddy so as to have it be a surprise for him to get to meet Marlin for the first time.  Worked out perfectly.

And yes, that first few miles from the staging area really wears you down.  The dust on the way out was especially bad too.

[Stew_pedaso]

Come to think if it, I haven't flopped with my wife in the rig either. It's been awhile since I have been on my side. Lol

Good thing it was only on the bolt side. Loosing a set of gears to that would've been a bummer

Did you go up old sluice or the slabs to soup bowl leaving buck? Old sluice at the bottom near buck island is a fun spot. It's turning into a new box.

[Steve-44 [OP]]

We went up Old Sluice and came back down the Slabs.  OS was cool; the Slabs looked like they could be fun if you were allowed to venture out onto any line you wanted. 

[1985CRAWLER]

the Slabs looked like they could be fun if you were allowed to venture out onto any line you wanted.

yea! no doubt!

[Stew_pedaso]

I got lost in the dark on the slabs. Pissed me off cause that is the first time I went down them at night. Lol. Always take old sluice. Lesson learned.