Hey all,
Ok.... I'm finally back in Windsor, and at my computer, so i can respond
about what is going on with my truck, and the absolutely GREAT time i had at
the BBQ!!!!!!
(Even though it's gonna cost me some big bucks) hehe
Ok, first off, i have to thank Jon immensely!!!
He has been good enough to invite my crazy butt back to his home for each
year's BBQ. That in itself is commendable!!! hehe
Second, he has been just fantastic with all the help he has given me in
trying to get my Dak's engine problems figured out. He even washed it down
before getting it towed to the dealer, still can't believe that one.... I
wouldn't even have done that!!! hehehehe
And now i'll get to my take on this past weekend, did i mention t was
awesome???? :)
Ok, the infamous mud pit... The vehicles that had trouble in there all
(including myself) did the same thing wrong. We entered the pit WAY too
fast, and sucked water into our engines. This is one of the causes for my
engine trouble i'm sure, especially since Jon found muddy residue INSIDE the
intake manifold, not usually a good sign.... hehe
Anyway, after playing in the mud pit and sucking in water, we hit the trail
to get down to the creek, and to the lower waterfall. On the way, my Dak
started to overheat, i pulled over, and shut her down for a couple minutes,
and it was at a reasonable temp. again. And of course, once i got down to
the creek, and splashed around a little, the temp was back to below
mid-level, perfect.
About this waterfall in case you all don't know.... EVERY year so far,
someone has tried to climb this thing. It's not really that high, maybe
10-12 feet or so, around 30+ degree incline, steep enough that when you're
on it, all you see is sky. :) But it's crazy slippery, with a constant
stream of water flowing down the slick-rock surface.
Anyway, it started with David Martin in 2000 (AFAIK) and he didn't make it,
just bounced around and spun the tires a lot. Then Peter Cutler tried it in
his jeep last year, and nearly flipped, then lost his battery and alternator
from all the winching he did to safely get himself down.
This year, first up, the jeeps started attacking the waterfall. The really
ironic part of that situation is that the first jeep that tried it, got up
it. That was Don in his teal jeep.
Then the breakage started....
The Willy's brakes were dying (probably just brake fade really) and so after
a few attempts, the driver gave up, wisely. To his credit though, he didn't
have any power steering on it, and that can't be easy to try to turn a 54
year old jeep's wheels at a 30+ degree slope....
The jeep that snapped an axle was not surprising at all after i learned that
he only had a Dana 35 under there, and a locker. He was running 36" tires
as well. Basically, i'm surprised it lasted as long as it did. But at
least now he has an excuse to get a 60. :) :)
Then a guy with a nice snorkel setup got up the falls, with minor assistance
from Don's (the first jeep up) winch. The winch didn't really help him get
up the falls, it just prevented him from sliding back down when he lost
forward momentum. I still haven't decided whether he "conquered" the falls,
or just got a passing grade. hehehe
Then to everyone's surprose, including mine, i stepped up when there was a
lull in the action, and started hitting the falls in my own unique way. IE.
stuff falling out of the back of the bed because i was bouncing so much, and
had taken the tailgate off with flag version no. 6, or was it 7??? I lost
track. hehehe
Anyway, on the trails we used the FSR radios to communicate, and i had mine
clipped to the sun visor. I forgot to take it down before attemting the
falls. And at the very instant when it hit me square in the forehead, i
realized the solution to getting up the waterfalls. I took another run at
it, and successfully bounced the back tires up the lower ledge, and the
truck pulled up the rest of the way like nothing.
On the tape it's pretty cool. :) :) :)
I actually think next time i try them, it will be a lot easier with this
year's experience under my belt. Of course by then, my Dak may have a
little accident with some gasoline, and a match... hehehe
At any rate, getting up the falls was totally worth the damage i sustained
to the engine. I can always get the engine fixed, but it's a lot harder to
get the satisfaction i felt after climbing those falls!!!!!
And after i got up, Jason Yates and i went playing up the river a bit, and
another much easier waterfall, only to return to the site of another Dakota
on top. He couldn't even wait til we got back, shaammmeee.... hehehe
Four of us made it up this year, hopefully next year there will be even
more. Then maybe we can explore farther up the creek. :)
Oh, and i still don't know exactly what is wrong with my Dak, but i should
know by this weekend. I will be calling the dealership Thursday to see if
they have looked at it yet.
Thanks again for everything Jon!!!!!!
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Fri Jun 20 2003 - 12:05:03 EDT