Last minute big bend

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dufremle
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Re: Last minute big bend

Post by dufremle » Thu Oct 04, 2018 10:28 am

Saturday:
We left town early Saturday morning and got to the motel around 3:30 PM. We rode around the park on paved and dirt roads, checking remote camp sites. Got a little bit of practice in on the dirt roads with some rocky and slippery terrain that I wasn't used to. Rain moved in and I headed back to the motel, getinig drenched as I got within a mile of the motel. Rick stayed to check out some additional roads and campsites. Later we went out to get some food and beer. Umm, beer!

:idea:
Jim

2024 Subaru Crosstrek
2017 Toyota 4Runner

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dufremle
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Re: Last minute big bend

Post by dufremle » Thu Oct 04, 2018 10:29 am

Sunday:
Got up early, around 7 and it was raining. Turned on the TV to check the weather station as I didn't have data on my phone. Looked like it might rain all day. I called Rick and told him it was raining, then headed over to the gas station for some breakfast. Still raining so went back to the motel room to wait it out. Luckily it stopped raining and we were able to head to the park. By the time we reached Old Ore Road it was fairly dry and the sun was out. I took picture of the sign at the beginning of the road, then started the real adventure. I brought a video camera with me, but I ended up leaving it in the hotel. Grr!

Not far down the road we came across the first puddle. I stopped to prepare myself for a possible go down, then continued on. Surprisingly it wasn't bad and I didn't fall. Yay! Most of the puddles weren't that deep and were not muddy. A few miles in we came across a very long puddle not far past a side road that Rick wanted to check out. I waited by the main road while he went down the side road. As I waited, a Subaru car came up and drove up to the puddle. It stopped and sat there for a few minutes, not moving. I was watching them, wondering if they were going to attempt it. I figured if they coulld make it through so could I. Eventually the driver got out of the car and walked around the puddle to check it out. He got back in the car and started driving through it. It was fairly deep, but he didn't have any issues making it through. When Rick returned we headed through the puddle. I didn't fall. Woohoo!

I kept on heading down the road, periodically waiting for Rick to catch up. I had to stay ahead of him because I had to maintain speed to go up and down the hills while he was able to idle through it. I got stuck for the first time after a low water crossing. There was very little water, but the up hill side was loose dirt and I ended up slowing down more than I wanted to and the back tire got stuck. I didn't lay the bike over so I don't consider it a fall down. I did have to lay the bike on it's side in order to get it unstuck, though. I was able to pull it free after about 10 minutes of messing with it. I was able to continue on.

The second time I got stuck I buried the rear tire. I went down a steep hill and the other side was very rocky and had several valleys due to water washing away the dirt. I attempted to go up the right side, which I thought was the better choice, then had to cut over to the left to avoid a deep rut. Well, I wasn't able to get the bike turned to the left in time and ended up getting stuck in the rut. The bike was sitting on the skid plate with the back wheel in a deep hole. I tried to wrestle the bike loose, but there was no way to do it by myself. I waited about 20 minutes for Rick to catch up and we used the winch on the Jeep to pull it out. After a short break to eat and drink I continued on.

At this point I thought I was almost to the end of the road. My Garmin was saying a couple miles to the end, which was a total of about 9 miles. Turns out that the spot the Garmin thought was the end was about in the middle of the road. The damn road is 26 miles long! Guess I should have checked that first. I was pretty close to calling it quits as I was getting tired and it was getting hot. There was also a chance of more rain in the afternoon and I did not want to have to ride this road in the rain. Not sure exactly how I would have gotten out if I decided to stop, or if it rained. The bike wouldn't have fit in the back of the jeep.

I continued on and eventually thought I got lost. I kept moving ahead of Rick because I was trying to get to the end of the road before it rained. At one point I passed a side road but the GPS said to go straight. About a 1/4 mile in I found that I was in a remote camp site and the road ended there. I turned around and headed back to the split. That's where I saw the sign that Old Ore Road went the direction I had just come from. That side road was not on my GPS at all. Then I thought I may have missed a turn somewhere was was off course. Oh shit. So I took my gear off to take a break and check the GPS again. Then I got worried that Rick was not behind me anymore, I might be way off course and might get stuck in the middle of nowhere in the middle of a rain storm. I waited about 10 minutes and didn't see Rick coming, so I decided I would head down the side road and see if it went anywhere, if not I would head back the way I came to try and find Rick. I put my gear back on and as I started down the side road I just happened to look back and see the top of Ricks Jeep about a 1/4 mile away. Woohoo!

This time I decided to follow Rick so I wouldn't get lost again. That was a mistake as I had to keep stopping to let Rick get far enough ahead so I could go up and down hills without having to stop and wait for him. Eventually we came to a spot with a steep hill with a place to pull off at the bottom. There was also another car coming the other direction so we waited for them to pass, then I headed out in front of Rick. At this point I decided I was going to get to the end of the road. I wasn't going to stop and wait for Rick to catch up. I figured if he got stuck there wasn't much I could do anyway. I was also very hot and tired by this point and I didn't know exactly how far I had to go yet. I just wanted to finish.

The remainder of the road was mostly rock and loose gravel. There were a couple of steep valleys and low water crossings but noting too bad. My GPS was showing that I was getting close to the end of the road when I came across another puddle. I figured this one would be like the others and not too deep or slippery. I was wrong. As soon as I was a few of feet into it I could feel the bike moving all over. I got about 10 feet into it and the front slid out. I ended up falling to the left into water that was about 7 or 8 inches deep. I was able to get the bike back up without much hastle and then made it throught the rest of the puddle by dragging my feet on the bottom. I was so close to finishing without going down. Oh well. After that it was gravel all the way to the end of the road. I got off the bike and started jumping up and down celebrating. I survived Old Ore Road!

I wish Rick had been able to ride behind me shooting video. I made what I thought were some spectacular saves that I would have loved to get on camera. At times the rear tire was all over the road and I was able to keep it up. Probably beginners luck, but I was happy I didn't go down. I kept telling myself that I wasn't going to go down. My plan was to make the entire road without a fall. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. The last puddle did me in. Overall I had a lot of fun. It was more difficult than I had expected and it took a lot out of me, but I want to do it again. Next time maybe in the opposite direction with some other riders with me.

The road was made up of all types of surfaces: dirt, gravel, rocks, sand and mud. Most of the time I was moving at around 10 to 12 miles per hour. There were some short stretches where I was able to get up to close to 30mph, but those didn't last long, and some sections were a few miles per hour were required. The views were spectacular, at least the ones I was able to stop and look at. Most of the time I was concentrating on the road and not looking at the scenery.
Jim

2024 Subaru Crosstrek
2017 Toyota 4Runner

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dufremle
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Re: Last minute big bend

Post by dufremle » Thu Oct 04, 2018 10:29 am

Monday:
We left early and stopped at the Permian Basin Petroleum Museum in Midland. That was interesting. We got back to Fort Worth just in time to unload in the rain. It wasn't too bad, though. But it felt good to be home.
Jim

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2017 Toyota 4Runner

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Re: Last minute big bend

Post by Tooner » Sat Oct 06, 2018 1:59 pm

Rick those Pics are awesome! Love the High Lift Jack on the hood! Jim, great right up and fwiw I think you did one heck of a job getting the GS through all that. Sounds like you guys had a good time despite the rain! Sometime in the next few months, maybe 2019, I will be joining the Wrangler owners club. Looking forward to some fun.
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Re: Last minute big bend

Post by fixxervi6 » Sat Oct 06, 2018 5:40 pm

Tooner wrote:Rick those Pics are awesome! Love the High Lift Jack on the hood! Jim, great right up and fwiw I think you did one heck of a job getting the GS through all that. Sounds like you guys had a good time despite the rain! Sometime in the next few months, maybe 2019, I will be joining the Wrangler owners club. Looking forward to some fun.
Mine is for sale, hmu if your interested.
K1600

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Re: Last minute big bend

Post by Tooner » Sun Oct 07, 2018 4:22 pm

fixxervi6 wrote:
Tooner wrote:Rick those Pics are awesome! Love the High Lift Jack on the hood! Jim, great right up and fwiw I think you did one heck of a job getting the GS through all that. Sounds like you guys had a good time despite the rain! Sometime in the next few months, maybe 2019, I will be joining the Wrangler owners club. Looking forward to some fun.
Mine is for sale, hmu if your interested.
My time frame is quite flexible since my youngest doesn't turn 16 until next year and I am enjoying the Jeep research. I am very likely to get a 4 door(Unlimited), I like the 3.6L V6 Pentastar and the 4.0L I6 seems like a solid motor. I have little interest in the 3.8 V6 and I won't get a 4 cylinder. I would choose a manual but I could do an automatic. I welcome any advice from people who have experience with Jeeps. Of course youtube is full of opinions.

Part of me says just get a 2018- JLU Rubicon and forget having to work with something used. The problem there is the major hit on the money tree! I am already planning activities in CO and UT with 4X4, hiking, camping, mountain biking, and perhaps I will learn to fly fish.....
Shane
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2018 crf450r

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Re: Last minute big bend

Post by fixxervi6 » Sun Oct 07, 2018 4:37 pm

yea, 2018 rubicon.... $$$$$$
K1600