Meeting Minutes
Members Present:
Unavailable for this month.
Secretary Babcock called the May 31 meeting to order at 7:10 p.m. President Boetel was otherwise detained by a beautiful women; his daughter. We then moved directly to the pledge of allegiance. (Thanks to Pete Tuche for the flag pole.) There were four guests present: Tom and Linda Ellis, Glen McConnel, Pete Tuche, and Bill Mish.
Old Business
Treasury Report - Ed reported that we have $3024.22 in the checking account as of May 13, 2000. $200.00 was given out for the purchase of shirts and hats and $50.00 for cost of newsletter.
Newsletter - No newsletters were returned this month! YEAH! Make sure to give Ed Lyons and change of address or phone number so that you won’t miss out on the Trail Tales Newsletter.
Trip Reports - Marty- 201A- Perfect trip, he wishes that more people had been able to attend. Scott - Red Creek - Hot and a lot of bugs! See elsewhere in newsletter for a more in-depth report.
Quarterly Meeting - Ed reported that Frank Noel- will be giving two safety seminars. The Wheel Dust was late to printers by three weeks. Joanie will be state representative to United. Jamboree entry will be raised from $45.00 to $70.00 this year due to the per vehicle charge added by a government agency.
Hats and T-Shirts are for sale at the break.
Intermission - 40/40/20 Raffle - Debbie Murphy was the winner of $8.00. Thank you to all that participated in the raffle.
New Business
Future Runs -
New Members - Glenn McConnell and Pete Tuche voted in.
The 2000 membership cards are in with the current numbers on them, see Marty after the meeting.
Talk about the Jamboree and changes were discussed. The club is trying to decide whether to volunteer for the Safety Inspection jobs or the 4x4 games. We will decide at the next meeting.
Motion was made to close the meeting. Seconded. By the lowering of the hammer the meeting was officially closed.
Have a safe and fun 4x4 adventure, until next month!
Respectfully submitted,
Becky Babcock
Trip report: FR201A
May 13, by Scott Nixon
People in attendance:
Trip Leader Marty Boetel,
Scott Nixon,
Pete Tuche,
Phil Boyd,
Don Munzer
We all met up at the usual Bush/Beeline Highway intersection. After standing around awhile watching all the campers, bikers, and other travelers headed north, we pulled out onto the highway and joined them. A few miles up the road we pulled off at the intersection with FR201 and waited for everyone to catch up. We aired down a few miles further in, and began winding down a rocky hillside. Before long we came to a halt, and everyone piled out to see what the problem was.
Up ahead was a stuck Chevy truck. The bed was full of personal possessions, tools were strewn about, and a milk carton full of gear oil rested under the rear, and only, diff (yes it was two wheel drive!). The owner was nowhere to be seen. We trimmed back the brush a bit and carefully squeezed by.
The road led down to an old cabin site surrounded by several mine tunnels. After inspecting a roof beam the size of a telephone pole that was cracked in half and sagging dangerously we decided to admire them from the outside. Winding our way around, the road began to climb steadily. An optional steep rocky section challenged a few vehicles, but everyone made it up unassisted. Soon we were seemingly on top of the world. We broke out lunch and admired the view.
A few miles down the road from our lunch spot we pulled over to take a break. Some of the vehicles went up an optional hill climb to an awesome view of the Mazatzal Wilderness area. Although the site provided an ideal camping spot, the narrow brush leading up to it indicated it was rarely used.
Continuing onward we took another optional side trip to one of Marty's favorite campsites. This one was guarded by a large purple rock striped with white veins of quartz. Numerous large pine trees had been blown down or sheared off in the middle. Speculation was that a microburst had gone through the area recently.
Taking a sharp right turn off the main road, we headed for an abandoned mercury extraction mill. After parking above the mill, some of the group hiked down to it and braved the deteriorating structure for a peek inside. A couple of ATV riders indicated the mill was opened in the 1920's, and showed us a few rocks still covered in mercury. By the looks of the somewhat crude machinery, the mill workers didn't need to worry much about saving for retirement, as the fumes must have severely shortened their lives.
Resting up after our tour of the mill, we stood about talking and investigating the numerous pits, sink holes, and abandoned mine shafts that covered the surrounding hills. Several members of the group indicated the tin covering the mill had been intact last year, apparently the high winds that had knocked over the pine trees we saw earlier had taken their toll on the mill as well.
With one last look at the mill, we headed back up to the main road. A few short miles of easy dirt road lead us back to the Beeline highway where we had started. Most of the group split up and headed back to Phoenix, the rest headed for Log Corral and more wheeling.
Trip report: FR18
May 20-22, by Scott Nixon
People in attendance:
The Nixon Family (Scott as trip leader),
The Babcock family.
John Tash,
Bill and Nickie Blanford
Steve Findling and Janine Nobart
Roy Chancellor, guest and kids.
Ah birthdays, those annual milestones that measure out a man's life. Sixteen means you can drive a car. Eighteen means you're guaranteed to be tried as an adult. Twenty-one means you can legally drink. Thirty-two means, well, not much. Let's face it, after twenty-one they're all pretty much meaningless until you hit 40 and they make fun of you for being "over-the-hill" and then 100, when that goofy weather guy mentions you on TV. Under the circumstances, maybe I should have just stayed home.
Anyway, everyone met up near Bartlett Lake. We headed up the road a bit till the pavement ended and aired down for the long, bumpy ride up FR24. An hour or so later I pulled over at a neat little hill climb near some exposed sandstone that reminded some of Moab, others of Monument Valley, and even a few of Sedona.
After John and Bill took a turn at the hill, everyone piled in for the last easy bit before the trailhead. Shortly after the turn onto FR269 we began hearing muffled thunking sound. Lynn thought it was coming from the back, I thought it was coming from the front driver's side. I jumped out, checked around a bit, and decided it was just my front bumper, or maybe a loose headlight.
Further on down the road I took a turn that looked right, thinking someone had knocked over the FR18 sign. It soon ended at a small campsite, so I turned around, only to hear a loud clunk as my truck lurched to a stop. Crawling under the front revealed a broken u-joint on the passenger side. Fortunately, Charlie had a spare. Unfortunately, the large socket I needed to pull the front axle was left at home. So much for not needing tools on an easy trail.
After attempting to pull it apart with a pipe wrench, we resigned ourselves to the inevitable. John agreed to drive me home for the correct tools, while Charlie would lead the rest of the group down to the campsite (thankfully he was on the pre-run!) and return to lend a hand.
A little under two and a half hours later got back to find Charlie sweating under the shade of a small bush. I attacked the front axle with a vengeance. Once I had it apart, Charlie realigned the ears on the axle with a few precision whacks from his five-pound sledge, and we slapped in the new u-joint. The tools were quickly stowed away and we headed for the trail.
Taking little time to enjoy the beautiful riparian scenery we scrambled to make camp before dark. Arriving just a bit before 7pm, we found the rest of the group sunburnt and bug-bitten. Apparently the blooming cactus in the area had attracted quite a few insects. As a group of ATV'ers had my chosen campsite, I chose one bit further from the water. The tent was up in record time, and I even got dinner done before the sun went completely down.
Once everyone had eaten, we sat down near the rivers edge drinking and talking. Quite a few bats were out taking care of the pesky insects. As we had all had a long day, we turned in just before the large moon rose over the mountains. You could literally read by its light in our tent.
I awoke to the sound of Shelby, Hailey, and Charlie walking up the creek on an early morning flower hunt. Getting up early apparently had its advantages, as the Babcocks witnessed to a rare site; a couple of river otters out for a morning swim. After breakfast I packed up while Lynn and Sydney sat in the shade of a nearby tree and supervised.
Soon everyone was sitting in the shade, swatting at bugs. Rather than feed them a second time, we decided to head out. After Charlie and Steve finished playing on a few obstacles near the river, we began working our way up the creek. Having done the road three times now, Charlie chose a few different routes on our way out. Not knowing he was exploring rather than leading, the group followed along. Luckily, all the creative detours worked out fine. Half way up the trail, he relinquished leadership to me. About a hundred yards further up was the first gate; he couldn't have planned it better if he tried!
After taking a few pictures and changing a diaper, we finally arrived at the spot where the road climbs up out of the creek for the last time. Taking advantage of the last shade we would see till Phoenix, we stopped and ate lunch. A long, and by now quite tedious to some of us, trip down FR24 led us back to pavement. Steve was nice enough to air up tires for those that wanted it, the rest of us made a quick dash back to civilization.
Thanks to everyone who showed up to help me celebrate (?!) my birthday. Special thanks to John and Charlie for going above and beyond the call of duty helping me get my truck back together and making sure everyone else enjoyed the trip. I owe you guys big time!!
Forest-wary forests to begin closing June 10
From the June 2nd Arizona Republic, by Judd Slivka
At least three of Arizona's six national forests plan to close large areas to the public beginning June 10 because of fire danger.
The Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests will announce today the closure of about 40 percent of their 2 million acres, including half the Alpine Ranger District.
The Tonto National Forest will announce a smaller closure area north of Payson.
Closing an area of the forest means prohibiting all public entry, except by area property owners.
The Apache and Sitgreaves forests also are banning open fires, including in developed campgrounds. Propane grills will still be allowed in developed campgrounds. Tonto already had imposed those restrictions at higher elevations.
Prescott National Forest will not close areas to the public, but has banned all open fires.
Campfires outside developed campgrounds currently are prohibited on all national forest land in Arizona.
Editors Corner
No major editorial this month, I'm still resting up from FR18 (see trip reports) and getting used to my new job. A few sharp-eyed readers may notice the newsletter now has the correctly spelled title. Thanks to Jay Kopycinski for pointing out that it should be "Trail Tales", rather than "Trail Tails". Those that live by the spell checker, die by the spell checker.
Last month also marked a joyous occasion in my short tenure as editor, I was able to successfully send a newsletter to everyone on the roster without the post office bouncing back a single issue for address problems. Yeah! Whether or not they actually got to the intended recipients, well, let's just say no ones complained so far.
Scott Nixon,
Editor
Calendar of Events
June 17-18: Mingus Mountain weekend. Meeting location is Sunset Point rest stop on I17 north of Phoenix, Exit 252 at
9AM. See elsewhere in newsletter for full details. Trip leader is John Tash.
June 21: National Forest Service Roadless Initiative meeting. Embassy Suites, 44th St and McDowell in Phoenix. 6-9pm. Contact Jim Payne or Paul Stewart (602) 225-5200. The opposition will be there in force, if we don’t show up too they win by default!
June 28: Club meeting at Peter Piper Pizza, Alma School and Elliot in Chandler.
June 30-July9: McNeal. Trip leader is Loren Gersztyn. Annual trip to the Adcock Ranch. Enjoy the small town atmosphere of Bisbee and their July 4th festival. Wheeling in this area is not to be missed, just ask Ted about "scared cow tank!"
July 1-8: Cinders. Trip leader is Marty Boetel. He'll be up there all week, let him know if you want to meet up. Any vehicle can have fun in the cinders, and the only thing that gets damaged is your pride.
August: Night run in the White Tanks area, trip leader is Linda Luik.
August: Night run to Terminator, trip leader is Rick Micola.
August 19: ASA4WDC Quaterly.
September 2-9: Marty will be in Moab, let him know if you want to come along or meet up there.
September 17-23: Week long trip to the north rim of the Grand Canyon. Trip leader is John Tash.
October 18-22: Jamboree!!!
November: ???
December: Possible Christmas tree hunt and/or snow run?
December: Club Christmas Party.
June trip trail status:
Meeting location is Sunset Point rest stop on I17 north of Phoenix, Exit 252 at
9AM. Camping location is Mingus Playground group site #1. Altitude of campsite is 7600 ft. The camping area is a large dispersed site. Facilities include toilets, picnic tables, fire rings and grills. Bring your own charcoal; fire wood may be useless due to fire restrictions. NO WATER AVAILABLE AT CAMP! The club is covering the cost of camping.
Road on Saturday up to campsite is FR413 from Jerome to Mingus Mountain. Narrow and steep, It is rated 2.5-3.0 with lots of tight turns and pucker inducing drop-offs. Road on Sunday is the newest section of the Great Western trail. It is a tight, rocky, downhill wash that has had no road building done. Rating is 3.5 up to 4.0 for full-size vehicles. Those that want to come and camp but save their sheet metal can return to Phoenix via a 2wd road.
Due to the large number of springs on Mingus Mountain, the area is a magnet for wildlife. The pre-run featured rattle snakes, javelina, deer, and even a large black bear.
Land we will be on is under the jurisdiction of the Prescott National Forrest, Verde ranger district (1-520-567-4121). Gas and diesel fuel is available around Cottonwood. Trip leader is John Tash, if you have any questions his number is 1-480-802-9089.
Questions?
Got a question about the club? Wondering where or when the next club meeting or run is? Planning a wildcat or pre-run and looking for company? Call Marty! He welcomes calls at home during the day while he plays Mr. Mom. Give him a ring at (480)-926-3977.
Web page update
Our club web site has been updated recently. Although the cover page is still being held hostage by the ASA4WDC web master, there is a new trip report for FR201A and a new entry under members rigs for the Babcock's collection of locked and lifted Chevys. Let's keep those submissions to Ted coming!
For Sale
Hard to Find 83 Jeep Scrambler (CJ-8) custom built for Rock Crawling. 10 Point Custom Roll Cage, Custom rock sliders w/Step, High Back Bucket Seats. 6" Pro Comp Lift with Confer Shackles and SlickRock Shackle Hangers, sits on 35" 15.5 x 15 Super Swamper TSL-SX Tires mounted on 15" Steel BEADLOCKED Wheels, DANA 44 Axles with Mosier Shafts Front and Rear with 4.88-1 Gears. Detroit Locker in the rear, Lock Right Locker in the front. Warn 6 bolt hubs with Stud Conversion Kit. AGR Rock Crawler Power Steering Box with AGR High Flow Pump. 4.2 L Inline 6 engine, T-5 transmission, and Dana 300 Transfer Case. Full Steel Doors with Kayline Full Soft top and soft half doors. Tow bar mounted to frame for flat towing. THIS SCRAMBLER WILL GO ANYWHERE! I can show photos to prove it! Asking 8000.00 or best offer. Any reasonable offers will be considered. Call Rick Micola 602-692-5492.
Joke of the Month