Howling at the moon

(April 5th-6th 2008, by Troy Stubblefield)

     The day started out at 7:30am with a visit to Brett’s ranch to pick up some wood for the nights fire. I made a quick call to Dan on my cell and found out his overnight repairs to his exhaust leak did not fair so well and he would not make it. The Day prior Brandon had found a nasty oil leak and it was doubtful he would make it as well. After all that was done, it was off to IHOP in Escondido at 8:30am where Daeton and his family met with me to have a hearty breakfast. The marine layer covered us and I am sure we were all looking forward to getting out to the nice clear desert air and some warmer temperatures. Once we had cleaned our plates and paid the bills, we made a quick stop at my house to pick up some extra gear and I forgot to grab my sleeping bag, which I would later regret and then we said a short prayer and hit the road.

     The trip up to Borrego Springs was pleasant, we took our time getting there to save some gas and enjoy the scenery. The skies finally cleared up around the start of S22 going through the mountain pass down into the desert floor. We hit about 79 degrees and had a nice cool breeze so the weather was perfect. We arrived at the XL-Co at about 10:45am and the Schafer’s and I began the long wait for everyone else. We were supposed to have three more vehicles, one of which was Brett and Dana, who were leaving late and would meet us on the trail.  We waited at the XL-Co till about 11:30am, 30 minutes past the official departure time just to make sure no one was coming and after Jacob decided to ride in my FJ, we set off for the trail head down Del Diorgio Road. When we hit the end of the pavement we stopped to air down and then put the pedal to the floor and hit the sand The Ocotillo’s were in full bloom along with many other desert flowers making for a picturesque scene. The water level was pretty high on the trail as could be seen at the first crossing which is always a blast to slash through, but the third crossing was very deep. After we got to the third crossing we planned to wait for Brett and Dana to arrive and guide them up the rocky climb that followed. It was about 1:00pm when we waited several vehicles passed by and some stopped to enjoy the stream. Jacob and Daeton went hunting for frogs and we soon all joined them to pass the time. The winds were unbearable and kicked up huge dust clouds, most of us retired to the trucks to avoid them; by about 3:30pm we thought Brett may not be showing up and 3o minutes later we decided to head on up to the camp sight.

     The rocky climb had been maintained a bit too well, I sped up at about 10mph with no problem and Daeton was not too far behind. We ran into Ranger Nancy on the way up whom we where supposed to meet with and said hello. She told us that the maintenance had been so extreme due to a serious accident in which a person fell from a water fall and they were forced to bring in emergency vehicles. Once we had a quick chat, we continued up the rocky climb and into the wash. The wash was like running the Baja and I tested out the FJ’s baja blood by giving it some gas and speeding through the twisty trail leaving the Schafer’s Cherokee in the dust quite literally. After a few miles of our mini baja 1000, we finally hit Sheep Canyon and set up our camp. The hills around the canyon were covered in wild flowers and Daeton and Jacob decided to climb to the top of one nearby after we all had eaten dinner. By this time it was about 7:00pm and the sun was dropping behind the hills when Daeton and Jacob called down that a blue Toyota 4-Runner was headed our way, looks like Brett and Dana made it out after all. They sped into camp to a warm welcome and explained that the 4-Runner had a problem with one of its hubs and delayed them quite a bit. They had a quick dinner and set up their camp so we could all make a night run around the area and “howl at the moon”. I got to fire up my massive Baja Lights for  the first time, wow is all I can say. The picture does them a bit of justice . After a few minutes blazing a trail, we made it back to camp and started up a fire to keep warm and cook some smores. Around the fire we all chatted a bit and gave some amazing testimonies, I am sure we would all say it was a great time of fellowship.

     Brett was the first to doze off and we all did shortly after. The night for me was cold and troublesome as I had forgotten to pack the sleeping bag (as I stated before). Luckily I carry a blanket in the FJ and brought my thermals. All bundled up in my sweatshirt, thermals, sweat pants and socks I the sack, but had to say a quick prayer to make it through the night. It was cold and I did not fall asleep for a while. After the prayer I woke up and it was 6:30am, so I guess the Lord answered. Brett was up first and everyone else slowly woke up after I did and the smell of cooking breakfast filled the camp . The Schafer’s had to head out early to make the Padre’s game (go Dodgers!, yes I am from LA originally, sorry). Breakfast at camp is always the best. After they hit the road, the rest of us broke down camp and got ready to go. Just before we left we all said a prayer and were on our way.

    On our way out we passed several boy scouts hiking their way down the trail, and just past the deep crossing, we ran into a pair of scout leaders who were trapped. They had not seen a rock and high centered their Silverado on it and spent from 7:00am till about noon, when we arrived, trying to get out. We passed just as they were about to hike into town and they wanted a ride, but armed with the Lord and a High-Lift Jack we set out to get the free (an answer to prayer). I wore a Christian T-shirt and we all made it known we were part of the 4x4 Ministry at the Rock church, so it was a great ministering opportunity . With a little work and help from a local and Ranger Nancy, we got the free and made their day, or rather they made ours! After they pulled off we sat and talked with Nancy quite a bit (another answered prayer) we got to minister to her. She was very happy we had stopped to help out and had volunteered to help maintain the rocky climb as well, she even asked for our help to diagnose a noise on her Jeep.

   After we parted company we put the pedal to the metal and made it back to the trail head to air up and say goodbye . Then it was back to civilization. This was the best trip yet. It was what the 4x4 Ministry is all about and it was a blessing to have God allow us to be used to minister to others and it really recharged me to keep the ministry moving ahead. If you missed it, you really missed out on this one. We will do at least one or two trips to Coyote Canyon each year to maintain the trail and camp out, so don't miss out next time and don't forget your sleeping bag!

See all the event pictures here!

UCORA - Crawl For Christ

The United Christian Off Road Alliance is holding a huge event at the Superlift off-road park in Arkansas this year. The Rock Crawlers would love to participate in this and represent San Diego and also promote this event for anyone who is interested in attending.

Oruflamme (Oru-flam) Cayon

Oriflamme Canyon Trail Report (By Troy – 4x4 Ministry Leader)

The trip to Oriflamme started out with excitement. Everyone met at Julian around 8:30am on Saturday. Brett arrived shortly after I did and Brandon and the Schafer’s followed shortly afterwards. Apparently all the way up Brandon’s dust cover on the inside of his right front wheel was loose and making annoying clanking sounds. When he pulled up he borrowed my Hi-Lift to get the wheel off and remove the offensive dust cover. Daeton and his family along with Maria and her son Tony showed up as everyone was filling out paper work and then I got a mysterious call from our missing man Dan that was cut off after a hello. He was late, so I figured he was calling to say he would be late and so we had a driver meeting and said a prayer then waited and by 9:30 still no Dan so with everyone waiting for an hour we had to head out.

On the way to the trail I got some reception on my cell and got a call from Dan explaining he was stuck on the Highway 78, but we were halfway to Anza Borrego and too far out to head all the way back to the 78 so Dan started looking for some help from passers by. Shortly after that Daeton’s right front brakes started smoking and we pulled over to discover the calipers had seized up on him. We all pitched in tools and ideas and eventually pulled off the caliper and zip tied it to the upper control arm in the front and Daeton headed out with one front brake.

After a few curves we made it to the trail head and Brett stopped to air down and we shifted into 4-wheel drive. The trail was pretty warm compared to our pre-run and the start of the trail laws fairly dry. AS we climbed higher we spotted traces of snow and then we hit the mother load, sort of. The Surrounding hills were covered in show, but it seams the snow on the trial had melted to produce “Brown Snow” also known as mud. To make the most of it many of us made sure we gunned it through all the mud bogs slashing mud all over our rigs. Nearing the peak was the lone challenge on the trail which I had to take. It was a small crevasse where the water had washed the dirt from. I threw it into 4-Low and turned on the locker and the FJ zipped right over it like a champ. Then a little way up we ran into a lone wheeler in a black Jeep XJ and Brett had a word with him only to discover he was from the Rock too and not out with us, gasp!

At the trails peak we all stopped for a break and broke out our snacks. Maria had come prepared with loads of food for great pita sandwiches which she generously shared with everyone and they hit the spot. After some conversation, a few photo ops and a few attempts to fix a bent over “no camp fires” sign we hit the road again. The trail got muddier on this side and we all took home some pretty thick badges of honor as mud bathed our rigs. Maria, who had taken over driving at this point from her son, made a point to turn her red jeep a light tan color from the mud bogs. Shortly after all the mud, we descended back to the small town of Banner and said a prayer and had our final good-byes. Daeton and his family stopped in Julian to pick up a pie they had ordered and from there I made sure Daeton made it safely to Ramona where he stopped to get his brakes fixed. Shortly after I called Dan’s wife to make sure he had made it home ok and apparently he was sick that day needing chicken soup not 4-wheeling; he made it home after someone gave him a bit of help and had fallen asleep.

It was a very scenic and relaxing trip with a lot of little breakdowns, but nothing too serious. Just goes to show that you always need to be prepared even for the easiest of trails. Special Thanks to Brett for being the trail boss and Maria for having the foresight to bring food for everyone. See you next trip!

ADOPT-A-TRAIL

The Rock Crawlers have officially adopted Coyote Canyon Trail in Anza Borrego. The process is still in the works, but we have volunteered to help out the Anza Borrego State Parks ranger who maintains the trail. This is a great opportunity to minister by our actions and help out the community. We should be getting a sign posted indicating that we have adopted the trail, hopefully we can post our logo and our ministry passage for everyone who takes the trail to see.

Grow / Serve