CRYA

At @PaulD's request, please find an album link here to upload photos from the trip. 
https://photos.app.goo.gl/gbprYBTropApetTK9
Looks like another epic run!

It's time of the year to plan our Xmas tree run!
Planning for Saturday, December 2nd,  the tree permits go on sale 11/7 and can sell out quickly.  
We'll be in the Truckee River corridor again this year as last year went really well.
Here's the link to secure a permit.
https://www.recreation.gov/tree-permits/b2ce4e36-ebd2-11ea-b83f-6e0e43d29f74
The plan is to meet in Truckee at the Donner Creek Brewing Company,  they open around 11 AM.  
Thinking we'll head out to trailhead around 1 p.m. and it's just a mile down the road to the area. 
Here's the link to the tree-cutting area.
https://goo.gl/maps/rAnJd85pMC8H6xLb6
Now the roads go back for a ways and drops you back out onto the 89,  we'll see how many people feel like exploring up the road.
For the most part, it's used at this time to access the cutting areas, but it is an unplowed forest service road.
It's the mountain side so the kids had lots of run sledding down the hills and expect more of the same if we have snow.
 

Wish I could join this one. Also consider topping up at the Pomo Pump a little further down. It's at the casino and a fair bit cheaper fuel than the Chevron. Have a great trip all!

Little vid of the trip for the social medias
 

I don't really have any photos this year - I got lazy and rarely pulled out the camera plus I was always the first one out so not many others got photos of me either!  
We had a better turn out than I expected with a number of last minute folks jumping in.  Made some of the logistics difficult but still great to have them decide to come.  
This year we didn't really stick to our previous run group schedule so much.  Things got scrambled pretty quickly each day.  I started out leading group one and by the granite bowl had to turn back to assist somebody back to the trail-head for repairs so I sent the rest of my group on expecting it would be no trouble for me to catch back up to them.  But then at the bottom of the bowl I found Mike F replacing a broken rear axle and stopped to help, then just fell in with that group.  Similar story on day 2 - started first but while I was playing in Little Sluice some of the guys that took the bypass got ahead of me, then just at the bottom of Indian Trail I heard a call over the radio for asking Don to come back and help with a roll.  I couldn't get them to respond so again I sent my guys ahead w/o me following Mike (?) and got half way back to Arnold's Rock before I got back in touch on the radio.  Turns out it was a group of Jeeps coming down Cadillac Hill and they were looking for a different Don so again, reversed direction and caught back up to my group while making repairs to a holed front dif at the V-notch before Buck Island.  And then on Sunday....well, after Donnie made a strong showing Saturday night I wasn't exactly up for leading a group out early.  In fact, Mike and I were the last ones to leave camp at 11.
Over all I thought the trail was a little more chewed up than the last couple years which is good as it seemed to be getting easier and I'm glad to see some challenge come back.  Little Sluice and the squeeze rock after Buck Island in particular are getting tougher.  I did think Cadillac was easier; possibly this was from the work RTF put in earlier this year or maybe it was just that Mike and I were able to drive up w/o a lot of stop and go to wait for people.   
I had wanted to run the RTF loop before Buck Island but with things moving at a slow pace that day (possibly the longest I've ever taken to get to Rubicon Springs) that was a no-go; so still need to check that box as well as Old Sluice - gonna have to find somebody who's willing to run that one with me some day!
I did give Soup Bowl a try, but with a lot of standing water and the only spotter around just some random guy who had probably never seen a Rover on the trail before, I gave up before doing something stupid and breaking an axle.  When I've made it up it's always been with very careful pin-point tire placement and low-drama crawling.  This time I was on different lines and was starting to get aggressive with the throttle before I caught myself and waived off.  Pretty sure I could have still gotten up in the wet with a couple more psi (I was at 5 and was catching the rear dif; moved up to 7 later) and better line choice but again...I have to drive this junk home!
There was perhaps a bit more carnage than in past years, but really not anything crazy.  Nobody rolled, though there was some body damage.  Ted's Santana 110 broke a rear spring on the way into Winter Camp and that cause the rear tire to roll back/up into the fender.  Some of the kids spotting their dads made questionable calls (but hey, still great to see them out there learning!) and one put a D90 door into a tree root.  Serge got to play winch-man and pull him sideways off the root w/o any more damage.  Of course Eric killed a rear dif; likely because he did a quick and dirty rebuild just before heading out and didn't really have time to test it.  We had a D2 kill a front dif or maybe it was both front axles?  Not sure which.  Big Burt, Steve's new 110 Defender on 37s which made it through w/o breaking last  year took it a little harder this year.  He broke a front driveshaft U-joint on day one and a rear half shaft on day 3, then while replacing the half shaft the air suspension went active and inflated the airbag with the suspension still disassembled until it blew it out.  That was one part Steve didn't have with him so he ended up limping out the rest of the way (he was already past the lookout point anyway) on the bumpstops.  We had a couple of broken motor mounts on a D1 and Lutz's 110 HiCap - not exactly a surprising turn of events there.  Greg made multiple attempts to throw his borrowed D1 on it's side but never quite pulled it off (  ).  I replaced a failing front track rod bushing with a spare from Gustav at Winter Camp...  Probably a few others I can't think of or didn't see but again, nothing too serious and everybody drove out so that's a win.
And yes, Donnie did come out to play Saturday night.  Since Don is now into his 50s, he doesn't so much appreciate when Donnie appears but it seems like maybe once a year he still manages to sneak out.  I blame the whiskey.  And beer.  And Tequila.  And probably some other things.
While I'm all about the seat time, a big part of the enjoyment to me is seeing people making their first trip and really getting a first taste of rock crawling.  It's always great to sort of 're-see' things with fresh eyes again and hopefully we'll get some stories from those first time attendees.  And just maybe that will encourage a few more to give it a try.  That's really what this event was created for - so many Rover owners never get into rock crawling because it seem daunting or just not their thing or they want to but don't know how/where/with who - this is the perfect way to dive in with maximum support from people who know Rovers and how to make them work in the rocks.
And hey, we have free beer!

In other news, it's been discussed before and it's come up again - if we have a few late-model trucks like LR3/4/RR/Defender that would like to dip a toe in and 'test the waters' a bit, I can do an over-night run for them perhaps out to Spider and back or even to Buck if things move well.  We'd need to work out logistics and review your truck specs, but it is possible to rock crawl these rigs too with the right mental attitude, armor (lots of armor), and some mods.

The Rivian did really well. Granted, the most technical bit was the last bit down to the lake. (Sparsely scattered small boulders). 
Really nothing of a challenge at all. The R1T had plenty of ground clearance and almost double that of Snowflake's-diff-to-ground.
Trip from Truckee to White Rock takes about 45-60 minutes depending on how fast you take the washboards. 
We entered from Truckee and exited through Bowman, with the regenerative braking, Dan only consumed 7% of the pack capacity. In contrast, Snowflake sucked down 25% of a tank of fuel. So the Classic was once again more range limited than an EV.

Sorry for the delay - here is a link to share the photos from White Rock Lake!
https://photos.app.goo.gl/ATLqJ8ocBBXoNNSQ9

Looks like another epic run! Hate to have missed it. Given the time commitment of these trips along with many of us that want to join have younger families, hopefully for the ‘24 Roverland, the dates can be locked in sooner? Just a hint for the Overland Subcommittee. Longer range planning could help us all out as the miles and remoteness is a whole different experience than rock crawling for a day or two. 

Looks like another epic run! Hate to have missed it. Given the time commitment of these trips along with many of us that want to join have younger families, hopefully for the ‘24 Roverland, the dates can be locked in sooner? Just a hint for the Overland Subcommittee. Longer range planning could help us all out as the miles and remoteness is a whole different experience than rock crawling for a day or two. 

Thursday June 29th, Trail Day 4
Thursday morning, we made great time getting out of camp, even though we were roughly an hour further along than the itinerary required. It was a good thing too, as the ORBDR was about to raise the difficulty level.
An attempt was made to swing by Allison Guard Station – an original 1911 administrative building and forest management site now used as a summer firefighter backwoods station and rental cabins, however, yet again thwarted by a gate closure.
Climbing down out of the Oregon pine forests and the environment began to show signs of past volcanic activity. We climbed out onto a ridge to a great view of Mackey, Willow, and Anne Butte’s.

After some sightseeing, we dropped down to a site marked on the map as “grave.” At the time of trip planning, no location on the site was found.  It is a bit unsettling to come across a white picket fence in the woods surrounded with children’s toys. On the picket fence was a cross labeled Baby’s grave. If one squinted, you could maybe make out “BABY” inscribed on the rock surrounded by a picket fence.  A promise was made to investigate this upon arrival at home for more backstory.

Stuck at Sawmill No. 2 Reservoir… a detour around a closed road a fallen tree resulted in Jeff falling into a nice mudhole. Snowflake and Paul’s L322 made it easily through, only to leave ruts that quickly sank deeper when the L405 passed over. A quick yank backwards from Will and a bubba rope got him out. Jeff swung wide on the next attempt and made it through. Sasha and Oliver filled in the ruts with some clay clods and tree chunks with hopes that should someone slip into the hole there would be enough material to allow them to pass over. It almost worked.
Oliver’s LR3 decided to go for a mud bath and plunged headfirst into the hole. Cris’ winch was acting up, so pulling rearward was a no go. Mike’s 110 equipped with a bubba rope was also no match for the LR3’s determination to wallow. Winching with a snatch block got him out. The rest managed to avoid the now LR3 sized hole.


Good progress was made until we turned up Jack’s creek – here the forest was doing its best to reclaim the land from the eruptions of long ago. However, just below the surface soils were nasty hard igneous rocks we would come to know as “potatoes.”
After a relatively easy climb into the Buck Mountains, we descended to Upper Ryegrass flat. The descent was incredible slow as the road became more loose boulder than dirt. Progress was very slow. As we descended into the marsh of North Sheep Lake, Will smacked a rock pushing his exhaust into his rear driveshaft. Robert applied a quick trail fix, and progress resumed.
As it turns out, the marsh at the South end of North Sheep Lake was more lake than marsh and we had to detour around a very flooded section of trail. Then over the next ridge, Nordell Lake was more marsh than lake…

2:00PM was when the rovers reached the CCC Gap Ranch site. Trucks and people were well rattled. During a quick lunch, Will discovered a snapped rear shock on his 110. As lunch ended, Nathan and Will both chose to depart the trail to prevent further damage to the trucks. This proved to be a wise decision.
The NCLR crew of 9 pressed on, relieved to find that the next 30 miles were through sandy range lands surrounded by buttes and cattle. The fast progress ground to a halt as we neared Black Ridge (foreshadow). Potatoes – more like melons this time appeared alongside the trail, until they were the only thing on the trail.

Soon a call came over the radio that Jeff’s truck had overheated the compressor and was resting on the bump stops. Jeff limped along slowly until we reached a cow pond. Initially, the assumption was that the compressor was quickly cycling through offroad height and highway height causing the pump to overheat. Robert and Oliver decided to wait with Jeff for the truck to cool while the rest of the team pressed on the few (assumed) 7 short miles to camp.  
It took the first group 2 hours to reach camp in the dunes. Both Johann and Paul ripped open sidewalls on the way down from Black Ridge – Mark ended up finding multiple pieces of incredibly sharp obsidian in the trail. To make matters worse, the setting sun blinded drivers on the hill climbs and fatigue was setting in.
Camp was reached at 7:30PM. Sasha and Miles were able to convince Robert and Jeff to remain put for the night due to visibility and fatigue concerns. They had managed to push forward another quarter mile to the top of Black Ridge, the hardest bit being a somewhat technical rock ledge at the top. A plan was made for them to wake up early and limp into camp around 9 or 10AM the next day. The lead group would have breakfast ready.

ORBDR 5 had other plans.

On day 4 south of North Sheep Lake I drove over an unexpected rock large enough to push my center exhaust system into the heat shield that was rubbing against my rear driveline.   A quick field patch by Robert I was on my way only to break my left rear shock.....   I had no choice but end my trip and exit along highway 20 to Bend.  Made it without issues only the occasional banging of the shock and grinding of front right rotor due to foreign debri.  Friday I drove to Mom's north of Medford.  I plan on heading home Monday.  Overall the trip was EPIC.  Weather and scenery was spectacular.   

Looks like a solid good time! That snow is sticking around for a bit isn't it.

Thanks Miles. I appreciate that info. The timing and distances are just working against me. Bummed but I hope to make another one some day.

@CRYA in regards to you jumping in on the 27th, we will be in Sumpter, OR the morning of the 27th until 1:00PM. 
If that works for you let me know. The 28th... I think we will pass through Seneca for a fuel stop, but this one is still evolving and the window will be fairly tight. 
Granted, Jeff made it work last year in Primm, NV! : ).

Excellent advice, that I think you first conferred in Moab, so used some of this downtime to finally follow it...

On a similar note, what is the realistic assessment of joining up several days late? I’d love to make it but will be on a family vacation. I could possibly be able to meet up on the 27th or 28th if the group is in a reachable area then. 

Once the full itinerary is iron clad planned I’ll post it up. But yes there are a good number of spots where folks could join or depart. 
This trip won’t be near as remote as the EMHT or DV trips… though civilization in this case will basically be defined as having a gas pump, burgers, and asphalt - not much else.
if you can give details on the day of join/departure I can have a better idea of feasibility.
tomorrow I’ll try to figure out where we will be on the 27th-28th

On a similar note, what is the realistic assessment of joining up several days late? I’d love to make it but will be on a family vacation. I could possibly be able to meet up on the 27th or 28th if the group is in a reachable area then. 

This might be a possibility for me - however - are there possibilities of cutting out early - in case of scheduling conflicts?  (Is it easy to get back to a main road?)

Has there been any updates for this? 

Ah bummed. Hope y'all have a good trip.

Nearly all lakes in CA are artificial besides a rare few. All are old. We haven’t built a new dam since 1980. This is left wing radical environmentalism. Over 100 dams have been removed in Ca in the last 30 years yet we have nearly constant drought and power issues. PG&E has endless monies. If they run out due to lawsuits, they just charge more or file for bankruptcy like they did a few years ago. PG&E doesn’t follow a normal business model. You can flame away, but this lake has been around for 100 years. An entire ecosystem and economy has evolved around this lake. So if I see you at Shaver or Hell Hole or Loon or any of the other man made lakes we frequent as a club, I hope you do avoid those trips if you don’t care for some of us “flaming away” about how we would like to keep these areas.

And just for reference, it cost 5-10 million per year to operate Scott Dam. It is estimated to cost up to 500 million to remove it. Don’t think it’s a cost issue