MORG February 2015 MORG (CANCELED)

 

NOTE: This MORG event has been canceled due to park closure (rained out.) Look for the next MORG event on the first Saturday of the next month. Additionally, some members are traveling to Frank Raines OHV park in Patterson this weekend.

 

Hello fellow MORGers -- the holidays are over and we can get back to what's important -- Land Rovers in the dirt! This month we're heading north across the Golden Gate Bridge and up past Healdsburg to South Cow Mountain OHV Recreation Area. This BLM managed property is about 5 mi. E of Ukiah via Mill Creek Road.

 

Please reply in the thread if you plan on attending. Also of note, South Cow Mountain trails have, in the past not been well-groomed/maintained. This means you may encounter brush contact with your vehicle. If you are concerned about taking your vehicle onto the trails but still want to come out, please let us know -- some trucks will likely have room for passengers.

 

NOTE:Chances of heavy rain are forecast for South Cow Mountain -- this could lead to park closure. In the event this occurs, our fallback is Frank Raines OHV park near Patterson. More info will be provided on Friday.

 

Attendee List ( [C] indicates a plan to camp Saturday at South Cow Mountain )

 

• Jared & Erin [C*]

• Rob (per Jan MORG post, haven't heard from him for this thread)

• Don [C]

• Robb [C]

• Dan

• Chuck

• John

• Barron (maybe)

• Justin

• Anudeep & Nikhila

• Graeme & Lucas [C]

• Alyson [C*]

 

 

Also, more information is available in the Calendar and as always, we will meet at the entrance at 10:00AM. A caravan from the South Bay will be coordinated and posted in the thread later.

You know I'm in....I'm always in.

Seeing how this is a 3 hr+ drive for most of us, might we want to consider making it an overnight? I haven't looked - do they allow camping here?

Seeing how this is a 3 hr+ drive for most of us, might we want to consider making it an overnight? I haven't looked - do they allow camping here?

 

Yes, there are two sites for nearby camping. I'll gather some info and post a camp option for folks. Good idea.

 

-Jared

I posted in the other Cow Mountain thread as well, but I am planning on this trip, and would prefer to camp. Depending in the number of people who want to camp, there are several options, Buckhorn being my preference. I can take a look as we get closer, I am up in the area for work often.

And I live 15 minutes away from Cow Mtn. I've hosted a couple of trips there over the years, very familiar with the area. One thing to note is that the area will be closed in times of heavy rainfall, and usually for about 3 days afterwards in order to avoid too much vehicle damage to the trails so if we get rain around the time of the MORG there, we may have to reschedule.

And I live 15 minutes away from Cow Mtn. I've hosted a couple of trips there over the years, very familiar with the area. One thing to note is that the area will be closed in times of heavy rainfall, and usually for about 3 days afterwards in order to avoid too much vehicle damage to the trails so if we get rain around the time of the MORG there, we may have to reschedule.

 

Thanks for chiming in Dan -- Our backup plan is to fall-back to Frank Raines if Cow Mtn is unavailable. We'll just have to keep an eye on the weather and hope for dry conditions. We have another South Cow MORG planned during the late Spring as well if this doesn't pan out.

 

-Jared

Oh, and add me to the Attendees List as well. It'd be silly to miss a MORG that's in my own backyard.

 

If people plan to camp, here are a few notes on that: As Robb said (and he's been on at least two of the Cow Mtn. trips I've done) Buckhorn Camp is the nicer of the two options in many ways. It's a smaller campground having only 4 sites (as opposed to Red Mtn's 10 sites) and is only accessible by 4X4 or good high ground clearance 4X2 so it's doesn't get used quite as much as Red Mtn. which is accessible by low-clearance 4X2. Buckhorn has one pit toilet and no running water so bring your own water. I believe Red Mtn. has two pit toilets and also no running water.

 

Even though Buckhorn has only 4 sites, all are quite large and there's plenty of room to cmap between sites. We've had a good-sized group camp there and only used 2 of the 4 sites.

 

Cow Mtn. is BLM and doesn't charge for use of either the OHV area or the campsites, but it not as well maintained as Hollister or other State-run sites. As such, it attracts more rednecks and idiots who feel that it's okay to dump their garbage and beer cans wherever they feel like and set up impromptu firing ranges to see how much ammo they can expend and how many beer bottles they can shoot up so there's a fair bit of debris from that scattered about. Don't get me wrong, it's still a pretty decent area and heads and tails above Knoxville to the East, and several local 4X4 clubs work to maintain the area on a volunteer basis along with the BLM rangers. Also, it's open to all offroad vehicles so you're frequently sharing the trails with motorcycle and quads, and traffic can run both directions on the trails. Some trails are M/C only though that doesn't stop some 4X4s from using them as well.

 

Entry to the area can be made from the East through Lake County (which is the side I come in from) ir from the West through Mendocino County. A decision will need to made as to which is preferable, perhaps it would be best if people enter through the side that's most convenient for them and we meet somewhere in the middle, perhaps Buckhorn camp or nearby (since it's not all that easy to find if you don't know the way!) at a pre-arranged time. Due to the terrain and distance HAM works much better in the area than CB. There's a repeater on Mt. Konocti that can be utilized if contact can't made on 146.460. The repeater is N1PPP and is on RX Freq: 146.775 MHz, TX Freq: 146.175 MHz, CTCSS: 103.5 Hz.

Pretty stoked to see that the morgs are starting to move around (and get closer). Hollister was a haul for me and really only made sense for the annual. As a suggestion, perhaps a good use of the season would be to run some snowy roads while they are snow covered. Could be lots of fun.

Pretty stoked to see that the morgs are starting to move around (and get closer). Hollister was a haul for me and really only made sense for the annual. As a suggestion, perhaps a good use of the season would be to run some snowy roads while they are snow covered. Could be lots of fun.

 

You've got my attention....I'm listening.

 

Between work (SF Boat show this month), Shaver, the work on my rig, and the Feb MORG all coming up in short order I haven't given much thought to a good day or weekend of snow wheeling other than Shaver. But we could easily get up to the foothills and find something for a day.

You've got my attention....I'm listening.

 

Between work (SF Boat show this month), Shaver, the work on my rig, and the Feb MORG all coming up in short order I haven't given much thought to a good day or weekend of snow wheeling other than Shaver. But we could easily get up to the foothills and find something for a day.

 

Agreed, this would be fun -- MORG event could happen with appropriate planning, but a day trip would work out just as well. For MORGs we have to be cognizant of stock vehicles and non-members that attend.

 

-Jared

I am thinking about going - think I might camp if I do. May be doing some wrenching at Dan's house the day before (and day after depending on how far we get)...

For MORGs we have to be cognizant of stock vehicles

 

"Katrina" is no longer stock ... so we're out of that class.

 

Graeme

"Katrina" is no longer stock ... so we're out of that class.

 

Graeme

 

Given your driving habits I was never too worried about keeping the trails tame on your behalf.

Given your driving habits I was never too worried about keeping the trails tame on your behalf.

 

Don,

 

I think the kid is normally driving (!)

 

I did remember that even before we started the recent work it was modified, from air to springs (the switches are still there on the dash). Odd, as it was not a SE7 before the rear seats were added and I thought only the SE7 had air (but maybe all SE versions did).

 

Graeme

I have always liked wentworth springs re out of Georgetown. It's not plowed but gets plenty of traffic so the ruts are pretty passable. I did it when my disco was stock. We could take it to ice house road which is plowed. You're only a few miles from the loon lake and the rubicon at that point. Ice house re is plowed and you can take that all the way back to hwy 50. It a nice loop.

You know, I've done Wentworth Springs and Ice House Rd lots of times.

 

Just usually on a sportbike....

Guilty pleasures.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Count me (Florida John, stock LR4) in for Cow Mountain. I can camp in my truck. About trail choice: maybe someone who knows the park can work out a basic green-blue route with some optional red-black cross-overs or connectors.

Count me (Florida John, stock LR4) in for Cow Mountain. I can camp in my truck. About trail choice: maybe someone who knows the park can work out a basic green-blue route with some optional red-black cross-overs or connectors.

 

Here is a map that may help with that: http://www.blm.gov/style/medialib/blm/ca/pdf/pdfs/ukiah_pdfs.Par.b7b72dfe.File.dat/South_Cow_Mtn.pdf . The second tab has a trail key with level of difficulty. Myself and/or Dan will head up there prior to the MORG and get an update on the trail conditions.

About trail choice: maybe someone who knows the park can work out a basic green-blue route with some optional red-black cross-overs or connectors.

 

Yeah, we need those easy routes just in case any Jeeps come along ....

 

Graeme

You know, I've done Wentworth Springs and Ice House Rd lots of times.

 

Just usually on a sportbike....

 

Me too, well before I sold it that is. It's a different animal in the snow

I may go. I've never been up there so I'd like to check it out. Same meeting time? 10am? I have work the next day so I won't be camping if I make it.

I may go. I've never been up there so I'd like to check it out. Same meeting time? 10am? I have work the next day so I won't be camping if I make it.

 

You got it -- 10AM. Hope you can make it!

 

I don't think there has been much rain up that way, so as long as things don't change the park should stay open. We've got Dan and Robb scouting out the area and will let us know conditions as we get closer.

 

-Jared

I'll be attending.. Unless that is I break my Rover at shaver