Mffoster Posted August 19, 2023 Report Share Posted August 19, 2023 I’m up for the run backwards with Eric and Don. They’ll be able to tow me up big sluice with my little tires. lutz and Elherbinator 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lutz Posted August 20, 2023 Report Share Posted August 20, 2023 Now I'm sad . I have tours booked on Tuesday after the Rubicon. I think I'm going to run into a time issue if I try to run it backwards with you guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Motobrewer Posted August 20, 2023 Report Share Posted August 20, 2023 I will have a 4-pack variety of East Brother Beer Co for registered drivers. I will be arriving with Lutz and will distribute Thursday night so you can throw it in your cooler to chill it - beer will be picked up in the morning but Richmond to Rubicon is a warm journey. - Bo Pils - Red Lager - Blonde Ale (our newest year-round beer) - Festbier: our autumn seasonal lager I’ll likely bring some other varieties for my private stash and to keep my driver properly lubricated for the weekend. see you Thursday. Paul RobertDingli, Valentin Solinap, Jethro and 4 others 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyler Mattson Posted August 20, 2023 Report Share Posted August 20, 2023 I want to be Lutz when I grow up. Cool name, cool job, cool truck, God like driveing skill, and now the secret stash of beer. SplurGn, Jethro, lutz and 2 others 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elherbinator Posted August 20, 2023 Report Share Posted August 20, 2023 Look out for our Rovicon V sign when you roll past the Loon Lale staging area. We should also have a white EZ Up with the NCLR logo on it. SDS, Tyler Mattson, Jethro and 5 others 7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyler Mattson Posted August 23, 2023 Report Share Posted August 23, 2023 A few hours into the work day and it feels like a few weeks. Tomorrow can't get here fast enough, I can't wait to hange out, drink beer ,and break things with all my rover rock crawler buddies. Jethro, Mr.BlueSky, RobertDingli and 2 others 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jethro Posted August 23, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2023 34 minutes ago, Tyler Mattson said: A few hours into the work day and it feels like a few weeks. Tomorrow can't get here fast enough, I can't wait to hange out, drink beer ,and break things with all my rover rock crawler buddies. I hear that!! Fletcher is so excited too! Mr.BlueSky 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jethro Posted August 23, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2023 On 8/20/2023 at 3:50 PM, Elherbinator said: Look out for our Rovicon V sign when you roll past the Loon Lale staging area. We should also have a white EZ Up with the NCLR logo on it. I love the added touch of your plants as fore ground! 👊 Mr.BlueSky 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCLR074 Posted August 24, 2023 Report Share Posted August 24, 2023 I will be leaving the vineyard Friday morning after getting things set and should be at the staging area by noon. Mr.BlueSky 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ment1610 Posted August 26, 2023 Report Share Posted August 26, 2023 A few pictures from yesterday (Friday 8/25/23). It was great to get out a meet folk! The Rallying Point Queueing to go! Later Starters Top of the Gate Keeper Not That Way This Way! Kevin's LS Powered Disco 2 - Needed all that power to tow Eric back out over the Gate Keeper! Impressive Performance from the New Defender Eric's D2 Still Running Before the Diff Stripped! It's a Land Rover so Stuff Breaks!! Safe travels to all and hope to catch up again soon! lutz and Elherbinator 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SDS Posted August 28, 2023 Report Share Posted August 28, 2023 Daniel and I got home a couple of hours ago. What a beautiful trip!!! Huge thank you to the organizers: Greg, Eric,Don (sorry if I missed anyone) and to all tireless and patient spotters. It was great to catch up and meet new people. Great company is what makes these trips really special. Now it’s time to start making plans for what needs to be done (on the car) for a next trip. Synthetic which line, new diff guards, and the sliders are first on my list. lutz, Mr.BlueSky and PaulD 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jethro Posted August 28, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2023 For those that missed the link in the email, here is where to share pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/4hSAxKRcCgtvh8Fn8 Another really great trip in the books! PaulD, lutz, SplurGn and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lutz Posted August 29, 2023 Report Share Posted August 29, 2023 As always Rovicon does not disappoint. Special thanks to Greg Don and Eric for the planning and of course Tyler and Tim Scully for all the repairs they did on the trail to help everyone get through. SDS, Motobrewer, PaulD and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elherbinator Posted August 29, 2023 Report Share Posted August 29, 2023 It was a great one this year! For me, it was a little disappointing due to mechanical failure, but it didn’t prevent me from having a great time. It’s like a reunion every year where we get to hang out with our rover rock crawling buddies from around the country, and world at this point. Many I see on a regular at club functions, but many I only get to see once a year at the event (Donnie 😂). Great trail running and even better post trail camp socializing. PaulD, Jethro, Mr.BlueSky and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SplurGn Posted August 29, 2023 Report Share Posted August 29, 2023 On 8/20/2023 at 9:35 AM, Motobrewer said: I will have a 4-pack variety of East Brother Beer Co for registered drivers. I will be arriving with Lutz and will distribute Thursday night so you can throw it in your cooler to chill it - beer will be picked up in the morning but Richmond to Rubicon is a warm journey. - Bo Pils - Red Lager - Blonde Ale (our newest year-round beer) - Festbier: our autumn seasonal lager I’ll likely bring some other varieties for my private stash and to keep my driver properly lubricated for the weekend. see you Thursday. Paul I think the Red Lager as passed Bo Pils as my favorite now. Motobrewer and Elherbinator 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elherbinator Posted August 29, 2023 Report Share Posted August 29, 2023 16 minutes ago, SplurGn said: I think the Red Lager as passed Bo Pils as my favorite now. Btw, Red Lager is on tap at Buffalo Wild Wings. Gustav and I are Red Lager keg killers over there. Love that stuff! SplurGn, Motobrewer and PaulD 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SplurGn Posted August 29, 2023 Report Share Posted August 29, 2023 ...and - re: the eggs - had a yellow 12 egg holder - not even a crack on Sunday morning - when I made omelettes... Kidding aside - super amazing trip. Amazing scenery, amazing rigs, and especially - amazing people! Especially our spotters and trail repair team.... SDS 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SplurGn Posted August 29, 2023 Report Share Posted August 29, 2023 10 hours ago, Jethro said: For those that missed the link in the email, here is where to share pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/4hSAxKRcCgtvh8Fn8 Another really great trip in the books! Sorry if I uploaded too many - hard to choose..... Jethro 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gustav Dow Posted August 29, 2023 Report Share Posted August 29, 2023 11 hours ago, Elherbinator said: Btw, Red Lager is on tap at Buffalo Wild Wings. Gustav and I are Red Lager keg killers over there. Love that stuff! Ahhh yes East Brothers red lager, ESPN MNF, and punts $. Tyler Mattson 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jethro Posted August 29, 2023 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2023 12 hours ago, SplurGn said: Sorry if I uploaded too many - hard to choose..... More the merrier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyler Mattson Posted August 29, 2023 Report Share Posted August 29, 2023 I second the huge and overdue thankyou to the rovicon committee. I can't imagine how much it takes to put on such a fun weekend and hope it's an event that can continue to grow and I hope to be there for it. It sucks Eric became a passenger princess but mabey that's the fuel on the fire to get the rock rangie rover buggy going. Mr.BlueSky, SDS, Elherbinator and 1 other 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyler Mattson Posted August 29, 2023 Report Share Posted August 29, 2023 And a big shout out to Paul for bringing beer. It's probably one of the biggest small parts that makes rovicon one of the best offroad events iv gone to. lutz, Mr.BlueSky, Motobrewer and 6 others 8 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DHappel Posted August 30, 2023 Report Share Posted August 30, 2023 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! CRYA, SDS, lutz and 3 others 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DHappel Posted August 30, 2023 Report Share Posted August 30, 2023 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. Mr.BlueSky, PaulD, Tyler Mattson and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mffoster Posted August 30, 2023 Report Share Posted August 30, 2023 Another great trip, was able to spend time catching up with people I only see a couple of times a year at club events. Probably the biggest turnout of D90’s so far! My good friend Robert rode along with me until Sunday morning and took a ton of pictures, it’s so great to watch the different trucks work each obstacle. This is my favourite trip each year, although I can do without max stress moments like when the truck stalled in front of the crowd on the lower part of Big Sluice (Property Line?). Until next time!!! Jethro, Mr.BlueSky and PaulD 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts