West Coast 4-Wheel Drive Club, Inc.

PO Box 28583

Santa Ana, CA 92799

Table Mesa, AZ May 2002 Run Report

Hosts: Chris Villareal and Erik Malm

Members: the Beckman’s, Brzezicki’s, Friend’s, Swanson’s and rigless Wayne

Guests: the Cumming’s and Rohrbacher’s

The best part about this being over is I can stop correcting everyone that this was my run. Steve Friend really was the one who got it organized. It started off with DayDreamer’s last trip to AZ when they went to Martinez and the other trails around Florence Junction. He had gotten GPS coordinates for Terminator which is just north of Phoenix, about 25 minutes from Peg’s mom’s house. We went scouting once in Mrs. Park’s Corolla and once in the Expedition and found enough to know we wanted to come back with the Jeep. I planted the seed and Steve ran with it. Only problem was while he was running, work started filtering my email and I didn’t know it. Once we got back on the same track we were lucky the dates worked out. Then Steve got busy at work so I found the campground and got back with Chris (who Wayne knew from the Sami web). Steve also got coordinates from another friend (who already had plans for Johnson valley instead) just in case.

The drive over on Saturday was uneventful except my lack of tightening a spindle nut on the trailer. Luckily someone noticed I lost a bearing buddy at breakfast and I just put a dust cap on. Shortly down the road that was gone too and it dawned on us why. It took longer to get the jack out than tighten the loose nut. We stayed at the Table Mesa KOA (phone 800.562.5314). Motor home spot spots $26, kabins $35 + $4 (per person after the first 2 but with much needed air conditioning) just up the road from the trails. Steve found a ‘barbeque and nut fry’ called Hogs in Heat for dinner. Don’t ask me what Rocky Mountain Oysters taste like because I wouldn’t try them.

Chris has a pretty decent web site with lots of pictures at http://www.azrockcrawler.com The report for our runs starts at May 02 Lower Terminator. Since he did such a good job, I will keep this short.

On Sunday we started off early with Lower Terminator. Chris rates it a 3.5. Reminds me a lot of the trails we ran in Parker and Lake Havasu. The trails run up dry washes with a variety of obstacles – squeezes, sandy off camber ledges, and mild to wild waterfalls. We had planned to run Upper Terminator next but a little way through the group decided (with me pushing) to jump on Judgment Day instead since it would be a littler tougher at 4.0. (Anaconda was another option that branches off Lower Terminator.) Well, it wasn’t a good trail for DayDreamer. He ended up on his side because of some steering troubles and grenaded the Dana 300 transfer case (yes the steel case) after axle wrap spit a spring mount shim. We can talk more about that elsewhere. It was good to come home to a pot luck dinner that could have fed probably 6 more people.

Davey almost called it a trip too but since Paul was heading back on Tuesday we convinced him to stay another day. Monday seemed hotter and we started off with Predator rated 4.5. It all seems like a blur now but what I remember most was a real tight notch that Chris and Erik climbed the wall to get through. It was a good thing the rest of us fit because we are no where near as flexy as those 2. We lost a boat load of tires. Alan ruined all 5 in some way – 2 beads, 2 plugs, and a valve stem and a half. Paul even sliced 2 sidewalls in a MTR. That was the first I’d seen that. I know they’re not Swampers but I thought they were pretty durable. Davey and his BFGs and my MTRs must have just missed the nasties of spots.

When we finally finished and saw Annilator rated 5.0, I should have followed Davey and Alan who skipped the entire trail. It is 2 nasty waterfalls, probably the 2 hardest single obstacles I have crossed. The first waterfall is the most intimidating because there is a right hand turn in the middle of it. It’s the only time I have suggested to Peg she might not want to ride through an obstacle. Why I let Wayne get in at the bottom of it I don’t know. I think we all winched the last step although Chris usually makes it with just manpower on a strap. One thing I find rather sad was a bypass around the first falls that was closed because of a cactus that some people would scrape against. Grant it, I’m not a big fan of bypasses especially since the second falls didn’t have a bypass but there is a whole freaking desert full of cactuses, would one less really make a difference.

On the second waterfall, Chris got hung up on a spring hanger and his front end kept walking far enough for the front drive shaft to slide apart. After a quick fix and some help from the high lift, he was over. I don’t remember Erik at all. It may be because he made it cleanly or it may just have been having the shit scared out of me. I was third and Paul was spotting. I was climbing the steepest part and he told me to stop. I’m not sure if it was the slowness of manual brakes or not letting off the accelerator because I didn’t want to go backwards, I found traction and nearly did an endo back down the waterfall. A quick foot to the clutch and lots of arms that came grabbing at what ever they could reach kept me upright. Like the chicken I am, I called on my good friend Mr. Warn to make sure we kept the shiny side up. I may have used the high lift too?? I think Paul made it pretty cleanly but remember the winch was out. I think it was more to prevent body damage than needing it but I was just so happy to be up.

Everyone always wants to hear about damage and there was more than I like to see - too many tires but at least Alan wanted to replace his anyway, the shim and t-case, a gentle lean, 2 dents just behind the door opening, a clipped front fender, a broken window from a tree, crumpled rear corner from my rack getting realigned and who knows what else we will find as the cleaning and checkout continues.

A great big thank you to Chris and Erik for taking the time to show us around. I’d go back in a heartbeat but not when it is so hot. Hope the club members that know Johnson Valley don’t mind that I promised you guys would return the favor someday. I’ll be there, but the only one I have run is Sledgehammer.

John B

Renie – I will include some pictures for the web.