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  • Off-Road 101: June 18, 2011 - June 19, 2011

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Offline morerpmfred

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Re: CJA Off-Road 101 2011
« Reply #195 on: June 22, 2011, 09:56:27 PM »
Talk to your insurance company . they have paid for hydrolocked moters in the past.

Offline dunl

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Re: CJA Off-Road 101 2011
« Reply #196 on: June 22, 2011, 11:44:57 PM »
Now I know that this is likely might offend you and I'm OK with that  ::)  8)... but if I don't know you...  I certainly wouldn't be inviting you over to my shop to work on your junk or to turn a wrench on mine until I did get to know you.  I am pretty fond of my stuff and I dont like just anyone roaming around my shop.     

Plus the fact that if a full jeep goes missing from his harem of a dozen+ rigs, he might take almost a week to notice.  :D
`48 CJ2A, `54 CJ3B, `97 TJ, and 03 WJ...batting close to .500 when it comes to jeep models owned vs. jeep models created.....
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Offline BrokenAxle

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Re: CJA Off-Road 101 2011
« Reply #197 on: June 23, 2011, 08:38:11 AM »
I have put a new hemi into a ram 1500 that he told his insurance company he hit the ditch swerving to miss a moose on the hiway and hydro locked it.  His insurance paid for it and a lot more.  I was completely shocked.  That was state farm.

It doesn't hurt to ask.
« Last Edit: June 23, 2011, 10:49:18 AM by BrokenAxle »

Offline AstraX

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Re: CJA Off-Road 101 2011
« Reply #198 on: June 23, 2011, 10:24:37 AM »
I have put a new hemi into a ram 1500 that he told his insurance company he hit the ditch swerving to miss a moose on the hiway and hydro locked it.  His insurance paid for it and a lot more.  I was completely shocked.  That was state farm.

It doesn't hurt to ask.

Absolutely doesn't hurt to ask.  Insurance covers stupidity... I see it all the time.  You would think it would cover a mishap to a vehicle.

Offline mderick

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Re: CJA Off-Road 101 2011
« Reply #199 on: June 23, 2011, 02:14:10 PM »
Wholly smokes guys, I was hoping to come out with my 47 Willys as it was mentioned that Stock was OK.
Boy after looking at the pictures, which were great by the way, I have to take my hat off to you newer drivers, and support staff. That was far more than I would ever have wanted to do.
Great work by everyone for getting through what looks like was a very challenging/Fun day.

I would love to be a passenger support person the next time.


Offline yellowjeep101

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Re: CJA Off-Road 101 2011
« Reply #200 on: June 23, 2011, 04:22:23 PM »
After looking at the pictures, its amazing to see what the jeeps can do when guided with skilled spotters! Amazing folks, it looked like a challenging run and I imagine the skills you all learned are far beyond expectations. I hope to make it out for the second installment of Jeep 101. Good job ouit there for getting all the people and vehicles out!

Offline after6queers

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Re: CJA Off-Road 101 2011
« Reply #201 on: June 23, 2011, 04:39:21 PM »
I guess this being an open discussion I can add my 2 cents! It seems to me you are all ganging up on one guy who made comments that you did not like! I for one agree with Dracitamo...although I was not on this run but I have talked with people that were there and from what I understand it was doomed from the beginning!
The week before the trip even started Jamal (Jrama) did the 101 backwards and stated that "it us not stocker friendly". If I was organizing a run to teach people wheeling basics I would go and check out the trail I was going to take them on before taking them on it!
Secondly, it was suppose to be a "stocker friendly" run...which too me would mean I can run my wife AWD Ford Escape through it with maybe a little winching! Not an 18 hr gong show! You guys got lost on top of everything else!
I think the only class acts here are the guys whose vehicles you destroyed...if it was my vehicle that was destroyed I can tell you for a fact I wouldn't be as nice...I mean you guys were suppose to be the teachers and they were the students I know if I was teaching someone something that cause their vehicle that much damage I would feel pretty bad!
The guys who led this run shouldn't be congratulated they should be called out for the unprepared twits that they are! These guys shouldn't be showing their wives how to 4X4 down a back alley!
But hey what do I know...that's just my opinion and like a-holes everyone has got one!
Peace!
2001 Jeep TJ - 4" Lift 35's MTZ Chanda made bumpers, fenders and sliders...still working on her!!!

Offline bRIBEGuy

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Re: CJA Off-Road 101 2011
« Reply #202 on: June 23, 2011, 05:49:37 PM »
Well, I have been silently pondering the events of the off-road 101 since I took part in it last Saturday, and have finally decided to chime in my 2 cents.

I have been very conflicted over the events of the day, and in the end, have still not really reached an overall conclusion about my possible foray into the world of off-road Jeeps.

Firstly, I would like to thank everyone for putting on this event.  It is nice to see the initiative to put on a "free" event like this, and it's great for us noobs who just want to get out, meet a few folks, and introduce our virgin Jeeps to some dirt.

The day started off well, and everyone was very friendly and chatty.  The gravel pit was hella fun, and it was great scaring both myself and the wife a bit on a few of the off camber sections, and blind drop-in hills.  I loved the little mogul run, and got a few good picks of the Jeep flexed up a bit (felt more impressive then it looks though....LOL).

The beginning was great, and left me and the wife stoked for the trail run to follow.  The run started well, and quickly got frightening with the depth of the puddles.  I figured I'd give them a shot anyway, and quite surprised myself how easily the XJ waded through the water.  Fear turned to fun, and it was game on as the trail continued.  As the run progressed, the obstacles varied, but overall my stock XJ still did pretty good.  I'm really quite surprised at how capable it is.  I went in expecting to not be able to do much, and instead was pleasantly surprised by what I could clear.

Unfortunately as the day went on, the smiles and good luck did not progress. 

Now I want to interject here briefly, that I completely understand that off-road is inherently dangerous, and that there is always a serious risk of damage to a vehicle.  I knew that going into this, and I accepted that my XJ might make it out with a few more marks then it went in with.  I figure if I goof up and the truck gets hurt, hey, that's the way it goes.

Now that being said, all of us noobs who don't wheel, were under the impression that we were being led on an "easy" beginners trail.  At least that is the impression I got.  Imagine my surprise when the trails got serious, and the damage started to add up.  Rumous of being lost started to circulate, but the folks in front kept insisting they new exactly where we were.

Yes, I realize that a lot of what we came across from this point on was super fun for the guys with big lifts and 31"+ tires, but for a stocker rolling on 28's, it was just out of my league.  Add in being left behind a number of times (so much for don't let the headlights out of your mirror), and suddenly I found myself having to negotiate some non-beginner obstacles with a stock Jeep, and no visual reference of how to get through.  A number of recoveries started to build stress in me (and my wife who was questioning how we were supposed to make it through stuff....a valid question), and it seemed we just kept getting more and more lost. 

The run was touted as supposed to being finished at 4pm, yet at 8pm, we had already turned around twice, had numerous scouting runs to determine our direction, and were just hanging out with the rain and horses.  Despite being 4 hours late, everyone kept telling us that we were fine, and they knew where we were.  Clearly this was BS.

I have been taking part in mountainous activities for MANY years.  I hike, backpack, mountain bike, do some occasional quading, etc, and I very much understand how easy it is to get mixed up and lost on an unmarked trail network.  That being said, I also realize that in such a case, you need to admit there is a problem in order to deal with it.  Blindly marching on never works well, and it seemed that in this case, that was exactly what we were doing.

Now at the end of the day (and it quite literally was the end of the day), we all made it out, and no one was hurt.  Ultimately that is what counts.

That being said, it sucks to go home to a long list of Jeep damage that occurred from being led in error, blindly down a non-stocker friendly trail.  My 2000 xj was in very good shape overall, and it was something I loved about it.  Looking at it now parked out front, I have two wrecked front fender panels, damaged fenders, damaged front bumper that sits low and pushed in on one side, broken bumper end caps, two broken fog lights, broken lower air dam, broken headlight bezels/front surround, and who knows what else.  That doesn't even begin to cover the scrapes and minor dents.

Yes, for a lot of you, this damage is laughable, and only an afternoon and a few beer from being fixed again, but for a guy who is just getting into wheeling and wrenching, it's a hugely discouraging amount of damage, and a frightening amount of cash to have to shell out to have the truck fixed up.

My goal at the beginning of the day/run was to set aside a bit of coin, and pick up some upgrades to make the Jeep more capable off-road.  Now that money (and more) will have to go into just getting the Jeep drivable in the condition it was in before, and quite frankly, that sucks.

The real pisser, is that throughout all of this crap-show of a day, I felt like a huge douchebag dragging people down, by getting stuck, and complaining about my stock truck.  Brian was smiling like a kid the whole time, and doing his best to keep me smiling as well.  I just wish I could have enjoyed the later half of the run more, but it was not catered to my XJ, and the damage/inability to drive it just sucked the fun out of the experience.

95% of the people that I met that day were great, and I appreciate the help of everyone who spotted me, showed me what my truck could do, saved me, towed me, winched me, and ultimately helped get me the hell off that trail and home.  The other 5% of the people, combined with the way the day played out, how it was dealt with, and the damaged it ultimately caused to my truck, are the catalyst for my current questioning of this event, my interest in continuing with off-road, and ultimately in the CJA.

I really am torn..............

And that's my 2 cents worth........
'00 XJ Classic, 3" OME lift, 32's, custom stereo.

Offline THE GOLD DIIGGER

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Re: CJA Off-Road 101 2011
« Reply #203 on: June 23, 2011, 05:54:17 PM »
For ONE your ford wouldn't make it out of the parking lot it's a  JEEP CLUB!! 2. It was a stocker friendly run until it started RAINING!
3. We were not lost I knew where we were all the time , I just had to map out a suitable trail for the STOCK JEEPS because of all the RAIN. 4.DON'T GO AROUND JUDGING YOU WERE NOT THERE !!!!!! I have been wheeling myself for 20 years DON'T GO AROUND TELLING ME THAT WE ARE UNPREPARED TWITS , All the guys did an EXCELLENT JOB. I am glad to be part of the group so after 6 beers take your comments and shove them where the sun don't shine. Have a GOOD DAY !!!  I also find it funny that the people who were not there are doing all the bi&#hing maybe you should have been there and you could have stated your opinion!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Offline xjpete

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Re: CJA Off-Road 101 2011
« Reply #204 on: June 23, 2011, 06:19:04 PM »
well jar my preserves ...
97 XJ,8'' LA ,35's , SBC .
98 ZJ daily driver .

Offline Bone206

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Re: CJA Off-Road 101 2011
« Reply #205 on: June 23, 2011, 07:34:06 PM »
great pics! Makes me think it's time for a snorkel. . .if only Rugged Ridge would release theirs before Sept :)
07 JK Sahara Unlimited, 1.5 spidertrax spacers, 2.5 teraflex cl, 275/70/18 duratracs, ace rock rails, black OEM  rims, safari straps roof, Cobra 29 WXBT CB

Offline dbraniff

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Re: CJA Off-Road 101 2011
« Reply #206 on: June 23, 2011, 07:35:26 PM »
To after6beers who commented "I think the only class acts here are the guys whose vehicles you destroyed...if it was my vehicle that was destroyed I can tell you for a fact I wouldn't be as nice...I mean you guys were suppose to be the teachers and they were the students I know if I was teaching someone something that cause their vehicle that much damage I would feel pretty bad! "

The person with the hydro-locked Hemi, it was extremely unfortunate that this had happened the puddle must have been no more than 4 inches deep, and him not going any faster than 10kmh. I know, as I was in front of him. When a hydro-lock occurs the smart thing to do is pull the plugs and try to turn it over (or smarter... tow it out of there) like Brian had done. I believe the other newer Grand Cherokee went back with him. This was neither the CJA's fault, or the drivers fault. I drove the 07 Liberty through puddles (ponds) way deeper (3 feet+) with no hydro-locking. Its bad-luck that is all, you can hydro-lock driving down the highway splashing through a puddle.

The other guy that has body, drive train and frame? damage? Were you there? Do you not realize what happened? No offence to him, but he took off on his own. When all of us other stock jeeps got out of the mess and onto the public road, he pulled out at the same time. He could have stayed with us, and would  have been much safer! But no.

To bRIBEGuy who said " Rumous of being lost started to circulate, but the folks in front kept insisting they new exactly where we were.", and " Imagine my surprise when the trails got serious, and the damage started to add up.  Rumous of being lost started to circulate, but the folks in front kept insisting they new exactly where we were."

Really? How old are you? I heard rumors of so and so doing with so and so... ASK! Rumors are rumors! Yes Brian knew all the trails, I knew a lot of them so did all the other people that have been back there many of times! It was finding the right trail, for us stockers to go through with minimal damage, (Look at what happened to the Grand Cherokee who took off) Hell, we even had a GPS with the trails loaded on it, and a map. We knew where we were the entire time.

Don't blame the CJA, or the great team that pulled us through all of this. Did you see trail markers? Well ok, a lot of trails have numbered markers... but have you seen the maps, they are awful!

Nonetheless, I had damage done to my vehicle, and I understood the risks going in, its a JEEP, Just Enjoy Everchanging Parts!

Thas my rant. THanks again guys for the awesome day, it was a blast even though we did go through some sticky situations!




Offline dunl

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Re: CJA Off-Road 101 2011
« Reply #207 on: June 23, 2011, 08:17:45 PM »
Everyone here understands the difference between heavy rain in the prairies and then in the foothills/mountains, right?
`48 CJ2A, `54 CJ3B, `97 TJ, and 03 WJ...batting close to .500 when it comes to jeep models owned vs. jeep models created.....
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Offline WK2008

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Re: CJA Off-Road 101 2011
« Reply #208 on: June 23, 2011, 08:38:05 PM »
You know this is turning into a pile of crap to be honest. I did end up with a fair bit of damage to the Grand Cherokee but I am not sitting here blaming anyone but myself. I made the decision to take my nearly new Jeep out on the trails and ended up paying the price. If it was not for the CJA crew and their experience and winches, my Jeep would have stayed there for the night. To dbrannif who stated that I "went off on my own and thats why it happened" either I am misunderstanding your point or you are worng. The only time that I was by myself was when I left the store at the end of the day and any damage to my Jeep was always done. I am also sure that if I was to get on the phone to the other members they would have no issue helping me to fix my Jeep. A few already have.

In the end, remember what your mother taught you, if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all!!


Offline bRIBEGuy

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Re: CJA Off-Road 101 2011
« Reply #209 on: June 23, 2011, 08:40:43 PM »

To bRIBEGuy .....

Really? How old are you? I heard rumors of so and so doing with so and so... ASK! Rumors are rumors! Yes Brian knew all the trails, I knew a lot of them so did all the other people that have been back there many of times! It was finding the right trail, for us stockers to go through with minimal damage, (Look at what happened to the Grand Cherokee who took off) Hell, we even had a GPS with the trails loaded on it, and a map. We knew where we were the entire time.

Don't blame the CJA, or the great team that pulled us through all of this. Did you see trail markers? Well ok, a lot of trails have numbered markers... but have you seen the maps, they are awful!

Nonetheless, I had damage done to my vehicle, and I understood the risks going in, its a JEEP, Just Enjoy Everchanging Parts!

Thas my rant. THanks again guys for the awesome day, it was a blast even though we did go through some sticky situations!


1) 33.

2)  I did ask.  Many people, many times.  Yes, Brian seemed to know the trails, but up until things got really nasty, it didn't seem like he was really the lead, or the guy in charge.  

3)  Yes there were maps & a GPS, but when I was around, it seemed like people could not verify on them where we actually were.  The trail that lead us out from the horse clearing was hiked by myself initially, and then by Eric and I again, before Brian ended up scouting it further to verify it was the right way.

Don't get me wrong, my comments were/are not meant to point fingers exclusively, or to stir the pot, it was merely my recap of the days events from MY perspective.  Everyone worked together to get us out, and as I clearly pointed out, we did all get out in the end.  Brian especially pulled more then his weight, IMO.

I'm not blaming the CJA for everything that happened, merely suggesting that in retrospect, there could/should have been better ways to approach the day, and the situations that unfolded.  I think that the CJA is still one of the better off-road groups out there, and I hope they continue to offer the 101 class, albeit, with this experience pocketed as a big "learn".

As for "Jeep" = Just Enjoy Everchanging Parts............that's awesome.  Just as good as the "Just Empty Every Pocket" that someone else mentioned to me on the trail......LOL.
'00 XJ Classic, 3" OME lift, 32's, custom stereo.