Epic Adventure: The Trails Bite Back

The day started out like any other day. A group of buddies get together to wheel. Thirteen started the day.

 I think this should have been an omen. There was carnage before the group even got there. Two of our buddies went up a couple hours before the rest of us sleepy heads. When we found them they were changing out both front axles. Yep you heard me right.  He took on the Little Rubicon while waiting for us. Rubicon 1 General 0. But he was back up in running in a short time. 

 While they fixed the axles the rest of us headed of to do a trail. We found more snow than any of us expected, but it was not to bad.

We came back and got the boys and off we went again. 

 We made up most of Cedar Tree trail with out much trouble

 Until I lost traction in the snow and my back tire slipped in to a culvert. It would not have been that big a deal except my tire got wedged between the bank of the ditch and the drainage pipe LOL Mom had to winch out. I can't complain it is the first time I have ever had to use the winch to get my self. :-) 

At the end of the trail the rest of the group waited for us last stragglers.  I felt my self start to slide a bit so I decided to  continue past everyone and park on the bank side of the road instead of the drop off side.  Dad on the other hand chose to park on the drop off side. Well he runs the same times Mom does. Guess what? Yep they sucked for him too :-) he tried to park on the flat, but once he started sliding he didn't stop until he was perched part way on the road and part way off.  The more he tired the farther he slipped down the side. He finally stopped when Mom screamed stop at the top of her lungs! Yes I admit it I was a bit panicked LOL I could only envision him tipping over then rolling.          

 They tried pulling just from the front. That didn't work he just kept slipping.So they used a snatch block and another winch from behind to keep him from slipping farther and he was able with their help to walk up the slop.  

After Dad and I were done with our winching fun, we all headed off 

to Fire Break 5. Mom was up for tackling her nemeses this day. I have only tried this trail one other time. I made it up but not with out a long struggle. This time Mom made it up in a fraction of the time! WOOHOOO I only killed the jeep twice and only got hung up once! WOOHOOO! So stinking proud of my self. 

Everyone saddled up and we headed up to the next section of FB5  Mom got stuck once backed up and relined a few times and off we went. The rest of this section was fairly quick. THEN!!!!

The third section.

Again my tires showed just what crap they are in snow. I got stuck on an up hill tight left turn. My driver rear tire kept sliding in to a hole behind a root.  So Dad and I dug around in the snow until we found enough rocks and branches to give me some traction and height to get over the root.  I  started up the trail while Dad went back to get his Jeep.  I got stopped at the next curve. OY!  By this point a buddy has walked back down the trail to see how we are doing.  He tried his darnedest to get me up that curve.  By this time we realize something is not right with Dad's jeep.  So I back down with my buddy guiding me. Dad's Jeep won't start.  He is parked on that hill so we decided to get him to a flat spot around a curve to see if that helps. She sometimes she is cranky on a hill.  This doesn't work. So we have to trying get off the Mountain somehow. So our other buddy and Dad came up with the idea to pull the YJ far enough back to get the winch hooked to a tree so we can start pulling the front end around.  This worked to a point, we then got the come-along out and hooked it to the back end and a tree to pull it in the opposite direction.  This got us about 3/4 of the way around. We got it far enough we could hook him up to my jeep and pull his rear end facing the right direction. This part takes us about 2.5 to 3 hours to do. All the while we are working in about 18 inches of snow, mud and slush puddles. Oh and did I mention it is raining the whole time?  Got to love Oregon.  We all kept stepping in the same slush puddle oy!. Now Dad and our other buddy are facing the right way, but his Jeep is not heavy enough to pull Dad's. Buddy # 1 had gone up the trail recovered another buddy, and came around to help us. With effort he was able to pull Dad down the Mountain. Not without damage though. It was after dark, Dad had no lights, no power steering, or power breaks being towed by a strap.  

 

We can not complain to much the only damage sustained in this after dark venture was the loss of the passenger side mirror and the passenger side rear finder. And maybe a little pride. 

While we are struggling to get Dad turned around we can here the guys that had gone on without us struggling up the trail too. They ended up with more damage.  Some Bashed in doors and a couple stuck's. 

Now it is my turn to make a U-turn. I have backed a ways down this trail and around two curves.  For some reason I just can't stay on the trail going around this last curve. ( what I thought would be the last curve I had to back around LOL) So buddy # 2 and I get me winched up the trail again and I end up making a 6 point turn to get around it without sliding off the trail. I have one more curve to make it around. By this point I am so done for the day. I just want to go home and go to bed. I'm soaked to the bone as is everyone else in our little group. I'm covered in gritty dirty slushy crap.  Again the  road is curving to the left, and I keep sliding toward a tree. I'm trying my best not to rip off my driver's side fender flare. Eventually with the guiding of buddy #2 I go past with out damage and was able to back between a few tree's and get turned around! WOOHOOO no more backing down a narrow curvy trail in the dark!  So Buddy # 1 and Dad are ahead of us by about half an hour or so, but we are still able to keep in contact via CB. 

Buddy #2 and I are finally making some good time. Well as fast as you can go in the snow and dark when trying to avoid tree's in tight turns LOL  about 5 minutes down the the trail I see a tire on the side of the road. What the heck?? My first thought is it fell off  Dad's rig.  Maybe he hit a tree with it or something. I radio to Dad and buddy #1 and get no response so I keep going. If it had not been for the previous 3 or so hours I would have stopped and picked it up. Then another five or so minutes down the trail I notice buddy # 2 has a very shinny front tire. It took a second for it to sink in that his front passenger tire was missing! Yep his tire popped right off his rim. He never felt a thing. Although he did tell me, while we spend the next 45 minutes for so changing his tire, that he was wondering why his traction in the front was not as good as it had been. The tire doesn't appear to be damaged in any way, the rim it's self is in relative good shape too. I think if it had been on a trail not covered in snow and muddy slush his damage would have been worse. 

After buddy #2 and I figure out how to use a Hi-Lift together :-) neither one of us had actually used one. We have watched others but never done it ourselves. We got the front end up high enough to get his bottle jack under the axle so we could get it up high enough to get the tire on it. WOOHOOO that done we made pretty good time to the service road. I tell you what after that ordeal even those pot hole riddled roads felt like pavement! 

We had no cell service so we had to drive back down the Highway in my Jeep to find cell signal. Then only to be told it will be a 2 to 3 hour wait for a tow truck.  I think we waited about 1.5 hours so I'm not complaining to much. The poor guy was not dressed for the weather and was freezing his bum off. He was thankful for my over abundance of off road lighting. It made the job of taking the drive line off much easier. He was also thankful for the fact I carry tarps with us. He was able to get down under the Jeep with out getting all muddy and wet. 

So all in all it took us about 8 hours from time of stuck to time of entering our home. I have to say I learned a lot about recovery yesterday. As well as never skip taking that extra pair of socks! I will be adding a towel to my to-go bag as well. 

Buddy #1 and Buddy # 2 I owe you guys big time! Like I said dinner is on MOM!

See you on the Trails next time!

Sunday = Play Day Browns Camp TSF

Tomorrow or could be today depending on when you read this, we are headed out to Browns Camp to play in an OHV park. It is one of our favorite places to hang out with friends from the different clubs we wheel with.

There are more than 130 miles of trails. They have tails for everything from hiking, mountain biking, Horse back ridding, motorcycle, atv, 4x4's to rock crawling buggy's.  To see how they label difficulty and what they have to offer check the map  here.  I enjoy the blue and single black diamond trails.

Here are some photo's of past runs.

That was on soupy day on the trails, that mud was thick thick! I'm surprised you can make out some of his tread LOL 

Cedar Tree Trail

All lined up to go up Firebreak 5

Turn Passenger Passenger! 

Firebreak 5 

Dad making it look easy! Mom struggled a bit ;-) 

Three Amigo's

Next time I will share the big boys pictures. :-)  

Tomorrow Night I should have some more fun photo's and maybe a few vids to share of our adventures. 

Oregon Trail/Sam Barlow Road

Last summer Dad and I took a group of Wranglers down the Historic Barlow Road. Barlow Road was a toll road running from The Dallas, Oregon to Oregon City, Oregon. We hit many of the historic markers along they way. This was not your typical off road adventure, but it was still an awesome day off the pavement with a bunch of great people. I don't think a one of them knew what they were in for though. HAHA Dad is a bit of a  workaholic. Beings he was out of work at the time, he sunk all that time and energy in to researching Sam Barlow and his toll road. Those poor people that where expecting a nice drive in the forest also got one in-depth history lesson. I should know I was the one that printed and correlated the folders :-)
I won't bore you with all the details but for those that want to learn more about the Road and Sam Barlow click here
The section of Barlow road we ran starts on the Southwest side of Mt. Hood in the foot hills ending on the Southeast side of Mt. Hood in the high planes desert.

Now on to the good stuff, Visuals!

The Gang getting ready to head up Mt. Hood

First stop along the way. Summit meadows

Finally hit Barlow Road

I just love the old fashion road markers.

Deeper in to the forest we go.

Notice the change in the forest, a little more sparse

Jeeps everywhere

Remember even if you are not out hardcore wheeling stuff breaks! Dad had a drive line strap bolt bust off. When it did it took the speedo cable and 4wheel shifter linkage with it. Lucky for us a friend on the run knew exactly how to shift it manually.

Out of the forest and in to the desert

Back on Pavement some 5 or so  hours later. One last hill climb before stopping for dinner.

Interview With Land Pirates Off Road's Very Own Lucas

I would like to welcome Lucas, President of Land Pirates Off Road to our blog. 

Mom:     Tell our readers a little about yourself and how you got in to the business.

Lucas:     I grew up on a island just out side of Seattle, Washington in a small sub-community. My father was an aerospace machinist for the Boeing company and believed in teaching my brother and myself everything from a young age. I started steering a car at age 5, by the time I was 7 I was driving down the freeways sitting on my dad's lap while he slept.

It was a sleepy town when I was young, we would play on the beach and run through the woods for fun and entertainment. I loved to be outside and spent my days day dreaming instead of learning much in school. Frustrated, my father told me that if I learned how to read, he would buy me a motorcycle.

Oh, it all went down hill from there...

I would drive the family pick up truck on the farm we had at breakneck speeds learning to my dad's amusement how to power slide at age 11.

Having more fun fixing the truck and the motorcycles after wrecking them than in school, I became a bit obsessive in driving faster.

I rolled my first truck off road 2 days after being given my drivers licence. It was quite exciting for me, we rolled it back onto its wheels checked the oil, and kept on going.

I had started racing motocross at the local tracks at age 14 but moved into enduro and desert racing by the time I was 16.

Life sometimes has a way of steering you into different directions, and so it was for me. I graduated a year early from high school and went into collage to become a gunsmith.

3 years later I was 20, a father, working 2 jobs and building my first house. My then wife and I still drove off road and I road a duel sport bike to work. With our second son joining the family, we entered into riding quads off road as a family.
I worked for 10 years as lead under chassis mechanic at a local Napa repair shop until my construction company could fully be launched.

Living in the Puget Sound area had its draw backs. No one liked to drive the way I liked to. Everyone was into mud bogging... So it was very hard for me to find out about the real off road trucks that drove in Baja.
Baja became my dream... filling my garage with posters of the "Iron Man Stewart" and Riding legends like Malcolm Smith and Ricky Johnson. I built a 88 Toyota long travel truck using Downey Off Road components. Off road I was king in the local area. No one had seen such a truck before!

A few years later I found myself owning my own construction company, divorced, and looking for bigger adventures in life.

I started taking my sport bikes out onto the tracks and trying to break the latest top speed.

One day, a friend of mine told me that a friend of his was going to be headed down into Baja on duel sport bikes. I contacted him and in 2 weeks I picked up and modified a Suzuki DR400S and headed to Baja, Mexico.

2004 was an eye opener for me. Seeing pre-runners driving down the streets of San Diego I would flag them down and ask about them. A whole new world opened up.

As soon as I returned home from our 2,200 mile trip in Baja I called the internet provider and finally hooked up to the internet.

Can you imagine what that did to me? ( Yes, yes I can!)

With in 6 months I was building my first real long travel Toyota for Total Chaos.

In 2006 I had a massive motorcycle wreck that took me 3 months to recover from and get back to work. Never one to be off a bike, that same year my friends and I headed back down to Baja on motorcycles but this time I had a KTM 640 Adventure. It was an epic trip for me again.

I came home and invested in a 94' 80 series Landcruiser as a chase truck for motorcycles and started up Land Pirates Off Road. We made several trips chasing bikes on the west cost both in Oregon and in Washington.

Keeping it as a hobby business, we built 7 machines for off road.

We decided to take apart the original long travel 4-Runner and change it into a desert rig. With new found speed came the carnage...

A lot was learned over the next few years about just how hard true speed off road is on equipment. While we thought we had a grasp on how to travel over land on an expedition or to have fun on the trails. It was nothing at all like driving through the deserts at over 100 mph.

This brings us to 2011 when with the down turn in the economy I decided to finally hang up my tool belt and keep the welding jacket on. We are now working full time at Land Pirates Off Road building off road trucks and SUVs along with custom hot rods and motorcycles.

Mom:     You have a sweet Toyota Tundra chase truck. Tell the readers a bit about the truck and what you chase with it.

Lucas: We began using a chase truck back in 2006 and it was our 1994 Landcruiser. many miles later we decided that the Cruiser was not quite fast enough and we needed more capacity to carry gear.

We purchased the 2010 Tundra in April and drove it quite a bit to get a feel for the truck in stock form. By far, it is the best handling full sized truck we have ever driven hands down.
We decided to build it as the replacement chase vehicle for the company and we sold the Landcruiser.

Coming up with the plan to keep the interior 100% factory for comfort, we decided to build an exoskeleton for protection and to help take some of the flex out of the chassis. 

First we solid mounted the body to the frame with F-911 bolts then welded the 4130 frame around it. This worked in conjunction with the new pre-runner style front bumper we incorporated into the frame.

Utilizing Bud Built 3/16 body armor under the frame we then added a 3/8 aluminum front main skid plate and 1/4 inch aluminum side skid plates in conjunction with a light hoop to protect the LightForce 35 watt HID lights.

The engine cage stiffens up the front end and helps transfer the abuse that the Total Chaos long travel front suspension dishes out. We are running 16 inches of travel in the front and incorporate a 2.5 inch King coil over with 3 1/2 inch springs. With 20 position adjustable compression on the remote reservoirs we can easily dial in a full compression stack into the valving on the fly. To control the big impacts we run a King 2.5 triple by-pass secondary shock on the front as well.

The rear currently has a Deaver rear spring set up with King 3.0 5 tube by-pass shocks and Lite Racing 3 inch travel jounce shocks. We have it strapped at 15 3/4 travel.

For grip we use Toyo Mud Terrain tires in the 35x12.50 x 18 size mounted on Method Racing wheels with OMF strengthening rings welded to the outer rim.

To turn this size tire we have decided to run Nitro Gear 4.88 gears, an Auburn Pro limited slip in the rear and an ARB front air locker.

To help the big truck breath better we have added an enclosed aFe intake system and a aFe SS cat back exhaust system.

Helping in the lighting department we then added another 4 Lightforce 35 watt HID lights above the cab.

With the long travel suspension and the 35 inch tires we added fiberglass fenders and bed sides as well.

We took the truck to Nevada for it's first shake down in the desert. Only minor adjustments to the shocks were needed but we realized with 400+ horse power we had the ability to travel at over 100 mph off road with a 7,000 pound truck.

So we have now gone back to the drawing board to revamp the truck to handle the speeds we can drive at.

In the works we will be adding an ARB roof rack for cargo capacity.

We will be adding 2 inch King air bumps to the front end and we are looking at either going with a spring under kit in the rear or going with a trailing arm set up.

To slow it down we are developing a Wilwood 6 piston brake caliper upgrade.

We need more fuel capacity so we are looking at adding a fuel cell and dropping the stock 20 gallon tank so we can locate the traction bars or the trailing arm rear suspension under neath.

Transmission will be updated by IPT with a new valve body and a Warn 9000 winch will be added to the rear of the truck along with a rear anti sway bar.

All of this will allow us to chase any motorcycle group and keep up with them. It also has branched us out into adding chase truck service to off road racing teams that need an extra truck for repair work or fuel drops.

Part of the over all aspect of this build was to keep our family in comfort when we take our off road trips and when we run our expeditions. We are also avid scuba divers, we have plans on an epic adventure to dive the east cost of Baja in such remote areas that the only way there is by truck or boat. Unless you own a sea plane or helicopter!

Mom:     What is your most memorable customer build?

Lucas:      Actually, they are all fun. But when we work on one of our dive buddies trucks, keeping the old truck up and running has been a lot of fun. We have only taken things off the truck and added Old Man Emu shocks.
It is nice to see the truck driving around town and to see it arrive at the dive sites full of gear. Not sure why that one really sticks in out head! Perhaps it is because he just loves his truck and tells us all the time how great it is!

Mom:     What is your most memorable adventure?

Lucas:      By far it was the 2011 Nevada trip. 14 trucks and SUVs drove over 850 miles off road in some of the most beautiful country there is. My youngest son road his motorcycle and we were his personal chase truck which was quite the change.
But it was great to see people from the last Nevada run return, some with new equipment, and to drive the big Tundra for the first time at speed.

We are looking forward to the next adventure in Nevada this year. over 1,000 miles off road from Western Nevada to Moab. From there I am personally headed south into New Mexico. From that point I will be heading into So Cal and possibly into Baja again. That is one of the reasons we are hard at work with the refinement of the truck.

Don't forget to check out Land Pirates Offraod website 

Reminiscing With Mom

As  little girl I remember riding in my dads beast of a truck.  Well at least to a little girl it seemed to be a beast. It was a fairly stock 70's something 4x4 Dodge. I can't even remember the color of the thing. He mostly used it for dump runs and going out to cut fire wood in the back country.

But the fondest memories I have of riding in it were when we took it to the Mud Races.Now mud racing is very different then what they do in the South. That is called mud bogging :-).  We would back up to the fenced off area, separating the track from parking,  and line up with all the other spectators The adults set up chairs in the bed, and the kids sat on the roof of the trucks.

Friend of mine after a little mud holing 

Imagine a high school track and field track.  Now replace the rubbery  track with a slick snotty clay/muddy mess. At one end you have the normal arch of the two curves make. At the other end in the arch is sett up with barrels . Think Rodeo barrel racing. On the long side closest to the spectators is a HUGE hole in the track filled 3/4 of the way with water. I would guess 5ft to 6ft of water.( keep in mind I was around ten years old it could have been 4 ft and look like 9ft to me )  This is what we called the race track.

There are three separate events on this track.  1) Barrel racing a timed event 2) Mud hole racing a Timed event IF you make it through the water on your own power. 3) a whole track event. You start on the straight side head to the barrels, then through the mud hole. Again a Timed event. When I say timed event we are not talking NASCAR time tables. There are  way more recoveries on this track than on a paved racetrack :-)

There were more recoveries, laughing and falling down then most anything else. But it was good clean well OK muddy fun! I loved going to those events with my dad. I would have loved to take my boys to such events when they were little, but by then we where living in a big city and I hadn't a clue how to go about finding such things. ( life before computers)




What are some of  your first memories of playing in/with a 4x4?

Discovering Ourselves on the Trail

My hands are slick with perspiration. Wiping them on the thighs of my pants is not helping. I chant to my self "I can do this, I can do this". My heart is beating so hard it feels like it is fighting its way out of my ribcage. I look over at my navigator and ask him "should we do this or not?" His answer is exactly what I expected it would be even as I hoped it would be different. He answered "YES"  as a  huge smile spread across his face.

I have people waiting in line behind me. I have to do this now or go around. On a deep inhale of breath and a death grip on my steering wheel I slowly let the clutch out as I start  the dirt track leading to the trail going up the side of a hill.  I thought my heart was beating as hard as it could before, BOY was I wrong! It can beat harder. I'm surprised I don't have bruises on my chest from it. As my front tires touch the first ascent of the hill I feel the push of adrenalin through my body. OH yes adrenalin is my friend, I can do anything with this drug rushing through my veins. WOOHOOO I am doing this! I am driving up a hill on a narrow dirt, rock and rut filled trail. No pavement in this place.

If you look straight out the windshield all you can see is tree tops and the cloud spotted blue sky. I can't explain what it felt like to see this view for the first time. It is awe inspiring to say the least and a bit disconcerting to see a view that doesn't include a road. I have to pull my self forward using the steering wheel and look down a bit to see the spot I'm going to drive over next.

Looking ahead I can see the Jeep ahead of me, and in my review mirror I can see the Jeep coming up behind me. I wonder do they feel the same things I am? Is this out of their comfort zone? For me Driving my Jeep Wrangler up a dirt path that disappears in to the tree's half way up a steep hill is way out side my comfort. zone.  I'm terrified of heights, but I pushed my self to do something I never would have done by myself. I found out I really enjoyed myself on this group outing. I also discovered I really didn't need to be so nervous.

It has been a while since I originally wrote this. I find I still LOVE driving these trails and I push myself past my comfort zone at least once per trip, and I'm still get just as excited!

This will be my next push outside my comfort zone. I have going down ! now I need to go up :-) 

What have you done lately to push yourself out of your comfort zone and you liked what you found?

Mom talks with Starlie from Poison Spyder Customs

Please welcome Miss Starlie to Adventures of a 4 Wheeling Mom.

Starlie is much like myself.  She not only plays in a male dominated sport, she also works in a male dominated environment, as well as being a mom to a male child. Starlie was kind enough or maybe it was brave enough to be my first victim err I mean interview here at Adventures of a 4 Wheeling Mom. 

 
Mom: I grew up with a father who rode dirt bikes, and taught off road driving when in the military. But I myself just recently learned the joys of doing the driving for myself. Starlie how did you get into off road driving?

Starlie: I was raised in the tiny town of Eagle Point Oregon. We had 3 wheelers and a Honda Trail 70 (I'm really dating myself huh) we had enough property to have a "back 40" so we were always outdoors. My family made yearly riding trips to Diamond Lake in the winter time and Coos Bay in the summer time with our 3 wheelers. Every chance we got we would go down to the local spot called "The Ponds" in White City to go 4x4n (4-bye-in) One night Dad brought home a new-to-us Suzuki Samurai and the first time we took it out wheelin is when I really fell in love with the sport. 

Mom: Being a woman in a male dominated sport activity do you find you have to prove your skill to the men you meet? Or do they tend to just except you?

Starlie: I have never felt like Ive had to prove myself to anyone, men or women. I know what I am or what I am not capable of and when it comes down to it, I love the sport, I'm not out to impress anyone, I just like to have fun. 

Mom:  What is your Favorite form of wheeling; rock crawling, mudslinging, good old fashion dirt hill climb, dune hopping, or maybe a bit of King Of The Hammer? (For those that don’t know what that is, search youtube )

Starlie: I love it all! A long day of trails, a day in the snow, camping at the dunes... The friends, the rush of rock crawling and bonfires with The Captain... There isn't one thing I don't absolutely love. That's why my son Jake and I are so excited for KOH. The ultimate in desert racing. The company I work for built a race-car for this years race so were super excited for that!


Mom:  Back when I worked auto parts women were not allowed to work the parts counter. We were relegated to the cash register or to inventory. My regular customers were not afraid to ask me for help though. You also work in a male dominated industry, a manufacture of off road parts. How was the reception? Poison Spyder Customs seems to be open to female employees and not just as the eye candy. Do you feel part of the crew?

Starlie: Absolutely! There's a few of us girls that work there and we all are there for the love of the sport! I really feel like I'm a part of the Poison Spyder family. I met the owners Larry and Cheri McRae at SEMA in Vegas in 09. They are so involved in the sport yet so down to earth. We've kept in touch over the last few years and when they called me to see if I wanted to come work for them, it was a no-brainer! It really does feel like a Spyder family there. 

Mom: Tell the readers about your most memorable trip.


Starlie: My most memorable trip... Jake and I were living in Denver CO. It was summertime. Mile-Hi Jeep Club was sponsoring an event called All-For-Fun-Run in Salida CO. it was about a week long event that involved camping, designated trail runs, vendor shows and just plain wheelin fun. Jake and I were invited to attend with PSC. We arrived late Tuesday night, set up camp, the vendor show was on Wednesday, then Thursday and Friday were more trail rides. Thursdays trails included Chinamans, more crawling and difficult trails that my little stock YJ would not make, you had to be locked and lifted, so Jake and I jumped in with Brock and Joe Dieds in 'Cain' a highly modified JK on 42's with a 426 Hemi, (you can read all about it in Octobers issue of 4 Wheel Drive Magazine or 4wdmag.com) Larry and Cheri were there with last years KOH JK, there were several TJs in our group and the one and only Pa Smurf YJ was there. It was fun even from the passenger seat but I really wanted to drive. Lunch was a pit stop for a picnic, I expressed my desire to drive, well when lunch was over and I was handed a set of keys I was ecstatic! I was able to drive the rest of the day. Fridays trails were not as technical and I was able to drive my YJ (topless and doorless of course) The sights we saw that day were breathtaking. It was like we were on top of the world! My highlight on Friday was getting to drive Pa Smurf on one of the trails, then back to camp. That's just one wheeling trip that was super badass... then there are the many trips to Moab UT for EJS that were spectacular too! Jake and I are more than happy to be a part of the wheelin way of life. OlllllO

Mom: WOW I think I need to hang around you so I can play in a big toy too! :-) 

Again thank you Starlie for taking time out of your busy life to share a little bit about yourself with us.  I hope someday we can meet up on the trails!