Rausch Creek Report

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Grumpy

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Well here's the short version, late leaving Ottawa (my fault), meet Cory and George at the border, both Mike L and Brad got hauled in trying to cross, (I actually got through, silly new trainee...it was me you were after). A couple of fuel stops and voila, exit 107, a crazy hillclimb and two lefts and a right and we're in the Park....(600 kms from my doorstep). A row of Jeeps, mostly Cherokees already there, we find a good spot and park. Brad, his buddy Mike and I head into Pine Grove in...
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Saturday morning.........FOG.....lots of it and so much that it never left us all day.......Cory had been studying the trail map and decided to lead us for the day....mostly blacks with a few blues (and reds for me and George) thrown in, the day went quite well other than George scratching up some of his fresh paintwork on the buggy in one particular notch on a trail, (pics will not do this one justice). Finally near the end of the day Cory led us over to the South property and to a trail called Tombstone where I proceeded to thrash the absolute crap out of my truck and in doing so, smoked two t-case mounts......(these are the STOCK rubber mounts afterall). So with Brad's winch and my Hi-lift we managed to get it back close to where it should sit in the truck and using a coat hanger I tied it into position. I decided to leave the truck at the trailhead and continue on to the other trails as a passenger with Mike L......the very next trail Brad snaps a 90 degree fitting on his ram assist and blows PS everywhere...we determine that the fitting isn't really required and take it out and run the hose straight, a solution that was both quick and effective as Brad continued to finish the trail and two more that afternoon. Once off that trail I made the decision to call it a day and so with Mike L following I began to nurse my wounded Zuk back to camp..........(George and Brad continued on to complete two more trails). Halfway back to camp, the coat hanger lets loose and the T-case twists up like a pretzel under the truck.....so with no tools other than a knife and pair of side cutters with us, I send Mike back to camp to grab tools and some nuts and bolts.....only minutes after seeing him leave two marshals show up and after explaining what had happened they tell me they will send someone to check on me in an hour or so and then ride off down the trail. 15 minutes or so go by and I hear an oncoming truck or trucks....Mike with another marshal behind him.....finally with a little gruntwork and some cursing I manage to get two bolts into the old mount holes and say our thanks and good-byes to the friendly marshal we head back to camp.....George and Brad return about a half hour later and we all break out the stoves and BBQs, anxious to shovel some food down our throats.....
 
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What happened next is a close to classified as it gets....so much so that only the lucky few who will make the trip down in the fall will get a glimpse of what goes on down near Rausch Creek on a Saturday night.......(so start making yer plans now fellas...this is not to be missed!!). All I can say is that after only 4 hours of sleep I was up at 7 am Sunday morning as we had all agreed (well everyone else but me) on an 8 am departure for home.......packing up the trucks, loading the rigs and one last stop at the office for a t-shirt (didn't have my size in the style I wanted...doh!) and vehicle stickers and we were off with me in the lead and the two ways on channel 4.......so I'm waiting for the guys to follow in behind me and a little ways down the road I realize they are not behind me...what I do see is dense fog...rolling down the hill...the guys had turned the other way to get gas as Brad didn't have enough to make it to Hazleton, where I had planned to stop to clean off the Samurai......I managed to reach them on the radio make arrangements to meet at Hazleton...so I was off to wash the truck....when I was done I was only waiting at the 81 on ramp for about 5-10 minutes when I heard the guys on the radio so we were off....first a pee break an hour from Hazleton then while stopped Mike L finds a nail in one of the dual rear tires on his cube van.....he gets out his plug kit and fixes it....but not before George and Cory pull out onto the Interstate.....their plan was to get moving but slow enough we'd all catch up......we never did.....................................
 
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Back on the road and not quite an hour later we get the call from Mike he thinks he blew out a trailer tire........fucking deja vu or what??? Brad and I pull onto the shoulder and wait as Mike nearly a mile behind us changes a very well blown out tire on the trailer......he gets back on the radio to tell us it's been changed but there's something wrong with the other tire on the same side.....he's gonna need new tires......so after a bit of driving around and finally a stop to ask someone we locate the Walmart in Binghamton.....no tires at Walmart but there are at Sam's Club at the other end of the mall so Mike heads over to get a pair of new boots installed.........2 hours later, a little lunch and bathroom break we are finally back on the road.......I again was in the lead and decided to pick up the pace a bit so cruising at about 95 clicks we continued homeward just a little bit quicker.....one last stop for fuel and an ice cream cone and we were off again.....next stop the border where I managed to get through again unscathed...while both Brad and Mike had to pull over to have their trucks x-rayed.......after a short delay it was over the last bridge and onto the 401 to the 416.......Brad and I had lost sight and radio contact with Mike and his dad so one last call was made before I said my good-byes to Brad and his buddy Mike....I pulled up at my house at around 8 pm....nearly 11 and a half hours since departing Rausch Creek...another disasterous trip home from PA......I ran in the house to call Mike L on his cell to make sure everything was alright and apon hearing it was I flaked out on the sofa where I think I lasted about half an hour before passing out.......all in all a great time, met some great folks from Maryland, (may wheel with them in the fall), saw, wheeled and even broke on some kick ass trails, and once again made it home safe.....all be it a very long trip home......
 
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My final thoughts....was quite a bit cooler than we thought it would be at night....(having a fire ban didn't help), RC is more like an hour past Paragon, (while hauling a loaded trailer), buy yer booze in NY State don't wait to get it in PA, packing light, while saving fuel hauling extra junk you may not need, may not be the best bet, and finally PLEASE, anyone hauling trailers long distance....PLEASE check it over before trip down and even before you plan on heading back, infact I may in future require everyone do so before we leave........(can easily be done during the spare moments we have spread over the 3 or 4 days we are down somewhere...). Until the fall....enjoy the pics, (Brad mentioned he'd snapped approx 2000 he'll have to sort though and I have a few to post as well), and start planning to join us as we return Fall 2008 to Rausch Creek Offroad Park!!

P.S. I tried to make this a short version...but you know me.....hehehehehehe
 
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Grumpy

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Oh yeah, and I can't forget to thank the guys for coming along for the ride.......Mike L, his father George, George Sabat and his buddy Cory, Brad Fitzpatrick and his buddy Mike...(yes as crazy as it sounds we did have two Georges and two Mikes on this trip, and we even met two Dougs.....WTF???) I'd especially like to thank Brad for being the chauffeur all weekend......for anyone driving a fancy new 4 door pickup who doesn't sleep in the back of it....you WILL be used as the chauffeur the next time........be warned.....A final thanks to Brad and his buddy Mike for all the spectactular photos taken all weekend...haven't seen any yet but looking forward to seeing some shots of me rocking the hell outta Rausch Creek!!
 
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Grumpy

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Pics of George's fucking sick Bronco buggy......
 
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Something for the Toy boys.......this one powered by Chev 350....was with a group that included an early '84 with the '83 style front clip, (looked the same as this blue one except it had a bobbed bed like Wilson's new truck), and a very clean looking '87 4Runner with a SAS on 37's......these are the Maryland boys...good bunch...hope to see them this fall down there...

P.S. the black Cherokee in the left hand corner was bought for a hundred bucks......Doug, the guy who drove it up to RC says that's all he ever pays for vehicles......the thing was CLEAN!!
 
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Can't remember what trail this one is all I know is I was following George.........but it must have ben before Otter's Tail, cuz my DS rocker no longer looks like that!!!
 
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