Joel
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 20, 2005
- Location
- Winston-Salem, NC
On the way up 421 to meet some of the guys at the Shell station I passed a cow doing about 10mph northbound in the southbound lanes of 421. After a quick call to the State Patrol I met the guys and we headed up to Boone to meet Ryan and Zac. Once we were finished parking in the snowbank in the New Market Centre parking lot we set off for our destination. The last time I was up there I had heard more rumors of it's impending close so like Crackers Neck in Sept. I was hoping to get one more ride in up there before it was gone. Once we had aired down and disconnected we headed up to the trailhead and encountered our first surprise of the day; the road was a sheet of ice for the better part of a mile. I went down first to see how bad it was going to be but pleasantly found that the ice ended where the road became more trail.
After everyone got down to the trail we started off by playing in the ruts on the loop to the Christmas tree farm. It was at this point that Jesse put on quite a show with lifting his front driver tire high in the air as the Jeep leaned way back over the passenger side. After everyone got by or went over the rut we encountered yet another rut. Everyone made it through safely and we only had to get out the strap once. As the trail wandered through the hillside we traveled over the crunchy ice/snow mix until a mile or so into it we found the exit to the trail had been blocked off by piled timber. We turned around and went back the way we came.
Determined to get up to the Christmas tree farm to eat lunch we wound our way on another trail that leads that way. When we got to the biggest rut there is out there Chad decided to test it with the Exploder. He got about 1/4 of the way into it when forward progress ended. After Chad got himself out of the rut I walked up one of the steep hill climbs only to find that two trenches and been dug at the lip of the hill. It was the same on the hill climb next to it. We then went around through the rutted ravine that claimed my draglink and two beads earlier this summer. We were pleasantly surprised to find that trail was still open. So we made the muddy climb up the hill with a field with lots of wheelspin and then proceeded on to the tree farm. When we got to the deep waterhole we found it filled in and a gate about 100 yards farther up. Disappointed we returned back to the field on the hill to eat lunch.
After finishing up lunch and taking a group shot we headed back down to the rock garden stopping along the way to take some poser flex shots and video wheeling through the rutted ravine. After getting out of the ravine we swung by the small rock ledge and most went over it while a few chose to bypass it. At the rock garden I was the first to give it a try and was about to crest it when I got hung up on my frame. Shame faced I used my winch to get out of it, it was the only time cable was pulled for this ride. The rest of the guys made it look easy while a couple of the guys decided to bypass the rock garden completely. Nobody ran the backside sadly enough despite much anticipation.
We then decided to head back out the trail and get to Richlands Rd. in Blowing Rock and get one last trail in before the day was over. I, however was feeling really sick and had to bow out so we all returned home instead. As usual it was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed wheeling with this bunch again. As for carnage I have a u-joint going bad that I will have to replace but that is about it. I look forward to doing it again (if the trails remain open)!
Here are some pics:
Some video of the ice on the road. You can really see it on Mike's Jeep when it starts sliding to the passenger side a little bit.
http://webwheeling.com/video/beech010106/Beech010106TH.wmv
And the rest:
http://webwheeling.com/video/beech010106/Beech010106Rut1.wmv
http://webwheeling.com/video/beech010106/Beech010106Rut2.wmv
http://webwheeling.com/video/beech010106/Beech010106RG.wmv
After everyone got down to the trail we started off by playing in the ruts on the loop to the Christmas tree farm. It was at this point that Jesse put on quite a show with lifting his front driver tire high in the air as the Jeep leaned way back over the passenger side. After everyone got by or went over the rut we encountered yet another rut. Everyone made it through safely and we only had to get out the strap once. As the trail wandered through the hillside we traveled over the crunchy ice/snow mix until a mile or so into it we found the exit to the trail had been blocked off by piled timber. We turned around and went back the way we came.
Determined to get up to the Christmas tree farm to eat lunch we wound our way on another trail that leads that way. When we got to the biggest rut there is out there Chad decided to test it with the Exploder. He got about 1/4 of the way into it when forward progress ended. After Chad got himself out of the rut I walked up one of the steep hill climbs only to find that two trenches and been dug at the lip of the hill. It was the same on the hill climb next to it. We then went around through the rutted ravine that claimed my draglink and two beads earlier this summer. We were pleasantly surprised to find that trail was still open. So we made the muddy climb up the hill with a field with lots of wheelspin and then proceeded on to the tree farm. When we got to the deep waterhole we found it filled in and a gate about 100 yards farther up. Disappointed we returned back to the field on the hill to eat lunch.
After finishing up lunch and taking a group shot we headed back down to the rock garden stopping along the way to take some poser flex shots and video wheeling through the rutted ravine. After getting out of the ravine we swung by the small rock ledge and most went over it while a few chose to bypass it. At the rock garden I was the first to give it a try and was about to crest it when I got hung up on my frame. Shame faced I used my winch to get out of it, it was the only time cable was pulled for this ride. The rest of the guys made it look easy while a couple of the guys decided to bypass the rock garden completely. Nobody ran the backside sadly enough despite much anticipation.
We then decided to head back out the trail and get to Richlands Rd. in Blowing Rock and get one last trail in before the day was over. I, however was feeling really sick and had to bow out so we all returned home instead. As usual it was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed wheeling with this bunch again. As for carnage I have a u-joint going bad that I will have to replace but that is about it. I look forward to doing it again (if the trails remain open)!
Here are some pics:
Some video of the ice on the road. You can really see it on Mike's Jeep when it starts sliding to the passenger side a little bit.
http://webwheeling.com/video/beech010106/Beech010106TH.wmv
And the rest:
http://webwheeling.com/video/beech010106/Beech010106Rut1.wmv
http://webwheeling.com/video/beech010106/Beech010106Rut2.wmv
http://webwheeling.com/video/beech010106/Beech010106RG.wmv
