- Joined
- Apr 18, 2005
- Location
- Greensboro, NC
Toy Run 2008
What a GREAT event! Kudos to Team Turtle for pulling together a fun wheeling experience to benefit a good cause. Due to the super turnout, the under-privileged kids of Johnson County, TN will be having a better Christmas this year for sure thanks to the toys and donations of all those that showed up for Toy Run 2008.
I arrived early Friday morning about 9 a.m. planning to do a little work on the TOW trail. I had heard that some of the really big rigs were coming up for the event and I knew that the narrowness of the trail on the top would be a problem for them. I stopped by the cabin and checked in with Doug Turtle. He and some of the Isuzu guys were already there but needed to head to town for gas so I headed up to TOW planning to meet them there later. I hadn’t gotten very far up the trail when I heard a loud pop and resulting clanking. Climbing under the rig I found I had broken the rear ujoint of the front driveshaft. Due to the trail clearing tools I was carrying I had left my trail tools at camp and since I was by myself I was forced to limp back to camp with the driveshaft banging on the skid plate all the way. A quick trip to AutoZone and repairs made, I headed back up the mountain and finally hooked up with Doug and the crew and we headed up to TOW.
I was really surprised at all the growth that had come up over the summer! We made our way up to the top, cut a couple of dead trees, widening the trail and exit for the big boys the next day. Thanks to lots of young backs the work was quick and easy! Back at camp that evening we were surprised to see only a couple of other rigs had rolled in, upnover and 3Dcrawler and the Frye Racing Team were the only ones there and we wondered what kind of turn out we would have. We had no reason to worry!
I met Doug at the entrance Saturday morning where we met the ladies from the Mountain City auxiliary, set up tables, chairs, registration pads and waited for the toys to roll in. It wasn’t long before people started showing up and while the toys and registrants exceeded expectations, everything went smoothly as people registered, turned in toys and unloaded their rigs. The mixed group was swelled by a huge turnout from the Dixie Boggers and CTB clubs who rolled in that morning and I led the first group out of camp to thin things out a bit as others continued to arrive.
We went straight up to TOW where we had cleared the day before. Shawn (Gubni) was the first one to attack The Wall and despite not being able to see the line very well due to the over growth, he beat the PPE up to the top with surprisingly little trouble with liberal use of his right foot. It was impossible to keep such a large group together, by this time the group had grown to 20 or more rigs and the Bogger Boys were thrashing The Wall, so I split off with Shawn, Chris (uncc civilengineer), Dusty and Judson as the group broke up some.
We headed over to Welder, Pull Cable, where we hooked up with Superpile and his western NC group and late in the day back to the Tower/TOW area. We stopped to play on the Tower Rocks where we witnessed the most amazing feat of the weekend! For those who have been to the Tower Rocks you know there is a spot on the backside where you can drive all the way to the top for the 360 degree view. But there is no way you can continue on over due to the 10 foot drop off on the other side. Shawn drove to the top, took a look and said, “No problem, I’ll ease it down and when it starts to nose over I’ll mat it and it’ll flatten right out”. He called it perfectly and it came off just like he wanted as he made it look amazingly easy. Chris was shooting video and I can’t wait to see it. Then Shawn turned around and tried to come back up the drop off. I really don’t think the line he tried is possible without a running start but he gave it a try anyway, ending up on his top as the PPE came just a few feet from making the obstacle and then just a few degrees from landing right side up on the tires. Shawn popped out of the cockpit and it took only five of us to roll the lightweight buggy back upright. Chris, Dusty and I declined to attempt the impossible that had just been demonstrated for us and we headed on over to TOW.
The place looked completely different after a day of use. Most all the undergrowth had been beaten down and cleared off and the thrashing The Wall had suffered at the hands of the Bogger Boys had actually improved the obstacle making it more accessible. Shawn, Chris and I made it up to the top, some needing a little rock stacking at the very top (me), and decided to call it a day. I think Shawn was still a little dizzy from his roll, he did suffer a small cut to the head, and he and Chris’s group were heading home that night so we headed back to camp.
As we split up I decided to check on Team Turtle at the cabin as to dinner plans. Doug had planned to offer a $5 a plate BBQ dinner but through the generosity of the Mountain City Rotary they were able to provide a free dinner for about 60 people! Lisa Turtle was busy in the kitchen, up to her elbows in potatoes and with Mr. Turtle still on the trail, I took a quick shower and jumped in to help, chopping taters and peeling eggs. Lisa made 20 pounds of potato salad and two huge crocks of her special baked beans to go with the pork Doug had smoked earlier. What a treat for those coming off the trail to not have to fix dinner when they got back. As they started rolling in about 7 p.m. we started serving up a delicious meal as everyone ate out in front of the cabin and shared stories of the days ride around a large campfire. Perfect end to a perfect day of a perfect event.
Thanks to Doug, Lisa and all those who had a hand in the weekend. Whether you were involved in planning the event, working in different capacities or just showing up with a toy, ready to ride, you were a part of helping others and for that I thank you! Hope to see you next year at Toy Run 2009!
What a GREAT event! Kudos to Team Turtle for pulling together a fun wheeling experience to benefit a good cause. Due to the super turnout, the under-privileged kids of Johnson County, TN will be having a better Christmas this year for sure thanks to the toys and donations of all those that showed up for Toy Run 2008.
I arrived early Friday morning about 9 a.m. planning to do a little work on the TOW trail. I had heard that some of the really big rigs were coming up for the event and I knew that the narrowness of the trail on the top would be a problem for them. I stopped by the cabin and checked in with Doug Turtle. He and some of the Isuzu guys were already there but needed to head to town for gas so I headed up to TOW planning to meet them there later. I hadn’t gotten very far up the trail when I heard a loud pop and resulting clanking. Climbing under the rig I found I had broken the rear ujoint of the front driveshaft. Due to the trail clearing tools I was carrying I had left my trail tools at camp and since I was by myself I was forced to limp back to camp with the driveshaft banging on the skid plate all the way. A quick trip to AutoZone and repairs made, I headed back up the mountain and finally hooked up with Doug and the crew and we headed up to TOW.
I was really surprised at all the growth that had come up over the summer! We made our way up to the top, cut a couple of dead trees, widening the trail and exit for the big boys the next day. Thanks to lots of young backs the work was quick and easy! Back at camp that evening we were surprised to see only a couple of other rigs had rolled in, upnover and 3Dcrawler and the Frye Racing Team were the only ones there and we wondered what kind of turn out we would have. We had no reason to worry!
I met Doug at the entrance Saturday morning where we met the ladies from the Mountain City auxiliary, set up tables, chairs, registration pads and waited for the toys to roll in. It wasn’t long before people started showing up and while the toys and registrants exceeded expectations, everything went smoothly as people registered, turned in toys and unloaded their rigs. The mixed group was swelled by a huge turnout from the Dixie Boggers and CTB clubs who rolled in that morning and I led the first group out of camp to thin things out a bit as others continued to arrive.
We went straight up to TOW where we had cleared the day before. Shawn (Gubni) was the first one to attack The Wall and despite not being able to see the line very well due to the over growth, he beat the PPE up to the top with surprisingly little trouble with liberal use of his right foot. It was impossible to keep such a large group together, by this time the group had grown to 20 or more rigs and the Bogger Boys were thrashing The Wall, so I split off with Shawn, Chris (uncc civilengineer), Dusty and Judson as the group broke up some.
We headed over to Welder, Pull Cable, where we hooked up with Superpile and his western NC group and late in the day back to the Tower/TOW area. We stopped to play on the Tower Rocks where we witnessed the most amazing feat of the weekend! For those who have been to the Tower Rocks you know there is a spot on the backside where you can drive all the way to the top for the 360 degree view. But there is no way you can continue on over due to the 10 foot drop off on the other side. Shawn drove to the top, took a look and said, “No problem, I’ll ease it down and when it starts to nose over I’ll mat it and it’ll flatten right out”. He called it perfectly and it came off just like he wanted as he made it look amazingly easy. Chris was shooting video and I can’t wait to see it. Then Shawn turned around and tried to come back up the drop off. I really don’t think the line he tried is possible without a running start but he gave it a try anyway, ending up on his top as the PPE came just a few feet from making the obstacle and then just a few degrees from landing right side up on the tires. Shawn popped out of the cockpit and it took only five of us to roll the lightweight buggy back upright. Chris, Dusty and I declined to attempt the impossible that had just been demonstrated for us and we headed on over to TOW.
The place looked completely different after a day of use. Most all the undergrowth had been beaten down and cleared off and the thrashing The Wall had suffered at the hands of the Bogger Boys had actually improved the obstacle making it more accessible. Shawn, Chris and I made it up to the top, some needing a little rock stacking at the very top (me), and decided to call it a day. I think Shawn was still a little dizzy from his roll, he did suffer a small cut to the head, and he and Chris’s group were heading home that night so we headed back to camp.
As we split up I decided to check on Team Turtle at the cabin as to dinner plans. Doug had planned to offer a $5 a plate BBQ dinner but through the generosity of the Mountain City Rotary they were able to provide a free dinner for about 60 people! Lisa Turtle was busy in the kitchen, up to her elbows in potatoes and with Mr. Turtle still on the trail, I took a quick shower and jumped in to help, chopping taters and peeling eggs. Lisa made 20 pounds of potato salad and two huge crocks of her special baked beans to go with the pork Doug had smoked earlier. What a treat for those coming off the trail to not have to fix dinner when they got back. As they started rolling in about 7 p.m. we started serving up a delicious meal as everyone ate out in front of the cabin and shared stories of the days ride around a large campfire. Perfect end to a perfect day of a perfect event.
Thanks to Doug, Lisa and all those who had a hand in the weekend. Whether you were involved in planning the event, working in different capacities or just showing up with a toy, ready to ride, you were a part of helping others and for that I thank you! Hope to see you next year at Toy Run 2009!
