Official planning thread!

I'm a bit late getting to this forum, sorry about that.

Here's our tentative schedule for the week.

August 14th: Meet up at the Eagle Lakes Road Exit on Highway 80, this is about 45 minutes from the Nevada state line, and 75 minutes from Sacramento. We will run Fordyce in one shot, with a one night cushion if we have major issues. We will stay the night at Meadow Lake, at the end of the trail.

August 15th: Leisurely travel day, depending on how many rigs we have we can travel on Highway 89 around Lake Tahoe, stop in South Lake for a nice lunch, and then head into Loon Lake. The real hard-core brothers can take a short cut from Tahoe to Loon by running the 'Con backwards.

August 16th: Meet at the Loon Lake Dam for air down and safety check. Leave at 10am. It's about half a days run to our first camp spot at Spider Lake depending on the size of the group and any issues.

August 17th: Play day. We'll spend the day at Spider, messing around in Little Sluice, swimming in the lake, and doing some hiking. Very nice in here this time of year.

August 18th: Trail Day. We'll make a leisurely track to Rubicon Springs. Should be a half day run if we have no issues. There is a tougher and easier way to get to the springs, and we'll likely split the group and meet up again at Buck Island Lake. The tougher way is Old Sluice, the easier way is the "Slabs". Both are very fun.

August 19th: Relax at the springs. This is a play day for everyone. Some really fun stuff to do at the springs, including lots of hiking, sunbathing and fishing.

August 20th: Break camp and head up Cadillac Hill. Should be back at Lake Tahoe by 2:00 pm. Those that are headed to Barrrett will make a loop back to that trail. To the rest: Bon Voyage.

August 21: Head up to Barrett Lake and spend one night.

August 22: The end of the road!

Haven't figured out the meal situation. We should have at least one good potluck, probably Monday or Tuesday night. There will also be wine tasting nightly, so everyone that wants to participate should bring two good bottles (not boxes ) of wine. This is an effort to inject culture into our sport.

For the trailer crew, this trip is really trailer friendly, since we are basically making big loops.

Lots of other stuff to plan, and we are always open to input!

CRASH & Lupine, Rubicon Trip coordinators.

Ooooh, the boss is gunna be pissed! This looks like it will be about a 2 week trip for me. I'd really like to check out the northern Sierras and there is no better way to do it than with . See 'ya next summer!

CRASH said:

There will also be wine tasting nightly. This is an effort to inject culture into our sport........also a great excuse to get drunk, pass out and wake up nude, alone and shivering it the forest.......only to find out upon your return home that pictures of you in compromise have been posted on the web for all to view.

Click to expand...

:laugh:

CRASH said:

There will also be wine tasting nightly. This is an effort to inject culture into our sport........also a great excuse to get drunk, pass out and wake up nude, alone and shivering it the forest.......only to find out upon your return home that pictures of you in compromise have been posted on the web for all to view.

Click to expand...

If so, just make sure to get my good side. :moon:

How much gas should we have for just the 'Con, and how much for all three? Will the gas tank be enough or should we have some extra cans of gas?

there are plenty of gas stations between fordyce and the 'Con and between the end of the 'Con and Barrett. Each trail takes less than one tank to complete.

If you're planning on driving along the trail back and forth to the Box or whatever, and extra 5 gallons wouldn't hurt.

CRASH

WOW, just saw this thread SWEEEETTTT....I'm racing in the 24 hours of tahoe mountain bike race Aug 21&22. I was working on putting a crew together to do this trip starting on the 23rd, but hey, if you guys already got something set in stone for the week before, i'm in.

Of course no more xj, but the yj will be WELL equiped for this event. In the process of swapping in HP44/60 with detroits, 5.13's, NV4500 tranny, and some 37" MT'Rs, and yes i'll have a rear bumper this time so i can pass the saftey inpsection with a rear tow point this time


Keep me posted.


Wally

Trailering

For this trip, is South Lake Tahoe an okay place to park a truck and trailer? How far of a drive is to Fordyce and Barrett from there? Can't wait!!
Andy

I would like to make this run. However I doubt my rig is suitable (yet). I have read the rubi requirements, so I know where I need to be. Anyway, I hope to make with a built XJ by that time.

Current project:
Lift (RE 3.5" + Teraflex spacers = about 5-6")
Rock Rails (C4x4 or AJ's)

Next project:
Underbody armoring (gas tank, diff, anything else?)

rubi

how long of a drive is it to the rubricon from denver?an what route?thanks

trailrunner said:

how long of a drive is it to the rubricon from denver?an what route?thanks

Click to expand...

Get your map out, or use Mapquest, and look for Lake Tahoe. The trail starts off of Hwy 50 west of Tahoe.

Re: rubi

This should help a bit to get a feel

trailrunner said:

how long of a drive is it to the rubricon from denver?an what route?thanks

Click to expand...

Thanks for the Map. So, exactly what directions are we traveling on the different trails? Is Fordyce run from 4dyce2 to 4dyce1? or the other way around? It would make sense to go from north to south since the next trail is to the south, but perhaps that isn't the way it is done. I'm pretty sure the Rubicon is done from Rubicon1 to Rubicon2. Then Barrett is basically a run north and east of the road from Barrett to Jones Place and then comes back to that same road more towards Jones Place? If I do come all this way from Wisconsin, I would certainly like to get a look at a little more of California although I know it is too damn big to get a look at all of it. What I was thinking of doing is coming in on 80, running the three trails with , and then continueing south hoping to stop at Yosemite, Mammoth Lake, Devils Postpile, Mono Hot Springs, Kings Canyon, Sequoia, and passing through Death Valley ending up at Las Vegas and I15 back up into Utah and towards home. Does anyone have any suggestions for a trip like this? Is that too many places to try to get a taste of? Could this trip be done from Wisconsin in two weeks? How many more days would it take? Any suggestions as to routes to take and don't miss types of things? I imagine getting camping in the parks that time of year is going to be impossible, right? Or maybe not? Thanks for any input you all may have. Jeff

The one and two are not necessarily the direction that will run them, but the plan is laid out in the thread above.

Jeff 98XJ WI said:

Thanks for the Map. So, exactly what directions are we traveling on the different trails? Is Fordyce run from 4dyce2 to 4dyce1? or the other way around? It would make sense to go from north to south since the next trail is to the south, but perhaps that isn't the way it is done. I'm pretty sure the Rubicon is done from Rubicon1 to Rubicon2. Then Barrett is basically a run north and east of the road from Barrett to Jones Place and then comes back to that same road more towards Jones Place? If I do come all this way from Wisconsin, I would certainly like to get a look at a little more of California although I know it is too damn big to get a look at all of it. What I was thinking of doing is coming in on 80, running the three trails with , and then continueing south hoping to stop at Yosemite, Mammoth Lake, Devils Postpile, Mono Hot Springs, Kings Canyon, Sequoia, and passing through Death Valley ending up at Las Vegas and I15 back up into Utah and towards home. Does anyone have any suggestions for a trip like this? Is that too many places to try to get a taste of? Could this trip be done from Wisconsin in two weeks? How many more days would it take? Any suggestions as to routes to take and don't miss types of things? I imagine getting camping in the parks that time of year is going to be impossible, right? Or maybe not? Thanks for any input you all may have. Jeff

Click to expand...

Jeff, that's great if you're able to come out west and play with us again. We'll be running Fordyce from South/West to North/East, Rubicon from West to East, and BLT from South to North(in and out trail).
You're crazy if you want to try and hit all those places you listed in two weeks. That is a long drive from Wisconsin.

Jes

Jeff, it would be great if you can make it out. Believe me, these trails are worth the drive......it would be a very unforgetable trip. Like Jes already said, Fordyce and Rubicon will be run from "1" to "2", and Barrett Lake is an in and out on the same route.

It would be difficult to see everything you have on your list. I'd recommend leaving out Sequoia and Kings Canyon, and get a better look at Yosemite. You would go south to Yosemite Valley, then east through Tuolumne Meadows and over Tioga Pass, then on to Mammoth and Devil's Postpile, then south-east through Death Valley.

Mammoth isn't much to see in the summer time, especially after being on the 'Con and in Yosemite, but it is fun to ride the tram to the top of Mammoth Mountain and enjoy the fabulous view. I've never been to Devil's Postpile, but I'd really like to go there, so I'm considering doing it on Friday before we start Fordyce.

See you this summer,

Thanks for the reality check Jes. "You must be crasy to think you could see all that in two weeks." I do always try to cram too much into one vacation. However, if one drives forever to get to California, it sure would be nice to see more than three 4wd trails in one area. Especially if I have a spouse along, know what I mean? Richard, thanks for the input on skipping Sequoia/Kings canyon although that is where the giant trees are right? Would be nice to see, but since that area is further to the south, it might be best to skip. Looking at the map, it doesn't look like there is a good way to get south from BLT to Yosemite on the west side of the Sierra's. It looks like the best route would be south on 395 (East side of Sierra's) to 120 and into the park from that side. Any suggestions? What should be considered must see in Yosemite keeping in mind that it will be August the driest time of the year? How about driving through Death Valley in August? Is that just plain stupid? Keep in mind that I don't handle heat all that well. :wow:

BTW, this trip is very tentative at this point, but I would LIKE to make it. Jeff

there is a reason they named the place "Death Valley".......

Going into Yosemite from the East is spectacular, a very good choice. This way, you could also see Mono Lake, which is a very old alkali lake. The whole east side is spectacular, if you ask me!

CRASH

Jeff 98XJ WI said:

Richard, thanks for the input on skipping Sequoia/Kings canyon although that is where the giant trees are right? Would be nice to see, but since that area is further to the south, it might be best to skip. Looking at the map, it doesn't look like there is a good way to get south from BLT to Yosemite on the west side of the Sierra's. It looks like the best route would be south on 395 (East side of Sierra's) to 120 and into the park from that side. Any suggestions? What should be considered must see in Yosemite keeping in mind that it will be August the driest time of the year? How about driving through Death Valley in August? Is that just plain stupid? Keep in mind that I don't handle heat all that well. :wow:

BTW, this trip is very tentative at this point, but I would LIKE to make it. Jeff

Click to expand...

Jeff, if you're coming from Barrett Lake (and even if you're not), I'd continue west on Hwy 50 and go south on Hwy 49 from Placerville, then into Yosemite from the west. One of the most dramatic views in the Sierra's (from a car) is coming into Yosemite Valley. You can spend a day, or at least most of a day, in the valley and then head east (and up in elevation) to Tuolumne Meadows, then over Tioga Pass and down to Hwy 395 and Mammoth Lakes/Devil's Postpile. If you want to see the big trees, and if you don't like extreme heat, consider going to Sequoia Park before Yosemite, and skip Death Valley, heading north back up to 80 for the drive home. Adding Sequoia to the trip is a lot of driving, and there's plenty to see in Yosemite. After the sights you'll see in the back country on Rubicon, Barrett, and Fordyce, plus being at Lake Tahoe, and seeeing Yosemite, I'd relax a little in Yosemite and not bother with Sequoia. If you really want to see big trees, you can see them in Yosemite.

There is nothing like seeing the Crystal Basin every day on your way home from work and not being able to go there... :bawl: :tears: :rattle: