Only got a couple of pics:
We came in the back way and went up the 120 trail first, something neither John nor I had ever done. And probably won't do again. VERY easy, with the biggest challenge being dodging the overgrown brush.
After that dissapointment, we actually found a decent beginner's trail just down the road, #199. There were a couple of challenging tight corners and a couple of spots where I needed 4WD. Great spot for more stock vehicles to play.
Then we ran 519 to the Log Pile, but were unable to locate the cool obstacle we had so much fun on at Oktoberfest:
I screwed around on the logs for a while, making it almost all the way through, and it was only a desire to to jack up my D/S that prevented me from getting really heavy with the stupid pedal. Still had some fun and manufactured a few yards of beauty bark.
After lunch there, we headed down to run 311 on the way out. When we got to the trailhead, a Forest Ranger flagged me down. He walked over and informed me he would be citing me for theft of forest property. I stared at him for a moment, dumbstruck. "Wha..What?" I asked.
He pulled a branch off my rack that had snagged on one of the more overgrown trails we'd run. Then he laughed and said he was just kidding, but did need to see my Forest Pass. "No sweat," I said and started searching around my floor boards. Sheepishly I showed him what I had:
The victim of several floodings and one fire, there wasn't much left. Luckily, he said it would be okay, but to have a new one next time I came up. One of the other folks in our group wasn't so lucky and got cited for not having one.
This is where John started getting a little pissed, as it is his and my understanding that a pass is only required if you're parked or camping. John expressed his confusion, to which the Ranger (who looked as if he'd hit puberty about three hours previous) told us that they "like to look at it as a day-use fee."
Who cares what they "like to look at it as," that's not what the rules are. There was even a sign 45 feet away on the message board that read: "NW Forest Pass must be displayed on windshield when parked at this location."
"Well, I see three Jeeps that are parked right now," Dudly Doo-Right responds a little shakily. Sure sounded like entrapment to John and I; make someone pull over and park, then cite them for pulling over and parking...? Kinda shitty, IMHO. We mentioned it to him, but with no comeback, he started picking our rigs apart; flares not extending far enough to cover tires, no mud flaps, the usual.
This is where it got really funny; John's cousin (who was riding along) is a veratible law library of vehicular infraction codes (presumeably having recieved many of them himself). He (very cagily) asked the Ranger, "So the law is that the flaps have to extend to the centerline of the rear axle, right...?" Meanwhile, John is pulling out the WSP codes and reciting them, including RCWs.
"That is my understanding," the Ranger said vaugely, as if sensing the trap. "So that means your truck is in violation...right?" As if a tennis match, all eyes swept over to his FS truck, and sure enough, no flaps. It was something out of a John Grisham novel; first get them to agree with you, then make 'em eat their words. He got a lot nicer after that.
Anyway, despite this he still gave the other guy in our group the citation, but let us go. So let this be a warning; on weekends be prepared to have flaps, flares, lic. plates front and rear, and a forest pass...AT THE MINUMUM.
And beware, Matt's Tree Stump of Doom on 311 has really gotten bad. I defy anyone to take the lower, more challenging line w/o damage. So far it's 5/5 XJs that have gone through there, all Evans veterans, and all have done some damage. I got my rear quarter panel in front of the THOR guards again, and John caved in his door and scraped off some of his wood paneling.
-----Matt-----
