G & D's Sierra Trek Experience

[91AzXJ 2]

Looked like a hairy time!

[dzJeepChic 2,565]

Here are some pictures from around Meadow Lake. There were lots of places to camp, but we figure this guy got there really early to get this prime spot. In this photo I was trying to capture mist rising off the water in the morning.

 

 

Looking the other way from where we were camped and then at our camp and neighbors.

 

 

Russ Chung had saved us a place right next to him under some trees.

 

 

The big yellow school bus belongs to Jim Bramham, our tour guide on the SUV Historic route. He's converted it into a camping rig that pulls a trailer with his Dodge Dakota and supplies trailer.

 

 

Here's a look back at the area where we camped from where all the activities were held.

 

 

First things first, Saturday morning we walked over for breakfast. Every meal Sierra Trek provided was really good and there were always lots of choices.

 

 

 

Next order of business was a hot shower! What a neat set up they have; each shower stall has a changing room with several chairs and hooks so you can keep your stuff dry, and a separate shower booth. They provide USFS approved soap/shampoo (that was minty fresh and I really liked it!) and yes it really was hot water!

 

 

After the excellent breakfast and even better shower, we felt like so much better, and went walking around Base Camp.

 

 

Wheelers for the Wounded staging for their run on Saturday:

 

 

More Base Camp at Meadow Lake Pictures:

 

 



 

 

Rubicon Express was cooking up some hotdogs and handing them out to anybody who wanted one. And even though we'd eaten breakfast less than two hours earlier, G totally enjoyed having one.

 

 

 

I got my picture taken with Starlie Dixon from Poison Spyder. Obviously we're both awesome because we both wear chucks, but I gotta say I was eyeing her red ones. She's the person responsible for making sure you guys have some cool raffle prizes at the Annual Cinders Event!

 

 

There was lots of cool stuff on display and discount prices everywhere. Somehow we missed this, but there was a silent auction for certain items at all the vendor booths. Be sure to check this out if you go to Sierra Trek because after the raffle winners of the silent auction items were announced and people were getting incredibly great deals on all sorts of great merchandise!

 

 



 



 



 



 



 

 

We met up with Mitchell from Marlin Crawler who we had run the Fordyce with, and George ended up in a conversation with Marlin himself, who we had originally met the first time we ran the Rubicon in 2007.

 

 

 

Our host for the trip, Chris Collard (on the left) is who invited JPFreek to cover the event. He is the Editor in Chief at Overland Journal, plus just all around extraordinary photographer and journalist. He and his 4x4 group have been contributing to Sierra Trek since 1984, and they are in charge of the showers, some of the dinners as well as leading the Fordyce trail Thursday. Chris ended up personally doing trail repairs on a TJ on Thursday's Fordyce run that took 9 hours to complete before they got the rig off the trail. Also shown is his Toyota, the tool boxes that save so many vehicles on the Fordyce. Yes, that says JPEater.

 

 



 

https://scontent.fphx1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/t31.0-8/14124412_10154459314618648_5148784867543501174_o.jpg

 

There was a(n) RC competition for the kids

 

 

Random cool rigs

 

 

 

We entered Clifford in the Show 'N Shine Car Show. He didn't win but we had a lot of fun hanging out and talking about our rigs.

 

 

 

We met Mitch & Lynette on the SUV Historic Route, and it was good times to just chill out on Saturday at the car show. Their dog Buck totally passed out in the driver's seat of their H3T.

 

 



 

 

This is the Jeep that won the Long Wheel Base category and Best in Show category, the 2 classes I entered Clifford for.

 

 

The trophies that were up for grabs:

 

 

More...

[stockjeep 34]

awesome pictures and report Diane. I've had the fever to go for awhile but after these pictures its a must do

 

thank you for sharing

[91AzXJ 2]

Clifford looks small between the H2 and the FSJ. Nice write up!

[dzJeepChic 2,565]

Saturday night dinner was delicious! We enjoyed it with wine that was provided by Russ Chung.

 

 

 

The raffle was pretty interesting. They picked the first 25 tickets live Saturday evening, and then they kept picking tickets but not announcing them. Instead they made a list of the winning tickets that everyone could check later in the evening or in the morning. We tried to check our tickets in the morning but nobody could find the list so we never found out if we won anything. Here's a few pictures from the raffle:

 

 



 

 

After one more hearty breakfast on Sunday we left Meadow Lake and made our way back to Truckee to visit the Donner Museum before hitting the road to come home. We were tired but exuberant that we had made it unscathed thus far; and when we pulled into our driveway Monday afternoon we heaved a sigh of relief. Good old Clifford made it there and back plus conquered the hardest trail we'd ever done before.

 

[dzJeepChic 2,565]

Winch Hill #1 (part 1) video:

 

[dzJeepChic 2,565]

Winch Hill #1 (part 2) video:

 

[ob1jeeper 564]

VERY nice trip report "D"... Thanks for the sharing...

[dzJeepChic 2,565]

First video of the day on the Fordyce Trail, this is somewhere before we got to Winch Hill #1.

 

[dzJeepChic 2,565]

This is somewhere between Winch Hills #1 & #2.