m3dragon

Video is up and online. Enjoy all the sights, rigs and people that made this one amazing weekend adventure. Next outing is July 18th for Poker Run II which is a half (ish) day run to hit trails outside Fernley NV. Link for the trails run is under the event section of the forum.

We arrived in Bodie at 4:00pm to give people a few hours to explore the grounds. The town is an amazing place to visit, but no one told you about the biting gnats. These things were vicious and made exploring a little annoying. We ended the day in Bridgeport where we grabbed some food and a few cold ones to recap the day. Day two was a half day run. We had two stops planned and some fun trails ahead of us. The group left Bridgeport at 8:30am and made the 15 mile trek to the trail start. Here we setup a good spot to take pictures of the participants as they drove up the trail. We had a flat tire mid-way through the first trail, which we were able to fix quickly as a group. Team effort to get the tire changed and the rig back on the road. The first stop was the Golden Gate Mine. All that is left is the rock crusher and a few old building remains. The mine had little data, but did pull $12,000 of gold out in one day. --- The trails to the Leviathan Mine were through some great open country which had one section that really worked the suspension of all the vehicles. This was followed up by a short pavement stretch to the mine road, which took you through some great canyon running to the mine overlook. After the Leviathan Mine, the group made their way to Markleeville for lunch and then to head home.

The first Ghost Town trip is now in the books. 23 rigs from Raptor, Toyota, Dodge, Jeep, and even a Montero made the 300 miles two day trek to see the lost history of the ghost towns and mines of Eastern Nevada. See all the images of the trip here: The start of the day was at 7:30am in Carson City. We had all 23 rigs prepped and ready to roll. After a quick drivers meeting and passing out the cool T-shirts Rogue Racing made for us, we got the show on the road. We had a short trek on the freeway before we hit dirt, but by 8:20am we were on the trail. First one out of the gate when we hit the trail was a Baja prepped Raptor, followed closely by the Dodge Boys and a few others. It took a few minutes to get the rest of the group going, as we had to air down our tires for the rest of the trail. First stop for the day was the old pioneer fort at Fort Churchill. The group had time to walk the grounds and see all the old structures that remained, which are over 120 years old. --- Before heading to the next settlement we had a moment of fun doing donuts in the dirt. Next stop was the Churchill settlement, which was a working ranch, but as you can see by the photo needs a little sprucing up. Following the settlement, we made a 2 mile short trek to the Minnesota Mine. Here participants got a chance to do a little hill climbing. There were two very fun large mounds to climb over, and once you got to the top you had a great view of the valley we were running in. It was also a great way to get photos of the people coming up to the mine. Leaving Minnesota Mine we had a fun Baja stretch of trail to the General Store for restrooms, fuel top off and to enjoy a nice boxed lunch. --- After lunch was another long stretch of trail to reach the Aurora Mines before heading into Bodie, which was the last stop for the day. This was one of the best sections of trail for the day, and people were flying along in the 3 digit range at times. Stopping just short of the Aurora Mine, we gathered the group back up so we could hit the slower section of the trail as a group. This section of trail was our canyon run with tight turns, close quarters, and one of the most spectacular roads into Bodie. Here we stopped at the old mine ruins and the cemetery of a once bustling town, where a past Nevada senator had once lived. Just before getting to Bodie, you exit the canyon to a BIG mud puddle. Some of the participants could not resist getting a little dirty.

Disclaimer: --------------------------------------------- This a pay your own way event. This means even me the organizer pays my own way to attend. Organizing drives is my hobby and I enjoy putting the events on. I also pay for the website and store system out of my own pocket to make sharing information and registering easier on everyone. --------------------------------------------- Offroad Poker Trail Run II (Deuces) – July 18th The offroad poker run is a meant to be a group trail run to allow those without GPS or other gear to participate. This also means that participants can help each other in case of an emergency. However some of you more experienced off roaders would most likely want to run on your own we have that option. This is NOT a competition but a fun run with a game attached to it. There will be a crew going ahead, setting up a flag and a check points so you know where grab your next playing card. Simple as that. Starting point: Pilot Travel Center 465 Pilot Rd Fernley, NV 89408 Sparks NV: BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse 425 Sparks Blvd Sparks, NV 89434 The $50 costs cover the following: - $15 - Poker buy-in - $30 - Decals (number of your choice as shown below) - - - Decals do not harm your paint and are a pick and stick product. Test to 189 MPH and stayed on. - $5 - PayPal Fee Register for the trail drive here: The poker run trail game: Players: A team consists of the participants riding in a single rig. A team can consist of a single driver, or as many passengers vehicle can legally hold. We encourage this as a family or couples event as the trails are as smooth as trails can get and is meant to be a fun outing. Objective: This is a 5 card game with deuce’s being wild this time. Participants can stay in a group or if they want to do their own thing can drive ahead to the check points to pick up the next playing card. Check points will be noted by a flag so you know you to jump out and grab a playing card. How to Play: At the start of the event, teams are given a packet with GPS locations (street addresses and times checkpoints are open). At each checkpoint teams will be able to choose their playing card. Distance covered: The group will cover 140 miles off offroad trails and no pavement till the drive to the restaurant. NOTES: This is not a time and distance rally or the fastest car wins event. This is a meant to be a fun trail event with a “game” added to it to make it different. Goal of the outing is to be fun and social not a race! There is no “civilized” restroom on this run so plan accordingly. How to Win: This Poker Run is about the experiences and the adventure, but the prizes at the end are not bad either ;-). The winning team is the one with the best hand at the end at the lunch stop. Payouts are given to the teams with the top three hands. Payout: First place receives 70%, second place receives 20%, and third place receives 10%. The more participants there are, the bigger the pot will be. All fees collected go to the event as noted below. Costs: $30 for decal with number of your choice, $15 poker buy in, $5 for maps and PayPal collection fee (GRR) Lunch: BJ Brewery. Chain restaurant but best / closest option for the group. Maps: GPS map files will be sent to those who register for the event. Printed maps will be made for those who don't have a GPS or GPS app. Weather: If the weather turns south on us, a full refund will be given a week prior to the event. After that partial refunds will be give as decals will have been printed. They will be mailed to you if canceled and a new date selected to do the run. Register for the trail drive here: Current claimed numbers as of this post:  

Thought we share a little teaser video from the Pre-run we did. We will make a full length clip of the Pre-run but for now here is some of the fun.

Reminder deadline is coming up to sign up. Also more numbers have been claimed so if you want a specific number register sooner than later. We have a nice mix of rigs going so don't be shy to come on out.

A few more numbers claimed for the trip. Remember to register as numbers are first come first claim.

March 2015 – Poker Run Trail Report The first trail Poker Run and Trail day has past. The group consisted of 12 rigs on the trail and 4 of us that played as “check point crews” to hand out cards and take pictures of the group. The group covered 128 miles of fun trails and a wide mix of terrain. We did suffer a hiccup a hour into the event where we had to help a rig get home but despite the hiccup everyone had a great time. Plans are to do another one this summer that is all dirt with no pavement. Once a date has been selected it will be posted for everyone to join on another trail run and poker game. Video clip of the event here: All the event images can be found here: March_2015_Poker_Run Some highlight images of the day’s events. Another WAY to early weekend morning. Whose Idea was this again… Driving into Tahoe one more time Drivers meeting, admin stuff and everything else before we start -------------------------------- Some of the images on the trail. There are so many so here are just a few of them. See the link for the full album and all the great shots ------------------------------- After a fun day on the trail, a well desreve beer and food was waiting for all at Reds 395. In the end we had a great day, made new friends and are all pumped to go on the Ghost Town run. The winning hands. 1st place - Blue Jeep - 2 pair Ace High (thanks raptors for money to upgrade jeep) 2nd place - Rapto - 2 Pair 3rd place - F150 4x4 Eco Boost (Off the lot!) pair King High

Last day to sign up. Weather looks good for the weekend somewhere between 64-70 degrees forecasted.

Reminder that there is still time to sign up for the run. A few of us went out and tested another 6 miles for the poker run and 23 miles for a larger event at the end of the year. Here is some teaser images of the trails and a video of some shenanigans.

Deadline to sign up for this trip if booking hotels and wanting decals mailed is April 20th All orders after that, decals will not be mailed. Final deadline to register is April 27. First numbers claimed:

Disclaimer: --------------------------------------------- This a pay your own way event. This means even me the organizer pays my own way to attend. Organizing drives is my hobby and I enjoy putting the events on. I also pay for the website and store system out of my own pocket to make sharing information and registering easier on everyone. --------------------------------------------- The 2015 Ghost Town Excursion – May 2nd & 3rd , 2015 Register for the trip here The Ghost Town Excursion is a fun off roading adventure to explore some of the old ghost towns outside Carson Nevada. The focus of this trip is for owners of pre-runner and off road vehicles of all types to make new friends and get their rigs dirty. Family and friends are welcome to attends as this is meant to be a social group, not just a run for the boys. As with all off road trips these are a meant to be a community activity as we all know something can always happen on the trail and supporting each other is key. Planned Trip Summary: The group will meet in Carson City, and head east to start the trek south. Total mileage for the day will be around 180 miles off fun trails. Planned stops for the day are the Churchill ghost fort, three ghost mines and ending in Bodie CA, ghost town. Sunday will be some more off road trekking and a stop at Gold Gate Ghost mine and ending for lunch in Markleeville. After lunch Sunday participants can caravan home or make their own adventure. Participation check list Radio of some sort Full Size Spare Ability to have fun The 2015 Ghost Town Excursion – May 2nd & 3rd , 2015 Pre Event Night Accommodations: For those who would like a more relaxed start for the weekend’s activities we have arranged a group rate at the Super 8 motel in Carson City NV. This will allow those of you who are coming from a distance to have a place to rest and relax before a weekend on the trail. Super 8 Motel 2829 S Carson St, Hwy 395 1 Mile S of Town Carson City, NV 89701-5514 Day 1: Meeting Location Date: 05-02-2015 Address: Dunkin' Donuts‎ - 2190 East William Street, Carson City, Nevada 8970 Time: 7:30am Depart: 8:00am – Trip begins. Activity: Registration and assist with decal application drivers meeting for day The drivers’ meeting is to go over the rules of the trail as well as make sure everyone has the required gear. This is also a chance for participants to ask questions and get assistance on any part of trail setup. There will be a mid-way stop in town with restrooms and fuel for those who don’t get stellar gas mileage. This will be a quick stop so we can make sure we make it to all the stops before night fall. Lunch stop will be in Pine Grove Time: ~12:30pm arrive with a 30 or so minute lunch stop After lunch, we will head to the hill portion of the trail to see Aurora and then Bodie Address: Bodie CA After Bodie we will make the short haul to the 395 and then head north to Bridgeport. Overnight Accommodations: Address: Rubby Inn - 333 Main St, Bridgeport, CA 93517 - Includes continental breakfast Camping Accommodations: For those who wish to camp, you are on your own to book at the following recommended location: Doc & Al's Camp & Cabin 85 Twin Lakes Rd Bridgeport, CA 93517, United States (760) 932-7051 Dinner stop - Rhino's Bar & Grille, 226 Main Bridgeport, CA 93517 Day 2: Golden Gate Mine This day is a shorter day as we make out way back towards Lake Tahoe. The stops on this trip are an abandon home stead and the Golden Gate Host mine. The group will end in Markleeville for lunch. Leave from the hotel at 8:30am on the DOT!!! Lunch stop will be in Markleeville Time: ~ 12:30 – 1:30 for Lunch Wolf Creek Restaurant Address: 14830 California 89, Markleeville, CA 96120 After lunch participants can caravan home and or start their own adventure on more trails. The official group event ends after lunch so people those who have to make a longer trek home can stat the long journey. Register for the trip here Base fee covers: Decals, PayPal, Shipping, Maps

A question that came up on a few forums was meet up time and start. Meet up 8:20-8:30am to air down, pass out packets, apply decals. Full details will be sent via email to those who register. Deadline to sign up is March 17. This is to allow time to make the decals. Two more numbers claimed.

Number has been claimed. Feel free to invite friends to come along. Not everyone is on the forum.

For those who are thinking about joining this run, the video link below is of the pre-run of the trail.

Disclaimer: --------------------------------------------- This a pay your own way event. This means even me the organizer pays my own way to attend. Organizing drives is my hobby and I enjoy putting the events on. I also pay for the website and store system out of my own pocket to make sharing information and registering easier on everyone. --------------------------------------------- Offroad Poker Run - March 21 The offroad poker run is a meant to be a group trail run to allow those without GPS or other gear to participate. This also means that participants can help each other in case of an emergency. However some of you more experienced off roaders would most likely want to run on your own we have that option. This is NOT a competition but a fun run with a game attached to it. I have some friend helping me by going ahead , setting up a flag and a check point where grab your next playing card. Simple as that. Starting point: Johnson Lane General Store 1392 Johnson Lane Minden, Nevada 89423 Finish Line is Carson City: Reds 395 1055 South Carson Street, Carson City, NV 89701 The $45 costs cover the following: - $10 - Poker buy-in - $30 - Decals (number of your choice as shown below) - - - Decals do not harm your paint and are a pick and stick product. Test to 189 MPH and stayed on. - $5 - PayPal Fee - Optional Lunch Pre-pay ($15 for Reds 395 BBQ in Carson City – Food, Tax, Gratuity, Soda/Tea) - Lunch stop has 55 beers on tap which are on you. Register for the trail drive here: The poker run trail game: Players: A team consists of the participants riding in a single rig. A team can consist of a single driver, or as many passengers vehicle can legally hold. We encourage this as a family or couples event as the trails are as smooth as trails can get and is meant to be a fun outing. Objective: This is a simple 5-card stud game. Participants can stay in a group or if they want to do their own thing can drive ahead to the check points to pick up the next playing card. Check points are on marked city and county roads to make the easy to find. A flag will mark the check point. If you are faster than the check point teams you might have to weight as they are on surface streets to keep jumping ahead. How to Play: At the start of the event, teams are given a packet with GPS locations (street addresses and times checkpoints are open). At each checkpoint teams will be able to choose their playing card. Distance covered: The group will cover 186 mile from the start to the end of the trip. 124 of those miles are trail miles over some fast and fun terrain. There is a short section that is a little bumpy but you will NOT need 4X4 to do this run. NOTES: This is not a time and distance rally or the fastest car wins event. This is a meant to be a fun trail event with a “game” added to it to make it different. Goal of the outing is to be fun and social not a race! There is a restroom stop after the first check point or 1.5 miles into the trail for those of you who need a more “civilized” restroom. We encourage you to buy something at the bakery to keep them in business as well as they are very tasty. How to Win: This Poker Run is about the experiences and the adventure, but the prizes at the end are not bad either ;-). The winning team is the one with the best hand at the end at the lunch stop. Payouts are given to the teams with the top three hands. Payout: First place receives 70%, second place receives 20%, and third place receives 10%. The more participants there are, the bigger the pot will be. All fees collected go to the event as noted below. Costs: $30 for decal with number of your choice, $10 poker buy in, $5 for maps and PayPal collection fee (GRR) Lunch: We worked out a pre catered lunch at Reds 395 BBQ for $15 a head. This includes, food, tax, gratuity, and soda / ice tea. They have 55 beers on tap which are not included. Maps: GPS map files will be sent to those who register for the event. Printed maps will be made for those who don't have a GPS or GPS app. Weather: If the weather turns south on us, a full refund will be given a week prior to the event. After that partial refunds will be give as decals will have been printed. They will be mailed to you if canceled and a new date selected to do the run. Register for the trail drive here: Current claimed numbers as of this post:

Nice thing about having a firend who is a semi pro photogropher, you get great shots like these. I only pulled a few I like but there are a bunch more on the album link.

February Poker Run – Pre-Run This was an invite that was sent out to my email list and 4 other Raptor owners showed up. Dodge, Chevy, Nissan, Jeep, and Toyota owners on my email list were notified about the run so you don’t see them as none showed up! Hopefully this report will get some of you out to join the fun. Full Album has been posted here: http://raddrives.com/albums/2015-Poker_Run-Pre_Run/index.html Video of the day on the trail here: The start of the day was another early run up the hill. The group left at 6:30am to make the trek to Carson City area. Weather was great and we made great time. Not many people up that early driving up the hill. Two of the group were coming from the 80 side and meet up with us at the kick off point. We fueled up, aired down and hit the trail at 9:00am on the dot. Made a quick stop to let the group catch up and also to get some video of them coming around the bend. From there we made our way to the valley where most of the day’s trails were. Made a quick stop at the first of the planned poker run card check points to snap a pic. The group trekked further south and then made the cut over to the trails that lead north. On this section we stopped to defend the group for the killer rocks in the area. It was a fierce battle but we were successful. We had one issue on the trail where one of the guys bed cover became a cape. With a little creative engineering we were able to tie it down and it stayed in place the rest of the day. Though the jokes about him wanting to be super man did not stop till food. While waiting for the trail fix, was able to get a great terrain shot. The group hit the trail north. As you can see it was fast and flat. Someone had to see where the limiter was. This is where we had a, let’s call it “odd” incident happen. In the middle of nowhere dirt road was a Chrysler minivan driving with doors open. They pulled over as the group approached so we could pass. As we passed we were all prepared to see a body being dumber but instead we saw a GIANT yellow rubber duck smashed in the windshield. Not sure what was going on but we are all getting a laugh out of it and glad it was not a mafia dump HAHA. Shortly after this funny incident we hit some fun whoops that were hilarious for some reason. See the video for all the chuckling. Pic is right after the whoops. The drive off the trail was fun and fast like the rest of the afternoon. After we hit the pavement we made the 40 mile trek to food in Carson City. BBQ who could go wrong. After foot made the trek back home with a great sun set.

My guess is some sort of ore separator / tumbler.

This trail report was for a trip note posted or broadcast to the community. Myself and family along with my buddy and his wife and their brand new, week old jeep summit hit a 110 mile trail near Carson Valley. The day started off great, first section was a little washboard but we are able to make good time. We fallowed a valley trail called Sunrise Road which snaked through the ridge to open ground. Here is the view after you come out of the mountains and down to fast fun roads. We hit the flat lands and made our way to a mining operation. There was a lot of stuff there and it looks like it is still working but no one was there After the mine stop we made a short trip to lunch stop. This was a chance for the little guy to get out and not be lashed down in the truck. So far he was a trooper and seemed to enjoy the truck being rattled all over the place. After lunch we made our way to the Minnesota Mine. Several structure remains are still there and was fun to explore. -------------------- After the Minnesota Mine we headed back towards home. The trail was great and then we hit the SLOW stuff. This was a crawler trail and was a real pain to cross. While I was suffering this was a good chance for my buddy to learn his car and approach angles. After this painful section we reach some good ground and went to the last mine. This was the Como Mine with lots of ruins spread over a big area. Before heading home we had to re-arrange the gear and gave the little guy a chance to try out driver seat. Still a ways off from reaching the pedals HAHA Made our way down the last bit of the Como trail which was rocky but not as bad as the other side of the trail. We made it off just as darkness was setting in.

Ever come to this way always welcome to come.

Trail Report Lovelock 2014 This was a pre run of some trails near Lovelock as well as to venture out and see 5-6 old mines. The total miles of trail were 160 planned miles unless conditions were not favorable. The main group complete 188 miles of trail and two members complete 140 as we did have a minor break down. Brake line got damaged so one member followed the other to civilization. Good thing his rig was a manual. The group consisted of two Raptors, two Dodge trucks, one Jeep and one Toyota. Report shows some of the major highlights of the trip. To see more images of the trip see the links attached. Photos - http://www.raddrives.com Video of trip - If you missed this trip keep an eye out for future posted trips or join my email list. I have more trails then time to go out and explore. Day started off early with a drive to Lovelock. Coming over the pass was greeted to another great sunrise and stunning colors. Passing through Truckee is was a balmy 6 degrees outside. Wife was ridding shotgun and said this was totally bikini weather (very sarcastically). Wife and I arrived in Lovelock at 8:55am to meet with whoever decided to make the trek. Meet up with four new people and one buddy in his new Jeep. Our group was definitely as diverse as I have been on so far which makes it all the more fun. After getting the logistics sorted out the group left the meeting point gas station at 9:22am to hit the trails. Start of the trail and group airing down below. The first part of the day’s trails had a light coating of snow on them. This made for a little bit of slip and slide conditions but still able to keep speeds up and have fun. We reached the first mine stop where we got out to explore the ruins for a bit before moving onto one of the longer trail sections. As the group did not object we took a 2 miles adventure trail which was slow going and had a 21 degree descent to get to the main trail. Definitely was a fun mix of pace vs just blasting across the desert. ---------------------------------- The next 40 miles was crossing up and over the mountains, around an open pit mine, and then blasting down the valley floor on the other side. The trail on the other side was fast and had some very fun whoops and turns. Missed taking video of this section but now it is a reason to go back =) After about 40 miles on the valley we turned west to head to the second ghost mine and lunch. This was a very interesting mine to see as a lot of the structures were still in place. Amazing to think at one point people were here working and all that is left now is this decaying skeleton. ---------------------------------- After lunch mine stop was a short hoof over to the next mine. This is where the Toyota of the group had a rear brake line get loose and then get crushed by the shock. We spent some time trying to patch it but ended up not being able to. One of the group wanted to head back so we all agreed the two of them would trail buddy it out to civilization and the other group would pass up the other mines and take the longer loop home. On the way home we made a detour to a lake bed to have a little fun. Lake was dry but the ground was wet enough to act like velcro so slides were rather hard to do. ---------------------------------- With daylight fading we head on the fast trail home and all made our ways back home.

Outing update: Weather forecast looks good so I say we are a go. Unless the night before there is a deluge of rain we are hitting the trail. Please email if you are planning on actually going on the trail run. This is so I know how many people to expect at the meeting point. Have a Merry Xmas and see some of you in the dirt on the 27th

Weather bump. Forecast is still looking good so will bump again next week with weather update.

***12/27 - Trip is Weather dependent. If there is rain 48 hours before the date or it looks like 80% chance of rain day of it will be called off as being in the mud is slow going as well as ruins the trails for others.*** If interested in the trip below shoot me an email at norcal.drivers@gmail.com For all those interested I am seeing who would be interested in doing a pre-run of some trail near Lovelock NV. The plan is to cover about 150-160 miles of mixed trails and a little pavement. This is not all about being on the trails as there are a few planned stops. These stops include 4 ghost mines and a cave called the cave of the giants. Depending on the group there is a detour near the start to see a some old miner buildings. Meeting point: 9:00am in Lovelock at the Chevron Gas station to top off with fuel and hit the trail Caravan from Sacramento If you care to caravan to Lovelock I would be leaving Sacramento at 6:00am. Expectations: If you plan on attending the expectation is you can run at 40mph or so across the trails when possible. This is not “my rig is faster than yours” trip. The requirement is so we can cover the planned distance. Of course trail variations will determine overall and average speed but if you are looking for some crawling and or putting a long trip this is will not be for you. Gear: There are two requirements to go which are for safety reason. For those who have been out on trails before you know something could always happen and AAA will not come out there to give you a tow. First is at least one full size spare. Common sense but stating it anyway Second is a VHF radio that can be set to (151.625 / 152 ). For those who might be new or don’t want to drop $300 on a radio setup I have personally tested the use of a VHF U5R hand held. The range for transmitting is only 1 mile but it can receive miles away from higher power radios. (miles away means transmission on the over side of a mountain away.) The radios are so you can hear where to make a turn, ruts, cattle guard, G out and so on. Also so you can say to the trucks near you I need help. Cell phones don’t work where we are going and Motorola GSRMs don’t have the range. A U5R radio cost $30 off amazon: http://amzn.com/B007H4VT7A GPS Trail maps If you have a smart phone the app “back country navigator” for android and “motion X” for IPhone are good to have. These have been tested out on other trips and can be loaded with the planned route. If you have these apps let me know and I can email you the route file. If you want to buy a app before the trip it will cost you around $25 last I checked.