shellback91

Thanks dude, you rock!

I'll give you an A for effort!

Great pics, thanks for sharing them!

Looks good! My rails have just enough space to get enough little pebbles in there to annoy me. After a weekend like this last one I will be digging those out. A wise man once said, "Mud, it's the herpes of the Jeep world", I tend to agree. My neighbors are gonna be angry when they see the mud piles on my side yard, it was EVERYWHERE! I would also like to learn @theksmith's buffing process and compare to what I do. I need to go over mine again, my method seems to hide pinstripes until I am at a certain angle which is okay. If I do not want to see them I don't stand at that angle.

Great to meet you too, glad you enjoyed the run. Thanks for helping out with Al's issue when it happened and at the end of the run! Your rig got a work out for sure, but performed well. I am eye balling a couple of overnighters in the future and some of the guys here may have some things coming up.

I forgot I saw those "blue birds" Saturday & Sunday more than once. I wasn't sure what they were but they were pretty big, now I know what they are. I also noticed the Ravens/Crows are a little bigger up there, spooky bastards!

Thanks D! It was an enjoyable run that had a little bit of everything. We definitely gave one of those critters a proper Viking funeral.

Thanks gents, we did enjoy ourselves. I also learned a few things about leading one of these types of runs that will help me out in the future. That view from Buck Springs Road was awesome to say the least. I was not expecting it or any of the other countless views and scenery up there. Shame on me for taking so long to get up there. I will definitely be visiting again, there is a lot to do and see.

Good to met you too and thanks for joining us. Louie is a kick in the pants, it was good to meet him too and he is welcome anytime.

I created a trip report here. If you have pictures to add please do so.

The gang and I just completed a 135ish mile "overland-style" run from Camp Verde to the Mogollon Rim. I must say I had a blast and I hope everyone else did as well. I got to meet 2 new members of the ORP family and catch up familiar members of the ORP family. We had a hiccup along the way and the consensus was that the recent rains have tore up these trails too. It seems to be a common theme on a lot of trails this year. I did not take a ton of pictures but will post a couple I have below. Those who attend were: @Ken Ford @Cullen McCarthy @Large_Marge @Trail Toy @mynr1 Day one had mud, lots and lots of mud, the rigs definitely got their mud baths. There was also rocks, ruts and wasps among other things. Cedar Flat Road was moderate as listed but a little more worn out and bumpy than reports from a previous run. Here's a couple of pictures from that trail. Quick stop for lunch in the shade. From Cedar Flat we ran Apache Maid east to Lake Mary Road. This section of the trail was a muddy mess for a good portion. There were mud holes of all sizes and nastiness everywhere. If you tried to avoid them there were just more waiting you some where else. I got to slippin' and sliding around more than once. We all made it through without sliding into tree's or each other. It was too much of a mess for me to get out and take pictures. The next trail we tackled was Willow Valley. Trails Offroad has this as an easy trail, we all agreed that this not accurate in the least. Once you bear right at their Waypoint 6(FR 109) this trail is pretty tore up and a high moderate in my opinion. It is really rocky and rutted out. It was slow going from here forward. This part is where @mynr1 inverted his sway bar link after hitting a nasty hole. @Trail Toy, @Ken Ford and @Cullen McCarthy jumped into action and got the link back in the right position. It was bent so they unbolted it and tied it up and got Al rolling again. Thanks guys! At the end of that trail we took Lost Eden to East Clear Creek which was uneventful until got to camp. We were too tired by the time we made camp so we dealt with the weirdness. See below for that weirdness. This poor little fellar was dead in the tree, his brother was laying decapitated not too far away. We cremated him and left this guy alone. RIP little dudes. Day two we woke up to a cool crisp 39 degrees. We broke camp leisurely because it was too cold to move any faster in my humble opinion. We headed out about 8:30 for the days adventures. These trails were all relatively easy with no major challenges along the way. We took East Clear Creek to FR 96(Part of the Cabin Loop Trail) on the way to Buck Springs Ridge, Rim Road, Battle Ground Ridge then back to Rim Road west to trails end. Along the way we got see some great fall colors and some pretty cool scenery. Rim Road is now one of my favorite areas and I will be returning there as there is a lot to do and see. Here are some dirty rigs visiting Buck Springs Cabins. These cabins are still in use today. Epic View from Buck Springs Trail and Rim Road. Battle Ground Ridge Monument.

Made it home. It was good to see everyone and meet @Ken Ford and @Cullen McCarthy! I'll get a trip report started as soon as I can so we can share any pictures.

All good Roy, we'll catch you on the next one! Enjoy the family time.

I've been thinking about getting something like this myself. Thanks for posting up!

I occasionally use the AZ Backcountry Explorers website as a reference. Today I received a newsletter from them regarding Apache Trail and its 2 year and counting closure. Based on the newsletter the state is not wanting to fix or maintain it. They are considering handing it off to federal jurisdictions instead of dealing with it was my understanding. ADOT states that where the rock slide occurred was due to the massive fire out there in 2019. In reality the fire never touched Fish Creek Hill ,where the rock slide happened. This link will take you to a page that has some interesting information along with more details. There is an option at the bottom to send a pre-written letter to the governor if feel so inclined.

Your pics did not come through from what I am seeing. Should I just use my imagination?

Alrighty gang we are a few days away and I am looking forward to this weekend. Weather looks to be nice all around so that's a bonus. If you are unable to make it please let me know. If you are on standby and can make it let me know as well, we should be able to figure it out. I will bring a couple of bundles of firewood just in case we need or want that in addition to @Trail Toy's propane fire ring. Full details are on the original post. However,here are some friendly reminders and helpful information: Meetup and Departure **Please arrive fueled up and ready**(There is a Circle K down the street on the way in and a Maverick gas station across the street) When: October 16th @ 8:00 A.M, departing no later than 8:30 A.M. Where: Camp Verde Bashas' Parking Lot (link) I will be there somewhere out of the way of shoppers. 650 Finnie Flat Rd, Camp Verde, AZ 86322 Other Important Details Bring 2 lunches, 1 dinner, 1 breakfast, snacks etc.. Adult beverages at camp are more than welcome. Absolutely no drinking & driving. MORE water than you need Camping (PRIMITIVE) We'll camp at high elevation. Please bring appropriate clothing and bedding. Bring your GMRS or HAM radio(s). Recovery gear, first aid kit, fire extinguisher Folding chair, camera Consider extra fuel- There is a gas station in Happy Jack if needed. It would be approx 20 mile round trip there and back if we need to venture down. Looking forward to seeing you guys and meeting the new members!!

You got it, I added you to the list.

Welcome back. It was good to meet you on the Montana Mountain Run. I see you got your topper in, it looks good!

Are you spying on me? I was looking at the weather a few minutes ago too and was getting ready to post up. Weather does look good indeed and I am looking forward to this too. This is for the Happy Jack area, pretty close to where we will be. Average that with Heber-Overgaard and we should be in good shape. Nice and cool.

You got it Al, I will leave you as attending. If anything changes let me know. All good Ryan, catch you on the next one!

Thanks for the heads up and sorry about your rig. I have moved you to the standby crew, if anything changes let me know.

Sorry for the delay in responding Mike/Ollie/Will E, I thought I replied but apparently I haven't. I am not sure if he owes me money, but if he does I will take it. I never got a chance to make one on of your VJC runs unfortunately, things always came up that prevented me from going. Maybe I'll have better luck here.

You have been added.