The Rough Rider

The Monthly Newsletter of the Tucson Rough Riders, Inc.

March 2018 Volume 43 Issue 3

2018 Meeting Dates January 23 July 24 February 27 August 28 March 27 September 25 April 24 October 23 In This Issue May 22 November 27 June 26 December (TBD)

Summer Picnic TBD Upcoming Events 2-3 Trail Dust Days TBD Meeting Minutes 4-5 Christmas Party TBD Run Reports 6-23 Non-Club Trail Story 24 Club Officers 25 Member Anniversaries 25 Publishing Schedule 25 Editor’s Corner 26

The Rough Rider is the official publication of the Tucson Rough Riders, Inc., P.O. Box 78726, Tucson, Arizona, 85703-8726. The Tucson Rough Riders, Inc., is a rough-terrain vehicle club with the following goals: to enjoy and protect the natural environment, to provide social and recreational activities for its members, and to promote family togeth- erness. The Club assists the state and national resource management agencies and local community charitable organizations. The Club’s general meetings are held on the 4th Tuesday of each month at the U-Like Oriental Buffet, 5101 N. Oracle Road, Tucson, unless otherwise specified. The social gathering is from 6:30 PM to 7:00 PM, with the meeting starting at 7:00 PM. Members, guests, advertisers and the public are cordially invited to attend. Membership in the Tucson Rough Riders is $40.00 annually. Optional name tags may be purchased for $10.00 each. To qualify for membership, a four-wheel-drive vehicle owner must attend two runs and two meetings. Any- one wishing to join the Tucson Rough Riders is encouraged to contact any of the Board members, visit our web- site, or write to the Club at the above post office box. www.tucsonroughriders.com The Rough Rider 2 March 2018

Upcoming events

Plan to be at these events for a great time. It is a wonderful opportunity to meet new people or spend time with old friends. Don’t have a ride? I’m sure someone has a seat. Don’t forget your camera!

NOTE: PLEASE CHECK THE CLUB CALENDAR FOR UPDATES

APRIL 2018

CHINA CAMP  Apr 7, 8 AM. Meet at the southwest corner of Houghton and I-10.  Run Leader: Steve Archer (400-1019).  Trail Rating: 3.0 (first and second sections); 3.5 (final section).  Destination: China Camp (Tombstone, AZ, area). DIRECTIONS: Meet at I-10 and Houghton (Exit 275) at 8 AM. From there we will caravan to Benson and top off gas tanks at I-10 Exit 302 (the Highway to Kartchner Caverns). After topping off, we will continue on to I-10 Exit 303 and head toward Tombstone on AZ 80. A few miles before Tombstone we will turn onto Middlemarch Road (blacktop that soon becomes gravel). We will air down here.

Continue on Middlemarch Road for about 10-11 miles to Gordon Tank. The trail to China Camp and China Peak starts here. The first 1/3 of the trail is a narrow, exposed shelf road that is rough in sections; rated 3.0. The second third of the trail is also narrow, but not as steep or exposed; it passes through the China Camp area with some old concrete founda- tions. The last 1/3 of the trail is a steep shelf-road climb to China Peak. It is rated 3.5. The trail is narrow with tight, hair- pin switchbacks; several portions are long, steep uphill climbs on scree that will require lockers. This last section tops out at China Peak. The end of the trail can accommodate 4-5 Jeeps. Depending on the number of rigs, we may have to stage rigs below the peak and send groups up in shifts. Expect Arizona pinstriping all along the trail, particularly in the middle and upper thirds.

TAR WASH, TUCSON WASH  Apr 8, 8:30 AM. Meet at the Bashas’ in Catalina (Oracle Road and Golder Ranch).  Run Leader: Mel Hockwitt (260-6114).  Trail Rating: 3.0.  Destination: Tiger Mine Road (Tar Wash and Tucson Wash) Enter from Tiger Mine Road, then do the Tar Wash and come back via Tucson Wash. Exit from Tiger Mine Road where we came in.

WINCH CLINIC  Apr 14, 8:30 AM. Meet at the Bashas’ in Catalina (Oracle Road and Golder Ranch).  Run Leader: Phil David (520-235-7665).  Trail Rating: 3.0—3.5. Recommend one locker and 33-inch tires / some lift.  Destination: Charouleau Gap Will run the lower half of Charouleau Gap to the Mini Dump Bump at which location we will set up winch points. This is a great opportunity for new ‘wheelers who need experience with winches and snatch blocks to learn the basics and im- prove their skills.

ASA LAND WORK RUN  Apr 21, 8 AM. Meet at Bashas’ in Catalina (Oracle Road and Golder Ranch).  Run Leader: Rheal Tetreault (682-0273).  Trail Rating: Not given.  Destination: ASA4WDC property in the Florence area.

The Rough Rider 3 March 2018

Upcoming events (Cont’d.)

We will be doing some more cleanup of the cholla on the ASA4WDC property. Bring gloves, yard tools and lunch.

LAS CIENEGAS / EMPIRE RANCH SCENIC TRAIL  April 28, 9:30 AM. Meet at the dirt parking area on the right side of AZ 83 (I-10 Exit 281 at the end of the exit ramp)..  Run Leader: Jeff Merrell (520-907-0243—leave message; [email protected])  Trail Rating: 3.0.  Destination: Las Cienegas National Conservation Area Trail length: 30 miles; Use CB Channel 38. The 3.0 rating is for a 3-mile stretch of the run; the rest is rated 2.0-2.5. The trail begins at the meeting location and follows AZ 83 on the east side to the Las Cienegas NCA entrance. The north half of the trail is open desert down to the Narrows; the second half is through the National Conservation Area. You can see deer, turkey, pronghorn and great scenic views.

MAY 2018

ALAMO SPRINGS / CHIMNEY ROCK  May 12, 9 AM. Meet at McDonald’s at Tanque Verde and Catalina Highway.  Run Leader: Not Given.  Trail Rating: 3.5.  Destination: Alamo Springs (in the Redington Pass area).  Trail-specific requirements: 33” or larger tires; 4” lift; 1 locker. We will enter from the Bellota Ranch Road to Chimney Rock, then take the Alamo Springs trail to the Springs. (Distance is 5.6 miles). We will exit back to Chimney Rock Trail and continue out the east side of the trail to Milepost 17 on Reding- ton Road. Total run distance is 12 miles. Depending on how many vehicles show up, we will do the last mile in 2 groups, as there is only enough room for 5 to 6 vehicles at the bottom. Some very nice scenery, with several obstacles: a 40- degree (V) turn hill with a 14-16-inch step in the middle; a 200-foot rough hill climb; a tight boulder squeeze; several off- camber stretches; and a steep off-camber double drop down a rock face.

RICE PEAK WORK RUN  May 19, 8:30 AM. Meet at Bashas’ in Catalina (Oracle Road and Golder Ranch).  Run Leader: Rheal Tetreault (682-0273).  Trail Rating: Not given.  Destination: Rice Peak. Bring lunch, shovels, 5-gal. buckets and fence pliers. We will be doing some work on Rice Peak.

Have an idea for a run? Do you have an idea but don’t want to lead a trip, or you don’t know the route? Don’t worry! Just contact a Board mem- ber with your ideas. Please remember these trips usually are day trips which means to bring plenty of water.

The Rough Rider 4 March 2018

Meeting Minutes

Call to Order  Sweep left and right.  The meeting was called to order at 7:02 PM and the  Types - ABC extinguishers. Pledge of Allegiance was recited. A motion was called  BC will work. for, made, seconded, voted on, and passed to accept  Get ABC. the February meeting’s minutes as printed in the  OSHA requires replacement every 6 years. Rough Rider.  For personal use, monitor the pressure.

Land Use (Becky)  Shake up regularly so the material is loose inside.  Lobbyist. Most committee work is done. Working on appropriations.  Winch clinic March 14th.  Walt Keese. Coronado Engineer. Looking for numbers  You should have a clevis. supporting work runs. He needs to show volunteer  Hard pin type is best. Secure the pin so you hours. He did give us a huge thank you. do not lose it. Clevis can only be front loaded.  Soft clevis is slicker than sliced bread. It is self State Report, Adopt-a-Trail/Adopt-a-Ranch -tightening. About 15$ each. Rated from 15K (Rheal) to 30K pounds.  Work run at ASA property on April 21st and 22nd.  3/4" clevis recommended for jeeps. Want to get a burn permit to address the cholla. Need  Snatch block. Must be rated. Can double your pull support for fire watch and control. strength when used correctly.  Adopt a road. March 11th Charouleau Gap work run.  Tow straps. Did a washout repair near the gap. Steve Williams had  Do not get "hooked" straps. Hooks can be- a steering issue with his track bar. Used straps to tie it come projectiles. up so the vehicle could be driven out.  Should have a static strap. Not a dynamic  May 19th Rice peak. Upcoming. strap.  20 feet typically. 30 feet is ideal. Guests (Andy)  2" 15Klb. 3" 30Klb. *** Welcome*** ☺ my apologies up front for any mis-  Ratchet strap. spelling.  1", rated for 2K lbs.  Gary Palumbo. Raytheon. Knows other members. JK  Tree saver. Must to avoid tree damage and to al-  Steve and Roberta Baker. Looking for adventure. CJ5 low rapping around other objects which can be  Barry and Beth Larson. Know other members. TJ used to tie off on. Tree damage can be very cost-  Branden Hansen and Michelle Allison. Ford Bronco. ly.  Rope cables can be rated higher than steel ca- Membership (Miles Weigold for Tom) bles.  Two runs, two meetings.  Know your winch works when going off road. We don’t want to find that out when it is needed.  Prorated amount due: Approximately $33  Come to the Winch clinic!!!  Name Tag. $10 each.  If a run is on the calendar at least 4 days in advance, Presentations it counts as a run.  New Membership. *** Welcome aboard. *** ☺ my  No presentation this month. apologies up front for any misspelling. President’s Report (Andy)  Scott Robertson. Moved to accept membership. Seconded. Voted in.  If you get loaned tools / parts, etc. on the trail, please remember to return or replace what you were loaned. Participation Report (Miles)  Club stickers are being looked at. Is there an Interest?  Track member participation. Editor’s Report (Dave)  Tie between Tim Naylor & Jeff Merrell.  Send inputs to Dave. Out of town on the 30th through Safety and Education (Ben & Leo) the 6th. Longer and later. Submit by the 8th. Will be published the 10th.  Fire extinguishers. Need a 10 lb. one. If the charge drops off, just replace it. Lots of plastic exists in vehi- Website (Tim) cles. Need multiple extinguishers.  Updated the membership list.  PASS  Please sign up on Yahoo groups email.  Pull the Pin.  You must respond to the email invitation.  Aim at the fire.  Miles is assisting with Yahoo groups sign up.  Spray at the base of the fire.

The Rough Rider 5 March 2018

Meeting Minutes (Cont’d.)

 Please sign up or let us know that you do not want to again and also a Gap run. be on the group so you are not a work in process.  Game and Fish Expo. Bleachers were full both days.  More albums and videos have been put up. The event had a rock pile to play on. Becky did an  Old newsletters are up interview which should be published. Lots of stuff to  Password has been changed for member access. play on. Huge event. Expected 60K people. Last year If your dues are not current, you no longer have was about 40K. Zoo, snakes, stuff to shoot. Fishing access. and other clinics. Need to do next year if you can.  4Wheel Parts event. Club support. Ramp. Cars to Old Business climb on. Leo led the way on the cars. Jim was the last one going across. 20 members showed up. 4WP  Bylaws and SOPs are under update. Phil David is donated a winch to the club. Fun event. working. Bylaws are done. SOPs are in work. Lots to  Whiskey Tanks. Steve, Jeff and Larry. Nice area. do still on SOPs. SOPs and Bylaws cannot conflict Scenery by Three Feathers is awesome. Trail is nar- with one another. row. Turret Tank is very pretty. Did see a pronghorn.  Membership committee will report to board members. Run Announcements New Business For details, please check out the “Upcoming Events” sec-  Nominate Tim Naylor for Life membership. We cur- tion elsewhere in the newsletter. Official runs must be rently do not have a lifetime membership. This needs posted on the calendar a minimum of 4 days in advance. some level of additional discussion. Two levels of membership 1. General membership and 2. Charter Run leaders, make sure everyone signs in appropriately. membership (founding member). Board will take it un- Guest vs Members. Must be legible. der consideration.  Create a "tracks" location on the website. Would need  Calendar is full through April. to be able to down load from the website. Go through Yahoo groups to send an email so we have a list of  Winch run April 14th. people interested.  Santa Rita run is this Saturday  WORK RUNS. Run Reports  Charouleau Gap work run. Sunday March 11th. For details and photos, please check out the “Run Re-  Rice Peak May 19th. Have some washouts to ports” section elsewhere in the newsletter. build up.

 Sawtooth Mountain. 22 vehicles. 1 stock vehicle but it Land use Donation had hooks if help was needed. Trail leader did get  $124.30 side tracked. On the lakebed someone has made a maze. Can be seen from Google Earth. Raffle  Woodpecker and Ajax. 9 Jeeps. Ended with 8 Jeeps.  No Raffle. Paul had a problem with the Jeep. Leo blew out his power steering line. Had to get creative. Mike R. was Meeting Adjournment very helpful. Lower Woodpecker has some petro-  Meeting adjourned glyphs.  Telegraph Canyon. 15 vehicles. Close to Superior. Trail is on FR4. Beginning is a little challenging. Steep hill with loose rock. Went close to AZ trail. Stopped for lunch and to replace a shock bolt. Leo actually had a replacement. Proves you should carry some hardware with the vehicle. Great lookout spot. 360-degree view. Picket post, Creek, cabin, view of Ajax mine. Every- one had a good time. Mike and Judy did a great run. Gave everyone a trip report.  Old Pueblo endurance run. Support run. 103 partici- pants ran 25 miles on the first of three legs. Total of 26 hours, 75 mile run. 7 did the full run, 5 finished it. Club’s job was to pick up and deliver the drop bags and rescues. Aid stations had beer and cookies. Cookies were great. Steve Archer rescued two guys. Steve Williams took pictures for the event. Old Pueblo will donate to the club as a result. They were very thankful. Old Pueblo would like the club to support this

The Rough Rider 6 March 2018

Run Reports

Old Pueblo Endurance Run (03/03-04 Becky Antle) (Story by Becky Antle. Photos by Steve Williams)

Thanks to the help for the Endurance run. This is the first time we have done this, and I don’t think it will be the last.

We were invited to attend the Old Pueblo Endurance Run on March 2nd in the Santa Rita Mountains. The run is one of the oldest trail Ultramarathons in Arizona. https://oldpueblo50.com/

The run (by foot) is a 25, 50 or 75 mile run through the Santa Rita Mountains. The route starts at Kentucky Camp and goes up into the rocky Mt. Wrightson, 9452’ in height. The route runs along the road in places but also uses the Arizona Hik- ing Trail. This is some very rugged country.

Our job was to provide support for the aid stations. We helped run supplies, drop bags and runners between sta- tions. Steve Archer had one of the most interesting days as his aid station seemed to get a few causalities. One may have had a heart attack, another lady collapsed and another runner couldn’t finish the race.

Steve Williams did a fantastic job on photos for the event.

Thanks to Bob who helped run bags and supplies back and forth between aid stations.

It was a very interesting outing. Having a four-wheel drive club help a non-motorized event is a good partnership.

The race starts at 6 am on Saturday morning and ends 26 hours later. The 25-mile race starts at Kentucky Camp and heads north up into the mountains, comes down Melendez Pass and back to Kentucky Camp. The 50-mile turns around at Kentucky Camp and runs the same course the other way. The 75-miler comes in and continues out again the same direction as the first leg.

There were 103 participants. The only stats I can find right now is the first-place winner for the 50-mile race was a 35- year-old who finished in 9 hours and 27 minutes. I did hear the 75-miler had 10 people registered, 7 ran it and 5 finished with the winner being a female from Canada.

It was a very interesting event and hopefully we can do it again next year.

Thanks again to Steve W, Steve A and Bob Hval for helping out, and thanks to Steve W and Bob for hanging out in camp with me for the weekend.

Steve I put a few of your pictures in this article.

Becky

The Rough Rider 7 March 2018

Run Reports (Cont’d.)

The Rough Rider 8 March 2018

Run Reports (Cont’d.)

Telegraph Canyon (03/03 Mike & Judy Raya) (Story and Photos by Mike and Judy Raya)

15 Vehicles met at Bashas’ in Catalina. We proceeded to the Corral at Cottonwood Can- yon Road to drop off our truck and trailer. We continued up Highway AZ 79 to Highway US 60 towards Superior through Gonzales Pass

approximately 22 miles. We filled up and aired down at the Circle K as the trailhead was not too far up the road. An em- ployee from the Buckboard City Café, which happens to be next door to the Circle K, stopped one of our members to let them know they give a 10% discount to any Jeep Clubs that come through Superior - something to keep in mind for next time.

We headed over to the trailhead via Panther Drive which goes past the High School and Firehouse to the turn off for FS4, which continues nearly the entire length of the trail until approximately 1/8 of a mile from the end where it becomes Ajax Mine Road. We passed over Arnett Creek, then up and over the gravel pit to the great world beyond.

The Telegraph Canyon Road trail is a nice day ride offering mild challenges along the way. The trail begins near the town of Superior, Arizona, which has a rich mining history and is the starting point for many adventures. Winding gradually to

the Southwest, the trail offers magnificent views of the sur- rounding area including: Picketpost Mountain, the Santa Cat- alina Mountains, the Fourpeaks and Superstition Wilderness areas, Weaver's Needle, and Apache Leap. The trail inter- sects with The Arizona Trail and ends at the Ajax Mine (with nearby mining structures visible to the south) which is about 12 miles from the trailhead.

Our fearless leader Andy lost a shock bolt along the way, so

The Rough Rider 9 March 2018

Run Reports (Cont’d.) we stopped for lunch while they did a trail repair near where the Arizona Trail passes over FS4. Traveling through this area in a vehicle and seeing the sights can be an adventure. Others, however, prefer to do it on foot. The Arizona Trail is perhaps on many a hiker's bucket list. If you would like more information about this 800-mile-long trail visit: http:// www.aztrail.org/

We came across an old cabin, but were not able to find much history on it. Some say it’s part of the Orphan Boy Mine; in my opinion it’s too far away, but I’m not certain. There is not much room for parking up at the cabin, so only a few went up to check it out while the rest of us moved on. We made our way up to the saddle where we could look down on Ajax Mine in

the distance and take advantage of the 360-degree views while we waited for the part of the group that stopped at the cabin to catch up.

Many in our group had never seen Ajax Mine so that was exciting. We mingled at the mine for a while, then made the 10-mile ride back out to Cottonwood Canyon Road and the Corral to load up and head home.

The Rough Rider 10 March 2018

Run Reports (Cont’d.)

Whiskey Tanks (03/04 Jeff Merrell) (Photos by Jeff Merrell and Steve Archer)

Story by Steve Merrell:

Beautiful morning for wheeling - only Larry Narcus, Steve Archer and I were there, but we had a great time. Being only two vehicles, we saw fit for safety’s sake not to do the lower 4.0-rated portion on the trail. The trail was great, a little of everything, never a dull moment on this trail, scenery was great.

Made it to the top at the gate and went down to Tuffet Tank where we stopped for a short break, took a picture of the ducks, and then went back to the top of the trail and stopped at the Tucson overlook for lunch. Great conversation, got to know each other a bit. Amazing the lives of the people around you if you take the time to talk.

After lunch we started back, and at one of the worst spots on the trail we came head to head with three UTVs. The UTVs were at the worst possible spot, Steve and I had no choice but to find a way to let them pass. The only problem was there was only one spot wide enough and the length of one jeep where they could pass. The trail is very nar- row, near verti- cal hill on the left, and the same on the right only down about 1500 feet, would make for a bad day.

So we came up with a plan: Steve backed up a few car lengths, I backed up just past the wide spot and turned sharp, backed up on the near vertical hill, Steve then pulled up in front and under me to the widest spot. The UTVs had about 12 inches of clearance on the side to pass Steve’s JKU; once they moved on, Steve backed up again, and I dropped back down on the hill on to the road and we moved on. This was the first time I ever met head to head with someone on this trail in all the years I’ve wheeled it. First time for every- thing, right? The rest of the trip was uneventful, just great wheeling.

Story by Larry Narcus:

The Rough Rider 11 March 2018

Run Reports (Cont’d.)

A K. A. “Whiskey” Tanks A bit of explanation with respect to the run report title. There are a few trails west of Redington Road that have the nota- ble names of Jack Daniels Tank, Vodka Tank, Tequila Tank and (best of all) Old Grandad Trail and Tank. These trails and tanks have, over the years, acquired the moniker of “Whiskey” Trail and Tanks. Sounds like a bunch of fun lovin’ folks who just love their spirits.

At any rate, on March 4th, two Jeeps assembled at the Circle K on Tanque Verde Road east of Houghton. The bad news is that only two Jeeps showed up to play. The good news is that Jeff plans to lead this run again, probably in May as April is already filled up with runs.

I never realized that from the Corrals just immediately southwest of the Three Feathers staging area on the west side of Redington Road is the entry point to a most wonderful trail network. The views are absolutely spectacular as there are many shelf roads with views down deep into ravines and mountain saddles. The trails, however, are rather narrow which leads to another problem to be discussed later in this re- port.

At any rate, we proceeded along Old Grandad Trail. We decided not to follow Old Grandad south to Redington Road for two reasons. The trail end near Redington Road is closed due to fencing on private property. The fencing has been knocked down but we felt that the “no trespass” sign should be respected. Secondly, the southern leg of Old Grandad is rated at about a 4, and with only two vehicles, if there was a mechanical problem with one vehicle, one other vehicle may not have been enough to effect a proper rescue.

We thus decided to go up to Tuffet Tank. I am glad we did as this is a very beautiful area. We saw ducks and there was plenty of water to enjoy- always a plus in arid Arizona. The area is clean, grassy, and would make a great lunch spot for future runs.

On our way out back to the Corrals, events took an interesting turn to say the least. We met up with 3 ATVs headed in the opposite direction- at a point of minimal trail width to make the matter all the more interesting. The ATVs could not back up as the trail was badly rutted to their rear. After much “negotiation”, we decided that Jeff would back up a hill off the trail, and Steve Archer would tuck in around a somewhat wid- er corner ahead of the ATVs. Well, it worked. But the big question remains what to do if we had a dozen or so Jeeps on the trail. Jeff insists that this has never happened to him before and I only hope it does not reoccur.

It truly was a wonderful run and one I would recommend to anyone looking for a very scenic trail rated about a 3.5 to 4 if we do the hill down via Old Grandad toward Redington Road. At this point, we would have to turn around come back up the hill to Tuffet Tank for lunch and then track back out to Reding-

The Rough Rider 12 March 2018

Run Reports (Cont’d.) ton at the Corrals. In my personal opinion, more should be discussed with the land owners or the Forest Service to see what could be done so that the trail, in effect, could be a loop instead of an in-and-out. Just my personal opinion.

Jeff has found a wonderful trail that I hope we can all enjoy for years to come. Thanks Jeff for that effort and to Steve for letting me tag along.

The Rough Rider 13 March 2018

Run Reports (Cont’d.)

4Wheel Parts Show (03/10 Andy Sacio) (Photos by Tim Naylor)

The Rough Rider 14 March 2018

Run Reports (Cont’d.)

Charouleau Gap Work Run (03/11 Rheal Tetreault) (Photos by Steve Archer)

The Rough Rider 15 March 2018

Run Reports (Cont’d.)

Sawtooth Mountains (03/17 Tim Naylor) (Story and Photos by Tim Naylor)

The Sawtooth Mountain range is located 20 miles west of Picacho Peak. The range is approximately 5 miles long, laid out in a north-south direction. This small mountain range is not well known and is some- times confused with the Ragged Top mountains that are 10 miles further south. Both mountain ranges have a very rugged looking outline when viewed from a distance.

Sawtooth Mountain Range profile approaching from the East

Thirty members and guests of the Tucson Rough Riders met at the Circle K parking lot near the I-10 at the Marana exit at 8 am on March 17, 2018. 22 vehicles made the trip. We headed out about 8:30 am to the trailhead. It takes about 1 1/2 hours to get to the trailhead from the meeting place. We got back on to I-10 and turned off at the Red Rock exit. From Red Rock we headed west over agricultural roads, some paved and the rest class 1 wide and straight gravel roads. We could make 25 to 35 miles per hour on these roads. Good roads, but a lot of dust.

The route we took from the trailhead had us traveling a big loop crossing the mountains once from south to north and again from north to south on different trails. You can choose to take the clockwise or counterclockwise loop. The trail rating is 3.0 to 3.5, depending on which way you take the loop. The one significant obstacle on this trail is a steep hill that is about 1/2 mile long and rises about 500 feet in that distance. If you take the counter clockwise route, you go down the hill. We took the clockwise route and went up the hill, making the trail rating a 3.5. 21 of the Jeeps had no problems on the trail. We had one new Jeep Renegade with us that had low clearance and street tires. I hesitated in letting that stock vehicle go with us, but it had heavy duty tow hooks (painted red) on the front. With 22 vehicles on the trip I did not get to see how the Renegade did on the trail. The reports I got told me that it did okay, but had to be strapped over a couple of ledges. Steve Archer was traveling ahead of the Renegade and did the strapping job. When we got down off the moun- tain, the Renegade had a flat tire. Malcolm helped change the tire.

The Rough Rider 16 March 2018

Run Reports (Cont’d.)

Lunch at the mine site Picture Frame Rock

We took a lunch break at an old mine site. At the crest of the hill above the mine, there is an interesting rock structure I call the Picture Frame rock. It has a 4-foot hole in the middle of it where you can look out over the valley below. After the lunch break, we headed out to the north end of the mountain range. At the north end, we headed east to go around and head back south on the east side of the Sawtooth range. A wrong turn at the north end loop took us about 1/4 mile off track before I realized we were going the wrong way. That’s pretty cumbersome when there are 21 vehicles behind you and have to turn around and go back. Luckily, we were on flat desert and turning around wasn't too difficult. This is a loop trail and we traveled back south on the east side of the mountains to the original trailhead. From there, we detoured about 2 miles to the west to a dry lakebed to visit “The Maze.” The Maze is a circular maze pattern about 40 feet in diam- eter, outlined with softball-size rocks. It is not something done by ancient Indians; it is modern and probably created by some religious cult.

The trip home was by the same route across the flat agricultural land. The west side of Picacho Peak was in view most of the way back. We were back near our meeting place at Marana and I-10 about 4:45 PM.

The Rough Rider 17 March 2018

Run Reports (Cont’d.)

This is most of the group that were on the trip. Some of them headed home instead of going to the lakebed

This is a Google Earth view of our route around the Sawtooth Mountains

The Rough Rider 18 March 2018

Run Reports (Cont’d.)

Upper Woodpecker / Upper Ajax (03/24 Phil David) (Story by Larry Narcus. Photos by Tim Naylor, Miles Weigold, Judy Raya and Steve Archer)

The best way to describe this trail is: “Holy Moly!!” It really tests the vehicle and driver to a very great extent. Red Rock Canyon is a very tough trail, but there are only 3 or 4 ob- stacles with which to contend. Collectively, Ajax and Woodpecker have at least a dozen very notable obstacles.

Nine vehicles and 15 people assembled at the Chevron Sta- tion in Florence. At this point it was a lovely day with all the promise of the excitement to come.

We traveled State Route 79 north to the Cottonwood Road cut-off and we then aired down. Phil David, our fearless trail leader, flat-towed his Jeep behind his GMC and had to disconnect the Jeep (which didn’t hold us up much). We had to wait, at any rate, for an unnamed participant who thought the meeting place was at Bashas’ in Catalina.

We proceeded east on Cottonwood Road to the trailhead for Woodpecker. Along the way, Paul Siskind noticed a very ab- normal oil pressure variation and the decision was made to have a couple of vehicles accompany Paul to Judy and Mike Raya’s camping site where he could leave his vehicle for the time being. Judy and Mike were also on the run with us.

As I was riding with Leo O’Campo, who went back with Paul, I had to switch to Mike Williams’ wonderfully prepared Jeep. (I know, things are really tough all around.) Mike is an excep- tional driver and demonstrated same with an extra-credit ob- stacle at the very beginning of Woodpecker. Tim Naylor has posted a video of this obstacle on our website. Take a good look. I took a lot of ribbing as Mike was conquering the obsta- cle - I will leave it to your collective imaginations as to what was said. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I will leave Tim’s and Miles’ photos give you an idea of the trail obstacles.

Actually, considering the notable challenge of these trails, everything went quite well on Woodpecker. We met up with the rescue group accompanying Paul and we all had lunch at a very pleasant spot.

Now on to Upper Ajax. Well, again everything was going great until Leo O’Campo broke a feed line to his steering system. It unfortunately took about an hour and a half to ef- fect a suitable repair. But the Tucson Rough Rider mechan- ics came through as usual and got the job done. It is such a comfort to go out in remote areas knowing that these guys

The Rough Rider 19 March 2018

Run Reports (Cont’d.)

know how to get repairs in the field done.

Once repaired, we resumed our conquest of Upper Ajax. The amazing and notable point is that we only really had to tug one vehicle the entire day (if my memory is correct). Such speaks very strongly of the excellent vehicle preparation and driver expertise of our HARD ROCK! members. One point that was quite clear to me on this run is that, for obstacles of this degree of difficulty, your line has to be nearly perfect. An inch or two to the right or left might result in failure. A good spotter is priceless and he or she should be followed to the letter.

An excellent day of challenging wheeling. Many thanks to Phil David for leading this run and special call out to Mike Williams for a very *exciting* 4 wheeling adventure.

The Rough Rider 20 March 2018

Run Reports (Cont’d.)

AZ Game & Fish Expo (03/24-25 Becky Antle) (Story and photos by Becky Antle.)

Another successful year at the Expo. Thanks to the Rough Rider crew who attended, helped out on the rock pile, and also helped in the booth: Malcolm and June, Rheal, Bart.

This is an event that the State Game and Fish Department (G&F) puts on each year to show people what is available for outdoor recreation. In the past few years it has really grown from about 20,000 people attending to over 60,000 people coming out for the two-day event.

The AZ State Association of 4 Wheel Drive Clubs (ASA4WDC) has worked with G&F to provide entertainment and education at the rock pile on the Ben Avery Shooting Range facility. This is an event that brings our state clubs together for the week- end. There were several represented this year, including Cop- perstate 4 Wheelers, Classic Broncos, Honeywell 4 Wheelers and the Tucson Rough Riders.

The Rough Rider 21 March 2018

Run Reports (Cont’d.)

We have been participating in this event for several years and it has come a long way. Our members can play on the rocks and show off their vehicles and their abilities. We can also talk to people about what is available trailwise and with local clubs. This gives us the ability to let the general public know that there are organized clubs throughout the state that they can join.

Again, I want to thank all who showed up and helped out. This has worked out to be a very important partnership with G&F. The ASA4WDC and member clubs have built a good strong working relationship with G&F in all parts of the state.

So put this on your list for next year!

The Rough Rider 22 March 2018

Run Reports (Cont’d.)

Santa Rita Scenic Trail Run (03/31 Jeff Merrell) (Story by Jeff Merrell. Photos by Suzy Johnson and Malcolm Leslie)

We met up at Houghton & I-10, beautiful day, a little cool with clear blue skies, great day for wheeling. It was 8:15 in the morning and they started packing in the parking area, 15, 20, 25, 30, they just kept coming! At 8:55am I did a final count: 39 total, and as best as I could read the sign-in roster: 61 people. We had a quick driver meeting and then headed off to our trip’s starting point, the Greaterville exit.

We proceeded to our first stop, 5 miles to Melendez Pass, and hen north to the radio tower overview. This overlooks the western side of the Santa Rita Mountains - everything north of Madera Canyon, Green Valley, the mines, I-19 and all the way to Baboquivari Peak: beautiful view. It was quite an undertaking to get everyone parked. In the future, at our monthly meetings, we might want to get an estimate of how many people are planning to show up at our outings. Thank goodness we only crossed paths with a few other vehicles! At times, we were spread out almost two miles. But good communication got us together fast. I had Bill Ratzlaff running as tail gunner and Sherm/Jean Conrow and Chris [ed.: Richardson?] using HAM to bridge the distance when CB couldn’t do the job. Thanks to all for the help.

After a about a 30-minute break at the peak, we got everyone back into their vehicles and headed south to the Kentucky Camp area. (Kentucky Camp was the headquarters to a his- torical mining site active from the 1870s to about 1907 I hear; after being inactive for many years, it was rebuilt into the his- toric site it is now.) We continued along FSR 4085, passing the Stile House (Gin house, whichever you want to call it), supposed to be the location of a bootlegging operation from

the mining days. But with 39 vehicles I chose not to stop due to limited parking.

Moving on through the mining area, we saw that not much of the mining operation remains in this area, just some tail- ing piles and small structures. The large mining areas are

The Rough Rider 23 March 2018

Run Reports (Cont’d.)

up on the Sawmill trail area up at the top of the ridge of the mountains. The road access was closed in the late 90s and all the roads were turned into the hiking trail system we have today. We finished the 12-mile distance from the radio tower to our lunch area at Gardner Canyon road intersection, but I forgot it was a holiday weekend and some campers were in the best areas, so we moved down the road a bit by the Arizo- na Trail crossing. After about a one-hour lunch we had two vehicles leave the run at this point (they had to get back ear- ly). The rest of us moved on and headed south to Hog Can- yon and picked up FSR 4088 which we followed all the way to the end of our trip at AZ 82.

With the clear skies, the scenery was outstanding! We only had two minor mechanical problems: one adjustment to a steering system and one broken rear shock mount (just re- moved the shock and moved on). It seemed everyone en- joyed the run, no negative comments so far, and a lot of good comments. Thanks to everyone for coming, had fun. .

The Rough Rider 24 March 2018

Non-Club Trail Story

2018 Bronco Stampede (03/16-18 Paul Siskind) (Story and photos by Paul Siskind)

The 2018 Bronco Stampede went off as promised at Rock Springs north of Phoenix. This wasn't a TRR run but was for owners of '66-'77 Ford Broncos who came in from all over the Southwest. The campground was full of early Broncos in all states of modifica- tion from totally stock to full on rock crawlers. The weekend’s

activities included day trips to Table Mesa, a barbecue, and a massive raffle. I drove my Bronco up on Thursday afternoon and set up camp, then mingled with other early arrivals to compare vehicles and swap stories. It was chilly and windy that night, but the Rock Springs Cafe had hot food and drinks, so it wasn't too bad. On Friday the Terminator run left before it was announced so I opted for the later and easier trip to Turkey Creek with 6 other Broncos. We had no prob- lems or carnage and got back before sundown. I had other obligations on Saturday so I came back early, but overall it was a good event. My suggestion for next year would be better organization in posting the runs like we do at Trail Dust Days.

The Rough Rider 25 March 2018

Club Officers Member Anniversaries

Board of Directors March Tom Ambler 2006 Steven & Gwen Archer 2015 President Walter & Becky Bockwaldt 2015 Andy Sacio [email protected] Betsy Bunting & Allen Swanson 2017 Lon & Denise Drenten 2010

Kassi Efird 2017 Vice President Phil David Bill Long & Nancy Stewart 2015 Larry & Deborah Narcus 2013 [email protected] Manu & Lacey Singh 2016

Treasurer James Stites 2014 Malcolm Leslie Bill & Carol Ulrich 2015 Steven & Carmen Williams 2017 [email protected]

Secretary Congratulations to Larry and Deborah Narcus for their 5-year anniversary! Lon Drenten

[email protected] April

ASA4WDC Delegate Mark & Kim Campion 2016 Becky Antle Brad Harford 2015 [email protected] John & Marilyn Overbey 2015 Howard & Patricia Purscelley 2007 ASA4WDC Delegate Miles & Pat Weigold 2014 Rheal Tetreault [email protected] NOTE: If your anniversary date is incorrect in any way (it’s here and shouldn’t be; it’s not here and Non-BoD Positions should be; the month is correct but the year isn’t; etc.), please let Tom Parker know so he can correct our records. Editor Dave Peterson [email protected]

Historian Tim Naylor [email protected]

Membership Tom Parker [email protected] Publishing Schedule Participation Miles Weigold [email protected] 2018 Rough Rider Publishing Dates: Webmaster January: 1/28 July: 7/29 Tim Naylor February: 3/4 August: 9/2 [email protected] March: 4/9 September: 9/30 April: 4/29 October: 10/28 Rescue Patrol May: 5/27 November: 12/2 Mel Hockwitt June: 7/1 December: 12/28 [email protected] NOTE: Dates may vary due to travel or holiday. Date changes will be published as soon as they are known.

The Rough Rider 26 March 2018

Editor’s Corner

Congratulations, Rough Riders! I think this is the most active month I’ve ever had to edit! With NINE club runs/events and a non-club trail story, there was a LOT going on in March! It’s a wonder anyone has time for maintenance or up- grades!

Which brings me to the main point of this month’s column: Although it’s by no means finished, my “new” house (it’s new to me, but was built in 1945 … and sometime in the ‘50s … and also in ‘87…) is complete enough that Wynne and I have actually taken up residence! This means that the time is closer when I’ll be able to get some work done on the JeepMon- ster.

I had originally planned to keep the ‘Monster at my house out East (Camino Seco and Wrightstown area) and work on it there, but lately I’ve been thinking that I’d like to have it closer to me. So I’m in the very beginning stages of looking for a rental garage/workspace in midtown (within a reasonable distance of, say, Speedway and Columbus). This would let me work on it more frequently, because there wouldn’t be a 20-minute commute. It might also give me more headroom, de- pending on the particular space I get. Headroom will be important when I have to lift the roll cage off so I can lift the body off so I can get things finish-welded and painted. The ‘Monster is just under seven feet tall, and my garage (with its over- head doors and storage racks) doesn’t give me a lot of leeway to go up. Also, and again depending on the particular space, I might have more space around the ‘Monster for things like, oh, welders, lifts, dollies, parts, … You get the idea.

So here’s my plea: If anyone knows of any rentable garage/workshop space within 3 or 4 miles of Speedway and Colum- bus, with a monthly rent of no more than about $400, I would VERY MUCH appreciate a call or email or text or some- thing. My email address is [email protected]; my phone number is on the member roster which is available in the members-only area of the club website.

Even if I find a space soon, work won’t begin immediately. There’s still a ton of things that have to be done on the house; I have a wedding to plan for; there’s a honeymoon in the near future; and who knows what-all else will come up. But get- ting the ‘Monster closer to me will allow me to work on it more easily, and will also allow me to sell my house out East sooner than I’d be able to if I used its garage for the ‘Monster.