VOLUME 07.02.09 THE HUMMER CLUB, INC. ® Photo by Roger Robohm CONTENTS M AY 2009 Features A WEEKEND AT RAUSCH CREEK 08 Rausch Creek 2009 SEDONA AND SNOW 10 Snow Run! HOLE IN THE ROCK 14 My Summer Vacation GRAY ROCK CHALLENGE 20 Mount Olive, Alabama SPOTTING RULES 24 Be a Great Spotter and a Great Driver OOPS! 32 Things Don’t Always Go As Planned Departments PResident’s messAGE 05 Looking forward to Kinzalow CLUB NEWS 06 Join the Board of Directors TECH TIP 30 Checking Your Brakes COVER PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN BYRON Photo: Chris Blood AZIMUTH 1 Club Directors Marshall Henderson Glen Peck Director - President Director - CFO/Membership/HOPE 289 Rolling Hill Road [email protected] Mooresville, NC 28117 704-663-6510 (home) Mike Morris 704-309-9427 (cellular) Director [email protected] PO Box 2288 South Bend, IN 46680 Bob DeVore 2500 Green Tech Drive Director - Events/Land Use South Bend, IN 46613 8390 Cappy Lane 574-232-6000 (work) Swartz Creek, MI 48473 [email protected] 810-691-5087 [email protected] Rick Grucz Director - Ambassador Program Manny MacMillan 6446 Sober Rd. Director - Azimuth Fowlerville, MI 48836 [email protected] 517-223-4885 (home) 517-223-8551 (fax) Hal Dilworth [email protected] Director - Secretary [email protected] 2 AZIMUTH The HUMMER Club, Inc. is a non-profit mutual benefit corporation organized under the California Nonprofit Mutual Benefit Corporation Law. We are a national organization dedicated to promoting the safe use of the HUMMER in a family oriented atmosphere. We emphasize responsible four-wheeling and are serious about safety and environmentally correct off-roading. We encour- age our members to be active in land use advocacy and community service and to use both vehicles and land resources safely along the guidelines set forth by Tread Lightly! and the United Four Wheel Drive Association. Both regional and national events run by member volunteers are sponsored throughout the year where members can drive trails with levels of difficulty ranging from moderate to extreme. These events, our website and the publication of a quarterly magazine also offer an opportunity for exchange of information to develop a better understanding of Photo: Hole In The Rock the HUMMER vehicle and its safe use. As the only recognized national HUMMER orga- nization, the Club enjoys excellent relationships with AM General and HUMMER/General Motors Corporation and frequently has factory technicians and parts support at major events. The Club welcomes all HUMMER vehicles. It is a strong, established organization that will only get better with your help. Join in, support the HUMMER Club. With your participation, the Club will contin- ue to grow for the benefit of HUMMER owners. H ©Copyright 2009 - The HUMMER Club Inc. All Rights Reserved for all original material herein. HUMMER trademarks used with the written permission of General Motors. For membership information visit www.thehummerclubinc.com For Advertising information contact Sean Hunter at The Field Group (800) 446-4718. Azimuth is designed by: The Field Group 1402 West Yakima Ave. • Suite 102 Yakima, WA 98902 www.thefieldgroup.net For permissions and reprints of this magazine, contact The Field Group. AZIMUTH 3 Photo by Brad Mellon 4 AZIMUTH CLUB NEWS please contact the nominations committee of PRESIDENT’S Bob DeVore, Manny MacMillan and Hal Dil- worth. You may email messages to nomina- MESSAGE [email protected]. P. Marshall Henderson New members continue to join each month, but we need more of you. Recently I received a Ahh Kinzalow’s, the East Coast’s Mecca for phone call and emails from a new H3 owner HUMMER off roading. It is about two weeks that was ecstatic about her new truck. Abso- out and I am really looking forward to getting lutely loves driving the truck, but is still in that out and enjoying some wheeling. I hope you “avoid the mud puddles stage” versus the “out are one of the members signed up to come and looking for some mud to play in” stage most of visit eastern Tennessee. They have some great us got into. I still love that hat Vince “Thumper” trails, great scenery, great times and everyone Gable use to wear – “Mud Is Good”. has a lot of fun. Also last week I meet with an H2 owner who If you did not make it to Kinzalow’s, I hope just took delivery of a 2004 yellow H1 open you will sign up for one of the other upcom- top. His kids love the truck and he is going to ing events in Colorado, Indiana, Pennsylvania, start outfitting the vehicle for off road events. or Michigan. Save time this fall for Moab or He has driven the H2 on several dealer “Hap- Windrock, two of our staple events. New penings”, but has yet to experience the fun we members, you need to try to make an event or get into at Kinzalows, Windrock or any of the you are missing one of the main reasons we other great event locations. have a Club. So get out there and find the new owners In addition to the National Events, we have sev- (might be buying used trucks) and get them to eral Member Events lined up. If you want to join the Club. Let them look up the Facebook have some fellow trucks over or want company page or give them Azimuth after you are done. to go to a favorite off road spot, let us know. It is great to see our trucks in use. I am so We can help advertise your event and you can ready for Kinzalow’s. I think I will go home and use the club contact search to find trucks in the pack early. area. Be sure to reach out to new truck owners in your area to help teach them the fun of using Take care, be safe and I will see you on a HUMMER. We all had to start somewhere the trails, and can all think of a few drivers to thank for the guidance along the way. Marshall One of the smartest things you can do before [email protected] off roading with your truck is follow the club’s guideline to review your truck’s condition and preparedness. Check fluids, look for leaks or worn parts, and make sure you have spares, re- covery gear and water. Check the HUMMER Club website for more details. The Club board has appointed a nominations committee to find candidates to run for board election this Fall. Rick, Glen and my terms all expire this year, but we need additional help from volunteers willing to contribute their time and efforts to helping the Club. If you can help out, or know someone who is willing to help, AZIMUTH 5 CLUB NEWS Badlands - Attica, Indiana BOARD OF June 18 - 20, 2009 AZIMUTH Canadian Event DIRECTOR Saint Sauveur, Quebec SUBMISSIONS July 20 - 24, 2009 POSITIONS Rausch Creek - Rausch Creek, Pennsylvania and ADS July 23 - 26, 2009 Interested in applying? We still want your stuff! We are looking Drummond Island for members’ stories about wheeling, modi- The HUMMER Club, Inc. has three members Drummond Island, Michigan fication, and even a full feature on your rig. of the Board of Directors whose terms are You don’t have to be a professional writer July 31 - August 1, 2009 expiring at the end of this summer. If you are or photographer to share some cool HUM- interested in applying for one of these posi- AM General Off-Road Course and MER experiences with the rest of the club, tions, please email to indicate your interest Silver Lake Sand Dunes so send in your content today! to the Nominations Committee and find out Southbend, Indiana and Mears, Michigan We also have new low advertising rates more about the application process: August 28 & 29, 2009 which will allow your business to reach our members – you can buy an ad, or sponsor [email protected] Moab - Moab, Utah September 20 - 24, 2009 one of our events; drop us an email to find out more. Members of the Nomination Committee Windrock - Oak Ridge, Tennessee this year will be current BOD members, October 15 - 17, 2009 [email protected] Bob DeVore, Hal Dilworth and Manny Penn’s Cave - Centre Hall, Pennsylvania MacMillan. October 24 & 25, 2009 Country Roads - Beckley, West Virginia Dates TBD The HUMMER Club, Inc. is on Twitter! http://twitter.com/hummerclub YES. If you have an account, follow us. The HUMMER Club, Inc. Twitter is a free social networking service that enables its users to send and read oth- is hosting an event er users’ updates known as tweets. Tweets near you this year… are text-based posts displayed on the user’s profile page and delivered to other More being added to the schedule all the time users who have subscribed to them (known thanks to the tireless efforts of our Ambassa- as followers). Senders can restrict delivery dors, volunteer Club Directors, and Members to those in their circle of friends or, by de- who have stepped up and gotten involved. fault, allow anybody to access them. Thanks – see you at an event soon! Account holders can send and receive For registration details and the latest up- tweets via the Twitter website, Short Mes- dates about the events listed below, please sage Service (SMS) or through a number of visit our website: http:://www.thehummer- external applications available on mobile clubinc.com devices. Kinzalow’s - Dayton, Tennessee May 14 - 16, 2009 The service is free to use over the Internet, but using SMS may incur phone service Colorado Rocky Mountain (Member Event) provider fees.