It was an adventure we will remember! The trip down had its thrills for sure. We were up early. We couldn't sleep; we were like children waiting to go play. We started out with just Jim and Faye in "Big Red" trailering "Fireball," and Dale following behind trailering "Hard Luck."
We were to meet Bob Blair and Dennis Skirvin at the station at exit 313. Boy, I sure had forgotten how cold it gets out there on the hill. Jim and I used to run the Fina station out there in the 70's. After a little socializing, we started off to head for Beto Junction where we were to meet Jake, Jeannie, Stacy, and Sam Edwards. We were supposed to be there around 6am. We would be late getting there, because we were driving under a heavy blanket of fog!!
That kind of fog gives you an uneasy feeling. I was so afraid we'd run upon someone driving with no tail lights or a deer. When you're trailering a vehicle there is no way to just whip out of the way. When we did arrive there, I was ready for coffee and a good meal. After a good breakfast and a little more socializing, we were off. Now we had four vehicles trailering Jeeps and two driving Jeeps; we had us a convoy, as Dale would say. It would take a lot longer than we had planned. Jim couldn't put that number thirteen in to tickle the carb. At one stop Dale had a little problem; seems his truck didn't want to start. After a little working and discussing (notice I said discussing, not cussing) we finally got him going. We finally arrived after 12 hours of driving!!
Then it was time for Faye to have a little bad luck. After two phone calls down there to reserve a spot, they had no record. This was not a time to test Faye's patience--by now it was running thin. After a little discussing, we were given someone else's spot. Then they wanted Jim to leave his trailer in an unsecured spot and charge him $3.00 to park it there. No way, Jose! We will leave it hooked up to the truck. Jim waited a couple of years for that trailer and didn't it to come up gone.
Finally we are settled, and I start to fry up some burgers. The guys have spotted the RTI ramp, and they are feeding one dollar bills into the bucket. Dale comes back excited telling me about Fireball ramping over a thousand. Great, I'm cooking and can't go film this. While I'm cooking, I notice a familiar blue school bus and a white flatfender--yep, it's Bill and Tom--two other Flatlanders are here. Well, after supper we decide to go over to Jake's campsite. He has a campfire, and we sit around talking Jeep talk until it's time to get some shut eye. That was gonna be hard to do because the natives were restless. They were a yelping and hollering so loud you'd have thought they were doing a war dance. Finally it started to rain and they calmed down. It was short lived; someone in a vehicle decided to drive through camp playing the bass on his stereo. The whole camper was vibrating!
The next morning were up early--we got to go trailing! LITTLE DID WE KNOW THAT WE WERE RUNNING THE OZARK GRAND PRIX! That was the fastest trailing I have ever done, and when you go that fast you can't enjoy yourself. Stacy's baby was bouncing in her car seat like she was a basketball. I was glad to get back to camp. For those who know me, that's hard to believe because I love fourwheeling.
When we got back to camp, we threw a couple more dollars in the bucket and tried the ramp again. This time I had both cameras ready. I took several pictures and video also. The guys really did good on the ramp. Stacy really worked that CJ7, then he went up it backwards. He could have gone further but the pucker factor kicked in and he was afraid of having to wear that seat until the suction broke loose. There was this one guy they called "Cigar." He was full of liquid courage, and he went and got his old Bronco. The fender wells were completely rusted out, and he kept going up the ramp while the fender area was cutting his tires. He almost drove off it sideways once, then he had to back it up the ramp. He kept asking if he was further up than that Jeep went. Stacy tried to tell him he was only trying to see what his Jeep would do, and that you don't drive backwards anyhow. Fools are born all the time, especially those who like that liquid courage!
We tried to get Dennis to go up the ramp, but he wasn't chancing anything since he hadn't had any problems on the trail and he knew that he still had to drive home. I could understand his thinking.
We were getting worried about Dale, since his group hadn't made it in yet, and we know what kinda luck Dale has (BAD). We decided to go ahead and eat supper--they had a BBQ supper for the participants. It was good. The guy who did the cooking did it all right there, and the smell was enticing. Finally, Dale's group starts straggling in. One truck is riding on one rim. I'm worried now. I have run this area before and know how some of these guys run. I hear a familiar sound--yep thats "Hard Luck," I know that Jeep! Sure enough, it's Dale, let's see...he has all four tires and he is driving it in. Good, we don't have to go do any repairs. Seems that the only problem he had was a busted fan belt. We were worried Dale wouldn't have a good time cause he had to run with an easier group--WRONG! His group had a better time than ours did. Great! I'm glad because Dale misses out on so much being on the road so much. After their group had finished eating it was time for the prizes to be drawn. Guess who's name was the first one drawn? JIM ARP! Jim won a set of Oasis trailhead tire deflators. Bill Slagle was also a winner down there. They had teased Bill that he would win the fire extinguisher. Seems Bill is the sole reason that you're required to have a fire extinguisher: he fried his entire electrical system a couple years ago out on the trail. INTERESTING! Well, Bill didn't win the fire extinguisher. No, he won Superlift koozie can cooler. I was praying to win the MSD Off-Road 6, but being the unlucky person that I am, I left with nothing.
It must have been too cold for the natives that night, because there wasn't any war dancing going on. It was definitely cold. Sunday morning after breakfast, people started loading up for home, and some of us went for some more trailing. We had Pig (Bill), Flatfender (Tom), Hard Luck (Dale) and Fireball (Jim & I). We had a great time. Pig had only one gear--second--so Tom and a tow strap where his reverse gear. We trailed for several hours and only had one problem: Dale had lost some bolts from under his Jeep. A little southern engineering and we had him going again. Well, it was time to get back to camp and start loading up for home. We had a surprise when we got back to camp. George and Stacy Maat did come down. They had problems with the tires on the motor home. I hate that we didn't get to trail together, but they were gonna stay a few days and trail a little. Well, after a little socializing with them, we started home. Everyone made it home with no problems.
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