Home from Gold Lake

[lilcrawler]

We just got back from Gold Lake. It was a good trip.

On Friday, we ran Snake Lake trail (heading down Little Deer Lake way) and trying to head up the big hill above Snake Lake. Lots of rocks, not too much winching, but once we hit that big hill we had to turn around. Shrek was back, but lost his waterpump on the drive in. So Shrek stayed back at camp.
We couldn't make the big hill, so we exited out the back way and did Gold Valley trail. We were back in camp by about 5pm, and everyone went swimming. We sat around the campfire listening to music, then I started feeling sick and went to bed.

Next day, it was more wheeling. But I was too sick to go. I am sorry I didn't cause there was excitement. THis time, they ran Snake lake the opposite way. Lots of winching, and the obstacles that were easy going one way got harder. There were a lot of stock rigs, and they had to be winched over several obstacles.

The exciting part was Brians Wild Ride. After making it down Snake Lake hill successfuly, there was a section where there were loose rocks. He was heading down the hill and somehow launched his rig off the trail and began bouncing down the hillside. Apparently, he accidently stepped on the gas instead of the brake and went for a ride. The people watching said they were amazed at how he kept the vehicle upright and didn't roll it. Being a Land Rover, it drove itself out with no leaks or repairs needed. But it took a hit from a big rock on the front -- it is time for a new winch bumper. I am sure others will post pictures -- Dad didn't take many cause he was trip leader.

We also caught crawdads and cooked them i didnt eat any

[NCLR101]

Hey Li'l crawler hope you are all feeling better and up to snuff now. This was my first NCLR run and I had a great time. I did not take my shinny new (or relatively) sport on the nasty trails this time but will the next run. Instead I road along with "the Prez" which was my intention from the begining. Glad i did however as I would have brought home more damage that I barganed for. I was great to meet everyone and enjoy a couple of camp fires. But the second night I was so wipped that I could not keep my eyes open. Being "go for" for Will all day an do ya in. But he let me drive his big truck for about 40 yards through the rock squeeze. Hell just getting into the camp group was more of a challenge than I am used to.

All good fun and can't wait for the next one. A wonderful spot up in the mountains next to the lake, I need a small boat for the next time.

Cheers all and thanks for the great fun
Thommy

[TigerDan]

Yup, great trip..already made my comments on it here (http://nclrclub.org/forum/showpost.php?p=4767&postcount=62) before I saw this thread...

[PCRover]

Sorry to hear you got the bug Tyler, hope you feel better soon. I had a great time Friday with the group, but couldn't make it Saturday. I hope Brian is OK after that hair raising experience, that could have been a disaster. It was good seeing old and new faces and look forward to the trip again next year.

[Desertcrawler]

Brian is doing great -- in his own words, this is the most "memorable" trip he's been on.

Those of you from last year would have been amazed at the difference in weather. Got up into the high 90's during day -- and at night it was nice and warm. Biggest plus was virtually no mosquitoes for some reason. I also got a kick out of the strange bells we heard at lunch on Friday that turned out to be a herd of wild cattle...

Here, in no particular order, are some of my favorite pix...like Tyler said, I'm not as good a photographer without him along..some are from the first recon weekend...

[Gotrovr]

Wow, all in all a great weekend, probably my best trip yet. Benchmark combination of good people, weather, scenery, trails, lake, winching, etc.

First off, cudos to Chuck for pulling off another great trip. I can see Gold Lake easily becoming a two or three trip a year destination. Nice meeting new members Eddie and Tommy, and soon to be Jay from the old YahooNorcalRovers group.

Second, a special thanks is in order to Dan (TigerDan) for stepping up and taking on the role of Mr. Good Wrench by swapping out Shrek's bad water pump.:) Brian was also instrumental in this endeavor by following up on his own after my Friday morning SOS call by contacting Frank Cerrone to arrange for a replacement pump. This is the sort of comaraderie and selfishness that exudes from our members. A very comforting feeling to know that we can count on each other in the time of need.

Third, yes we're going back, and next time up winch hill... :eek:

[PCRover]

Some of my favorites...

[RON CT110]

Excellent!

Sounds like another great NCLR trip!

Glad Brian aka HMBRover's wild ride didn't turn into a bad accident!

Like to hear description of winch hill!

And see pictures of the camp and swim area; sounds like the ideal place to camp with hot weather!

Cheers guys - welcome back!


Wow, all in all a great weekend, probably my best trip yet. Benchmark combination of good people, weather, scenery, trails, lake, winching, etc.

First off, cudos to Chuck for pulling off another great trip. I can see Gold Lake easily becoming a two or three trip a year destination. Nice meeting new members Eddie and Tommy, and soon to be Jay from the old YahooNorcalRovers group.

Second, a special thanks is in order to Dan (TigerDan) for stepping up and taking on the role of Mr. Good Wrench by swapping out Shrek's bad water pump.:) Brian was also instrumental in this endeavor by following up on his own after my Friday morning SOS call by contacting Frank Cerrone to arrange for a replacement pump. This is the sort of comaraderie and selfishness that exudes from our members. A very comforting feeling to know that we can count on each other in the time of need.

Third, yes we're going back, and next time up winch hill... :eek:

[Gotrovr]

Gary, safe to say you'll have more favorites

[Gotrovr]

more pics

[Gotrovr]

more

[Gotrovr]

last but not least

[PCRover]

Great Pictures! I will put together a slide show for the main website home page.

Brians "dent" is quite impressive. I am sorry to see his G4 in disrepair.

[TigerDan]

My pics are here: http://s94.photobucket.com/albums/l97/1TigerDan/Gold%20Lake/?mediafilter=images

I'll try to post some tomorrow, but for now you can take the link to the album to see them. I ran out of memory on my camera as Jay was coming down the hill just a few minutes before Brian's Wild Ride, so I didn't get as many as I'd have liked. Just trail pics, nothing from in camp or of the folks who make it all happen.

[Disco2Guy]

Wow, looks like a great time (minus the carnage) and pics. With all the winching that took place, did the white D2 ever need to get recovered from the front? Front recovery is my main hurdle on joining most of these trips with the stock brushguard.

[jhmover]

Chuck, was that you going over 80 Sunday pulling the tent trailer? Traffic sucked for awhile past Truckee.

[Desertcrawler]

That was me in the tent trailer heading home from Gold Lake.

Traffic did suck, but cleared up luckily.

Also, we had a discussion about front and rear recovery points back at camp. It was clearly something that came in handy, and I'd reccomend it as the first modification for anyone going out and doing intermediate to advanced wheeling. Best bet is a new bumper, but I understand you can put Jate rings in some predrilled holes on the frames of some of the discos...

[Disco2Guy]

I've looked into Jate rings before, but on the D2 (and after talking to the guys at Expedition Exchange) the mounting points are so far back on the frame it's kinda useless. Come on tax season...

[jhmover]

Well I was wondering who that was, I guess the trailer threw me off, otherwise I'd have at least waived. I was on the way back from Reno, had to go over Saturday on business (called why I didn't go to Gold Lakes).

[astateofmike]

Great photos everyone, and seems like a great trip....

It's good to see El Presidente out there on the trail, making sure people are getting thru.... I for one am so happy with technology, look at how many photos you guys can take....really makes me even more bitter I did not get to go...

[astateofmike]

I do have a Shrek question though...How did you get the fan off the water pump or does Shrek have electric fans? I have to fight with my VC fan everytime, glad to see a successful field repair.

[PCRover]

Funny story there....I had just removed my fan from the D90 so I mentioned it was reverse thread...well after trying to remove it that way and failing I looked at my fan blades vs Will's and they were backwards. Soooo, they then tried removing it normal way and it came off. Moral of story...keep mouth shut unless you know for sure what you are talking about....:D

[TigerDan]

Once I had the correct direction figured out, I put a large Crescent wrench on the hub nut and then stuck a big screwdriver in between the hub and the head of one of the 3 pulley bolts to hold it all from turning while applying pressure to the Crescent. Basically, if the truck has V-belts, then the fan has reverse threads. If it's serpentine belt, then the water pump turns opposite direction and the fan hub threads are normal direction. If you're dyslexic like I am, then this quickly gets way more complicated then it sounds...:D

[HMBRover]

First of all I want to express my thanks again to all of you who were so supportive, encouraging and caring Saturday and Sunday. It's great to be a part of a group of such fine folks.

Lil Crawler's summary of what happened is pretty accurate so I won't dwell on it here. The fact that the DII is such a strongly built vehicle is the reason I'm here writing about this. It took at least four rock hits on the way down and survived. It is amazing. Once I stopped being airborne the ABS system took over and stopped the truck in a straight line keeping the rubber side down.

A quick inspection revealed the only leaking was from a cut windshield washer line and the engine was running fine with no nasty noises. Dan re-seated the coolant bottle and we were on our way. Back at camp I took the A-bar and grille off so we could get the bonnet closed and it was ready to come home. Sunday morning with a much appreciated escort by Dave in his LR3 and Will in Shrek we drove back to Truckee and then down I-80 toward the Bay Area. With the exception of the steering being a little tweaked the truck ran on the highway as well as it ever has.

This morning I removed the steering guard (now about 30 lbs of scrap aluminum) and the bumper. As I had hoped, all of the bending and twisting appears to have occurred in front of the frame rails. The bumper is toast and will have to be replaced (hmmmm). The upper mount for the grille is a little out of line but will be straightened this afternoon. Steering and track rods both have kinks in them and will be replaced. It's clear that the steering guard and front diff guard saved the truck from more serious damage. Both were good investments. Tomorrow the truck will go to Cerrone's for a complete physical and steering gear replacement.

Here's few pictures ....

Front view ..


Bumper off ..


Side view, bumper removed. Note crush can dislodged but the frame rail is OK ..


Steering guard ..


I'll post a few of my pictures of the trip later on.

[jhmover]

Look on the bright side, now you have an excuse to get a winch bumper and winch.

[Gotrovr]

I do have a Shrek question though...How did you get the fan off the water pump or does Shrek have electric fans? I have to fight with my VC fan everytime, glad to see a successful field repair.

4.0 serpentine belt VC, lefty loosy and a large cresent wrench

[Disco2Guy]

Look on the bright side, now you have an excuse to get a winch bumper and winch.

Along with some HD steering components I think. Glad to see you're ok and in good spirits Brian.

[RON CT110]

Wow! Some wild ride Brian! Glad you are ok!

Are you thinking of restoring it back to orginal, or perhaps moving to a custom bumper e.g. ARB bumper for 03-04 DII or TJM 17.

Here are photos for visuals (the TJM 17 in the photo is for DI but they make one for DII) of the two custom bumpers I like and found photos on the net.

ARB for 03-04 DII for $999: http://landroverparts.us/landroverparts/Discovery2ARB.html

TJM 17 on sale for $496: http://www.4by4connection.com/lanrovdisiit3.html

I like the TJM 17 w/o the bull bar, but not sure if it will allows for the factory fog light.

I know the ARB for the DII 03-04 accommodates the factory fog lights which I like even better!

It's hard choice to go with original considering a factory replacement bumper for DII 03-04 is expensive even for used likes like this on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170250737828&ih=007&category=33710&_trksid=p4506.m7&_trkparms=algo%3DLVI%26its%3DK%252BD%26otn%3D3%26p s%3D5

C yah!

[stevenmd]

Wow, good thing I won that steering guard at last year's Hollister event...;) Glad you are OK Brian!:cool:

[NCLR101]

Also getting back safe and sound, I want to thank all this great group for the wonderful weekend. Especially Will who let me ride shotgun in Shrek all day. I learned a lot and really enjoyed the run. Obstacles like "Winch Hill" are just something to find a way through. I won't be doing that in my Sport. But pilling rocks front and back to a big old rock or two and add a winch or two in some fashion that rub goldberg would have admired was something to see. In order to get the trucks up winch hill, first one truck was positioned perfectly (which took some work) then up the hill and back down on a pully to pull other trucks up the hill right next to the anchor truck, amazing. The friendship, music, campfires and a cold lake were all thrown in for good measure. I was really amazed to see Tiger Dan and Will along with help from all pull out parts and replace vital bits in the evening. Nothing to it. Then the excitment of Brian's wild ride (that one put my heart in my throat). All in all a wonderful time and sign me up for next year. The weather was perfect as was all the great folks and familys there. Thanks for allowing me along.
Thommy

[HMBRover]

Ron, thanks for doing all that research. Saved me some time for sure. :) Frank suggests RoverTym so there are three in the decision matrix. Or I could take a welding class, buy a welder and make my own. However I think I'll be needing a bumper before 2010. :D

Steven, yeah, now you have to win another one this year! :cool:

[Gotrovr]

Brian the "General Lee" is sooooo fitting :D

as for your new winch bumper, ARB w/fog lights, Rovertyme w/o

[Disco2Guy]

I agree with Frank on choosing the RTE (http://www.rovertym.com/slimline.htm). The ARB's are borderline with the stock bumper in terms of approach angle. I think Tony had an ARB at one point and quickly switched to the RTE setup. Another thing to consider is Steve at RTE is very accomodating, so if you want something custom I'm sure he's willing to do the work, for the right price. I've considered using the OEM wraparound welded onto a slimline front bumper because it has better lines. But RTE's current offerings are better looking than their original slimline bumper. One last thing, if you go RTE and want the skid plate I believe you have to order it at the same time (i.e. you can't call later and get just the skid plate since the bumper won't have mounting points).

[sasquatch]

Definitely a classic Gold Lakes Trip! After being behind the wheel for 9hrs on Friday just to get to camp, I was pretty beat. Traffic was unreal!!! So we decided to hang out at camp all day Saturday and watch the "camp kids" swim and get filthy. We rolled out around 3:00 in the afternoon just to get a little trail work in. We went on the Snake Lake trail as well and was half expecting to see the group along the way. I got to the first REAL section that required anything technical and decided to turn around and play it safe. I was the only vehicle and no one knew where I was. Here's to good decisions!! As it turned out, that section was the start of the famous winch hill area.
Hanging out with everyone is always a blast. The campfires are a treat. I couldn't believe how relaxing it was to listen to Dan and his guitar at the campfire. Maybe it was the Gentleman Jack that I was sipping? I think a little of both!:D Sorry about the picture quality, but here are a few shots.
Ooops! A huge shout out to Chuck for all his hard work in organizing, posting and planning. A second shout to all the kids who were spewing fluids from all ends!!!:eek:
Thanks everyone! We had a great time and the shower when we got home also RULED!!!!

[PCRover]

What A poser you are Dave :D. Sorry I missed you Saturday, would have enjoyed a smoke around the fire with yah.

Is this what Brian has up next?

[HMBRover]

Thanks for the picture, Gary. I was kinda missing the "General Lee" reference since I wasn't watching much TV in those days. It is fitting but once is enough, please!! :D

[sasquatch]

Poser Dave! That's right!:o I was bummed you couldn't make it out Gary. I kept looking for the D90 lights bouncing their way along from the distance. But alas, it was not to be so. I pictured you lounging around in house slippers, pajama's and a Starbuck's in hand inside an air-conditioned cabin!





What A poser you are Dave :D. Sorry I missed you

[PCRover]

I wish! I was hanging 2x6 ceiling joists and repairing a shower in the middle of a Thunderstorm with very high humidity and NO AC! Did you guys get any rain? The wind kicked up and it dumped for about an hour on us Saturday afternoon.



I pictured you lounging around in house slippers, pajama's and a Starbuck's in hand inside an air-conditioned cabin!

[TigerDan]

Yeah, we got that too. It was kind of nice, actually. Helped to settle a little of the trail dust on the way back to camp from Little Deer lake. Linda was back at camp with the kids and ran around putting our stuff under cover for us...what a sweetie!

It was noticeably cooler on the trail Saturday than it had been the day before, though still a bit warmish at times. Lake still felt great when we got back to camp though...

[Desertcrawler]

Please tell me you got the rig in good enough shape to make it to Arizona this weekend...

[HMBRover]

Flying to AZ this weekend. 'General Lee' is at Cerrone's Rover Hospital awaiting my insurance company's inspection and then repair of a dozen or so items. As Li'l Crawler predicted one of the motor mounts is toast. I'll get the full list later this week.

Nancy was :( then :eek: but now :cool: and never :mad:. What a lady!! :D

[sasquatch]

Flying to AZ this weekend. 'General Lee' is at Cerrone's Rover Hospital awaiting my insurance company's inspection and then repair of a dozen or so items. As Li'l Crawler predicted one of the motor mounts is toast. I'll get the full list later this week.

Nancy was :( then :eek: but now :cool: and never :mad:. What a lady!! :D

:) :) :)

[Desertcrawler]

Flying to AZ this weekend. 'General Lee' is at Cerrone's Rover Hospital awaiting my insurance company's inspection and then repair of a dozen or so items. As Li'l Crawler predicted one of the motor mounts is toast. I'll get the full list later this week.

Nancy was :( then :eek: but now :cool: and never :mad:. What a lady!! :D

Alright! (think winch think winch think winch)

[TigerDan]

Update Brian? Inquiring minds want to know...:D

[PCRover]

"Jack" is at Cerrone's getting the full treatment. He will return better than ever soon. :D

[HMBRover]

Update Brian? Inquiring minds want to know...:D

Damage was more extensive than originally thought (isn't it always?). "Jack" aka "The General" spent a week or so at the body shop getting some relatively minor straightening of internal front body components. He's now at Cerrone's, off life support, getting replacement steering components, fan and lower fan shroud, fuel tank sender, and some other stuff. Frank will be putting on RTE front and rear bumpers and some other things to make him stronger. Like Gary said, better than ever.

[Disco2Guy]

Mmmm, front and rear RTE's, nice Brian. Post some pics when you get Jack back. Do you have any plans for a winch?

[esteban]

Damage was more extensive than originally thought (isn't it always?). "Jack" aka "The General" spent a week or so at the body shop getting some relatively minor straightening of internal front body components. He's now at Cerrone's, off life support, getting replacement steering components, fan and lower fan shroud, fuel tank sender, and some other stuff. Frank will be putting on RTE front and rear bumpers and some other things to make him stronger. Like Gary said, better than ever.

Insert Bionic sound effects! :D

[HMBRover]

I just ordered a Superwinch EP9000 and it should be available to be installed with the bumpers. Upgrading to synthetic winch line as well. It's going to be a different truck for sure...

[Gotrovr]

Brian,

glad General Lee is on the mend

nice that you were able to pony up and go for front and rear protection

[sasquatch]

I just ordered a Superwinch EP9000 and it should be available to be installed with the bumpers. Upgrading to synthetic winch line as well. It's going to be a different truck for sure...


you'll be very happy with the EP choice. I wish I has synthetic from day one. I'll change over next spring for sure. Maybe even this winter for Shaver Lake!! Happy to see you able to do the repairs :D