Can't make it to the recon but count me in for the meet in the Fall! :yesgray:
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Can't make it to the recon but count me in for the meet in the Fall! :yesgray:
let us know how it looks and feels.........
Well; Gang, there were three(3) of us VX'ers (Riff Raff; Travelin2; KeithVXlvr) who performed the pre-recon of MARBLE MOUNTAIN on Sunday, 19 July 2009. I would personally like to extend my sincere appreciation to both "Travelin2" and "KeithVXlvr" for their profound assistance in making this pre-recon trip a success. Their input was invaluable and they provided a security safety blanket by their sheer attendance. In addition; no one got hurt and no VX's were damaged, which was an underlying goal.
We tried an infinate number of off-road trails (marked on a map and unmarked); both on privately owned land (yes, we were prepared to return gunfire if encountered); and on U.S.F.S. land, in an attempt to reach the summit of MARBLE MOUNTAIN. Unfortunately, 100% of all trails leading up to the summit were blocked with huge bolders and/or intentionally fallen trees (the privately owned land) or they had nicely painted steel impassable gates with U.S. Govt high-security padlocks (U.S.F.S.) with appropriate warning placcards.
Some of the rarely traveled off-road trails were quite challenging and required "low-range" in order to navigate the terrain. Just when we thought we had found an available path, we encounterd a huge rock quarry of gigantic boulders perfectly dumped by a dump truck across the entire width of the trail on a blind slope.
What we did discover was how amazing the VX can slowly crawl up very steep rocky terrain in "low range" with huge ruts and deep ravenes without skipping a beat. Further, we discovered was how tight the VX can turn-a-round on a very narrow one-way trail bordered by a thick forest of trees using the Fred Flintstone jockeying method (ground guides recommended). Our official conclusion is the VX is simply amazing in its multiple capabilities!!!
Of special mention; fellow member "KeithVXlvr", has the bullet-proof Kilby Enterprises "belly-pan" skid plates installed on his VX and they absolutely saved his VX (again) from imminent doom. At one point on a very trecherous angled slope with huge jagged rocks, "KeithVXlvr" performed an extremely tight U-turn engaging direct combat between the large sharp jagged rocks and his armored Kilby "belly-pan" skid plates. The rocks hopelessly lost the battle against the impervious Kilby skid plates, which merely shrugged-off the encounter and asked for more. After seeing first hand the bullet-proof Kilby Enterprises "belly-pan" skid plates in action, I can attest they are worth every penny and a set will soon find a home on my VX as well.
Once we determined we were outwitted by a series of roadblocks, we decided to take the designated paved U.S.F.S. road as far as we could in hopes of reaching the summit using legitimate designated roads. NOT!!! Again; once the paved surface turned to a dirt trail, we immediately encountered an impassable U.S.F.S. road barrier.
Bottom Line-- The MARBLE MOUNTAIN off-road trip is officially terminated due to lack of any road access (public or private) to the summit. We were; however, able to see some very up-close majestic sights of Mt. St. Helens and see portions of the vast devastation caused by the mountain's eruption on May 18, 1980.
Stay tuned, we will continue to search for other off-road sites in the Pacific Northwest that may be worthy of forming an official off-road VX function. Still, this pre-recon trip to MARBLE MOUNTAIN was a true "success" in that we evaluated its "GO"/"NO-GO" status as a possible VX off-road venture which was our primary mission. Riff Raff
Good job guys....wow wish I was with you .......still good job... thx
Just thought I'd :bump: this thread again for the rest of the gang.
And the best part is nobody was told they were going to get a ticket if they did not move their VX. :p
It was a great day in the Pacific Northwest ( AKA: God's Country ). If it wasn't for the F'n Forestry Service blocking every darn road up that mountain. Holy cow what up their Noah's Ark !?!?!?
The skid plate works well. Nice easy slid down the rock until the tires could touch again.:cool!:
I think we are going to have to plan this so that it occurs at a well established off-road location. Make it a stop off and let those who would like, go nuts - others can simply dip their tires in the dirt/mud. :bwgy:
Excellent report captain Riff Raff! well done, the search is on.............
That should get him going. Think Jesus was a PFC last time Riff Raff was a captainQuote:
Originally Posted by AK Falco
LOL; yes, fortunately I was able to make two(2) grades higher than Captain. No harm, no foul-- kinda' like Captain Fantastic was AK Falco's true intent. So in that limelight, thanx for the compliment.
It was a fun trip. Just disappointed with all of the trail roadblocks. "Travelin2" discovered a way to skirt the steel gate barrier on the primary U.S.F.S. trail to Marble Mountain with some added chainsaw effort and ingenuity, but that is probably a Federal crime on Federal land and I for one don't like a Federal Court Room. My highest personal experience in court was City Traffic Court, and I didn't like that either.
We will continue to search for an alternate off-road location; however, a bit further North.
Riff Raff, I,ve been trying for 2 hrs to Email the photos to you and Keith and all I accomplished was screwing up the files so when I finally tried putting them in my gallery they are grainy. Now I don't know how to put them on this thread so I'm giving up...............#%&@#*&% computers!!!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Travelin2
hehe... now now ..calm down or well have to put you in the calming room.....
Thanx for your efforts anyway. I'm enjoying the photos you've already sent, plus the additional ones you posted on this forum. The photo of the big boulders blocking the trail shows how serious the land owner's wanted to keep us out.Quote:
Originally Posted by Travelin2
Since the Marble Mountain route doesn't appear to be workable, would something like this be a good alternative? http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/recreation...riptions.shtml or is it too far/too tame/too crowded or too something else I haven't considered? I may be able to free up some time on the 29th or 30th and go check it out, assuming the rainy season is not in full swing by then.:bwgy:
Quote:
Originally Posted by tworavens
TwoRavens--- Hmmm, that is a very interesting "link" you have there. I'm gonna' have to analyze it thoroughly with a very fine tooth comb, as it is worthy of further research/investigation. Thank you for passing on this information.