Walker Valley
October 29, 2000

Jim wanted to try out his newly rebuilt rig on something fun but also nearby.  Brett has a home near Walker Valley, so if Jim had a breakdown, he could drag his rig to Brett's.

We had a good turnout: Jim, Chuck, Brett, Doug, and Brad all brought their rigs.  Nick rode along with Jim; Brad's friend Adrian rode with Brad, and Doug's friend Gary rode with Gary.  Also, John (candidate) brought his rig.

The first part of the trail was a lot of fun, if uneventful.   When we got to the rock steps, there was a group of another ten rigs or so already there and giving it a try.   It was slippery and rutted out, and got a lot more rutted out as they made their attempts.   Deciding to eschew finesse, they used as much throttle as they could, with lots of bouncing, slamming, and spinning.  It was quite entertaining to watch.  Only a few made it, and all with damage (not surprising).  It caused quite a backup, and by the time our turn came, I'll bet it was at least an hour and a half later.

Jim was first up and as he got ready to start, noticed his power steering was making noise.   It was determined to be a hole in the hose, which he made a valiant but unsuccessful effort to repair.  While he was working on his rig, John tried to make it up the steps but didn't make it.  Chuck tried out a new line, didn't make it, then tried a few other lines.  He came close but also didn't make it.  Brett's turn and he took the line along the right side.  He got up and over very nicely -- finesse, the way it's meant to be done.  Jim then decided to give it a try.  He had to -- he had just put 35's on his rig, and if wasn't for occasions such as this, then what were they for?  He took the same line as Brett and also made it up and over.   Doug and Brad decided to chicken out.  The two that made it, Brett and Jim, both suffered some minor damage.  The winning line favored narrow track, which both Jim and Brett have but Brad and Doug don't (but mostly, they didn't want any damage).

Because Jim didn't have power steering anymore, we decided to cut the run short and take the easier (but longer) road out to the Walker Valley entrance.  It was mid afternoon by then anyways, thanks to the hours that were spent at the rock step.

Jim's clean rig at the start	Brad's rig on the trail	Doug backing up	Chuck giving it a try
Trying...	Trying...	Ouch	Brett flexing
Jim	Nice flex as Jim gets into position	Jim starting	Front wheels over
Almost there	Lineup at the end	John's YJ	That is one tall rig