Category: Trips & Events

Randsburg 2019

The Santa Barbara 4×4 club made its annual Randsburg run out to the Mojave desert during the recent Veterans day weekend.   Some members arrived on Thursday to secure our club’s favorite location and everyone else flowed in on Friday. We had a good mixture of club rigs including Jeep J K’s, a new J L, T J’s, CJ’s and even a Samurai.  Many of our club members take advantage of motorhomes, truck campers as well as there were even a couple of ground tents to round everything out.   The weather was fantastic night and day, high 70’s during the day and low 40’s at night.  We even had the added benefit of a full moon, incredible campfires (expertly built and tended by our club’s resident bond fire builder/extraordinaire Jeff )  and as an unexpected bonus we even received multi-night  repetitive visits from a family of kit foxes which we thought found us all very entertaining.

     The Desert is always beautiful in its own way and this trip did not disappoint.  Our runs were guided by our most experienced “trail boss” Dick Hoppe.  As an expert on the Randsburg area from many years of club excursions to the desert, even the club “Newbees” all felt like we were being guided by a true pro’s pro.  He kept us all in check, made sure we had fun but didn’t get lost or separated and was always checking to see that we had everybody in line when we were making course change’s.  Our tail gunners for this weekend’s outing were Bryan and Jeff.  They are also two more very experienced members of the club and have been out to these areas many times.  They covered our “6“ and were there to help spot and watch out for problems.

Saturday morning after airing down and getting some chow and packing a lunch we all headed out; members included, Dick, Bryan and family, Tiffany, Casey, Brian, Jeff, Bobby & her son Joe, Kirk, George and his wife Pam & Ken as well as a guest and prospective new member Ben. 

We were all excited for a great day wheeling, exploring & sightseeing with lots of fun and adventure mixed in.  We had a FULL DAY of 4 X 4 fun as many interesting, educational and almost unbelievable “pit stops” including the abandoned open “Old Dutch Cleanse Borax Mine” in the back country near Black Mountain which we all enjoyed exploring.  Next we went to see the old Rock house built in the Randsburg mining heydays.  After a relaxing lunch with an incredible view to boot at the Rock house we headed over to the Bonanza trail to Last Chance canyon and Bickle Camp.  Walter Bickle spent 2/3’s of his life beginning in 1934 in this area prospecting, mining & was known as quite the “Renaissance man” and was also affectionately know as a “true-life desert-rat miner”.  

     It was eye-opening to consider the incredible struggles of the people of those times trying to eeeek out an existence in such remote and tough location with incredible tough hot & inhospitable terrain. After seeing all that was there we headed for the Burro Schmidt Tunnel, another popular sight to see by 4 x 4 in the Mojave desert.  It took Burro Schmidt 38 years to hand dig through the mountain.  It was by all accounts a story of will, determination and persistence.  The goal was to create a way to transport the mined oar more easily as it created a shortcut straight through the mountain.  It was incredible to see.  A few club members were adventurous enough to make the nearly ½ mile trek down the tunnel to the other side.  

After gathering all our members, we all headed back to camp via Goler Gulch and the Narrows for a fun evening around a roaring bond fire while cooking up our dinners for the night.  Many shared special treats that they had cooked or prepared specially for the trip while we all shared stories from the day and what we had seen. What a great day. 

Sunday, the plan was to head to Government peak.  It is the highest mountain in the area with an elevation of 4,573’.  Dick again expertly guided a group of us up the mountain through changing various terrain including bouldered riverbeds, narrow rocky canyons and even several challenging dry waterfalls of various difficulty.  We snaked our way all the way to the top.  All club members on the run made it up to the top without issue and had a great time especially with the anticipation of ice cream and lunch in the little town of Randsburg at the general store afterwards.  After spending some time at the top of Government Peak and enjoying a 360 degree view of the Mojave Desert, we all headed down the mountain past the East side of the Yellow Aster tailings on our way to Randsburg.  Well, unfortunately, because of the long holiday weekend the little mining town of Randsburg was inundated and overflowing with off roaders of every conceivable type.  It appeared we all had the same idea. So, while we didn’t get a cold treat we all enjoyed a nice break in the shade where we had some snacks and did a little people and rig watching; it was a packed house.

         While most of us had to head back to “civilization” on Sunday a few us diehards stayed one more night and enjoyed the amazing desert evening, another full moon, some good food, conversation and we made sure we burned up the rest of the wood that was so generously provided by club members.  We left a spotless camp when we were all done and I’m sure everybody is looking forward to next year’s trip. 

Shaver Lake – Labor Day Weekend 2019

After all the hard work preparing for Fiesta and the work from the day of Fiesta, we were due for a good off-roading trip. During the August meeting a trip to Shaver Lake was scheduled the weekend of Labor Day. The plan was to do runs on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday was going to be the more difficult Coyote Lake trail, and Sunday was to be determined, but Bald Mountain was a suggestion. The Cal4Wheel High Sierra Poker Run was also in the same area, so we were attempting to avoid the holiday traffic and large groups on the trail.

Most of the group made it to camp Friday night and the last rig made it just before 9am Saturday morning, the group helped unload their camp stuff and we were headed to the Coyote Lake trailhead by 9:15am.

We arrived at the Red Lake / Coyote Lake trailhead with 9 total rigs – Mark & Avery, Buddy & Jamie, Dick, Bryan S., Rob & Dorothy, Bryan & Kristina, John & Mia in the 2 Willy’s, and Larry. After airing down we set off towards Coyote Lake.

The beginning of the trail is pretty easy and everybody knew what line their rig should take but unfortunately we did have some issues early on. About an hour in, a third of the way in one of the rigs was having vapor lock issues. After cooling down the fuel pump and engine compartment we continued moving forward.

We made it to Red Lake, had a quick stop for water and bathroom break before continuing on towards Coyote Lake. This second part of the trail is much more difficult than the first in general, and immediately after passing the Coyote Lake gate entrance is one of the harder obstacles. All in all everybody made it up on their own and we continued onward.

After an hour or so we made it to Coyote Lake. There was plenty of people there with most of the camp sites filled up. We found our spot in the shade, had some lunch lunch, but most of were eager to hop back in the rigs and head back out so we did just that!

The way out from Coyote Lake was much quicker than the way in; partially because it was mostly down hill, as well as a gain in confidence making it to the end already. At one spot the tail end rig got high centered, and we used the Hi-Lift and some excellent rock placement to safely get them over. Aside from a bunch of dust and the wind not in our favor this direction, everybody knew the lines to take and we made steady progress towards the trail head, and took the highway back to camp.

Sunday was an amazing morning — beautiful 70 degree weather and a sudden rain shower. The previous night around the camp fire we all decided that the run for the day was going to be a bit more relaxed, and likely involve some time by the lake side relaxing. Everybody packed their coolers, chairs, towels and swim suits and we hit the trail. The plan was to stop at Mckinley Grove and check out the grove of Giant Sequoia, do the beginning of the Dusy Trail — Voyager Rock [aka “Chicken Rock”], and then head back to Shaver Lake and relax for a bit before heading back to camp which is close by.

Mckinley Grove Sequoia

The Mckinley Grove was the first stop, and it was amazing! The trees had to be 30 feet in diameter or more and thousands of years old [which is young for a Sequoia!]. After some photos and reading the fun facts about the treats we continued towards the Courtright Reservoir and Dusy trailhead.

To get to the Dusy trailhead you need to cross the Courtright Reservoir dam, which can be intimidating if you are afraid of heights. There was lots to see, and the terrain in this area is very different than the terrain around Coyote Lake. There is a lot more granite rock and slaps of granite, somewhat akin to the Rubicon Trail.

We get to the Dusy trailhead with no issues. The Dusy starts immediately off with a small rock garden, and then leads to a massive 100yard – 45 degree incline on a granite rock slope. It’s not necessarily a difficult obstacle if done right, but the slope can be intimidating the first time you drive it. After watching a few people go up we get in line and almost immediately there’s some action.

The first rig, Dick in his white Willy’s Jeep gets half way up the hill and starts having fuel delivery issues, the engine cuts off, and he’s forced to hold the brake on the slope while we get him hooked up on a strap and pulled up to the top. The second rig, Bryan and Kristina in the Black Jeep, get over the rock garden but as you can see in the video there is immediately an issue, and it leads to an exciting moment.

Breakdown on Voyager Rock

The rear track bar / pan-hard bar mount had torn off from the axle from the bind and forces, which caused the rear axle to become extremely offset towards the passenger side, which caused the tire to rub the frame and suspension mounts and pop the rear drive side tire. This was supposed to be the easy day, so we were all at full air pressure which is why it was such a big bang.

The first step was to get the rig out of the way and to a place we could work on it. We got the Jeep strapped to another and secured on the 45 degree slope to change the tire. We then used ratchet straps to pull and align the axle as best we could so that we could move the rig towards a flat spot which was somewhat in the shade. There was lots of jokes being made, and plenty to watch but more importantly there was plenty of hands helping out and we got the Jeep moved safely.

Once in the “workshop by the trees” we needed to get the broken mount and original mounting point as closely aligned so we could re-weld it and get back to the road or ideally back to camp. We decided to work smart not hard and hooked one winch up to the passenger side rock rail, and from behind to the rear axle. Through some precision winching we got it in place and Buddy and Mark started to work their magic with the welder. After some “oh yeahhh!” , “yeah baby!” and “mmmm” comments during inspection by the welder, we felt comfortable to pack everything up start heading back to camp.

There were no issues on the way out. We did add one more stop before camp — the local store to pick up some stronger IPAs — but besides that the trip to camp was uneventful. We all had plenty of stories from the day and especially enjoyed sitting around the camp fire that night.

We had two long days on the trail, but all in all everybody had a GREAT time still. We did not run into any big groups or traffic on the trail which was awesome. We had some, it was their first time offroading on big rocks and we even had a rig get their first scratch! Most others have done the trails before, but would agree it was still a good weekend of wheeling. Everybody got home safe and came the next day [Tuesday] to the monthly club meeting!

  • Shaver Lake is b-e-a-utiful!
  • Buddy and Dick posing for the camera
  • Mark, Bryan, and Buddy
  • Mark at the start of the Coyote Lake trail
  • Dick showing how much flexing the legs on the Willys
  • Slatticon getting a little 3-wheel action
  • Everybody parked for lunch
  • Great minds shop alike!
  • Entrance to Voyager Rock [aka Chicken Rock]
  • Safely parked to assess the damage
  • Changing a tire on a 45degree slop
  • We had plenty of supervision
  • Changing a tire on a 45degree slop
  • Winch on the rear axle, another winch on the passenger rock rail
  • Our garage by the trees on Voyager Rock
  • The group after making it back to paved road
  • Headed back home crossing the dam

Santa Barbara Fiesta Parade Float Build

The SB4WD Club has towed floats in the Santa Barbara Fiesta Parade — [El Desfile Histórico] for decades. The floats that our rigs pulled were built in the 60’s and over time, the wooden platforms and running gear made from Model A axles have fatigued and were starting to fail. Because we are so familiar with the floats, and have the tools and experience to take on such a job — the SB4WD Club volunteered to rebuild the floats.

It was a multi-year project but through hard work by volunteers, good food, and dedication we feel that we built floats that will last generations just like the ones they replaced. There was two phases to the project, and below are notes and plenty of pictures from along the way. Hope you enjoy!

  • The old floats were literally rotten, termite ridden wood and rust
  • Some of the new running gears lined up!
  • Building the new float platforms
  • The final result looks beautiful covered!!

Phase 1 – Rebuild Float Platforms

The existing platforms and underlying structure built in the 1950s and 1960s, used — to the full extent of the word — every year, and have over time become less reliable.

Rebuilding the floats was a big project and going into it we planed for it to be a multi-year project. The first year, 2018, was focused on rebuilding the float platforms. These platforms are 12′ wide and 20′ long [12’x20′] and need to be extremely resilient to whatever happens to get mounted [or danced] on in the next 50 years.

After a lot of work the platforms were put completely together and painted. They were used in the Fiesta Parade mounted ontop of the old running gear and axles.

Tim giving some words of motivation on the first day
VP doing the hard work — supervising
The long beams that supported the float platforms were hollow and rotten from termites and living a block away from the beach
  • Tim G during Fiesta
  • An example of a constructed platform before it is painted
  • An example platform before it is painted from the front

Phase 2 – Replace Running Gear

The second phase of the float rebuild project involves replacing the running gear for the floats. The near running gear includes two custom made, heavy duty front and rear axles designed for the float platforms that would mount to them.

Building the new running gear was a multi-weekend and required hundreds of man-hours. The axles were built from raw materials — square steel tube for the beams, new heavy duty bearings and joints for the steering axle. Everything had to be moved, cut, welded, cleaned, painted, and put together by hand — thankfully we had many willing and able!

Historically, the floats have been disassembled — the wooden platform separated from the running gear — and the platforms stacked for storage until they are needed in August. The stacking and un-stacking of the floats is a lot of extra work and can sometimes cause damage to the platforms. As part of the design, the float platforms and running gear will be able to be stacked together, and do not need to be disassembled each year which should hopefully prolong their life.

The final product looks AMAZING!

After lots of hard work from lots volunteers the new floats were completed. They were built to last many years, and we hope that these live even longer than the last ones!! The floats should also be much easier to pull out from storage due to the easier stacking/unstacking and no need to reattach/unattach the side skirts every year. when they need to be used each year.

The floats are stacked on custom stands so that the side skirts and running gear do not need to be removed when they are moved to or from storage.
  • The front end of the new running gear
  • A long shot of the new running gear with the new platforms on from the front looking back

Randsburg 2014

Bryan and I met at the thunder bowl Friday afternoon and headed to the desert. Stopped in Mojave for food and fuel and was amazed at the lack of wind. Things were looking good weather-wise. After we turned off on the Randsburg – Garlock road we were stopped for about a half hour due to road repairs.

Arrived at our Goler camp spot to find Jeff and Loralyn already there. They had come out the day before but found the road closed so they camped at Ricardo State Park thursday night. We got camp setup and had some refreshments around the campfire. Loralyn put together enough lasagna to feed us all. We had a couple of bold foxes visit us looking for handouts. They seemed to like everything except the lime potato chips. Art and his family showed up about 9, set up camp and joined us for our campfire BS session.

Saturday morning we packed lunches and headed out about 9. I decided to go up Goler Wash through the narrows so the people who missed it last year could see it in the daylight. The waterfalls in the wash were not as bad as in past years but they were still fun. We continued up the wash and skirted the base of Black Mountain on EP15. We stopped at Colorado Camp and found a well patinated, bullet riddled electric motor that may end up being the LC maintenance award.

We continued on to Burro Schmidt’s, had lunch and did the traditional head banging tunnel walk. We then went to the top of the mountain and back down into the canyon to the Bickel Camp. This is an interesting collection of mining artifacts that are pretty much the way he left them. From there we went to the Holly Ash Mine to see the snow caves. Skipped the rock house and Dutch Cleanser mine this year.

We finished the run by going out through Last Chance Canyon. Jeff tried to show off by backing up the hill at the top of the canyon but couldn’t make it. Turns out his ARB compressor wasn’t working because his temporary TDS trail fix wiring had burned up. We have a new home for the LC maintenance award. We had to spot Bryan and Art in a couple of places but everyone made it out without a problem. There was a nice F150 following us through the canyon with a man, pissed wife and baby aboard. Jeff spotted them through some of the tough sections and gave him a short lecture on not doing this kind of stuff alone.

Back at camp we started the fire ate dinner and enjoyed the evening. Bryan made up some campfire stew that was enjoyed by all. The weather was perfect. The night time temperature was in the mid 60’s and NO wind. I didn’t even need to change out of my shorts.

Sunday we headed over to the Rand Mountains and stopped at Government Peak to enjoy the views. We then went around the east side of the mountain to Randsburg for ice cream. The malts weren’t as big this year but hopefully that was due to the large crowd. We got back to camp, packed and on the road by 2.

Before we started the first run Jeff loaned Diego and Aldo a couple of geology picks. At every stop the hunt was on for gold. Then Norma and Loralyn decided they needed garden rocks. I think several hundred pounds of rock was hauled home on Jeff’s trailer.

This was a great run and I want to thank Bryan, Jeff, Loralyn, Art, Norma, Diego and Aldo for making it possible. Sorry there was no carnage to report.
-Dick