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Story and Photos By, Dan
Starc |
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RUBICON!
At around 8 AM we met at the Loon Lake Dam "Big Rock", one of the classic staging areas for the trail. Our group consisted of 6 Jeeps, ranging from 1953 to 1996. Unfortunately, one rig was missing in this group shot. Still, you can see Jeff's and Danny Mini's '53 M38A1, Matt Wuebbling's '96 Grand Cherokee, our '89 Cherokee, Dave and Martina Durham's '79 CJ-7, and Ray and Wanda O'Kelly's '66 CJ. Missing in the picture is Scott & Deb See's '92 Wrangler Sahara.
Dave and Martina Durham brought their always-improving (and recently rear-locked) light blue '79 CJ-7. Every year, Dave seems to find new things to add to the comforts of their rig (don't we all?). But this year the Durhams had a few surprises in store for us. Next, was Ray and Wanda O'Kelly in their orange '66 CJ. This was their first Rubicon trip, so they were very anxious. They were in for a treat.
Closing the group was us. Dan Starc & Julie Stumpf, in our '89 XJ. This year, we decided to bring our dogs, Boo (the big one) and Buddy (the little one). They have accompanied us to other 4x4 trips, but not the Rubicon, so we thought it was time.
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Continuing
the tradition, we met at the Loon Lake Chalet very early in the morning
last August. It was a beautiful California summer morning and we were
itching to get going. We would run with a Chrysler contingent so this
was going to take a while.
Jeff
and Danny brought their bone-stock rust-red '53 M38, which gets used
once a year, for three or four days, to cross the Rubicon Trail. The
original flathead four gets started once a year, usually the day before
Rubicon!
There
are more cobwebs than wires under the hood, the leaves are beyond flat,
and there's practically no tread left on the tires! Still, they made
us all look bad, as they have been crossing the Rubi' in this Jeep for
many, many years. Add a giant ice chest, 3 young boys in the back, a
cowbell and duct-taped longhorns up front and the M38 was a sight to
behold! The sleeping bags hanging off to the sides acted as bumpers
against the rocks and trees, very much like mooring bumpers on a boat.
The
luxury liner of the group was Matt and Don Wuebbling's '96 dark green
Grand Cherokee, with a V-8 and a mild lift. Matt had traversed Wentworth
Springs earlier that week, and reported that it looked TOUGH. Next year…
Area
veterans, Scott and Deb See joined us in their ultra-clean, very trick,
golden '92 Sahara. This rig probably has it all (does it, Scotty?);
a true wolf in sheep's clothing. They were another pair that made the
trail look easy. Plus, the amenities they carried made the trip more
enjoyable…just ask those of us who used their hot water shower!
