Michael Hendricks met me at the 4 Wheel Parts parking lot in Riverside just before 7 a.m., and we quickly left for our desert run. Kevin (and friend Lauren) met up with us on the Verbenia exit on the I-10 at around 8:15 a.m., and after comparing his Garvin Wilderness rack with Michael's, we headed to Palm Springs where we would pick up my friend and navigator Dan Wilson.
Before I go any further with the run, let's talk about equipment. Michael has a moderately prepped '94 YJ with a 4" leaf-spring lift, 32" BFG AT/KOs, a Garvin Spare Tire rack, CB, and stock gearing (but, possible limited slip in diffs??). Kevin has an '01 TJ Sport w/35" MT/Rs, Champion beadlocks, ARB air-lockers, Milemarker manual hubs, Warn 9.5 winch, 4" Teraflex suspension w/1.5" Acos adjustable spacer lift, underhood air compressor (for lockers and tires), subwoofer, etc. I'm driving a new '03 Rubicon - Tomb Raider edition that's completely stock - except for medium window tint on driver/passenger windows and clear tint on windshield to protect my wife Suzanne from UV rays while traveling in my Jeep. Suzanne has Systemic Lupus, and any contact with UV rays must be minimized as much as possible. She had work to do today, and could not attend this run, however, she usually attends all trail runs, because she still loves the outdoors, and considers fourwheeling her best!
opportunity to experience the outdoors.
Our group met Dan at his home in Palm Springs, and we promptly headed north up Indian Canyon Rd. to Dillon Road where we traveled west towards Hwy 62. After a number of steep hillclimbs, a gas stop, and a few minutes to lower our tire pressure (15 psi for the Jeeps w/o beadlocks, 4 psi for Kevin w/beadlocks), we were ready to travel down Gold Crown Road in style! Just as we left the trailhead, Kevin tried a maneuver up a heavily rutted section of trail that compromised his tie rod assembly. With Michael's help, Kevin temporarily provided a trail fix to this bent piece of metal and we continued towards the "New Dale" section of trail that would lead to: Supply Mine, Iron Age Mine, and Carlyle Mine.
We b-lined past Supply, up and over the ridge, and dropped into a small valley lined with creosote bushes, small mining areas, and rock-lined roads sprouting out in 3 different directions. One of these roads led to the backside of the Supply Mine where a particularly nasty section had eroded, prompting Kevin to test his "Extremely Capable Rock Rig". His yellow Jeep flexed with ease as it walked up this trail that had been compromised by a 4 ft. deep ditch. Being a gentleman, Kevin's friend Lauren was now able to step out of his Jeep in her platform sandals and examine the nasty mine that Dan was about to skillfully enter. Dan lacked the standard safety gear that would make for a successful splunking tour, so, he just poked around inside of the mine, and returned outside where we were all anxiously waiting for him to scale around the 30 ft. deep vertical shaft that threatened to swollow him whole.
It was 11 a.m. now, and not quite time for lunch. We continued on, bearing right at the fork in the trail - heading down what looked like an innocent path that had not been traveled in many years. As we exited this peaceful valley, the trail revealed itself as a jarring, loose, rock-lined trail that only the most of agile Jeeps should attempt. Rocks pointed upward throughout this trail bearing rust marks bearing mute testimony to the bruises they've caused to vehicular undersides, startling drivers and damaging drivelines. Several sections of trail were washed out - about 6 sections I believe. So, with the help of Dan's skillful spotting, he was able to guide us around sections of trail that could have ended in tragedy. At one washed out section, the driver had to place their passenger-side tires on one track that rose 1' above the drivers-side, while the drivers-side track threatened to toss driver and vehicle down a 30' drop-off. What made this section terrifying wa!
s not the loose rock that caused tire slippage of our BFG and MT/R-shod rigs, nor was it the precarious angle which we had to maneuver our vehicles w/o allowing gravity to cause our rear-ends to begin sliding downward as they so often did on this section of trail, nor was it the 1' bump that we had to "build" and fill in at the end of this section before we continued on down this steep, rocky grade. What made this the white-knuckle challenge of the day was looking down that 30' drop-off at the relatively rust-free specimen of a vehicle, with its parts all scavenged, its cab crushed in, its chrome bumper still shining in the sunlight offering a grim reality to this obstacle that we had no choice but to tempt fate with.
Each vehicle successfully attempted this section - one at a time. Each vehicle passed the shining Jeep Grand Wagoneer that pointed belly-up in the deadly valley below. We made it to the bottom of the trail from Gold Crown Road - victorious, and in one piece!
Heading to the Carlyle Mine switchback, each rig was on alert for the next deadly obstacle. But, the trail just smiled back at us with its bushes growing in the middle of the trail, and creosote bushes threatening to pinstripe our beautiful Jeeps. After traveling into a rocky canyon, we approached the trailhead to Carlyle Mine. The trail looked steeper, more challenging, and more colorful than I had imagined. I toggled both front and rear air lockers, and I joined Kevin for the ascent into the Carlyle region. Michael hesitated, but was coaxed on by our flexy rigs, and adventure that waited up the trail.
A rock-garden presented itself 50' from the trailhead. Kevin's front and rear Dana 44s flexed effortlessly, keeping his vehicle level like a pouncing yellow and black spider as his Tera Low gears spun his 35" MT/Rs up the rough stuff. He got out and judged my Rubicon with a smile as he watched one tire lift 8" while another tire would stuff into the deep-pocket flares. Michael also made it up the hill with no problems - 32" KOs gripping rocks and 4" leafs flexing smoothly, in tune with the terrain.
At last - lunchtime! We pulled out trail chairs from Kevin's Jeep while Kevin and Lauren sat in his idling Jeep - with cold A/C blowing in their faces. After fetching sandwiches and fruit from our lunch boxes, Michael, Dan, and I walked the last brutal distance to Carlyle Mine. To a CalRocks competitor, the last section of trail wouldn't be much of a challenge. The rutted path to Carlyle had been paved with asphalt many years ago, but, this road had met its match with Mother Nature. In its place, boulders both small and medium-television sized, protected the path from small-timers who would dare drive up its once paved road. At the top of this steep grade, the magnificent salt playa could be viewed below as it sprawled in an oval shape just past the '62. Cars whizzed past this muddy salt flat unaware of the backcountry opportunities awaiting them if they only had capable rigs like our own on this old-time path.
Dan again poked around inside the mine, while Michael and I peeked in cautiously. Dan walked in a full 200' before turning around and exiting. The mine was in terrific shape - due to its remoteness from the drunken bozos who tend to burn down ancient wooden super-structures in their quest for some weekend revelry. The road to Carlyle made its driver respect the immediate environment, and the trails which had been made possible by B.L.M. personnel and miners alike. Your typical wino couldn't coax his 2wd beater down the trail that we had traveled. After returning to our rigs, we decided to head back to civilization. Sure, it was only 3:15 p.m., but, with Kevin's tie-rod assembly requiring more adjustments, we decided to travel safe rather than sorry. So, we returned to Palm Springs to drop off Dan at his home. And, Michael, Kevin, Lauren, and myself traveled back to Riverside where we would share our adventures with whomever cared to listen, and swap trail pix over the 'net. We all felt patient, because in 2 more weeks we are all returning for the Rebel 4x4 2nd annual Old Dale trail ride!
The End!
The Carlyle Mine road - This is where Desert Spive [Offroadrangers.com] and a friend blew up a cast aluminum rim...
The view at the base of the notious "Carlyle Mine climb."
Kevin airing down the 35" MT/Rs w/Champion beadlocks to 4 p.s.i.
