- Joined
- March 4, 2007
- Messages
- 26,320
- Reaction score
- 122
- City, State
- anaheim hills,california
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 95 ranger 4x4/ 91 X 4x4
...ok, so i got stuck in town this weekend...thats ok...i've got probably 6 week old shocks on, i finished my aal's again, got the new leaf springs bushings on, seafoamed the truck, and the truck could use a bath...hmmm, not much of a weekend...i could put some quick disconnects on my truck before i wash it?...wait, i need to make sure the truck is ready for off road...i already drove it hard on the road to make sure everything is tight, but it hasn't been offroad tested...cool,...so this morning we took off, my sidekick and i...i decided we would go out to silverado and just head up the hill, maybe look for that new offroad park on the way...got to silverado turnoff and was met by the sherrif who graciously followed me to the end of silverado canyon, what's that all about? i started up the paved section and just before the dirt, there was an oil track about 100' long...looks like someone lost an oil plug coming off the trail...signs of things to come? naa...it was cool, overcast and misty on the way up...the road looked like it hadn't been groomed in a while, but didn't start off to bad...the usual sharp pointy rocks sticking up thru the dirt in the middle of the road...it got a little rougher by the top of the hill but i decided i would go up to santiago peak...thats where the road got worse...the road became nothing but rocks poking out of the dirt and then turned into all rocks, then loose rocks so thick that you could not stop or you would be up to your axles stuck in loose rocks....it was so cool...now mind you, i was jonesing for the past week to go offroad but work is so busy...anyway, i got up to the antenna's at santiago peak, about 5900' elevation...that was the first and only sun i seen as i took my jacket off...from silverado i only seen 2 vehicles coming down, 1 offroad scooter, 1 biker, and 1 hiker...when i got to the peak i ran into 2 more hikers that were hiking from the holy jim trail...then i got an idea...while i'm here, i will head down to ortega on the main divide, so i did...the road was so much smoother and yet had some really rough spots...the temp changed as soon as i left the peak to where it felt like snow and the clouds were so thick you couldn't see the road...it was a blast...between the peak and ortega i seen probably 4 vehicles, 7 motorcycles, ten hikers and runners... virtually, the road was mine...the weather was cool enough to help keep the dust down, and great for 4 wheeling...i got to ortega and the road comes out by the country store and hell's kitchen, biker bar....i took ortega towards capistrano and got lucky...a mile or 2 of ortega is 1 lane due to them running cats in the other lane, digging into the side of the hill...landslides i guess or road widening...anyway, was flagged right thru so i decided i would go over to trabuco and see if there was any water running to the bottom as they stock trout in the creeks up top if it is...nope, no water at all...the ranger stations all around said fire danger moderate, not extreme as i thought due to the record no rain...to conclude...the aal's, bushings, seafoam and shocks all past the test and that gave me the go ahead to put the quick disconnects on before i head up there again, plus i got a couple of new projects i was thinking about...i must say, that trip was just what the doctor ordered...cool weather, no breakdowns, no 1000 yahhoos up there, it wore me out but it sure was fun...i am posting some pics so follow my signature to them...they also show my trucks new stance with only the aal's and no front coil bushings yet...yay,i got my fix...
