What a great night for a run! it was just alan and i and we were planning a casual run nothing crazy.

we hit terminator first and that is where i got to see my first rattle snake which was about 3 feet long. he waved his tail at me and went along his business. everything went pretty smooth on this part of the run. we went through the trail fairly quickly being just the two of us.

next was raw deal. we ran it to the end and turned around to run it backwards. we were going to head out and run the pipline backwards. welll coming down with me in the lead my driver front tire slipped off a ledge and went into a nice deep hole and yes you guessed it i was soon on my side. happened fairly fast and no injuries. seatbelt held me in nice and snug. alan came checked me out and then pulled me back over.

<object width="400" height="300" ><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="movie" value="http://www.facebook.com/v/247639418584928" /><embed src="http://www.facebook.com/v/247639418584928" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="300"></embed></object>

now the problem. leaving the lights on drained the battery and she would not start. i had a jumper box but that would not work either. we knocked the starter thinking maybe it was jarred no go. ended up having alan pull me back out of the notch i was in and try to pop the clutch. no go not enough room or space. we wer going to tow me out when i said lets try the box again to jump it because it felt there was just not enough juice to get her going. this worked . found the jumper box was jarred a little bit and just needed the cables moved around.

red started fine with a ton of smoke coming from the rear. we let the burn off happen for a bit and we were off to the airdown station. a once over of the jeep and everything looked fine no leaks or breaks. there is just some minor body damage--





she drove even better than she had before on the freeway when we finally got past the million mile backup on 17. a semi rolled in the median and over the cb heard it was a fatal. it was around mile marker 253. we stopped in anthem to air up and reconnect and onward to home.

an exciting night with my little buddy. found out also that the cargo net in the back is great for roll overs. there was hardly anything outside the jeep. mainly tools, changeand water bottles. starter sounds funny but other than that it is all good!

pics from alan

Bummed I missed this. Surprised you flopped on that trail. Happy you guys had fun and got home safe.

Outstanding! She just needed a nap Russ, no biggie!

video fixed so everyone can view

and I'm uploading the Lower Terminator Fast Forward right now... YouTube is sloooooooow today. LOL

Ok. I'm learning more and more in prep for Colorado... I need to tighten my camera mount and clean my windshield for late evening runs, but...

I present: Lower Terminator Fast Forward: a full night run in less than 7 minutes. For those who could not make it, Enjoy!

<iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hNK2QiWVMwo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Nice Russ! Way to test out the new netting!

I got stuck in that horrible traffic coming home from Munds Park Sat night. Took us 2 hours to move 5 miles.

Awesome video Alan! Loved it

messing with adobe premirre for this little video

<iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/48dzypKcA-s" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

alanzona wrote:
I present: Lower Terminator Fast Forward: a full night run in less than 7 minutes. For those who could not make it, Enjoy!

This:




Also White Line and other skyward shots with your bumper tube illuminated.

Well, I for one, had a fantastic time. The desert at night is amazing and LT in my new to me TJ was incredible. We met at airdown at 7 PM and were making dust by 7:15. The original plan was LT first then Raw Deal. Neither of us were looking for breakage, just needed to beat the heat and run some trials at night. Here's what I learned or was reminded of:

1. No matter how easy the trail, never wheel alone.
2. Russ is a cool dude that is getting more and more AIST and it shows.
3. The time between sunset and full dark is absolutely incredible from a desert canyon.
4. My Rockers hook up and are awesome on the rocks.
5. Always carry a tow strap, even if you have a winch.
6. Cargo nets don't only look good, but they work!
7. A TJ with 40's is not an XJ with 35's... LOL

So after air down, we cruised down to LT. The sunset was awesome.










We ran without spotters and Big Red did GREAT. Right around here is where Russ saw his first Rattlesnake. I declined to exit the vehicle to view. LOL




We then moved on down the trail, crawlin', laughing, and just generally having a great time and making great time...

Here's a sky shot going over a little obstacle in the TJ. Sometimes I wish I could just freeze time right there and drift a bit.




"two roads diverged in a yellow wood..." OK, not Frost, but the choice of the evening was no breakage before CO, so we went right...




I was really impressed with Big Red and Russ' driving. He just plowed right through like he's been there before.

Russ up and over white line




I really like how this one gives you a great perspective of the horizon while going over white line. The camera is mounted to my dash.




when night falls, it falls fast and hard. We went from good light to no light in a matter of minutes.






did I mention how well Red and Russ climbed? We just flew through LT...










Now part of the purpose of the run was not only to get dirty when it was cooler, but to also check out and try out the rock lights on the TJ, which I finally got working. (Yes, Sy, they are now Rock lights, not Concrete Driveway lights.) I was very pleased with how the performed. Russ had also hooked up some rock lights as well as reworked his big lights. The big lights did good, the rock lights need some rewiring, but before they blew the fuse, they were rockin'.

Russ already posted up my flop photos, but once we were done with RD, we had originally planned to kill time on Gas Pipeline and let traffic die down. After this adventure, we called it a night. It took well over an hour to get from the Table Mesa on ramp down to Anthem to air up and chill out. Prayers for the family of what we belief is a fatality from the wreck.

All in all, again, a great time. Russ, thank you sir. Well done.

Rock lights? check
Rockers hooking up? check
One last run before CO with no breakage? check

Rock and roll. Can't wait for CO!

Nice flop. Jeep looks happy!