2015 New Mexico Chile Challenge Oct 14-17 (2 Viewers)

[Stepmurr]

http://www.chilechallenge.org/2015-chile-challenge-information.html

The 2015 Chile Challenge will take place October 14 - 17 at the Caballo Lake State Park Riverside Campground. Same week, same great location, same great trails with some new ones thrown into the mix.

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I just registered - you should too!

Post from last year:

https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/nm-chile-challenge-needs-more-cruisers.821423/#post-9420758

 

[jstncse]

I registered. Registration closes October 1st but just like last year walkups are welcome based on trail availability.

My trails

Wednesday Lost Boys -> Level 9
Thursday Green Canyon -> Level 8
Friday Backstage Pass -> Level 9
Saturday Brandon's Challenge/Hooker's Corner -> Level 10

 

[Stepmurr]

I registered. Registration closes October 1st but just like last year walkups are welcome based on trail availability.

My trails

Wednesday Lost Boys -> Level 9
Thursday Green Canyon -> Level 8
Friday Backstage Pass -> Level 9
Saturday Brandon's Challenge/Hooker's Corner -> Level 10

Great -I'll see you there.

I see you ate doing the big dog trails - I'm sticking to the little dog trails

 

[jstncse]

What are you running Wednesday and Thursday? I'm thinking about going with more scenic trails until the weekend.

 

[Stepmurr]

Trail Selection:

Level 1-9

Wednesday
Rattler -> Level 4

Thursday
Broad Canyon -> Level 8

Friday
Apache Canyon(LWH)-> Level 6

Saturday
Apache Canyon (Up & Back) -> Level 6

I'm doing Apache Canyon twice in case my visitors can only make down on Saturday.

The run organizers seem pretty open to trail changes as the event goes on.

 

[jstncse]

Apache Canyon is a great run, it is one of those that is worth making a trip to the area just to run it.
I may try to get Thursday changed to Broad Canyon if Crystal Canyon doesn't open up. Hopefully LCFWD club will be as accommodating as they were last year.

See Ya there

 

[jstncse]

Weather is perfect for 4 days of wheeling. mid 70s in the campground now and mid 80s for a high during the week.

 

[Stepmurr]

Weather is perfect for 4 days of wheeling. mid 70s in the campground now and mid 80s for a high during the week.

Glad you made it down here this year.

I'm in spot 63 . . .

 

[OffGridOverland]

I just spent two weeks out in Albqu. My LC is still down.

 

[Stepmurr]

Camping near Springerville on the way to NM

Caballo Lake State Park

Caballo dam in the night

Camping at the state park - electrics & running water - what a treat!

Very nice FJ40 buggy with a Cummins diesel

 

[Stepmurr]

First trail - Rattler

Rock was bigger than it looked

My nephew changing the tire I sliced open - no jack was used - I just ran up the hillside until the tire was levitated

I called Discount Tire in Las Cruces and they said there was only one KM2 within 200 miles and it was in El Paso, but warned me to call them to make sure it was really there.
I called the El Paso store and they assured me they had a KM2. So we drove all the way to El Paso, then 26 more miles across rush hour traffic to the eastside store, only to find out they had mislabeled their tire and they didn't really have a KM2 after all.

So they gave me one of the new KO2s for $40 and renewed the hazard cert for free.

Fluid check before day two's trail run

 

[Stepmurr]

Day two - Broad Canyon

I took the Taco through Broad Canyon six or seven years ago, so I thought this would be a relatively easy trail for the FJ40.

I was very wrong - they had a 1000 year flood event that completely changed the canyon bottom. Rocks that were 12" tall were now exposed to 3 or 4 feet. My Taco would not even make it over the first obstacle anymore without a lot of winching.

Morning lineup

skirting the swamp that covered up the normal trail

This is "Broad" Canyon?

Muchas boulders

I have a picture of this spot from the Taco trip and the rock on the right used to only be a foot tall

 

[Stepmurr]

Broad Canyon in 2008

Same rock in 2015

 

[Stepmurr]

Same rock - different Jeep

More fun

A little winching never hurt anyone

More fun

 

[Stepmurr]

Playground area - the big tire crowd had a blast

Up . . .

Up . . .

And away

End of the trail in Upper Broad Canyon

 

[Stepmurr]

Day Three - Apache Canyon & Palomas Gap

This Jeep was actually sitting on its rear bumper with both front tires in the air - awkward!

We started calling this "Turtle Rock" because five vehicles had to winch off it, and a few others had to be dragged over it

Turtle rock again - note the diff on rock & both rear tires in the air

Turtle Rock again

Narrow shelf road up to Palomas Gap

 

[Stepmurr]

I hate shelf roads 600 feet in the air

Crossing the mighty Rio Grande near Palomas, NM

Back at camp sporting the new look up front

I bent the snot out of the front bumper (again) and the driver's side was hitting the tire.

Rather than attempting to pull it straight for the umpteenth time I wacked the ends off.

jstncse from Albuquerque was kind enough to lend me his Sawzall and in about a minute I had both sides sliced off the bumper.

 

[Stepmurr]

Day four - Apache Canyon up & back

Discussing options

Wandering up the canyon

My brother on Poser Rock

 

[Stepmurr]

More fun on Turtle Rock

My grand-nephew completely oblivious to the chaos behind him - just another turtled Jeep

The driver of this rig is a tank commander in the army

Sitting around the fire

My grand-nephew, brother, and me

 

[Stepmurr]

Always leave a clean camp

I want some of these for my next set of tires

Almost 2100 miles - including three trips to Albuquerque & one trip to the far side of El Paso

48 hours of driving