This is the the official 2019 Rubithon Thursday Breakfast Morning thread.
My name is Doug,
I am looking forward to meeting you all on this years trip. I will be leading the run this year. Due to the date change and school schedule, I wont have my son and co-driver Dominik aged 14 and my 3 year old daughter and three year Rubithon Veteran Isabella, aged 3.
I have driven this trail a bunch of times in a both a mini truck and in my 80 series. The 80 I will be driving is setup in a pretty typical fashion with 3" of lift, 35" tires, 4.88 difs., front and rear lockers, all the requisite armor, dents, winch, snorkel, fridge, tools. I do carry specific parts for an 80 series such as a steering box, birfield and all the parts to repair a knuckle/studs (minus the actual knuckle), tie rod ends and a spark plug repair kit (don't ask).
This will be a traditional Loon entrance to the main Rubicon Trail. This unique run has a pre-paid private breakfast at the Ice House Resort before we start the trail. The breakfast is scheduled to start at 0800. We ask that we all get there early as in 0700 so that we can do the the tech inspections and insurance paperwork early and be able to hit the road right after breakfast. If you are not at Ice House by the time breakfast is finished we will be moving on. If you are not at Loon Lake by 0900 we will be moving on. If you arrive late and feel comfortable on the trail by yourself feel free to hit the trail and catch up.
There are a few "motel room" cabins at the resort, some RV spots and a tent camping area. The rooms are way rustic but "OK".
I usually fuel up at fresh pond before the turnoff to ice house road. Topping off at ice house is not a bad idea (be prepared to spend $10 a gallon). I will pack a Jerry can just in case, though after topping off at Ice House and driving straight through and exiting at Tahoma I have never needed to dip into a Jerry can.
Our first day's destination will be Buck Island Lake were we will camp. On group runs like this we will be taking the easier lines and getting everyone there safely. I will do everything that I can to get us there early enough to have some down time and a swim before dark. With a sizeable group it is important to keep things moving and stay in our rigs for short stops. a prepacked lunch is a great idea.
Friday we will continue on to Rubicon Springs where folks will typically scatter and find a camp spot. At that point the official word is that the group run is complete and we are all on our own for camping. Groups often stay together to camp and some of us will do that but it is not required.
Sunday everyone mostly exits up Cadillac Hill, there is a local 4x4 club that provides assistance.
The Rubithon signup page will list mandatory safety and recovery gear that you will need, as well as equipment requirements. If you're running the minimum of 33's and a 2.5" lift, You should have serious armor and a strong passenger to stack rocks.
Make sure a heavy strap (no hooks on the end) and a fire extinguisher are readily accessible. I like the strap on the passenger floor board so I'm not hunting for it or dealing with a swing out bumper while in a precarious situation.
I will walk around camp and offer a wrench so that everyone can check their knuckle studs before during and after each day on the trail. If you are driving an 80, I do have some tips for mechanical preparation, sway bar advice, etc.
We will be using 2m Ham for our communications, most likely 146.400. I recommend obtaining a license. I have Baofeng hand held, they are inexpensive. I have a file (chirp) that can be uploaded to the radio which I can share ahead of time. It is very easy if you have a sync cable.
If you have made it and read down this far.
It would be nice to get to know each other a little better before joining up on the trail. This is a good place for introductions, to ask questions, and get answers.
Doug
AKA Devil's Slide Doug
My name is Doug,
I am looking forward to meeting you all on this years trip. I will be leading the run this year. Due to the date change and school schedule, I wont have my son and co-driver Dominik aged 14 and my 3 year old daughter and three year Rubithon Veteran Isabella, aged 3.
I have driven this trail a bunch of times in a both a mini truck and in my 80 series. The 80 I will be driving is setup in a pretty typical fashion with 3" of lift, 35" tires, 4.88 difs., front and rear lockers, all the requisite armor, dents, winch, snorkel, fridge, tools. I do carry specific parts for an 80 series such as a steering box, birfield and all the parts to repair a knuckle/studs (minus the actual knuckle), tie rod ends and a spark plug repair kit (don't ask).
This will be a traditional Loon entrance to the main Rubicon Trail. This unique run has a pre-paid private breakfast at the Ice House Resort before we start the trail. The breakfast is scheduled to start at 0800. We ask that we all get there early as in 0700 so that we can do the the tech inspections and insurance paperwork early and be able to hit the road right after breakfast. If you are not at Ice House by the time breakfast is finished we will be moving on. If you are not at Loon Lake by 0900 we will be moving on. If you arrive late and feel comfortable on the trail by yourself feel free to hit the trail and catch up.
There are a few "motel room" cabins at the resort, some RV spots and a tent camping area. The rooms are way rustic but "OK".
I usually fuel up at fresh pond before the turnoff to ice house road. Topping off at ice house is not a bad idea (be prepared to spend $10 a gallon). I will pack a Jerry can just in case, though after topping off at Ice House and driving straight through and exiting at Tahoma I have never needed to dip into a Jerry can.
Our first day's destination will be Buck Island Lake were we will camp. On group runs like this we will be taking the easier lines and getting everyone there safely. I will do everything that I can to get us there early enough to have some down time and a swim before dark. With a sizeable group it is important to keep things moving and stay in our rigs for short stops. a prepacked lunch is a great idea.
Friday we will continue on to Rubicon Springs where folks will typically scatter and find a camp spot. At that point the official word is that the group run is complete and we are all on our own for camping. Groups often stay together to camp and some of us will do that but it is not required.
Sunday everyone mostly exits up Cadillac Hill, there is a local 4x4 club that provides assistance.
The Rubithon signup page will list mandatory safety and recovery gear that you will need, as well as equipment requirements. If you're running the minimum of 33's and a 2.5" lift, You should have serious armor and a strong passenger to stack rocks.
Make sure a heavy strap (no hooks on the end) and a fire extinguisher are readily accessible. I like the strap on the passenger floor board so I'm not hunting for it or dealing with a swing out bumper while in a precarious situation.
I will walk around camp and offer a wrench so that everyone can check their knuckle studs before during and after each day on the trail. If you are driving an 80, I do have some tips for mechanical preparation, sway bar advice, etc.
We will be using 2m Ham for our communications, most likely 146.400. I recommend obtaining a license. I have Baofeng hand held, they are inexpensive. I have a file (chirp) that can be uploaded to the radio which I can share ahead of time. It is very easy if you have a sync cable.
If you have made it and read down this far.
It would be nice to get to know each other a little better before joining up on the trail. This is a good place for introductions, to ask questions, and get answers.Doug
AKA Devil's Slide Doug
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