TLCA 31st Annual Rubithon - 2019 Registration Now Open - NEW DATES!! (1 Viewer)

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Question for you guys . i will have time to do 1 or the other . What do you think would be more helpful ?

1) Atlas transfer case

2) Gears and Front locker .

The Fj gets around fine now with the current gears and i do have a rear locker and Atrac . I just would like to get some of the power back and Lock the front at the same time . What do you guys think ?


Low range box is gold. If you have the $, don't hesitate. It will change how you do what you do. Locking the front is nice, but a real low saves your bodywork and sanity. I did not know there was an atlas for the FJ Cruiser.
 
2x on gears and locker with an A/T.
 
Automatic or manual? If it is an automatic transmission, I would do dif gears and locker. I bet you’ll get other opinions though.


Automatic . So i do have pretty good control . Its kinda a crap shoot i guess
 
Low range box is gold. If you have the $, don't hesitate. It will change how you do what you do. Locking the front is nice, but a real low saves your bodywork and sanity. I did not know there was an atlas for the FJ Cruiser.

Yes i am putting the Atlas 4 speed that was in the Metal Tech FJ into my FJ .
 
Need help here. Does anyone here have a Napier Tent they use? If so, can you please send me a picture of it with you camping please?

May have an extra something for you if coming to this year's Rubithon.

Please email to firemedic@wildblue.net.
 
The Rubithon gets closer every day and right now there are only 88 days left before the event starts (but who's counting). AND....the wild weather continues for the Sierra-Nevada range. Heck, here in northern California, depending on where you are, we've had as much as 2+ inches of rain, temps in the 50's and 60's, and snow on Mt. Shasta.

With that in mind, here are a few Rubithon-related notes:
  • If you know you are on a committee and haven't registered yet, please do.
  • We are still looking for at least two more brave early risers to help with the Sunday exodus on Cadillac Hill. I don't expect mountains of snow but barring a heat wave to dry up the water that normally flows onto the trail, I suspect portions of trail in general, Cadillac Hill and the rest of the trip out to Tahoma Staging will be a wet, slippery challenge.
  • DO keep an eye on the weather in the Sierra throughout the next 2 1/2 months and plan your gear accordingly. Though the conditions could quickly change favorably for us, there are no guarantees. The Jeepers' and Jeep Jamborees will run before us this year and may make the trail more challenging.
  • We'll post updates here on trail conditions as we get closer so folks can plan accordingly. If you have FIRST HAND information on trail conditions please feel free to pass it along. Normally folks are scouting the trail by Memorial Day, but somehow I don't think that will be the case this year. Scouting the entire trail by the 4th of July could be a challenge.
  • As noted, It is likely there will be plenty of water on the trail, which means you might want to plan to keep stuff dry (including ignition systems, air intakes, diffs, trannies, etc.). Aside from wet food and a pile of wet clothes, there's I nothing more miserable than 3 to 4 days sleeping in a wet tent, in a wet sleeping bag.
  • Trail Leads might want to evaluate their travel timelines and camping locations as we get closer to the event. I suspect that the number of available camping spots at some locations, including Buck Island, might be a few less than last year. Aside from the Rubithon folks, there will likely be others trying to get a Rubicon trip in before Labor Day.
  • My main point in all of this is that planning ahead will make the trip more enjoyable, which equates to memorable, and will help ensure you and your passengers have a good time.
 
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There are just a tad over 45 days left until the start of this year's Rubithon! Those of you that follow Facebook and other social media may have seen some of the video from the intrepid adventurers poking their nose into the trail, and things still are a little wet up there. It looks like some sections of the trail are better suited to white water rafting and skiing. My guess it everything will be just about perfect when we hit the trail on August 13th (well, maybe a few lingering mosquitoes). While Mother Nature refused to cooperate this year, we are making lemonade from lemons.

If you are following our Facebook page you know that our Raffle Committee, lead by past Chairman Eric Agee, has been doing a fantastic job pulling together a huge pile raffle prizes. And yes, there is a winch in the pile!

Though it was actually January 4th, it seems like just last week I started this thread. With the adjustments we've had to make it's been a long, strange ride, but the good news is everything is slowly falling into place, and you KNOW the next 40-some days will pass just as quickly.

If you haven't registered already, now's the time. (I'm sure the kids won't argue over an extended summer vacation). If you have any questions you can reach me at chairman@rubithon.com .
 
Congratulations to David McKenney! David is the June winner of an extra Grand Prize Raffle Ticket at this year's 31st Rubithon.

Just in case you're not keeping track, the Rubithon is just a little over a month away ;)
 
Really looking forward to this! First time trip for my 5 year old boy Forrest. Most likely he will be covered in dust from head to toe. We are spending some time in the Tahoe area after and then making our way down the 395 on the way home. Bridgeport / Twin lakes Mono Village, Bodie, June Lake, Benton hot springs, Coyote Flats. I need to figure out a better shower setup than a crystal geyser bottle warmed by the fire. :)
 
Really looking forward to this! First time trip for my 5 year old boy Forrest. Most likely he will be covered in dust from head to toe. We are spending some time in the Tahoe area after and then making our way down the 395 on the way home. Bridgeport / Twin lakes Mono Village, Bodie, June Lake, Benton hot springs, Coyote Flats. I need to figure out a better shower setup than a crystal geyser bottle warmed by the fire. :)

Nothing like a hot shower. There are a number of options. Sporting Goods store sell 2-gallon solar showers pretty cheap. I have two that have lasted for years. Or, check out Decker's Hot Camp Showers. You'll be everyone's new best friend:clap:
 
Nothing like a hot shower. There are a number of options. Sporting Goods store sell 2-gallon solar showers pretty cheap. I have two that have lasted for years. Or, check out Decker's Hot Camp Showers. You'll be everyone's new best friend:clap:

right? :) I have tried the solar showers, I tend to always rip them. But may consider them again if I can find one that is not made out of cheap thin plastic. Sorry to hijack thread. Back to work.
 
I have an eco temp, (Paul Decker sells them). The pro is that it can be used in any vehicle or campsite unlike a unit installed in line with your cooling system. The cons is that it is bulkier and yet another thing to pack.
 
FYI the north shore campground at Loon is closed. and will be through this season.

Anyone know if fire restrictions are in place yet ? I've been poking around the FS site but can only find old info. Maybe that means no restrictions as of yet ?
 
FYI the north shore campground at Loon is closed. and will be through this season.

Anyone know if fire restrictions are in place yet ? I've been poking around the FS site but can only find old info. Maybe that means no restrictions as of yet ?
Not just the campground, but all the "usual" dispersed camping spots around that area. You can still camp out on the rocks down below the dam.

As far as I can tell, fire restrictions are not up yet. They might start Aug 1 though.

:cheers:
 
Thats all the Jamboree guys going in early for the back to back events, next 3 weeks will be busy.
 
Twenty days until Rubithon.

But who's counting the days (or sweating the details)? There is a lot left to do over the next two and half weeks.

To all those who are helping pull everything together, I can't thank you enough.

To everyone who are attending, I am looking forward to seeing you on the trail.

To those who couldn't make it this year because of date change, we'll see you next year.

If anyone has any final questions, now is a good time to ask.
 
We are getting close to heading off to the Rubicon Trail! Yep, it's crunch time, only 5 days before we head in to set up for Rubithon.

The weather looks pretty nice with high temps for the most part in the mid to upper70's, though a little chilly at night with lows in the upper 30's to low 40's. That being said, it's the Sierra-Nevada mountains, anything can happen weather-wise, so have a back-up plan. There's nothing worse than a wet sleeping bag and no rain gear, ask me how I know.

There is the possibility of some partly cloudy conditions on Saturday, depending on which forecast you look at.

Any last minute questions can be directed to me at chairman@rubithon.com. I will be checking my email regularly through Monday, after that I won't have internet access.

Time for a deep breath and a sprint to the finish.
 
I'm not sure if I'll have a chance for another post before we head into Rubicon Springs tomorrow, so I wanted to announce the Grand Prize Ticket winner for July:

Todd Zulauf! Congratulations!

And that is the final extra Grand Prize ticket for the 31st Annual Rubithon.

See you at Rubithon!
 
Another Rubithon has come and gone, despite being impacted by a persistent winter weather, plenty of snow and limited choices for alternate dates. In the end we couldn’t have asked for better weather! Cloudless skies, nearly perfect temperatures, a full moon and warm water (relatively) for swimming was there for all that attended the 31st Annual Rubithon.

As always, each Rubithon happens because lots of folks believe in the event and are willing to take on the different roles necessary for success. Everyone that helps put together the Rubithon is a volunteer, and they work hard to ensure each person that attends has the best possible experience. The planning necessary for success begins months in advance and takes time away from friends and families, and is typically on top of what they do to make a living. When we had to change the dates for the event we had just two real choices: the week of the 4th of July, and the date I picked. With kids long ago already out of school it didn’t dawn on me I had picked the first week of school for a lot of folks with children, oops. After that, almost every Committee had to do their ‘jobs’ with less help than in previous years.

I thanked a lot of folks before the raffle Saturday night, but in case I missed anyone I wanted to do it again in a broader forum.

So, with that in mind I want to thank:

All of this year’s Rubithon Trail Leaders (Steve Pryor, Doug Huft, Bob Brown, Jeff Greenwood, Gary Kardum (Mudrak) and Marlin Czajkowski), their Trail Committee members, as well as every other ‘regular’, that guided folks through the trail, stacked rocks to ease the way, soothed bruised egos when there was carnage, helped repair trail damaged vehicles, dealt with their own trail damage while helping others and ensured everyone made it into Rubicon Springs for the festivities, and got out to go home. It’s often hard enough to get yourself and your own rig over through the trail and these folks gladly do it over and over again.

Dion Mattei and entire Cook Crew for preparing the food that feed everyone on Saturday night. While I’m not allowed near the grill at our house (unless you like it WELL done), I absolutely appreciate the logistics necessary for everything to come together at one time to feed a large group of people. Putting all this together required several long ‘road trips’ prior to the event to ensure all the cooking equipment is accounted for, and it took multiple trips to the store to get all the food and supplies that had to be brought in. And everything had to be packaged and set aside so it could dropped off for the Mog Crew to haul it in.

All the PMC folks that staffed the Marauder bar and provided the adult beverages on Friday night. What could be better than a bar in the middle of the forest?

Brian Flynn and the folks who provided activities for the younger four wheelers, coordinated the RC car competition on Saturday and kept the kids occupied while the adults are busy swapping trail stories at the Marauder Bar on Friday night. Also, thanks to John Evans whose generous contribution made the kid’s raffle much more enjoyable for the under-13 kids.

Brian Kaiser and the Camp Crew who helped set up and take down the facilities, signs, and equipment at Rubithon. From mowing the lawn to making sure there was enough firewood for the kitchen and the group fire on Friday night, to setting up for the raffle on Saturday night. Much of this work happens before most people arrive, and after most people have left the Springs. This year we were fortunate that some items we typically are first to put up, such as the roof tarps, were done by folks that used the Springs ahead of us. That being said, it was a welcome reprieve from years past, and not likely to be the case next spring.

Jeff Michalak and Mog Crew, who haul the bulk of the food and raffle prizes to Rubicon Springs. Everything you saw piled up on the stage for the raffle, and the majority of the food and drinks that were served on Saturday night, were brought in by the Mog crew. Jeff is also the guy that did the last minute shopping for the perishable items that have to be purchased at the last minute in order to be fresh for dinner. It still amazes me that the Unimog makes it into Rubicon Springs, and without the Mog crew it would be much more difficult to provide material support for the event.

The Medics for the Rubithon, including Eric Agee, Ken Hanna, Bryan Flynn and Mark Dunne. While we didn’t fly anyone out on the helicopter this year, Mark was the right guy at the right place at the right time on Friday night to provide help for someone in need and kept things under control. Having trained First Responders available that know what they are doing should make everyone on the Rubithon feel better about being out in the boonies.

Ben White, this year’s Rubithon mechanic, who had to get his own rig hauled out, went home and put in a new engine, then came back to the Rubithon to finish the job. While there are plenty of mechanically inclined folks at the Rubithon and no one is left behind, the Rubicon ‘mechanic’ is tasked with making sure first-timers and those without the tools or technical/mechanical abilities are able to get fixed up and make it out.

Mark and Maria Barnes who maintain the facilities at Rubicon Springs, continue to improve the venue and provide a top-notch facility in the middle of nowhere! All the new structures you saw at the Rubicon Springs were constructed with lumber milled on site. Mark and Maria are the most gracious hosts you could ever hope to work with.

Eric Agee for taking on the duties of Raffle Chairman this year, who made lots and lots of phone calls and writing dozens of emails to get a great collection of raffle prizes for the Rubithon.

Joel Moranton and Michael Dremann for getting everything in order for the raffle on Saturday night, and Indie for graciously volunteering to pull raffle tickets and keep everyone honest.

ALL the fantastic vendors and suppliers whose donations help support the event and the raffle, and make it possible for the Rubithon to continue year after year. Without their generous donations it would be an entirely different event!

Eric Agee (again), who for some reason, thought I was the right person to take over as Rubithon Chairman?? Trust me, it’s a pile of work to pull off a Rubithon and more than once I wondered what I had gotten myself into, but in the end I learned a lot and I am already pondering things for next year’s Rubithon.

Tony Twiddy for his insights and constructive comments as a past Rubithon Chairman, and for pulling together the ever-popular horseshoe tournament.

Ross Woody for his support as TLCA President.

All those who encouraged me along the way, and provided inspiration and comments before, during and after the event.

My wife Kathleen, who gave me the time and encouragement to do what I needed to do pull everything together, especially when I already had too many irons in the fire, and for her help at Rubithon.
--------------------

If I missed anyone, I offer my apologies and I want you to know that everyone that helped me pull everything together this year is sincerely appreciated!

Finally, to everyone who attended, thank you for supporting the Rubithon. See you next year.
 

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