Cruisin' the Woods 2014
- Thread starter CreeperSleeper
- Start date
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Trav gettin hung up on the night run 
Had some carnage on the Friday run: Steep slippery hill, Watched 2 rigs have to go fast up it. So I got antsy and stuck in 3rd and hauled ass up the hill to find out theres a huge rut and BLAM!!! Ripped my driver CV axle off the truck and moved the whole diff forward slamming my ADD actuator against the frame cracking it in half....
After some help (CreeperSleeper and others) I was able to drain the diff and put it in 2wd. I tried to follow them the rest of the way but came up to another slippery hill and couldn't make it up. So I put my tail between my legs and got a map to get back to camp.
Got back to camp managed to conclude on my carnage and get my parts list ready and headed down to town. Found a GREAT salvage yard in Hilsboro!!! www.hillsboroautowrecking.com/ (FYI) for anyone that runs into needing special parts. Got my ADD actuator for $50... great price! Moved on to find a CV axle had to goto McMinnville to get one. Made it back to camp right before dark and started wrenching. Took maybe an hour tops with Travis's help (Thanks bro!). WHEELING BACK ON! enjoyed much needed drinks with great company and off to bed.
Saturday came and registration and tech inspection gets going. We line up and take off for our MEDIUM (EASY) run. We start our day off at firebreak 5 where within minutes of the run we all stop.. Half hour goes by WE CAN MOVE! Go through a decent section and everything stops again.... Starting to see a pattern here.... Get out go walk my ass up the hill to see whats going on. Trail lead was stuck and having a hell of a time getting up this section. Bear in mind hes got 37's lockers you name it.... the next few try and fail and were all told to turn around and go to the main road up and around. So we do.
Get up to the top wait for the 2 leads to finish the run. Guess the tail gunner had his trandfer case start to split on the trail so he got that fixed. We move on through the next section and same story WAITING GAME. LOL. Time goes on and we make it out and start down the gravel roads... still going still going. stopped. going. stopped. At this point I'm thinking to myself is the lead lost???? After a bit we then turn around and start stop a few more times. then Voila we found something!!! Airplane hill i think it was called? I'm looking at the sign that says EXTREME and thinking to myself (Once again, I do this alot) Weird we couldn't make it up a DIFFICULT trail and now were trying EXTREME ones? He sends Sam in to try and she backed out, I thn line up cause no one else even wants to try at this point. I follow the directions knowing I won't make it but get snagged on the rock I knew I would and get pulled out. My uncle tries gets hung up. Then the Tail gunner gets through and says hell meet us up on top. Go up to see him come out. LUNCH TIME!
Getting to be about 2:30pm or so now and we move out to our next spot. Get to the trail called ROCKY MOUNTAIN UPHILL and start heading up we get past a REALLY FUN section after some normal stop and go's and start on the next section where we stop again. Some of us go ahead to look and lead is just barely finishing the run. Next truck goes through and makes it (Nice Tacoma). Next rig Which we found out through some gossip was unlocked in the rear and had 32's? gets stuck and bends his passenger tie rod and has to be retrieved up the hill. At this point the last 6 of us in line are looking at our watches seeing its about 415pm now and were not gonna get up this hill anytime today. (we had to eat around 6pm) So we made a group decision to turn out of the section and go hit a moderate trail called HOGS BACK and then head back to camp. 4 of us went to the trail and the other 2 wnt another direction. Hogs back was a kick as windy trail that all of us had A BLAST ON! made it out stayed together and I used the map once again to get us back to camp. DINNER TIME!
Dinner was awesome and the festivities were even better. Gift certificates and beer cozies were flying left and right. Mitch and Sue won so much swagger they had to be given a gift box to hold it all!!! lol. 3 main prizes were: 52-54" curved LED lightbar, WARN huge recovery kit, And a WINCH. Prizes were all gone and things died down at the event spot. Things moved on to our camp where talks of a night run were brewing.... Wooot NIGHT RUNNNNN!!!! On we went Hauling ass down the gravel roads like a bunch of bandits.
We ran a few runs and some rock crawling and headed back home. Where my kids got really cranky and were brought straight to bed (Us included).
Sunday came and everyone was packing up I convinced Travis to go on another run with me so we head off to explore some more easier trails. We had a great time and headed back to camp. Everyone left and It was just Kacy and I and the kids left in the whole camp
FAMILY TIME! We decided to go check out a trail on the map that was Waaaaay on the other side of the map the trail was fairly easy and brought us to a GREAT VISTA point to soak in our whole trip. We then took the long way home hitting as many trails we could find on the way after about 4-5 hours of travel we finally made it back in the dark to sit around the camp fire and talk.
Monday morning was pack up time for us and we left our wild adventure and came back to reality! Over all had one of the best times so far with the 4runner and hope to create many many many more!
After some help (CreeperSleeper and others) I was able to drain the diff and put it in 2wd. I tried to follow them the rest of the way but came up to another slippery hill and couldn't make it up. So I put my tail between my legs and got a map to get back to camp.
Got back to camp managed to conclude on my carnage and get my parts list ready and headed down to town. Found a GREAT salvage yard in Hilsboro!!! www.hillsboroautowrecking.com/ (FYI) for anyone that runs into needing special parts. Got my ADD actuator for $50... great price! Moved on to find a CV axle had to goto McMinnville to get one. Made it back to camp right before dark and started wrenching. Took maybe an hour tops with Travis's help (Thanks bro!). WHEELING BACK ON! enjoyed much needed drinks with great company and off to bed.
Saturday came and registration and tech inspection gets going. We line up and take off for our MEDIUM (EASY) run. We start our day off at firebreak 5 where within minutes of the run we all stop.. Half hour goes by WE CAN MOVE! Go through a decent section and everything stops again.... Starting to see a pattern here.... Get out go walk my ass up the hill to see whats going on. Trail lead was stuck and having a hell of a time getting up this section. Bear in mind hes got 37's lockers you name it.... the next few try and fail and were all told to turn around and go to the main road up and around. So we do.
Get up to the top wait for the 2 leads to finish the run. Guess the tail gunner had his trandfer case start to split on the trail so he got that fixed. We move on through the next section and same story WAITING GAME. LOL. Time goes on and we make it out and start down the gravel roads... still going still going. stopped. going. stopped. At this point I'm thinking to myself is the lead lost???? After a bit we then turn around and start stop a few more times. then Voila we found something!!! Airplane hill i think it was called? I'm looking at the sign that says EXTREME and thinking to myself (Once again, I do this alot) Weird we couldn't make it up a DIFFICULT trail and now were trying EXTREME ones? He sends Sam in to try and she backed out, I thn line up cause no one else even wants to try at this point. I follow the directions knowing I won't make it but get snagged on the rock I knew I would and get pulled out. My uncle tries gets hung up. Then the Tail gunner gets through and says hell meet us up on top. Go up to see him come out. LUNCH TIME!
Getting to be about 2:30pm or so now and we move out to our next spot. Get to the trail called ROCKY MOUNTAIN UPHILL and start heading up we get past a REALLY FUN section after some normal stop and go's and start on the next section where we stop again. Some of us go ahead to look and lead is just barely finishing the run. Next truck goes through and makes it (Nice Tacoma). Next rig Which we found out through some gossip was unlocked in the rear and had 32's? gets stuck and bends his passenger tie rod and has to be retrieved up the hill. At this point the last 6 of us in line are looking at our watches seeing its about 415pm now and were not gonna get up this hill anytime today. (we had to eat around 6pm) So we made a group decision to turn out of the section and go hit a moderate trail called HOGS BACK and then head back to camp. 4 of us went to the trail and the other 2 wnt another direction. Hogs back was a kick as windy trail that all of us had A BLAST ON! made it out stayed together and I used the map once again to get us back to camp. DINNER TIME!
Dinner was awesome and the festivities were even better. Gift certificates and beer cozies were flying left and right. Mitch and Sue won so much swagger they had to be given a gift box to hold it all!!! lol. 3 main prizes were: 52-54" curved LED lightbar, WARN huge recovery kit, And a WINCH. Prizes were all gone and things died down at the event spot. Things moved on to our camp where talks of a night run were brewing.... Wooot NIGHT RUNNNNN!!!! On we went Hauling ass down the gravel roads like a bunch of bandits.
We ran a few runs and some rock crawling and headed back home. Where my kids got really cranky and were brought straight to bed (Us included).
Sunday came and everyone was packing up I convinced Travis to go on another run with me so we head off to explore some more easier trails. We had a great time and headed back to camp. Everyone left and It was just Kacy and I and the kids left in the whole camp
FAMILY TIME! We decided to go check out a trail on the map that was Waaaaay on the other side of the map the trail was fairly easy and brought us to a GREAT VISTA point to soak in our whole trip. We then took the long way home hitting as many trails we could find on the way after about 4-5 hours of travel we finally made it back in the dark to sit around the camp fire and talk. Monday morning was pack up time for us and we left our wild adventure and came back to reality! Over all had one of the best times so far with the 4runner and hope to create many many many more!
Last edited:
Thank you it was my awesome wife that got that one
- Thread starter
- #71
I'm glad you had a good time, James. I know we have all talked about an unofficial "Cruisin' the Woods" but I really think we need to make it happen. TSF with JSC, CC, COC, and what is left of Rain Country for some trail riding...
I'm down to come up for that for sure.
2ndGenToyotaFan
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I vote second weekend in Dec, or second weekend in Jan..... Who's in???? 
- Thread starter
- #75
I vote second weekend in Dec, or second weekend in Jan..... Who's in????
Why would you want to be out there in the snow?!? Our snow sucks...
Probably not going to happen. I'm pretty sure there is an event already going that weekend in TSF.
I'm in!
Chad I'm down, you just let us know when!!!
Here's a video of me staging to attempt the center line of Waterfall this year. I did want a safety line so that I wouldn't back flop so I stopped here to get that line run.
Some really good pix James, thanks for sharing!! Also thanks for going out exploring again on Sunday, that was a great end to a pretty awesome weekend.
Although I could have done without spitting my front drive line out on the highway after leaving the event...I guess lift, plus trail damage to drive line and u joints, plus front drive line spinning while burning down the highway at sixty equals exploded u joint and tossed front drive line..... I'm pretty stoked that no one caught my exploding pieces in the windshield, grill, or redneck face.
Although I could have done without spitting my front drive line out on the highway after leaving the event...I guess lift, plus trail damage to drive line and u joints, plus front drive line spinning while burning down the highway at sixty equals exploded u joint and tossed front drive line..... I'm pretty stoked that no one caught my exploding pieces in the windshield, grill, or redneck face.
