McGrew Trail Ride - July 28th

[Ranger Jeff]

The Forest Service permit guy called me today to say that the District Ranger is really squirming over issuing our run permit. They are definitely going to be checking for washed/clean vehicles (due to Cedar Root Disease concerns) & will have biologists keeping an eye on the rare plants along the route. We have always done a good job at these points, but I just wanted to emphasize them. As long as we "tread lightly", the strong environmental contingency in the area will have a much harder time shutting this awesome trail down.

Also, it's looking pretty grim for any open fires ... plan on cooking w/gas/propane only. We are only able to confirm fire restrictions the day before the run.

For "middle of the run" volunteers, I meant folks that can run in the middle of the group & keep communication as to any problems as we move along.

Rough vehicle breakdown:
10 40's; 3 55's; 7 60's; 3 62's, 7 80's; 4 FJC's; 6 PU's; 4 frunner's (there are several that are still trying to figure out which of their junk can make it) ... looks like a really balanced mix.

If you sent me a registration, you're in. The Pony Express rider doesn't come by the house but a few times a year, so your checks take I while to clear

Looking forward to a great run, with great people, great weather, & great margaritas!

 

[Kief]

Have you heard any good or bad reguarding the father's day run AKA Creek'n'Trail? I recall them having over 60 rigs...
The USFS knows that a group like this is much easier to keep under control than the small unregistered groups or individuals that mostly use the trail.. Appreciate your work Tony& Jeff to keep this going!

 

[TRT2]

Hey Kief...

I should let Jeff respond directly (and I know he will for this is important) but yes, he did hear some residual comments from Creek-N-Trail from the FS.

Jeff has been doing a good job of showing calm and demeanor through the permitting process, but he did confide he was very concerned they were going to decline our permit.

Fortunately, The McGrew Trail Ride attendees to date have done an excellent job displaying appropriate trail etiquette and a responsible attitude towards this trail and our event.

Interestingly enough, it seems the C-n-T event attendance has been declining, and we are seeing the McGrew attendee climb steadily. Jeff and I have a strong desire to keep this event small, safe and social. Lets hope we don't screw it up.

also Kief... how many years have you attended now? Other than Gnob and crew, I think you have made almost everyone except the 1st??

 

[TOY350]

also Kief... how many years have you attended now? Other than Gnob and crew, I think you have made almost everyone except the 1st??

Kief is hit and miss on the run, I keep trying to twist his arm each year! He may have more runs then me but this will be my 4th straight. Isn't this the 7th run but 8th year because of the fire?

Garett

 

[TRT2]

Yes Garett, you have become a regular we have begun to depend on. Can't express our appreciation enough!

I will pull some stats, but I believe our first run was 2000... so if we missed one due to fire, then this is our 6th actual running of the event... but as noted, will confirm.

Eric... how many years for you now??

 

[gnob]

Eric... how many years for you now??

hey if youre asking me this will be my 3rd run,
somebody forgot to remind me the first year and i missed out.

i am somewhat apprehensive on the 40 rigs this year,
gabe and i petitioning for 2 and 3 in the line and doing a regular rain dance to hopefully beat down the bucket O' dust

oh yeah, i spell it Aric;p

 

[Kief]

Kief is hit and miss on the run, I keep trying to twist his arm each year! He may have more runs then me but this will be my 4th straight. Isn't this the 7th run but 8th year because of the fire?

Garett

I didn't go last year since I was camping elsewhere and I thinked I missed some of the first ones.. I did go down on my own to camp lastyear...

 

[ArmyFJ]

40 or 100, it will still be a good time. After 5 the dust trail is already high. Plus dust tastes good with margaritas. I am really looking forward to it.

Matthew

 

[TOY350]

I didn't go last year since I was camping elsewhere and I thinked I missed some of the first ones.. I did go down on my own to camp lastyear...

...and hopefully you join in on the family camping at Sourdough at the end of August this year

 

[TOY350]

40 or 100, it will still be a good time. After 5 the dust trail is already high. Plus dust tastes good with margaritas. I am really looking forward to it.

Matthew

Amen to that! Hey Matthew, I just bought a nice new floor jack tonight to make your tire installation easier...great excuse for me to upgrade since my old one leaves puddles on the floor.

 

[Ducks]

Really excited about the Trail Ride. First time really off-road in my stock fj60 (if you don't count getting stuck in the mud on dirt roads and the time I drove someone else's SOA 40). First time participating in a TLCA event. I'm from Oregon but live in California. Be great to meet people. Thank you much.

Chad

 

[Ranger Jeff]

Hey Kief...

I should let Jeff respond directly (and I know he will for this is important) but yes, he did hear some residual comments from Creek-N-Trail from the FS.

Jeff has been doing a good job of showing calm and demeanor through the permitting process, but he did confide he was very concerned they were going to decline our permit.

Fortunately, The McGrew Trail Ride attendees to date have done an excellent job displaying appropriate trail etiquette and a responsible attitude towards this trail and our event.

Interestingly enough, it seems the C-n-T event attendance has been declining, and we are seeing the McGrew attendee climb steadily. Jeff and I have a strong desire to keep this event small, safe and social. Lets hope we don't screw it up.

As far as passing on the comments the FS made about the Creek-n-Trail event on Fathers Day weekend ... they didn't say anything entirely negative about the event itself, but rather some individuals, either associated or not, causing issues. Below is part of an e-mail that I recieved yesterday, which pretty much sums it up:

"Additionally, we will require checkin and inspection in
O'brien, CA by Forest Service employee Steve Whitlock on the morning of
7/28. He will check to see if vehicles have been adequately washed prior
to leaving the pavement. This protection/requirement will assist in
reducing the spread of the phytophera fungus which takes out Port Orford
Cedar trees. He will also record license plates at that time. This will
help us determine which vehicles are event vehicles versus non-event users
and help us get some total use info. If there is environmental damage of
some kind (there are federally listed threatened & endangerd plants on the
route for example), the license info will help determine who is
responsible, i.e., event participants or the public at large. This area
has come under big time scrutiny by the environmental community recently
and the district ranger is under a great deal of pressure to manage t&e
botanical resources and potential phytophera spread to Port Orford Cedar
adequately or close the area down if he can't. Compliance with permit
requirements is critical for event participants in order to keep having the
event in the future."

I won't beat the horse too hard at our morning drivers meeting, but not all participants are on MUD, so excuse the repeat. As Tony said, to date ALL participants have been great & I have no reason to believe anything will be different.

Occording to my records, this is our 7th annual ride, including the fire canceled one. They have all been fun with nothing but positive feedback. We'll see how almost double participation goes this time and have a discussion around the campfire/lantern on Saturday night. Also, I might have a special surprise for who has attended the most

I'm excited about seeing the regulars & meeting the new. We're going to have a GREAT run

 

[Ranger Jeff]

I messed up my last post by accidentally deleting the quote box of Tony's message ...his ends with the 1st smiley

 

[gnob]

you know that its not that i am against protecting the environment and maintaining a good name for offroaders.
i think that the environmentalists are more a problem than anything else.
not that i dont think there is some sort of real concern with the root disease but for christ sake there are a helluva a lot more dirt and rocks and not really a friendly environment for s*** to grow on out there. i think when it come down to protrecting rocks it has gone too far.

anything i can do to help fight the eco terrorist and keep oregon trails open let me know.

i wish we could take the losers money so theyd have to get real jobs so they wouldnt have time to fxxx with everyone else lives and hobbies.

(rant off)

 

[Ranger Jeff]

Aric - your words "not really a friendly environment for s*** to grow on out there" hit on the very reason these very rare plants exist along this trail and why the regions biodiversity is so special.

I appreciate your rant, as we can all feel this way at times, but because of my background, I see both sides. In my opinion, it's all about balance & both have a place.
The biologist & ecologist concerns are very real, but the trail alignment as designated is not an impact. All off-roaders can help keep this area open by showing proper regard, treading lightly, & enjoying these really cool plants too

ecowheeler soapbox off

Now lets' go wheelin

 

[gnob]

ya i know what youre saying, but where were they when they decided to let the area burn down?

thats the kind of stuff that irritates me. those little precious ecosystems burn just like the rest of it.

but bringing up a stink about it then doesnt help their face...

i am just tired of our types of groups being targeted when everyone is just as responsible as everyone else, whether or not you use the trails and area.

 

[TRT2]

did I hear of a fire up there currently?

 

[Ranger Jeff]

Unless something new cropped up today: As of yesterday, there were 5 lightning caused fires burning in the area. They named them the "7-11 Complex" The closest one to McGrew is a good 10 miles away. All of them were small, & while having very little containment, were only a moderate threat. One was very close to a small neighborhood (about 20 homes) just north of Gasquet, which was evacuated briefly. They we're concentrating their efforts on that one, due to the homes.

It's called the 7-11 as that was the night it was rocking & rolling. I was standing on my back porch & watched two strikes explode tree tops on the ridge East of me. The most unusual thing was that right after that, at about 9:45, I logged onto NOAA & there was a weather warning that said something like "there will be dangerous cloud to earth lightning at 9:55 PM at the Collier Tunnel & US 199" (by the way, that's the ridge just south of the trailhead) Pretty precise weather forecasting.

Unless something goes bad, I think we're still lookin good to not repeat our canceled run a few years ago.

 

[TRT2]

thanks for the update Jeff!

 

[woooody]

Is there a "soft spray" or car wash somewhere near O'Brien? I'll wash before we go, but it might be nice if there was something close by.