Shahram
I ain't got herpes no more.
I intended to do Rowher Trail for the first time yesterday. I've heard it's a moderately difficult trail, but much easier with lockers/SFA. Bit of a late start, got to the trailhead in late afternoon. Put the Cruiser in 4LO, ABS wouldn't disengage, and the Center Diff Lock wouldn't go on. Tried the FR and RR lockers and.....nada. Since it was only me and a buddy in the Cruiser with no second vehicle, and it was getting late, very windy, and cold, and adding the fact that I am completely unfamiliar with the area and were dead reckoning off of 2 so-so maps (though we had a backup GPS), we decided to do the much easier Sierra Pelona Trail. Saw a really pristine FJ40 near the trailhead, parked. This thing was gorgeous, yellow with white top, AT/KO's, just perfect. It appeared the owner was out mountain biking.
Since the Rowher Trail crosses the Sierra Pelona Trail at many points, we tried to hook back up with Rowher to do some more difficult stuff. With no lockers, stock height, etc., I was spinning wheels and dragging ass. Fearing getting stuck, and having to hike in high winds and freezing my ass off, not to mention pissing off the missus at home, I turned back, thoroughly spanked and feeling down, and returned to the easy bypass. Got to the top of the mountain a short while later, and had lunch at the site of the Sierra Pelona Fire Lookout. Gorgeous views, winds about 70-80mph with even higher gusts, bringing the temps down to somewhere between a witch's tit and a dead eskimo's nutsack.
Finished with lunch, went to turn the engine back on and......nada. s***. Since the Cruiser was facing the wind, we could open the doors without having them ripped off. However, opening the hood was going to be a trickier proposition. I had my buddy Steve sit on the hood while I opened it. He stood on the ARB bumper and applied all his weight while I released the latch. The wind was so strong it actually carried him on the hood. Checking the battery, the problem was immediately apparent: the negative cable had come off the terminal. I replaced the cable but Steve couldn't get the hood back down, even hanging off it, so I jumped up there and we both brought it down. It took literally 450 lbs. or more to close the hood.
Jumped back in the cab, chilled to the bone, and the Cruiser started right up. The cable would come loose a few more times on the trail, as the cable clamp bolt had stripped, making it impossible to tighten. No problem, I just kept jumping out and replacing it. Center Diff Lock came on and the ABS disengaged as well. I didn't try the FR and RR Lockers, though I assumed they'd probably work, and that the problem is the lockers need that additional 12V to engage, and can't run off of the engine power alone.
Sierra Pelona Trail is an absolutely beautiful trail, with great views along the entire route, and little spurs to take if you want more challenging wheeling obstacles. It's rated at a 2/10 for difficulty, and that's pretty accurate, but at the end of the trail, the descent to the paved road is very narrow with long vertical dropoffs on one side, which due to recent weather have become prone to landslides and erosion. You may have to do a little impromptu rock-crawling on a thin road, looking out the window at a thousand foot drop, making for a couple of butt clenching moments.
This is not my picture.
Since the Rowher Trail crosses the Sierra Pelona Trail at many points, we tried to hook back up with Rowher to do some more difficult stuff. With no lockers, stock height, etc., I was spinning wheels and dragging ass. Fearing getting stuck, and having to hike in high winds and freezing my ass off, not to mention pissing off the missus at home, I turned back, thoroughly spanked and feeling down, and returned to the easy bypass. Got to the top of the mountain a short while later, and had lunch at the site of the Sierra Pelona Fire Lookout. Gorgeous views, winds about 70-80mph with even higher gusts, bringing the temps down to somewhere between a witch's tit and a dead eskimo's nutsack.
Finished with lunch, went to turn the engine back on and......nada. s***. Since the Cruiser was facing the wind, we could open the doors without having them ripped off. However, opening the hood was going to be a trickier proposition. I had my buddy Steve sit on the hood while I opened it. He stood on the ARB bumper and applied all his weight while I released the latch. The wind was so strong it actually carried him on the hood. Checking the battery, the problem was immediately apparent: the negative cable had come off the terminal. I replaced the cable but Steve couldn't get the hood back down, even hanging off it, so I jumped up there and we both brought it down. It took literally 450 lbs. or more to close the hood.
Jumped back in the cab, chilled to the bone, and the Cruiser started right up. The cable would come loose a few more times on the trail, as the cable clamp bolt had stripped, making it impossible to tighten. No problem, I just kept jumping out and replacing it. Center Diff Lock came on and the ABS disengaged as well. I didn't try the FR and RR Lockers, though I assumed they'd probably work, and that the problem is the lockers need that additional 12V to engage, and can't run off of the engine power alone.
Sierra Pelona Trail is an absolutely beautiful trail, with great views along the entire route, and little spurs to take if you want more challenging wheeling obstacles. It's rated at a 2/10 for difficulty, and that's pretty accurate, but at the end of the trail, the descent to the paved road is very narrow with long vertical dropoffs on one side, which due to recent weather have become prone to landslides and erosion. You may have to do a little impromptu rock-crawling on a thin road, looking out the window at a thousand foot drop, making for a couple of butt clenching moments.
This is not my picture.