IE4W Presidents Report October 2011
Four wheeling is under attack and what we are doing to defend it does not seem to be working.
The Bureau of Land Management, BLM, has come out with their Western Mojave Plan. The Plan is the result of lawsuits filed by the Center for Biological Diversity. It will close 2,200 miles of trails. From this point forward, unless the trail has a sign that says it is open to four wheel drive traffic, the trail is closed.
The County of San Luis Obispo Air Pollution Control District is looking at Oceano Dunes SVRA as a source of air pollution, (dust). Its beach sand. There is no dust. All their dust enforcement efforts are directed at Oceano Dunes SVRA. They are not looking into farming as a source of the dust pollution. I saw a study out of Australia that found sandstorms reduced air pollution.
This is like having to sign a BLM desert tortoise pledge. I have never met a four wheeler who ran over a tortoise. I have never met one that had ever bothered a tortoise. We have nothing to do with the problem. But, once again, we are the scapegoat. The State Parks people did the same thing with desert big horn sheep when they closed Coyote Canyon. Every time I have seen desert big horn sheep I have been in a Jeep. The sheep were never the least bit bothered by my presence.
The Center for Biological Diversity has an army of lawyers that spin the four wheel drive community as the villain to further their anti access agenda. I am not sure hiring more attorneys to fight them is the answer. It doesn't seem to have worked so far.
We attend scoping meetings. We write letters. It hasn't worked. What is left, civil disobedience?
Tom Thompson, President
Inland Empire 4 Wheel'rs
IE4W Presidents Report September 2011
The Inland Empire 4 Wheel’rs lost another member last month. Bodo Papenfuhs passed away suddenly. Bodo will be deeply missed by the club.
Bodo led the annual “Old Guys Run to Moab” every year. Each year he would find some newbies and take them with him on all the runs. He introduced a lot of people to the sport.
The first person Sherie & I met on my first overnight club run was Bodo. It was our first time in a rented motor home. I learned two things from Bodo on that trip. The first was that it is bad manners to start your motor home generator at 6 AM and the second was the recipe for Bodo’s “Lemonade”.
Bodo would take a 6 pack of beer and empty all the cans into a pitcher. He would add a 12 oz. can of frozen lemonade to the pitcher and fill the empty can with vodka and add that to the pitcher and mix. It tastes like regular lemonade but it has one hell of a kick.
Bodo was an amazing guy. He flew planes and survived plane crashes. He raced boats and survived being shipwrecked. We will miss you Bodo.
Tom Thompson, President
Inland Empire 4 Wheel’rs
IE4W Presidents Report August 2011
“What we’ve got here is failure to communicate”. Those oft quoted words from the movie “Cool Hand Luke” has come to mind several times in the last month some times involving others and, sometimes myself.
We had a situation that arose between the president of Cal 4 Wheel and the vice president of Cal 4 Wheel Southern Division that began over a misinterpreted email and snowballed into an event that threatened the existence of Cal 4 Wheel in Southern California. Had the parties involved picked up the telephone and talked to each other, I think the whole thing might have been avoided.
Here in our club, I have been guilty of not picking up the phone soon enough and postings to our Yahoo Group were misinterpreted. People got upset. The whole thing could have been avoided had I picked up the telephone sooner and called and discussed the matter.
These days we rely so much on text messages, email and bulletin boards. It is easy to miss an email or misinterpret a posting and things can quickly escalate. I have added a sticky note on my computer monitor it says, “Pick up the phone”.
Tom Thompson, President
Inland Empire 4 Wheel’rs
IE4W Presidents Report July 2011
Big Bear Forest Fest 14 was a success. I think we improved on Forest Fest 13.
I would like to thank our sponsors and vendors for their support, our members for their hard work, Mike Moore and the Big Bear Forest Fest Committee for their planning, preparation and hard work and all the families that came and wheeled with us.
The money we raise is used to fund college scholarships and trail preservation efforts.
Thank you all.
Tom Thompson, President
Inland Empire 4 Wheelrs
Presidents Report June 2011
This month is Big Bear Forest Fest and I would like to thank Mike Moore for all the work he has done to make Forest Fest the success it has become. The whole club helps but Mike Moore does most of the work and he has done it year after year. Inland Empire 4 Wheelrs is truly lucky to have Mike Moore as a member. His individual efforts have made so much of what we do possible.
From all our members, “Thanks Mike”.
Tom Thompson, President
Inland Empire 4 Wheelrs
Presidents Message May 2011
This last month the club lost a very dear member, Don Bongiorno. We had a large club turn out for Don’s memorial service. Don and Barbara and their family will remain in our thoughts and prayers.
Last month, Ken & Cindy Ehlers led a new run titled the “Bongiorno Boogie”. They ran White Mountain from the desert side.
We have the pre-run for Forest Fest this month followed by John and Ming’s run. John has been moved his run to Cougar Buttes instead of the Miller Jeep Trail. High Desert Round Up is scheduled for Memorial Day Weekend. Due to some internal Cal 4 Wheel turmoil, HDR is looking a little sketchy.
All comments on the Marine Corps takeover of Johnson Valley have to be in this month. I will re-post the information on the Yahoo Group in case anyone still needs to get their comments in.
Tom Thompson, President
Inland Empire 4 Wheelrs
Presidents Message April 2011
The U. S. Marine Corps has published their environmental impact statement for 29 Palms Training Land Acquisition. The Marine Corps has outlined six alternatives. Their prefered alternative, (#6), would involve the loss of access to 56% of Johnson Valley OHV and the limitation of the other 44% to a 10 month period. Alternative #4 would allow us access to 100% of Johnson Valley OHV area for 10 months of the year. In addition, as part of the mitigation of the loss of the OHV area, the Marines will educate us on legal operation of OHVs.
The Marines are holding an Open House Public Meeting on April 13th from 5 to 9 P. M. at Ontario High School Gym 901 West Francis St. Ontario, CA. I urge all our members to attend.
It may not help. But it sure can’t hurt. See you there.
Tom Thompson, President
Inland Empire 4 Wheelrs
President's Message March 2011
Our club members have asked for a somewhat more substantial Presidents Message than "Happy New Year". So here it goes:
Call me Ishmael. Some weeks ago—never mind how long precisely—having little or no money in my pocket, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would wheel about a little and see the deserty part of the world. It is a way I have of driving off the spleen and regulating the circulation. Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly February in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's hats off—then, I account it high time to get to the desert as soon as I can. This is my substitute for pistol and ball. With a philosophical flourish Cato throws himself upon his sword; I quietly take to the desert. There is nothing surprising in this. If they but knew it, almost all men in their degree, some time or other, cherish very nearly the same feelings towards the desert with me.
Circumambulate the desert on a dreamy Sabbath afternoon. Go from Blythe to Red Canyon, and from thence, to Bombay Beach, westward. What do you see?—Posted like silent sentinels all around the desert, stand thousands upon thousands of wilderness boundary signs. But these are put here by bureaucrats, week days pent up in lath and plaster—tied to counters, nailed to benches, clinched to desks. How then is this? Are the green fields gone? What do they here?
Apologies to Herman.
Tom "Ishmael" Thompson, President
Inland Empire 4 Wheelrs
February 2011 President’s Message
February is a busy month for the Inland Empire 4 Wheelrs. This month we have the King of the Hammers race and IE4W’s own Larry McRae, the owner of Poison Spyder Customs, has entered a 2011 Jeep JK 4 door in the race. We believe this is the first Jeep JK to compete in this event. The race will be held in Johnson Valley from February 7th through the 11th. The BLM has cracked down on events held in Johnson Valley after the accident at the California 200. They are enforcing their regulations on both racers and spectators. This has increased the cost and paperwork for the King of the Hammers. Jeff Knoll of Hammerking Productions contacted Cal 4 Wheel to help collect the $10 per head donation and pass out the required BLM info to spectators. A number of IE4W members have volunteered to help Cal 4 Wheel at the race.
Also this month, Bob Peterson is leading his annual trip to Calico from Feb. 11 through the 13th. The club will be camping in Mule Canyon and Bob will be leading trail runs. It looks like Randy Stockberger will also be there with his famous campfire stories and local history. It looks like there will be a good turn out for this event. A number of members are leaving Johnson Valley after the race and heading to Calico.
Mike Petrarca has several Adopt A Trail events scheduled for this month. Mike has reserved the North Shore Club House for IE4W members that are working on the Holcomb Creek Trail repair on Feb. 19 & 20. Luana Henry has volunteered to stay back at the clubhouse while everyone is out working and cook dinner for everyone. Mike and Ken Ehlers are taking a group out to inspect 2N27Y, 2N28Y and 2N29Y trails on the north shore of Lake Arrowhead on Feb 5th. The club has adopted these trails and we maintain them.
Lastly this month, we are going to do a pre run for the Corral Canyon Everyone’s Birthday Party Run on Feb 20th. Corral Canyon is east of San Diego off Highway 8. It is a challenging off-road area that has granites slabs, ledges, rock piles and sluices. Due to the degree of difficulty on this run, I am limiting the pre-run to guests that contact me for prior approval and club members.
As always, the club business meeting is on the first Thursday, Feb 3rd, and Round-up is on the second Tuesday, Feb 8th.
See you on the trail.
Tom “Stitch” Thompson, President
Inland Empire 4 Wheelrs
December Presidents Message
December 2010
Many of us are just back from a week or more of wheeling in Parker, AZ. We ran 8 or 9 different trails there that ranged from difficult to very difficult. Teri Patterson put together a Thanksgiving potluck for 70 people and most everyone found time to make it out to the Bar in the Desert. Those that stayed in town helped Bond at Rebel Off Road as trail guides for his Big Bear Snow/Blizzard run and Ron Burris led his day/night after Thanksgiving run on John Bull.
Coming up this month we have the Yucaipa Christmas Parade graciously hosted by Jim & Sue Sloan. We also have the club Christmas party and dinner and Larry McRae is going to lead Hammers 101. So, if you have always wanted to do the Hammers now is the time.
I would like to thank all the members that have led trails, pitched in on committees, helped with events, brought snacks and raffle prizes, organized scholarships and donated their time to the San Bernardino National Forest Adopt A Trail program. You all make the Inland Empire 4 Wheelrs the most active club in Southern California.
Tom “Stitch” Thompson
Giving Thanks
November 2010
Sherie and I went on two runs this past weekend. One was Scary Fest and the other was a non-IE4W run. The contrast between the two runs made me thankful to be a member of Inland Empire 4 Wheelrs.
Scary Fest was put together by the Owen family this year and it was a blast. We had a lot of new guests and old guests, members Sam & Julie Wiseman came all the way from Texas and Chuck Shaner from Victor Valley 4 Wheelers came by and entertained everyone with his costume. Everyone pulled together on the run and partied together afterward. There was no distiction between member and guest.
The other run was open to four wheel clubs but was not open to the general public. You had to be attached to a club to be there. That morning I met a husband, wife and their grandson who were on the run. They had a few questions about their Jeep and the run. As I talked to them durring the day the various stops, I found out that they were guests of another club. They had just purchased their Jeep and this run was their first time out. It was a moderately difficult run. It didn’t look like anyone from the sponsoring club even talked to them. By the end of the run they were talking about selling their Jeep. Another member of the same club blew a front axle u-joint and no one from his club came to his aid.
I am thankful for the people that make the Inland Empire 4 Wheelrs the club that it is.
I hope to see most of you in Parker, AZ for Thanksgiving. I would like to wish those that cannot make the trip a happy Thanksgiving. You will be missed.
Tom “Stitch” Thompson
President, IE4W
Pismo… Sand, Lasers, and campfires
September 2010
Well Like I predicted in last month’s message… Pismo was a blast. Those who came had a great time, and those who didn’t… well, didn’t. Starting off the laser light show spectacular. Chaun has never done anything “a little bit” He’s always going bigger than last time, and this year was no different. He brought some huge self-powered speakers and hooked them up to an ipod, or smart phone, to provide all of camp with entertainment, but that’s not all… he also brought a fog machine and a night club quality laser light machine that simulated waves on the beach, with dancing laser dots… The rest will be in my trip report.
This month we have Randy’s overnight campout at Crab Flats. Attendees will be tenting it this time, so if you have a small pop up or a tent, there is room at the inn. Check with Randy for reservation info and trails.
Victor Valleys Fun In The Desert (FITD) is the weekend of Sept 24th-26th, but that also falls on the night our club agreed to attend the Nascar nights at Irwindale Speedway on Saturday the 25th. Open to members rigs only, we will participate in the parade lap before the race and stack our vehicles near the grand stand during the race. Keep an eye on the yahoo group as there should be more info as to any staging area, or beforehand BBQ.
Also, we will be installing our new Club Officers at the Dinner on September 18th at 6pm. This will be a potluck for Appetizers and desert only, main course paid for by the club, and free to members. Adult guests are $10.00 each. BYOB, and we will be treated to an old west saloon theme this year so feel free to dress the part.
This is the most important function in the clubs calendar each year. We get to thank those who have served, and to welcome the new leadership for the club. I expect to see everyone there.
PDiddy
THE SAND IS CALLING
August 2010
As I write this we are preparing for the trek to Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area, also known as Pismo. Not much gets planned at Pismo, but what does goes off with a bang. Friday eve there is a plan to go on an excursion to Splash Café for their world famous Clam Chowder. Served in a bread bowl with seafood topping it is delicious. Following the trip to town is the night run where we explore the dunes with nothing but headlights and rock lights. The Dunes at night are a completely different experience. Then Saturday is the potluck and bonfire. I can’t wait. By the time this comes out in the newsletter however, Pismo will be a memory, and I will still be cleaning sand out of everywhere, both in my Jeep and my trailer.
Our Round up is still on the same day, the second Tuesday of the month, but our Business Meeting was changed to 1 week later to accommodate the Pismo Run.
We have a lot to accomplish this month we need some more nominations for club officers, and our election is following the September meeting..
The Quarterly AAT meeting is this month and is held at the Sizzler Restaurant in Corona on Wednesday the 18th.
The rest of the month is open so if you have been looking forward to leading a run, then posting an invitation just might get you some takers. I hear the mountains are nice this time of year.
PDiddy
Job well done! Now get busy, and relax.
July 2010
So the dust is finally settling, and there is much to celebrate. Big Bear Forest Fest XIII is in the history books, and can only be described as the Best One Yet. The only way to top this year is to make things more smoothly next year. Plenty went wrong but the committee chairs and the members of this wonderful club handled everything. And our guests were unaffected.
I am looking forward to going over the surveys to determine what the general perception was, but judging by the e-mails we received it is overwhelmingly positive. Many guests approached members to express their gratitude for such a well-run event. We should not come down on ourselves for any mix-ups or miscommunications, other than to say we need a more comprehensive plan and then stick with it, because everyone is making their decisions based on that plan. One change begets another and so on until you have what Mike coined, organized chaos.
I will leave it to Mike to cover the details at the meeting, but suffice to say that each year we creep up in the stats, and this year was no different. We got bigger, and 97.5% of the vendors were happy.
For the Month of July the club will be attending the Morongo 2nd of July Fireworks Spectacular, with a baked potato potluck. On the Third is Ken and Bubba’s Pool party BBQ. Run With No Sun, led by the Sloans, has been moved up one week to the 10th. Bill and Luana Henry will be hosting a party for members on the 17th. And finally on the 27th, Luana Henry is organizing the bi-monthly Ronald Mc Donald House IE4W / Cooking with Friends, where volunteers from IE4W and their friends provide a cooked meal for the residence.
There is no shortage of relaxing things to do this month with our friends and family of IE4W. Hope to see you there.
Proudly,
PDiddy
Mountains Members Vendors and Guests
It’s June!!! Time to roll out the red carpet, shine the rig, pack up the RV or tent, finalize planning and get to it!
But let’s not panic. Our BBFF committee chairs have been going nonstop since the beginning of the year to make sure everything is accounted for and in place for this years Forest Fest. Every year I say that this will be the best one yet, and this is no exception. Snow Valley has been generous enough to allow us to use the kitchen for food prep and cleanup, the decks for the raffle, dining and hopefully an after party following the raffle if anyone is up to it and the weather cooperates.
We have new entertainment scheduled for dinner. The rock wall will be back. And we have a new vendor layout sure to facilitate the vendors and participants.
The committee chair persons will be looking for volunteers to help with their specific tasks and we are opening the site to all members Thursday night so we can help each other out getting the site ready for arrivals.
This month we go to a potluck format for the business meeting so we can focus on last minute preparations for the Forest Fest.
Not forgetting our runs for last month, Mike Petrarca led the Forest Aid run and campout from which I think he is almost completely thawed. Randy put together the Pre Run for Forest Fest which covered two days and being held in conjunction with Jeep Jamboree, we were able to spend the night in utmost comfort in the Animal House. Joe Muhs led the Taboose Creek Campout, another in a list of scenic runs to get out and see Gods splendor.
We keep moving ahead and this month dive into our “Greatest Show on Earth!!!” no, someone already has that one… I guess I have to stick with the “Best Forest Fest Yet!!!”.
PDiddy
May 2010
Motorboats, donkeys and tequila
Amazing the conversations that go on around an IE4W campfire. In April, Tom and Sherie Thompson decided to host a run in honor of their 60th birthdays. True to the Thompson form they insisted that everyone around the campfire either had a birthday that week, month or year, and we sang happy birthday to everyone… Classy. There was certainly no shortage of food at the potluck this time as several picnic tables were pulled together and were overflowing with goodness. Tom mentioned that the authorities only showed up twice. And once was to tell us to stop feeding the fire pits at 9:30. We probably would have gotten hassled for disturbing the neighbors except all the neighbors were, well, us and we were all there. And as for the title of this little missive, well you had to be there to watch the conversation evolve and, fall right in the gutter and flop around a bit.
Also at the end of April was our Adopt-A-Trail run led by Mike Petrarca. He was frozen texting from the back of his SUV. The trails they ran included:
2N12 (blocked by snow),
3N80 Delmar Mtn.- adopted by Out 4 Fun (blocked by fallen trees)
3N10 John Bull – adopted by Waywegoes, and So Cal Broncos (blocked by fallen Trees)
3N69 Gold Mountain – adopted by West Coast 4x4 club and Bear Valley 4x4 (open)
3N03A Horsethief Flats – adopted by IE4W (open)
This should make for an interesting Jeep Jamboree and Forest fest is not far behind.
The month of May will be busy as all get out with the Members volunteering as trail guides for Forest Fest getting out on the trails - some for the first time this year because of all the snow – and getting in some pre run time. From the looks of Petrarca’s trail report we might be doing more working than driving on this pre run, but it will be good to have such a large group to tackle the mess.
Joe Muhs is hosting a Taboose Creek Run on the 29th – 31st. Near Independence CA, Joe has billed this run as a nature walk from the comfy seats of your 4x4, and a chance to pass through the high country at a casual pace to take in the grandeur of the Sierras.
April 2010
Out of Control Control Arms
Sometimes the most durable bulletproof part on your rig bends or breaks… but most often it’s the stock part you have been putting off replacing. A stock TJ control arm is more than durable enough for the street, but once you bounce one off a nice big rock or two, they will deflect, bend and in severe cases, buckle. If that happens it’s a matter of time before it flexes and due to metal fatigue, eventually break all the way through. If you are lucky enough to have someone on the trail with a welder, the engineering minds of the IE4W powderpuff run have a repair solution for you.
Men in dresses, wrenching on a rig, cutting metal and bonding it back together with a stick welder… It’s a beautiful thing. It was determined that a High Lift handle, cut to fit, pounded into the channel on the bottom of a re-straightened stock control arm and welded into place, will reinforce it better than new. Yet another way the High Lift jack is a wheelers best friend.
Kevin had his own control arm drama on the AAT work trip led by Mike Petrarca -apparently too chicken to put on a skirt like the real men of the club, Kevin didn’t attend powderpuff- but the damage was apparently minimal as he was able to finish the trail and drive home.
So what’s the point of this repair tip? Upgrade what you can and pack a spare for what you can’t, because April is another doosey. We have the Corral Canyon Run April 16th –18th led by Tom and Sherie Thompson in honor of their 60th birthdays.
Mike Petrarca is going to put members and guests alike to work on April 30th for weekend of tree planting for Forest Aid, where the wheelers and ATVers outnumber the greenie volunteers.
Check out our calendar at ie4w.com/calendar for the full scoop.
Forest Fest is shaping up to be the best yet if you go by popularity numbers. Our registrations are way up thanks to the efforts of Mike Moore and Carl Lhamon. Currently we are sitting on a 38% increase in registrations compared to the same time last year. The meal Saturday night is also a major draw looking at the 45% increase in adult meals and more than doubling the kids meals. So if you are not yet involved in BBFF then start thinking about what rolls you might like to help out with.
PDiddy
March 2010
Don’t Let Them Win!
It will be such a relief when I can open 4 Wheeler, JP, Four Wheel and Off Road, In Gear, American Motorcyclist or any of the numerous e-mails I get from BRC (Blue Ribbon Coalition) and ARRA (Americans for Responsible Recreational Access), and not see “Immediate action required, Government Land Grab!” Wilderness this, land closure that.
Looks like over 40 years ago Congress approved a survey of all public lands and designated 107 million acres that met the strict rigors of a specific new definition of “Wilderness.” So why do the anti-access groups want to designate more? Simply to keep all motorized vehicles out. The 1964 National Wilderness Act states that to earn a Wilderness designation the land must be “an area where the earth and it’s community of life are untrammeled by man,” and that “generally appears to have been affected by the forces of nature with the imprint of man’s work substantially unnoticeable.” That literally means NO roads, dams, power lines, houses and/or bridges – nothing that shows any human involvement with the land.
HR 980 is called the Northern Rockies Ecosystem Protection Act, which would designate 24 million acres of public land in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington and Wyoming. That’s an area the size of Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Vermont combined. According to American Motorcyclist, what makes this even more outrageous is it does not even come from a Lawmaker in an affected state. Introduced by U.S. Reps Carol Maloney (D-NY) and Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) who also happens to chair the Natural Resources Committee’s Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands.
HR1925 America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act would close 9.4 million acres in Utah. It was introduced by another New Yorker, U.S Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY). If approved this legislation would close forever areas around Moab, the San Rafael Swell and Chimney Rock. Popular with 4 wheel enthusiasts as well as ATV, dirt bike and even mountain bikers, this area clearly fails to meet the definition of Wilderness.
In congress anything can happen as was seen in last year’s Omnibus Public Lands Act- a 1300 page bill that was the combination of 170 land measures. The “Access Army” worked hard to defeat the bill by just one vote. Then, U.S. Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) took a bill entitled The Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Battlefield Protection Act and added the language from the already rejected Omnibus Public Lands Act. Senator Reid added a 1300 page amendment to a two-page bill that had nothing to do with each other and suddenly the Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Battlefield Protection Act would designate as wilderness more than 2.1 million acres in nine states, shutting out off-highway riders. Due to a parliamentary loophole, the new act only needed a simple majority instead of the two-thirds majority of those present as needed before, and passed easily. Sometimes I wish we could just throw the bums out.
On the lighter side we have runs to recount and some to look forward to.
In February Bob Peterson led the Annual Calico Presidents Day run, where the wash road leading back to camp rock was heavily eroded leading to RV carnage just getting there. And Randy took his Sister in Law who had never four wheeled before, where else… to Calico where, by all accounts, she did just fine. And many of the club members showed their support for the King Of The Hammers event.
For March we have Mallory Lhamon leading the Powder Puff run to Mottino Wash on the 13th. This trail has its share of obstacles and opportunities to show what a gal and her rig are really capable of. Fellas you are welcome too… but if you are gonna get behind the wheel, you better throw on a set of strappy heels. You never know who you might see on the trail. Buttercup or Biffalishious. It is sure to be a sight. And some things just cannot be unseen.
PDiddy
February 2010
2010 is off to a wonderful start. We have to mention again the New Years Run to Truckhaven with much of the standard notching, follow the leader and bombing up and down the washes, everyone had a great time. Steve Owen’s CakeFrog - or was it BullWalk- run was a blast with minor difficulties and no major breakage, everyone got back to camp before sunset.
For February we have the ever popular 9th Calico Valentine’s run led by Bob and Karen Peterson on the 13th and 14th. We will be camping in mule canyon at the camp rock spot. We will be running the canyons on Saturday and Sunday, then enjoying the campfire at night. Some of us will be going to Peggy Sue’s diner for Valentine's dinner.
January 2010
Happy New Year!!!!
Happy 2010, or as some have spelled it, “2100”. It stinks when you have a can of gas, it’s New Years Eve, a pile o’ Christmas trees await their final fate, moments till the stroke of midnight and dyslexia kicks in. At least it wasn’t “20010”!
Our club has been really busy over the last month of the year. The Christmas Party, where the pirate gift exchange was in some ways less savage than in years past, but in other more diabolical; Some things like gift certificates for nice restaurants get stolen over and over, while others got stolen kept and then traded afterwards. Wende and Kevin… you paying attention?
We had our Christmas parade in Yucaipa… our wettest yet. We took first place for best car club. Lets see those pansies in the convertible PT Cruisers top that. Not a sign of them this year by the way! We followed the Jazzercise gals this year, and if you missed Jim Sloan’s dancing… please don’t miss it on YouTube.com, just search “Boy’s got some moves”.
Super D led the Monthly Club Run. It was a magical snowy good time. Ron Burris led the Day After Christmas Run, and the Sloan’s Hosted the New Years Bash.
2010 will start with Steve Owen and his debut as Trail Leader with a trip to the Cougar Buttes area to run Bullfrog. If you have not run it yet… Don’t miss this trail. Chaun took us through it last year, and it was awesome.
I know how hard the economy has hit us this year. In fact I was not going to the New Years run this year because of the expense of the holidays, but after New Years Eve at home, and my birthday rolling in on Saturday the 2nd, I could not think of a better way to spend my birthday, than with my Family and my friends my club. So before sun up, I loaded the family in the Suburban, flat towed the Jeep to Truckhaven, and made it in time for breakfast. We wheeled the snot out of the notches, and in the end, I thank all of you for the best birthday yet.
Here’s to a happy and PROSPEROUS 2010!
PDiddy |
