(New 5-13 pics added) Saddled up and ready to ride! EBR 40th and Moab here we come!

[iwlbcnu]

I would think it would make you never want to touch an East coast rig again.

 

[SC74]

I've been following this thread and think it's awesome how you're logging your trip. It reminds me of when I took off across country the day after I graduated school.

I can't make Paragon, but I will be in Knoxville in a couple weekends. This thread is getting me pumped. Keep up all the good info. and pics.

 

[Broncitis]

7:30 local time

Harry, Don and I are getting moving this AM and are going to grab some breakfast in the hotel and then head over to the park to meet some more of the MANY Bronco folks who have been steadily flowing in for what is sure to be an all time record event!

Mark Shainman (my long time friend and founder of the East Coast Bronco Rounup events who now lived in CA) called and he and Lee Novikoff, Jaques Garden and some other guys are headed out to the Hammers. The only rig I brought that is up for that is Karl's, but he does not get in to tonight and we'll be hitting the Hammers with Karl tomrrow, plus that's too hardcore of a trail for me to run it as a "loaner". ;D I plan to run some of the moderate stuff with it next week in Moab.

We might ride the cycles over to Johnson Valley and hike up to check out some of today's action and get a little ride time in the desert.

I was so tired last night I did not get any pics out. I will try to get some more posted soon!

 

[Mr Joe]

CB dot Com Command to Drew... Come in Drew... "click"

Drew can you read me.... Come in Drew.... "click"




We need an update....please ;D

 

[Broncitis]

LOL!

Joe and all:
Sorry, but there has been so much activity going on I have not had a chance to update and post pics, but trust me, I have been taking them! I have about 200 from yesterday alone!

Here's a couple before I head down to meet Karl and his wife and Mtfit for breakfast...

• Knocking the road grime off the rig at the truck wash in Hesperia
• We had a rear main leak on the 77 Ranger that showed up when it was inclined on the trailer. Since we're on vacation, we found a very cool local mechanic (with the help of the EBR event staff) that got it all fixed up for us the same day! This is a pic on the way out of the driveway from the shop.
• On the way back from picking up the 77, I got a call from Harry Rawlins from FoMoCo. Harry was southbound on I-15 and about 5 miles out, we were northbound on I-15 about the same amount. When we took the exit there he was, perfect timing!
• I was driving Mtfits rig and took the lead to guide Harry and the Zebra Bronco down into camp to the display area.
• A cool rat rod that was cruising the strip through Victorville
• MEB central filling up.

 

[1975stroppebaja]

More cool pics! Thanks again. Any from meet the legends? When are you all heading back?

 

[Daddy4zack]

Thanks for the PICS!!! It's like we are all there with ya!! Keep them comin!!

Aaron

 

[Mr Joe]

I bet they're having such a good time that they completely forgot to write home... Either that or a camel stepped on Drew's computer....

 

[bsaunder]

Drew and co pulled into Moab late last night and are on the trails now....

 

[av8rds]

Drews been busy wheeling so here is some pictures to keep ya all busy for a bit....


http://www.putfile.com/av8rds/images

 

[mtfit]

we need more Moab, and super duty wheelin shots...

 

[Broncitis]

Friday, May 12, 2006
Total Miles traveled: 3960
Current Location: I-70 East of Denver

Sorry for not being able to keep up with this real-time as I had wanted. This trip has been so action packed that when I got back to the condo at night in Moab I was wiped out and ready for bed so we could get up and hit it again the next day!

So far on this trip I have taken over 2500 pics, so there will be more coming as I get time.

Right now we are driving east on I-70, about 60 miles east of Denver. We rolled out of Moab this afternoon, a day earliler than planned so we could get back hopefully late Saturday so we'll have Sunday to unload and then rest a bit.

We are traveling with Harry Rawlins from FoMoCo who is in his test F-550 with an aluminum wedge hauling his EB and Nugent's Zebra BB. We stopped about an hour ago at the TA truck stop in Denver to fuel up and grab some dinner. Harry will be splitting off near Chicago to head towards MI and we'll continue onto PA on I-70.

I drove the first leg today from Moab. The Volvo handled the Rockies with no problem! I pulled Eisenhower Pass at 60-70 and used the Jake Brake in 8 and 9 gear on the way down and barely touched my service brakes. My EGT never got much above 950 degrees. Harry pulled the loaded F-550 at a pretty good clip not far behind us.

 

[El Jefe]

Hey Broncitis; pls tell Harry he made the spotlight today at Ford's internal news broadcast: They featured his story and his travels across the country for the 40th anniversary. They also had a little article about broncos. Tell him Kurt and I are jealous we didn't get to go along after the meeting at the Darth Vader bldg!

Thanks and keep up the blog now that you're back on the road!

 

[Broncitis]

Thursday, May 4th
EBR 40th
Johnson Valley-Sledgehammer

• Johnson Valley OHV Area
• Wheeling with friends from the Pacific Northwest, The Bronco Horde crew puts on the SOB events at Sand Lake in Oregon which I attended a couple years ago.
• Lined up at the entrance to Sledgehammer
• Gary Yorston's super trick rig is like a swiss army knife! It's true multi function and works like a clock! Gary drove this rig over 1500 miles from Vancover BC, wheeled hardcore and drove home!
• Tadd Johanson (Jansen??, sorry Tadd I forgot to write it down!) showing how to run it up the far right line of the obsticle.
• Chris Hockett flexing his extremely well built EB
• John Lindbloom (Bfix Admin) watrching his line.
• Harry Rawlins spotting some rigs up through Sledgehammer. It's nice to know that FoMoCo has some Engineers on staff who are true wheelers!

 

[Broncitis]

Thursday, May 4th
EBR 40th
Johnson Valley-Sledgehammer.....continued

• One of several lizards along the trail
• Trail Placard
• Group pic:Left to right: Harry Rawlins, Me, Mark(standing), Chris Hockett, Erik Christianson (AKA CAT/Captain Airtime, sitting just behind Chris), Gary Yorston (seated behind Erik), Todd Z. (white shirt & hat), Tadd (red shirt).
• Top of Sledgehammer
• Mailbox & Signpost landmark at top of Sledgehammer
• A dust storm brewing below on the desert floor in the parking area.
• We stopped by Lee Novikoff's coach to meet some more folks. Jaques Garden, Mark Shainman, Tim from Bronco Alley, Todd z.
• Harry Rawlins, Lee Novikoff, Don Peroni

 

[Broncitis]

Miles traveled: 4074
Just entered Kansas

 

[av8rds]

Drew,

what time did you all end up getting off the boat ride? you seem to be farther behind us than I expected? you driving straight through? We made it Mansfield OH and have like 800 more miles to go...for a total of 4760 miles total taking 39 hours each way(78 HOURS of driving!!!!!!!!! Holy crap!!!!)...not bad we still have been averaging 66 miles/hr and 8.6-9.5 miles to the gallon.. People can say all they want about the Ford 6.0 but we pulled the pass at 50mph towing 13K for a total weight of 21K or so, I'm TOTALLY impressed and pleased

 

[Harry]

I made it home at 4:00 am Sunday. Total miles traveled: 5,503
Drew was running a little late, He had another one of his trailer malfunctions outside of St. Louis... Stopped to help, and then we split off at Indy. He should have got home Sunday morning as well.

Had a great trip and lots of fun.
Harry Rawlins

 

[av8rds]

some of the lessons learned on the country wide trip....the road condtions from Ohio to Ut are awesome. Not just straight and flat but in well kept condition. More than a few times I thought the trailer was going to break off the conditions were so bad from MA to OH.

Dont stop in Vail for fuel...$3.44/gal, by far the highest of anything we paid...that still hurts

Flying J truck stops are the best, Clean, fast, well stocked with all kinds of extras.

Harry, Drew, and Don are great people(which I already knew) but good roommates too..

Courtyard by Marriot suites are just the thing when you've been on the road for days...clean, huge, and lots of parking for 35 foot trailers...

39 hours of driving isnt so bad when you break it up by fuel stops. appx 4 hours or 250 miles(low of 225 and high of 313)

the ford 6.0 is a workhorse. we pulled hard all the time even at 11000 feet we still passing everything put passenger cars.

fords tow/haul works fantastic. I'd have died if I had to take my old 02 though the same passes. get it locked into a speed and it held it there.period.

thats it for now. I'm still recovering....

 

[Broncitis]

Sean,

Harry and my Dad and I did the Jet Boat ride on the Colorado and got back at about noon. We ate lunch and did not leave the condo until about 3pm.

We drove it straight through. Had the lug nuts come loose on the rear right trailer wheel around St. Louis. The studs sheared off and we lost the tire/wheel. Never felt it and never had anyone signal us. My Dad noticed it about an hour later when he pulled into a rest area in Ill. I have air on the Volvo and an air jack and impact, so we swapped the front hub and wheel/tire to the rear and strapped up the front so the axle would not lean and wear the remaining drivers tire. No way to use the spare since the studs were sheared off. We rolled to PA on 5 tires with no problem. We aired the two on the passenger side up to 90 psi for the added load. Total weight across the three axles was 16,000 when we rolled acoss the scales on the way out, so we should have been fine with the two 7K axles and 1/2 of the other.

We got to PA at 8:30am Sunday and spent about 4 hours unloading then did the family thing for Mother's day. Work was a blast on Monday %) Man have I felt beat! I'm getting caught up on sleep, but need some more.....

Still waiting to total up all the trip stats, but I think we ended up just over 5600 miles.