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Rubicon/Brautovich
Trails, August 11-13
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By the time
August rolled around, everyone was anxious to set out for Lake
Tahoe for another great time in the great outdoors. 'Camping Dave'
(shown at left) was definitely psyched to be there. In my opinion,
the Rubicon/Tahoe trip is the best trip we make. We camp in a
desolate area and the four wheel trails are world
class. |
"Camp
America" |
Everyone
assembled for breakfast at Denny's in San Ramon and after an
All-American breakfast, we were on our way up Highway 80. The J-10
ran out of fuel around Fairfield, so we had to stop while Marc
added some more gas. We met up with Jimmy in Placerville who was
up there getting some modifications on his roll cage.
We made it through the
South Lake Tahoe traffic and over the state line to the Brautovich
trail and the campsite. |
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After getting settled
into camp, everyone unpacked and got some dinner going. The fire
ring was pretty dismembered, so Dave and I rebuilt it and
started creating a HUGE fire. We didn't have a lot of rocks and
we didn't have too many big logs, so Marc and Mike went out in
the J-10 in search of both.. |
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We were in camp and
heard a huge CRASH, and then the J-10's Cadillac horn honking.
Then we heard a tree fall. A few minutes later, the J-10 came
lumbering down the trail with 2 trees in tow and a bed full of
rocks. |
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In camp, Marty
wanted to try out the new suspension. It didn't flex that well,
but we just assumed it was stiff since it was still a month old.
Dave and Jimmy look on. |
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On Saturday, we
tackled the Rubicon trail and entered from the Lake Tahoe side. At
the 2nd lake, Marty tries the suspension again, just to lift a
tire.
There was supposed to be a
Jeep Jamboree on the trail, but apparently they were still on the
1st half of the trail.
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The granite
slabs are formations the Rubicon is famous for. They provide tons
of traction, so we played around there for a while and took a
break. It was definitely a hot and dusty day on the trail, and the
constant bumps guarantee you'll fall asleep easy at the end of the
day. |
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Mark and Jimmy
were at home in these surroundings. The J-10 and Turner's TJ hung
in there, though. Jeep claims all their vehicles can do the
Rubicon in stock form, but the TJ had a EZ-Locker. |
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Most of the
full-size trucks made it all the way to the top of Cadillac hill,
but the trail grew far too narrow past that. Mark, Marty and Jimmy
went down to the bottom of Cadillac Hill. We headed back to camp for
a nice sunset and excellent dinner. |
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Everyone packed
up Sunday afternoon and we left for home after a truly memorable
weekend. We will be back in a year, without a doubt! |
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