April 2010 Rooster by Paul Kastle

Glamis Off Weekend, March 12-14 I arrived at Wash 6 Friday evening about 7:30 P.M., and went to the spot we have been camping this season, and couldn’t find any familiar rigs. I tried calling Brandy who planned to arrive Thursday, but got his voicemail. I then called P.J. who I knew was just a few minutes behind me, to see if he had any contact numbers. He soon arrived and called Steve Tharp, who directed him to camp; I followed, and soon saw Brandy’s Steve’s and Shawn’s rigs. There was an extra buggy in camp. P.J. and I investigated and found that Shawn bought a buggy that would be certain to impress even the pickiest of the Swedish Volleyball players. It is an AlumaCraft mid engine two-seater that is absolutely show quality throughout. It’s not all show, however, as it has an all aluminum small block Chevy that consists of all the best pieces, and sounds like a dragster. Take a look at pictures on the website. Scott and Sandy arrived during the night, and Saturday morning Shawn and Brandy took the megarail to the engine builder for some tuning, while the rest of us (Continued on page 2)

are currently working on installing  This year Easter and our Spring Dave’s (previously Jeff Oliver’s) Break trip coincide, we’ll be at supercharged V-6. It should be Gordon’s Well from April 2nd something neat to see, and may be through the 11th. in the dunes soon.  Bring 6-12 plastic eggs for the Adult  We still have a few members who Easter Egg hunt on Easter Sunday have not renewed, so in order to get morning. Fill your eggs with things your birthdays included in the newsyou’d like to find! Kids hide the letter and to be included in the adeggs and adults hunt for them. It’s dress directory make sure your sure to be a great time. membership is current. Contact PJ  Dave Medlin has worked a deal with or Melissa for your expiration date. Walt for his yellow buggy, and they

The Rooster (Continued from page 1)

April 2-11th: Spring Break and Easter at Gordon’s Well. Plan on an adult Easter egg hunt on Easter Sunday, April 4th. April 14th: Club Meeting at the Denny’s in Redlands, 7PM April 30th-May 2nd: Weekend at Dumont! This has become a traditional last trip of the season. May 12th: Club Meeting at the Denny’s in Redlands, 7PM

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went for a ride, the first one with our new radios. See the article, Better Radios Come to IEOR elsewhere in this issue. The sand was pretty good, and we had a good, relatively fast ride that included a stop at Sweet Maries for ice cream. We returned for lunch, and after lunch went for a ride following Shawn who wanted to put some time on the new car, and not push it very hard. We ended up at the drags, and watched the crowds gather around the car. It truly draws a crowd. Usually one guy walks up, takes a look, and then calls for his friends to come take a close look. After the drags we headed back to camp through the dunes with Shawn again leading. He was quickly getting used to the car and we had a good fast ride. I followed Brandy for the first time, and enjoyed watching him use the turning brake. He makes square corners in his big four seater! After getting back to camp we were off the Mama Jeannie’s for pizza. When I asked one of the employees to let Jeannie know we were there, Jeannine responded by sending some fresh sweet flatbread to our table. It was great! When she got a chance Jeannie came to our table and was disappointed to find Melissa and Allison weren’t there, but made her usual very generous donation to the club treasury, and requested a visit from Melissa and Allison when we make a day trip from Gordon’s Well to Glamis during Spring Break. The ride has tentatively been set for Saturday, April 3, and Melissa will drive the Excursion or a truck. After dinner, we made the now regular trip to the flats for soft serve. Back in camp we had a campfire, thanks to wood that Shirley and Linda had collected earlier this season. Sunday morning, Brandy and Shawn had to pack up and head for home, while Steve, Scott and Sandy, P.J. and I went for a ride. Upon leaving camp, it seemed to me the sand had been smoothed by some overnight wind, and the big bowls between Olds and Comp seemed like a good idea. We went for a very fast, smooth ride. We went faster through the big bowls than we went on the sand highway to Gordon’s’ Well on the last trip. We returned to camp and were able to quickly pack, as we did minimum unpacking for the short weekend. It’s hard to believe another Glamis season has come and gone for IEOR. -Jim

The Rooster

Better Radios Come to IEOR For the last two years, we’ve been using some FRS radios the club and some members purchased to aid in communication on the rides. Although they have been very useful, they are far from crystal clear. It’s all but impossible to hold a conversation on them, but they have helped keep the rides together. After President’s day, John decided there had to a better way. He, Scott, and Brandy contacted the Grossmans who recently bought a race radio for their car. They were referred to Mark’s Audio, and Brandy and Scott ended up buying radios for their cars, and one for Shawn. P.J. and I discussed the possibilities and decided to buy HAM band handhelds that were considerably less costly, but hopefully still an improvement over the FRS radios. Being overly concerned with complying with the law, I began to consider getting a HAM license, something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. Barry Baker has told me for years I should do this, and it wasn’t that hard to do. I thought that had to be an overstatement, because I don’t have the slightest idea how a radio works. I remember that in the past, HAM’s had to pass a radio theory test. Well, on a Saturday night at the river, after having no luck at the casino, I decided to kill some time and looked into a HAM license. I even found some practice tests. Well, things have certainly changed, and I found I could pass the test with no problems. It was much like a driver’s license test. 35 multiple choice questions and you can miss 9 and still pass. Most of the questions seemed simple, such as “What type of radio traffic has priority over all others?” The obvious answer is “emergency”, and it’s right. Or “What is the voltage of the typical automotive battery?” Yep, the right answer is 12 volts. All the questions are available online. Over the next few days I took several, free, online practice tests, and had no trouble. Thursday evening, just five days after first looking into a HAM license, I paid my $15.00 and took the test. Well, I’ll forever be known as KJ6GCY, my official call sign. I have the lowest level of Amateur license, a technician, but can legally use several frequencies, many of which are very close to ones used by off roaders. I’d like others in the club to get their licenses as well, so we could all be completely legal. P.J. took and passed his test, and Brandy is ready to take his so we’ll soon have at least four HAM’s in the club. On the March 12 trip, the radios debuted. They were an unqualified success. Scott kept saying it was like the other guy was in the seat next to him. The higher priced, more powerful radios are awesome, and P.J. and my handhelds were great, and we were all actually able to hold conversations during the rides. I think the club should consider upgrading the club-owned radios. We could still use the old headsets, and P.J. and I would donate the necessary adapters to make the new radios work with the old headsets. We’ll decide at a meeting in the near future so let a board member know if you have feelings one way or another. Or better yet, join us for a meeting. -Jim

The Rooster

The last big trip of the regular dune season is almost here! This year club members will once again be spending 9 days at Gordon’s Well, and the first weekend of the trip lines up with Easter. Planned events include a kids and grown ups Easter egg hunt on Sunday April 4th. Bring plastic eggs and goodies to hide for the kids and adults in camp. There will also be lots of trips to Yuma for food, parts, tools, and whatever else we might need. For those of you who haven’t camped with us at Gordon’s well before, our usual spot is on the flats straight out about half way between the canals, possibly a little toward the left as you go over the bridge. How far out we go depends on how soft it is, but look for the Ford’s and Trantham’s motorhomes and trailers. Jim will be arriving in evening on Friday April 2nd, so after that the blue over amber strobe light should be set up. We’ll see you there!

Below is an aerial photo of the flats at Gordon’s Well. We usually camp near where the arrow indicates.

Camp

Bridge

Gordon’s Well Off Ramp

I-8

Easter Egg Hunt: A fun twist… With the increasing number of adults in camp relative to the number of kids, once again we decided to have an Easter egg hunt where the kids (including P.J. and Melissa) hide the eggs for the adults. The club will be providing some cash prizes for the eggs, so plan to participate. If you can, please bring 6-12 of your own eggs to hide for the grown ups to search for as well.

The Rooster

Pete Hagen 4/7 Dave Medlin 4/9 Hailee Baker 4/12

Susan Tidball 4/17 Brian Stump 4/29

In discussing Mendeola transmissions or looking at cars for sale, it seems that there are so many different numbers and codes that it gets hard to remember what is what. A quick look at their website found the following part numbers and MSRP price information. It is amazing that these prices are for just a trans and not a whole car like they would have been a few years ago, but that just makes me sound old. Also remember that there are lots of options for the parts that can be put into the different transmissions, and they can affect the cost significantly. So, basically saying that a trans is a Mendeola “s” can mean it is anything from their cheapest to a thirteen thousand dollar trans. Interesting stuff... Name

Descrition

MSRP

HD4

Super Ultimate Heavy Duty

$24,950

S4D

Heavy Duty Sequential

$12,950

Sequential 4 Speed

$10,950

MD4S-2D

Common “2D” H pattern

$6950

MD4S-4E

Econo, now discontinued

$5750

The Rooster

P.J. and Melissa have a Yamaha Golf Cart For Sale: 1996 G14 Gas golf cart with lift. Floor sits 24 inches above the ground. Stock motor, runs well. $2000 obo Contact P.J. Kastle: (951) 285-8459 pkastle@msn.com

Don and Shirley have their Fiberglass Dune Buggy For Sale: 1600cc dual port engine, street legal, beautiful paint job, must see to appreciate. $6500 Contact Don or Shirley Ford: (928) 680-0657 Home (928) 846-2304 Cell

Two child’s helmets for sale: Both were purchased at Chaparral, 3 years ago. Both are full face with visors. Exterior is in good shape, minor scratches. Inside is in perfect shape, foam intact, no tears. Black one is a child Small and the Yellow one is a child Medium. $50 each Contact Pete Hagen at: (760) 451-0845

With the continual progression of upgrades among the cars in the club, one of my coworkers recently asked, “Why don’t you just drive around in trucks out there?” While at first it might seem like a silly question, the influx or power steering, hoods, windshields, and expensive electronics got us thinking. Then Melissa found a deal on Craigslist and it was even the right color… Check out our new dune toy that will be delivered to Gordon’s Well on April 1st… Some club members got a sneak preview over the March trip, without having to wait for April 1st to see it. There’s even room in the back for the Volleyball team.

Power windows and air conditioning are included as well… I can’t wait for April 1st, April Fools Day This month we would like to thank Jim Kastle for sending in newsletter content. We’d also like to tank whoever had the green and white truck that we took the pictures of. (And if you haven’t figured it out, it was an April fools joke.) We can’t wait to see everyone at Gordon’s Well and Dumont soon. - P.J. and Melissa Kastle

Inland Empire Offroad Association P.O. Box 132411 Big Bear Lake, CA 92315

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Business Phone: __________________________ As with any organization there are guidelines we operate within. Please read and abide by the following: 1. NO FIREWORKS ALLOWED WITHIN CAMP BOUNDRIES 2. DOGS MUST BE KEPT UNDER CONTROL AT ALL TIMES (BLM law) 3. ON A RIDE, YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE VEHICLE AHEAD OF YOU AND THE VEHICLE BEHIND YOU. If they stop, you stop and wait for the group to return to you. This prevents separation and in this manner we never leave a member in the dunes. Remember, it’s easier to find you if you stay still: “a moving target is harder to hit” 4. PLEASE OBSERVE THE “RIDE RATINGS” ON THE CLUB BOARD AND SELECT THOSE RIDES YOU WISH TO PARTICIPATE IN. If you wish to lead a ride, put the time and type of ride you want to lead on the board and then stick to that time. No passing on rides (except #6 rides). You can always change your place in line at a break or if you are waved on by the driver ahead of you. 5. REMEMBER, WE ARE A GROUP OF FRIENDS who share a common interest in riding in the desert. Always keep in mind how your actions affect the other members.

SIGNATURE:_________________________________________DATE:____________________ How did you hear about the club?___________________________________________________ Annual dues are $35 per family. Each 12 month membership includes a monthly newsletter. Send your check or money order to: Inland Empire Offroad Association P.O. Box 132411 Big Bear Lake, CA 92315