The Rooster
July 2017
THE ROOSTER A monthly update from the Inland Empire Offroad Association
What’s New It is time for our annual Coral Pink preview edition of the newsletter. Read all about this summer tradition. The trip of the year is coming up in less than one month.
10 Years Ago: Coral Pink 2007 by P.J. Kastle For the thirteenth summer in a row, members of Inland Empire Off Road headed to the Coral Pink Sand dunes in July. These are always amazing dune trips, and this year’s was no exception. This
Omeletes in Utah We are planning to do freezer bag omelets at the group site, so bring eggs and your favorite ingredients.
Mesquite Before and After Most of us will be spending the nights of July 11 and 21 at the Casablanca RV Park in Mesquite. Some will arrive even earlier (as early as July 9th) to extend the trip.
year there were fewer members and cars than in some years past, but those of us who were lucky enough to make the trip had a great time. For the rest of you, now is the time to start getting excited about next year.
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The Coral Pink trip has become more of an event than any other trip of the year. Lots of factors contribute to this, including: Time in Mesquite on the way up and the way home, a group campsite with community tables covered with our EZUps for shade and Shirley’s Christmas lights for light, the fact that we get to be there for 10 days, the beautiful scenery, and the idea of duning among pine trees and sandstone cliffs. Yes, this trip is special, and so much more than just another chance to drive the sandrails. Don’t get me wrong, the driving is great and the unique mix of some open dunes and lots of winding sandy trails makes it my favorite place to dune, but there is just a lot more to this trip. I will describe some of the highlights in this article, and hopefully others will add their own thoughts and memories, but to really experience it you just have to be there.
Upcoming Events • July 9-12: Pre-Coral Pink time in Mesquite, NV. • July 12-21: Coral Pink Sand Dunes Utah State Park • July 21-22: Night in Mesquite after Coral Pink • Mid August: Havasu River Trip, watch for dates coming soon.
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Getting there is often a large part of the fun, and for Melissa and me this was definitely true this year. We decided to bring our Weekend Warrior for the first time, and had planned to tow it with our new (old) grey dually which is getting a new motor. Well, the motor got delayed and we got a puppy, so the cab of my white truck was starting to look pretty small. Then, in either an attempt to be the coolest father in law ever or just to get to see a Chevy driver drive a Ford, John Cole offered us his beautiful Crew Cab Dually F-350. This meant we got to tow our nice new trailer with a much newer and more powerful truck.
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Hmm, this could get expensive... The Ford did an amazing job towing the trailer, and we were particularly impressed with the 7.3 diesel motor. By Mesquite we were checking the Ad papers to figure out how we could try to get one. This year we went in to the park via the dirt road, which bypasses Fredonia and Kanab and cuts about 40 miles out of the trip in. We all missed Doug’s rendition of “Hail Fredonia” but we had lots of opportunities during the week to visit Kanab and the world’s best little pizza and sandwich shop, Lotsa Matsa Pizza. We discovered this place about 5 years ago when they opened in the old Subway building, and it has become a tradition to go in to town many times during the week for hot sandwiches that most of us believe are better than Quiznos.
The duning was great, and with five very capable cars we were able to go pretty much wherever we wanted, despite the fact the sand was very soft. The Ranger told us they had not had real rain in the dunes in a couple of months. Jim’s new car made its first trip to Coral Pink, and he continually praised it (and 3
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July 2017
me) for its design. I am glad that after a year of our duning my car is still working great and holding together. We did have an unfortunate incident on Monday night, when I had to make a couple of attempts at getting up a certain hill and then found Walt retracing his steps just as we crested the razorback. The two cars collided pretty much head on, and despite the relatively low speeds it caused quite a bit of damage. Walt’s left front suspension was all but removed from the car, with the frame section still attached. My tie rods and A-arms were bent as well, but fortunately everybody was ok. Being at Coral Pink posed a bit of an extra challenge, as this happened with less than an hour left of open riding time. Fortunately we were close to camp, so we made Walt’s a three wheeler and were able to get mine back making primarily left turns. To add a little excitement, Walt’s throttle stuck as Jim was towing him to provide direction, which resulted in a very unplanned (and high speed) trip through the bushes and a speed limit sign. Despite this ad- venture we got all three cars into camp before the 10:00 PM deadline. Walt talked with the Rangers, who were very nice and just glad that nobody was hurt. We cleaned up the road and fixed the sign, then began our Tuesday of working on the cars. In what may have been one of the most intensive dune fixes ever, we were able to get both cars back together by Tuesday night in time for a Wednesday morning ride. We had to re- shape Walt’s frame quite a bit and weld in the pieces that got removed, but we had everything we needed to perform the repairs with us in camp. The rest of the trip was excellent, with more fun rides and great times sitting around the group tables. Many people played games, including Dominoes and dice. Melissa and I brought our bicycles, which we enjoyed riding up to the Ranger Station. On Thursday we took a tip into Bryce Canyon after a group breakfast at the Thunderbird restaurant. We got to see some
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more of Southern Utah, including the town of Panguitch, which has a nearby lake and a nice little burger place we enjoyed. Check out the pictures of this day trip on the website. We packed up Friday night to head for Mesquite on Saturday, which was a nice change this year. We got to stay at the Casa Blanca again, and didn’t have to do the longest pulls in the heat of the day. While in Mesquite, Melissa and I continued our search for a new truck, and found an Excursion to look at on Sunday in Victorville. It had sold by the time we got there, but the Ford seed had been planted. By Wednesday we had found and bought a white 2001 4x4 Diesel Excursion, which will be Melissa’s daily driver and will tow the trailer for the dunes. I guess John found a way to pay us back for a trip a few years ago where we let him drive a Shortstar! It should all work out well, and we can’t wait to make this trip with the new truck next year. Maybe the Coles and some other club members will get the chance to enjoy this awesome duning event.-P.J.
More About Coral Pink 2007 By Don and Shirley Ford We had a great time in Mesquite and Coral Pink. Meeting up with Jim and Nancy Kastle in Searchlight and then on to Mesquite. Sharon and Steve Porter arrived the next day in Mesquite on their way for a 3 month vacation (must be nice). I'm getting old, or having a craft moment. I can't remember who arrive next, Pj and Melissa Kastle, Walt Fisher, Kris and Doug Schellinger. Here's what we did in Mesquite, we ate buffet, movies, buffet, casinos, buffet, Walmart, eat, pawn shop, eat, etc did I say they had some awesome buffets. Now if you want an awesome breakfast buffet go to the Eureka. This year I didn't go on any rides, Don did though. I just stayed back at camp and pestered Doug to death. Made him play card games with me. Don and I taught Kris, Doug and Walt how to play Mexican Dominos. Sharon, Kris is going to tell you, I make up my own rules. Just to let you know it's called (KRIS'S OPTIONS). We had a great time. It is so beautiful there. Going into town for lunch, shopping, etc.
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Side By Sides at Coral Pink: In the last 11 years, since Doug first brought a Ranger to Coral Pink, they have became a huge part of the riding wherever you go in the dunes. Coral Pink has a reputation of being “too small for buggies” which I couldn’t disagree more with, since we have had some amazing buggy rides there and there is plenty of room to run in fourth gear. With that being said though, the side by sides have opened up an amazing amount of great riding for us beyond the dunes at Coral Pink. This year, for the first time in our 22 previous July trips to the dunes, we won’t be bringing any sandrails along for the trip, but we should have a record number of side by sides. We are looking forward to another great year of RZR riding in Utah!
2006
In 2006 Doug brought a Ranger to the dunes for the first time.
2008
Mike and Doug both brought Rangers in 2008.
2009
Four side by sides came in 2009, with Shirley and The Tranthams joining in.
2010 Allie in a Ranger during her first Coral Pink trip in 2010. 6
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2011
2012 In 2011, Walt and Shirley brought RZRs to Coral Pink for the first time. In 2012, Doug brought a new RZR 900 to join Shirley and Walt.
2013
2014 In 2013, Jim and Mike joined Doug, Walt, and Shirley to make it 5 RZRs.
In 2014, Don and Shirley brought a 1000 and a 900 which joined Jim to make 3.
2015
2016 In 2015, Mike, Doug, Don, Jim, and Walt made 5 RZRs, and they rode to the Thunderbird.
In 2016 we had 4 RZRs make the trip through the Virgin River. 7
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Coral Pink Crossword 2017:
Across 4. ___ Staircase is a nearby National Monument and ____ Canyon is a nearby National Park. 5. With nearly 4.3 million visitors in 2016, this National Park was the most visited in Utah.
Down 1. Disposible cooking container for omelete ingredients.
7. Coral Pink has one ___ site, which we reserve 11 months in advance.
3. Mascot of Kanab High school, a bovine caretaker.
10. Common name for predatory social wasps, and a picnic site near the dunes. 11. Plant named town we meet at in Nevada on our way to the dunes. 15. Utah town West of Zion that's home to the Majestic View Lodge which we've visited for lunch. 18. The ___ Canyon Dam forms Lake Powell. 19. Manufacturer of all of the OHVs planning on attending the 2017 trip. 21. Arizona town located South of Kanab UT. Hail ____! 22. The ____ Mountain Wilderness Study area includes the land East of the dunes where we often ride.
2. Name of the road that forms a shortcut between Sand Dunes Rd. and Highway 89. 6. The ___ Butte backcountry byway added something new to the 2016 trip. 8. Ho-Made desserts from the Thunderbird Restaurant. 9. Estabilshment in Kanab supported by the local thrift store and hopefully avoided by dune visitors. 12. Pachyderm name for a Cove trailhead on the North side of Sand Dunes Road. 13. River we cross en route to the dunes and between camp and Zion. 14. Those who make the trip great, or part of name of nearby animal sanctuary. 16. Name of mountain lake and town North of Zion and West of Bryce near Cedar Breaks.
23. The ___ A Boo Trailhead leads to a beautiful Slot Canyon East of Highway 89.
17. Mount ___ Junction is the home of the Thunderbird and the Eastern gateway to Zion, not a candy.
24. Sand ___ is the newest Utah State Park, and the closest to Coral Pink.
20. Canyon North of Kanab with ATV trail system. Mmm bacon...
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UDS To The Rescue By Jim Kastle I mentioned in my report on the Dumont trip that my dually had a problem that I assumed was a defective turbo. I have read about lots of people having trouble with them, and I was getting a “low boost” code. I also read that removing and reinstalling a turbo on my truck was a very difficult job, one that I don’t think I am now capable of doing. If you know me very well, you know that’s not typical of me. I HATE letting anyone else work on my stuff. I’ve heard countless reports of unscrupulous mechanics taking advantage of people. Most people report replacing the turbo costs two to three thousand dollars. I talked to Chuck at Dumont, and he suggested I take it to Justin, his son, who now manages the family business, United Diesel Service. I used UDS about 8 years ago when I had a problem with the injection pump on my white truck, and they did a great job. So after making it home slowly, I called the shop and set up an appointment. I arrived and told Justin what the symptoms were, and that I feared it needed a new turbo. I asked him to take a look and let me know what we needed to do. Justin was so professional I felt very comfortable trusting him and his employees with my truck. I used Uber for the first time, and rode to the El Monte Metrolink station where, for the first time ever, I caught a train to Rancho Cucamonga, less than a mile from the Executive Elevator shop. I walked to the shop and waited for P.J. to arrive, as I had cleverly planned this on a Tuesday, “buggy night.” While waiting, John asked me if I wanted to do something for him, and as I was feeling rather useless, I said “Sure.” In typical John fashion, he had made a deal for 3 cases of electrical fuses of varying types and sizes that were no longer organized. It would not be cost effective to pay someone to sort them, but I enjoy that sort of thing, and had a ball sorting fuses making piles of them on the office floor. Later John had to go on a trouble call, and asked me if I wanted to go. For a long time I have wanted to see the behind the scenes workings of an elevator. So that meant I had done three things for the first time that day: Uber, Metrolink, and getting up close with the workings of an elevator. We got back to the shop for “buggy night,” and then P.J. gave me a ride to his house where I borrowed their Excursion. I took it to our camper that John lets us leave at his house. For the next few days I toured some of my favorite Inland Empire eating establishments. Friday I got a call from Justin saying he had some good news and some bad news. He said the good news was they couldn’t find anything drastically wrong that would explain the truck’s problem. That was also 9
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the bad news because there was nothing he could do. He did say there was a lot of oil and sludge in the intercooler piping, and they had cleaned that up. This made sense to me, as I had noted that for the first time ever, it had used some oil recently. He asked when the last time I replaced the air filter, because one reason oil builds up in there is if the air filter gets clogged, the turbo ends up sucking oil from the valve covers into the turbo and the intercooler piping. He figured this out despite the truck having a brand new air filter. Right after the Dumont trip I serviced the truck, and I had just replaced all the filters. I don’t remember the last time I changed the air filter before then. Justin said they would put it back together and take it for a test drive and let me know how it went. A couple of hours later I got a call and he said he drove it and everything appeared to be working fine, and they had measured boost and the turbo was great, in fact he said it was very clean. He told me to call when I got off the train, and they’d pick me up. I took the Excursion to the Riverside train station and took the train to El Monte. I called and one of their guys picked me up. I had not asked what the cost would be, as I had no choice, there is no other shop I would trust. I was elated when they told me I owed them just $200! Way less than a tenth what I expected, and would have been satisfied with if my truck was fixed. I honestly don’t think there’s another shop that would have treated anyone so fairly. The truck seemed to run fine, but then it seemed to run fine before with no trailer. The next weekend I towed the fifth wheel to the river, and the truck was as good as it was when it was brand new. In reading about my truck, I found there were two highly recommended modifications: one to prevent the oil build up, and the other to increase airflow to the turbo. I was so pleased with how well it was running, and with the money they saved me, I figured it deserved some extra love and attention, and did both modifications. Last week we took our nowannual trip to Prescott, and it towed the trailer the best it ever has! Coral Pink, here we come. Bottom line: If you’re having any issues with a diesel vehicle, think U.D.S!
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More Coral Pink Pictures Here’s some more of our favorite pictures from 22 years of July trips:
This month we’d like to thank Jim Kastle for writing an article and Don and Shirley Ford for writing up their Coral Pink trip back in 2007. For everybody else, please feel free to write a few words about what you are up to this summer. It doesn’t have to fill a newsletter on its own but every bit helps and it is interesting to hear what everybody is up to. Next month we’ll begin to cover the fun from this year’s trip to Coral Pink for our 23rd year, and we’ll start thinking about 24. -Paul, Melissa, Allie, and Marshall. 11