The Rooster
December 2016
THE ROOSTER A monthly update from the Inland Empire Offroad Association
What’s New The season is off to a great start, and a couple of the biggest trips of the year are up next with Thanksgiving and New Years at Glamis. We hope to see you there.
Early Trips Some lucky folks have already made it out to Glamis this season. Check out the pictures on pages 4 and 5.
Thanksgiving is Almost Here The first big trip of the season starts this weekend. We will have the traditional pot luck Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday night. If you are planning on coming for dinner please post online or let Mike or Jim know so that we can plan for enough Ham and Turkey for everybody.
Mona Bacon Memorial Poker Run and Hot Dog Wheenie Roast, Version V October 21-24, 2016 By Jim Kastle I left home Friday before 9:00 AM, planning on an early afternoon arrival. Things were going great until I was 10 miles north of Vidal Junction when I heard a boom, and discovered I had two blowouts on the passenger side of the trailer. Fortunately, I had two spares with me, but lifting the heavy trailer from the ground using only my truck jack was a battle. After an hour and a half or so, I was on the road, heading to Havasu and the nearest Discount Tire. They took me in and I was back on the road with four new load range F tires. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity for a Schlotzsky’s run, and then had to stop at Ruperto’s in Parker for a couple of breakfast burritos. The detour to Havasu delayed my arrival at the Salton City golf course until well after dark. I was met by Dave and Cindy Huggard,
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The Rooster
December 2016 Kris and Doug, and Mike and Ashley Bacon. Ashley made the trip from Texas to surprise Mike’s mom at her 80th birthday party which was to be held on Sunday. Todd Cochran soon arrived with a new RZR 1000, and trailer to keep it in. I spent some time making temporary repairs to the trailer floor damaged in the blowouts.
Upcoming Events • November 18-28: Thanksgiving at Glamis, Wash 6, with pot luck on Nov 24. • December 23 (or so) - January 3rd, 2017: Christmas / New Years at Glamis, Wash 6 • January 13-16, 2017: MLK Dune clean up weekend at Glamis, Wash 6.
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Saturday morning Dana, Dillon, and Daniel arrived for the poker run. So did Mike’s cousin, Chris and her boyfriend with HER RZR. Dave Schellinger and his new bride, April, also arrived. AJ Bacon and a friend, whose name escapes me now 2 ½ weeks later, arrived with AJ’s 1000. Dave Huggard treated us to a made to order tri-tip burrito breakfast. It was great! Thanks again, Dave. We left for the poker run with all the RZR’s with Dana driving Kris and Doug’s with Dillon riding shotgun. Doug and Kris stayed in camp and took care of Daniel, and rested Doug’s back. Dave and Cindy took the jeep to Borrego Springs. April rode with me, and as she weighs all of 90 pounds and is very appreciative of the ride, can have a seat in my vehicle any time she wants it! David rode one of Doug’s quads. As always, Mike led us on a ride all over the riding area, with stops at various points of interest to draw our cards. Mike truly knows this area like the back of his hand, having come here since he was a teenager. I really enjoy the rides every year, and this was no exception. No one had an outstanding hand, and the details escape me now, except for the fact my pair of queens was about 4th place.
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December 2016
After the poker run and lunch Mike led a few of us a ride through Gas Dome canyon, one of my favorite rides in the area. Back in camp, we met Mike’s aunt and her husband. Soon, P.J., Melissa, Allie, and Marshall arrived. Those who were not able to attend the poker run got a chance to draw their hands. Mike and Ashley then ran our second annual closest to the pin contest, and we had a ball, but some of us showed our complete lack of golfing skill. Dana showed us all that the golf lessons she received as a kid were effective, as she was closest to the pin. Cindy Huggard demonstrated her golfing prowess as she hit the longest drive of the day (not necessarily a good thing, as putts were more the order of the day, but we were impressed!) After some socializing, it was time for the legendary “Wheenie” roast. Mike cooked the dogs, and everyone contributed to what was a true IEOR feast. There were plenty of salads and deserts for everyone. Next was the award ceremony for the poker run and the closest to the pin contests. Mike and Ashley scored both events, and gave several well thought out goodie bags as prizes. I believe they were based on the recipient more than the score, making them personalized and very appropriate for each winner. P.J. and I won IEOR flags, beautifully created by Dana’s company, among other items. P.J. donated a hand held off road radio, won by Doug. Marshall received a spinning flashlight type toy that fascinates him. There were many other neat prizes, but 2 ½ weeks later, I don’t recall them.
My reporting does not appropriately reflect the effort that Mike and Ashley put into selecting the appropriate prizes for everyone. They did a great job! After more socializing and a campfire, Mike and Ashley headed home to be able to attend his Mom’s birthday party, as did Mike’s cousin and others of his family. We stayed around the campfire for quite a
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December 2016
while, giving many of us a chance to get to know April. She and Dave had a great time, after an extended absence for Dave from off roading, and are looking forward to more. Sunday morning Dave and Cindy were ready to leave when they heard of a closure on I-10, as a result of a bus vs. semi crash. Not wanting to fight the traffic, they decided to delay their departure until Monday, giving us another day of the pleasure of their company. Doug and Kris led me on a nice ride to the northern boundary of the off road area. Back in camp as I prepared to shower for dinner, the water heater in my trailer sprung a considerable leak. The water pump never shut off during my shower, despite my turning off the water several times, as we all do when RV showering. Dave and Cindy, Kris and Doug, and I went to the Alamo, a really great Mexican restaurant, just across the highway from camp. This has become a tradition. The food is consistently great, making up for the somewhat run down appearance of the building. Shortly after we ordered, Mike called Doug, saying he was back in camp, and would be right over. He joined us and reported the birthday party went well, and that P.J. and Melissa did a great job documenting it in pictures. Back in camp, I made some makeshift repairs to the water system, bypassing the water heater. The prospect of 5 days at Glamis became less appealing than it ever has before. We had another campfire and enjoyed each other’s company, but missed Ray and Janice, and of course, their cobbler. Monday morning I was quite relieved when Mike came over and asked if I REALLY wanted to go to Glamis. He had received a call, and had an opportunity to get some work done. He would go if I wanted to. I did not look forward to 5 days of no hot water, so I quickly answered, “Not REALLY.” I then remembered that Jerry and Linda told Don they were going to Glamis Tuesday, so I called them and explained that I didn’t really want to go. They understood. For the first time since 1990 I missed a planned Glamis trip. I feel bad about it, because I know others rely on the accuracy of posted plans, but I wanted to be sure to have the repairs done for Thanksgiving. I hope it’s another 26 years until I miss another one! I can’t wait for Thanksgiving! Let’s go dunin’!
Off Weekend in Glamis According to Facebook, some members got the Glamis season off to an early start with a trip the first weekend in November. We don’t have any more info, but the sand sure looks nice and inviting.
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December 2016
Veterans Day in Glamis: This is another article from Facebook, but the pictures tell an impressive story. Ray and Janice made a Veterans Day trip, and were joined by Mike Bacon. They attended a ceremony at the flag pole by Hill 3, which had quite a turnout.
Janice posted, “Yesterday I had the privilege to be with 7 friends who are Veterans and two who are active duty Marines. The Ceremony at the Flag Pole at Glamis was amazing. All the Veterans announced their name, branch and when and where they served. Truly humbling. No idea how many people were there I hope someone at least got a count of Vehicles.�
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The Rooster
December 2016
Sand Jam Expo in Colton An attempt at bringing the Sand Show to the RV Dealer instead of the other way around… By Paul Kastle The last couple of years I have heard ads on the radio for the “Sand Jam Expo” at the RV Expo in Colton. A little web research showed me that this “show” was put on by Mike Thompson RV to bring in off roaders as potential RV buyers. It makes some sense to have everyone gather at the RV lot so they don’t have to move the RVs down to the show. When I heard the ads again this year, since we planned to be home that weekend I figured it would be fun to check it out. We headed out there on Saturday afternoon, but what we found seemed like more of an open house at an RV lot than a real show. There were a few vendors and some raffle prizes, but we only saw two RZRs there, and one was a 170. PCI was there selling helmets and radio equipment, but there wasn’t much else of interest to us. There were plenty of RV sales people, but we didn’t even get much from the guy we talked to, who when we found out we were interested in toy haulers instead of Diesel pushers basically said “there are some on the other end of the lot, go check them out.” There was a wide variety of RVs to see, but I don’t see many duners paying $100k for a Sprinter van conversion. There were of course some nice diesel pushers too, but since we didn’t win the Lotto the night before we kept walking. We did find the toy haulers, but in the end weren’t super impressed. They had one row with only a couple different brands, and very few of them had enough room for a sandrail. It is surprising how hard it is to find a toy hauler with enough room for a car now. I guess fewer and fewer people need such a thing now, or perhaps they’re towing trailers with their Sprinter vans…
This month we’d like to thank Jim Kastle for writing about the Mona Bacon Memorial Spook Run and Mike Bacon for organizing it. If you have more to share, or are planning a trip to the dunes which you’d like to invite the group to, please let the group know. There are many ways to contribute, from posting on the website to sending an e-mail or writing an article. We can’t wait to hear from you and to see everybody in the dunes. -Paul, Melissa, Allie, and Marshall.
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