Day 2, 3, and 4: Blacktop
With the first kick-tail trail behind us, and many more miles to go, our first road trip day was ahead. Our group of 19 rigs would travel 275 miles in one day--no great feat but considering the size of the group, different power and gearing combos, and a few mountains to cross, we knew it would take a full day. Our goal was to stay off the boring Interstates and see some of the great scenery this country has to offer, and we did just that. Leaving Truckee after an early drivers' meeting, we tooled north into the foothills of the Sierras, winding through small hamlets that gawked at our colorful entourage as we zipped past. As lead vehicle, the Ultimate A1 could fly down the road and leave the others in the dust, but it also stopped more frequently for gas. In fact, the Toyotas in the group only filled up at every other fuel stop, but they also lagged in speed while pulling the bigger grades.
After too long a lunch and gas stop (we got progressively better along the way), Mount Lassen Volcanic National Park was our next destination. The road climbs up to 8,511 feet while spinning and circling its way to the pass. Finding snow at the top elevations, Tim Hardy locked the hubs and played for a while, and then played catch-up to the hotel in the shadow of Mt. Shasta. Tim also had his Plexiglas windshield blown out on the highway from a passing big-rig, but stopped at a hardware store and bought more plastic for a stop-gap replacement. Our next road day was more of the same awesome scenery of eastern Oregon. Our route took the group to the top of Crater Lake, a pristine lake in the mouth of an extinct volcano. After a group shot for our scrapbooks, we scooted down to the valley floor and on to Madras, Oregon. Tim Hardy ran out of gas before we made Madras, and he coasted to the other side of the road and scammed some gas from the Forest Service, as Skyjacker's chase truck roared by and waved, unaware of the predicament. Gassed and ready, Tim later lost another windshield to a passing truck, and made a beeline for a Madras hardware store for more plastic. Before we made the hotel in Madras, a passing motorist gawked at our line of rigs and drove off the road in a cloud of dust. Jon Bundrant, Orlando Diaz, and Greg Miller stopped to winch her back to the highway with no damage or injuries. Cole Quinnell also happened to pick up the first Highway Patrol encounter and ticket before making it to town. All of us thanked him for getting it instead of us.
On the third road trip day and before the final leg to the Washington trails, Tom Boyd and Larry McRae had the local Les Schwab store fix some brake and tranny problems that had cropped up. On the way out of town, Julio Monroy's CJ spit a fan belt, and a few rigs stopped to remount them. Tim Hardy continued to bring up the rear since his little engine was getting more tired with every mile. Luckily this last leg was a short one, and we rolled into Yakima, Washington, ready for the trails of the next day.