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TLCA's 12 ANNUAL RUBITHON
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| Explore Your World! | Short Cuts | ||||
---RUBICON TRAIL---------------------------------
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By Jim Brink and Phil Johnson
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| Trail Head | Trail Staff | Our Trail Leader Kevin Carey |
Steeped in tradition, the Toyota Land Cruiser Association’s Rubithon event was once again a success in 2000. This marked the TLCA’s 12th year running the Rubithon, which traverses an equally historical route, the Rubicon Trail.
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| A beautiful FJ40 |
TLCA members from all over the country traveled to the northern Sierra Nevada mountains of California to participate in this event. Land Cruisers, pick-ups, and 4Runners built to every conceivable level of extreme are present, and the amount of information sharing between all of the participants is amazing. After all, that is why they all signed up, right?
In covering this event, 4x4Wire was scheduled to run the Wednesday 4:30 PM Spider Lake group led by TLCA trail committee members Kevin Carey and Geoff Stevens. Land Cruisers, especially FJ40s, clearly were the majority of vehicles present but there was a representative sampling of pick-ups and 4Runners and even an FJ60 wagon.
As the afternoon progressed, eventually everyone showed up at the staging area below Loon Lake Reservoir. Safety checks were made and a driver’s meeting was held. Soon we were on our way to Pinch Rock, the first major obstacle. A few trucks had problems here and required careful spotting and an occasional tug with the strap. One driver, who acquired his FJ40 only days before the event, appeared to have drivetrain problems. It seemed that no power was getting to the front wheels. After careful inspection it was revealed that 1) He had not locked the hubs and 2) had failed to shift into 4WD! I suppose all of the excitement was responsible for his haste.
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| Lock my hubs? |
Pinch rock favors short wheelbase vehicles and this was no more obvious as when Andy Plaine from Danville, CA brought his FJ60 “scrap” wagon through. Running open differentials and 32” tires, Andy was determined to get through the entire trail. He’d have to succeed the wrath of Pinch Rock first though. Lots of bent sheetmetal, broken tail light lenses, and a few thousand miles of clutch life later, Andy made it through. I guess what is most important was that everyone enjoyed themselves and lent a helpful hand when needed.
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| This drive shaft came a part at night on Soup Bowl |
Driving down through the slabs, the shadows grew longer. We decided to stop here for a short break and allow the stragglers to catch up. One FJ40 appeared to be suffering from some sort of front differential damage but they assured us that they could make repairs. The group moved slow from this point on, stopping where needed to assist drivers through tough spots. The next major challenge was Walker Hill. Again, this section claimed many vehicles due to the steep grade and presence of many rocks and granite outcroppings. No vehicles suffered mechanical damage here, but the trip up was time consuming. At the top, some opted to try the Soup Bowl, a short but steep and twisty section of trail that requires skill and the proper equipment to negotiate. Once most of the group was at the top of Walker Hill, we decided to take another break and wait for those that had fallen behind. A friend and I had had walked to the bottom of Walker to watch and photograph the procession as they tackled the hill climb. I was bitten by mosquitoes no less than 500 times on this little jaunt. (Okay, maybe an exaggeration, but it sure felt that way!)
As the day grew late, we realized that we would never make Spider Lake by nightfall. A planned route through the Little Sluice was cancelled as one of the Land Cruisers from the 2:00 PM was broken down, blocking passage. Gary Kardum, of Mudrak’s Custom Cruisers was repairing a broken tie rod. Rumor had it that the Little Sluice would be blocked until morning. Our group traveled through the Little Sluice bypass, which seemed hardly a bypass at all to me! I could see down into the Little Sluice lights and the occasional arc from a welder. Keep in mind, at this point it was totally dark, about 10:00 PM and we were traversing off-camber sections, stair-stepped boulders, and passing through narrow trees on our way into Spider Lake.
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| The most unique Toyota with us was this Trail Blazer! | FJ-40 from Washington state |
Pulling into Spider Lake, we wasted no time setting up camp and getting dinner ready. Being my first time that deep into the Rubicon, I was not at all impressed with Spider. My mind would change when I awoke the next morning…I was totally amazed at the beauty of the area surrounding the Lake. The lake in itself was most amazing. The water was so clear and pristine, and the fish were jumping like mad in the early morning sunlight. This truly is a gem of a high Sierra lake.
Our group had originally planned to make a night run through the true Old Sluice but our delays prompted us to drive straight to Rubicon Springs. This was probably a good call as a full-sized pick-up was broken down in the Sluice, allowing limited passage for other vehicles. Coming across the slabs between the Sluices and Buck Island Lake was quite an experience in learning the sidehill capabilities of one’s vehicle. My eyes were constantly glued to the Lev-O-Guage mounted in Scott Wilson’s 4Runner. So many times it felt as if we were going over but just as the truck began to feel tippy, we’d settle back to a more level plane. We decided to stop at Buck Island Lake, near the outflow tunnel, for lunch before we pushed on into Rubicon Springs.
Still amazed at the lack of trail casualties, I apparently spoke too soon as a member of our group popped a bead on one of his new Goodyear MT/R tires. He was all set to get out his spare and change it when a pit crew style group attacked his rig with full force. Equipped with a Power Tank, this pseudo-NASCAR team had the tire reseated in no time.
The part of this trip that I was looking forward to the most was the Big Sluice, and it was nearly around the corner for us at this point. I had seen several pictures of trucks making the big left turn to descend the Big Sluice, and now I was there. I figured that once the big turn was made, the rest of the trip into the springs would be a breeze. Not so, as the Big Sluice offers many tight turns around immovable boulders and trees. It may be a downhill run, but the driver gets a real workout coming through this section.
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| Proud owner of an unseated MTR |
At the bottom of the Big Sluice we were treated to another great sight, the Rubicon River Bridge. This bridge, originally constructed in 1947, has enjoyed maintenance and renovation as needed by many generous 4WD clubs. Once into Rubicon Springs, we made a quick line to water to cool off and clean up. The Springs area is located at about 6,000 feet in elevation and offers many shady places to camp, some right near the water. Already at the Springs were fellow TLCA members preparing for the big dinner and raffle to be held Saturday night.
From the Springs we set out to the end of the trail through some dense-growth pine groves and a muddy area known as the swamp. This is another section with many switchbacks through the trees. Past this point is the base of Cadillac Hill, the last major obstacle on the Rubicon. Cadillac is a steep, rocky climb up out of the valley. The farther up the trail, the steeper it becomes and the rocks keep getting bigger. On the way up, we passed a Hummer that had had a broken steering linkage. Two guys had walked out the night before and ridden motorcycles back in with the correct parts to repair it. After checking with them, we continued on to the overlook at Observation Point.
The Observation Point affords a view of the Rubicon River Gorge down below. Parts of the trail can be seen from here as well as Spider Lake. This is really the end of the trail, the remaining portion being a dirt road out to the west shore of Lake Tahoe.
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| This mini from Oregon had a beautiful flat bed and unique rack-system |
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| BJ-70 Cruiser from Canada |
Saturday at Rubicon Springs was a day of rest and play. A day to visit friends, and check out rigs. There was swimming and wading in the cool water of the Springs. A more enterprising group made a sort of water slide by stretching a winch cable across the river. Wheelers are an ingenious bunch!
The TLCA organized some friendly competition with horseshoes and volleyball games. TLCA supports wheeling as a family activity, and there were a lot of families in attendance. It was great to see kids and adults playing volleyball in the grassy area of the main camp.
Dinner was served in the early evening and, as usual, the kitchen crew did a great job feeding a very large and hungry group. The much anticipated raffle followed dinner. The raffle is always a highlight and this year was no exception with lucky winners throughout the crowd.
The culmination of Rubithon 2000 began after the raffle. The dance floor was cleared and the stage was set for live music and dancing. Sunday morning came and it was time to pack up the camping gear and memories and head for home.
I came away totally impressed by the Rubicon. Not only by the sheer beauty of the trail, but in the enormous effort expended by the TLCA and the people that make it the great organization that it is. The participants and trail committee people helped less experienced wheelers when they needed help, and made the event enjoyable for all.
I’d like to take the time to thank Kara Patston of the TLCA, as well as our trail leaders, Kevin and Geoff, for making this a great experience and one that I will look forward to attending next year. By far, the largest amount of praise needs to go to Mike Trathen, Rubithon event chairman. Without Mike, the Rubithon would not exist. When the participants of Rubithon '00 were crossing the slabs, traversing the Sluices, or acending Cadillac Hill, Mike was behind the scenes, assuring the event ran as smoothly as possible. Thanks Mike!
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