Southern Rockies Exploration Week/Weekend

Started by Red90, June 07, 2019, 08:20 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

Linked Events

headdamage

Just got the 200tdi fired up in the 90 for the first time today. Get the body back together Sunday and take it for a test drive.

B-Red

I am playing this on day by day basis. Some work related travel is taking place this summer with continuous moving targets. I will hopefully know during that week.
Emad

Red90

#32
If you are interested in coming, even if it is a maybe, let us know. We are having a little chat about things tonight and one of us will send out direct emails shortly after to anyone with interest.

Definites:
John (90)
Andrew (90)
Kirk & Daryl (LR3)

Maybes:
Matt (RRC)
Bill and Craig (110 or RRC)
Emad (D2)
Curtis (D1)
Ian (Series 1)

Gardenome

I'm a maybe. S1 is running quite good. Couple tweaks and need to make sure it can handle the long drive there. Would rather tow it that distance.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

88Hillman

#34
I'm in good shape with the LR3.

1) Transmission fill and leak have been sorted finally.  2) Warn 9.5XP is back on, new relay installed in engine bay to replace solenoid pack and works for the first time since we bought the truck.
3) IIDTool connected last night to check codes and look for problems. (Next is to create a different height profile for offroad.)

Cheers,
Kirk

Sent from my SM-N960W using Tapatalk


binch

Definites:
John (90)
Andrew (90)
Kirk & Daryl (LR3)
Bill & Lloyd (110)

Maybes:
Matt (RRC)
Craig Looking for an extra seat if one is available please
Curtis (D1) (I thought Nicole and Curtis were coming along too with one of the kids)
Ian (Series 1)

Bailed out:
Emad (D2)
 
Cheers, Bill

Red90

Definites:
John (90)
Andrew (90)
Kirk & Daryl (LR3)
Bill & Lloyd (110)

Maybes:
Matt (RRC)
Craig Looking for an extra seat if one is available please
Curtis (D1)
Ian (Series 1)
Eric (110) possible starting Sunday.

pechanec

At this point we're still a maybe. The firing issue we thought Bert had solved, is still bedevilling us. The disco goes back tomorrow for another round. Here's hoping! If it works out, we'll be myself, Nicole and 2 kids

Sent from my XP7700 using Tapatalk


DBrands


Definites:
John (90)
Andrew (90)
Kirk & Daryl (LR3)
Bill & Lloyd (110)
David & Craig (if he wants to; pack light!) Fri-Tues (D90)

Maybes:
Matt (RRC)
Craig Looking for an extra seat if one is available please
Curtis (D1)
Ian (Series 1)
Eric (110) possible starting Sunday.
David B

1990 D90 - 200TDI

Matt H

It's still looking good for my son Jason and I. Likely I will take the 110 SW as I want to do a good shakedown run on the new suspension and tyres while loaded with camping gear.

Really looking forward to this.  8)
No Road Except For Land-Rover.

Gardenome

Work he's decided to send me out of town this week and the one just after this camping trip. Going to stay closer to home instead. Count me out, sorry.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

pechanec

Disco is fixed ( touch wood) we'll be there tomorrow. Myself Nicole and our son Chris

Sent from my XP7700 using Tapatalk


binch

Lloyd and I returned home to Edmonton last night after a great weekend!    Matt and Jason, Curtis, Nicole and Chris, Craig, Lloyd and I were down for the weekend while John & Jude, Kirk and Darrel, Andrew and David continued on driving the trails for the rest of the week.   It was really great to meet up with guys many of the guys from the original trip back in 2012.   

Lloyd and I drove down to Claresholm on Thursday to meet up with Craig and headed off Friday to the Dutch Creek Rec area to meet up with John, Andrew, Kirk and Darrel...who were coming down from Calgary.  Once we found a suitable campsite along the creek we went about setting up camp.    Matt and Jason (coming from Med Hat) arrived about 6pm or so and proceeded to put on dinner for evening (I think Joyce had a lot to do with it too) and provided a wonderful 3 bean chilli supper for us on Friday evening.   We left a little bit extra for David who made it down about 930pm.   

We had a fire going and enjoyed the light show of a nearby lightening storm to the north.  But since we had the tarps all set up we all enjoyed the fire and some good old bantering and laughter.    The group stayed up well into the dark but one by one we began to turn in for the night.   I kept an eye on the road, watching for Curtis, Nicole and Chris to show up in their disco but I didn't make it much past 10pm.     Sounds like they may have gone past the access to our camp about 11pm or so, not seeing us they made camp in an adjacent meadow.   But we found them early Saturday.   

Kirk and his dad Darrel made fine breakfast of French toast and bacon for us, before we all broke camp and packed up the trucks again.   They we head out on a couple of local trails to see where they went.   With all the controls they were putting on vehicle access in the area there were many logging access trails that were NOT listed on the map in any way.   But not wanting to temp fate we turned back from them.  Eventually we made our way to Race Horse Pass, where an access road went over a 7000' pass from Albert into the BC side.   The Albertas side is a pretty good trail going up through a large scree field that's been rutted pretty good with erosion.  Bu the BC side had had much of the soil washed from the trail, leaving a very rocky down trail to the valley.   Kirk had his LR3 and was saying the technology in the vehicle made the very rough trail seem effortless.   

While at the top we stopped for a bit of food when a group of two heavily modified yeeps and a relatively stock tocoma came by, all with Saskatchewan plates.   They were in the area for a while checking out as many trails as they could.   I was wondering how the tocoma made out on the rocks coming down as it didn't appear to have any underbody armour and stock tires.

We had brilliant day on the trails and the dust was kept to a minimum with the rains we had the night before.   By 4pm we were making camp on Saturday, but spread out a bit due to the heavy brush in the area.    John, Jude and I went down stream a bit where John pointed out a cache of metal frame bunk beds and a few spring sets.   There had to be 12 or 15 of them all lined up along the stream.   No building remnants to be seen or any reason why they were there.....but they were.   Interesting....

Craig, Lloyd and I put on a dinner of smoke beef brisket on a bun with gravy and a side of Kale, sunflower seed and cranberry salad.   No left overs that meal!!!   The rest of the evening was spent around the campfire again, chatting and laughing some more!     I turned in when the rains came again and slept like a log going through the saw mill....or at least that's what they told me later.

After Craig and David's breakfast of blue berry and banana pancakes we broke camp, saying our farewells to the group that would be continuing on for the rest of the week.   Matt & Jason, Lloyd, Craig & I were heading home and the Pechanics were off to do a bit of fishing as they made their way north again.    We left the club's new SPOT emergency beacon with the group to break it in over the week.

It was a was a great trip and I really enjoyed meeting up with some of the folks from our original trip so many years ago...   ;-)

Thanks for again for setting it all up John!!!!
Cheers, Bill

Red90

#43
We are all back safe and sound.

After saying our goodbyes Sunday morning, the four trucks headed north to find the dirt route to Elkford.  We started up the Soap Creek Trail, which seems to have become rougher since our last visit.  The trail ends at the Harmer Creek Road via what is now a very washed out, steep decent.  It was about this time, Kirk was finding that the LR3 was randomly turning off all of the the electronic aids and had to make the hairy decent using only brake modulation.  Fortunately, traction was good and we all made it down unscathed.

You cannot view this attachment.

We put the trucks into rally race mode and headed down the gravel road for Elkford. A short way into the drive we came across a couple with the hood up on their old Ford pickup.  We stopped to see if they needed help.  They asked if we could drive them to cell reception.  The guy and two dogs squeezed into the cab of David's 90 pickup and the girl into Andrew's spare seat.  Once reaching the highway just south of town, we dropped them off, aired up and headed into the little smoke.  A short stop for lunch and to top up the single tankers and we headed north again.

A short drive out of town brings us to the trailhead for the Koko Claims / Crossing Creek trail.  It is well marked with a large sign and map.  Strangely the icons on the pole are of ATVs and bikes...  Andrew's quadder acquaintances had told him that there was no way a truck could make it through.  In a continuing effort to locate this magic type of trail that a quad can drive and a a truck cannot, we felt is necessary to investigate this claim.  The trail is 17 km long from highway to the FSR with 2950 feet of accent and a summit at 6800 feet. It starts out with a few kilometers of easy dirt with a gentle climb.  It then becomes a series of very rough, rocky climbs towards the summit.  By this time, Kirk had determined that a quick ctrl-alt-del of the LR3 got him the magic powers back and it climbed without a complaint. On the second hardest of the hills the LR3 decided it wanted to have a nap on a rock.  With a Defender, the normal course of action is to curse, put the lever into R and enjoy the scrape of metal on rock as you backup and try a new approach.  Apparently with these fancy new fangled trucks, you need to sit down and gently explain to them you are sorry for taking a bad line and if they would not mind getting off of the rock, you would promise to do better the second time.  It seems that Kirk's phone and the LR3 are friends.  Kirk had a chat to the phone and after the phone explained it was a little embarrassing having a nap on the hill with all the Defender owners standing around, it agreed to get up off of the rock, so that the silly huuman could be given a second chance.  The crux of the Koko Claims trail is the final hill before the summit.  300 meters long with a couple of ledges, the last being just short of the top.  After a brief reconnaissance, we headed up and all made it through with only a winching of a few feet for the unlocked 90.

Following a nice stop at the top, where there is a snowmobile club cabin and an outhouse, we headed down the shorter decent, which was mostly dirt hills.  If you want the easier option, west to east is the one.  This brought us out to the Bull River FSR.  There is a government campsite just to the north, but we decided to first look for a random spot.  The topography suggested the south would provide the best chance. Around 7 km down the road, we found a nice spot on the river and setup camp as the rain began once again.  We had dinner and chatted into the evening and headed to bed to listen to another night of wetness.

You cannot view this attachment.

You cannot view this attachment.

You cannot view this attachment.

Red90

Monday morning we packed up in the rain and headed south on the Bull River FSR and then out the Sulfur Hartley FSR to Fernie for a quick resupply mission.  The Sulfur Hartley is a really nice road and is one to have a look at, if you are in the area.  We marked a few nice campsites along the way.  What we did notice is that it was dry everywhere except our campsites.  We seem to be seeing a trend.

After lunch and shopping in Fernie, we headed west on the #3 and then up to Fort Steele.  From Fort Steele, we headed north up the Mause Boulder FSR and onto the Wildhorse River FSR.  The road became narrower and rougher and eventually turned into a track.  Near the end of what is shown as a road on the map, we searched for the Wildhorse River hotsprings.  This is shown as a waypoint on the Backroad Maps.  We spent a half an hour searching, but could see nothing in the area of the waypoint.  More research and a return trip will be in order.

After the failed attempt for locating the hotsprings, we decided it was time to search for a spot to camp and it started to rain once again.  A little farther north we found a spot to pitch our tents.  We had a nice evening around the fire and after dark we spotted some strange dots of lights in the sky.  We are still wondering what they may have been.

You cannot view this attachment.