Silver Lake 2

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=85 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>Caintmakit! Racing</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" ><B>     </B></FONT><B>|     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Caintmakit! 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 Most of us retire around 1 am, and I sleep in casa de WarPig.</div> <bR> <div> Saturday morning rolls around, and we're off to the dunes.  Since the voucher system wasn't in effect, we had to wait about 15 minutes to enter the park.  No big deal, that gave most of us enough time to air down our tires.  We roll in, take a run through the dunes, and start driving around...when DJ's Jeep starts puking coolant.  Fan went through the radiator.  They haul it back to the campsite, do their best hick engineering, and return by about 1pm, meeting us at the diner.  In the meantime, 3 of our 4 vehicles had been jumped in one form or another.  The most spectacular was Skip's, as shown here:</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="3cefa3a0.jpg" border=0 width="506" height="314" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> This would come to bite him in the ass later...</div> <bR> <div> With DJ back running, we cross through a couple deep puddles, then head out onto the 'trails' carved in the sand.  Not two minutes later, the ground terminal gets fried on the Jeep.  We trace the problem to the motor mount bosses being broken off the block, and the motor shifted over approximately 3 inches.  Hence the fan tearing up the radiator earlier.  So he got towed to the parking lot by the 'Burban, and all is well.</div> <bR> <div> In the meantime, the Dumpster and I drag race, and the unthinkable occured: the F150 won in 4wd, yet I kicked ass in 2wd!  We can't figure it out either..so we called it a tie.  We then spent a good deal amount of time parked at the top of test hill, watching the other lifted trucks fail miserably.  Clown time it was.  It got boring, especially combined with the Burban's cooling problems, so I ran the dunes again.  We made it a point to blast the dixie horn at the bottom of test hill upon ascent, usually next to hot chicks in lifted Chevy pickups.</div> <bR> <div> Matt, Brian and I are cruising along in the Warpig, and I attempt the last hill in the steepest spot possible.  I got stuck three friggin times!  I lifted too early each time, and got high-centered, as shown here:</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="3d6c7550.jpg" border=0 width="455" height="341" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> The last attempt almost stuck three different trucks, including the Dumpster.  With 2 trucks pulling on it at once it came free...the debacle was almost indescribeable.  I didn't see it, but apparently the good 'ol boy almost hit the dumpster when yanking me out. Oh well! </div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="3e580e00.jpg" border=0 width="640" height="480" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> We go for one more round, and the inviteable occurs:  Skip bites off a little more jump than he can chew.  The report from Wolak was that air was seen under all 4 of his tires going UP the dune.  While nobody saw the landing, the aftermath is apparent:</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="3d8f7790.jpg" border=0 width="503" height="377" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> Stick a fork in it, that axle is DONE!  This signaled the end of our fun, as Skip limped it out of the park, and laid it to rest outside the Chassis Shop.  Retrieval of that vehicle is another debacle, and that story will be posted shortly.</div> <bR> <div> The remainder of the evening was spent around the campfire, consuming Natty Ice, telling stories, and eating approximately three rounds of dinner.  Good times were had by all.  Because Hotel Burban was elsewhere, Skip and Brian needed places to sleep.  Skip retired (slightly intoxicated) on DJ's trailer, and Brian slept in the East wing of the Warpig.  Woke up the next morning...cleaned up the mess, and left for our respective homes.  Bob in particular wasn't feeling very well, and made his illness known on the side of 31 South.  Pics captured below.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="3dfbd4e0.jpg" border=0 width="445" height="334" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="3da80e00.jpg" border=0 width="640" height="480" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="3dc09870.jpg" border=0 width="521" height="391" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <div>  <IMG SRC="3de38aa0.jpg" border=0 width="568" height="426" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="3e1f13e0.jpg" border=0 width="753" height="574" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="3e280e00.jpg" border=0 width="640" height="480" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Enjoy!</B></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>