GETTIN’ OFF 4X4 Off-Road Club – Dec 21 Meeting Minutes

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2012-2013 Officers: President: Terry, VP: Brian B, Treasurer: Don, Secretary: Paul E.
Meeting Time & Location: Every 2nd Tuesday at 7, Antonella’s Ristorante (patio area), 1701 Park Avenue, San Jose , CA 95126 (408) 279-4922.
Website http://www.gettinoff4x4.com/

4:30 Meeting Start

WELCOME and Board Reports

President – Terry: Welcomed all members & guests to the meeting & Christmas party. Spoke about the Toys-4-Tots run.
Vice President – Brian:
Treasurer – Don: “financially sound”
Secretary – Paul: Spoke briefly on recent trail access rulings & legislation. See ‘Saving Our Trails’ below.
Members Attending (1 point): Aaron, Alane+kids, Alicia, Brad+guest, Brian, Chris+Layla, Don, Gary+guest, Joe, Lyle, Paul E, Paul H+spouse?, Mario+daughter, Matt, Randy, Roger, Terry, Tom.
Guests Visiting – Surprise guests were Amy G & Joe S. Great to see all the guests attending !

GENERAL NEWS, ACTIONS & IDEAS

1) (from prev. mtg) To promote our club, an idea is to print some simple ‘business’ cards to handout on the trail. If you’ve had experience with this, please assist. Someone noted Brad may have best quality digital artwork with newest logo. No activity yet.

2) (from prev. mtg) We asked if the club’s website should it be updated every month, or just include general info. Terry said should we have current info, and most agreed. This will show the club as fully active. We needed someone to update the website at least once per month, and Rahul has graciously volunteered ! (we should not publish any member’s emails, last names, telephone numbers, dollar amounts, other personal information, to protect the integrity of the club and the privacy of members). Thanks Rahul !

VEHICLE PAINS & PROJECTS

(no reports this month)

RECENT RUNS & ‘Chances to Lock Axles’

1) November 28-30 – Thanksgiving weekend, Panamint Valley+DV. Joe headed this run which included northern routes in DV & Panamint Valley. Included were Lemounge Canyon, Loolout City, Defense Mine. Had Thanksgiving Dinner at Panamint Springs Resort, wheeling on Friday & Saturday. Joe arrived before Thursday for pre-runs. There were some county road outages-closures that shaped the itinerary. On the run: Joe, Alicia, Eric, Dave, Aaron, Ron, (anyone else? ; Sorry I did not get all the places Joe spoke of, but it sounds like they had plenty of places to explore; ed.)

2) December 4 – Toys for Tots Run. 3 PM, school parking lot across from Antonella’s & caravan’ed to Christmas-in-the-Park in downtown San Jose to drop off un-wrapped gifts for children, sponsered by Marines. Big Thanks to those who participated: Joe, Alicia, Aaron, Alaine, Ron, Gary, Tom, Lyle, Roger, Brad, Eric(?). Drop off location changed to the other side, & caused a bit of confusion. Went well overall.

3) December 21, 4:00 PM – Holiday Party & Dinner at Antonella’s! Our monthly meeting was followed by our Christmas Dinner Party. The dinner Antonella’s was excellent as always. Each member & guest brought a wrapped gift for the gift ‘swap-o-rama’. The hot item was the the hand-held search light, “stolen” 3 times (the max). Festivities ended about 7:30.

UPCOMING RUNS (2 points)

1) Dec 26 though Dec 29/30 – Panamint Valley, staying in Area 52. Lyle & Randy are there right now, through this weekend. Temperature should be very nice there now. Enjoy !

2) January 14 – Monthly Meeting at Antonellas, 7:00 pm.

3) January 18 – Hollister Hills

4) February 22 – Snow Run. Suggestions open.

SAVING OUR TRAILS
–Brief update–

1) Signed by Obama yesterday, the US Defense Appropriations Bill will allow Johnson Valley to be shared with the Dept Of the Navy (Marines) rather than fully deeded to them. The compromise will allow Johnson Valley to be used for Marines training for 60 days per year, the remaining time for public recreation access. In the deal the Navy will get some new permanent land from the BLM, just not the larger popular areas traditionally used by off-roaders and the Hammers races.
2) A Calif judge in Sacramento upheld the “demurer” placed by attorneys from the state of CA (Kamela Harris’s office), which says that PEER/DPC do not have legal standing, as argued, to enforce the land management policies within Calif State Parks, OHV Division, Ocotillo Wells SVRA. CORVA was influential as an intervener in this ruling. PEER/DPC will probably appeal, so it’s not a 100% done deal yet.
3) In not so great news, federal judge said that Tahoe National Forest’s newly restrictive Travel Management Plan was legal, which closes 800 miles of existing routes there. This may be appealed also.

Although these rulings may not seem to directly affect our favorite wheeling locations, they set legal precedence for potential future attacks on our favorite areas, such as Stanislaus & Eldorado NFs, Panamint and Hollister.

~5:15 pm Meeting end, Dinner Party begins.

GETTIN’ OFF 4X4 Off-Road Club – Nov 12 Meeting Agenda

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2012-2013 Officers: President: Terry, VP: Brian B, Treasurer: Don, Secretary: Paul E.
Meeting Time & Location: Every 2nd Tuesday at 7, Antonella’s Ristorante (patio), 1701 Park Avenue, San Jose , CA 95126 (408) 279-4922.
Website http://www.gettinoff4x4.com/

7:00 Buffet Dinner is $10 for Salad, Pasta, Pizza, Bread & Soft drinks, or order from the menu directly. To help Antonella’s cover the cost of hosting our meeting, members are encouraged to enjoy a dinner here.

7:30 Meeting Start

WELCOME and Board Reports

President – Terry: Welcome Members & Guests.
Vice President – Brian:
Treasurer – Don:
Secretary – Paul:

Members Attending (1 point):
Guests Visiting –

GENERAL NEWS & ACTIONS

1) To promote our club, an idea is to print some simple ‘business’ cards to handout on the trail. If you’ve had experience with this, please assist. Someone noted Brad may have best quality digital artwork with newest logo.

2) Our donation to CORVA was acknowledged in their November newsletter: http://www.corva.org/pages.php?pageid=89

3) Keep up on writing comments to your legislators & land managers ! (1 point). See Saving Our Trails, below.

4) Website content discussion.

VEHICLE PAINS & PROJECTS
1)

RECENT RUNS & ‘Chances to Lock Axles’

1) We had a good turnout for our fall trail clean-up at Sourgrass Rec Area near Dorrington on Hwy 4. The weather was about perfect for working on the trail. There was some litter to pick up, and nearly all the usually blocked spur routes had been re-opened. The FS wants them closed, so we rebuilt the barriers again. At the spur just before the creek crossing Terry dragged a big log down the hill and we set it in place, with nearby boulders. Other than the creek xing and a small spring, the trail was completely dry. This time there’s just a few photos+video, as we have plenty photos from before:

http://4door4x4.smugmug.com/Off-Road-Trips-1/Sourgrass-Nov-2103/33215538_Sf5bP7

UPCOMING RUNS (2 points)

1) November 28-30 – Thanksgiving weekend, Panamint Valley+DV. Joe will talk about the run Looks like we have a contingent going thus far. Will have Thanksgiving Dinner at Panamint Springs Resort, wheeling on Friday & Saturday. Arrive Thursday, drive home Sunday. Joe will be arriving before Thursday for pre-runs, anyone interested in arriving early can help out too. There are some county road outages-closures that will shape this trip itinerary.

2) December 7 (mid afternoon) or 21 (early evening) – Toys for Tots for the Marines at Christmas in the Park & Holiday Dinner at Antonella’s.
3) January tbd

8:30 Meeting end.

GETTIN’ OFF 4X4 Off-Road Club – June 11 Meeting Minutes

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2012-2013 Officers: President: Terry, VP: Brian B, Treasurer: Don, Secretary: Paul E.

Meeting Time & Location: Every 2nd Tuesday at 7, Antonella’s Ristorante, 1701 Park Avenue, San Jose , CA 95126 (408) 279-4922. 
Website http://gettinoff4x4.net
7:00 Buffet Dinner $10: Salad, Pasta, Pizza, Bread, Soft drinks. To help Antonella’s cover the cost of hosting our meeting in the patio dining area, members are encouraged to enjoy the buffet dinner or order from the menu. 

7:30 Meeting Start

WELCOME, REPORTS and ANNOUNCEMENTS

President –  Terry: Dues are Due next month, $60. Terry also asked about Gary’s health status, and it was mentioned he is at home but it is has been tough. He is requiring antibiotics and a wheelchair to move around. Our best thoughts and prayers are with Gary for a solid recovery. Gary we all miss you, and hope to see you soon !
Vice President – Brian: Noted his son Albert has a significant concert coming up. All are invited, and see information in Brian’s email from about 1 week ago.
Treasurer – Don: Noted we have about $X in the account.
Secretary – Paul: (did I say anything important?)
Members Attending – Good turnout: Ron, Roger, Eric, Lyle, Paul H, Paul E, Alicia, Don, Rahul, Aaron, Randy, Brian,
Guests – Matt
GENERAL NEWS & PENDING BUSINESS
1) DUES are DUE: $60/yr ($45 for access advocacy, $15 to club account). Bring check or cash to next meeting.
2) Club member participation points. Terry will bring point chart to net meeting.  Points begin to tally July 1. Idea is to award a point winner once per quarter, and an overall annual winner. Awards may include dinners at Antonella’s, club dues, gift cert’s to Harbor Freight Tools, etc.
3) NEW MEMBER ! Matt has just met the run and meeting attendance requirements, and was voted-in by the membership. Congratulations Matt ! Alicia will add him onto the mail list.
4) Eric updated our web site, and appears in Google searches now. Related: after the meeting we talked about printing business cards to hand out, promoting the club.
VEHICLE PAINS & PROJECTS
1) Paul: Passed smog check with full 33″ tires. I guess that new cat is working good. No issues, except if you use an aftermarket locking gas cap, be sure to engage or click it in the fully locked position before the technician tests it. They leak in the unlocked position. Fortunately I had spare cap on hand.
2) Paul H – Broke front outer axle at Hollister during a simple turn; totally unexpected !
3) Don – new pinion seal installed, was leaking.
4) Matt –  4.7 installed, Marlin Crawler TC, excellent.
RECENT RUNS & ‘Chances to Lock Axles’:
1) May 18 – Hollister Hills. Anyone go? Yes, glad to hear a few were able go – Paul H, Don & Matt. Matt was having traction issues uphill until he discovered it was not in 4WD(oops). A few fender blemishes were added too. Paul had the axle break. Hope all had good time otherwise.
UPCOMING RUNS – New dates!
1) June 15 – Slick Rock. Your trail leaders will be Brian / Paul. Hwy 4 protocol. We have Brian, Paul, Aaron, Ron & Rahul signed up. If time allows afterward we’ll run the Round Valley route, which starts just east of the Bear Valley Ski Area. Meet at 7:30 Arco at Grant Line Rd or  9:15 Burger King in Angels Camp or 11 am Spicer Meadows Rd parking lot off Hwy 4.
2) July 20-21 (new date) – Shaver Lake Area Pre-run for the BBQ in August. We’ll check out access for camping & trailers, and some of the shorter routes up there. A possible place to camp with trailer access is where the Cal4’s High Sierra Poker Run is based, however this is a “primitive” camp (no water; maybe chemical toilets), so we’ll look for a group camp with improved facilities also.
3) Aug (15) 16,17,18 – BBQ Run. Shaver Lake Area. We’ll have a potluck BBQ and prizes for everyone. Camp with the group or motel in the town of Shaver lake. We have not been to Shaver Lake area for a some time; it will be new trails for many of us.
4) September 14: Terry proposed Deer Valley or Barrett Lake. Unfortunately the access to these trials is currently limited or closed, due the anti’s lawsuit against Eldorado Nat Forest. It is possible the status of these routes will change in the next 4-6 weeks, either for the better or worse. (then there’s always Barney Riley !)
5) Early October – Lyle and Randy are hoping to run to Colorado and Moab. Superb wheeling for about one week.
6) November: Adopt-A-Trail in early Nov. and Panamint Valley during & after Thanksgiving.
**Chris W had mentioned he may lead a proper Rubicon Run from Loon Lake this summer (Jeep Jamboree is Aug 8-11. Jeeper’s Jamboree is ?.)**
Meeting adjournment: 8:15 PM. Next meeting: July 9.
Chime-in if I missed something !
Paul E

 

GETTIN’ OFF 4X4 Off-Road Club – May 14 Meeting Minutes

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2012-2013 Officers: President: Terry, VP: Brian B, Treasurer: Don, Secretary: Paul E.
Meeting Time & Location: Every 2nd Tuesday at 7, Antonella’s Ristorante, 1701 Park Avenue, San Jose , CA 95126 (408) 279-4922. 
Website http://gettinoff4x4.net
7:00 Buffet Dinner $10: Salad, Pasta, Pizza, Bread, Soft drinks. To help Antonella’s cover the cost of hosting our meeting in the patio dining area, members are encouraged to enjoy the buffet dinner or order from the menu. 

7:30 Meeting Start

WELCOME, REPORTS and ANNOUNCEMENTS

President –  Terry: No special announcements, other than noting Gary had to go to the hospital due to issues with his foot healing properly. Our best wishes and prayers go out to Gary for a full recovery. See you soon, Gary !
Vice President – Brian: Present. Announced his son Albert was accepted with a substantial scholarship into a music major program at ? (sorry Brian, I forgot the name) and will be having an organ and harpsichord recital in El Cerrito very soon. Brian will send an email with all the info, times, etc. Congratulations Albert !
Treasurer – Don:  Brought T-shirt box, for Rahul.
Secretary – Paul: Call to action on the RTP. Email the governor & your local state legislators. Info below.
Members Attending –  Brad, Don, Aaron, Rahul, Brian, Terry, Eric, Roger, Paul, Alicia.
Guests – Matt.
GENERAL NEWS & PENDING BUSINESS
1) Award points for member participation. Chris created a spreadsheet to tally points for club activities attended. Award points will begin to tally July 1. Plans are to award a winner once per quarter, and an overall winner for the year. Awards may include dinners at Antonella’s, club dues, gift cert’s to Harbor Freight Tools, etc.
2) We opened the meeting for any new nominations for club board members for the 2013-2014 term. No new nominations were proposed. A simple aye/nay voice vote was taken to elect those previously nominated, which consisted of the current board. The current board was re-elected.
3) Don gave Rahul his official GO 4×4 Club T-shirt. Ask Don if you would like a club T-shirt and/or patch.
4) Gov Brown just announced his 2013-14 Budget. It proposes to remove California from the nationwide Recreational Trails Program (RTP). Don Amador, who is the Northern Calif. consultant to Cal4 on natural resources, wrote briefly on this, at: http://thegeneralsrecreationden.blogspot.com/2013/05/ca-trail-users-alert-ask-gov-brown-to.html. Email the governor & your local state legislators to say NO way. I sent emails to Gov Brown and my local representative.
5) Vehicles or 4×4 stuff for sale? Post items at go4x4club@yahoogroups.com. Enter a new Subject line for each listing.
VEHICLE PAINS & PROJECTS
1) Paul E – Heard rattle sound near transfer case when idling. Thought it might be a loose bearing race in the transmission, kinda sounded like it. Holding the muffler with a gloved hand stopped the rattle. Phew! Was actually the cat. conv. coming part inside. I don’t like more rattles than necessary, so had the cat & muffler replaced at Joe’s at Calabazas RV. Contrary to popular lore, the cat itself was only about $160, not too bad. Maybe this will get me off the ‘gross-polluter’ list at smog check time. Each replacement cat now has to be registered with the State Of CA ARB, in triplicate paperwork!
2) Brad – belt issues, but motor running sweet.
3) Rahul – New axle & lockers installed ! Ford 8.8 in rear, D30 up front. ARBs f/r, 4.11 ring & pinion. Ready to rock ! (not roll)
4) Don – Two new “meats” (tires)
5) Eric – (re-?) painting rock rails.
RECENT RUNS & ‘Chances to Lock Axles’:
1) April 20 : Adopt-A-Trail / Sourgrass up Hwy 4. Great turnout on this run ! Work was mostly draining big puddles off the trail surface, not much trimming or litter pick-up needed. Terry invited the Lock and Load club to join us, but none came. There was no snow on the trail, but plenty up the highway at Slick Rock, where some of us went afterward. Kudos to Alane for navigating the TJ over all the trails ! Don camped overnight there and met a few of the Joaquin Jeepers, who are the adopters of Slick Rock trail. Photos: http://4door4x4.smugmug.com/Off-Road-Trips-1/Sourgrass-Adopt-A-trail-April/29028708_7L8MQ8
UPCOMING RUNS – New dates & places announced !
1) May 18 – Hollister Hills. We meet at the obstacle course area at the Upper Ranch about 9 am. Get the upper ranch gate code from the lower main entrance station. Bring a lunch. Don & Matt expressed interest. Do send out an email to the club if you are going !
2) June 15 – Slick Rock or Barney Riley. Your trail leaders will be Brian & Paul, as Terry is booked-out in June. Slick Rock is a full one day trip, while Barney Riley is best as an overnight (June 14-15 or 15-16).
3) July 26-27 or 27-28 – Shaver Lake Area. This is a Pre-run for the BBQ run in August. We’ll check out access for camping & trailers, and some of the shorter routes up there. A good place to camp with trailer access is where the Cal4’s High Sierra Poker Run is based. Our club has not been to Shaver Lake area for a long time.
  • The room pricing at Cal-Neva Lodge turned out to be a bit higher than preferred ($80-$100+). Members thought regular camping would be just fine, per tradition. Shaver Lake does have accommodations too, but they are no cheaper than Cal-Neva Lodge.
  • Unfortunately Deer Valley, Barrett Lake, Strawberry Pass, & most of Pardoe and others remain closed up by Eldorado National Forest. Some trails now closed might re-open for summer 2013)
4) Aug (15) 16,17,18 – BBQ Run. Shaver Lake Area. Campsite & routes to be run are tbd, based on the Pre-Run in July.
  • If you happen to be in the northwest Tahoe area, there are several good trails up there.
  • Chris W had mentioned he may lead a proper Rubicon Run from Loon Lake. Hopefully this still can take place. Jeep Jamboree is Aug 8-11. Jeeper’s Jamboree is ?.
5) September: Lyle and Randy are planning a trip to Colorado and/or Moab. Superb wheeling if you can get about a week off.
6) Early Oct: could swap with the Shaver Lake / Colorado runs.
7) Nov: Adopt-A-Trail. Hwy 4, Sourgrass Route and/or Panamint Valley.
8:30 PM: Meeting adjournment.
Next meeting: June 11.
Chime-in if I missed something !
Paul E