December 1, 2005    The Official Newsletter of the New Mexico 4-Wheelers    www.nm4w.org

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The meeting was held in room 407 in the Heights Cumberland Presbyterian Church.  Jason & Sara Lavy were our hosts and provided some wonderful snacks for after the meeting.  Mark Werkmeister called the meeting to order at 7:03 pm.

Guests:  Robert Gill–’93 Cherokee,  Ron Hyman-Samurai, Steve & Danette Collins–Rubicon, Heath Hislop–Samurai, Jordan Sousa-’03 Wrangler, Jerry Moran–’05 Rubicon, Chris and Andrea Michel-???

Members Present:  Abbate, Baca, Bontly, Brady, Chapin, Duggar, Eklund, Mr. Kiester, Lavy, Marx, Meier, Coe/Ohnesorg, Rector, Rodacy, Simenson, Tanner, Thompson, Werkmeister, Whiston Sr., Whiston Jr., and Wolf.

Secretary’s Report – Lauri Rector:  I had the meeting minutes all queued up in the computer and started reading them, but Laurye shut me down.  She called for a motion to dispense of the reading of the minutes and it was immediately seconded and passed.  I asked late arriving members and guests to be sure to sign the sign-in sheets.

Treasurer’s Report – Paul Thompson:  Reported that we had a balance of $2,415.99.

Vice President’s Report – Jeff Rector:  Fines: Glenn Bontly – got lost while leading the Caballo Lake run.  In fact, he lost the whole group.  50 cents for that, but 25 cent credit for finding a shortcut across river.  Jeff obediently read the list of what earns points – you to can read them from the SOPs.  He also explained why guests have to earn points before they can be voted in; it has to do with giving a guest a chance to get to know us and for us to get to know them.

Trip Chairman’s Report – Jason Lavy:  Glenn Bontly led Caballo Lake; good weather – all day for the run and for the pot-luck that evening.  They were able to get the back part of campground, thanks to the Whistons.  Glenn stated that he found lots of new roads and off shoots (read:  HE WAS LOST!), as well as a shortcut through the river.  They made it back to camp in record time. 

Mark Werkmeister is leading a work party at Gordy’s Hill this weekend.  Runs will be both on Saturday and Sunday and will leave at 9 am from the staging area (see web site or call Mark or Glenn).  Laurye Tanner is again teasing us with her Gumbo (which this time we will not get excited about until she actually sets the pot on the table).  Pot luck will be around 6 or so Saturday evening.  Bring plates (OK, and a bowl just in case Laurye does come through with the Gumbo this time), utensils, drinks, and a dish to share.  Bring gloves, shovels, prunners, and water for the trail building.  We may be able to play on Sunday.  This will be as much fun as you can have with your clothes on.

Mark Wolf will lead Sagebrush Flats on Saturday, November 19th – meet at the Conoco at 550 and 528.  May stop elsewhere for cheaper gas.  Bring trash bags as this will be a trail clean up run.  Mark usually leads this run on New Year’s Day, but is running it early this year due to plans for doing a run to Gordy’s Hill on New Year’s Weekend.  Details to follow at the December meeting and on the website.

Tom Hurt volunteered to lead the club’s annual Christmas Tree run on Saturday December 3^rd.  Meet at 550 and 528 at the Conoco at 9 am.

The annual holiday party and December meeting will be held on Saturday, December 10th at 5 pm at Phil and Ilene Rodacy’s home.  Directions are on web site on the member’s only page.  If you don’t have access to the member’s only page and wish to attend, please send an e-mail to the webmaster to request directions.

And then some of our retired members had to rub our face in some of the non-club runs that they recently did:

Frank Whiston led Behind the Reef last week with some friends from Utah.  They had to build the road up some on the 1^st corner.  They ran the trail beyond the start of Upper Little Wild Horse (which is usually where we turn off in the middle of Behind the Reef), Hidden Splendor mine where they saw wild sheep and wild horses, Copper Globe, and Red’s Canyon.  They ran Eagle Canyon the next day and saw Antelope.  They also hiked the slot canyon in Little Horse and did Goblin Canyon.  They also spent time on several of the trails in the Moab area.

Carlos Tanner did a Jeep Jamboree in Moab.  He and his son did Hells Revenge & Poison Spider.  They were also able to go on their own and did Elephant Hill.

Heath Hislop (hey, he’s not retired!!!!) went to Super Crawl and brought in some free stuff for the raffle.  He highly recommends that we go to one of these events if we ever get a chance.

Director of Environmental Affairs Report – Bob Norton: absent.  No one else had any information to give.

Program Chairman’s Report – Leon Duggar:  He has T shirts for sale, 50/50 raffle tickets, hats, stickers, sweat shirts, and dash plaques. 

Historian’s Report – Laurye Tanner:  She needs pictures.  She hasn’t received any since Silverton.  She’s trying to figure out how to do digital movies.  She brought in a slide show and a video clip if it will work. 

Old Business:  Mike Coe asked about if we changed the mileage for Associate Membership and asked why the Associate Member dues are so cheap.  Usually clubs will charge the same price as voting membership. 

New Business: 4 Wheel Parts sent a letter to Mark Werkmeister making an offer to us to join their club program.  Club program benefits: 5% off for point of purchase. 2% rebate of club purchases which is paid to the club quarterly, club cards for each members, they will provide food and beverage and meeting space for a club meeting, support for club events (donate door prizes and stuff for events), link from their website to our club website, listing of club events on their web site and a free magazine.

In return for these benefits, the NM4Ws would provide them with a complete list of names, addresses, and email addresses.  We must put a link on our website to their website.  Provide them with any membership changes.

They sent us some t-shirts and hitch plugs that will be put in the raffle tonight.  And they provided us with some copies of Dirt Sport Magazine.

Frank Whiston motioned that we participate, stating that a majority of us are already are on their mailing list so there’s really no additional liability.  Jerry Marx brought up that we are a well know New Mexico 4-wheeling group and that if we do it for one business, we should do it for all.  It was also brought up that we have turned down many businesses as a club in the past.  Mark said that 4 Wheel Parts is a national chain and is well known nationally, but not well known locally.  Mike Coe said that has bought wheels from them and service wasn’t all that great, but they usually get things worked out in the long run.  It was asked where they were located and someone responded that their show room was at Menaul and Vassar.  Mr. Kiester has never been happy with their service.  They have higher prices, not the most knowledgeable sales people, and he felt more comfortable with Auto Zone than them.  Leon Duggar mentioned Desert Rat and the discount that they give club members and they do not expect anything in return from us.  Some brought up that Desert Rat has always done well by the club and that these two businesses are direct competitors – is that fair to Desert Rat?  Someone else asked if the 5% discount is on top of their sale price?  Mike Coe responded by saying that he’s been told they only honor one discount.  Ron Hyman offered that he did not like his experience with them during their grand opening and he does not feel that we should endorse them on our web site.  Can club members who are not interested be removed from list that we give them?  Mark doesn’t think they will do that.  It was voted down – not one hand raised in favor (Leon helped Mark count hands). 

Voted in as new members were Steve and Danette Collins, Jordan Sousa, and Heath Hislop.  Welcome!!!

Meeting adjourned at 7:46 pm

Winners of the raffle:
            Hitch plug & t-shirt – Jerry Marx
            Black t-shirt – Jeff Rector
            Hitch plug & t-shirt – Ryan Eklund
            Red ball cap - Carlos Tanner
            Hitch plug & t-shirt – Paul Thompson
            Hitch plug & t-shirt – Werkmeister (*sike)
            $120 in pot - $60 to winner – Robert Gill

*Leon goofed.  He realized, after Mark’s ticket was drawn, that he did not have another Hitch plug & t-shirt to give away.  So, Mark not only did not win that, he also didn’t win the pot.

First of all, I would like to thank the New Mexico 4 Wheelers for all the thoughts, prayers, and support that you have shown Jennifer and I and our families over the past two weeks.  It meant a lot to us and we really appreciate it.

Happy holidays to everyone!  The end of the year is drawing near and the club will mark this month with two long-standing traditions:  The tree-cutting run and the annual holiday party.  Barring any major snow, the tree-cutting run should be an easy, fun trek up into the Jemez to harvest some trees.  The annual holiday party and its details are up on the web site.  No one ever goes away hungry from one of these famous food fests!  So put on the red and white hats, loosen up your belts, and join the fun.

It is not too early to start thinking about the organization of the 2006 SWFWDA Summer Quarterly that our club has agreed to host.  We need ideas on where, when, etc., and a core group of people who will take on the responsibilities of fleshing out the details.  Thanks in advance for your support.

Mark

For some, the “Jeep Thing” doesn’t disappear, it just takes a break.  Phil Rodacy is a case in point.  In 1970 he bought a 1965 CJ-5 and drove it for seven years.  Then school, family, work, and several 4WD trucks happened.  After 30 years, Phil bought another Jeep (a 2003 Rubicon) and “It’s a Jeep thing, you wouldn’t understand” is back.

Phil and Ilene Rodacy learned about NM4W from the Web and have been members for several months.  We must not have embarrassed ourselves too much, because they are hosting the club Christmas party this year (Saturday, Dec. 10, 5:00 p.m.) at their Four Hills home.

Both Ilene and Phil were born and raised in Pueblo, Colorado.  They met during college while working at a fast food restaurant and have been happily married for 29 years.  Their daughter, Melissa, teaches Language Arts at a South Valley middle school.  Though she’s smaller than many of the students, Melissa loves teaching and hasn’t experienced discipline problems.  Phil said she’s small, but tough—and most importantly, she relates well to the kids.

The Rodacys moved to Albuquerque 28 years ago after Phil finished undergraduate school at USC and was hired at Sandia National Labs.  As a Chemist at Sandia, Phil currently works on humanitarian de-mining and explosives detection projects.  His group is most famous for training honeybees to find explosives.  “Their sense of smell appears to be better than dogs,” says Phil.  In January he’ll make his third trip to Russia for work (Russia in January, how delightful).

Before being a stay-at-home parent, Ilene worked in medical transcription and insurance.  She says her favorite hobby is “going to the St. James Tea Room.”  A tea nut, she has a teacup collection, throws tea parties, and even reads about the history of tea.  She also loves antiques and many in their home came from their grandparents.

Besides family and work, Phil spends time keeping up the yard and house.  He’s self-taught in woodworking, metalworking, and welding, and is very handy around the house.  He even makes birds out of shovels for yard decorations.

As a kid growing up in Colorado, Phil went on many off-road trails with family and friends.  “Mt. Antero was a day trip,” laughs Phil, and it remains a favorite trail.  Back in the 1960’s, he said they didn’t know the names of most trails, they just asked around and went where the locals suggested.

Phil bought his 2003 Rubicon when it was a year old, with only 263 miles.  Besides scratches, Phil has added a winch and skid plates.  He’ll get bigger tires and a 4” lift when the stock tires wear out.  So far, he’s taken the Rubi on several local trails, the Red River Jeep Jamboree, and to Silverton.  He really liked Imogene Pass and wants to try Black Bear.

Ilene calls herself a “scenic Jeeper” and passed up Imogene for shopping in Ouray.  Their cairn terrier, Bailey, doesn’t seem keen on four-wheeling.  On his first time out, Bailey threw up in the Jeep and then “wet” on Mary Thompson’s shoe at a 10-100 stop.  (Melissa said, at least Mary wasn’t wearing sandals.)

The Rodacys think NM4W’ers are a fun group, though they acknowledge it’ll take awhile to get to know people.  Phil is impressed that NM4W does trail building and maintenance, as well as trail running.  It’s generous of the Rodacys to host the December meeting/party; hope everyone can take them up on the invitation.

I’ve been down to Gordy’s Hill OHV Area (near Socorro) several times now, and it’s become one of my favorite playgrounds.  It’s relatively close, it’s easy to get to, the camping area can accommodate everything from tents to large motor homes, we can have camp fires, I can fly my little airplanes (as long as I stay away from those damn power lines!), and of course, there’s a wide variety of trail (from easy, all the way to extreme).

While thinking about how I was going to fill up the upcoming long Thanksgiving Holiday weekend, I decided to announce “Another Gordy’s Hill Trip” for anyone else wanting to ride some trails on Friday or Saturday.  After work the Wednesday prior, I loaded the camper on the truck and the Jeep on the trailer, and packed some food, drink, and warm clothes.  Thanksgiving morning, I headed down to Los Lunas to spend the day with some friends from my airplane club, Pat & Jan Montano and their family.  We filled our bellies, enjoyed each other’s company, watched a couple of movies, and then retired to bed for the evening. 

I arrived at Gordy’s Hill midday on Friday, shortly before the Rectors.  After setting up camp, we were joined by guests, Doug and Eric in Doug’s TJ.  That afternoon, we drove east via “Whoop Dee Doo Hell” (which Jeff believes is about 50 miles long) and then drove up Coyote Canyon.  Although challenging, our three well-built Jeeps made easy work of the “hard” trail.  That evening, we had our usual campfire, around which we all huddled closely in order to stave off the chilly night air.

Saturday morning was cold, but sunny.  Joining us for the day’s trails were my guest Pat Montano, Leon & Marcia Duggar, Joe Abbate and fiancée Crystal, and Jake Scarbrough and some of his NM Tech buddies.  We took the Quebradas Scenic Byway to the southeast quadrant of the park.  Our first trail was Hidden Valley (moderate).  A couple of vehicles had a little trouble getting up the wall, but everyone eventually made it (except for Joe Abbate, who took the bypass in his 39.5” Super Swamper IROK-shod Bronco.  What’s up with that, Joe?).  Here’s Leon and Marcia climbing up the wall.

Straight off of Hidden Valley, we drove half way through Upper Amado Canyon.  I think it’s along this trail that we came across the really tall waterfall.  A few vehicles attempted the climb, but no one made it.  Jeff gave us the best “show”, catching air several times.

Half way up Upper Amado Canyon, we branched off to the left onto Cat Fight (hard).  This trail was driven for the first time only 2 weeks before, led by Pat Brady.  It got its name from the way our arms looked after spending a couple of hours trimming and cutting the numerous thorn bushes that riddled the trail!  Cat Fight contains several technical areas and some of the lesser-built vehicles were really starting to have problems.  Smartly, they exited between the lower and upper halves of the trail.  But not before we came across a particularly nasty obstacle around which we had to create a bypass.  Two weeks prior, Pat had a bit of trouble getting his Jeep through this section.  I tried a different line, and it seemed to be a little easier.  Evidently, I had forgotten this fact and took the same route Pat tried, and got myself into a real bind.  Luckily, we were able to get another vehicle positioned above in order for me to winch myself out.

Somewhere along Cat Fight, Joe relinquished control of his Bronco to Crystal, who did remarkably well for a new driver on such a challenging trail.  Here are a few pics of Crystal at the helm:

So far, we had managed a day and a half of moderate and hard trails without any damage or breakage.  Well, actually, Jake smashed one of his headlights.  But his truck is so ugly to begin with, you couldn’t really notice the new damage unless someone specifically pointed it out to you! 

Since the weather was forecasted to turn to crap on Sunday, we decided to quit while we were ahead.  So we all packed up and headed home that evening after another great trip to Gordy’s Hill.

(As stated in the title box above, this article appeared in the most recent issue of United’s Voice, official publication of the United Four Wheel Drive Association.  I’m glad I had room in this month’s Trail Tales to reprint it, cuz I think we can all benefit from a refresher course on proper trail etiquette from time to time.  On a recent trip to Gordy’s Hill, I witnessed a few instances of poor etiquette on the part of a couple of people, and it definitely detracted from the enjoyment of the group as a whole. Not only is it important that we follow these guidelines, but to also teach and/or remind other.   –ed.)

Some trail rides just aren’t as much fun as others.  Tempers were running high and everyone seemed edgy.  Was it just a bad day, or could the trouble have been avoided?

This article is not about “how to be prepared for a run” or “safety practices”.  While these are very important, they could each be an article by themselves, so it will be a given that all drivers are well equipped and safety minded.  The intent here is to establish some guidelines to insure that everyone has a good time.  And that is the point of going off road, right?

So with that in mind, read on . . .

1) Be on time.  If it has been agreed to meet at a certain time, don’t be late!  The last thing everybody wants to do is wait “just a little bit longer” while you sign in, air down, and get disconnected.  We all know that it is sometimes unavoidable, but don’t make everyone wait just because you decided at the last minute to stop at McDonald’s for breakfast!

2) Driver’s meeting.  It is always a good idea to make sure that all drivers are well informed.  Everyone should know what to expect on the trail, what CB channel to be on, who they will be driving with, etc.  Besides, it’s a good way to kill time while you’re all waiting on the knucklehead who’s late!

3) Communication.  Everyone likes to joke around on the CB once in a while, but there is a time and a place for it.  While a group is attempting an obstacle, is NOT the right time!  Just because you finished it already, doesn’t mean that the person a few vehicles back isn’t waiting to hear “all clear”.  And it’s hard to warn someone of potential danger while someone has decided that everyone on the channel just MUST hear the song that he’s listening to!

4) Watch your back.  Always, always, always keep the vehicle behind you in your sight!  If you don’t see the person behind you . . . STOP!  This way no one gets lost.  It is very easy for a group to get separated out in the woods and it’s not a good feeling to come up over an obstacle and find that your friends have left you.  If you are about to round a corner or cross a hill, take a few seconds to make sure the person behind you knows where you’re going.  If you stop to wait for them, the driver in front of you should stop, and so on up the line.

5) Be patient.  We all know that this is not a fast-paced hobby.  Be prepared to wait!  Wait on that newbie to struggle with a mud pit.  Wait on the “big dogs” that want to take a few minutes and climb on those boulders.  Give the newbie some advice if you can, and watch those big dogs for a while.  You might just learn something!

6) Give everybody some room (I).  Don’t follow too closely to the vehicle in front of you.  It is to your advantage to stay far enough back that you can see under the vehicle in front of you.  Watch the tires and diffs.  It will help you decide what line to take over the obstacles.  (And what lines NOT to take!)  You will also avoid being splattered by mud and a possible cracked windshield!

7) Give everybody some room (II).  If you have already passed an obstacle and want to get out and help others through (or just laugh when they get stuck), make sure that you park far enough ahead that ALL the vehicles in the group will have room to park.  It’s not fun to finally make it to the top of that steep hill (or whatever) and find that you have nowhere to go!

8) Get strapped.  Everyone gets stuck sometime.  When it happens, it is common courtesy that YOUR tow strap should be the one to get muddy while pulling you out.  Also, if possible, get out and hook it up yourself.  If not, you owe the person with the muddy shoes a big thank-you after the run!

9) Only one spotter please.  Sometimes when a crowd is gathered around to watch someone attempt an obstacle, it is tempting to yell out advice.  Unfortunately, it can be very confusing to the driver to have several people yelling out at once!  Select just ONE (experienced) person to be the spotter.  The rest of the crowd can handle the “oohs” and “ahs” (and take pictures).

10) Tread lightly.  Respect the environment!  For most of us, part of going four wheeling is experiencing nature.  Take nothing but pictures, and leave nothing but tracks.  If you bring food and drinks in with you, make sure that it all comes out with you (including your cigarette butts!).  And if you see trash on the trail, take a minute to pick it up.  Trashing the environment reflects poorly on all of us!

The list could go on, but the gist of it is “treat everyone the way you expect to be treated”.  And that’s good advice both on and off the trail!

This month’s quote was submitted by Mark & Joan Wolf from the Hotel Rock Trail led by Frank Whiston.  The trail presented some off-camber, mega-rocks right from the get-go.  At that time, Miss Mary voiced her opinion about the situation:

“Oh crap, it’s going to be one of those days!”

You see, Mary thought the whole trail was going to be that way.  Much to her surprise, it wasn’t!

As we come to the end of another year, I would like to say Thanks to all of you, my friends.  Publishing the Trail Tales each month has been a real pleasure for me.  I am grateful to everyone who took the time to write articles and send in pictures.  Thanks to those of you who opened up your homes to all of us for the summer meetings and the annual holiday party, and to everyone for bringing such terrific food to these and all of our other potluck events.  Thanks to the numerous people who led trails this past year, and for sharing your experiences with others through your newsletter write-ups.  Thanks to those of you who brought along a guest in order that they might experience the thrill of our great hobby.  And to everyone who offered up a seat to someone who wanted to share in the fun, but didn’t have an appropriate trail vehicle.  It’s been a really good year and I look forward to another in 2006, starting with our first (annual?) New Year’s Weekend trip down to Gordy’s Hill!

Aluminum Cans: Our club saves and recycles aluminum cans.  Money from the sale of cans goes into our club treasury.  Please bring your crushed aluminum cans to each meeting, and somebody will take them to the recycling center.

To Our Guests: If you attend a club meeting or event and provide us with your e-mail address, you will be added to our guest e-mail list, and will receive monthly notifications of when the Trail Tales newsletter is posted on our Club web site.  If you are interested in becoming a member of the New Mexico 4-Wheelers, please contact one of our officers for membership requirements, or visit our web site at www.nm4w.org/join-the-club.htm.

Trail Tales on the Web Site: In a continuing effort help save natural resources and to control costs, you are encouraged to read the Trail Tales newsletter on the Club Web Site in lieu of receiving a hard copy in the mail.  Around the first of each month, the current issue of Trail Tales is posted at www.nm4w.org/newsletters.htm and an e-mail notification is sent to all club members.  In addition, a minimum of 2 years of back issues of our newsletter is also available on the web site.  So if you want to help “save some trees”, please send an e-mail to trail-tales@nm4w.org stating that you do not need to receive the hard copy of the newsletter.  Thanks for your participation in this program.

Submission Due Date: The Trail Tales is published on the first of each month.  Submissions for each issue must be received by the Editor not later than the 25^th of the prior month.  Submissions can be sent to trail-tales@nm4w.org, or Trail Tales, 21 Rattlesnake Ridge, Tijeras, NM 87059.

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Trail Tales
21 Rattlesnake Ridge
Tijeras, NM 87059-7440

trail-tales@nm4w.org