 |
||
 
Hector Valenzuela gave it the next try. After a small delay
on the first set of rocks, Hector moved right along the first part of
the course. Finally it was my turn…No problems except that my carb
wanted to act up and my starter was going out. |
||
 
As we cleared the upper rock garden, we started down the
hill to tackle the next section of Purgatory. Everything was going fine
until I decided to test my inclinometer on two huge boulders as I
navigated my way down the hill. In all of my previous rolls, it has
only been on either the driver's side or the passenger's side, so when
she started going over on the passenger side I started leaning to the
left side so I wouldn't land on my co-pilot, Corey Bradford.   Well this
time it hit the passenger side and kept going. That's right, it then
hit the roof and then ended up on the driver's side. Now this whole
time I am trying to crawl back to the center of the vehicle as it
continues it's vicious roll down the hill. If I only had a little more
momentum, I could have landed back on my wheels. Needless to say, I
looked like a rag doll inside there. I banged my head up pretty good
along with my shoulder, back and elbow. |
||
  A helmet and USING my entire
5-point harness next time will definitely be the plan. Another group
had been watching us and they rushed to our rescue. They extracted
Corey and myself from my rig and made sure we were OK. We got it set
back up on all 4's and I was finally able to get it down off the side of
the hill. Jeff insisted that I go sit in the shade because I looked
pretty banged up. As I ventured toward the shade, I went through a big
mud hole and left some nice 37" Bogger ruts that would be found later
that afternoon. |
||
  As the rest of the group finished up Purgatory, which cuts
across the side of an enormous hill and forces you across a narrow trail
of almost zook sized boulders in a most seat puckering off-camber angle
and then releases you into the quarry where rocks and stair steps of all
shapes and sizes await for those who dare to challenge them. I watched
from the shade while eating aspirin, pain crushers, and drinking water. |
||
  Jeff, not happy with just internally unlocking his hub earlier, manages
to break a stub shaft and bend his tie-rod. During all this, Tom Wood
manages to twist his ankle on a rock. The others in our group navigated
that off camber section with ease. We ate lunch at the bottom and
waited for the Rock Rage Competition that afternoon…but that's another
article…
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07/05/09 01:28
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