Great "We Be Jeepin'" Event in the desert
We had a great day and I took lots and lots of pictures, and movies, of the activities during the day. I wish I had felt better . . . I'm sure I would have been better company.
Here is the Profile of our long drive from S2 to the outskirts of Ocotillo Wells where the Event ended at SKILLET's place where we have had several Campouts, Cookouts, and Events.
My day started when the alarm went off at 3:45 in the morning . . .
I got up, fixed my coffee, ate some breakfast, and drove to Santee to meet Team Fatman. From there we went to Denny's in Lakeside to join other cachers and have breakfast. Finally, we were on the road to meet up with the rest of the group who came down to the desert from Ramona. It was a beautiful day, but since I was entering waypoints in my GPSr as we drove along, I didn't take any pictures, although the scenery was fantastic in the early-morning light.
After everyone got together at the Canyon Sin Nombre meeting area, we got ready to head out.
Team Adelos prepared by letting the air out of his tires for a more comfortable ride.
On our way out to the desert in the morning, I mentioned a cache that was on one of my "Historic Cache" lists. Because we were with such a large group, I didn't think I would get to find it, but at the first waypoint where everyone gathered, RUSCAL said he was driving TrailGators down to "4WD Only Need Apply." I begged a ride and was about to climb into the back of RUSCAL's Jeep when Team Fatman said he would drive there also.
Along the way, we saw this huge track of a rattlesnake where it had crossed the road.
We splashed through some water in a "desert swamp."
We finally arrived at GZ where we saw some historical artifacts left over from when the stage used to run through here.
As I upload the pictures, I'll post them here . . . and hope to get back to tell the story later.
Here is the link for one of the YouTube movies of RUSCAL and Team Fatman:
And, here is another quick video of the QDman going down the rocky section of the road.
On the drive home through the Ramona area that was devastated by wildfire last October, it was beautiful in the late afternoon light. The fields were so green, I wished there had been time to stop and take some pictures. The contrast between my memory of the blackened devastation we saw on the way back from the Desert Campout last October, when I was evacuated from my home, and the way the area looks now, almost defies logic.
It was a very fun day and I am very grateful to Team Fatman for doing all that driving.