I'm going to try my luck this weekend and take the Bronco out for a stroll. Going to leave Saturday morning and drive out to Taylor Park for an overnighter (forest camping). Planning to come home Sunday late afternoonish, could stay until Monday morning if need be. I'll be in no hurry either direction and would love to explore some trails in and around the area, perhaps some fishing as well. Dozer (my pup) and I would like to have more Broncos along if anyone is up for it.

I was planning on doing something this weekend, but with my steering problems I don't think its in the cards for me. Damn.

Sorry I didn't chime in sooner. I wanted to do something local with the kids and went by the Camp Dick / Peaceful Valley Campgrounds. CCB has been there before and we tried to get the same spot but it was taken. No worries though as we found a spot just a bit further up the trail. It was a smaller site but no neighbors within 1/4 mile. It also had a foot trail that went to a secret small lake. No fish that I could see but a nice easy hike with my kids. We did some geocaching and archery between rain drizzles. Great 2 nighter. I hope we can get CCB up there again to wheel to coney flats or the plane crash. Here's a couple pics

So...

I let my son take the 75DBE out today for really it's first solo trail / mud run. What was I thinking! But, he has been putting some time into it so he really earned the opportunity. I trust him. Anyways, they went up to Old Ranch Road. He went out with his girlfriend and her brother and several other folks they met on the trail. All and all, I think there were four of them altogether -- one Bronco and three Jeeps. Like I said -- what was I thinking. So, I got THE call. Dad, are you going to be mad if I broke something -- at like 6:00pm -- and it is now like 8:50pm and they are just getting home. He thought that he broke something coming off the mountain because at one point he hit the brakes -- I don't think that they were going really slow -- and he lost control because the right front grabbed and the left front did not. A 360 (on the trail) later and some real off roading (almost) into a tree and he said he was JUST a bit shaken.

So the good and the bad of the trip -- that I have been able to discern from them so far: The Bronco is a beast, climbed everything, never got stuck and pulled a bunch of people out. The bad -- all of the 35" tires rub on flex, there are alot of little leaks underneath now (transmission, transfer case, oil of course) and the carb does not seem to run very well at high latitude. He said it stalled out ALOT -- not even climbing, just sitting at altitude. (Any thoughts anyone? It is the 1406 Edelbrock carburetor.)

Just a couple of pictures now that my baby is safely back in the garage. Notice I said baby, not garage queen. Overall assessment -- I guess all the work replacing all of the suspension stuff really paid off.

(And the dent in the rocker was already there...)