We left the meeting spot with a dozen Jeeps on the way to Rubble Trouble. I made a wrong turn and we had to turn the whole group around, and over the CB radio we heard Ken and Eric who had gotten lost and were looking for us. My wrong turn had saved there day as we surely would have been out of CB range. Now we had14 Jeeps and were headed to Rubble trouble. It was looking like a great day; the sun was shinning down on us.

We made a right hand turn and we were on the old road. I told the group that this road is still on the books as a town road. We locked in our hubs those of us with hubs and we all shifted our Jeeps into 4 Low.

This old road would start off tame and then the rocks would appear, and there were plenty of rocks! And did I mention boulders? I was leading the group when I came across a fallen tree across the road, and the call went for ìThe wild thingî! Wild Thing is the name of Tomís chain saw that he caries those kind of fallen trees. He made quick work of that tree and the rest of us moved the pieces out of the way.

We were now back in our Jeeps and making our way over the rocks and down the road. We were driving down hill, gravity helps, but we would be turning around and then coming back up this rock-ridden road. Low gears, lockers and a minimum of 31î tires would be needed. We crawled our way down and I had to spot some drivers on a off camber hill. We had made it to the turn around a log was in our way so a few of us picked it up and moved it out of the way. We were now heading up hill, over the same rocks we had come down over.

Going up hill, traction is needed and we needed to miss curtain rocks if you did not want to hit your rocker panels. The rocks kept our attention, again I got out and spotted the drivers to find the best line around the curtain rock. A bolt broke though Toms floor Making his drivers seat loose. We stopped for lunch, while Tom and Mike fixed the seat. After Lunch we headed out of the road, where we met Dan and Deb. Now we had 15 Jeeps.

Tree in the rock trail.:

We turned onto the Tree in the rock trail, which starts off mild as a old road with a few rocks along the way. The group was moving at a good pace, and then when you turn right, we start to see some rocks up ahead. Then a fallen tree! ìWild thingî was called and we all cleared the road of the remains. Now we where on the rocks! Thatís when the Jeeps Slowed down and a few needed some help and spotters. We were now clear of the rocks and headed for our next turn this would take us up a Logging road and on our right we could see the ìtree in the rockî, Hence the name. We then took a right turn up steep hill this we called ìstairway to no whereî a great climb up and up and up then we had to turn around where the logging trail had stopped at the top.

We headed off the mountain and down to blacktop where some had to go home. We said our good byes and headed to Mabell. After a short trip on blacktop we were at Mabell, a rocky two-mile stretch on road. I lead in and was followed by Tom in his CJ7 I heard a metallic sound? Tom heard it too, so he got out and found a short piece of leaf Spring. He looked at his own Jeep but everything looked ok? Thinking nothing of it, he put it to the side of the trail. And we moved on.

Mabell has its share of rocks, rock steps and slick rock. We used a few spotters here too. We were working our way in, up and over this great trail almost to the turn around when Roger got on his CB and told us he broke his front leaf spring on his YJ. The rest of us then turned around and headed back to help.

When I got there, I took a look and Roger had broken the main leaf. I told him I had the cure. Many years ago Bill Barnes who was with us earlier had done just the same fix to my CJ7, when I broke my front leaf spring. So I asked Tom if he had that leaf spring he found when we came in? No, but he could get it. So Tom headed out to get it, and we stayed and clamped up Rogers YJ with my come-a-long to keep it all in place.

We all headed out and when we got to the road I noticed that Tomís passenger side tire was hitting the sheet metal. We took a look and he had broken the small bolt that holds all the leafs together. So we limped both back to camp and later Tom took a better look at his leaf spring pack and said ìRoger thatís my leaf springî Dan said but you gave it to him! I said ìyeah but Roger needs it more then you do now.î So this is how we ended our day with 2 small brakes, that we ìMickey mousedî back together and both mad it home ok.

Thanks to all who showed up. Rubicon Bill B, Jim H, Tom and Michelle Roger B, Nick W, Frank & Mindy T, Matt P, John M From Patriot Mfg., Steve H ,Brandon & Renee, Dan and Deb D, Ken C and Eric D and their families. My passenger Mike K. and myself Rich Banfield.