Today was an awesome day. Ashley invited me to go with the New Mexico Tech Off-Road Club to take a trail run in Quebradas. I went to find how much fun it is to drive over rocks, dirt, sand, and lots of hills. You could think of it as riding a boat (Jeep) through a dry riverbed.
The morning was chilly with a little breeze, there were no clouds out there. Later in the day the sun beat down on everyone sitting out at the barbecue. There were ten suvs driving out there on the riverbed. I went with Ashley in her Jeep along with Jessica.
Neville (sp?), the guy who owns the computer store in the Plaza, got his Cherokee stuck on this rock only half an hour into the trip and it wasn't even one of the obstacles. He drove right over it and his tires were only rolling in the sand. I quickly learned that he does stuff like this and there is an "-ism" for his stunts.
Later on we saw other obstacles and others were trying them. The second obstacle was the hardest, two rigs turned over while trying to go over them. One tipped over and everyone just picked it up and turned it right back up. So much for pulling that truck out with a wench. The second one tipped over on this huge puddle and the windshield cracked. Lucky there was a roll-cage to stop it from completely rolling over. They righted it back up and then went to the next part of the obstacle. This is where the girl driving her rig got into big trouble.
She broke her U-joint on one of the rocks. So they had to pull it down to a level area, then from there, the guys replaced the joint and tried the attempt again. All while we were waiting, the barbecue team set up and got things cooking. Hamburgers, soda, chips, and hot dogs. It was good. She tried the obstacle again and instead, she broke her axle. That was when we were stuck in the same place for about three hours while we waited for the guys to pull the tire out again and find some way to set it up so she can drive out of there.
Everyone called it quits after getting the vehicle out of the pile of rocks in the bend in the riverbed. We drove back the way we came in, which was unsual because everyone exits on the other side. We had to stop one more time because the same truck lost all its oil pressure. That sucked. So much for having it die badly this time. I guess when it's not your day, it's not your day. Oh well, it happens to everyone. They are lucky to get it back as far as they did.
So I was happy. This was an awesome trip. Among almost getting stung by bees, hardly any bugs, and just getting a bit sunburned, I think it was a good trip. I'd go again because it's something different to do and you get to have fun even if I don't get to drive. I don't own a 4-wheel vehicle with adequate clearance. I own a camera and I like taking photos. :)
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