Rubicon Trail Conditions
Posted: May 26, 2020 Filed under: Access, Maintenance, Travel | Tags: mud, rolling dips, snow, wet Leave a commentI was out on the Tahoe side on Sunday and the trail is wet. If you don’t have to be on the Rubicon, I’d like to ask you to find a dryer place to go wheeling.
Most wet sections are rock covered and don’t pose any issues:
There is still snow and ice in the shaded sections of the Tahoe National Forest:
Where the snow has melted, there is some standing water and a few muddy sections.
That hole in front of my Jeep was some thick mud. We made it through going west but on the return trip, four of the five rigs in our group had to winch out. I’ve reached out to El Dorado, RTF and FOTR to get a crew out to work the few sections that were causing issues.
Some of the rolling dips placed last November were working, some better than others. All needed rock to harden them to prevent them from being worn down.
Again, please avoid the trail if you can. Let it dry out and visit in July.
“Turn Around, Don’t Go Around”, stay on the trail!
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Rubicon Ronin
I lost a family member…
Posted: May 26, 2020 Filed under: Travel | Tags: CJ-2A, vehicles, willys Leave a commentDuring the summer of 1985, I bought my first four wheel drive vehicle. Actually, it was the first vehicle ever registered in my name.
It was a 1947 CJ-2A, about as stock as you can get. The original flat head had no power but was fine in low range. I drove it for awhile but soon figured I needed more power to be able to do the speed limit on the street. In comes a Buick 225 odd-fire V-6 from a 1969 CJ-5. (the ’69 Chevy PU was my daily driver: 307, long bed, 2wd, 3-on-the-tree)
Just getting in to working on vehicles, it had been bicycles and skateboards before then, I didn’t have a shop to work in. I sort-of highjacked some room in my father’s plumbing shop.
Well, 35 years later, a Buick 231 in place of the 225, a 4.3 in place of the 231 but never finished, the T-90 replaced with an SM420 and the day finally came.
On Saturday, I sold my beloved flat fender as I’m moving to a new house that doesn’t quite have the storage the old house had.
There’s not much stock on it any more, basically the frame and body.
There will always be Jeeps in my life, just not my first love.
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Rubicon Ronin
Rubicon Trail to Close, May 15th – 17th!
Posted: April 29, 2020 Filed under: Access, Maintenance, Travel | Tags: Cadillac Hill, closed, helicopter, maintenance Leave a commentCLARIFICATION: Only the El Dorado portion of the trail will be closed although there will be work going on from Observation and to the west, specifically Cadillac Hill. Please avoid the area that weekend.
El Dorado County will being maintenance efforts in May. They will be flying in rock to Cadillac Hill for the hardening of water bars and to build up the lower edge of the trail along Cadillac Hill among other projects.
The trail will need to be closed for safety reasons while flying the helicopter. I do not know exactly where the trail will be closed but let’s just keep our distance for that weekend.
A few more details and the official announcement on the “Rubicon Gazette” page on Facebook.
Thank you,
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Rubicon Ronin
Tahoe Side Update…
Posted: April 29, 2020 Filed under: Access, Travel | Tags: conditions, snow, spring Leave a commentA member of the Lake Tahoe Hi-Lo’s ventured out to the Tahoma staging area yesterday (4-28-2020) .
The report is that there are some VERY deep ruts just to get to the staging area. He said he was dragging his diffs and he runs 40″ tires!
For now we should be staying home and staying healthy. But I get that some us us are getting stir crazy. If you go, be safe. Social distance as best as possible but don’t go alone.
Since there is still snow out there, load up the rig as if you’re going to spend the night: food, water, proper clothing, tent, sleeping bags, light. Make sure you ham radio is up and running.
What you don’t have a ham radio and license? Well, get them! Cell phone don’t have very good coverage, if any, on the trail.
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Rubicon Ronin
Rubicon Update 4/22/20
Posted: April 22, 2020 Filed under: Access, Maintenance, Travel | Tags: El Dorado County, meeting Leave a commentWith all this Covid-19 thing going on and the ‘stay-at-home’ orders, you would think I’d have a lot of time to post about the Rubicon Trail. Well the truth is there isn’t a whole lot going on right now.
Sure there was a rescue of a few people from the Loon Lake area last week. And the snow berm issue has not been settled, but there’s not much snow at the Tahoma Trailhead right now. And anyway, we’re not supposed to be doing any unnecessary travel.
There was going to be a big Rubicon meeting in Reno to talk about everything Tahoe side in March but that got cancelled due to the Corona virus.
Vickie Sanders of El Dorado County has posted a document that has many of the answers that were going to be shared at the Reno Rubicon meeting.
Here is the normal Rubicon page on the El Dorado County website: http://www.edcgov.us/Rubicon/
By clicking on the ‘Click Here’ link under Placer County Trail Update at the top of the page, you will be taken to the newly released document.
Here is a direct link to the document: http://www.edcgov/Government/Parks/Documents/Rubicon%20Update%20Placer%20County%20%281%29.pdf
Maintenance will happen this summer. Helicopters will be flying in rock to Cadillac Hill. Hopefully, volunteers will be able to help.
Stay home, stay safe, work on your rig, get out your camping gear. Summer will come and we will get back out on the Rubicon Trail!
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Rubicon Ronin
The 'Other' Rubicon 