Carrying Spare Gas
Posted: February 19, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized 1 CommentMany people carry extra cans of gas to make sure they have enough to get through the entire 22-miles of the Rubicon Trail and to then make it to a gas station. I try and fuel up on my way out of Reno, so I can get back to Reno without having to buy fuel in Tahoe City!
Unfortunately, I failed to check my fuel before heading out last week. That day I needed three gallons to get me back to Reno.
Gas in Reno was $3.99 a gallon that same day. The news just said the AVERAGE price of fuel in the US was $3.18. So, where is fuel $2.00 or $2.50 to balance out these high prices?
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Rubicon Ronin
My TJ is home, so I took it to the trail
Posted: February 15, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: plowing, snow, trailhead Leave a commentOkay, it’s been home for some time, but I was out of state and then down with a cold. With a brand-new engine, I’m trying to put some easy miles on it, but I needed get to the trailhead and report on conditions.
A picture is worth a thousand words. Saturday, 2-15-25, 11am…
There’s about a three-foot wall at the entrance
Placer was out cleaning up the edges.
But they hadn’t got to the Rubicon trailhead. Placer plow drivers have been consistent with a straight plow, no dip, at the trailhead. That results in no artificial wall. Good job Placer.
It appears someone went in, probably yesterday afternoon. Some fresh snow over those tracks. But the tracks are down to ice. The snow level was near lake level and the area probably got a good deal of rain that froze during the below freezing overnight temps. This will change as to drive in further and go up in elevation.
What a pretty picture.
Practicing what I preach, I didn’t drive in alone.
Stay safe.
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Rubicon Ronin
Weather coming in hard!
Posted: February 11, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: be prepared, snow, weather Leave a commentFrom the NOAA website, at about Observation Point:
Sorry for the substandard photo quality. I’ll work on doing better.
Wednesday Night Snow likely, mainly after 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 23. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of 2 to 4 inches possible.
Thursday Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. High near 32. Breezy, with a southwest wind 20 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 12 to 18 inches possible.
Thursday Night Snow. The snow could be heavy at times. Low around 28. Breezy, with a southwest wind around 20 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 10 to 16 inches possible.
Friday Snow, mainly before 4pm. The snow could be heavy at times. High near 29. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow accumulation of 5 to 9 inches possible.
That’s 29 to 47 inches of snow predicted over about 48 hours.
Might be fun to play in but please be prepared. Plan on spending the night (because your buddy broke down.) in below freezing temperatures. The weekend looks promising.
Bring: shelter, sleeping bag, food, multiple changes of clothes, fire starting materials, communications and all the other supplies you’d normally bring out on the Rubicon. Don’t go alone, tell someone where you’re going and when you’ll be back.
Do you guys get tired of me typing out the same rant about being prepared to play on the Rubicon?
Just don’t be THAT GUY.
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Rubicon Ronin
Emergency Satellite Texting
Posted: February 10, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: communications, emergency Leave a commentThis was originally posted on the Hills Angels, yes “HILLS” Angels, Facebook page. They are a Reno, Nevada 4×4 club, with a pretty cool name. Anyway, a thank you to Diana for posting this information.
The newer iPhones allow you to use a satellite to send an emergency text even when out of cell tower range.
The link below is to a short video about how to use this feature. You’ll probably need to unmute it.
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1317548896154537
Here is the written version of the video.
Emergency SOS via Satellite is a feature available on iPhone 14, 15, and 16 models. If you’re in an area with no cellular or Wi-Fi coverage, your iPhone will automatically try to connect you via satellite. To use this feature:
- Swipe down from the top right corner of your iPhone to open Control Center, then tap the Cellular button and choose Emergency SOS via satellite.
- Alternatively, go to Settings > Satellite and choose Emergency SOS via satellite.
If you have cell service, these might not appear as active on your phone. There is a demo of this feature if you try it from your living room. Start the steps above and you will be given an option to try the demo.
Winter is finally arriving in the mountains. But I have yet to need my snowblower. At any moment, another Siera storm could blow in and make your day trip to the Rubicon a nightmare. Be prepared.
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Rubicon Ronin
TNF’s VIRTUAL Open House for OHV Grant ideas
Posted: February 5, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: funding, maintenance, reroute, TNF, USFS Leave a commentEvery year, each national forest applies for funding through a grant program. These forests are required to seek user/public input in order to qualify for these funds.
Sadly, these forests are not required to follow the input of the users when writing the final grant application. But we do the dance in case our particular forest does listen to our input.
The Tahoe National Forest is currently in the driver’s seat regarding the Rubicon Trail and the Fordyce Trail, among many others. It is in our best interest to give our input. The details of how to do that are below. Once the draft grant application has been filled out, there is a public review period. It’s better to get your ideas in before that initial draft than try and get them in afterwards.
There is a needed Rubicon reroute that should get funded through this grant and there may be MAJOR Fordyce work funded through this grant but more likely just Fordyce planning funds.
This year it seems the USFS is still in a covid lockdown as they are only doing a “VIRTUAL” open house.
So, here’s the info…
Tahoe National Forest invites public to provide input on annual off-highway vehicle program grant application
Tahoe National Forest is preparing its annual application to the California Department of Parks and Recreation, Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division, to request funding for trail and facilities maintenance, law enforcement and education and safety. The forest invites interested individuals and organizations to a virtual open house on Feb. 13 to learn more about the state OHV grants the Tahoe National Forest is considering applying for and how to provide input.
What: Open house to discuss Tahoe National Forest annual OHV grant proposals Where: Virtual, join on Teams
When: Feb. 13, 2025, 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Annual state OHV grants provide important funds for the U.S. Forest Service to develop and maintain trails and trailheads, repair winter storm damage and restore trailside environments, as well as provide patrolling, education and monitoring of OHV areas. When finalized, the grants will be available for public review and comment on the State of California’s website ( http://ohv.parks.ca.gov ) from March 4 – May 5, 2025.
Questions, comments or letters can be submitted through the following ways:
- In-person: During the virtual open house meeting via written comments
- Email: Trails Program Coordinator Joe Chavez, joe.chavez@usda.gov
- Mail: Tahoe National Forest, Attn: Joe Chavez, Forest Trails Program Coordinator, 631 Coyote St., Nevada City, Calif. 95959
Feedback on projects and grant opportunities is requested by Feb. 24, 2025.
The 'Other' Rubicon 