A Day on the Trail, on the Snow
Posted: February 23, 2025 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: snow, winter Leave a commentGood news, bad news. The good news is I got out on the trail with a bunch of my friends. The bad news is that MY rig didn’t make it. The story is not worth telling. So…
We got to the trailhead, in the residential trailhead as a group of four was heading out on the trail. A half an hour later, we headed out. The trail had been driven on a lot so it was well packed, in the ruts. Out of the ruts it was quite soft and deep.
The creek crossing were the difficult spots. A steep drop in and what seemed to be a steeper climb out, going both directions. Occasionally, there was a side hill on the trail and that made it difficult to stay in the ruts.
This was one of the easier crossing at the Arizona Crossing #8:
Straps were used, winches were used, but we all got up the trail. The trouble came when we ran into that other group headed out. Not exactly sure how far they got but we meet them before we got to Miller Lake.
We started turning our group around at both ends. It took some doing but we got it done. The drive out was uneventful.
Most of the rigs on the trail were on 37s. Everyone had an issue at some point.
No breakage, no injuries, overall a great day.
And there was a lesson learned. We all stop at the “staging area” to prep our rigs for the trail. What exactly do you do while staging your rig? Air down, lock your hubs, disconnect the anti-sway bar, etc.
My suggestion would be to make sure all possible needed tools and equipment are handy if needed. That means before you drive in to the deep creek crossing, dig the winch controller out of the back of your Jeep. Maybe plug in your winch and make sure it’s hooked up to your battery. I promised no names.
Be prepared, be safe, get out and have fun.
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Rubicon Ronin
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
The 'Other' Rubicon 