I stop typing on the computer to look out the window at the Lucky8 D1. The green Disco is sitting on the trailer still splashed with mud from the Winter Romp. But how it got on the trailer was an adventure in its self.
Thursday
I head out to load the truck with gear and it would not start. Rover Dog and I agree it’s a dead battery so we pop down to the auto store and grab one. A few shakes of the Rover Dog tail later and “ Presto!” the new battery is installed. I turn the key and nothing, not even a click. Long story short the ground strap from the motor to the frame was corroded. This was not allowing the starter to work under load. With the ground strap cleaned we were back into action. I fire up the Disco with a smile and headed over to the garage to load up. I stop in front of the front of the door, shut the truck off, and pull the E brake. POP!!!! The E brake cable snaps. To make things worse the brake is stuck on. Just to add insult to injury there is a shiny new Xbreak sitting on the shelf just waiting to be installed in the L8 Disco. I look over at Rover Dog and ask, “Why is getting to the Adventure always have to be an Adventure?”
I head out to load the truck with gear and it would not start. Rover Dog and I agree it’s a dead battery so we pop down to the auto store and grab one. A few shakes of the Rover Dog tail later and “ Presto!” the new battery is installed. I turn the key and nothing, not even a click. Long story short the ground strap from the motor to the frame was corroded. This was not allowing the starter to work under load. With the ground strap cleaned we were back into action. I fire up the Disco with a smile and headed over to the garage to load up. I stop in front of the front of the door, shut the truck off, and pull the E brake. POP!!!! The E brake cable snaps. To make things worse the brake is stuck on. Just to add insult to injury there is a shiny new Xbreak sitting on the shelf just waiting to be installed in the L8 Disco. I look over at Rover Dog and ask, “Why is getting to the Adventure always have to be an Adventure?”
Roll out
With all the tasks for the day complete Rover Dog and I hop into the F250 and point north, Vermont here we come! Thankfully there was only one uh-oh moment for the road trip. The truck was getting low on fuel so like any good citizen I pull into the thruway gas station to fill up. Typical of New York State the gas station was under construction with no warring signs, and no gas. We had 38 miles to go and just a hair under ¼ tank of fuel. Regretfully we start out for the next exit.
I will not lie to you guy’s, most of my time behind the wheel was spent thinking of how I could get the gas from the Disco to the F250. We made it but it was close…very close.
Welcome weary adventurers
With the gas incident behind us we trucked on through to Woodstock Vermont. They must have know Rover Dog was coming because the streets where lit-up with luminaries.
After a quick drive through town we arrive at the 200 year old home of Peter and Kim Vollers. As we walk in the door Kevin Buckley welcomes us in with a few cold beverages.
After cocktails and some wild stories it was getting late, so everyone tucked tail and went off to bed.
Wake up!
In the morning Kim Vollers AKA Kimtaskic: (Kim + Fantastic) brewed up enough fresh coffee to keep half the state awake for a week. As we all sat around sleepy eyed drinking coffee Peter sunk out to get some tasty treats from the local market. Life was good, I sat there sipping my coffee and eating a great egg sandwich. Every now and then I would stop and show off my food to Rover Dog. After a few bites I would look down and say “MMMMM MMMM Rover Dog you should try one of these”. He was not amused at my little game. This story will be more relevant later. After breakfast it was time for the main event.
King of the HILL
To get things started off Peter throws down the gauntlet and say “who ever can climb to the top of the 4 tier snow cover hill with out using a winch will get a free dinner!” So everyone sets off to conquer the hills. Well as you could imagine the trucks did not get to far given the conditions. There was still a foot or more of snow on the rock hard ground. The snow, if you could call it that would turn to a sandy dust under the weight of tires. This would make traction almost impossible on the flats let alone the hill climbs. With in the first 100 yards we had had the side of the hill littered with 4wd trucks.
Our turn
It was time to give the L8 Disco a run. I drop down into the first obstacle. It was
A washed out ravine still half filled with magic sand/snow and the other half was frozen muddy rocks. To my surprise we crunched are way through with out much of an issue. A little way down the ravine Christopher Browne in a D1 was hung up bad, and blocking the path. I opted to climb out the same steep exit that Kevin Buckley used. With most of the snow packed down from his Rover the Pitbull rockers where able to pull us up the slick slope with out much effort. Once out the Disco continued along the path Kevin kindly made for us until we found him stuck in snow up to the Frame. Surprisingly he still had a tiny bit of traction and with a few good rocks back and forth his yellow Rover nick named "the Goat" was able to free its self from the icy grip of mother nature.
King of the ½ hill
Peter looking at all the stuck trucks say’s “Who ever gets the farthest with out winching will win the free dinner.” Rover Dog and I had our eyes on the prize. With a bit of effort we where able to over take Kevin. Once around the Goat we start to chew our way through the snow to the base of the next tier. Sitting at the bottom looking up at the next hill climb I ask Rover “ You feeling lucky?” I was, the L8 Disco was proving to be unstoppable. With the truck fully locked it took nearly 30 approaches just to get to the crest of the next section. Every attempt we would knock down 2-6 foot of snow. Then dance on the petals as the Disco rolled and bounced it’s was back down the icy hill in reverse.
We managed to make a set of tracks all the way to the top but did not have enough grip to climb out onto the flat section. I look over at Rover Dog with defeat in my eyes and grab for the winch controller. Before I could pull it out he suggested we let the air pressure down to 4psi. The Lucky8 Disco was currently at 9psi so I said “Why not?” With a renewed spirit of hope and all 4 of the 13.5in wide tires set to 4psi, I jammed my foot to the floor! The 4.6 snapped to life, shooting the disco up the hill with the motor screaming along at 6000 RPMs. I glance over at Rover Dog hanging on for dear life as the truck ripped its way up the hill; there was defiantly fear in his eyes. The mighty Disco smashed through last drift of snow and came to a stop. We had just enough momentum to get us to the 2nd tier. But more importantly this made us the only ones not to winch. “MMMM MMM MMM when is dinner?”
Persistence
As I have said in the past every adventures has that great moment. This was mine. Peter took a few attempts at the hill to the second tier. Just before he could clear the crest his JK would run out of momentum and traction. Peter was about to throw in the towel when I let him in on Rover Dogs little secret about letting the tires way way way down low. A few minutes and pounds lower, Peter grits his teeth and jams the throttle. With the extra traction gained from lower tire pressure, he achieves a great launch. The Lightweight of the JK is able to float over most of the bumps keeping up the much need speed. This brings him to the break over point at the top where Peter came to a stop. The tires where spinning, the motor was revving and Peter had a look of determination you rarely see on anyone’s face. What happened next was just like out of a fairy tail, some how the JK found traction and jumped forward over the crest landing at the top of tier 2. Rover Dog and I just stood there in disbelief. Man and machine working seamlessly together to conquer the elements, when done perfectly it yields the biggest smiles you will ever see on a full grown men.
Send for Help!
After a quick lunch atop tier 2, half the group heads back down to recover Christopher Browne and his Disco. I have to stop here to discuss one of the coolest things I have see off road thus far. Deriek Ubunpietro from Maine built a bracket off the exhaust manifold and strapped a lunch box to the top. Even in the cold Vermont air this unit was able to toast up some delicious sandwiches. I am truly jealous of this and hope there is room under the hood of our new project D2.
Now back to the high jinks
Christopher Browne and his disco had given all they had. After multiple winches the battery was zonked and Christopher was looking a little weary too. We head back down to tier 1 to help retrieve the Disco. The Lucky8 Flagship was able to pull him back most of the way but not out. That is Frans Van de Ven pulled out his big Warn M8274-50 winch to complete the recovery.
With the Disco now free and most of the trucks at the event moving under their own power Peter the trail guide suggested we head back before dark. Everyone agrees and we start our decent back down. You would think this bit would be uneventful, and Rover Dog would agree. But some how not one, but two trucks slid off the road and need to be recovered. That magic sand/snow can be very tricky.
Hit the fast forward selector.
We are back at the Vollers home cleaned up and ready for dinner, or in my case a FREE dinner. We were having the classic conversation. Who’s Gunna Drive? Kimtastic says she will take the kids in her truck and Peter will take us ruffians in the 7-passenger Sprinter van. In retrospect I should have rode with the kids. You would be amazed at how fast a sprinter van can take hairpin corners through the tight mountain pass as it jumps over massive speed bumps. The best way to describe this ride was like being on a roller coaster run by a Madman.
The mad Man at the wheel.
I am confident that we had all 4 wheels off the ground multiple times. With one final power slide we come to a rapid stop in the parking lot of the Kedron Valley Inn. Peter and Kimtastic being amazing hosts had a table all set for our group of hungry adventurers. The food was amazing, conversation lively, and the drinks plentiful. Another Great Trip!
What goes around comes around
I will leave you with this. Flash back to when I was eating the delicious breakfast and torturing Rover Dog. Well as fate would have it Richard Reavey and I ordered the same Vodka martini. The only difference was he got his and I did not.
With all the tasks for the day complete Rover Dog and I hop into the F250 and point north, Vermont here we come! Thankfully there was only one uh-oh moment for the road trip. The truck was getting low on fuel so like any good citizen I pull into the thruway gas station to fill up. Typical of New York State the gas station was under construction with no warring signs, and no gas. We had 38 miles to go and just a hair under ¼ tank of fuel. Regretfully we start out for the next exit.
I will not lie to you guy’s, most of my time behind the wheel was spent thinking of how I could get the gas from the Disco to the F250. We made it but it was close…very close.
Welcome weary adventurers
With the gas incident behind us we trucked on through to Woodstock Vermont. They must have know Rover Dog was coming because the streets where lit-up with luminaries.
After a quick drive through town we arrive at the 200 year old home of Peter and Kim Vollers. As we walk in the door Kevin Buckley welcomes us in with a few cold beverages.
After cocktails and some wild stories it was getting late, so everyone tucked tail and went off to bed.
Wake up!
In the morning Kim Vollers AKA Kimtaskic: (Kim + Fantastic) brewed up enough fresh coffee to keep half the state awake for a week. As we all sat around sleepy eyed drinking coffee Peter sunk out to get some tasty treats from the local market. Life was good, I sat there sipping my coffee and eating a great egg sandwich. Every now and then I would stop and show off my food to Rover Dog. After a few bites I would look down and say “MMMMM MMMM Rover Dog you should try one of these”. He was not amused at my little game. This story will be more relevant later. After breakfast it was time for the main event.
King of the HILL
To get things started off Peter throws down the gauntlet and say “who ever can climb to the top of the 4 tier snow cover hill with out using a winch will get a free dinner!” So everyone sets off to conquer the hills. Well as you could imagine the trucks did not get to far given the conditions. There was still a foot or more of snow on the rock hard ground. The snow, if you could call it that would turn to a sandy dust under the weight of tires. This would make traction almost impossible on the flats let alone the hill climbs. With in the first 100 yards we had had the side of the hill littered with 4wd trucks.
Our turn
It was time to give the L8 Disco a run. I drop down into the first obstacle. It was
A washed out ravine still half filled with magic sand/snow and the other half was frozen muddy rocks. To my surprise we crunched are way through with out much of an issue. A little way down the ravine Christopher Browne in a D1 was hung up bad, and blocking the path. I opted to climb out the same steep exit that Kevin Buckley used. With most of the snow packed down from his Rover the Pitbull rockers where able to pull us up the slick slope with out much effort. Once out the Disco continued along the path Kevin kindly made for us until we found him stuck in snow up to the Frame. Surprisingly he still had a tiny bit of traction and with a few good rocks back and forth his yellow Rover nick named "the Goat" was able to free its self from the icy grip of mother nature.
King of the ½ hill
Peter looking at all the stuck trucks say’s “Who ever gets the farthest with out winching will win the free dinner.” Rover Dog and I had our eyes on the prize. With a bit of effort we where able to over take Kevin. Once around the Goat we start to chew our way through the snow to the base of the next tier. Sitting at the bottom looking up at the next hill climb I ask Rover “ You feeling lucky?” I was, the L8 Disco was proving to be unstoppable. With the truck fully locked it took nearly 30 approaches just to get to the crest of the next section. Every attempt we would knock down 2-6 foot of snow. Then dance on the petals as the Disco rolled and bounced it’s was back down the icy hill in reverse.
We managed to make a set of tracks all the way to the top but did not have enough grip to climb out onto the flat section. I look over at Rover Dog with defeat in my eyes and grab for the winch controller. Before I could pull it out he suggested we let the air pressure down to 4psi. The Lucky8 Disco was currently at 9psi so I said “Why not?” With a renewed spirit of hope and all 4 of the 13.5in wide tires set to 4psi, I jammed my foot to the floor! The 4.6 snapped to life, shooting the disco up the hill with the motor screaming along at 6000 RPMs. I glance over at Rover Dog hanging on for dear life as the truck ripped its way up the hill; there was defiantly fear in his eyes. The mighty Disco smashed through last drift of snow and came to a stop. We had just enough momentum to get us to the 2nd tier. But more importantly this made us the only ones not to winch. “MMMM MMM MMM when is dinner?”
Persistence
As I have said in the past every adventures has that great moment. This was mine. Peter took a few attempts at the hill to the second tier. Just before he could clear the crest his JK would run out of momentum and traction. Peter was about to throw in the towel when I let him in on Rover Dogs little secret about letting the tires way way way down low. A few minutes and pounds lower, Peter grits his teeth and jams the throttle. With the extra traction gained from lower tire pressure, he achieves a great launch. The Lightweight of the JK is able to float over most of the bumps keeping up the much need speed. This brings him to the break over point at the top where Peter came to a stop. The tires where spinning, the motor was revving and Peter had a look of determination you rarely see on anyone’s face. What happened next was just like out of a fairy tail, some how the JK found traction and jumped forward over the crest landing at the top of tier 2. Rover Dog and I just stood there in disbelief. Man and machine working seamlessly together to conquer the elements, when done perfectly it yields the biggest smiles you will ever see on a full grown men.
Send for Help!
After a quick lunch atop tier 2, half the group heads back down to recover Christopher Browne and his Disco. I have to stop here to discuss one of the coolest things I have see off road thus far. Deriek Ubunpietro from Maine built a bracket off the exhaust manifold and strapped a lunch box to the top. Even in the cold Vermont air this unit was able to toast up some delicious sandwiches. I am truly jealous of this and hope there is room under the hood of our new project D2.
Now back to the high jinks
Christopher Browne and his disco had given all they had. After multiple winches the battery was zonked and Christopher was looking a little weary too. We head back down to tier 1 to help retrieve the Disco. The Lucky8 Flagship was able to pull him back most of the way but not out. That is Frans Van de Ven pulled out his big Warn M8274-50 winch to complete the recovery.
With the Disco now free and most of the trucks at the event moving under their own power Peter the trail guide suggested we head back before dark. Everyone agrees and we start our decent back down. You would think this bit would be uneventful, and Rover Dog would agree. But some how not one, but two trucks slid off the road and need to be recovered. That magic sand/snow can be very tricky.
Hit the fast forward selector.
We are back at the Vollers home cleaned up and ready for dinner, or in my case a FREE dinner. We were having the classic conversation. Who’s Gunna Drive? Kimtastic says she will take the kids in her truck and Peter will take us ruffians in the 7-passenger Sprinter van. In retrospect I should have rode with the kids. You would be amazed at how fast a sprinter van can take hairpin corners through the tight mountain pass as it jumps over massive speed bumps. The best way to describe this ride was like being on a roller coaster run by a Madman.
The mad Man at the wheel.
I am confident that we had all 4 wheels off the ground multiple times. With one final power slide we come to a rapid stop in the parking lot of the Kedron Valley Inn. Peter and Kimtastic being amazing hosts had a table all set for our group of hungry adventurers. The food was amazing, conversation lively, and the drinks plentiful. Another Great Trip!
What goes around comes around
I will leave you with this. Flash back to when I was eating the delicious breakfast and torturing Rover Dog. Well as fate would have it Richard Reavey and I ordered the same Vodka martini. The only difference was he got his and I did not.
As I sat there waiting for my drink all I heard was “MMMMM Justin you should try one of these, MMMMMMM they are delicious MMMMM………..”
