mthoodsub Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 On saturday after we spent a few hours cleaning up garbage up on Memaloose Rd. a friend and I went out for a little wheelin. We went up Fish Creek Rd. out along the Highway 224 about 16 miles East from Estacada. I had never been up there before, always passed the turn off but never took it. Its awesome back there, and the road climbs very quickly we topped out at almost 3600' elevation. My buddy told me there is an old airstrip up there, but there were a group of people camping there so we turned around. Right there next to the campground there was some mud to play in. I followed a short mud trail that looped around a bush and on the other side of that bush was a deep hole. The water came up almost to my headlights, later on i found the water line was up to my valve covers under the hood. The bottom was ALL mud. Once i hit the deep water i almost stalled it and almost came to a stop. I brought the RPM's up and dropped the clutch, i feathered the gas to keep the tires spinning and i pulled through it. My friend didnt try it, his outback is stock. We kept going up the main road taking all of the little side trails, a few of them were nice and muddy. alot of them are really short trails just going to a campsite. Then we found this one and i had to try it. It took me a few runs and some speed to get the rear wheels up over the hump at the top. Turning the steering wheel back and forth helped get me up. Here's a pic from where i stopped. Once i got to the top of that, this is what was in front of me. I tried to go up just a bit when i first crested the first hill but i knew i would slid back uncontrollably and possibly go down into the woods where it would take an air-crane to get me out. And at the top of the pic is where the end of that trail is so there was really no point in going beyond where i was. This view is from a neat little camp spot at the top of the ridge. The valley on the left is the Roaring River, named correctly too, we could hear the river flowing from here. This is where the Roaring River meets and dumps into the Clackamas River. On a clear day I think Mt. Hood would be booming right above the ridge there. Just takin a break. The fog was rolling in and out all day. Found a neat little rock quarry to mess around in. Here i am getting ready to try a little rocky uphill action In this picture you can see the hill i tried to climb, in front of my green wagon. I will post some videos soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mthoodsub Posted June 15, 2009 Author Share Posted June 15, 2009 Here is a link to my Videos As you can see i took many tries to get up that rock hill. There was just one little ledge of rock face i couldnt get the rear driver wheel up and over. Burned some rubber, it was fun, the wagon didnt take it too well i think. Getting some nasty grinding noises from the front end now when braking hard and definitely need to get a new axle up there on drivers side(patched a boot up with duct tape while waiting for my buddy at the meeting spot--It held). I have 2 axles at home waiting for boot kits to arrive, it'll be nice to have spares. The videos at the end in the woods i was alone and so i was setting up the camera and running back to the car. So just fast forward a little bit to where the action starts. These ones are up Lolo Pass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiffy Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 cool pictures... looks like exactly what I like to do when I go into the forest... find the spots that most people can't get to in a normal car... take every little road you find, which is usually an old logging offshoot that ends with a fire pit that's now a camp site... good times... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mthoodsub Posted June 17, 2009 Author Share Posted June 17, 2009 Damage Report: Nothing too major, just pushed the heat shield into the drivline, Oh and this Im not sure where it happened, i just saw it last night:eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spiffy Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 ouch! I learned the same way to NEVER go offroad without a skid plate... what looks like innocent plants growing in the middle of the road's tire tracks can be a huge rock... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mthoodsub Posted June 17, 2009 Author Share Posted June 17, 2009 Yeah well i used to have a skid plate on there but the nuts that are welded to the core support got smashed off along time ago. Ive been too lazy to weld up some more. I really want to design a new cross support right there under the radiator so i have a place to bolt my skidplate back up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeamCF Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 I had to go poke around up ther a bit tonight (aviation nut, so the airstrip called to me, hehe) and drove the length of the airstrip (according to the GPS). It would seem you found it. The big puddles are on the south end of it. The long straight road is the strip. I could see once driving down it that the old growth was cut back wide enough for a plane to land. Seems they have not used it in many years. The other end was just a big turn around (A heli could proly land there) and some campers when I went. Puddles at the south end. To the left out of frame are the deep ruts around a bush. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmiller Posted July 12, 2009 Share Posted July 12, 2009 +1 for skid plate:banana: looks like you guys had alot of fun up there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mthoodsub Posted July 13, 2009 Author Share Posted July 13, 2009 I had to go poke around up ther a bit tonight (aviation nut, so the airstrip called to me, hehe) and drove the length of the airstrip (according to the GPS). It would seem you found it. The big puddles are on the south end of it. The long straight road is the strip. I could see once driving down it that the old growth was cut back wide enough for a plane to land. Seems they have not used it in many years. The other end was just a big turn around (A heli could proly land there) and some campers when I went. Puddles at the south end. To the left out of frame are the deep ruts around a bush. I wondered, later, if that long strip of road was the actual airstrip. Those deep ruts around the bush is what i went through, It got deep fast. Where in Sandy are you? Im over by Cherryville. Should meet up sometime and go for a cruise around the mtn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeamCF Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 I wondered, later, if that long strip of road was the actual airstrip. Those deep ruts around the bush is what i went through, It got deep fast. Where in Sandy are you? Im over by Cherryville. Should meet up sometime and go for a cruise around the mtn. I'm just off of Cherryville on Baty. Gregg told me you were close by. I've seen your lifted outback around town. I'll be the token old school rig next weekend out at Sand Lake and such. (I think I caught wind of you going on the Outback board, and Gregg told me I should tag along) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mthoodsub Posted July 14, 2009 Author Share Posted July 14, 2009 I'm just off of Cherryville on Baty. Gregg told me you were close by. I've seen your lifted outback around town. I'll be the token old school rig next weekend out at Sand Lake and such. (I think I caught wind of you going on the Outback board, and Gregg told me I should tag along) Nice I was gonna see if you wanted to come with us anyway so thats cool. You meeting us there on Sunday or are you coming out to Newberg Sat.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeamCF Posted July 15, 2009 Share Posted July 15, 2009 Nice I was gonna see if you wanted to come with us anyway so thats cool. You meeting us there on Sunday or are you coming out to Newberg Sat.? I'm planning on meeting saturday in Newberg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mthoodsub Posted July 15, 2009 Author Share Posted July 15, 2009 sounds like it should be a good time. i havent explored much over there see you there, or on the road Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rverdoold Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 wow, I really wish over here we have: - Relative cheap cars (subies are very very rare) - cheap fuel - mountains - off-road areas Then I could also well spend rainy sundays Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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