This is a trail ride that was put on by a local Jeep dealership to help raise money for a new extension of one of our local hospitals. As it turned out, there were 3 trails to choose from.
So the trails were limited to 25 Jeeps per trail - to eliminate overcrowding. There were 2 trails available in 2 State Forests. Members of the 4WD Club, the Eastern 4 Wheelers, helped lead us into the State Forests - so no one would get lost! The day started off nice, but by noon time, a strong cold front moved in and thoroughly drowned out the afternoon. Everyone had a great time as evidenced by the photos. To get the shots, both forward & backward, I stuck my digi cam out the window periodically as I drove! To get the shots in front of me, I took pix (with the flash off) through the front windshield.
This is where we lined up. That's my '89 Cherokee XJ on the right. The gathering point included meeting and making new friends.
It's the dealership's way of introducing the new owners of Jeep vehicles to see what their Jeep is capable of.
Some of the Jeeps were not stock and had chosen to take a different trail.
This is one of 2 Jeeps on display that were part of the Extreme 4x4 Race Series. This Jeep is sponsored by Smith's 4WD Center in Franklin, CT.
Some of the Jeeps were built purposely for Rock Crawling. These 2 Jeeps were headed for a private trail in Lisbon, CT.
The man on the far left, Alan Laidlaw, is the president of the Eastern 4 Wheelers, Region D. He owns the dark green ZJ, which runs 37s !
The Jeeps were staged in this area were headed toward the Lisbon Property.
That scuff on the rear bumper, along with the huge dent on the rear quarter panel, recently returned from a trip in Moab, Utah.
This TJ is equipped with massive 38.5s !!! The rig is owned & built by a girl.
Pulling the top off - for a perfect 75 day !
After everyone signed in and got familiar with ther Jeeps, We all headed out to our trail sites. We chose the Pachaug State Forest Trail in Plainfield, CT.
This is the trailhead at the beginning of Pachaug State Forest. Here we waited until everyone arrived. There are a minimum of 26 Jeeps per trail.
My wife Nadia (in the moss green T-shirt) walks past my '89 XJ.
Looking through the windshield of my XJ, we finally departed for our trip.
This Jeeper waits for everyone to drive by. He'll be bringing up the rear should anybody get stuck.
A beautiful spring day after a recent rain. Aahhh.....early spring in CT. Fresh puddles from a recent heavy rain.
Perfect!
Looking back at the other drivers.
As we traveled in low range, I took several pix, both forward and backward, while driving at the same time.
This trail was great for the novice drivers in our group. It gave them a chance to see what their Jeep is capable of, and to see what lies beyond the pavement.
Typical Connecticut landscape consists of mostly rocky terrain, and very heavily wooded areas. While this trail is mostly flat, others are very steep and hilly.
These trail are too stony for anything above 5 mph.
Everyone kept their distance from each other.
Most ZJ lifts only allow tire fitment sizes of 33 in. How these guys managed to squeeze on 37 in. is unthinkable.
This is an easy trail for beginners. The trail was nicely shaded and kept us out of the sun.
The run-off from the winter thaw created some nice creeks. Unfortunately, it also created some slippery conditions too.
A combination of small tires and no lift combined with the driver's inexperience caused him to get hung up on his lower control arm.
We took a short break to stretch our legs and to see if the other driver needed help.
This is what happens when Inexperience + No Tow Strap = "Help, I'm Stuck!"
The right front tire hung down just enough to lose traction. Another driver had a tow strap with him. A quick yank got him on his way again.
A recent high winds storm came through the week before and knocked down several trees. The diameter of this oak tree is almost as wide the spare on the Jeep in front of me.
A nice shot of Connecticut's famous rocky terrain.
The tree to the left of this TJ is marked with a blue stripe. As long as we stay on the "blue" trail, we wouldn't get lost. There are 9 other "color marked" trails inside this state forest.
As we neared the approach of noon time, thick heavy clouds moved in. This was an indication that another heavy-duty storm was on its way in.
For years, Connecticut has never allowed 4WD vehicles inside their forests. But with the help of the Eastern 4 Wheelers Club, and the cooperation of the Dept. of Environmental Protection, CT's state forest can now be accessed by 4WD.
The drivers were impressed with their Jeep's handling manners off road.
They now know what they've been missing. Now they understand the phrase: "It's a Jeep thing,....you wouldn't understand."
My '89 4 door Cherokee XJ wasn't the only one in the bunch. My friend Dennis also has one too. But his, the red one, is much newer (a '99 2 door XJ, I think).
You can tell my XJ's not pretty.....the shine faded away a long time ago.
There was a small pond to our right. Me and Dennis wanted to fish it, but perhaps we'll come back another day when it's just us.
This TJ makes its way over a small berm that ATV & Moto-X riders made previously before. We were not the only ones using this trail that day.
Some stones were bigger than others.....
This trail was about 7.5 miles long, and took roughly about an hour to complete.
This trail now begins twisting through some really heavily wooded sections.
And also through some rockier sections as well. Eastern Connecticut's rocky terrain made for a bumpy ride.
Here in CT, when a branch (or some branches) scuffs the sides of your vehicle, they're called "Hillbilly Pinstripes". Because no 2 are exactly alike !
DEP was supposed to clear all of the downed trees. This one blocked the trail.
Not everyone made it over........
The DEP officials were supposed to clear all fallen trees for us. This one came down 2 days earlier due to high winds. After re-arranging some stones, we all managed to overcome this obstacle.
Yup, the same guy got stuck again. We used some rocks and some logs to form a natural ramp before and after the downed tree to aid us in getting over the tree.
We're on our way again.
As we neared the end of our trail run, the clouds were getting darker, and the sun disappeared for good.
This pic was taken by utilizing my driver's side rear view mirror. *** Note the "haze" on the left of the photo.
Another Extreme Race Series Jeep from Smith's 4WD Center.
And this is the other Extreme Race Series Jeep - also from Smith's 4WD Center.
To see more, go to:
http://www.CompleteOutdoorRecreationalEquipment.com
Jeff
United States
