Monthly Meet N Greet - 08/27/17 at Santiago Peak, Cleveland National Forest, CA

We won't make it either. We're still in Colorado getting the bumper made/fitted/installed. We ended up taking the winch apart to reseat the gasket and add some grease. It's still gonna be a while before we're back in the road which means we won't be home until late tomorrow.
 
Jaxx and I will be going up via Ortega highway and main divide truck trail. My first time going to Santiago Peak. If anyone wants to link up on Ortega (say at the start of the truck trail) post up and we can arrange a time.
 
Jaxx and I will be going up via Ortega highway and main divide truck trail. My first time going to Santiago Peak. If anyone wants to link up on Ortega (say at the start of the truck trail) post up and we can arrange a time.

Erika and I will be headimg up. Not sure if we're going through Maple Springs or Ortega Hwy yet. It all depends if we pick up her cousin on the way or not. We should know soon, I'll let you know.
 
I will hang out here until 1045 if anyone is still planning on linking up. Monitoring 146.535
 
I've got a family emergency that literally came up this morning so I can't make it out today. Sorry fellas.
 
We had 4 rigs and 6 people (plus one canine who thinks he's a person).

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The road in was a long slow dirt track but manageable for any vehicle with more clearance than a Prius. Unfortunately the weather was HOT (102 by my truck thermometer) so we didn't do pictures and tried to locate some shade. We talked the usual truck mods and discussed upcoming events (mountain rendezvous!) and how west coast overland expo is better than east coast overland expo :D

We broke out at 145 to head home. Our lone cyclist was defeated by the heat, loose dirt trail and fatigue so we wisely loaded the BMW into the back of a dodge eco-diesel. Better to put pride on the back burner and stay safe, especially 2 hours from assistance! We proved 4 motivated individuals can do it without a ramp and continued towards Ortega highway after giving some worn out hikers a refil of cold fridge water and gatorades. It was a bit dusty.

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Halfway back we noticed a dark smoke cloud building ahead. It grew constantly and dramatically until we could spot the water bombers and flames leaping into the sky from several miles away. Luckily the fire was on the other side of Ortega highway and we were able to air up and offload the bike without issues. An alarm came up on the closure of the road to the east so we all set off for home. The fire trucks and police passed us constantly on the way out and we passed a roadblock stopping traffic further down the mountain. Hats off to those guys heading up to fight the fire in this heat!

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If you havent been to Santiago Peak you should check it out, the views are spectacular. Just wait for a cooler day. And watch for the next meet and greet!
 
We had 4 rigs and 6 people (plus one canine who thinks he's a person).

View attachment 33299 The road in was a long slow dirt track but manageable for any vehicle with more clearance than a Prius. Unfortunately the weather was HOT (102 by my truck thermometer) so we didn't do pictures and tried to locate some shade. We talked the usual truck mods and discussed upcoming events (mountain rendezvous!) and how west coast overland expo is better than east coast overland expo :D

We broke out at 145 to head home. Our lone cyclist was defeated by the heat, loose dirt trail and fatigue so we wisely loaded the BMW into the back of a dodge eco-diesel. Better to put pride on the back burner and stay safe, especially 2 hours from assistance! We proved 4 motivated individuals can do it without a ramp and continued towards Ortega highway after giving some worn out hikers a refil of cold fridge water and gatorades. It was a bit dusty.

View attachment 33301

View attachment 33300

Halfway back we noticed a dark smoke cloud building ahead. It grew constantly and dramatically until we could spot the water bombers and flames leaping into the sky from several miles away. Luckily the fire was on the other side of Ortega highway and we were able to air up and offload the bike without issues. An alarm came up on the closure of the road to the east so we all set off for home. The fire trucks and police passed us constantly on the way out and we passed a roadblock stopping traffic further down the mountain. Hats off to those guys heading up to fight the fire in this heat!

View attachment 33298
If you havent been to Santiago Peak you should check it out, the views are spectacular. Just wait for a cooler day. And watch for the next meet and greet!
Great report @Andy
 
Good show helping the distressed Beemer pilot out!! hope you introduced him to AAV on the way down the hill.
 
oopps, well good for him knowing when to say when. A lot of riders don't heed their bodies when heat, dehydration or exhaustion start to affect their performance.
 
My thanks to everyone for the help getting me and the bike off the mountain. Even though I had plenty of water & gatorade with me I do think I ended up a bit dehydrated. By the time I got to the bottom of the first hill down from the peak I had already dropped the bike twice and my legs were Jello.

Lesson learned, the bike performed flawlessly, but the combination of my relative lack of experience on the dirt, the extremely hot weather, and the inappropriate for the terrain tires just added up to too much.
 
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