Anyone interested in a drive to Quinam beach??











It gets fun from here!





They are clearing a trail through the forest to the beach from Santa Flora side. I was told that it was an existing road that was over grown. The trail should be free to play on for both the carnival weekend and the weekend after..

A 4x2 can make it 90% of the way there, but you will need 4x4 for the slightly muddy areas..

Anyone interested in a drive?

Yuh wah go Manzan fuh a lime orrr??
Or maybe Tyrico?

I know a spot in manzan just after the river mouth where you can access the beach to drive. Once it in low tide, you can drive around and do donuts if the place empty... right next to the river mouth.

Might be a good spot to park up and lime a bit.
Not much offroading there though, unless you want to get stuck in marshy swamp or drive on the beach.







so.... when?
This sunday?

there kinda boring to be honest, unless you all know some trails in the area.. last time I went, the tallest mud volcano I saw was about a foot high by 4 feet wide..

Morne Diablo Volcano on the other hand...



well worth the drive!

claries - the essential gear may include the foll:

- tow rope 15-25feet long or snatch-straps with shackles
- shovel
- garden boots
- flashlight
- bottle of water/drinking water (maybe 2-3 litres)
- walkie talkie (if u have a pair)
- first aid kit
- small tool kit incl. 10,12,14 spanners, locking pliers, pliers, phillip's + flat head screw drivers
- complete jack & spare tire kit with changing tools


Other than that, just the basic stuff for a lime
- food
- snacks
- cooler full of drinks
- co-driver or navigator (Gf's and wives do very nicely here)

We'll have a couple of experienced 4x4-drivers on the run with us, and safety is always first priority with FUN as a close second!




As far as driving techniques go, most of us have a little bit of experience going off-road, but there's always room for improvement.
I found a few articles here on the http://www.4wdaction.com australian off-roading magazine about driving properly off the paved path.


Tackling a series of challenging ruts is great fun, but it always pays to have a closer look before tearing into them. Consider the lines that are available and how the truck will react to these lines. When looking at ruts, try to see the route in your head – it’s a bit like imagining where the water would run down the hill when it rains. The rule is to plan at least three moves ahead and to have already walked the track to form an overall plan of the entire attempt.

The most important aspect to rut driving is to know the underside of your vehicle intimately – where are the diff pumpkins located on the axles, what else hangs down below the chassis rails, and where other vulnerable components are.

When going downhill on wet slippery mud, it can be a real advantage to stay in the ruts. In this situation, the ruts are often the only thing that keeps your 4WD on the right track. Avoid using the brakes wherever possible, so idle down in first gear, relying on engine braking. If the wheels start to slide out of control, a little throttle can help to recover grip and direction.

Source Article: http://www.4wdaction.com.au/articles/tips-and-techniques/44582-stuck-rut



And more from the same article....

...Driving at the edges of ruts can allow the shoulders of tyres to find traction. To successfully use this technique involves turning the wheels as if trying to drive out of the ruts, but only using enough steering lock to catch the outer front edge of the tyre on the rut edge. This can give the tyres something to find traction on, while the ruts themselves act like rails. If muddies are fitted, then the more aggressive side biting treads will have a greater effect with this technique....


...... If traction is lost in muddy sections, then working the steering from left to right can find grip where there isn’t much traction. Maintaining forward momentum is the key to successfully getting through muddy ruts, but there needs to be a balance between enough speed and too much speed......


...Always use a smooth throttle action and gently feed in power when required.....

And here's another article to read up on, "How to get unstuck"

http://www.4wdaction.com.au/articles/tips-and-techniques/42787-coming-unstuck

Right fellas...
So 3stagevtec and myself went down to santa flora today to scout out the trail and plan out the route.


Basically it's down past fyzabad health center, down into santa flora. Approx 25 mins from KFC gulf view with no traffic.

It's a bunch of old logging trails that cut through the forest. There's a contractor there right now who's clearing a new pathway and logging some trees. This new path will have direct access to Quinam beach, one of the southernmost beaches in Trinidad.

However this new trail is being used by heavy equipment, and in its current condition is almost TOTALLY IMPASSABLE by our stock vehicles, it's most definitely a Grade 4 trail. Guys with liftkits + mud tyres could possibly make it through, but even they will have some difficulty. The tractor driver said today that they'll try to level it out tomorrow, and hopefully we'll get some sun to dry up some of the slush & mud.

However there's another, older trail, that's got a solid gravel base that goes from the contractor's camp, all the way to the main road which then leads straight to Quinam beach. However the end of the trail which leads to the main road is blocked by a locked gate. The good news is that directly to the right of this gate, is a small path through the trees that can be used to access the main road, all we have to do is clear a few saplings with cutlasses and then drive our trucks through. I believe that even 4x2 trucks would be able to make that exit to the paved main road.


The real fun in this trail however, is a small side-path that cuts through the forest and runs parallel with the main trail. There's an entrance to this path not far from the beginnig of the trail, and we believe it goes all the way through and rejoins the main trail approx 1/4 mile down the road. 3stage and I tried to go through it, but didn't go all the way cuz of time constraints (he had to go to work).
That pathway itself is a dirt path, just large enough to fit one vehicle at a time, however it's a little boggy with mud and has loose top soil, soggy enough to sink your foot in slightly in some spots - not too different from the Blanchi Trail we did last year.

Guys with All-Terrain tyres should be able to make it through with a bit of a challenge (I know Jeremy and Droppa will def. want to go!) but guys with highway tyres are better off going to the exit and walking back up to meet us through the trail. Not saying that you guys can't go, but it will be with great difficulty and with highway tyres you're guaranteed to stick.
While 3stage was trying to come back out through that side trail, he got stuck on an incline and had to winch himself out. At one point, the topsoil was so boggy that even though he had full parking brake on, the Grand Vitara started to SLIDE BACKWARDS and I had to grab it by the A-Pillar, and dig my heels in to stop it sliding down the hill.


Will post some pics later on in the evening - but trust me, it's a great trail and almost guaranteed to be FUN. The newbies will enjoy it, some may be scared but we have experienced guys with us so no worries.


Allyuh update the Roll Call, it's not limited to any number, any and everyone can come.

Right and now the pictures of the reconnaissance mission today...




This is where the contractor's camp is located


These are the machines that are doing the logging and clearing of the new path (Lumberjack CAT). 3Stage and I got to ride shotgun on one of these today - what an awesome and powerful machine!! The driver took us down the new path, since our trucks definitely would not have made it far at all!



This is the kind of terrain on the new path - only heavy machinery could pass through. And it gets worse, much worse. There's hard surface underneath all the slush, but stock vehicles won't have the ground clearance to get through, you'll end up bottoming out.
But the driver said they'll try to level out the trail before sunday, and hopefully with some hot sun, the trail will dry out so there's hope for those who want to pass through. Or at least try to.




Some of the "better" parts of the new track.... looks passable, but proceed with caution! There are deeper and more difficult parts on the new track - I just wasnt able to get pics of it cuz the Lumberjack was bouncing around too much in the deep ruts.



Now there is an older track, with a gravel base that we can definitely run on. The approx distance is prob 1 1/4 miles total, maybe less than that. 4x2 vehicles can make it through to the end, and possibly with assistance go through the side-track to bypass the locked gate at the end.

The side-path that runs through the forest and rejoins the main path looks passable, but it'll take some good driving and some assistance to get through.

3stage and I tried to go through, I walked it and he came down with the GV. But due to time constraints, and lack of turning room, we decided to go back after a good bit in. He couldn't make it up the hill though, topsoil was too boggy and slippery so he had to winch himself out.




I got to press the button!


So instead of getting ourselves stuck even more, we decided to come out of the side-path, and see how far we could get towards the gate. Made it all the way, saw the locked gate with the main road just beyond, plus the pathway through the trees to the right of the gate to bypass and reach the main road - we'll just have to clear a few small trees with our cutlasses and then we can drive through. I feel even the 4x2 guys can make it through that part of the trail, to reach the road.




As far as the road goes, 3stage said it goes all the way down to Quinam Beach, which is only a quick 10 min dash down. And heading back out, it goes all the way back to Siparia, so we have an exit for those who want to head home after the off-roading fun.


Anyway, time was drawing close for our departure, so after a couple 3-point turns into the bush, we headed back to the Contractor's camp and then headed back to the main road and into Fyzabad, then home.




But not without some antics first.....

Also walk with Gardening boots, if you have them - there will be mud! (bring some along for your passengers too - available at Bhagwansinghs or local hardware for approx $85-$120).
Also a good idea - bring along at least 1-2 gallons of fresh water (not necessarily drinking water) to wash off hands & feet during the run.



And walk with possibly any medical supplies/tablets/inhalers/sunscreen that you may need.

We'll have a medical officer with us on the trail but that's no good if you need your meds and Superpharm is 45 mins away.

aye whho have walkie talkies? bring if u have. we have about 10 trucks or so for tmrw, so communication will be needed.

Right guys. A little list on what I'm carrying and some other checks. Just so you all can compare. Never know what you might forget or something you didn't think of.

> Oil at proper level
> Tires properly pressurized. (Might have to drop the pressure if the mud it like caramel)
> Coolant level good
> Wind shield water bottle fulled

> Drinking Water + Extra water to use for things such as washing hands
> Mosquito Repellent
> Baby Oil (It apparently keeps away sand flies). In my case, I don't have any, so I will try hand cream
> Sun Screen (It's gonna have a lot of sun)
> Shovel (Need I explain?)
> Old news papers and maskin tape (good if you want to wrap up muddy things)
> Cell phones THAT ARE TOPPED UP AND FULLY CHARGED
> Tow Rope
> Cutlass
> Knife
> Walkie Talkies
> Old waste cloths
> Cooler

That is all I believe we will need. Feel free to add to the list if there is anything I'm forgetting.




Good advice here! I also wrapped my floor mats too because it takes a lot of effort to clean those mats without it drying and turning white.



Not sure about using scotchguard though. I never used it and I don't know if it will be able to come off. Will take a look at how it is when we meet up later today.


Also. I was suppose to ask. Anyone organize with a car wash after this run? I don't mind a simple wash on my van after. Just want to get off the heavy mud so it doesn't turn my yard into the next off-road site. I'll do my proper wash when I get home. It's a Sunday, so the regular car wash will be close. I believe there is a gas station near cross-crossing that washes vehicles. Don't know if they will be open.

yeah fellas, now reach home. tired like heck. Thanks for coming to all, and I'm so very thankful we had no accidents or injuries - just a couple pieced of trucks flying off (including a plastic piece of my bumper and rotated license plate).

Good teamwork to all, we banded together and helped each other out. we ran into some serious trouble a couple times, but we helped each other out and made it out of that difficult track.


Stay tuned for pics and a writie up - i goin and unload my van, and then try to stick back on my plastic bumper!

The Mazda BT50 is a great all-rounder too. It is basically the 2.5L Turbo Rangers. The Mazda/Ford work great anywhere, anytime.



Quick Update. I got home safe and sound with no problems from my vehicle. Just finished give a complete under wash to the van and cleaned out clothes/shoes. All that is left is to clean the 'little' mud on the mats (Thanks to all the news papers. Oh yea! It worked! ) and rub down the van with a sponge. I'll post pics, vids and more info when I get some sleep. I'm completely drained.

Great day guys! Didn't have this much fun since the year start and I don't see anything topping this for the year. As said before, it was great that everyone came together and help each other out. Must say, I don't know their names, but thanks guys who helped me with my tire change under those rough circumstances and the rest for helping me get through without 'much problems'.........On second thought, thanks for helping me get through the trail. The amount of problems encountered was crazy.

Some teaser pics from the run yesterday.


















I'll try to put more pics and a write up later today/tonight.
Good run everyone, glad we all made it out safe and sound. It was going well at first, but then rain started to fall around lunchtime and transformed the trail from a grade 2 to a grade 3 - 4 very quickly. LUckily the rain stopped and the trail dried up after a while. However the rain actually did us some good - cuz the amount of pressure the guys up in front had to get out the exit with all that grade 3-4 mud would have been too much for the newbies. Good thing we turned around and went back up the trail, through mud that was already compacted down so it was relatively easier to drive through (though slippery) and we didn't have to battle through softer mud.

After work this morning I went straight by RONS for a wash. As soon as I entered the compound, the manager spot me and said, 'quick, book this guy a wash, now!' lol..

Did a complete body and under wash + shock oil. My interior is still a complete mess, but I will clean up that later after I get some rest. I also plan on removing each wheel and greasing / cleaning / servicing etc all mechanical components around the brakes and suspension. Even with the under wash, there are a few places where they missed.. and I'm sure I will find more mud when I take down the tyres.

I completely forgot to take pics along the way. Trail was just too much fun! These are the few good one I have..

That's a lot of trucks!


Not enough momentum.. or was it lack of power??


Talk about stuck! This was the 1st difficult section of trail just after the point where you guys turned back. (Just after that slippery hill).


No help from the rear tyres either..


I also got stuck here trying to turn around.. Innocent looking path..


Parked at work.. Everything looks normal from this angle..


and then I was like.. WHERE MEH HUB!!


To be honest, loosing that hub had me vex all night.. damn thing gonna cost almost $1000 to replace..

We went by a tyre shop in San'do this morning and found a used tyre to temporarily replace the blown one.. The used tyre actually have enough life on it to give us a few months of use!

Cost us $30 for the tyre / install..

Lesson learnt, do NOT drive over sharp objects with deflated tyres.. It was amazing / scary to see just how easy that sidewall ripped open..

I was really surprised at the difference deflating the tyres made. Both me and Rene's bro made the second hill as well without too much trouble after deflating.

The main thing that made you stop your momentum and causing you to stick on this trail is the dam trees! At one point going up the second hill (with 3stage in d trayy), The dam vann swing and was heading directly for a huge tree...
Had to stop, reverse, and try again.

At some places where you needed to go X2board, there towering trees on the left and right, making you slow to a speed where your brakes would hold.

Right. Now relaxing home after a long day of tire hunting and school. Got the tire replaced for $30 as 3stagevtec said. The tire change cost more than the tire itself! LOL. Who ever used it before has his vehicle at a bad camber so the inside of the tire is not too far off the tire wear indicator but the outside is really good. Lucky me.

As for the actual washing of the vehicle, nothing has changed from last night. Underneath of the vehicle is cleaner than the body of the vehicle and the inside is still a mess. Will have to wipe down the interior with a wet cloth to remove all the sand. Might even take the leaf blower to it. Everything else is fine in the vehicle, so I'm really happy.

Now for the pictures:


Strapped up and ready to pull speedy.


The dreaded drain/river.


I give them credit. They real work hard this run. Thanks for the assistance guys.


Ah Yes! The first weight reduction. Yuh didn't stick though!


Group Photo. Showoff those parts with pride.


At least rotated balls were still in order. However, the 24's didn't need balls for this run. Well done!


FROM HERE IS AFTER THE GROUP SPLIT INTO TWO:



Dropping the pressure in the tires for a steep hill up ahead.

Dropping the pressure in the tires really does make a huge difference. The brown ranger, I think it was civic minded, was having problems to climb the steep hill. We tried giving him a push and weighing down the tray of the van to get him to climb it but nothing worked. When he gave it power the wheels were just spinning and he was moving off really slow. However, as soon as he dropped the pressure, the van took off like a bullet and made it all the way up the hill in one go. So there is a top tip, when in deep mud and need some traction, drop the pressure!


Mazda like the mud.


Mazda, Toyota, Ford.


Time to collect speedy. It should be noted that all he needed was a little pull at start and he ended up driving out himself. Not sure where he got the traction but the van worked.


Tug-Of-War!


And I was so close to making it out without getting stuck too!! *sigh*
In my defense, I only had 2WD (Even with 4WD on, the diff would only send power to the flat tire) and the van was too big to get move around the trees with some momentum. Plus the last thing I wanted to do was damage those alloys.


Thanks again guys for the help in changing the tire. Especially the guy with the red jersey and the other B2500 owner. It was a good thing it got punctured near the road. I really don't know how I would jack up the van in that soft mud to change the tire. The jack would just sink! Something all should be aware of. Scout the path you are going to drive through for any cut trees or anything that can damage your tire.




The day went good no matter the difficulties. Think of it like this, we have one hell of a story to tell. This is one trail we can feel proud off. We conquered the worst trail we could imagine for our vehicles.
(Videos will be posted tomorrow when I get time to upload them to YouTube. I still have to finish clean out the interior of the van and inside the skid plate under the van. And yea, it's a lot of videos)

The cleaning:


Oh lawd. Next time I'm gonna pay for an underwash. That was just too much mud under the house. My mother flipped when she saw all that forest. The good thing is though, I got good top soil for the plants around the house


Nice and clean. Well sorta.


Just pressure washed the van to get off the heavy mud. If that dries, it will be twice as hard to get off.

As for those guys driving around with the mud still on their van, I agree with you 100%. The look on people faces when they see the van covered in so much mud is priceless. On the way home from the run, I will breaking down in tears laughing at the different reactions.


As for the inside of the van with all the news paper I used. It didn't last out the entire run, but a lot cleaner than if I didn't put it.

Morne Diablo is an odd trail.. some times of the year, a drop low Civic can drive through without any issues, I actually saw cars in there already! other times, you will need a fully built rig on massive MTs to even stand a chance..

I was hoping we can get it somewhere right in the middle..

like this..

all the vids i have, my batteries died and half the time the cam was in the truck.....


watch how nice and dry the place was.........




navaras can do it in style too



get on brian......



a few words from the top gun

and some of my pics........











cuddles "am I holding this thingee the right way"



the top gun, where u get that juzzy boi.....

Ok guys, sorry it took so long to post up these pics, but I was busy this week.


So here we go:


The convoy.
Biggest yet for Side B, in our few months of running together.


Rolling into the contractor camp.


Clearing out a picker tree (can't remember the name)


Me: "Smile or else you gonna get chap-chap"
Jeremy: "This blade real nice bai, I not giving this one away nah"


Mazda B2500 ground clearance - nice van dey Claries


Exploring the contractor's new trail.


Make way, the Rangers coming through.


The scout/main navigator/rescue vehicle going ahead to scout the condition of the new trail


Nope.... looks even worse than before. Can't make it.


The only guy who could've made it through all that slush/mud/deep ruts.


Uncle going down by Quinam beach, and he taking the CAT.


Meeting up at the second, older trail. This was at the entrance to the side-path.


Entering into No-man's land


Keep on truckin' !!


Speedy sticking, and we come to his aid. No man gets left behind! Ooh' Rah!!


Jeremy says: "Fack this, I bun' dey. Tell speedy stop mashin brakes nah, it's NOT funny!


Speedy so hardcore, he come down a muddy trail in a 4x2. And when he want to park, he chap-down a tree and make he own parking space.




Watch out, a forest monster is coming through the trail!


The dreaded ditch. 3stage got stuck, had to winch himself out. It may look innocuous, but that ditch was real trouble.


civic_minded made it without much hassle


Jeremy powers through.



After the Rangers gone and dig up the ditch, time to bring out the grating.


Rotated's buddy - "Style" coming through on his 4x4 Nav, running on half-worn Dunlop Grantrek's highway tyres.



Epic stickage.
Not my Nav - this was "style" and his Nav.
Should have kept the power up and gone straight through.



Just to give you some perspective on how deep that ditch became, and how badly the other Nav got stuck.


Frontier POWAH!!


... to be continued........

At this point... the rain started to fall and we were struggling to get out of that gully and advance down the dirt track. The first 4 trucks in front made it up before the rain, I was 5th and then the rest of teh convoy behind me. As I started up the 30 foot high, 40 foot long hill, I was making slow progress, but when the rain started, it was as if the trail surface instantly turned into slush (within the space of like, 30 seconds) and I lost almost ALL traction. Could not climb further, all 4 wheel spinning, no brakes, ABS totally locked up. At one point, started to roll backwards with all 4 wheels locked with brakes. Basically had to guide the truck back into the slush with minimal steering.

Couldn't take much pics as this point, too busy worrying about getting everyone out.

Meanwhile, near to the exit of the trail, the 4 trucks in front were having a terrible time trying to make it out of the slushy clay soil. From what I heard, Jeremy stuck, 3stage had to winch himself out and the other guys too, and they had to resort to airing down the tyres to regain some measure of traction.

Back at the sliding hill, we made the decision to turn around and get out via our tyre tracks. The ground had already been compacted, hence we had some measure of traction even with the wet ground. The sun had come out and the trail dried slightly, so we turned the trucks around and headed up. Took a bit of maneuvering, and had to send the trucks up the trail one-by-one, but we were each able to make it out mostly on our own power, not much need for towing.




I was the last to come out, but we had to leave speedy's truck parked up down the trail. Had to wait for 3stage to come back from the other end



(far right of photo) - 3stage is off to get speedy out of the trail



VICTORY!!!


back out of no-man's land.


Winching operations. It was at this point that some of the guys/girls who rode along thus dubbed speedy as "sticky".
I like speedy better


What is it with the GV and sliding all over the place???!!??


Pressha' boy speedy!!


Finally we get out.


Relief!



Taking a min to step back and reassess the day's events.




Time to wash up, eat some food, re-air the tyres.


The last section of the trail - trying to get past the locked gate.
Style's navara had a lot of difficulty on this part, though it was just a short section. The mud was a lot more slippery, and the trail narrow. Plus as 1.8Ton navara on half-worn highway tyres = recipe for sliding & disaster. Luckily Rotated was able to tow him back out and one of the Petrotrin guys came along and we were able to get the key to unlock the gate from the office down the road.


Treacherous mud. Very slippery.


Style's Nav was only sliding around, and being light in the back meant his rear-tail kept heading towards a tree.




Jeremy found a horsie.


One of rotated's buddies came along to see what we were up to (I was interfering with the Lock, in an attempt to break it - he said I can't do that, it's private property) and after some discussion, we were able to get the keys. Hooray, we were almost home free!!!


Sweet freedom!


The beat up (other) nav gets the first taste of freedom (while 3stage and his bro were already out, with some damage to cvt_rr"s tyre).


Happy to be out, finally.


Nissan powah.


Speedy rolls out. Bet he's feeling a big wave of relief there, eh?


Droppa rolls through the gate.


Don't worry Jeremy, you'll be home soon.


And finally, myself coming out last. Making sure that all the guys made it out safely.
Big shout out & thanks to Rotated's friend, Sanjay, who helped us out at this last minute and was a total Godsend. I'm sure the other guys were very relieved and appreciated the helping hand.


It's not a trail... it's a TRAP!
It was just the last section of the trail, yet it claimed the most damage:
- the gold b2500's front tire burst
- the other black nav's sidebar got bent, and almost had the Nav slide into a tree
- brian20v's rear taillight


Last bit of drama for the day - even Sanjay's almera got stuck.




So, that concludes the Santa-Flora/Quinam run.
This was the second time we attempted to make it to the beach yet had to turn back.

Next time, we might as well go straight to the beach and lime, ent?
So.... Kayaking in Salybia river & lime on Salybia beach next time, anyone??

Just finished upload the videos to YouTube. Was suppose to cut and join the videos into one, but I don't have the time soon to do that. They are in order of events. Now when I was watching over the videos, it really did this trail no justice. The outside shots were ok, but the inside shots from the vehicle made it look like we were driving on flat roads coated with mud. You guys should know however of what madness the trail really was. When we got separated half way through the trail I gave up on recording videos outside the vehicle because my main focus was if we would be able to get out before night. Now then, let the mega-bites roll.

1st Pull Of The Day:


The next few vids are of most people trying to get through the river. Note that the more vehicles enter, the deeper the river got. Good thing we had shovels and cutlasses!:

Civic Minded -


Jeremy -


Me -


Lighthammer : WHAT AN ENTRANCE! OUCH! Guess it was just the skid plate -


Claries : Sorry. Don't know your name yet. Correct me if I'm wrong or let me know your Tuner name. The other B2500 showing that both Mazda got ting and it wasn't by luck -


Rotated : 24's!! He got in with no problems, however like he didn't wanna stop playing in the river so he left a part there on his behalf. Notice how slippery that mud is. On flat ground and he still spinning 4 tires to move forward -


Style : Entered with not enough speed. At this point, the river was really deep and I know he was worried about leaving his front bumper behind. Great job today. Welcome to the pack -


Rotated showing off some pulling grunt


Brian : Fast in, get some air time, fast out. Yea, he lovin' his lift kit -



From here, this is where the group got separated. No more outside videos from here on. All shot inside my van.

It doesn't look like a steep hill I was climbing at the start, but trust me, I was in second gear using all the muscle of the turbo -


From the end of this video was a section that was hard -


I wasn't able to record this piece because I was worried about sticking, And it really didn't have much traction for pulling. Basically, where civic minded parked up was a slight downhill leading to a left turn with deep rots an heavy mud. It was basically full speed from the start of the hill. When you did hit the turn, most of your momentum was lost due to the mud slowing us down. However, on the exit, I was about a few inches of sliding into Jeremy rear bumper. I was hard on the brakes a few meters from his van, but there was just NO traction and the van kept sliding. Gosh, I could imagine his reaction watching my van sliding slowly to his. Sorry about that Jeremy.

Then next was a small part before the final hills where we stopped waiting for civic minded to finish climb the hills. This wasn't a good idea because where Jeremy stopped was in heavy mud so I had to give him a small pull back to the slightly harder soil so he could get some momentum.

Next up was the 1st part of the uphill to the exit. The van just under steered at the 1st corner. Had no traction. As for the up hill, the van had a mind of its own heading for every tree at the side of the path -


This is the point where we had to air down the tires in civic minded van to get him to climb the hill. Jeremy and me did the same right after -

Jeremy's last run with 3stagevtec in the tray of his van hitching a ride up the last hill to the exit. Not sure what happened for him to stop -


My run. The second to last vehicle to exit the trail. Lol at navigators, they make you feel so good after a trail like that -


Speedy getting pulled from the start. Notice, he just needed a slight pull. He basically drove himself out. The winch wasn't doing a thing -


The final man out. Big sigh of relief! -


Thats all my videos. Once again, well done fellas!

Wagon_R

Yeah boy, you been incognito a while, real photoshoots keeping yuh busy .


Good points u posted - one thing I always liked about this forum is the openess and spirit of sharing, of both information and fun. The guys here are mostly mature, intelligent and genuinely love their diesel machines. That was a major factor in me using my parent's frontier and eventually going on to buy my Navara.


Having said that, I just wanted to make it clear that "Side B" is just a collection of the next set of diesel and 4x4 enthusiasts who also hunger to test their vehicles and enjoy exploring our country - much like the original set of guys did back in the early days of the forum. It was just last december 2010 when a couple of us just decided to get together and make a run, since there wasn't anything official going on at the time and we felt bored. After that run, the popularity of this side-group started to grow and the runs became larger. It just goes to show that the guys here want to go truckin'.... And it didn't matter who they go with, since they've since gone to both the major and minor (side B) runs.

However, these runs are in the same vein as that started by the original guys: biggy, waggo, bleeding freak, venum, etc etc. The runs are open to EVERYBODY, not just diesel (gas engines are welcome too!) And its all about enjoying the vehicle you and your family purchased, and enjyoing our
country.

There is no real "president" or "commander", there isn't a strict hierarchy, nothing like that. There's usually a main leader or at least someone to assume the role so that everything is organized and the run goes smoothly.

So that's pretty much the focus of "Side B". Its not run by a single person - it's run and maintained by everyone. Even so, our aim isn't really to distinguish ourselves apart from the diesel boys - the name "Side B" just implies the group that does stuff in between the major events, kinda like how the side-b football team does stuff at home while the national team does major matches.

In fact, the only reason why it's called "Side B" and not "Diesel Boyz, Side B" is because there are a few guys with gasoline engines, and I didn't want them to feel ostracized or left out. Other than that, it's the same kind of atmosphere, the same amount of fun, excitement, adrenaline rush and camaraderie that we all like to enjoy, no matter what group it is.


Bottom line is, whether it's a major run or a minor (side b) run, all we really care about is keeping the spirit of adventure alive!