98Z5V

What's the headstamp, brother?

He smacked his beak pretty hard on that sail boom, too... <lmao>

That bike scared the piss outta me. For realz. <lmao> We got into camp late Tuesday (REAL late) /slash/ Wednesday morning. When I pulled into the semi-usual camping spot in darkness, I went pretty far down the wash. Drove until I saw a great spot, and saw another campsite about a hundred yards away in the headlights... The next day, Chris came over to my camp - he's the owner of the 426 I'd been working on for more than a full riding season. It has a test-n-tune knobby on it also. He came back later Wednesday afternoon and blasted down the flats on it, then rode the CR down the flats. He tried to buy the CR from me right then... <laughs> No Bueno, he can't have it. He declared that we were mounting the rear paddles Thursday morning. Next morning comes around, and we're spoonin' the knobs off the wheels and spoonin' the paddles on there. Went straight to the hill. After a few rips up the hill in 3rd, I felt pretty decent in the whoops at the bottom (they weren't deep yet, because it was still the beginning of a busy holiday weekend out there). Maybe 2ft deep whoops. I was feeling confident, so I grabbed 4th before the whoops a few times, and was starting to get that sheit down. Then I raced Chris on his 426. Straight fukkin' smoked him up that hill. Bad. Turned around and did it a few more times, giving him a heinous ass-whoopin' to the top. THEN... My buddy Scott, on the TRX quad with the 350 powervalve engine lines up on the left of me. Chris os on the right side. We LAY INTO IT. The damn CR comes out to the left in 1st, and I think to myself, "I'll just grab 2nd and whack it, and it'll straighten out..." :o Damn thing comes out hard to the right side. Hmmm... "I'll just grab 3rd, and whack it, and it'll straighten out..." IT DID! Now, I'm about to slam through the whoops. Logical decision was to grab 4th and hit it, just like before. Got about 3 or 4 whoops into the set, and the damn thing stands STRAIGHT UP in the bottom of a whoop. I slammed the throttle shut, bounced through the rest of the set, downshifted to 3rd, and coasted out of the whoops - THEN hit it again. Everybody was too far ahead to catch, so I just stayed in it up the hill, and tried my best. THAT point right there was when I figured out - that you can't figure those things out. You NEVER really "have it" on one of them. You might have it most of the time, but that bike is just biding it's time, deciding on it's own when the best time to kill you will be. It's a mean, nasty bastard, but also a calculating, patient one. Fukkin' pure evil. The spot on the back of my head DID grow. From that ride right there. That mean sum'bitch stayed in camp until Sunday afternoon. I took it out again for the ride that David ended up breaking his leg on - Last ride of that day. By then, it was the end of the holiday weekend, and those damn whoops at the bottom of the hill were about 3 or so feet deep. There were no 4th gear runs through the whoops that day, but I got 4th once coming out of them. The other runs were 3rd gear runs up the hill, and it was still fast as hell. Faster than any one of the 450cc racequads out there with us. That thing is psycho, and my life is now shorter because of it. It really is the only motorcycle I've ever ridden, in my whole life, that scares the poop out of me. I've ridden some pretty crazy, turbo nitrous drag quads that fuel on methanol, and this thing scares me WAY more than those things. :cookoo:

It's right here, man. http://www.phase5tactical.com/products/308-dpms-type/extended-bolt-release-v2308-ebrv2308

Pssssshhh... I still blame Roger. <thumbsup> <laughs>

Hell yeah, brother! <lmao> Met up with Jon this morning to collect up/pay up on his Black Friday graciousness. He nailed two VooDoo Tactical double rifle cases for me - one 42" and one 36". Met for breakfast, chowed down, then went to Diamondback Police Supply. <thumbsup> He tried to ambush me, though. He asked the counter guy to see one of the XDS micro .45s, and warned me not to touch one (or I'd want one). Then he hands me the damn thing... <laughs>

D'oh!!! :o I KNEW that, too!!! :-[

Throw me in the pot, too, micro. <thumbsup>

I could put paddle tires on that thing and ride it in the sand... <thumbsup> <laughs>

Will it pull a fired case out of the chamber, when firing? It's a 5.56 BCG, complete. You might need an o-ring around the extractor spring, firing the 300BLK ammo. Pull the bolt apart and see if it's got the o-ring around that spring. If it's not there, and you add it, it will give more grab and power to the extractor.

Next T-day, you'll be able to bring the midget with you. Youngin's are always welcome in camp, and there's always something going on. Typically, at night, it's adult shenanigans around the campfire, but there's always something. Dirk's boy turned 2 right before this trip, and it's his second one. <thumbsup> <laughs> NOW, he's talking, and he was sayin' some FUNNY stuff!!! He's all ears, too - I think he picked up on some bad stuff I was saying. That boy is like a mynah bird... :o I caught myself a couple times, but others caught me more. :-[ I had to actually try to "filter" myself, because Dillon was everywhere... ;D I suck at that, too. <dontknow> Sorry, Dirk. :happydrunks:

That right there makes them SO tender... Best thing to do to them, by far. <thumbsup>

That was Bambi! <lmao>

Rene, you ALWAYS have an invite, brother. All the silly poop I do, you can include yourself anytime, no-notice, and it will always be welcomed. <thumbsup> :happydrunks:

We'll wrap him in a giant set of Depends, stuff him into one of those college-bar inflatable Sumo Suits, and he'll be fine... <thumbsup> <laughs> I apologize ahead of time to many members here - the pics ain't visible to alot of you. I'll fix that. :( EDIT - All pics should be fixed now. <thumbsup>

It WILL be a trip you'll always remember. It's a damn HOOT!!! Maybe we can get Rob and Jen to attend, also... ;D <thumbsup> <munch>

5 years doing the gig as a National Ski Patrol Alpine Patroller. EMT-Basic, some "other army Medic" cross training. You've never seen "fucked up" until you see how bad people can wreck themselves on a ski slope... Bad thing is, the ambulance is at the bottom of the hill, and you have to get their broken ass down there... <laughs> <dontknow> Much proficiency in "broken people." <thumbsup> Fear not, I'll get you out. Somehow. <lmao>

You can't beat the sunsets out there... This moon was callin' my name. Bad. [img width=810 height=607]http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m239/rgrhartley/100_0613.jpg My splint action, out in the dirt. Gotta use what you have, and I had deadfall with a few 3ft straight sections, and duct tape (thanks to Dirk throwing it in the Rhino before we split on the Personel Recovery Mission...). <thumbsup> This was back in camp, after we got him out of the Rhino, and into the back of the truck, ready to leave for the hospital. This was what the hospital did, overall. I did better, I think. <dontknow> [img width=810 height=822]http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m239/rgrhartley/WashYumarecovery.jpg The results of the surgery. This is one expensive piece of titanium rod and some Ti screws! :o

I take Vagisil and Extra Strength Midol to the dunes with me. When my buddies start cryin', I rub 'em down with the Vagisil and make 'em eat the Midol, just so I don't have to listen to it. Dirk and his wife are the only ones that never complain - everyone else cries sometime during the trip... <lmao> <thumbsup>

Monday night, we started another raging fire - in a different fire pit. Did I mention that my kid had to dig all the different fire pits? His ass got a shovel-workout that would embarrass a Tae-Bo workout guru... <lmao> Monday, whilst in town and visiting my broken-legged brother, I hit the store for pork ribs. 3 racks. This is the prep on those ribs, which marinated from Monday afternoon until Tuesday morning, when we buried them. [img width=810 height=607]http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m239/rgrhartley/100_0605.jpg [img width=810 height=607]http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m239/rgrhartley/100_0606.jpg Here's the recipe - liberal coating with the rub, liberal coating with the roasted garlic-n-herb, and soaked in Stubb's Pork Marinade: [img width=810 height=607]http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m239/rgrhartley/100_0609.jpg These things came out of the ground so ridiculous, you could cut through the bones with a plastic fork. It was nuts. You can't get this in any restaurant... <thumbsup> Same pic from before, but a little later - my NO NOISE sign rocks! There's a long story on that thing, and it's a real sign. Real stolen sign... <dontknow> [img width=810 height=607]http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m239/rgrhartley/100_0608.jpg This was the first trip I've ever made to the dunes where I haven't done a Full Moon Lights Out Night Ride. The moon was full on Tuesday night, and I didn't do that lights-out ride. Just wasn't meant to be this year. [img width=810 height=607]http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m239/rgrhartley/100_0607.jpg

I'll take her on all the time - I ain't skeered. I just need to teach others not to go 5th gear-pinned in those damn washes! I lived, on that CR500, so it can be done. Mother Nature is a P USSY... :o <laughs>

Now we're getting into the wash-crash stuff. This was Monday - definitely Post-Crash, waiting for my buddy to get out of the Yuma Regional Medical Center. This is before sunset, sun still up, and sitting in camp. The guy in the pic is my other friend that came out, and he's just waiting to take off with the other two quads and trailer, after we feed him. Decided I better get pics of the damaged quad, already loaded on the trailer, before it leaves: [img width=810 height=607]http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m239/rgrhartley/100_0601.jpg [img width=810 height=607]http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m239/rgrhartley/100_0602.jpg [img width=810 height=607]http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m239/rgrhartley/100_0603.jpg

Found this fella directly in front of Dirk's camper the next morning. I think he was hungry for turkey. My crazy kid caught him in a coffee cup. He was promptly named "Elmer." I thought he'd be great, in a skillet with butter, and some gravy. I learned he was a member of the "catch-n-release" program. I was bummed... :o I kinda grew fond of him, in the few minutes that he was my prisoner. He's FDE, so what's not to like?... <laughs> [img width=810 height=607]http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m239/rgrhartley/100_0597.jpg [img width=810 height=607]http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m239/rgrhartley/100_0598.jpg I found out that Elmer can REALLY haul some ass, when flicked in the butt. He came after me like a spider monkey all hopped up on Mountain Dew! [img width=810 height=607]http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m239/rgrhartley/100_0599.jpg

Bike pics - I'll coment on my helmet later... ;D The burial ground - this was a raging fire on Wednesday night and Thursday night, and we buried food about 1:30am Thursday night. This pic is from daylight, Friday morning. There's a 22lb turkey in there, plus two huge turkey breasts. [img width=810 height=607]http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m239/rgrhartley/100_0590.jpg We dug that stuff up around 6pm Friday, and set up for some Thanksgiving dinner. Here's Dirk (DNP) working over those turkey breasts, after extrication. Wrapped on muslin and burlap, wetted and buried and covered. This is pulling them out and unwrapping: [img width=810 height=607]http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m239/rgrhartley/100_0591.jpg Not a "pretty turkey," from what we typically see, roasted, but this thing was falling apart. It was dam hard to cut up, because the knife just pushed it apart... <laughs> [img width=810 height=607]http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m239/rgrhartley/100_0593.jpg THE SPREAD!!! [img width=810 height=607]http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m239/rgrhartley/100_0595.jpg

Working on pics now, and I'll keep going until I get them all in here. We got into camp about 4am Wednesday morning, after much delay and driving. This was after the sun came up. I ended up staying awake for about 40 hours, starting Tueday morning (for work) about 6am, and going on. Got into camp at 4, set everthing up, made breakfast, and went out for the first ride. There's a whole LOT of Whoop-Ass right here in this pic! '01 Yamaha YZ426F, '86 TRX250R (with a 310cc kit), '98 CR500R, '06 'Zuk LT-R450, and the LT-Z250 for a friend's g/f that would arrive later. Different view, but you can see that badass Dodge gun-hauler in the background. <thumbsup> Notice, there's still a knobby on that CR500... :o Needed to do a test-n-tune on it on the flat ground of the washes. [img width=810 height=607]http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m239/rgrhartley/100_0588.jpg