The Better Late than Never 4th of July Run had a good turnout.  Breakfast was good and the weather was excellent.  It was probably one of the driest days on the trail that the club has had in over a year.  Several trails were open and we chose to ride with Lee Ator and about 18 other Jeeps on Dutch Creek. 

There were no major problems and we got to see a lot of the nine miles of trail available there.  A Rubicon got into a tree and damaged the right side flares.  Lee figured he’d be a helpful soul and finished ripping the front flare off of the Jeep to the amazement of the owners.  A younger driver in a Cherokee learned that he needed to fill up the tank before hitting the trails when his fuel gauge read full and the tank was empty.  Our Jeep vapor locked after idling too long with the air conditioning on but with some help and a shot of starter fluid we were on our way.  In one of the “V” notches the aforementioned Rubicon threw a rock and it struck Tony’s windshield hard.  The windshield stopped it but it could have been tragic for someone running with the windshield down.  A four door Rubicon had to be winched at an exit from a creek that was muddy.  Everyone learned that you need to pull a vehicle straight when possible if you want to keep the wheels on the ground.

After the run our hosts for the day, Lee and Tammy Ator, fed everyone at their home.  Tammy and several friends and family members worked throughout the day getting things ready and cooking for everyone.  Hamburgers, hot dogs, brats, potato salad, pies, apple crisp and homemade ice cream were just some of the items laid out and it was all that you could eat.  It was a real good ending to a great day on the trails.

Chris and I took some pictures with our new camera and while getting them together to post I found that I had failed to set the date before we hit the trails.  Maybe next time I’ll have it right.