Back from the 'Con

Bummed Out

Posted August 14 2008 06:21 AM by Jp Tech Editor
Filed under: Editorials, Land-use Discussion & Issues, Christian Hazel

Just got back from the Rubicon and I'm still a little bummed out.

I've been going to the Rubicon for about 10 years now. First they closed the camping from the trail at Loon Lake. Then the toilet paper and human waste got so bad at Spider Lake they closed the camping down there as well. I'm sad to say, the problem isn't fixed, it just shifted locations.

Now the area around Buck Island Lake is so littered with used toilet paper and little mounts of human waste I was nervous about letting my 4-year old venture around by himself. I don't mind the possibility of racoon, bear, or even snake encounters. That's part of being in the wilderness. But for Christ's sake, dig a hole if you gotta go!

Then the Camp Jeep guys had the helicopter ferrying provisions from the trail head to Rubicon Springs all day long. Back and forth. It was cool for a little while, but then you sort of felt like you were driving the I-405 through LA and the news choppers were covering a police pursuit.

But whatever. We really did have fun running the trail. Our group ran into a Samurai with a broken track bar mount. I welded them up and sent them on their way. I helped a TJ guy put a broken link back together. I guided two lost motorcycle riders out of the trail. I gave another guy high centered on a rock a yank. You know, normal trail stuff that makes you feel good about helping out a fellow wheeler and that gives you a sense that Karma may be on your side. Then I got back to my tow rig and found some a-hole had punched his trailer into the door of my brand new $52K tow rig.

After hearing Daddy drop the F-bomb for the first time, my son then heard it again on the way out of the trail head as I discovered some other a-hole (or the same one for all I know) siphoned 5-10 gallons of diesel out of my tank. *** man. This just ruins my faith in our sport a little.

Bottom line? It's apparent to me that now, more than ever, the Rubicon needs help if it's gonna survive. I'd highly recommend anybody who loves to run the trail or plans to in the future to contact Del Albright and the Friends of the Rubicon (FOTR) at www.delalbright.com to see how they can help this fine organization fight the good fight.

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Reader Comments:

1. Dude! That freakin' sucks! Guess we ain't leavin' tow rigs at the lake anymore.

Jp Editor - Posted August 14 2008 06:45 AM

2. thats really sad. it was an amazing place to visit. too bad people suck!

SerneVimons - Posted August 14 2008 07:04 AM

3. the way to look at it is this way, you did things the right way, the person who dinged your truck and wasn't man enough to fess up will get a visit from karma.....same goes for the gas weasle. just a thought for ya, get a locking gas cap. i know, it keeps an honest person honest. but if they're gonna steal it, why not make them work for it.

chariotofmanliness - Posted August 15 2008 06:16 AM

4. I hear you about people sucking....Not a Jeep story, but a couple of years ago, the family and I go camping up in the mountains. Get the trailer all set up and leveled in the space and then decided to go for a bike ride around the campground...We come back a couple hours later and I just happen to notice that the front trailer jack is not sitting square on the block of wood....I thought "did we have a small earthquake?"....Then I notice pieces of cast aluminum and an oily residue on the tongue of the trailer. When we pulled in, there was another family set up in the space next to ours and they had two off-road type motorcycles. But now, that camp site is empty and the trail of oil leads back to it. ...Anyway, I go to the office just to tell them I think somebody ran into my trailer and I wanted to report it just in case...I mention that I think it was the people that were next to us, but now they are gone. She tells me "Oh, they came in and asked to move to another spot, they're in spot #xxx" Take a little cruise by, and sure enough, there sits a fairly new Honda XR650, with a busted transmission case and bent exhaust pipe. I ask the guy if he hit my trailer, and he proceeds to tell me that his kid wanted to ride the big bike and it just got away from him while he was trying to get out of the spot....He never would have apologized or even admitted it, if I hadn't found him...But, as they say Karma is a *** as his bike was jacked up...

Sorry, little longer than I expected...First time poster

jeepthng - Posted August 15 2008 06:45 AM

5. I had already contacted Del about the "problem" at Buck Island and the pretty white flowers everywhere before I read your post, Christian. There will be a cleanup planned for the near future. It may have to wait until the campfire restrictions are over though. It only takes a few pigs to screw things up for everyone else. It floors me that some people still just don't get it.

Posimoto - Posted August 31 2008 07:50 AM

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