BLUE MOUNTAINS

Mark, aka Sir Camel, from the Sydney Jeep Club, who had invited us to a club meeting upon our arrival about half a year ago (see Segment 1), organized a run for us in the Blue Mountains. This trip turned out to be quite popular and Mark had to put a cap on the number of vehicles. We met up early to drive west up to about 3300 feet (1000m) where temperatures where still pretty chilly so that some of the mudholes were frozen over (pic01). After airing down and disconnecting swaybars the group of 11 Jeeps was on its way along a dirt road to the powerline track from where we would snake north through the forest, exploring places like Bungleboori, Black Fellows Hand Trail and exciting climbs such as Son of Bob and Ranger Bob hill.

The first obstacle was a gentle decline with a nasty, seemingly bottomless mudhole at the end which everybody avoided by taking the bypass. Steve was too tempted by a smaller mudhole and got his early-model Grand Cherokee stuck. A strap and a little tug did the trick to get him out. The majority of the trail was loose dirt with occasional rocks and a lot of ruts and twists to try out the articulation of the suspension. In one of these holes Chris snapped a joint in his tricked out Grand Cherokee (pic02) and had to limp the truck through the bypasses in two-wheel drive. There were a couple of novices on the trail and Mark helped to disconnect the swaybar of Matt's TJ to show the increased capability of the mildly lifted vehicle (pic03). Matt absorbed guidance by experienced wheelers and eased the Jeep through the obstacle. The trail was bone-dry and featured only a few mudholes but the tricky climbs made for a good challenge. In some areas there where various options and drivers of different experience levels enjoyed the run. Wooders' competition Wrangler had been left in the shop for some clutch repair and he had brought out his stock Cherokee. His off-road experience definately showed when he manouvered the unlocked truck with insufficient articulation through some very challenging sections (pic04). He just wouldn't go for the easy line... :-). Over a huge monolith we climbed towards our lunch spot. Because a breeze made exposed areas a bit uncomfortable we decided to take our meal at a picnic site sheltered by trees. Afterwards we cruised to the Lost City, rock formations which remind of old Inca ruins (pic05). Further into the trail we passed through a rock gorge where we explored some aboriginal rock art by foot. The eucalyptus trees, famous for their blue-ish haze in the sunlight, provided a fabulous backdrop along the snaking track.

When we wrapped up the day it was still a long drive back to Sydney but we all enjoyed the weekend for a change.

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