| Smiley Rock Trip (June, 2008) | START'
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Trip Report June 21st & 22nd, 2008 Smiley Rock By David Moerman I volunteered to lead this trip since it wasn’t long ago that I traveled this trail. My apologies for the short notice on the website. Kirk Rundle & his spousal unit, Katy, made the trip with me on Sat. the 21st. Mark Stephenson didn’t make it. Randy, at Driven had recently installed TBI (throttle body injection) on my Bronco & I was excited to give it a test drive. Getting out of the Phx. heat was motivation enough. We found a great camp spot on Mingus Mtn. to camp. We both brought tents. (pic’s 1 & 2) Nearly 100 yards away was the edge of the mtn. and made for beautiful views. (pic’s 3 & 5) There was a cross with “Papa” carved into it on the right up on the edge. (pic 6) Early morning on Sun. the 22nd, I was sitting on out on the summit & noticed these beetles that fly in a hummingbird manner. They were hanging around close enough for a picture. (pic 4) The problems with the TBI would make most hesitant about heading out for the trail – but my thinking was – “Look at how many miles I made it so far, and after a break, each time, it worked again.” - so I felt confident that I’d make it back.
Having no one from the club notifying me that they were coming along, we opted on an early start & headed up to Jerome. We stopped for a picture at the entrance of the mine. (pic 7 – 8) There was a truck with a faux machine gun mounted on it & we posed for the camera. (pic 9) The Gold King Mine was open and we stopped in for a few. (pic 10) The trail is pretty easy for most of the way with very nice views overlooking Jerome & various immense valleys. The trail begins in the mountains and winds through them with a new view around every corner. Kirk was kind enough to photograph my Bronco on occasion. I also snapped some shots. (pic 11 – 13) The last time I made this trip I missed the landmark “Smiley Rock!” This time I brought my GPS and kept a close eye out when we got close to the coordinates. We stopped to pose with Smiley Rock. (pic 14) Two boulder fields in the wash gave us the fun we were looking for. The trail seemed easier this time. Perhaps because I’ve done it before or because the Bronco ran better with the TBI? (pic 15 – 18) A canopy of trees shade the wash and that made for a cooler ride not to mention the photographic opportunity. (pic 19) I would like to change my previous trail rating from a 3.5 down to a 3.0 for this trail. At the end of the trail, Kirk’s Bronco was pretty hot, the over flow container bubbling pretty good. A huge tree made for one last photo op. When we got back to the highway, Kirk & Katy headed back to town. I made my camp site breakdown and trip back as leisure as possible, not getting back into my driveway until after dark. The Bronco did stop running one time on the way home, right at Table Mesa Road. I used the opportunity to aid a motorcyclist that had stopped on the side of the road. Again, after a ‘rest’ the TBI began working again.
Thanks to Randy for the new TBI and to Kirk & Katy for coming along!ACB Smiley Rock Trip PhotosACB Smiley Rock Trip PhotosACB Smiley Rock Trip PhotosACB Smiley Rock Trip Photos
ACB Smiley Rock Trip PhotosACB Smiley Rock Trip PhotosACB Smiley Rock Trip PhotosACB Smiley Rock Trip Photos
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