Cancelled Old-School Vehicle Overlanding Trip - Running the WA Backcountry Discovery Route

[armyRN]

The NWOR (3-6 Sep) is having an "Early Bird" special through the end of April. The prices go up starting 1 May (unless they extend it; and I have no idea if they will or not). It cost me $266 to register two people, and one additional camping site.

http://www.nwoverlandrally.com/

I've attended the NWOR the last two years, and always enjoyed it. The weather has always been nice, it is a pretty venue, and plenty to see and do (especially how other folks set-up their camp). I don't know how the attendance will be this year following this Virus Lockdown thing. I could see it going either way; either the amount of vendors and attendees are down, or the lockdown gets lifted before the event, and folks are jumping at the chance to get out and do stuff. I guess we'll see.

Attending the NWOR is not a requirement to participate in the Old School Vehicle Overlanding Trip following the NWOR.

 

[shortbus4x4]

The NWOR (3-6 Sep) is having an "Early Bird" special through the end of April. The prices go up starting 1 May (unless they extend it; and I have no idea if they will or not). It cost me $266 to register two people, and one additional camping site.

http://www.nwoverlandrally.com/

I've attended the NWOR the last two years, and always enjoyed it. The weather has always been nice, it is a pretty venue. I don't know how the attendance will be this year following this Virus Lockdown thing. I could see it going either way; either the amount of vendors and attendees are down, or the lockdown gets lifted before, and folks are jumping at the change to get out and do stuff. I guess we'll see.

Attending the NWOR is not a requirement to participate in the Old School Vehicle Overlanding Trip following the NWOR.

Just signed up with an extra camp spot.

 

[DIYTaco15]

Just signed up with an extra camp spot.

See you all up there for the rally!!! First rally!!!!

 

[armyRN]

A few things I learned/remember from attending the last two NWORs:

1. They seem to give out a lot of free beer in the evening (too bad I'm not a beer drinker). My wife says it was "Beer a-plenty".

2. They have a big bonfire in the evening with a raffle. It goes on for a couple of hours. Bring comfortable chairs - you'll be sitting for a while (I have the ARB folding camp chairs).

3. You're packed-in like sardines in your 20 x 20' site. But it was ok; folks seemed to be respectful noise-wise. But if you can swing it, you'll be glad you got an extra site. A Jeep TJ and small trailer will pretty much fill up a site by itself. I had to disconnect my trailer and put it 90-degrees to the Jeep to fit on my site. So lesson learned, and the next year I got two spaces - much better.

4. Bring something to hold all the brochures and such you'll be collecting while you're there (some sort of pouch maybe) - lots of vendors to visit.

5. There's a little country store there outside the event grounds that is nice to check-out (and they have coffee and ice-cream), but if there's something odd you like to eat, bring it with you.

6. It is very pet friendly - lots of folks with dogs.

7. They do not want drones being flown over the event site. They are serious about this (I guess folks were flying drones over the showers).

8. It is fun to walk around and see everyone's different camp set-up. You can get some good ideas to take as your own.

9. There were a couple food vendors on site, but not a ton of them. Not a lot of selection, and just one small restaurant in town (if you can call it a town). Plan on bringing your own food to cook/eat.

10. No camp fires on the ground (kills the grass). I think you could have propane camp-fires though.

11. Check-in at the site was a little slow on Thursday - don't wait to get there at the last minute - get there as early as you can.

12. Everyone was very nice and respectful. A real community. Lots of Canadians there.

13. (from my wife): Porta-johns were always clean and stocked (this is important to her).

14. There were a lot of classes geared towards ladies (which my wife appreciated). Definitely look over the class offerings before you get there, and have an idea of what classes you want to attend and when.

 

[armyRN]

I'm really looking forward to this trip. I was not looking forward to trying to pack everything I needed in the back of the Willys (that's not really true - it was just going to be a challenge, and an opportunity to buy more camping gear). So I thought I'd try something. I wired my Willys for running an electric brake controller (same one I use in my TJ and truck). And then I took a test drive towing my lil' adventure trailer. Worked just fine. I was surprised how well the Willys pulled the trailer (2000cc of 1973 Pinto power), and how well it stopped with the trailer's electric brakes kicking in. So I'm planning on bringing the trailer with me to the NWOR, and then on to the start of the WABDR. So now I'll be carrying just over 10 additional gallons of gas between the Willys and the trailer (plus an additional gallon or two for the chainsaw), and will have a place to store the doors when I'm not using them. And plenty of space for my usual gear (although I'll pare it down a bit to lighten the trailer).

I briefly took it on the highway to see how it would do. Did just fine... at 55 mpg (between 55 & 60). Figure that'll be about max. Maybe I can find some back roads to get from Longview to the NWOR.

 

[armyRN]

So I plan on heading to Stevenson WA tomorrow to check-it-out. I'm looking for a place for us to meet-up there on Sunday, 6 Sep for the start of the WABDR trip (we'll see if there're any good sporting good stores or such there). Also will be looking for camping areas, and I might check out the trail-head and a few miles into it. Will be taking the TJ and not the Willys for this one.

So unless the weather totally sucks or they want me to work tomorrow, I'm packing a lunch and heading out. It should be a fun day-trip (of course I'll take the long-way back home!).

Is anyone else getting things in order for this trip? Making a "to-do" list? Using this as an excuse to buy more stuff for your vehicle or more camping gear?

So far we've got a grand total of two old-school vehicles signed-up for this trip (and I'm one of the two). I think we've got room for a few more old-school vehicles, and support vehicles. Maybe people are waiting to see how this whole virus thing plays out before they commit. I'll run it with just two if that's all we have - but I'm hoping for more!

 

[DIYTaco15]

So I plan on heading to Stevenson WA tomorrow to check-it-out. I'm looking for a place for us to meet-up there on Monday, 7 Sep for the start of the WABDR trip (we'll see if there're any good sporting good stores or such there). Also will be looking for camping areas, and I might check out the trail-head and a few miles into it. Will be taking the TJ and not the Willys for this one.

So unless the weather totally sucks or they want me to work tomorrow, I'm packing a lunch and heading out. It should be a fun day-trip (of course I'll take the long-way back home!).

Is anyone else getting things in order for this trip? Making a "to-do" list? Using this as an excuse to buy more stuff for your vehicle or more camping gear?

So far we've got a grand total of two vehicles signed-up for this trip (and I'm one of the two). I think we've got room for a few more old-school vehicles, and support vehicles. Maybe people are waiting to see how this whole virus thing plays out before they commit.

Theres the Main Street Convenience store just as you enter Stevenson that you could all meet up at. Its also right by a small grocery store.

 

[shortbus4x4]

Sweet. Looking forward to your report. I have a prior commitment tomorrow or I would tag along.

 

[armyRN]

Interesting trip. I took I-5 south to 205, and then once I crossed into OR I took 84 east to the bridge-of-the-gods to cross back into WA and into Stevenson. I drove the TJ for this one.

There's not much going on in Stevenson. Nice little town. We can plan on meeting at the local grocery store ("Select Market") on the main drag close to the river on the morning of the 7th (will work out well if anyone needs any last-minute supplies). And there are plenty of places to get gas in town, so make sure you're filled up before we head out (I don't want us to leave, and then one minute later someone says on the radio "I need to stop and get gas"). No sporting goods stores in town. I saw a sign for a KOA campground as I was getting onto the bridge on the OR side, but I didn't see any signs afterwards (but I wasn't really looking). The weather was sucking today.

Then I continued heading east on 14 to Carson, where I headed north on Wind River (even though it isn't labeled as "30", it essentially is) to Bear Creek road, which I turned right on, and it becomes 6808. I drove down it a little bit; very nice. This should be a fun and pretty drive. I may be able to pre-run it later this summer with the TJ & trailer depending on how work goes, or would be willing to tag along if another group going before September needed an extra member. Or if somebody said they had the week off, and wanted to run-it.

One thing that quickly became apparent to me, is that while the WABDR map is very good (all vehicles should have their own copy), it isn't perfect. Route numbers aren't always marked like how you'd like them marked on the trail, we'll be getting on-and-off different routes, etc. So we'll need to pay close attention to the map and where we're at as we go along until we get to a place where we know we'll be on a certain trail for a while. I tried using my phone as a GPS; it wasn't the greatest (although it was helpful, and I'm probably not as skilled at using it as I could be).

And then instead of backtracking home, I kept going north on 30 and took the long-way home (caught I-5 at Woodland, then north to Longview). This little trip reminded me of how beautiful WA is, and you don't have to go far to find it.

So far I haven't heard of the NWOR being cancelled. But every day in the newspaper it seems like another big event that was scheduled for the summer has been cancelled; July 4th events, county fairs, etc.

 

[shortbus4x4]

Saw the news just now that NWOL expo is canceled for this year. Shall we move up the start date to Saturday or Sunday morning of Labor Day Weekend?

 

[armyRN]

Saw the news just now that NWOL expo is canceled for this year. Shall we move up the start date to Saturday or Sunday morning of Labor Day Weekend?

Yup; just saw it on their Facebook Page. Bummer. I'm sure Ray Hyland is very disappointed (he's a cool guy). The Rocky Mountain Overland Rally is also cancelled.

So to answer your question - yes; we can move the start date to Sunday morning, 6 September. I don't want to move it to Saturday in case some folks who might want to attend from far away need that Saturday prior as a travel day. We'll still plan on doing it in six days (ending Friday 11 September instead of the original Saturday, 12 September). However, this will give us some cushion in case things don't go as planned (that never happens... does it?) we'll still have an extra day (Saturday, 12 September).

I'll make the necessary edits to this thread and the Rally Point page. So far, only one other old-school vehicle has registered besides me, so we should be fine.

Who out there is planning on going as a support vehicle?

 

[shortbus4x4]

Yeah Sunday will work better, that will give me a day to take the nice leisurely drive the long way to Stevenson.

 

[armyRN]

Yeah; I'm trying to decide if I want to get to Stevenson the evening before (Saturday evening 5 September), or just leave the house early on Sunday the 6th. Right now I'm leaning towards getting there Saturday evening just so there's no pressure on me Sunday morning to get there on-time (driving the Willys & towing the trailer will be a little slow-going on the highway). I'm still bummed the NWOR is cancelled (although I kinda saw it coming).

It'll be fun though! I'm looking forward to seeing some other Old-School vehicles.

 

[shortbus4x4]

I'm going to do my best to avoid any highways whose designation starts with an I on this trip. I'll leave Saturday morning and take mostly two lane roads to Stevenson.

 

[DIYTaco15]

Since the NWOR is now canceled. I am thinking about joining this. I would be a support vehicle 2015 tacoma

 

[armyRN]

Since the NWOR is now canceled. I am thinking about joining this. I would be a support vehicle 2015 tacoma

Excellent! Welcome aboard. Looks like we won't be hurting for support vehicles.

 

[armyRN]

I'll be pre-running the WABDR with a group (as a participant) the middle of June. I'll be taking the TJ and trailer on this pre-run - I don't want to be the slow vehicle with this group. The trail can still change a lot between June and September though. I'm excited to see what will be in store for the Willys. It'll be fun.

Oh; and I got an email notification I'll be getting a refund for the NWOR that was supposed to happen in September. Might transfer that money into a chainsaw.

 

[BA_Tony]

I wish I could do this! This sounds like a great idea.... I've got a mostly stock '53 M38A1 that would be interesting to try and an '82 BJ40 Land Cruiser that will probably not be finished restoring by then. Unless something changes - my big problem is kids' school schedule. I actually live on a few acres in Stevenson with a few good parking areas and could offer for folks to overnight the night prior to the start if there is interest. Also - I'm selling a Stihl MS391 if you're looking for a Serious saw - It's too BA for me...

 

[shortbus4x4]

I wish I could do this! This sounds like a great idea.... I've got a mostly stock '53 M38A1 that would be interesting to try and an '82 BJ40 Land Cruiser that will probably not be finished restoring by then. Unless something changes - my big problem is kids' school schedule. I actually live on a few acres in Stevenson with a few good parking areas and could offer for folks to overnight the night prior to the start if there is interest. Also - I'm selling a Stihl MS391 if you're looking for a Serious saw - It's too BA for me...

I might take you up on the Saturday night camp spot. You could tag along Sunday and Monday in your M38A1.

 

[armyRN]

So I just got back from pre-running the WABDR with a great group of folks, and I learned a few things (or had what I'd already known reinforced).

1. I believe about 12 vehicles initially said they were going on this trip we just did. Seven actually started on day #1, and three finished (I was one of the three).

2. This is a hard route! Not for the faint-of-heart - it will be rough on you AND your vehicle. We had snow (hopefully will be melted by September!), mud (lots of mud), and tight spaces to try and get vehicles through. Hill climbs, ruts, rocks... everything. I even got to use my new chainsaw a couple times. If you've got a full-sized 4-door truck or SUV, you should probably think twice about attending. Much of the route has no place to turn around (literally; drop-off on one side; straight-up on the other side). I even over-worked and broke a leaf-spring on my trailer the last day and we had to do a trail repair to finish the route (pictured below). The other spring has flattened out and doesn't have much life left - I'll replace them both (and might even buy a third as a spare).

3. There's a chance even with getting an early start every day, it still might take seven days to complete (just so ya know). I think us driving too fast at times helped to kill my trailer's leaf spring. And my designated "Old-School" vehicle (46 Willys) will be setting a slower pace than we were running on this past trip.

4. Those little hand-held radios come in handy when you're outside your vehicle. A lot of us have the BaoFeng UV-5R radios. If you get one, get a GMRS license to be legal (no test involved; just pay the money [$75 for ten years?] and be done with it).

5. Trailers - keep them on the small side! Think WWII Jeep trailer sized. The widest part of the trailer (usually from the outer surface of one tire to the outer surface of the other tire) should not be wider than your tow vehicle (and narrower would be even better). My trailer's narrower than my TJ (same width as my Willys though) and I spent a lot of time watching out my side mirrors to make sure the trailer would get past an obstacle.

6. One of my tires decided to get a slow leak on day #2, so I drove with my spare the rest of the trip. Reinforced the requirement to have a full-size (same size as the other four tires), mounted on-a-rim spare tire (not a temporary spare). I'm hoping it is just some mud between the tire and the rim that once cleaned out will allow it to hold air.

7. Part of the route later on goes through open cattle range areas. And we saw a lot of cattle along the road (at one point they were blocking our path), which means along with mud you'll be getting cow poop on your vehicle. I stopped at a coin car wash way before I got home to try and get the bulk of the mud (and cow poo) off my Jeep and trailer. Was still hosing big chunks of mud from under the Jeep and trailer once I got home.

8. If you or your passenger has a bad back, this trip will cause you (or them) pain. Keep that in mind. You'll be doing a lot of bouncing.

9. The paper map was nice - I still recommend everyone have one. However, the actual trail marking on the route sucked big-time (seems like usually they weren't even there). We were using GAIA (a GPS thing) and following a route that was programed in to keep us on the WABDR. Mine is programed into my phone. That is what we will be doing on the old-school run to (hopefully) keep us from getting lost.

10. Multiple times we aired-down, and then later aired back-up. Make sure you've got a decent air compressor. If it plugs into your cigarette lighter on the dash, it is not going to be adequate; you need one that is either hard-wired into your wiring system, or one with clips that attach to the battery. I use an Air Armor M-240 (which we used to reseat a bead on a tire while on the trail), but VIAR and others make good ones that are reasonably priced.

Air Armor M240

The Special Ops Air Armor M420 12V Off-Road Air Compressor is your best tail gunner on the trails. It's 30 AMP, 150 PSI, 3500 Cu In output is great for Trucks, Jeeps, ATVs, & 4x4s

specialopstools.com