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A synopsis of the trip from a
New Members view
(pictures at the bottom)
September 20, 2007
Arizona 4x4 Camping Club
Members
Phoenix, Arizona
Attention: Bill Jung
Newsletter Editor
Reference: Off-Road Trip to Smiley Rock
Jerome, Arizona
All -
It started off like any other off-road trip, a bunch of rock climbers all
huddled around a McDonald’s at the crack of dawn, adrenaline amped. Of course,
the usual conversations took place about who had what vehicle, what it could do
and what new gadgets did everybody get over the past few weeks. By far, I liked
Bills hand held CB radio that could be detached from the car. (Wal-Mart, 80
bucks)
We then tailgated behind one another to the City of Jerome which by the way, it
was worth the trip alone. It was fun to be able to see the little artsy town
built in to the side of the mountain. After we made our way around a couple of
skinny winding roads, we finally found our dirt trail that would take us back
and forth, up and through the mountains. Here again, a brilliant display of
gadgetry commenced when we all deflated our tires to get a better grip on the up
coming trails. I now know that we definitely need to look in to getting more
gear for our newly found hobby.
For several miles we experienced moderate terrain and drop dead gorgeous views.
We stopped a couple of times to talk, stretch our legs and enjoy the scenery. We
finally came to a loosely packed rocky hill about 50 feet long. Okay, we were
all really excited now. One by one, each of us trekked up the hill while the
rest of the crew stood on the side of the hill to watch. This was our first
chance to really see what each vehicle could do. Of course, we had to stand
around and talk about how each one performed after it was over.
Due to all of the excitement, it was time to take a break and eat lunch. We
found a wonderful shade tree on the side of the road and all pulled out our
coolers. We soon realized we were not alone. Many giant grasshoppers the size of
a large pocket knife also enjoyed the shade of the tree. We spent this little
stretch of down time getting to know each other a little better and soon moved
on for more excitement.
It wasn’t long before the terrain got tougher and tougher. It seemed like the
deeper in to the mountains we went the more fellow off-roaders we found. Soon
after passing a few groups of people it became very evident that we were really
in the thick of it. Trees and shrubs brushed by both sides of the vehicle.
Placing your tires strategically on specific rocks became very important. And,
multiple hills of the same caliber as the first encounter became the standard. A
small fork in the river bed trail gave notice to the trail’s namesake, it was
smiley rock. We took a few group photos and then we were off.
It wasn’t soon after that, that we stumbled across a dead end. A large stretch
of riverbed with rocks the size of the tires on your vehicle. Well, it had been
a nice trip, time to turn around and go back down the mountain. But oh no, this
was not the end, this was the beginning. This was the moment everyone had been
waiting for. Keep in mind that my husband, my son and I are driving a stock FJ
Cruiser with no rock tires and no lift of any kind. “Honey, don’t get out of the
car”, my husband told me; you don’t want to see this. However, all of the
members of the club were beaming with confidence that we could all make the trek
up the rocky hill. Well, to make a long story short, there was a lot of
discussion about the safest path to take. Every person in the group got out of
their vehicle and helped guide everyone else through the minefield of rocks. I
have never met a nicer, more concerned group of people. Needless to say, we made
it through one rock at a time.
From this point forward, my perspective about how exciting the rest of the trail
was, was seriously skewed. Nothing could get any more exciting than what we had
just been through. I took over the driver’s seat and crawled along many more
exciting areas of the trail. We finally got to a dirt road where everyone could
air back up. Here came the gadgets again, air compressors and converted engines
all lined up to help each other get their tires road ready once again.
After that, we all kind of went our separate ways. My family and I stopped off
in Jerome to get a bite to eat and rest before the long ride home. We spent most
of our time talking about how wonderful the group of people were that we went
with on the trip and of course that incredible stretch of serious rock climbing
we performed. This will be a trip that we will talk about affectionately for
years to come.
Thank you to everyone in the Arizona 4x4 Camping Club,
Very truly yours,
The Jaramillo’s
Rudy Jaramillo
Tara Jaramillo
Andres Jaramillo
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