KEYSVILLE 99 TRIP REPORT

Tenball, Big Top, his son Aaron, Montego and Louise, Pappy and me, and Boot and Terry all left Winchell's about 8:10. Hector came to see us off, after taking care of Lion and his broken leg. Traffic was light, so on the way to Mojave, we met up with Bobbo and Diane on the 14 fwy. We stopped for gas and snacks and met up with Knucklehead and Bobbo (again) at Carl's Jr. Pappy bought a lime fruit pop and we sat there and ate the fruit pop with shots of tequila, it was a refreshing treat!

On to Red Rock, where we had to turn around and go about 3 miles farther down the road to find a camp site. The Red Rock road was closed. After traversing the desert for a while, with the wind howling, we finally stopped about 1:00 a.m. and just camped in the road. Earplugs were a necessity if we were going to get some sleep. The next morning, we packed up. Pappy and I played on a couple of rocks and we tried out our new personal communicators. On the way to our next camp site, Knucklehead had some engine trouble, which Tenball fixed in a jiffy. The route was easy, just like Bobbo said. We actually got to visit Bodfish twice in this trip! The first time, we stopped in a park with real bathrooms and running water. Old tanks were there for the guys. Beer and tequila were flowing. We were waiting on someone to fix something somewhere, but I can't remember who or what. We wound up there again the next day because Montego broke something, but I can't remember what. Anyway, easy trips are not always easy. I guess because they are easy, you start looking around for stuff to play on and that's where the trouble comes in. Lunch found me trying to get up a big rock, but I couldn't beat the rock. It beat me with a bent front bumper, winch, etc. Ten Ball got stuck on a rock and Knucklehead had to strap him. Then, Knucklehead got stuck on that same rock and Ten Ball had to strap him

Big Top was playing on a rock and jammed his tailgate into the ground (backing down). Aaron had to rescue the chairs and I believe one got bent. Pappy played on that same rock....... slashed tire, bent tire rack.... Oh, but we had a good time! We had a great river crossing and everyone got wet. It was a little scary, but, hey, we are Roughwheelers. Bobbo found a great camp site for Saturday night and it was right by the river. With all the dust and stuff, we just had to take a little dip. Pappy and I made the camp fire with Bobbo and we cooked (and I mean cooked) our baked potatoes in the fire. Thank goodness for Boot's charcoal grill. We had great steaks, too. The camp fire that night was memorable. We met up with two honorary Roughwheelers. We gave them the honorary status because they were natural asses. Knucklehead and Tenball actually rode one of them! The pictures speak for themselves (and video).

Sunday morning, was another easy ride, except for the fact that practically every trail we chose was a dead-end. Keysville was kind of a disappointment. There was just a small historical marker and that was it. We finally made it to the swimmin' hole and lunch. The water was cold, but, hey, we're Roughwheelers, we're tough, and the water was no match for us. There were quite a few rafters that went down the river one even capsized for our entertainment. After the swimmin' was over, Knucklehead, Big Top, and Boot and Terry headed for home. Pappy, me, Tenball, Montego and Louise, and Bobbo and Diane left about 30 minutes later and headed for Bakersfield where we stopped at Santa Fe's old stomping grounds the Mobile station by the railroad tracks (remember?). Once again, traffic was fairly light and we made it home about 6:00pm tired, dirty, and needing a nap.

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Cupcake