Pacific Northwest Backroad Adventures

Ceg of All Wheelers Off Road Club just posted up a cleanup event held this past Saturday near Manastash Ridge in the Little Naches area off SR410 in Washington state. This area was just one of many clean ups going on throughout the state.

It’s hard to imagine that people, still to this day, with the price of gasoline, drive all the way up in the hills and dump their trash when it would be cheaper to just go to the dump.

Anyway, a salute to all those who participated in the clean up. A job well done..

You can see the posted pictures and read more at Trip Report: Pick Up a Mountain! (Sept 20th, 2008)

After a busy week, I was finally able to order the remaining parts (hopefully that’s all) that I need to assemble the 3FE engine for my 80-series Toyota Land Cruiser.

The parts I ordered are the factory Toyota head gasket, oil pan gasket, thermostat, hoses and belts. I have an aftermarket head gasket and oil pan gasket in my possession, however with the amount of money I’m investing in my FJ80, I’m going to do things right.

By the way, I’m ordering my parts through John Hocker at Sierra Toyota in Sierra Vista, Arizona. John is the go-to guy for Land Cruiser parts on the Toyota 3FE group on Yahoo.

A new trip announcement for the Northwest corner of Oregon, organized by nightfoam has been posted over on the forum at Fall Colors of the Nestucca River and Mt Hebo (11/1/08). It looks like a great opportunity to take in some fall colors.

You can read more about the Nestucca River area at the Nestucca River Wikipedia page.

Organized by the Pacific Northwest Four Wheel Drive Association, Operation Shore Patrol is an annual cleanup of Washington’s southern coast, scheduled for the weekend of September 20-21, 2008. The goal of Operation Shore Patrol is to focus attention on litter accumulated from water and land sources on Washington’s ocean beaches.

Litter poses a threat to people, fish, and wildlife and creates an unsightly environment. Operation Shore Patrol is a major step in helping to rid Washington’s coastline of litter and debris.

Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to make a meaningful difference, get great exercise, and make new friends. Contact the coordinator for your favorite area below.

Read more at Operation Shore Patrol.

Well it looks like I missed another great trip. I need to get my engine finished. Jerry posted up a great trip on the trip to Gallaher Head Lake near Cle Elum, Washington. They had an excellent turnout with great people.

You can read the trip report at Gallaher Head Lake Tour.

Over the past few years, I’ve been a moderator on the Backroad Drivers Northwest group, learning the business of running a Yahoo group from Jerry, the creator of the list. Now that the list is fast approaching the 10 year mark, Jerry decided it was time to pass the ownership of the list to somebody else to run with it. That somebody is me.

Thank you Jerry for conceiving the idea for the group and leading and growing the Backroad Drivers Northwest list to what it is today. You are an inspiration for all of us.

My goal, with the help of current and future members, is continue on with the traditions Jerry started and build upon that success for the future.

You can read the official announcement at 10th Anniversary - Changes on the Horizon.

VANCOUVER, WA - Join us this fall for the Gifford Pinchot National Forest’s tenth Annual Pick Up the Pinchot (P.U.P.) clean-up events.

There are three P.U.P. events scheduled for Saturday, September 27. These events are part of National Public Lands Day events scheduled across the country in late September.

“On National Public Lands Day, we all have a chance to contribute to the well being of our public lands for this and future generations of Americans,” said Al Matecko, Acting Forest Supervisor. “Last year, more than 150 people participated in PUP events, and worked on projects to remove trash and help restore the East Fork of the Lewis River. We hope that people will continue to join us and volunteers around southwest Washington this year.” Read the rest of this entry »

On the forum, hutchman posted up a trip report with a lot of photos of a recent trip on his search to locate original sections of the Oregon Trail.

You can read the post and join in the discussion at My Oregon Trail Odyssey.

Today I picked up my rebuilt Land Cruiser 3FE short block and head from the machine shop.

Now comes the cleaning, inspection (and buy new parts) and reassembly process.

I need to go buy a small parts washer to make the job easier. Probably Harbor Freight for me.

I’m going to replace all the hoses, belts, thermostat, etc while it’s apart. I noticed that my radiator appears to be leaking so that may need a rebuild. Who knows what else I’ll find during the inspection process.

No estimated time frame when it will be done. I know I’m tired of being a one vehicle family.

Here are some photos of the short block and head.

Read the rest of this entry »

BLUERIBBON COALITION ACTION ALERT!

The Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest is formulating a new travel plan that will limit ALL vehicle use to designated roads, trails and areas. On August 26, 2008, the Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) was published in the Federal Register, beginning the public scoping period for travel management. Read the rest of this entry »