I’d never been on Clark’s Grade, but I sure like it! Probably because they smoothed out the rough downhill approaching the Bear Creek crossing. It also helps that our guide didn’t get us lost.

Other than Mr. Morey’s jeep and my Grand, there was the ever-confident silver FJ.

Oh, and don’t bother looking for blackberries at Clark’s Ranch. Tom M took the last of them. We did see a great spot for camping. I haven’t a clue where it is, but it’s in a beautiful valley. Tom M knows where it is, though.

We made it to Big Bear by about 12:30 for lunch, some shade, and some lively discussion on RVing. I learned that there’s not much point of having a shower because any campground with the necessary hookups also have shower facilities. And just because you have an RV, it doesn’t mean you can just park it and you’re all set (there’s some setup involved).

The run really was uneventful. The most excitement we had was seeing a forest ranger drive by during our creek rest break, knowing that most of us didn’t have the required forest adventure passes required for just hanging out. The second most exciting part was seeing Greg Hoffman drive by our rest spot and completely ignore us. Yep, real exciting. No mechanicals, no getting lost. It wasn’t a typical Freelanders run.

No fireworks, but Flipper is nothing but consistent. It was a big turnout to see the legend that is Flipper. He was careful. He was cautious. He was shut down by a dead fuel pump late in the first half of the game. Pat gave him a tow back down the hill. He’s probably never seen Silverwood Lake. It’s very pretty. Rumor has it that a more reliable Jeep is making its way across the country as we speak.

For those of us who survived, it was a pleasant outing. Many of the challenging side routes have been blocked off. I only took a few of the challenging routes. My 20 month old actually enjoyed the bumpy parts, so she’ll be out again. I took some video of a few Jeeps on one of the last downhill sections. Read on to see them.

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We had a good crowd today for Cleghorn. Non-Flipper Scott made record time and showed up extra early, followed by Glen and Wendy (I’m hoping I get all the names right), then Flipper Scott and Gina showed up, and then we got Pat (sans Pat), TomH (sans the grandmother-to-be Geri), and Tom and Kim Morey.

Whenever people hear “Cleghorn” and “Flipper” it’s like hearing skidding and then waiting with baited breath for the crash. In the ongoing battle of Scott vs. Cleghorn, Scott’s CJ sputtered up a little bit of a fight and then had enough. Today we learned that carburetors and steep hills don’t mix. Point a CJ up too steep of a hill and it starves for fuel. Point a CJ toward the freeway, however, and it’s good to go. Bye, Scott. Thanks for coordinating the run. Next time, though, please don’t leave Mr. Morey in charge. Tom Hunt was always kind enough to warn me when a trail was about to get ugly. As soon as Tom M. said “It’s okay, so far,” I knew it was best to avoid that leg of the trail. Pat took the bait and did well until one of the last turns when his Tacoma slid sideways a bit and settled into the groove with a side-lifting two-wheel finish before crawling down the rest of the hill.

I enjoyed the day out. It’s been a long time since I hit the trail. Most sections of Cleghorn make for a fun climb and descent for me. Pat and I headed home after the trail while the other survivors headed off for a picnic lunch. A good time was had by most. Scott needs to bring his YJ next time. I hope to see Glen’s and Pat’s pictures soon.