September 1, 2005    The Official Newsletter of the New Mexico 4-Wheelers    www.nm4w.org

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The meeting was held at the exquisite home of Paul & Mary Thompson (and Paul has had a long list of honey-dos in the last couple of years – no wonder he retired).

Jeff Rector was acting president for the absent Mark Werkmeister.  Jeff called the meeting to order at 6:45 pm.

Jeff neglected to have the Secretary read the meeting minutes.  This oversight went unnoticed by Mark Wolf, who desperately tries each month to get the minutes read.

Guests joining us this month:  Phil & Ilene Rodacy, ’03 Rubi; Dan Pritchard, ’92 Wrangler & ’91 Cherokee; Jordan Souza (4-day new resident of NM), ‘03 Wrangler; and Eric Capener, ’05 Rubi.

Members Present (at least 1 family unit member);  Baca, Bontly, Bove’, Capener (G), Capener (R), Duggar, Finch, Greven, Hurt, Kausche, Lavy, Meier, Miller, Ohnesorg, O’Neill, Patrick, Peeples, Rector, Sierra, Simenson, Tanner, Thompson, Turpin, Whiston (F), Whiston (FG), and Wolf.

Vice-President’s Report (Jeff Rector) – no fines to levy.  Several people (that should have been fined) questioned this, and then just kept quiet (Wolfie was one of them).

Secretary’s Report (Lauri Rector) – I had nothing to report, I was not prepared.  I thought that taking notes for the minutes was going to be all I was responsible for. 

Treasurer’s Report (Paul Thompson) - We thought that Paul was absent at first, then realized that we were at his house and he had grilled a lot of hamburgers and hot dogs for us, so he must be there somewhere!  Just then, Mary walked out the back door.  She said that Paul had been talking to Susan Miller.  Then she realized that Susan wasn’t anywhere around either.  She did a quick turn on her heels while muttering something that they must be alone together.  But, they weren’t too far, Paul showed up about 2 seconds later.  He reported a balance of $1,460.41.  Which our astute acting President announced was the exact same balance as last month.  Is our newly voted in Treasurer slacking – or is he embezzling funds to pay for Mary’s new Rubicon?  ;o)  Paul fessed up that there is a deposit that he needs to make.

Historian’s Report (Laurye Tanner) – has all pictures on the web in an account she set up in Snapfish.  She’ll keep on adding pictures until it’s full, and then find a way to archive them.  See information on getting to the web-site elsewhere in this issue.  Send her digital pictures at 72 dpi resolution.  Be sure to note on the email to her as to what run it is and who took the pictures.  She brought in a CD slide show of the more recent trail rides.  It was playing on Paul’s TV (and Mary’s) and a very nice addition to a club meeting.  She is also offering, for a small “donation” to the club, to “Photoshop” your pictures for you (larger tires, slimmer waistline, Wolfie in a thong!, whatever you want).  Also, the subject of the picture can have the picture removed from the web site with a donation that meets whatever the historian requires for this service.  Donation amounts required will depend on the picture and how embarrassing of a situation you managed to get yourself into. 

Trail Chairman’s Report (Jason Lavy) – Wolfie led a trial in the Jemez Mountains.  It rained and there was a hail storm.  It was very pretty.  There were 8-9 vehicles.  They took the trail to Stable Mesa and then over to Virgin Mesa. 

Lauri talked about the La Ventana trail ride that she led the week before Wolfie’s run in the Jemez.   Please read last months Trail Tales for details.

Jason Lavy talked about the trail he led in northern New Mexico, near Hopewell Lake.  It was all forest roads, but very scenic. 

Upcoming trail rides – On Sunday, August 21st Tom’s going back to the Jemez to work on the same trail that he had impromptu run last Saturday – meet at Conoco at 9 am. 

On Saturday, August 27^th, Dixon Patrick will lead Tank Trap.  Meet at 9 am at the Conoco at 550 and 528. 

Jason will lead trails in the Moab area on Labor Day Weekend.  These will be a little harder trails.  Please see the Members Only page on the web-site for the specifics on this run. 

Frank G. is leading a run in Conejos in Colorado on Labor Day Weekend.  There will be 2 trail rides and both are easy.  One will follow the Cumbres and Tultec railroad on the Colorado side, and the other will be at the La Jara Reservoir north of Conejos.  Camping will be at the Conejos River Campground on the 3^rd, 4^th, & 5^th.  On the 6^th they will relocate to the Great Sand Dunes National Park and run the Medano Pass Road on the 7th. 

The weekend following Labor Day is Gordy’s Hill on Sept 10^th & 11^th, which is National Public Lands Day.  Work day on Saturday & then a play day for Sunday.  Trails that will be run/built will depend on who shows up (Please email Mark Werkmeister if you are planning to go, he’s trying to get a head count).

Chuck Peeples and Paul Thompson are co-hosting the Silverton trip from September 18^th to the 25th; you can get details on the Member’s Only page. Please be sure to let Chuck or Paul know if you’ll be going and what days you will be there and if you have a particular trail that you want to run (they are going to try to accommodate you, if at all possible).  They have 10 vehicles signed up already. 

Tom Hurt is leading his annual trip to Red River on September 23^rd to 25^th.  He’ll be going up on the 23rd and you’re welcome to join him.  Goose Lake on Saturday the 24^th and this is the free fishing day, so bring your gear.  Sunday the 25^th, he’ll do Greenie Peak.  Meet each morning at Mallette Creek Park at 9:00am. 

SWFWDA Fall Quarterly is October 14^th – 16^th in Clayton, OK.  Mark described the trails, but I made horrible notes (and I don’t see it posted to the event schedule) – maybe next month I will do better and you can get an idea of what they are like. 

Environmental Report (Bob Norton) – Bob was absent, but Wolfie had something to say (and who is surprised?).  He went to a seminar conducted by the Albuquerque office of the BLM.  The subject was that they are revising recreational trail plans next year.  We need to start mapping and recording trails here and there and everywhere as much as possible in the next year.  Ask for a GPS for Christmas – good basic one cost about $100. 

Program Chairman’s Report (Leon Duggar) – he’s taking this position like a fish does to water.  He was peddling t-shirts, hats, stickers, and 50/50 raffle tickets.  He was also able to snag us some extra goodies for the raffle; $50 gift certificates (one each) from 4-Wheel Parts Wholesales and Tom Wood’s Drive Shafts.  Good job Leon!!!

Old Business – Wolfie (who rarely has anything to say) had a very big and nice THANK YOU to last year’s officers.  Tom Hurt mentioned that he had lots of spam going to the email address for all of the club members.  Several other people say that they are getting it too (if this hasn’t happened before the last 2 months, it could be a member that is new to the internet – Jeff Rector).  Chuck Peeples said that Auge’s is having their Sandia Showdown sponsored by the Turbo Diesel Register (TDR) magazine.  Joe Donnelly put a real nice write up on our 4X4 101 in the latest TRD Issue.  Wolfie said that Cibola Search & Rescue wants some basic 4X4 training from us.  He & Pat Brady are working on this.  In turn, we would like for them to do some training for us.  Date is set for October 15^th, tentatively at Montessa Park, south of the airport.  He needs volunteers.  He went on to say that he wants training for accidents and medical emergencies, but nothing intense enough that we would have to be certified.  What we do will be very similar to the 4X4 101, but more in depth and more demonstrations. 

New Business:  The 2005 4-Wheerler of the Year Award was presented to Jeff and Lauri Rector.  We were not asked to give a speech like they do for an Emmy or something.  But, we would like to express to the club that we are honored to be voted for this by the club members.  We joined the club so that we could go 4-wheeling in New Mexico, that’s why we moved out here.  And we got that and a lot of it from the club.  But, we also got a lot more, a lot of friends and good people to go 4-wheeling with.  Thank you!!!!  And the award is a very handsome plaque that Jeff will be proud to display in his garage (which several club members helped him build).  And if he doesn’t want it out there, I will find a prominent spot for it in the house.

Phil and Ilene Rodacy were voted in as new members.

Members with the Most Points Award – The Vice President is responsible (which he promptly delegated this responsibility to his wife) for keeping track of which voting members attend what event, club meeting, or any other activity that you can earn points for.  Well, oddly enough, we earned the most points this year (please see remarks above for the 4-Wheeler of the Year Award – we didn’t move here to do chores around the house).  We won the $50 gift certificate to Desert Rat.  A special thank you Laurye for asking Jeff to explain the points, since no one had done it during the Vice-President’s Report.

Volunteer Day.  Jeff and I attended this function in Socorro, since Mark Werkmeister was not able to attend.  This was where the Socorro office of the BLM recognized the efforts of volunteers in their area.  NM4W’s were awarded a framed certificate and a book that was signed by (some woman, according to Jeff); a big-wig in the BLM.  There was some debate as to who should keep the certificate, so it went to the Historian 1^st and then she felt maybe we should have it.  We’re holding on to it until Mark Werkmeister says whether or not he wants it.  He walked and mapped a lot of the trails and put forth a great effort on behalf of the club – we just helped roll rocks.

Meeting adjourned at 7:22 pm.

50/50 Raffle winners:

            – Rich Capener – 4X4 Parts Wholesalers $50 gift certificate
            - Dan Pritchard - Tom Wood’s Drive Shaft $50 gift certificate
            - Kristi Ohnesorg – ½ of the pot - $49.00

Greetings from your “new” and, absent so far, President!  I apologize for missing the meeting at the Thompson’s and will apologize in advance for also missing the September meeting.  My schedule got booked up early this year and I didn’t know I was going to be serving in this position when I told my wife that I would take her to Silverton for our anniversary next month.  It looks like it will be a busy month for the club also!  Labor Day weekend is always busy with a broad variety of 4WD activities, including some members heading to Moab.  The following weekend is the activities at Gordy’s Hill OHV Area near Socorro.  Saturday, September 10^th, is the National Public Lands Day work day sponsored by the BLM.  I hope to see a good turnout from our club in supporting this work.  Saturday evening, we will have the opportunity to rub shoulders and enjoy some camaraderie with some of the other area 4WD clubs and other motorized users.  Sunday (the 11^th), we plan on each of the user groups to informally run trails at Gordy’s Hill, which should also be fun now that the weather has cooled off somewhat.  The next weekend is the September meeting at the Tanners with many departing for Silverton the following day.  Southwestern Colorado is always superb this time of year!  And if that isn’t enough 4-wheeling for the month, you can hit the New Mexico version of the fall colors in Red River the following weekend.

All of this four wheeling is one of the reasons why our club has stayed so strong for so many years.  We remember that four wheeling is FUN and hit the trails on a regular basis.  We can use some volunteers for leading runs through the cooler months.  Share your favorite trails with the club!

Jeff and Lauri Rector were chosen by fellow club members as the 2005 Four Wheelers of the Year at the August 20 meeting.  The Rectors have been club members for 3-1/2 years and their participation has grown every year.

They have served as officers, led numerous runs, hosted meetings, and turned out for workdays as well as fun runs.  In addition, Jeff designed and fabricated the steel sign for Gordy’s Hill, and Lauri regularly contributes to the Trail Tales and has filled in as Secretary on numerous occasions (and this was before the laptop).  Now starting his third year as Sheriff, Jeff takes his responsibilities very seriously.  He has assessed such fines as $0.25 for Paul Thompson not being able to blow out the candles on his birthday cake and $0.25 to himself for running over his own cooler.

As further evidence of their participation, the Rectors also received the 2005 Points Award, a $50 Desert Rat gift certificate.  They earned the most points for leading/attending runs, meetings, overnight trips, etc.  The Rectors represent the best of NM4W.  They’re enthusiastic about the sport, willing to volunteer, loyal friends, and fun to be around (except when it’s rainy and cold and Lauri is freezing in Jeff’s topless, sideless Jeep). 

The Rectors join this formidable list of past winners:

            2004 Chuck Peeples
            2003 Leon Duggar
            2002 Glenn Bontly
            2001 Pat Brady
            2000 Mark Wolf
            1999 Mark Wolf
            1998 Bob Telepak
            1997 Charlie Wilson
            1996 Mark Werkmeister

 Congratulations, Jeff and Lauri!

If you want to view slideshows of different runs the club has been on and one of our meetings; go to http://www.snapfish.com/share/p=65201124594653827/l=57539096/cobrandOid=1000111/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB

If you do not want to personally register with Snapfish, you can use nm4wphotos@earthlink.net as your login, and jeepers as your password.

Do not order pictures using the above login and password, however, or your credit card information will be available for others to use.

Please e-mail me at lauryetanner@earthlink.net, or give me a CD of any pictures you have taken.  Please let me know the name of the event and who took the pictures.  If you know how, please format the pictures at 72 dpi resolution before you send them.  Let me know if you need help with this.

The 39^th annual All-4-Fun week was hosted by the Mile High Jeep Club (MHJC) out of Denver, CO in Gunnison CO July 23^rd-30^th.  NM4W’er’s present included Paul and Mary Thompson, Frank R., Donna, Frank G., Beth, and Kimberly Whiston.  Saturday was spent registering and settling into camp at the Gunnison fair grounds.  That evening, an orientation meeting was held and the next day’s trips were posted for signup.

We all wanted to go see the Crystal Mill near Marble.  This was going to be a long day and MHJC was short handed, so Frank R. led a group that included many friends from as far as Illinois that we have made over the years from attending this event.  Schofield pass was snowed in, so we had to run a lot of highway to get there.  After getting through Marble, we hit the dirt and were bouncing over the typical Colorado trail gravel.  The Mill was as beautiful as I remembered it from past visits.  From there we idled through the ghost town of Crystal and completed the loop around Lead King Basin.  The wildflowers were spectacular compared to the drought stricken years that we have had recently.

Monday, the group split.  The senior Whistons along with the Thompsons went up Cement Creek, while we attempted Italian Creek with some other friends.  Our trip was a bit of a bust.  After lunch, Kevin Ball of Albuquerque broke his Currie steering on top of the mountain just before we got to the fun shelf road.  Luckily, there was a friend on the run (that I had met at an All-4-Fun many years ago, when we were both just pushing our Tonka trucks around camp) who had a spare steering set back at camp.  I got to know that trail really well that day.  We got Kevin down off the mountain before dark and he treated me to a nice dinner afterward.  MHJC had an area appreciation night where local businesses donated prizes.  Beth and I won two free meals at the W Café.

Tuesday, the group split again.  The senior Whistons along with the Thompsons went to the Alpine Tunnel, then over Hancock and Tincup passes.  We slept in and started Pearl Pass with another family.  We quickly caught up with the club run and decided to head back down and look around in Crested Butte, since most of us had not been there before.  That night, Bestop sponsored an ice cream social and there was a bird show for entertainment.

Wednesday, we all decided to go out for Breakfast.  We planned to go to the W Café, but their stove was broken and they were closed for the day.  After driving all over Gunnison, we finally ended up at McDonalds.  Then we found a spot along US 50 to view the Jeep parade through town.  The day was reserved for vendor displays, kids’ games, a show and shine, and Barbeque dinner.  We found a jeep there that was almost Kimberly’s size.

Thursday, the Group got back together and ran up Pearl Pass.  Snow stopped us from completing the pass.  We got within a ¼ mile of the summit and knowingly had to turn back.  The views were beautiful and the weather was perfect.  I lead three vehicles to the first snow bank that blocked the trail, which was only about 100 yards past the lunch spot.  That night was the door prizes and Children’s Hospital Raffle.  Every registered driver went home with something.

Friday, Frank R. volunteered to be an official Trail Leader and took us on Italian Creek.  This time, we completed the trip without incident.  The shelf road was fun.  I got to see how the slow crawl of my new Klune-V worked.  After the shelf road, we climbed up American Flag Mountain for the awesome view of Taylor Park below, and the Collegiate Mountains on to the east.  That night, Warn grilled hamburgers and hotdogs and had a live band.  They also had door prizes.  Frank R. won a 3700# trailer winch…Lucky guy!

Saturday was here already.  That morning everyone broke camp, the Senior Whistons went north while the rest of us headed toward home.  A good time was had by all.

I don’t know if this will become a regular feature for the newsletter each month, but I recently received an e-mail from one of our members (who shall remain nameless out of fear that his wife might hurt me) and just had to share with you what he had to say:

“I’d like to go on the ride, but my wife has already planned my day for me.”

1.  I will respect the rights of all recreationists to enjoy the beauty of the outdoors.  I will respect public and private property.

2.  I will park considerately, taking no more space than needed, without blocking other vehicles, and without impeding access to trails.

3.  I will keep to the right when meeting another recreationist.  I will yield the right-of-way to traffic moving uphill.

4.  I will slow down and use caution when approaching or overtaking another recreationist.

5.  I will respect designated areas, trail-use signs, and established trails.

6.  When stopping, I will not block the trail.

7.  I will not disturb wildlife.  I will avoid areas posted for the protection of feeding wildlife.

8.  I will pack out everything that I pack in, and will not litter.

9.  I realize that my destination, objective, and travel speed should be determined by my equipment, ability, the terrain, weather, and the traffic on the trail.  In case of an emergency, I will volunteer assistance.

10.  I will not interfere with or harass others.  I recognize that people judge all trail users by my actions.

11.  As a motorized trail user, I will pull off the trail and stop my engine when encountering horse back riders.

Aluminum Cans: Our club saves and recycles aluminum cans.  Money from the sale of cans goes into our club treasury.  Please bring your crushed aluminum cans to each meeting, and somebody will take them to the recycling center.

To Our Guests: If you attend a club meeting or event and provide us with your e-mail address, you will be added to our guest e-mail list, and will receive monthly notifications of when the Trail Tales newsletter is posted on our Club web site.  If you are interested in becoming a member of the New Mexico 4-Wheelers, please contact one of our officers for membership requirements, or visit our web site at www.nm4w.org/join-the-club.htm.

Trail Tales on the Web Site: In a continuing effort help save natural resources and to control costs, you are encouraged to read the Trail Tales newsletter on the Club Web Site in lieu of receiving a hard copy in the mail.  Around the first of each month, the current issue of Trail Tales is posted at www.nm4w.org/newsletters.htm and an e-mail notification is sent to all club members.  In addition, a minimum of 2 years of back issues of our newsletter is also available on the web site.  So if you want to help “save some trees”, please send an e-mail to TrailTales@nm4w.org stating that you do not need to receive the hard copy of the newsletter.  Thanks for your participation in this program.

Submission Due Date: The Trail Tales is published on the first of each month.  Submissions for each issue must be received by the Editor not later than the 25^th of the prior month.  Submissions can be sent to TrailTales@nm4w.org, or Trail Tales, 21 Rattlesnake Ridge, Tijeras, NM 87059.

Please see the Events Schedule Page

Trail Tales
21 Rattlesnake Ridge
Tijeras, NM 87059-7440

TrailTales@nm4w.org