Colorado Land Cruisers is a four-wheel drive club based out of Colorado Springs, Colorado, and sanctioned by Toyota Land Cruisers Association. We are organized to bring together Toyota owning families and individuals interested in exploring Colorado four-wheel drive trails.
The meeting this month was short. We discussed the Holy Cross trip and the upcoming trips. The next trip is to Wheeler Lake on 8/30. Spring Creek was
scheduled for Sunday 9/7, but has been rescheduled for Saturday 9/6. David has volunteered to lead. The meeting time and location are the same.
Remember that starting in October (10/21) the meetings will begin at 7:00PM. The Location will stay at Liberty Toyota North. The September 16th
meeting will be at 7:30PM.
See you on the trails,
Kendall Carlton
President CLC
Cindy continues to improve with each passing day. She is now moving from wheel chair mobility to learning to maneuver on crutches. She is even at the point where she is starting to do stairs! She will start out patient physical therapy on Monday, September 8th. Cindy wants everyone to know how much she appreciates the thoughts and prayers from everyone in all the area 4WD clubs. Cindy, Paul, we continue to pray for your complete recovery.
On those wild and crazy guys GM has working as Automotive Stylists…
Remember when GM went nuts and decided that if they built it with 4WD they could sell it? Remember when they put the silly looking box-bodies on what was essentially a front wheel drive platform and then added a rear drive axle, so it was a “real 4WD?” And they decided that all their major divisions would have one of these wonder-boxes? Buick named theirs “Rendezvous”, and Pontiac named theirs “Aztek?” (Someway Chevy, Cadillac and Oldsmobile escaped this madness, how I don’t know.) Anyway, I read an interesting story several weeks ago that the Aztek is being dropped at the end of this model year, due to low sales. Well, Duh!!! Seems that sales came in at only about 30% of what was projected, and they wonder why. Wonder what these guys look at? I can’t even guess what picture these stylists had on their drawing board as their inspiration. It certainly wasn’t anything that the motoring public wanted. Along about the same time I read this article, I read one about the H2 – said it was the best looking street 4WD out there. It didn’t relate anything about how the H2 does off road, just that it looked good sitting there. I would like to see one at French Creek, on its way up Holy Cross. From the reports in the 4WD mags, it looks like it has at least some of the right stuff to make it a runner. But still I’d like to see some of these rigs out on the trails we like to run. But guess I’ll have to wait until they have the first 100K miles on them or when they are 10 or so years old. I did see something interesting last week on the way back from Denver – one of the box-like Mercedes-Benz sport-utes. Looks like someone at Mercedes had a picture of an old Rover or maybe even a – (dare I say, a FJ40?) on their drafting board. It looked nice, not like the ones the masses squirt out the injection molding machines.
Remember, Rubber side down. Darryl
On road closures…(From August, wasn’t printed)
I recently read an article in a small local western Colorado paper that had a headline saying that the “access road to the Lone Cone Wilderness area closed”. The newspaper was from the Nucla/Naturita area of Southwestern Colorado, and concerned an issue about a section of land which the forest service had sold/swapped to a local landowner for another piece of property and or cash. The article related that during the review period the fact that the section of land to be sold had the only access road was not brought up. After the transaction, the landowner had used a bulldozer to put up a 10-foot tall earth berm on one end of the road and felled aspen trees at the other end to close the road. Is this a case of oversight by the forest service in which access can again be secured so public land can be accessed? I don’t know, but this is a reason for us in the 4WD community to be aware of all issues concerning trail access. I enjoy having the freedom to explore this beautiful country I live in and I really get upset when I read stories like this, which reveal that “suddenly” my access to public lands is now denied. While no one can really know individuals motivations for wanting to trade land (or $$) for other land or resources, and though I don’t know is this was the motivation, I realize that this outcome can certainly be part of the rational for wanting to do a land trade with the forest service. And really, isn’t the forest service us? Aren’t they supposed to be looking out for us? I mean in the rhetoric of “by the people and for the people?” I have saluted my countries flag in far off places – places that made the news headlines many years ago, so I (we) can have the freedom to live my life, which includes my right to enjoy public lands. In the words of one of my favorite philosophers, Pogo, “I have seen the enemy, and he is us.”
Be involved in land and trail issues, because you never know what access you may lose.
Off the Soap Box - Darryl
CLC has a few hats with logo, as well as stickers. Hats are going for $13 and stickers are $4. See David and he will fix you up!
Meeting – September 16,
2003, 7:30pm.
Mark your calendar for CLC’s next meeting, Liberty Toyota, North. See you there!
Trail run – Chinaman
Gulch or Wheeler Lake October 4, 2003
Meet at 7:00am and leaves at 7:30am from The Western station just east of Woodland park. Rated at 3 to 4. Come to the meeting, and help decide where we are going!
CLC Dues: “To Due or not
to Due…”
IF your CLC dues are due, then due(ly) see David in due time and do your duty by bringing yourself up to date.
1970 FJ40: 330 HP Chevy 350(<3000 mi), New Edelbrock QJET, E'brock Performer Intake, Chrome Headers, E'brock high volume water pump, 4-row radiator, K&N air filter, New starter, NV4500(6.34:1 low), "3spd" t-case, "Triple-D Dual Drive"
(Gleason Torsen) front diff, 2 ˝" Alcans, RS9000 shocks, New RS5000 steering stabilizer, New Saginaw P/S box, New tie rod, All new tie rod ends, 33x12.50 General Grabber AP's, "New" brake booster, Dual tanks, Dual batts, A/C, Rear heater, AM/FM cass, Reclining highback buckets, Center console. $10,500 Sam in Colorado Springs, CO
(719) 494-1226
And still available!!! But hurry, these may not last long!
4 stock FJ40 shocks, off my 1972- ARE GONE!!!
Complete stock FJ40 exhaust, “F” engine, 1972 FREE!!!
(FREE, unless you want to trade for $$)
Darryl – email CLC newsletter editor, or 593-9829
Andy and Bart left an old ’86 Toy out in the rain and it grew 2 more – one came in as a ’88 4-Runner. They have a lot of miscellaneous parts. Give them a call at 338-3384 or 238-2530 and see if the special part you have been looking for is still available.