By Gary Karp

Diane and I were planning on eating at the Denny's off Orange Show Rd. at 7:00 am. We, (ok, I) got up late and didn't make it until 7:40 am. Not enough time for breakfast. We checked in and then hurried on over to a local Taco Bell or breakfast and then got quick tank of gas. When we got back to the Denny's, most everyone was ready to go. We left at about 8:20 am. 

Per Dirt Devil protocol, we had a smattering of equipment, from fully built rigs (Cory & John) to a couple f Baja Bugs. Yes, you read that right, Baja Bugs. Who ever said the Dirt Devils aren't open to most any type of off road vehicle? Bill and Joyce decided to break in their newly completed Jeep. Did I say break? Anyway, Bill towed that beautiful rig up to the dirt trailhead where he left the tow vehicle. Near the trailhead, we picked up a few more built jeeps that belonged to Cory's parents, & Joanne's parents. All in all I think we wound up with about 20 vehicles. When we hit the dirt noticed that there was virtually no dust, which was a result of a monsoonal flow the day before. When we reached the actual trail, it was deceivingly easy at first, but gave most every- one a few challenges as the day wore on. 

The Baja Bugs did surprisingly well as they are very light (I refer to them as the oversized quads). At one point, two people lifted the front of one of them to help the rear gain traction which worked. I heard that there were three flats, and one bent tie rod, not too bad for the number of vehicles on this trip. I am planning on running this trail again for Halloween. If you haven't been on this trail before or want to go again, the Halloween Haunt should prove to be fun an challenging.