Fifth Annual Dakota Mailing List BBQ and Trail Ride

Friday and Saturday July 25-6, 2003
Forestville, NY

Hosted by Jon Steiger.
Photos by Josh Battles, Adam "Blaster" Comartin, Mike Cooper of SCORE, Jason Bleazard, Andy Levey, Eric, Mike Maskalans (as well as other SCORE members).
Video by Neil Bellenger, Jason Bleazard, Mike Maskalans and Jon Steiger.
Report by Mike Maskalans.

Friday (25-July 2003):

Mike drags Christine up to the concrete pad, we pull the plugs and suck out the water with a hand pump, then blow out the rest with the starter (onto Jon's 'Cuda - oops!). Then we drain the "oil", or at least the two pans' worth of oily water coming out that drain plug, and drop the tranny pan. ran some oil through the valve train and out the bottom, and squirt some oil in the cylinders.

Jon set up the pump and started draining the mud pit - it's very full from the last week of rain.

Neil, Adam and Mike head out to do some trail clearing. Mike takes a lot of time getting onto the bypass for mud lane -- it's really gnarly at this point and I'd have no hope. all the trails are very soggy.

adam and Mike go down to the lower waterfall, adam attempts and fails to climb. Mike gets it all on video.

Barry and Josie head out for a weekend of SuperBike races in Ohio

The rest of us make a pilgramage to Auto Zone for fluids and filters. Jason and Norah head to Wal-Mart and then back, the rest of us hit Denny's for lunch.

David and Jan Henry arrive in their lifted blue gen-II, with another, smaller truck. Everyone decides they should get their very own high powered R/C toy for next year ;-) They had actually arrived earlier, found nobody at the barn, went out to eat, and came back.

Mike makes the very first full pull in the mud pit this season. unassisted, I complete the pass in about 4 or 5 rocks. I'm apparently the first truck with a cap to go through, too =) Hard to beleive, but Adam wasn't the first through, even with me egging him on!

On our way back up from the mud pit, sadly, one of the spectator trucks from the mud pit - Ed's - rolls over the Bleazard's dog, Bobby. Bobby had ran out of the barn right in front of Ed's tires, and there was nothing that could have been done. Jon's father buried Bobby on the property, where other Stieger pets find their final resting places.

As it gets dark, we roll Christine inside, and Tom and I continue to work on her.

After the fluid changes and reassembly, the truck starts and runs. When Andy sees something pouring out from under the truck, he hollers to shut down. It was just water coming from the exhaust system. After another few seconds running, though, it shuts off and further attempts run very rough. we decide there is probably water in the fuel, even though there was still air in the tank.

We close out the night with pizza, while watching the recovery video.

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Introduction, Dedication & Attendees	Wednesday 23-July 2003	Thursday 24-July 2003	Friday 25-July 2003	Saturday 26-July 2003	Sunday 27-July 2003	Prologue