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.

Thursday (24-July 2003):

Tom blew by with flags flying in the morning, then turned around and came blasting in the drive. Christine is sporting a new 3" body lift and a brand new set of rims and tires in the bed.

More people arrive, like Neil. Some people arrive later than planned, like me.

Mopar tow hooks go on the front of barry's truck. Notable since we have to make them work with a mopar brush guard that they aren't supposed to talk to (the tow hooks' bracketry lives where the drop brackets that the guard previously sat on did). Amusement ensued when after 8 hours of work, Barry's hood didn't close =)

Tom gets his new mudders put on

The trail signs are assembled and put out on the trails, and the banner goes up in front of the barn.

Andy Levy and friend arrive around 10pm

Tow hooks go on Tom's truck (intended to be 2 each front and back; only 1 front completed due to PITA factor of drilling through 2 3/16" thicknesses of steel. Both rear go on, sans bumper and class II hitch)

Tow hooks go on the front of my '98 (poking through were fog lights aren't, mounted directly on the frame, engaging both sides of the boxed-in frame, thanks to rethreaded and trimmed 8" grade 8 bolts - thanks, Neil!!).

We work on trucks until about 03:30. Jon: "I built a sheet metal spash shield for Tom's intake. Somehow it was decided that it would be a good idea to do a night run through the pit. (this was to test Tom's new KCs and his new mudders -Mike) I go up to the house to sleep, and Andy, his freind, Adam and Neil head to bed also. (Jason & Norah had gone to bed a long time ago, and so had Ed.)
As I walk up to the house, feed the cat, and generally get ready for bed, I see the trucks around the mud pit. Shortly after, I see two trucks parked by the cloverleaf pond, with their headlights pointing in. I notice the surface of the pond is rippling, which it should not be. Curiosity got the better of me, and I headed for the door. As I got to the the door and was reaching for my new pair of shoes, the realization of what might be happening hit me, and I grabbed my old pair instead, and started running intead of walking out the door. Got in the ram, dumping my wallet and watch on the seat as I drove down." Sure enough, Christine was in the pond, with Tom sitting on roof: he can't swim. Barry gets a tow strap around one of Mike's new tow hooks, and Mike nearly repells down the hill to pull Tom back to shore. Head and tail lights were still on.

Extraction; christine out by 05:30 thanks to jon's ram's winch, adam's jeep/anchor, barry's truck's pulling and my personal swimming

Those of us gathered, other than understandably incohearant Tom, discuss what to do. Truck out now or in the morning? How?

Adam came down, and we decided it would be better to get the truck out now. we thank ourselves many times for having just put hooks on the back of Christine. I (Mike) go swimming to attach a tank strap to each of the hooks on the back of the truck in preparation for pulling her up roughly the same way she went in. I also shift her into neutral, finding that Tom had turned off the key and put it in Park on his way out through the window!

We use Adam's Cherokee as an anchor for Jon's Ram, which holds a 12,000lb Warn winch. After Christine's back end is out of the water, Barry hooks on to stabalize and help. The truck spent an hour and a half in the water, with only 3 of it's 4 light bar-mounted KCs above water.

After it's on dry land, we put it in park, chock the wheels (no e-brake) and head to bed. We simply assume Jon's splash guard wasn't good enough. Josh sleeps through the whole incedent in his tent 200 feet away. When Tom goes to tell him what happened, he just says "That's cool" and goes back to sleep.

Page 1	Page 2	Page 3	Page 4	Page 5	Page 6	Page 7
Introduction, Dedication & Attendees	Wednesday 23-July 2003	Thursday 24-July 2003	Friday 25-July 2003	Saturday 26-July 2003	Sunday 27-July 2003	Prologue