Snow wheelin Darrington this Sunday

zuk88 · Dec 25, 2008

Any one interested and wants to go give a call or text.Steve @425-446-2591.Trying to get a group together,my rig won't have any problems.

n16ht5 · Dec 27, 2008

where are you going?

JoshC1 · Dec 27, 2008

sounds like fun, need to get my junk started and fix a light, hey chris we should hit up green mountain some time havent went wheeling with you in some time

BLACKTJ97 · Dec 27, 2008

The plan is to head up to darington from arlington. When you get to Darington you turn right just after the trading post. A little ways down the road there is a bridge out on the left this is where we usualy leave the tow rigs. just up the road on the right is a FS road this is where we are headed. We will meet at the Safeway in Arlington at 9:00 and then head up from there. It is hard to miss Steve, he will be the one with the zuki on the back of his flatbed truck.

whiterice · Dec 28, 2008

Isn't the snow level heading up to 5K on Sunday, what will the FS rd
be like. What kind of elevation will you be running? Wet heavy snow down low?

BLACKTJ97 · Dec 29, 2008

The snow was great. We finally turned around when we were only going one car length at a time. Not sure on how much snow there was (didn't want to dig to the bottom). When we stopped we were pushing snow and and the snow on the sides was as 33" high.

zuk88 · Dec 29, 2008

We made it in at least 8 miles and yes the snow was very deep.

High-Five · Dec 29, 2008

Nice!
Thanks for the invite Steve...sorry I couldn't make it.

BLACKTJ97 · Dec 31, 2008

Just thought I would let you guys know that we talked to the enforcement officer for the forest service up there and he wasn't very happy with our rigs. I get the feeling if he saw us up there again he would give us a ticket. He was waiting at Steve's truck when I got down. He stressed the fact that we needed to be street legal as well as licenced (at least we both had license and insurance). I asked him if my quad would be all right to ride if the snow was to deep to be passable and he said no. The only transpertation that can be on FS roads are street legal rigs with licenses or snowmobiles in special cases.

I just thought I would let you know that if you are going up that direction. This is the first time anyone has said anything about my rig. My rig is a mild TJ sitting on 33s with extended flares. He commented on no mudflaps, aftermarket bumbers, cracked windshield and one of my lights was out (it went out plowing into the snow). He didn't even want to start on Steve's rig (which wasn't even driven on the paved road).

Pat · Dec 31, 2008

BLACKTJ97 said:
I just thought I would let you know that if you are going up that direction. This is the first time anyone has said anything about my rig. My rig is a mild TJ sitting on 33s with extended flares. He commented on no mudflaps, aftermarket bumbers, cracked windshield and one of my lights was out (it went out plowing into the snow). He didn't even want to start on Steve's rig (which wasn't even driven on the paved road).

I know its the law but this just makes no sense to me- you are in snow deep enough to break headlights, with probably not a soul for miles, and he hasssles you for mudflaps and crap? I'm sorry but I must

to the man.

How hard was he "fishing" for DUI or other probable cause to search?

stealthrunner1 · Dec 31, 2008

:shaking: :shaking: Washington state sucks!!!! If we were in idaho we could drive the buggys on any FS road if ya had a ORV sticker...all because the state designates a FS road as a highway....

zuk88 · Dec 31, 2008

Good thing I wasn't drinking(which I don't do on the trail any ways) and had all my paper work because that would have been a bad day.Hey Fifo,I know how you feel now :eeek:

pokey · Dec 31, 2008

stealthrunner said:
:shaking: :shaking: Washington state sucks!!!! If we were in idaho we could drive the buggys on any FS road if ya had a ORV sticker...all because the state designates a FS road as a highway....

Actualy its nothing to do with the state. Its federal laws on FS lands. The reason you can do such thing in Idaho and Montana is because these laws are enforced differantly by differant forest service disticts. In places like Idaho and Montana lots of ranchers and farmers use quads to due errands on their lands and to moniter range herds so the FS allows such use. Same reason in many places its legal to ride snowmobiles on the road when covered in snow. Any such road can be exemped from the law you just need to talk the ranger in charge of the district into doing it.

zukkev · Dec 31, 2008

Quoted from zuk88...."my rig won't have any problems."
Famous Last words!!!:haha:

zuk88 · Jan 2, 2009

I always say that after I fix it from thetime before :awesomework:

1982cj7 · Jan 4, 2009

Actualy its nothing to do with the state. Its federal laws on FS lands. The reason you can do such thing in Idaho and Montana is because these laws are enforced differantly by differant forest service disticts. In places like Idaho and Montana lots of ranchers and farmers use quads to due errands on their lands and to moniter range herds so the FS allows such use. Same reason in many places its legal to ride snowmobiles on the road when covered in snow. Any such road can be exemped from the law you just need to talk the ranger in charge of the district into doing it.

Actually it is the state that determines the FS ruling. The FS enforces the rules the same throughout the US, they use the states own definition of street legal. In Idaho and Montana the states make quads street legal so the FS says it works on their roads. Washington does not make quads street legal so the FS says no. Washington does have a law on the books that allows land managers to make the roads they control allow non street legal vehicles, which some FS roads are enforced that way. So if we wanted to get non street legal vehicles legal on some roads you would have to work with the FS to change it, not likely, you would have to show a good reason for it.

Money Mark · Jan 4, 2009

Same ****, different bucket.......just don't get caught. And if (when) you do, be cordial and don't expect anything. It'll all work out in the end.

I have always wanted to go back to wheelling Darrington......but I knew better. And now, I definitely know better.

It is very frustrating though.....