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A publication of the Two Rivers Jeep Club, Pittsfield, Illinois
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This years Jeep Jamboree was again a great time. Many thanks to all the trail guides and their
assistants:
Back 40:
Tom Cash, Walt and Bryan Gilbert
Black Oak:
Durrell and Syndy Miller, Bob Mikrut, Mike Keller, Mike Meyers
County Line:
Gerald Bennett, Bill Zoetvelt
Dutch Creek Challenge: Chuck & Nick Riecker, Lee Ator
Lake Shore Drive:
Lane Fry, Craig Laurich
Mississippi Views:
Dave Jacobs, Gary Shadwick
Mossy Mountain:
Eric and Matt Bradshaw, Randy Whitaker
Murphy’s Law:
Gary Williams, Steve Gambrill, Dennis Anderson
Off Road 101:
O. R. Freesen
Pokey’s Run:
Don Walston, Frank and Jude Fleeger, Ric Schultz
Ridge Rambler:
Hamer and Jenny Tate, Gary Schreiter
Floaters:
Tom Wombles, Doug Richter, Steve Horton, Randy Williams, Bob Legg
And a special thanks to the one who organized them all: Tim Miller
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By Debbie Wombles
Being that this was my first Jeep Jamboree, Tom asked me to write my perspective on the event.
First of all, I had a great time! I was extremely impressed with the hard work and cooperation that
was exhibited by the Two Rivers Jeep Club guides. We have a great asset in this group of people
and it should be applauded and appreciated. Great job!
As I was riding (and driving) on the trails I felt a great sense of pride that I was allowed to be a part
of this experience. It was great to see the effort and willingness to assist by all Jamboree participants. Friendships and memories were made as tow straps and winches were used (yes, I did
break Tom’s brand new Ramsey winch, but I had fun!). I learned a little more about jeepin’ and a
lot more about a family that I have been graciously accepted by.
As always, I’m sure I displayed a pride in my husband and all of his homework. All the time taken
up and countless phone calls were worth the result that came about. I hope all of you that attended can treasure the musical talents of O.R., the unforgettable and welcomed laugh of Tim
Miller, and the cheesehead display from our Wisconsin peers. These memories are a representation of what a wonderful group of people that we have and what a tremendous job that we can do.
%ODFN 2DN
By Syndy Miller
Durrell got the
registration organized,
so everything ran
smoothly on Thursday
night.
Rooster didn’t have
such good luck the
previous day, however.
While driving his old
jeep truck, the wheel fell
off. Then he ran out of
gas in the creek in his
Scrambler. Also, a rock hit the windshield of his brand new Ford
truck. (Where did the rock come from, Syndy??) The next day he ran out of gas
again, this time in town. Durrell had to strap him through the streets of Pittsfield. How embarrassing! Well, thanks for letting us pick on you, Rooster.
On the trail there were 15 jeeps Friday and 20 on Saturday. One rookie mashed the front fender
of his dad’s jeep, so he decided to video the rest of the day. The day ended at Thunder Run after
a twenty-minute downpour. It took two hours to get 12 vehicles up the ravine! They turned around
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-XQH 3DJH at the top and came down the bypass instead of attempting to traverse the steep downhill by the
gate. Everyone had a great time and covered a lot of
territory. After the rain on Friday, Saturday was a bit
more challenging. The morning took us 4 hours
instead of the 1½ the previous day. We split the
group for the afternoon run and it moved quite a bit
faster. The day ended with play time in the creek.
Thanks to Rooster, Mikey and Spanky for their expert
trail guidance and assistance. See you all in June for
the Father’s Day Run!
%DFN By Walt Gilbert
Running the new Back 40 Trail during the Jeep Jamboree was quite an experience for the eight or
so Jeepers who conquered the course Friday and the 20 who tried their luck on Saturday.
Head Trail Guide ‘Junior’ likes to keep things simple when traversing the countryside. He simply
noted that “We’ll start out by running the last leg of the new trail backward, then jump to the short
end of Tall Dog, circle back around to run the extra loop if we have time. Then take the left by the
tree at T- Bucket and come back in by the rock garden.”
Sure, Junior, we’re right behind you! No one knew exactly where we were most of the time, but
fortunately, no one cared. We were all having fun.
The famous (?) “Cheezehead” group made up most of the trail group on Friday. Cohort Cannonball jumped in to help guide the trail and show his northern buddies a thing or two along the way.
Walt (who still doesn’t have a CB handle) and Junior guide Chameleon, brought up the rear, never
once admitting they had no idea where they were.
The first real obstacle, a short but very deep and steep mud hole, claimed an early victim as Bad
Boy sheered an output shaft and had to be dragged back to civilization. The rest, quite muddy by
now, continued on.
All was going rather well until the 3 o’clock downpour, Junior (running a portion of the trail backwards as usual) had led his group into the deepest ravine on the trail just in time for the monsoon.
Two Jeeps were captured by the slick terrain and a pair of winches was needed on each to get
them up the steep, off-camber hill. Winch cables were hooked, pulled, unhooked and moved several times to get the pair out, and it only took a couple of hours or so. The great part is, everybody
took it in stride and still had a great time. We returned from the trail in time to get cleaned up a bit
for supper.
Saturday was a long day. We skipped the first part of the trail and for some reason went straight
for the mud hole, which now resembled an asteroid crater in the monsoon season. About everybody except a couple of smart-aleck girls in a Wrangler who had the gas mashed and their eyes
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-XQH 3DJH closed, were gobbled up by the mud hole. Trouble was, it was followed by a slick uphill, a quick
loop and another huge mud hole which required a winch for everybody.
The winching slowed the pace considerably, but again, everybody seemed to be having fun. Several brought youngsters along who either took a back seat nap or looked for pretty rocks in the
creek during downtime. Later in the day one Jeeper lost a motor mount which caused the motor to
twist, sending the oil filter into a sharp object. Luckily the Jeeper behind him saw a trail of oil and
brought the group to a halt---a rather long halt, as repairs were made. Junior likes to crawl under
Jeeps no matter how deep the mud! The hour-long repair lasted at least two minutes before halting the group once more. This time the group was sent “on the back loop…” again as Cannonball,
Walt and Chameleon took the ailing Jeep out a back way.
Mad Dog’s group passed behind us during the repair session. A short time later we heard commotion on the radio and called over to determine the problem. “Oh nothing, the Jeep is on fire,” came
the reply. And we thought we were having problems!! Once again, we got back in time to clean
up and head for another great supper.
In all, it was a great experience. New friends were made and a camaraderie was built as only
Jeepers can understand. As the group departed from Saturday night’s program, one lady noted
that she and her husband were exceptionally impressed with the friendliness of the local group.
We were proud she noticed!
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By Gary “Doc” Schreiter
The Doctor is in?
The 99 Jeep Jamboree started off on Thursday with the return of some old and familiar faces and
a large number of new ones. Tech inspection and registration went smoothly and it was great to
have it located in the bowling alley (not tech of course) where the air conditioning and free drinks
were a hit. Trail sign up was an interesting event. No one told me that part of being a trail guide
was being able to predict the future! “I’m sorry ma’am but we really cannot guarantee that you will
be off the trail with a clean undamaged Jeep at precisely 4 p.m. but we’ll try.” After a lot of question everyone seemed happy with the trails they picked. Of course the panic had yet to set in.
Day two dawned very early but not very bright, with the weather channel gurus ca lling for a 70%
chance for heavy local showers (panic, small “p”). However once everyone got to the Legion Hall
and had one of the great breakfasts of all time, the weather soon became a distant memory. After
the preliminary speeches by people who know a lot more about this Jamboree thing than I’ll ever
know, we broke in to small groups to head out to our individual trails. One of the speakers, Rip
somebody from Jeep Jamboree, we met briefly the night before. (I’m not sure if Rip was his real
name).
Hamer and Jenny Tate led our enthusiastic but inexperienced group out to Pokey’s for the morning
part of our run. Well, things had grown up a bit and people had plowed a bit and a hill was incorporated in the trail that we really hadn’t planned on. No problem! Hamer walked right on up, then
Carl from Chicago walked right on up, then the next Jeep made it up about 10 feet and spun to a
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-XQH 3DJH halt. Hamer said “this will be a good time to show them how to winch. Well he was right. In fact
we got to practice winching and strapping the rest of the group up the hill for the next 2 hours. No,
I didn’t have to winch, but it was pretty greasy. After we all got to the top, an executive decision
was made to short cut it to the lunch stop. The food hit the spot after manhandling many Jeeps.
While standing around, a few of our intrepid group wanted to know if it got harder after lunch. “Not
to worry” we said, “the afternoon trail doesn’t have big hills”. Of course we forgot to mention the
smaller ones.
We were rolling again and things were going well until it started to rain. Just a little rain. (panic,
small “p”) Then a little more rain (panic, large “P”). Then a whole lot of rain (Full Caps on “P”)
Let’s see; lots of Jeeps with all terrain tires. Is mud considered terrain by tire manufacturers? If so,
why don’t these tires work in mud? Water deep enough that small amphibians are trying to crawl
into my Jeep to get dry, and every way out is up to one degree or another. True Jeepers persevere! Everybody pulled together and even though we had Jeeps stuck everywhere our group
pushed, strapped, and willed the Jeeps back to solid ground and the end of the trail. Body count at
the end of the day, one minor ding and one Jeep dead in the woods (bad throttle cable, fixed temporarily and back in time for supper).
Back to the Legion Hall for more fabulous food and to hear the stories of the other trails. Remember Rip? Well, it seems as though he earned his name by ripping the ring and pinion gear off the
front axle while out on the trail with Dave “fire extinguisher” Jacobs. Most of the rest of the evening was spent at the Motel Pike parking lot watching Rick from Rolla rebuild a carburetor (It must
be magic. I can never get the damn things to work). We also discussed the finer points of enlightening new Jeepers with our fearless trail guide leader Generalissimo Miller, finally turning in some
time around 2 in the A.M.
Day 3 dawned bright and clear with the wearing of sun glasses for those of us whose eyes were
not quite ready for the sun to be up. We all really should be thankful for those great folks at the
Legion Hall. They did another outstanding breakfast and are really fun to talk to. Hamer and
Jenny got our much larger group going the right direction and we were out at Pokey’s in good order. Traction, which was nonexistent the day before, was almost perfect today and very few Jeepers had trouble anywhere on the trail so we ran right on schedule and finished up on time for
supper.
Steaks (lots of them) made for a great meal at the Legion Hall. Some great stories were told and
trail guides gave out a few special awards. Many Jeepers came away with some great prizes and
everybody had a great time well into the evening.
Day 4 dawned clear but not very early as we gathered once again at the Legion Hall for another
wonderful feed and a chance to say goodbye to old friends and some new friends. See ya next
year!
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By Garry Shadwick
Friday started bright and
sunny with 20 jeeps lined
up to take on the new
Mississippi views trail laid
out by Dave “Maddog”
Jacobs and tail gunned
by yours truly, G.D.S. Air
down and drivers
meeting was very orderly
as Tom Wombles gave
us a brief history of the
oldest cemetery in Pike
County.
Early running was fun for
everyone on the new trail
with a double loop containing some steep uphill shots combined with some daring
rocky downhills. Chris “the Winchboy” kept backups to a minimum by being traffic
cop in the middle of this madness. Next up was a nasty hole which claimed two
front ring and pinions, one of which made a short weekend for Rib, one of the Jeep
Jam’s organizers. This hole also put the hurt on Debbie Wombles winch as Tom
watched her pull to the max.
After great food at the
antique farm of Mr. and
Mrs. Floyd Wombles, it
was onto a tough
afternoon of real
wheelin’. Maddog led off
with a busted tie rod end
about a half-hour into the
afternoon session. And
the whole line passed as
G.D.S. led on. Thirteen
jeeps made it out of the
woods as a “10 minute
toad strangler” rainstorm
hit. Seven jeeps were
scattered in two different
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-XQH 3DJH hollows and a team winching session was necessary to free them. At about the
same time, Maddog had repaired his jeep, the right rear tire gave up with a hand
sized split in the sidewall. After a lot of winching and team work, our Friday crew
had a very well deserved dinner.
Saturday’s turnout was quite alarming as only 4 jeeps showed up to run the Muddy
Mississippi. Dave improvised an alternate run to avoid Friday’s massacre, and we
wound up inducting two new members to the Tall Dog Club. One brave young man
was driving a stock V-6 powered CJ 5 without a winch. Question: Where are all
those dudes with the Cheeseheads? We finished the morning with a scramble up
Wombles’ rock garden and an early lunch.
Lots of wind overnight had made our second half much better as the sun came out
and quickly dried some of the previous day’s nastier spots. We finished the trail with
little difficulty, and went to look for Tom Cash and the Back 40 Gang. We waited at
“T-Bucket” for some pictures only to hear 20 plus jeeps stranded by a broken motor
mount and oil filter. Tragedy! On the way out, G.D.S. leaves his camera on Maddog’s front bumper and Dave starts a BBQ under his hood. Enough is enough!!!
Maddog backtracks to help Back 40 and G.D.S. heads out with the small turnout.
Maddog did make it out OK and found a “Mudnolta” camera in a bogger print.
All in all Mississippi Views lived up to it’s 8 rating and showed lots of folks that Illinois
and TRJC has some awesome wheelin’.
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Officers and Board Members
President
Vice President
O. R. Freesen
John Toumbs
oryellow@hotmail.com
JPThing@adams.net
Graham McNeill
MadBrit@worldnet.att.net
Board Member
MaryAnn Callarman
uvnoida@aol.com
Board Member
Board Member
Board Member
Board Member
Board Member
Founder
Kris Hunt
Tim Miller
Hamer Tate
Donny Walston
Gary Williams
Tom Wombles
Secretary/Treasurer
gwilliam@adams.net
217-754-3505
217-773-3848
217-773-2228 FAX
630-416-6625 Home
630-355-0955 Work
630-355-0956 FAX
630-357-3695 Home
630-527-8166 FAX
217-773-3269
217-875-2680
217-833-2861
217-285-1553
217-285-4750
217-437-4361
1999 Committees
Communication
Landowner Appreciation
Promotional Items
Trail Leadership & Maintenance
MaryAnn Callarman
Donny Walston
Graham McNeill
Tim Miller
uvnoida@aol.com
MadBrit@worldnet.att.net
630-357-3695
217-285-1553
630-717-JEEP
217-875-2680
Newsletter
Editors
Publisher
Frank and Jude Fleeger
Dave Christensen
outbac4x4@aol.com
davec@millenicom.com
630-307-7998
630-393-3314
Land Use Page: http://www.millenicom.com/davec/Jeep/PublicLand/
Club Phone Number: 630 – 717 – JEEP (5337)
Membership: Annual membership in Two Rivers Jeep Club runs from January1 through December 31. First time
memberships accepted after the Land of Lincoln Jamboree will be applied to the following year. Annual Membership
dues are to be paid by October 1st each year with a 30 day grace period. Membership fees are $60.00. Landowners
are given a complimentary membership.
Article Submission: Articles and photos from members can be published in the newsletter. Preferred article submission is by e-mail to outbac4x4@aol.com in any reasonable word processing format but hand or typewritten material
can also be used. Photos can be black and white or color with a description of what, where and when. Put your name
on the back of the photo when submitting. All photos will be returned to the owner. Scanned photos in any reasonable graphics format will also be accepted.
Newsletter Deadlines: This newsletter is published 6 times a year (February, April, June, August, October, and
December.) All articles and photos are due by the first day of the month in which the newsletter will be published.
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By Dave Christensen
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This is our club’s own website. A lot of official club information is posted here, but NO maps or directions to the trails! Thanks to Paul Beyer for his efforts. Please mail him at
prb@springnet1.com with any changes or additions to the site.
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This is the City Boyz site, the northern social arm of the club. Andrea and Tony Prochaska maintain this great site. Please send e-mail to hyperr4@aol.com with any changes or additions.
KWWSKRPHHDUWKOLQNQHWaMEIRVWHU
Jim Foster (jbfoster@earthlink.net) has an awesome site with links to lots of rigs, wheelin’ trips
and more.
KWWSZZZPLOOHQLFRPFRPGDYHF-HHS
This site has trip reports from Moab, Dakota Challenge, Las Cruces, Pittsfield, Rubicon and more
going back to 1994. There are a lot of TRJC photos here. Dave Christensen owns this site.
davec@millenicom.com
KWWSZZZPLOOHQLFRPFRPGDYHF-HHS3XEOLF/DQG
If you visit only one site, make it this one! Our public lands are being closed at an alarming
rate thanks to the environmentalists who have started an all out war with us in conjunction with
the Bureau of Land Management and the National Forest Service. A lot of us use public lands as
well as the private lands around Pittsfield. But, even if you don’t use public lands this is still an
issue. Along with attempts to close up public lands for motorized travel, these same environmentalists are lobbying to prohibit many modifications to our vehicles. For example, in New Jersey,
there is a lift law in effect that would make 70% of the vehicles we have in our club illegal! This
could happen in Illinois also unless we fight back now. Warning: this page is depressing when
you see what’s happening across the country to our public lands. Please visit it and write letters
to protest the removal of our rights! Dave Christensen also owns this site.
davec@millenicom.com
If you are not on-line, but would still like to help, give me a call at 630-393-3314 and I’ll send you
paper copies of the issues and sample letters you can use to send to elected officials.
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By Paul Beyer
First, I would like to thank all of the members that have sent in
comments, links, pictures, trail descriptions, and the like. I would
also like to encourage the members that have not, to do so soon.
This web page belongs to you, the members, and I want it to be
as entertaining as possible.
I sent out a test e-mail a while back and received a good
response. The reason for the e-mail was to up-date my club
members email address list. From time to time, I will need to
correspond with the members on-line to help promote the web
page. If you did not reply, please do so (if you want to). The list will never be published to the web
page; it is for club use only.
As I do not want the members who are not on-line to miss out on the information posted on the
web page, I will, in the future, have a Webmaster Article in the newsletter. You can all help by
passing on the information.
I have added something for the kids. This page is a place for the children to post their Jeep drawings. The drawings can't be on any larger then 8 1/2"x 11" paper, as my scanner will not accept
anything larger. If you do not want to send me the original, send a copy. If you have your own
scanner, reduce it to no more then 100kb at 100% and e-mail them to me. Please include your
child's name and age.
Some questions for you:
#1
Would you like a comments page?
#2
Would you like a chat room added to the page?
Your input to these questions will be forwarded to the Board for their consideration.
Those of you that have followed the web page over the past months know there have been times
when it did not work properly all of the time. Some of this has been because of a lack of knowledge on my part, and some because the web server has had its problems. The web server part is
about to be rectified. We have changed severs at a cost savings. The page has been down due to
changing over to a new sever. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused.
As far as your novice webmaster, well he is getting much better.
Please mail any comments or questions about the page to:
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-XQH prb@springnet.com
3DJH /DQG %HWZHHQ WKH /DNHV
Submitted by Jude Fleeger
When the Callarman’s suggested we
leave for Arkansas a few days early
and stop off at the Land Between the
Lakes for some wheelin’, we had no
idea we would be setting out on such
an exciting adventure! When we
arrived late on Sunday afternoon,
Steve and MaryAnn had already
ventured out by themselves for a
couple of hours. The first thing they
told us was that it was awesome, and
very important not to go out alone.
We stayed in Aurora, KY. There are
plenty of campgrounds and motels
there, and it is just a short drive
across the bridge to get to the Turkey
Bay Off-Highway Vehicle area. This
is the first federally-designated area
for OHV riding and camping, and it
covers 2500 acres with a variety of topography for varying skill levels. The trails are open from
sunrise to sunset. A one to three day permit is $15, and a small map is supplied giving you a few
co-ordinates. Very few! We were told there was
no restriction as to where we went, as long as we
didn’t go beyond the boundaries of the 2500
acres.
On a misty (actually, rainy) Monday morning we
packed lunches and set out early. It had been
raining during the night, so we encountered a few
mud holes and felt right at home. We quickly
realized that many of the trails were frequented
primarily by quads and motorcycles. We are convinced that our two Jeeps drove through areas
that had never been seen before by vehicles as
large as we were! And there were countless times that we sat at trail intersections with absolutely
no clue as to where we were or which way to turn.
Some of the hills were as aggressive as any of us had seen, and there were plenty of them that we
did not consider attempting. Some others, though, were very challenging. Of course, whatever
Steve tried, Frank had to do. And whatever Frank tried, Steve had to do. We’re not 100% sure
how to find it again, but there is a place we named ‘7 Falls’ that took up a lot of our time….and
we’ve pledged to go back there! The name says it all. And, there was another area that put Steve
on such an angle coming off a tree trunk that we weren’t any of us certain if he dared move forward of backward, or any which-way. But he had to make a decision and go for it, because it was
a sure thing that sideways was his only other option.
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-XQH 3DJH Our second day out was even better. By then we had a feel for some of what we were going to
encounter, the sun was shining, and I, personally, was more confident that we were not going to
spend the night in the woods (as I had been worried about
the previous day!). Steve kept telling me it would be no big
deal because he had some Army rations in the back of his
Jeep. A comforting thought.
We had a great time. There’s something there for
everyone, and we look forward to a return trip. If you
decide to go, remember not to go out alone. Do not drive
into what you cannot see…because there are some nonforgiving sheer drop-offs. There are also some mud holes
that are a lot deeper than you would think that are quite
capable of swallowing a Jeep. And, finally, this area of
Kentucky is in a ‘dry’ county. If you enjoy an occasional
beer, etc. you must take it there with you, because you
cannot purchase alcoholic beverages anywhere near
where you will be staying.
So, put this on your list of must do’s, and plan to have a
really great time. Just be sure to leave the area a little
better than you found it, and perhaps it will be there for all
of us in the years to come.
+RW 6SULQJV $UNDQVDV Submitted by MaryAnnCallarman
Ten TRJC members (plus their riders) met at Hot Springs Arkansas for the Rosser Rush 4wheeling event in April. They offered us 11 trails, rated 1 through 4, and the trails were every bit
as good as ours (I’ll hear about this!).
They had a good variety of wooded
areas, rock climbs, and exceptionally
long, steep grades. Some trails followed
the pipelines, while others crossed the
creeks.
The Mikrut brothers, Seymores,
DeTrous and Dawn, Davis’ & Fleegers
teemed up on the trails together, but
John, Paul, & Steve opted for the bad
boy stuff. Gotta keep up the “Boys from
Illinois” image!
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-XQH 3DJH Friday’s trail on Devil’s Hill reminded me a little of Iron Chest in Colorado. There was a stretch of
loose rock on a long, twisting climb, surrounded by pine trees. John had an opportunity to use his
on-board welder when Rongway’s drive shaft came apart because the clip popped off. Lucky for
them it happened while his CJ was in a convenient position… about a 50-degree angle over a rock
crevice! They welded the cap to the yoke and kept on going.
A reminder about trail maintenance. One of the new
trails that another group was running still had sharp
stumps left exposed and they punctured 12 tires on
Friday. We changed our trail assignment for
Saturday.
White Rock trail had a great area they called the
gorge. The rocks were like stair steps, spiral ones,
around and through the trees. When we got to the
ravine, our trail leader found some kids with a
broken axle who had been there since 2 a.m. the
night before. Hmmm, a private night run?? After a
quick inventory of our group, they found one,
replaced it, and got them out so we could go down. John and Steve found a few boulders to climb
and gave us a good air show. They were so accommodating. Once, when I wasn’t ready with the
video, I said, “I missed it, do it again.” They actually did!
Coming out of the ravine, a Bronco had fuel trouble and they decided to winch him up to level
ground. Pine trees don’t have a good root system. The trees they strapped around slowly came
down on the Bronco’s roof. Once they realigned the cable and pulled him up again, his driver tire
blew off the rim. Just wasn’t his day. They reset it, aired up, and were out of there in time to play
on concrete hill. This one was straight down. No, I take that back. It was exceptionally steep,
with an off-camber curve and deep ruts. Some vehicles came down with what our leader called a
controlled skid. John liked it so much, he drove back up and down again. A crowd gathered at the
bottom to watch.
Back at camp, the event coordinator (Bob Hazel) helped us promote our 4x4 Blast during the evening’s festivities. Jeff & Laura from Wisconsin told everyone that Pike County is their favorite
place to 4-wheel. Paul & Mary Ann handed out so many registrations the day before that Frank &
Jude had to get more printed! Dawn helped hand them out after dinner while the band played and
the trail stories grew. Rooster gave some to Texas wheelers that he knew from his younger,
wilder days… (is that possible?).
It was great to gather at Fleeger’s outdoor theater to watch each other’s videos of the day. I noticed on the other group’s trail that Carl lived up to his handle. He had a running start on a hill and
was airborne. Tom and Michaela broke their radiator on Driveshaft Hill and Val came to the rescue. He led the train of jeep & strap & jeep & strap. Rooster did NOT break a driveshaft on
Radiator Hill, but he almost tipped his Scrambler over. Michaela happened to be riding with him
this time. She’s going to get a complex. You should have seen the dust fly when Dawn raced up
that hill. She didn’t want to have the same fate, and John had Joan really hanging onto her seat
when they got there! Frank & Jude also had a great day, until the end. He broke his axle, ring &
pinion while strapping up (ok, I won’t tell) someone in a Scrambler. We sure liked the trails in Hot
Springs! We highly recommend that you put this one on your schedule of 4-wheeling events next
year.
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Le t’s w e lc o m e the fo llo w ing ne w m e m b e rs :
Angelena Anna Conradi, Hoffman Estates, IL - 99 TJ
Carey LeVoy, Kankakee, IL - 91 XJ
Richard Majka, Melrose Park, IL 97 TJ
Ron McDonald, Naperville, IL - 97 TJ
Loren Nagy, St Charles, IL 89 XJ
Steve Peters, Decatur, IL - 77 CJ7
Don Petry, Naperville, IL - 63 Wagon
Shawn Redman, Plano, IL - 96 CJ7, 89 TJ
Daniel Reische, Mt. Sterling, IL - 76 CJ5
Leah Theige, Madison WI - 95YJ
James Walton, Glendale Heights, IL - 85 CJ7
Sherry Wieland, Riverton, IL - 97 TJ
7KDQN <RX •
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The Board of Directors on behalf of the membership of the Two Rivers Jeep Club would like
to formally thank Syndy and Durrell Miller for their generosity of time and money in the
preparation and printing of the 1999 Club Directory
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Remember to bring some extra cash if you wish to donate to the Pittsfield Little League at the Father’s Day Run. The teams have 4 major and 4 minor leagues, with an average of 150 kids per year.
TRJC plans to help them with money to keep the fields groomed.
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Contributed by Claudette Rego
7LP0LOOHU
If you have not met Tim Miller, you won’t
need to look for him - just listen! He has a
laugh we wish we could print! It’s contagious, and if he’s on a roll you better get
out the tissue box! Tim is a great, funloving guy with a super sense of humor
and, of course, that gregarious laugh.
Tim has joined our Board of Directors this
year as Trail Master. He has put aside his
usual role of trail guide and is working on
establishing new land for new trails and
maintaining and improving existing ones.
This new post is a great addition to the
board. Tim is compiling a comprehensive list of landowners, existing trails, guides and maintenance. His goal is to keep these records updated and to work on adding new trails. Tim also coordinates the efforts of our guides (the work they do on their trails) and guide wannabe’s. It’s a
position that takes a lot of work and Tim is certainly up to the challenge.
Tim’s been Jeepin’ since 1979. He’s
on his third driveable Jeep, which
means there have been a few for parts
along the way! He’s only sold one, so I
guess that means there’s a “graveyard”
without headstones out there! He
currently drives a ’77 CJ. This one is in
it’s 7th season as the drivable Jeep of
the lot, and it was originally bought for
parts! Somehow the parts all ended up
in it! Some of the stats: 360 cu.in.
engine married to a T18 transmission.
A Scout transfer case with terra-low 4-1
gear ratio, an AMC 20 in the rear with
3:73 gears. Lock-rite lockers on a
Dana 44. 35” boggers, siped and ‘bead
locked’ (of course - says Tim), a Warn 8000 winch and a frame mounted full roll cage. He took a
little spill outside Decatur about 3 seasons ago, so he’s looking to replace the roll-cage.
7ZR 5LYHUV 7UDFNHU
-XQH 3DJH Tim likes the wilder side, the more challenging side, the more radical side of Jeepin’! Do Tall Dog
without laying it on your side? Of course not - who does? He was trail guide for the Wild Blue
Yonder Trail (built in part by O.R.) for three seasons. It has since been retired as the land is now
used for hunting.
You can’t be a guy who likes the wilder side of things and not have an embarrassing moment. It’s
just bound to happen and happen to Tim it did! During one of the Jamborees on the Wild Blue
Yonder Trail, Tim was taking turns in the lead and the rear as trail guide. At this particular time he
was in the rear. He was sure that everyone before him had gone through this particular obstacle
and not around it, so when Uncle Sam was done, Tim made it his way…. almost, anyway! He was
nearly end-over-end into a hole (in his words) like going over the side of a basement. He was on
his front bumper and tire! To make the event even more embarrassing than happening at a Jamboree, and as a trail guide, it was all captured on film! One thing I’ve heard from many folks about
Tim is his ability to laugh at himself (as well as others)!
Tim joined the club in its 3rd year.
He’s been to every Pittsfield
Jamboree and he’s been trail
guide for several as well! Mary
Ann said this tidbit about his good
nature and calm on the trail. “Tim
keeps his calm while guiding new
jeepers. One time on a trail, a
new driver turned the wheel a
little too far, and gassed on it a
little too hard. Tim assured him
he was OK. He told him to put it
in reverse and maybe he could
back out of it. The driver was a
little nervous, so the passenger
calmly responded, ‘But it’s on it’s
side’.”
Tim credits a lot of his ability to spend both time and money Jeepin’ to his wife, Kim. She’s been
Jeepin’ with him before they were married (16 years come June) and although she has not been
Jeepin’ much recently, she plans to get back into it with Tim. Kim, I swear allegiance to you here
an now as another wife who loves the trails as a passenger and who doesn’t drive stick! You’re
not the only one!
Kim has her own Jeep now - not for trailing - but it certainly is one that many of us would like to
get our hands on. It’s a ‘84 full-size Wagoneer. She wanted round headlights so Tim put in a ‘72
grill. This Jeep will be the undented one!
Tim says he’s learned a lot from our members and believes strongly in a communal effort. He
would like to see our drivers improve their skills. He would like to make all members wise men not
wise guys! ‘JEEP ZEN!’
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-XQH 3DJH &%- 3LFQLF
By: Syndy Miller
Thanks a million to Dave and Connie Christensen for hosting our 3rd annual CBJ/TRJC Picnic. We
had beautiful weather and a great turnout. After we “paraded” around town and through a local
forest preserve, we held our annual ramp travel competition and show-n-shine.
Ramp travel was a big competition for the short wheelbase with
Rongway and Troublemaker (in Tank’s YJ) going at it wheel to
wheel. Troublemaker finally managed to wrangle out an extra
inch by letting all the air out of his tires. (We gave Steve his
usual 6-9-6-9-6-9 score anyway) The long wheelbase went to
Rusty for her Scrambler. In the show-n-shine competition,
trophies went to Troublemaker for best modified, TNT III
(Devin) for his TJ in best stock, and to Sparky (yes, Sparky, not
Spanky) for best overall. It was a tie, but since Sparky had
more votes in combining the modified and overall classes, he
stole the trophy this year.
Later, Dave decided to tip his Jeep again much to everyone’s
amusement. You gotta see it to believe it! Other activities
included a few games of non-competitive volleyball, swimming
for the youngsters and food food for everyone.
We presented Rooster with his spare gas cans, all
fifteen of them, to ensure that he has absolutely no
excuse for running out of gas ever again! A storm
blew in early in the evening making everyone run for
cover, but most headed for home. It blew over and
the die-hard partiers stuck it out until 11 pm. An
early evening for the party crowd this year. No
articles of clothing were burned (for those dying to
know but embarrassed to ask). Loads of fun and
laughs for all. It was a great time and we missed all
of you who couldn’t make it.
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-XQH 3DJH LANDOWNER APPRECIATION
:H QHHG \RX July 17th and August 14th have been decreed as 1999 Landowner Appreciation
days.
What is a Landowner Appreciation day?
It’s a day when we all chip in to thank the
landowners for donating their land (and often lots of time) to our club to provide a
place for us to wheel. We go down and
work for them, repairing fences, painting, or
just about anything they need help with.
This is about the only way that each of
us can say “Thank you” to them for letting us use their land!
Bad weather and extra work required to get the trails in shape for the Jeep Jamboree did not leave us much time to devote to Landowner Appreciation as we would
have liked.
The Landowners and the trails we use are the club’s most treasured asset. Without
trails to wheel on we would have a lot of very sad Jeeps (and sad people with very
expensive sad Jeeps, all dressed up and nowhere to go!) To protect the continued
use of the trails we use so often without cost to the club we need to show our appreciation to these landowners.
Please make a special effort to attend at least one of these days to help the club
maintain the excellent relationship we so enjoy with our landowners.
We will meet at 8:15am at McDonald’s parking lot.
Besides showing them how much we appreciate them, these Landowner Appreciation days are also a lot of fun!
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This years 4th of July run will have 4 trails available for TRJC members:
Saturday, July 3
Meet at McDonald’s 8:30 a.m.
Depart for trails 9:00 a.m.
Trails to be run are:
Back 40
rated 7
Dutch Creek
rated 6
and 2 versions of Mississippi Views:
Atlas
rated 10
Tall Dog
rated 10
Saturday night is a hog roast at Tom and Debbie’s house (ask for directions that morning)
Sunday, July 4 you have a choice of either trail riding, or being in the parade.
Meet at McDonald’s 8:30 a.m.
Depart for trails 9:00 a.m.
Same trails will be run
Parade: meet at the fairgrounds in Pleasant Hill
Sunday night is a fireworks display at Pleasant Hill
Monday, July 5 trail rides available
Meet at McDonald’s 8:30 a.m.
Depart for trails 9:00 a.m.
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Submitted by Graham McNeill
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-XQH 3DJH May 1, 1999
Date:
Time:
Location:
May 1st, 1999
7.16pm CST
Pike County Farm Bureau
Present:
O.R. Freesen, Graham McNeill, Tim Miller, Hamer Tate, Don Walston,
Absent:
John Toumbs, Kris Hunt, MaryAnn Callarman, Tom Wombles, Gary Williams
The meeting was called to order by O.R. Freesen at 7.16pm with a quorum present.
I.
O.R. Freesen welcomed club members. There were 9 members in attendance.
II.
Minutes of the March 6th, 1999 meeting were approved as written.
III.
O.R. Freesen encouraged comments from club members at any time during the meeting.
IV.
Officers Reports:
A.
B.
V.
Secretary Report – Graham McNeill – Club Membership is at 225 memberships.
Treasurer Report – Graham McNeill – The cash balance as of April 18th, 1999 was
$8,529.30. Income for 1999 totaled $1,657.00 with expenses of $5,701.71. (An itemized report is available for any member to revue).
Committee Reports:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
7ZR 5LYHUV 7UDFNHU
Trail leader and Maintenance Report – Tim Miller. Trails were reported to be ready
for the Jeep Jamboree and other club events. Tim also reported that landowner Jack
Kirk no longer wishes his land to be used for club events and to use for the JJ only.
Mr. Kirk has informed us that we would be charged for damage caused on his property. Mr. Don Snyder, Head of Prisons has offered the use of inmates to clear trails
as we are a non-for-profit club.
MaryAnn Callarman – no report.
Logo Development/Promotional Items Report – Graham McNeill – It was reported
that inventory is low. Most clothing sizes are available in the small to medium range,
with a retail value of approximately $1,267.00. Ideas will be looked into to re-build inventory and add and delete items.
Landowner Appreciation – Donnie Walston – Reports are that landowner appreciation projects are not going well due to all weekends being devoted to Jeep Jamboree
trail preparation and bad weather. It was agreed that 2 –3 weekends in July and August would be devoted solely to landowner appreciation.
Event Coordination – John Toumbs – no report.
-XQH 3DJH VI.
Specials Activities:
A.
B.
C.
D.
F.
G.
VII.
Old Business:
A.
B.
VIII.
Liability Insurance – O.R. Freesen – John Toumbs has obtained insurance quotes
and will continue to pursue this option.
Temporary amendment to by-laws - To add one permanent non-elected, non-officer
seat on the board for Tom Wombles as Founder/Chairman Jeep Jamboree. The full
membership will vote on this amendment to make it permanent at the next annual
meeting in October 1999. – no changes.
New Business:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
IX.
X.
Trail building Weekends: - Tim Miller – no report.
7th Annual Land of Lincoln Jeep Jamboree – Tom Wombles – no report.
Father’s Day Club Run – Durrell & Syndy Miller – no report.
4th of July Run – Tom Wombles – no report.
4XFling – John Toumbs – no report
Ma Earth – O.R. Freesen – no report.
Committee report – change to by-laws – Article VII, Section 1 – T.
Wombles – no report.
Committee report – change to by-laws – Article 1, Section 2 & 3 Board of Directors
and Qualifications – D. Walston –Jenny Tate has agreed to become a member of this
committee.
Red Cross – Graham McNeill – The Red Cross has written a letter of appreciation for
the club’s donation.
City of Griggsville – has offered the township facilities in any way it can to attract
Jeep events to their city. They have offered their fairgrounds for staging areas and
events and have offered to dig a mud pit, and also campgrounds for the members.
Brian Hoover has offered his log cabin, as seen on TV, for rent to club members at
$25.00 per room.
Membership – it was resolved that membership would be increased to 200 paid
members. This would not include landowners and complimentary memberships. It
was also resolved that Family Memberships would be limited to multiple Jeep drivers
so long as the drivers were living in the same household.
It was resolved unanimously that the club acknowledge the generosity of time and
money donated by Syndy and Durrell Miller in the preparation of this year’s Club Directory.
Date of the next meeting - July 4th has been postponed until July 17th, 1999
Resolutions – as stated above by Board approval.
The meeting adjourned at 9.45pmn CST.
Respectfully submitted by,
Graham McNeill
Secretary/Treasurer
Note: The next meeting of the Two Rivers Jeep Club Board of Directors will be held on July 17th,
1999, 7pm CST at the Pike County Farm Bureau in Pittsfield, Illinois.
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For Sale:
•
•
•
•
Swing away tire carrier, custom built for a YJ. Has trailer hitch for use with receiver shackle. Asking $100
or best.
Cab cover for CJ or YJ. $20.
Rear quarter windows and rear curtain for 1987-95 YJ w/ factory top. Brand new in box. Also front half
door windows (slightly used). Take all of it for $100 obo
Bikini top for 88-92 YJ. Black. $10
Tim "Casper" Beaver at trjcasper@mindspring.com
For Sale:
•
•
•
•
TJ Parts: 1 year old spice Sunrider top. $250.00 obo
1 year old spice top sliders (sliding windows by Steel Horse) - $150.00 obo
Dana 35 axle drum to drum with ARB and 4.11 gears available June 18th – $800 obo. This axle is complete and will be a straight drop in. - Installation available.
White Sahara fender flares - $150.00 obo for complete set of 4.
Graham McNeill - 630-355-0955 work 630-416-6625 home
For Sale:
• White 1993 Wrangler with the following options:
¾ 4" softrider lift
¾ 31" BF Goodrich muds
¾ ARB Air Lockers front and rear (installed by Art Shan)
¾ Fog lights (little tiny ones that aren't all that great)
¾ Cruise Control (the factory kind)
¾ 8000lb Ramsey winch on the front
¾ CB radio
It's in very good condition and has 53,700 miles on it. A picture of it is available via e-mail if wanted.
Its top is pretty well worn out but still very useable. The price of the Jeep will reflect that. I'm looking to get
$10,500 for it and that would include a new Best-Top. Color would be your choice. The price would be
$10,200 if you want to get the top.
E-mail me at jeeper7@ix.netcom.com or call me at (217) 356-6515 in Champaign, IL
7ZR 5LYHUV 7UDFNHU
-XQH 3DJH 7:25,9(56-((3&/8%
VW$118$/;%/$67
$XJXVW
This is a club fund raising event. We need your participation! Funds will be used to benefit
the club, its members and the community. If you have not experienced a multi-vehicle type
Jeep Jamboree- style event, then you are missing out on a lot of fun. You will have a
chance to run trails that are not normally offered at club runs.
You will get a chance to “Ramp” your vehicle, try your
luck at several other rodeo events and maybe win some
trophies. We have great sponsors lined up from Warn,
Teraflex, ARB, Jeep Dealer’s Association, Mopar Parts
and many others.
This is going to be two full days of wheeling for just
$70.00 per vehicle plus $35.00 for passengers (kids under
10 free). You get a T-shirt and a free dinner. Where else
can you have this much fun for so little money?
Trails will run;
Friday August 20th from 9:00am to 4:00pm
Saturday August 21st from 9:00am to 4:00pm
This event will be limited to 150 vehicles – sign up early!!
COME JOIN US FOR A WEEKEND OF FUN AND FOUR
WHEELING EXCITEMENT
Call 630-717-JEEP or E-mail: MadBrit@worldnet.att.net for more information.
7ZR 5LYHUV 7UDFNHU
-XQH 3DJH SIGN UP SOON OR MISS OUT ON A TOTALLY AWESOME WEEKEND!!
7ZR 5LYHUV 7UDFNHU
-XQH 3DJH Two Rivers Jeep Club
C/O Graham McNeill
2617 Gateshead Drive
Naperville IL 60564
ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED