Disabled Explorers Ride-A-Long May 10th, 2008

[1leglance]

Help Needed for Disabled Explorers Ride-A-Long May 10th, 2008

Hello & Howdy Everyone,
While working on the Disabled Explorers website has been interesting, and documenting trips & trail is fun I am really looking forward to getting into the meat & potatos of the operations which is helping the disabled explore!

So I need some help for the first of many Ride-A-Long events that I hope to see DE host each year. Since this is the first go around there will be bugs to work out, problems to solve and things to learn, please provide any and all feedback before, during and after so that each event is better than the last.

Here is the plan:
Saturday May 10th we meet at the grocery store parking lot North of Carefree Highway & East of I-17 at 9am. There will be some time spent with the Ride-A-Long passengers & family so drivers can meet & greet. Then a drivers meeting, load up and we go up to Table Mesa running that trail east to Seven Springs. So we need some folks who are willing to have a disabled person in their passenger seat.

Friends & Families will be led by someone (need another helper) along the asphalt & dirt route through Cave Creek/Carefree to Seven Springs to wait for the Trail Groups arrival. Setting up awnings and getting ready for a hot dog lunch would help also.

Since this is a first time event I would like to keep the event short & the trail moderate. Table Mesa East fits this now that it is a bit washed out. Also I figure we need to keep the list to around 10 rigs w/ passengers so we aren’t on the trail forever. I will need extra help guiding the friends & families, guarding some space at Seven Springs (the Cave Creek Campground was already booked but the area west of the bathrooms at Seven Springs is great).

The hot dog lunch is pot luck, I will cover the dogs & buns but we could use help with drinks, side dishes, deserts and anything else you can think of. The goal as always will be to Tread Lightly so we will encourage folks to bring a cup, plate, utensils and provide a wash station that is accessible (less paper/plastic used better for everyone).

If you are interested in being a driver then:
Have a street legal vehicle with passenger room & seat belts. Grab handles are very helpful for those with spinal cord injury & little lower body mobility.
Spare tire & all that basic gear you all know about.
Trail comm – I would love if we were all ham’s but I don’t think we are there yet, so at least a cb (internet deals on cig lighter plug in models with mag antennas are around $75), family band if nothing else but realize that might mean 3 modes of comm. & you could be left out of the trail banter.
And most important GREAT ATTITUDE, these folks may have wheeled pre-injury or never been beyond a mini-van. They will have questions that need answers or they might just like a running dialogue of what you are doing and why. Please don’t try to scare them with killer carnage war stories. Great places you have been, amazing campsites, hidden canyons and all that is why we expedition instead of buggy crawl our way around. The idea is to provide a positive experience and encourage overlanding.

If you are interesting in helping in other ways we need:
A couple of folks to lead the friends & family from the meet up to Seven Springs by asphalt/graded dirt road & to hang with them at Seven Springs till be get there. It would really help if 1 of these folks had a ham so we could stay in touch from the trail (cell signal is spotty in the area).
Help with setup of awnings (please bring pop ups if you have them or are willing to loan them for the event).
Someone with a truck or space to haul the coolers, awnings and stuff to Seven Springs (I have a trailer we can use if no truck is aval.)

Thanks in advance for any and all help! I am only posting this on Expo right now since it is the first event and I know this crowd!
Watch this first post for updates on comm channels driver/helper list and such.

CB-16
Ham Simplex 146.460
2m repeater TBA at event
Meet 8am McDonald's parking lot Carefree Hiway & I-17

Lance & 2 sons- 1leglance - cb & ham KE7NKP - 1 seat
Lance's buddy Gary - cb - 1 seat
John - 1 seat (FJC owner met at REI)
Hiedi-Miss R2FJ - cb & monitor ham - 1 seat +?
Jerry - 1leg - KI6RNF - 1 seat - cel# 760-715-5232
Joe & son- wagner joe - 1 seat - cb - can bring trailer to setup
Michael & Amy- BajaXplorer - cb & ham - potato salad
upatree - 1 seat
Brian & Amy - mcvickoffroad - cb & ham - 1 seat
rhino - 1 seat -

10 rigs
14 people

 

[FurthurOnTheFly]

Lance, I'm in if I don't have to go to this other event...I cannot even count on one hand all of the events I know of planned for this day....at least in some of the circles we run. Josh will be out because he is having a meeting here at the house that day for one of his other clubs. I'll try to let you know asap if I can make this or not.

 

[1leg]

Put me in as a maybe, I should know by Friday if I can for sure. I don't know the area at all so I should be a follower only.

 

[RHINO]

lance i'm doing the indian ruins the w/e prior (the one you bailed on )

so,,, i cant commit to this right now, but i would really like to make it. if i can i'll let you know ASAP and i'll bring the taco to haul stuff.

 

[wagner_joe]

Lance -

I'd be willing to steak out Seven Springs for you. I can bring the AT Horizon and set up early. I also have a Sun Shelter that I can set up. I also have access to several banquet tables and chairs.

Still no AC in the truck yet so a ride alongs probably not best for me at the moment with the temps increasing. But I can bring the 78 qt boat cooler for drinks and food along with the fridge.

I have the CB installed, plus the FRS. Still working on the ham part.. Been busy lately on my end.

Joe

 

[Mc Taco]

Possible Maybe

What a great idea Lance. I would love to attend/help out. I'm in LA area so it will be a bit of a drive. I might be scheduled to teach that weekend but will know for sure in a couple of days. I've a DC Toyota so I can do a ride-a-long, or escort friends and family, and or carry equipment in the bed. I'll PM to let you know work schedule for the 10th. Hope I can make it out. Any events planed for the So. Cal. region in the future?
p.s. I have a CB, FRS, and a scanner to receive HAM traffic.

 

[1leglance]

Wow how cool is this crowd that Socal folks would be willing to drive to Phx & help.....

Heidi - Miss R2 you are always welcome to wheel your FJC without Josh

Jerry - 1leg it would be great to have another amputee around to joke with

Rhino - I understand and I wish I had both weekends free to play but family first. I hope to see ya there.

Joe - it has been toooo long since we last talked and hitting the dirt would be nice, your rig is always welcome!

Mc Taco - Jerry 1leg is in Socal also so maybe you 2 can caravan and play in the dirt on the way over

Well folks who wants to help provide a passenger seat to someone that needs a little inspiration & motivation?

 

[BajaXplorer]

I would like to do this one, Lance. Need a tailgunner?
I'm good for the potato salad.
BX

 

[tibaal89]

I am very disappointed to say I won't be able to make it to this one. I'll be on a train to Chicago to see my g/f's graduation in Wisconsin....

I wish you the best and hope you have a very successful event! :friday:

 

[MaddBaggins]

Let me see if I can swing this. I've been making a bunch of trips lately and I have a couple more in the next month. My wallet is starting to take a beating with gas prices and the miles I'm racking up. :safari-rig:

This is a worthy trip, though, and I'll see what I can do. If I make it, I'll have enough room for 2 passengers plus I'll have Zoe along.

I'll give you an answer next week. Have you thought about hitting up Copper State Cruisers for some volunteers?

 

[RHINO]

Jerry - 1leg it would be great to have another amputee around to joke with

and compare who has the coolest leg.

 

[1leglance]

and compare who has the coolest leg.

It would be a 3 way race now with Michael BajaXplorer on board! Of course he & I are below knee so we have to stack our limbs up to match Jerry's stout stump support

Glad to have any and all the help possible! Potato Salad is great, tailgunner or whatever we work out.

Alvin-Madbaggins, I wanted this first run to start on Expo since Scott was cool enough to create the DE forum, and so I would only have 1 place to track things for this first event...if I don't get enough response here to cover the 10 rigs then I will reach out to other forums.

For future events I would like run more rigs for more seats but there is a limit I think or the run becomes a traffic jam. Also to keep from burning out this crowd I will post events on other forums.

Thanks for the yes's & maybe's so far, I totally understand about gas cost and other summer events. Don't worry there will be plenty more events as the years roll on...this is something I will be doing for as long as I have a fake leg

 

[awalter]

this is something I will be doing for as long as I have a fake leg

Lance,

Are you developing a cloning growth process soon?

Count me in for the ride or escort where ever you need the assistance.

Al

 

[1leglance]

thanks Al,
just so you Socal guys know my prosthetic builder spends alot of time in San Diego working on limbs and he is going nuts trying to talk me into setting up a Ride-A-Long out there. So watch for something in June I think out that way or if the prep for the Continental Divide Expedition is too much then August.
I hate to see you guys drive all the way out here if you will have an event in your area before too long.

 

[awalter]

Lance,

I wouldn't worry too much about the SoCal folks, as others have already said, it's for a good cause. Besides, it gives me an excuse to leave work early on Friday.

Al