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 This was my first time to a Cruiser Days event and I'm glad it happened after I bought my Cherokee. Otherwise I might've been seduced by all the beautiful expedition-ready FJ80's and taken out a bank loan to finance a 'Cruiser. But now I'm safely ensconced in another 4x4, so I'm limited to day dreaming about owning one of these great 4x4's.  One of the things I love about our message board is when users post photos of trails or old mines that I've never heard of before. Thanks to some intriguing photos posted by a user named GVN_erd, my most recent "discovery" was the mines surrounding Beaverdell.   Most tourists travelling along the Sea to Sky Highway between Vancouver, BC, and the Whistler ski resort are unaware that their route is taking them past one of the worst polluted mine sites in North America. Seventy years of mining activity has exposed the ore to air and water, resulting in chemical reactions that create concentrated acidic, metal-contaminated water. From the mine, this water, or acid rock drainage, made its way down to Howe Sound, killing marine life in the immediate vicinity. But just like the tragic shipwrecks that provide divers with interesting dive sites, the historic and infamous Britannia mine operation has left a wealth of mining remnants for four wheelers and other back country explorers to find.  There's nothing quite as tiring or rewarding as thrashing to put a race car back together for a competition on an unrealistic deadline. This was the scenario I was facing after I lent my buggy to a friend to "take a girl for a cruise," a midnight cruise two weeks before the next KORRBC event. The friend failed to see an 8' cross ditch as he was bombing down a gravel road resulting in a horrendous crash and a 10 km walk back to camp with the now unimpressed girl.   A year after the Ram 1500 got an update, Dodge engineers have turned their attention to its bigger brother, the 2500 HD. For 2010, the 2500 HD receives a better riding suspension and a hydraulic, fluid-filled body mount in the C-pillar which translates into surprisingly good passenger comfort, even in an unloaded truck. But the most noticeable thing about the 2500 is the more aggressive grille and hood styling, as well as the availability of a crew cab for those of you who found the regular cab too small and the mega cab too big.    The neutral safety switch (NSS) is a fairly well-known problem area on Jeep AW4 transmissions. When you have a problem with it, it usually manifests itself as reverse lights that don't come on, or as a no-start condition because the Jeep doesn't think the transmission is in Park. Here's how to save yourself a few hundred bucks and fix it yourself.  Introducing our new project vehicle, a 1997 Jeep Cherokee XJ. This vehicle will be a jack of all trades. It must be very capable off-road yet still be able to carry a family of four and all their camping gear, as well as pull a tent trailer. Phase 1 of the build will cover mods and accessories that all fourwheelers should have. Phase 2 will concentrate on the off-road performance.  Ok, here's our promise: this will be the last snow wheeling report until next winter. We realize it's June now and most of you (except for our friends in Chile) have long ago left the snow wheeling mindset. But as we mentioned in our other trip reports, we had an unusually late snow season this year, so we enjoy it while we can, even though it showed up remarkably late. Besides, we needed an excuse to post a pic of Wil almost flopping his Toyota.   We test the Drift X170 action camera. Besides using easily available AA batteries and sporting a nifty remote control feature, this baby has an even bigger trick up its sleeve: a real-time LCD screen. That's right, you can actually see what it's aiming at...and you can see what you've recorded. What did we think of it? Find out after the break.  The Flying Zucchini Bros. and their rock buggy went head-to-head with 500+ hp Pro Trucks. Not exactly what you'd call a fair match-up but then again, with Curtis at the wheel, you never know what'll happen. Click on the link to find out what DID happen.  Team Zuchinni gives us another entertaining, behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to go desert racing...in a rock crawling buggy. Did they finish or sustain another DNF? Find out after the break.  This year's clean-up event was a great success, with a total haul of over 20 tons of garbage and scrap metal. Thanks very much to the Four Wheel Drive Association of BC putting on this even, as well as the individual and business volunteers who gave up their time, money, and services.   Canadian adrenaline junkies can take drive their need for speed and head straight to a Canadian online casino to play roulette. You will love the rush you get when playing more games e.g texas holdem, using the pokersites.ca guide to find the top ranked online poker sites in the whole of Canada.
Small tip everybody: if you're looking for something to pass the time with, why not check out some of the poker games you can play? There are tons of places to play online, so the best thing is to head over to this guide for all the poker sites and you can pick one that suits your style.
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Recent Feature ArticlesRenting a 4x4The next time you're on vacation, consider renting a 4x4. It'll cost more but it could make your vacation a lot more memorable. And if you're bi-curious about owning a convertible...or a Jeep...you can scratch that itch while you're at it.>> More >>The Great Copper Rush Geocaching EventDo you enjoy exploring dirt roads, old mines, and learning some history along the way? The Great Copper Rush geocaching event could be just the thing you're looking for. This fun-for-the-whole-family event runs from July 30 - Aug 1, 2010. Click on the link for more information.>> More >>King of the Hammers 2010Team Zucchini's first experience of the notorious King of the Hammers event plunges them into a non-stop blur of fun, excitement and exhaustion. Read how they and their band of merry volunteers did at this epic four-wheeling event.>> More >>Yin and Yang. Choosing between a Toyota Land Cruiser and a Jeep CherokeeFor my next 4x4, I've narrowed the field down to two: the Toyota FJ80 Land Cruiser and the Jeep XJ Cherokee. I've having a lot of difficulty deciding which one to get, but I'll bet some people will be offended when they read my comparison between the two.>> More >>Go Big Or Go HomeWe've all heard that phrase but how many of us buy into it, or more importantly, how many wrongly buy into it? Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with someone building up their 4x4 so it suits the type of 'wheeling they like to do. For that matter, I'm fine with someone building up a 4x4 just because they enjoy having a built-up 4x4. What I'm cautioning people about, though, it the trap of building your 4x4 into something you don't really want. That's what happened to me.>> More >>
Recent Product Review ArticlesBackroads GPS MapsIt's been a long time coming but the folks at Backroads Mapbooks have finally released their maps in Garmin's proprietary map format. Was it worth the wait? Are they worth the cost? Read on to find out.>> More >>Goodyear MTR Kevlar Radial Tire TestA multi-purpose 40" tall tire? Hard to believe, right? That's what we thought, but we became believers after a few months of running these tires on a variety of different terrain.>> More >>iPhone Topographic Maps: Fugawi's iMap Topo for the USA and CanadaFugawi's new iPhone app sounds promising. Topographic maps for all of the USA and Canada in the palm of your hand...for $4.99! Could this marriage of GPS, 3G network, and touch pad technology produce a navigational wunderkind? Read on to find out.>> More >>Stage 8's X-Lock - Locking Spindle Nut SystemStage 8's X-Lock Spindle Nut System is an ingenious way to eliminate the problem of loose spindle nuts. Like many of the best inventions, its design and concept is so simple, practical, and obvious, that we're left wondering why no one came up with this before. Hub internals aren't sexy but we highly recommend this product!>> More >>Trailhead Automatic Tire DeflatorsFor airing down my tires, I've always used the valve core removal method because it's so fast. But after trying out the Trailhead Automatic Tire Deflators, I've decided that the differences aren't as great as I thought. They're faster than I thought, and since I can deflate four tires simultaneously, it ends up taking about the same time as the valve core removal tool. On top of that, the automatic nature of the Trailhead deflators means I can attend to other trail prep tasks while airing down.>> More >>
Recent Trip Report ArticlesSquamish Snow Wheeling - Part 2Our complaints about a lack of snow were heard and dealt with. In early spring, the coastal mountains experienced a huge dump of snow that made for memorable snow wheeling, like 4 feet worth of fresh snow...and a rollover that could've been quite bad.>> More >>Squamish Snow Wheeling - Part 1It wasn't just the Olympic organizers who were griping about the lack of snow this "winter." Local snow 'wheelers were also crying in their beer. But if you look hard enough and far enough, you might just find some.>> More >>The Jinxed WeekendI suppose the dead bird was a bad omen but I didn't realize it at the time. Had I known, maybe the weekend's parade of annoyances wouldn't have bothered me so much. Since human beings have a wonderful capacity to find enjoyment in someone else's misery, I present the story of my weekend for your pleasure.>> More >>Whipsaw And BeyondRead Kris Wheeler's first-hand account of the Whipsaw and Beyond trip, which involved a motley crew of BC4x4 message board members. Their meandering journey took them from the Whipsaw trail to Shea, Lake, Cabin Lake and ending on the East Harrison FSR. A dirt road journey of grand proportions.>> More >>Nicola LakeWhen I first got back into four-wheeling in 1993, it was to explore trails and go camping. But somewhere along the way, I got hooked on doing harder and harder trails and my focus shifted towards doing the trails for the sake of the trails rather than for the scenery or destination. Years later, my interest in exploring trails is returning. When I got the invite from Rob Slett to join his group (loosely known as the "Fedexplorers"), I decided that would be my way back to the exploration side of four-wheeling.>> More >>
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