The Flying Dutchman Tour 1998

1. The vehicle must be reliable enough to transport him from Vancouver, British Columbia, down to California, Utah and all the states in between and then back to Vancouver.
2. The vehicle must cheap enough that it will be considerably cheaper than renting a car.
3. Preferably, it will be large enough that he can sleep in it.

So we bought a Buy & Sell and started looking for vehicles under CAD$1000. We looked, and looked, and looked. By 10:00 that evening, we had driven seven different vehicles, all of which looked better than Dan's truck but none of which drove better than Dan's truck. It had been a long, tiring day. Having only one day in which to locate a cheap vehicle capable of a thousand mile-plus journey is kind of stressful. Still, it wasn't a total loss because at least now Gilbert had a comparison of what he could buy for under CAD$1000 so he knew that Dan's truck was a good choice. Backing up his choice was the fact that he had a long shopping list of Jeep parts and accessories requested by the members of his Jeep club. Hauling winches, lockers and spare parts would be much easier in the truck than in a car.

The next morning, we met Chris Waterman at his mom's insurance office to take care of the paperwork. Chris had previously contacted the auto insurance agent and asked him to investigate the procedure for foreign visitors who wish to buy and insure a vehicle in Canada. Consequently, Chris was able to tell Gilbert exactly which papers he would need to bring to Canada. When we showed up at the office, the agent was ready for us. This was a huge benefit because some agents I called didn't even think it was possible for a non-Canadian resident to buy and insure a vehicle. The total cost of the truck, including taxes, purchase price, and insurance for one month was less than CAD$700. Not bad when compared with a rental car which would cost around CAD$1300 for the three weeks that Gilbert would require. We celebrated his new purchase by going to an all-you-can-eat Japanese restaurant where Gilbert gamely tried sushi and other Japanese delights. After that, the three of us went to Dan's to pick up the truck. It took a bit of work but we managed to get the incredibly heavy camperette onto the truck. Gilbert installed his new license plates while I brushed some of the rotting plums off of the truck. Chris wondered aloud what Gilbert's answer would be if the US Customs officers asked him if he was bringing any fruit into the country. As a precaution, we also got him a BCAA (BC Automobile Association) membership which would give him free maps, a route planning service, and SIX free tows of up to 150km each. This service was supported by the AAA (American Automobile Association) so that gave him a safety net if something ever went wrong with his truck. At CAD$85, I thought it was a good deal.

That afternoon, I gave Gilbert a couple of 31x10.5 Cooper AT tires which I used to have on my Jeep. I bought them second-hand and used them for a couple of years before retiring them. They had a load rating suitable for his truck so we had them installed to replace the worn rear tires. Then we took the truck to a carwash where Gilbert was able to vacuum all the dog hair out of the truck & camperette. At my shop, we cut some plywood sheets to make a bed for the camperette and stapled some old sheets around the window frames for curtains. Since I was too lazy to remove the old license plate on the front of the truck, I spray painted it with some silver paint I had laying around. For the final touch, we used a floor jack and sledge hammer to cure the dangling front fender. Perfect. It was ready to roll! I lent Gilbert some of my camping equipment, a large pair of speakers and then we went shopping for food and supplies.

The next morning, I led him to the Canada-US border and sent him on his way. He said he would ask everyone he visits to send me some email so I can keep track of his journey and post the information on this web page.

...lars

Message from "Pigpen"

Sorry this has taken so long. my computer and I are arguing and I have no WINDOWS or mouse. I'm in JUNO through DOS system somehow.(Someone else got me here and I just learned how to get messages to "send") My last 2 weeks could not have been worse. First, I broke my carrier in half in my J10, then they put it together wrong, and my right side motor mount is tearing from the frame. I borrowed my brothers wave runners and did $4450.00 in damage while in my possession. then the Sunday that Gilbert showed up, my XJ sprung a radiator leak while parked in the driveway. Two of the CJs that were to go cancelled on Fri...... I decided to go with the XJ anyway.

Gilbert, myself and Marc(the videographer) met with Dexter and his friend for breakfast. We headed for Browns Camp OHV area and headed for the first trail on the map. Having grown up in the area, it was a matter of updating which trails were still open. Its a sharp right turn onto Powerline trail and immediately puts you into an offcamber climb, not easy in Oregons normal wet climate, But the weather has been in the 80's for weeks and the hill merely worked the axles to their limits. We took a hard left at the fork and took the low road to University Falls road and headed for Firebreak Five. This trail rated "most difficult- steep and rocky" was a kick in the pants to drive and More like what our tourist was looking for :). Half way up the trail we picked up a third ride to wheel with, Steve was out for a Monday ride in his flatfender and fit right in. At the end of Firebreak Five is a trail that cuts up the hill and in to thick brush, not knowing where this road went, I immediately went exploring. When the rocks became too big for my daily driver, I backed down and jumped in with the other guys. This has some GREAT climbing for Browns Camp. It is a dead end and most people turn back just before the intimidating little dropoff with the big rocks masterfully placed by mother nature. the trail doesn't go far after this, but crossing it is still a blast and coming back over it is also a challenge.

We sat for a little lunch and conversation and then headed down Firebreak Five to Beaver Dam road just meandering this time when out of nowwhere there comes this little 2-track road that screamed "FOLLOW ME" and so like an Eastern Airlines pilot back on the runway, I went exploring again. Always looking for the ultimate trail, this was it !! For a MOTORCYCLE!! Boy this thing got narrow. We ended up forcing our way out the bottom and onto a seemingly WIDE gravel road. We then headed up Bates road, this view is a MUST !! after plinking off a few rounds from a .22 pistol, we headed home. Gilbert spent another night with us before heading for the coast . A great time with a fellow JEEPER.

Pigpen

Messages from Jim Bailey

Gilbert called me this afternoon from Eureka, California.

He was planning to try some more of Hwy 1 but sounded like he'd seen enough of the coastline to last a lifetime. So he'll either be in San Jose late this evening or continue down Hwy 1 and arrive here late tomorrow.

He said the truck was running well but that people in the gas stations were giving him strange looks. I can't wait to see this truck.

Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1998 10:27:17 -0700
From: Jim.Bailey@sv.sc.philips.com (Jim Bailey)
Subject: Gilbert's in San Jose

Gilbert rolled up in front of my house at about 11:00 last night. That Cheby pickup is a real gem but a great arrangement for Gilbert's trip.

Gilbert told me last night that he was an early morning person, usually up by 6:00 AM. Well, I left the house at 8:00 this morning and he was still asleep.

We will be headed for Hollister Hills tonight after I get off work. We'll camp there tonight and Saturday nite. Gilbert will be taking the 4WD Safety/Driving Clinic that my club sponsors twice a year. I plan to take some pictures of Gilbert and will scan some in when I get them developed. Later......

Subject: Re[4]: Gilbert's in San Jose
Author: Jim Bailey at !Philips/SVL10
Date: 9/14/98 12:02 PM

Gilbert's used up the oil you gave him. He is going to Pep Boys this morning to stock up on more to carry him well into the trip.

Other-

Gilbert survived my club's semi annual safety clinic. I think he is close to being convinced that starting in granny low x 4L is OK for off road. After a few bumps and grinds getting used to my CJ7, Kevlar clutch and NP435, he did all the obstacles that we use for the students just great. On many he'd come back and try them again dropping first front then rear lockers to increase the challenge. We then filled him up with authentic barbequed ribs and real homemade ice cream and wrapped up with our usual campfire. MontyA (Monty Anderson) from Jeep-L was his spotter on the stairstep and this also gave him a resource for YJ info.

We head for the Rubicon this Wednesday.

Gotta run....later-JB

Date: Mon, 21 Sep 1998 17:50:49 -0700
From: Jim.Bailey@sv.sc.philips.com (Jim Bailey)
Subject: Gilbert vs. Rubicon
To: lhsoo@off-road.com

Gilbert Verkuijlen (Netherlands) , Jim Bailey, Kelly Swanson, Randy Bynam , Richie & Greg Matyskiewicz(from Z&M Conversions) departed San Jose for the Rubicon on Friday afternoon, September 18, 1998. All, except for Gilbert, are members of Esprit de Four 4WD Club. No Jeep-Lrs made the trip except for Jefe (Jeff Reynolds) who had planned to start the trail early Friday morning then meet us going the opposite way as he came out on Saturday. Traffic was light out of the Bay Area thanks to a noon departure. The plan was to rendezvous at the Loon Lake Dam find a campsite, unload the trailers and set up up camp. As we went through Placerville, it became questionable whether we could set up camp before dark so rather than stop for dinner we decided to introduce Gilbert to the Colonel. And so, a bucket of chicken became dinner.

There was virtually no traffic on Ice House road all the way to Loon Lake and we were able to find a nice size campsite near the second dam that could hold the trucks and the 3 trailers in the party. The usual campfire was lit and we started the tall stories and reminisced about former jeep excursions. As the evening passed we were counting a large number of off road vehicles passing our campsite and this went on late into the evening. We decided to hit the sack so we could make an early start and avoid the common backups on the trail.

We were up the next morning at six , ate breakfast, packed the jeeps and started for the trailhead before 8:00am. Turns out that this was the best strategy. As many know, the Rubicon grabs you right away. We chose to take the lower entrance to the slab that is just down the hill from the small PG&E shack below the dam. This part of the trail had been washed out quite a bit since the last time we'd been through but all the rigs made through easily. There was a group camped at the creekbed where we hung a right turn to the slab. Not the greatest place to camp, since we had to thread our way between their tents to follow the trail up to the slab. This group was notably still sound asleep, not sure if they were still sleeping after we went through.

After getting solidly on the slab, I decided that it was time for Gilbert to try the Rubicon so it was his turn in the drivers seat. Also I thought that it would be more difficult for him to hurt himself or my jeep here. I am happy to announce that he made it through the top of the slab and through all the steps, maybe not on the first try but he made it. I never saw Gilbert eyes get so big as when we pointed him skyward on a couple of the steps. Of course we stopped a few times for those all important Kodak moments.

The next major obstacle was encountered before we entered the forest where the trail circles Loon Lake on its way to Walker Hill. This was a series of steep multistep ledges with large boulders on each side. This was reasonably negotiable except for a large rockerpanel eating boulder that had dislodged and was partially blocking the left hand side giving 3 options: 1) climb over the boulder pivoting on your rocker panel; 2) squeeze straight through with a serious off-camber situation ; 3) take the bypass which was still challenging but far less likely to eat your body panels. Since none of us has what you'd call extreme articulation rigs we opted for the still challenging bypass.

On the way to Walker Hill, we passed several group camps all still sleeping or just getting up. We only encountered minor mud puddles and no major water this late in the season. Walker Hill presented its usual challenge. Most of this section was relatively intact from last season and there were still some signs of 'paving' likely from the Jamborees. It was part way up Walker Hill, that we encountered the first vehicles ahead of us. Since we appeared to be delayed for a moment, Gilbert walked up ahead to take pictures of our rigs navigating the rocks. He noticed that one of the rigs up ahead was a Scrambler and as fate would have it, it was Jefe and his son who had been camping and had just pulled on to the trail as we came upon them. It was a very neat way for Gilbert and Jefe to meet face to face for the first time on the trail. We now had a group of six rigs, all still jeeps as Jefe's son had a built Jeepster. Gilbert rode with Jeff up to the little sluice to have the opportunity to get aquainted with him.

The sluice is the sluice! We spent about 45 minutes to an hour watching and helping Jefe and son negotiate the Little Sluice. Jefe's front Power Locker failed him at the worst possible time but with jacks and a few well placed rocks they both got through. In the interest of time, the rest of us did the sluice bypass but climbed the rocks above the sluice overlooking Spyder Lake to try the big ledge obstacles that overlook and descend to Spyder Lake. With some expert guiding from Kelly Swanson we all got down the ledge but that was an adrenaline rush on the first drop off. We drove out onto another rock ledge at the edge of the lake for lunch and we had arrived by noon even with the stop at the sluice. Gilbert and I started lunch with our Turkey sandwiches (yes, I was still punishing Gilbert with my lowfat diet) but we couldn't resist the invitation of the Matyskiewicz Brothers who pulled out a portable grill and started grilling hotdogs and hamburgers complete with trimmings.

I tried to my hand at fishing for a while but no bites. Noontime isn't the best time of day to fish.

Time to head back. Jefe & son were going on to Buck Island Lake and we were turning around to head back to Loon Lake. We said goodbye and started back down the trail. Up to this point, we only had one small group of Toyotas come up behind us and they continued on to Buck Island Lake. We climbed back down to the bottom of the sluice where we stopped to lash a tire carrier that had developed a broken hinge. I tried the little dipsy doodle ravine near the bottom of the sluice slab just for kicks. It reminded me of going up and down the fins at Moab. Gilbert thought it looked interesting but decided to do the safe thing and took pictures of this crazy American.

We got as far as the end of the dirt creekbed just below the sluice and here came everyone who'd slept in that morning. So we were stuck there for about 25 -30 minutes waiting for about 15 vehicles to pass us. They weren't all in the same party but were being limited by the 4 to 5 vehicles in the lead most of whom were obviously overindulged and with drivers who were openly drinking beer while driving. Hope they were confronted by the ranger who was monitoring the activities at the Little Sluice. Pardon my wishing unpleasantries on someone but it is these irresponsible bastards who ruin it for the rest of us.

Moving right along......we continued slowly down Walker hill getting stalled behind some dune buggy's that had met their match. They were polite enough to pull to the side of the trail to let us by. We went about another 100 yds. before running into another 16 or so vehicles still struggling up Walker hill. More waiting but what the heck , we decided to make the best of it. Since we had an excellent vantage point high on the side of the trail, we engaged in the sport of rating the passengers (female ones) from 1-10 as they drove by. That made the wait slip by quickly and I know Gilbert like this part of the Rubicon trip. After this last bunch passed, we quickly finished the descent down Walker Hill and had pretty clear going around the lake to the top of the slab.

As we approached the rise back up to the slab and the previous obstacle where we had taken the more forgiving bypass, I decided that it was do-able (more like MAYBE do-able) and decided to try the hard way thinking that if I got stuck that I could always take a strap. Much to my surprise, I made it and with only a small minor scratch on my spare tire bump stop. I think Gilbert had the whitest knuckles I've ever seen by the time I was pulling the front wheels over the top edge of the last big step. I mentioned to him that these were real rocks and he countered with, "no, the Rubicon is just one giant rock!". Rember there are no rocks in the Netherlands!

It was then down the slab. There were 3 disabled vehicles on the slab, all with serious looking driveline problems. We then headed up the dam side of the slab to take the altertnate route to the bottom of the dam. Of course we had to pose at one of the remaining obstacles for photo opportunities, then made a quick dash back to camp. Dinner was great with pork chops, salads, steaks, BBQ ribs, beans and corn on the cob among some of the items. Gilbert had a go at barbequeing and did pretty good. After dinner, we sat around the campfire telling lies to each other again. Gilbert was right there with the tall stories from Europe to add some variety to the discussion. Then everyone sampled my fresh baked cake (Apple Cinnamon). We had a good night's sleep and the next day broke camp and headed back to the Bay Area but it was not quite over for Gilbert. We had to introduce him to Taco Bell. Now that's a combo...the Rubicon, good friends and Taco Bell ...life doesn't get much better than that!

As I write, Gilbert is on his way south to Los Angeles in the Canuck Cheby pickup (with a case of oil) with stops planned at the Gilroy Factory Outlet Center, Pismo Beach , Santa Barbara and then to Murrieta where his Belgian friend Renaat lives. Yes, Gilbert discovered the infamous Factory Outlet Store. It was the Levis, they are about $80 + per pair in Europe. It was like he'd found a gold mine. Good luck to Gilbert on his trip, a nice and very personable Jeeper!

Message from Courtney Kerr

Date: Sat, 26 Sep 1998 13:17:54 -0700
To: lars@globalserve.net, lhsoo@off-road.com
From: Courtney Kerr
Subject: Flying Dutchman in Las Vegas

Lars;

Gilbert arrived in Las Vegas Thursday, and he's leaving Saturday for the Grand Canyon. Karl Olsen and myself had a chance (or two) to meet with him, and talk about the usual Jeep Things (lockers, lift, tires, headlight shapes, etc.)

Thursday evening we went over to the Holy Cow Brewery for a light dinner and a beer. Friday we showed him a small portion of the Las Vegas nitelife, including the Fremont Street Experience. We had dinner at the Main Street Station Garden Buffet (I'm still full from eating there last night), which is an experience in itself. We also toured a couple of gift shops (I need to go back to get the Elvis sunglasses with built in side burns...) and then we went over to one of the local Jeep dealerships. We picked up a new TPS for Karl and looked at the '98 & '99 Cherokee's and Wranglers, along with a few (12?) Hummers that were there.

Karl and I were going to take Gilbert to the Logandale Trail System, which is just North of here ( http://www.unlv.edu/staff/kerr/rally04.jpg), but due to time constraints, he's on his way to that big hole in the ground. I think he has enough oil to last a few more miles...

Viva Las Vegas!

-Courtney

Message from Gilbert which he posted to the Jeep-L mailing list

I'm still alive. I have to keep it short since it costs me US$0.20 per minute here at Kinko's (Las Vegas). I already lost the rest of my money with gambling. I'm happy that I first bought all the parts before I went to Las Vegas :-) Oh, and I'm happy that I already bought 5 gallons of oil. That Chevy uses more oil than a German guy can drink beer (people who already met me know that saying).

I'll go to MOAB (after Grand Canyon) on Monday, which means that I hope to meet a few Jeep-L'ers Monday evening. I'll thank all the people that I already met later. I think that that's all. Anybody already knows what the K&N numbers are where I'm looking for?? Or did Bob or Steve forget to ask that question to Jeep-L??

OK, let you know later more when internet access is free.

Gilbert Verkuijlen.

Message from Kevin Whyte

Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1998 21:17:35 -0500
From: Kevin Whyte <kwhyte@frontiernet.net>
To: "jeep-l@mailinglists.org" <jeep-l@mailinglists.org>, lhsoo@off-road.com
Subject: Moab the short version to date:

Sorry for the delay guys and gals but I don't have ready access to a phone line and I am having way too much fun.....

Friday night 11:30PM I arrive in Moab 12 hours too early. End up sleeping in Jeep.

Saturday: ZJ,YJ, and 2 TJ's tackle Behind the rocks and discover new trails called "Near the Rocks", "Over the Rocks", "Beside the Rocks" and "Where are the Rocks"

Most exciting moment: City Market parking lot. Lot's of smoke pouring out from underneath '98 TJ. CB wire shorted to ground. No permanent damage.

Sunday: Almost everyone is here! Huge groups meets in City Market promptly splitting up with 3/4's of the group heading straight to "The Golden Crack" to play. The rest of us went by way of Poison Spider Mesa to Golden Spike to experiance "The Golden Crack".

Most exciting moment for our group, Jeep-l 2, Meeting the other people from Jeep-l still at the crack after 7hrs on the trail (they wanted to be done by 1 o'clock). The only toyota in their group pretzled his drag link. The 2nd most exciting moment picking our way down Gold Bar rim in the dark.

Monday: Gilbert, from the Netherlands has arrived, everyone is pretty beat from the previous day so a few decide to take a quick easy trip up Moab rim. A stay in town to get my front ARB fixed.

To Lars: Gilbert says to say that he has arrived safely and should be their Friday as long as Bud doesn't roll his Jeep AGAIN(!!!) with him as a passenger like he did today on the Moab Rim trail.....

Message from Andi Vogt

Lars:
As you saw from Kevin Whyte's post, Gilbert received a warm welcome from all the Jeepers. We spent last night being regaled with tales of Bud's possum and gopher soup, Bart's firm belief that beans aren't as much fun to eat when you sleep alone, and Gilbert listening to me translate Dutch writings into English (ala American phonics).

As I was leaving town, that bunch of crazy yahoos were on their way to the Kane Creek area hoping to put some casual miles on Dave Wills' Jeep. I don't know who Gilbert chose to ride with, but I'm sure it was in a Jeep with really sticky tires that don't like to point up at the sky.

:)

-Andi

Lars writes:

Tuesday, we headed over to Vancouver Island for some offroading and to meet some of the IRC members, including Al Vandervelde, publisher of Canadian 4-Wheeler Magazine. You can read more about that trip here.

We returned to the mainland on Wednesday and the very next morning, we headed down to Washington so I could take care of some business at Olympic 4x4.

Thursday, after spending the day hunting for souvenirs in Vancouver (he is so picky about souvenirs), we had dinner with my wife, Sue, Chris Waterman and Wilkin Girindra.

Friday, after doing some more souvenir shopping, Gilbert went home.