PO Box 480864Denver, CO80248–0864

The Solihull Society is a Land Rover club(Land Rover, Range Rover, Defender, Discov-ery) serving Colorado and the USA. Mem-bership is open to all Rover enthusiasts.Annual Dues are $60 and include 4 issues ofthe newsletter

Solihull Society MagazineCopyright 2003 by Solihull Society

President – Pat Bickfordpbickford@ai–colorado.comVice President – Mark Stoltemarks@alliancecp.comVice President – Larry Grubbslwgrubbs@us.ibm.comEvents Coordinator I – Ali Valiavali@mho.comEvents Coordinator II – Jim Halljimfoo@purplemountain.netEvents Coordinator III – Ralph Brandtrnbrandt@earthlink.net

Treasurer – Pam Haighchaigh@boulder.netSecretary – John Alden

Membership – Tim & Colleen Clairtclair@gowebway.comNewsletter Editor – Norman Hallnorman_p_hall@hotmail.comWebmaster – David Nowakowski

Solihull Society News

Colorado Association of 4WDrive ClubsAt the last committee meeting it was decided to proceed with thepreviously approved proposition for the club to join the ColoradoAssociation of Four Wheel Drive Clubs. This act is considered inthe clubs best interests given the track lobbying activitiesundertaken by the association on behalf of all Four WheelDrivers to ensure that trials are kept open for our continued use.For the club to join the association we must contribute $20 permember which goes towards helping keep access open for us.

Annual MembershipTo ensure good record keeping and align all memberships we aremoving to a calender year membership arrangement effectiveJanuary 2003. As a result all membership fees are now due. Lastyear we had a deliquency rate of approximately 30% meaningthat 3 out of every 10 members failed to pay their annualmembership fees. This was in part caused by the staggered datesfor payment of dues and the resultant follow up failures.Hopefully this new system will eliminate this and have allmembers back to contributing.

The club remains in a good financial position with ample surplusfunds in our account. Whilst the account remains in credit it wasfelt by the committee that the annual membership fees should beincreased from $30 to $40 to help ensure the continued financialstrength of the club. This will be the first increase in club dues inmore years than most can remember. As a result of this smallincrease and the Association levy this years annual fees nowcome to $60 which are due and payable.

Club MagazineThe club magazine will now issue 4 times a year. Unfortunatelydue to the high cost of production and the high level of overduemembership fees, this will be the last magazine you may receiveunless your 2003 membership fees are paid prior to the next issuebeing printed. This may seem a little harsh but I can assure youthat it was vigorously discussed at the last committee meetingand decided that only paid up members should enjoy the benefitsof the magazine [I use the term benefits loosely as my editorialskills are still in their infancy].

Newsletter Editors RamblingsFortunately you will note when reading this issue that a lot of thecontent is no longer from the same author. My thanks go to allthose who have contributed. It would still be appreciated if tripleaders could nominate a person from within their group topprepare a trip report on each club trip that is organized, eitherformally or informally through the forum section of the clubwebsite. The reports should include the participants details, alittle but about the area into which you travelled, details ofanything interesting that happened along the way and approxi-mately 2 - 3 photos per page. I love hearing about trips that I wasunable to participate on. I need your help to make the content ofour magazine interesting and informative.

Battlement Mesa, Schofield Pass &Paradise Basin Colorado USA.13th & 14th July 2002By Norman Hall.

The fires have ravaged much of Colorado’s forestareas, The Solihull Society Club trip to Red Coneand Webster Pass is cancelled due to Parkclosures and my Rangie is still stuck on standswaiting to be put back together. Not a goodposition for an avid 4Wdriver to be in going intoanother glorious Colorado weekend.

Larry Grubbs posts a note on the club website, weare heading West to a place called Parachute to dosome exploring. He also indicates that Karrie, hiswife, was away so he has a spare seat. I acceptedof course without hesitation, after all how can Ilet the chance go by to cross off another Coloradotrail from my list of must do’s.

Trip Participants:

Pat & Lurlie Bickford 1997 Defender 90Mark Stolte 1997 Defender 90Rick Kemple & son Ben 1994 Defender90John Stiller & sons Alec & Andrew RangeRover 1991Larry Grubbs and Norman Hall RangeRover 1990

Saturday – Battlement Mesa

Background HistoryBattlement is part of a vast mountain range whichis called the Bookcliffs, but which are officiallycalled the Roan Cliffs. The Bookcliffs arecomposed of oil shale, which is shale thatactually burns because of the high oil content. Inthe 1970s, the US Government set off two smallunderground nuclear explosions near the localcommunity of Rulison [the same general area].This was an experiment to see if the tightporespaces in the rock formations could befractured so that oil and gas could migrate further

distances into existing wellbores. This wassupposed to reduce the need for more wells andlessen the impact on the environment [interesting,lets let off two nuclear explosions to help savethe environment]. Although the experiment waspurported to be a technical success, no furtherexplosions were set off due to public concern[derrrr, I bet they couldn’t see that happening!].The Trip.

We met just outside of Denver in a small towncalled Genesee before heading in convoy westalong Interstate 70 to Parachute. We refueledthere in preparation for the weekend adventure.The drive to the trailhead was an easy dirt road,which ended at a small car park at 8,223 feetabove sea level. We all aired down our tires, itwas now low range driving.

The first thing we noted about the trail was thatthere had been a grader through in recent times astracks could be seen on each side of the trailalong with a large number of trees which hadbeen deliberately knocked down, we found outwhy later that night.

Larry at the Rock Garden

The first obstacle we came to is known as theRock Garden [there seem to be a lot of RockGardens on Colorado trails]. This is a 50-yardstretch of trail over which very large and

constantly moving boulders need to benegotiated. After surveying the best driving linesPat took on the Garden. After only a little amountof spotting and realignment of position his shortwheelbase Defender capably negotiated theboulders. Front and Rear lockers helpedenormously.

Pat taking on the Rock Garden

Next came Larry in the Range Rover. Being alonger wheel-base and having smaller tires heproceeded to have significantly more difficultythan the Defender. After numerous attempts tofollow the Defender line we repositioned him totake a completely different track through theboulders. He was successful almost immediatelyexcept that after the exhilaration of getting pastthe difficult section he lifted off the acceleratorand unfortunately left himself stranded with noway either forward or back. At that time it wasdecided to winch him through to avoid anypotential damage to his car.

Larry Using his Rock Sliders

Third came Ben [yes Rick is a great Dad as hewas letting him drive]. Unfortunately Ben onlyhad a rear locker and as a result was unable togain enough traction to get over the first mainboulders. After several attempts out came thewinch cable and he was easily through. From thelook on his face it was easy to tell that once homehe would be convincing his father to put a frontlocker in the Defender.

John wisely took the bypass in his stock RangeRover so last through the obstacle was Mark inhis Defender. With front and rear lockers engagedhe walked through the boulder field making itlook like a flat bit of paved road, show off!

This trail is renown for its mud bogs.Unfortunately due to the dry conditions most haddried out, however shortly after the Rock Gardenwe came across several bog holes that the boysjust had to try out. Ben was the first to find outthat mud is mightier than car. He ended up on a350 side-slope stuck well and truly in the mudwith nowhere to go without help. Off course therecovery strap and cameras came out very quicklywith the Bright Yellow Defender soon beingextracted. It was now dark brown on the LeftHand Side and bright yellow on the Right HandSide.

Ben finding out what mud is really like

It took very little coaxing to get Larry to give it ago in his Rangie. Yes his fate was the same asBen’s.

Larry – How did I end up like this?

We had been followed by a big Chevy and aToyota Tacoma. They decided to also try theirhands at the mud. First of all the big Chevy gotstuck. Unfortunately they were not properlyprepared as the Chevy had no recovery point onthe front and the Toyota had no recovery point onthe rear of their vehicles. They had also onlybought along a lightweight towing strap. Afterwatching them from a safe distance break theirstrap, twice, and use the Toyota’s front bumper asa recovery point we offered assistance. A propersnatch strap [kinetic rope] was loaned to themalong with us attaching the strap to the vehicles

for safety. With the proper equipment the Chevywas recovered very quickly and safely.

Being glutens for punishment the Toyota driverthen decided to chance his hand and yes gotstuck. Unfortunately he also broke a rear axle inhis attempt. We assisted in the recovery, whichwent smoothly. As they did not have areplacement axle, and it was of the type thatmakes the vehicle undrivable when broken, theyhad to leave the vehicle and drive back toParachute for replacement parts.

Both Larry and Ben tried the next bog hole withsimilar results to the first. A lesson was learn’t,well at least until next time!

From then it was a relatively easy drive up to theend of the trail where a picturesque open meadowarea surrounding a cool clear mountain lakegreeted us.

Our Campsite view

Pat and Lurlie had decided not to camp over nightbut return to Parachute whilst Ben and Rick hadto return to Denver, so after a quiet ale theydeparted and the three remaining vehicles set upcamp at 10,000 feet above sea level.

Larry and Mark braved a swim in the cold water.Not to be outdone Alec [aged 5] and Andrew[aged 2 ½] convinced their father to also let themgo for a swim. I was the only sensible one toabstain from what was obviously folly.

Larry and Mark after their swim

After Dinner Mark, Larry and myself went for ahike to circumnavigate the lake where wecamped. On the far side of the lake we found thereason for all the trail and tree damage we hadnoted earlier. It appears that the forestry servicehad bought in a giant backhoe on a large tractorbase to undertake some earth works around oneof the dams in the area. The machine was so largeit could not fit up the trail without removing whatappeared to be several hundred trees along theway. Never let a forestry worker tell you that theydo not do more environmental damage with someof their projects than responsible 4Wdrivers do bymerely following existing trails. If we had basheddown the same number of trees I have no doubtwe would end up in jail.

Sunday Schofield Pass and Paradise Basin

We had all decided to meet up with Pat and Lurliedown in Parachute and, time permitting exploresome other trails on our way back to Denver. Onour way back down the mountain we bypassed allthe difficult sections in order to save time.

From Parachute we all headed out alongInterstate 70 back to Glenwood Springs, just intime to have lunch at the local Brewery. Welooked a real scruffy bunch with dusty clothes,unkept hair and just enough mud over us togenerate a few stares.

Following a great lunch we headed south on themain road towards Aspen Ski Resort. Prior togetting to Aspen we turned off through a towncalled Carbondale and then along the CrystalRiver towards Marble. We also deviated to drivethrough a very picture perfect tourist townshipcalled Redstone, well worth the drive to look atall the small cottages and shops. Marble is a smallmining town that was originally set up to quarrymarble. All along the river bank we saw largechunks of Marble that had fallen off trains inyears gone by and due to their weight had beenleft as there had been no way to get them liftedback on.

We were given conflicting reports about whetherSchofield pass was open or not. Beingadventurous we decided to try our luck andproceeded on.

The first major point of interest along the trail isthe Old Crystal City Powerhouse. This is an oldWater Mill built in about 1890. It is now in a stateof disrepair, however is being kept together bylocal historical groups. It is purported to be one ofthe most photographed landmarks in Colorado.From there it was a quick drive up to the oldtownship of Crystal City which now appears to betaken over by people who have renovated the oldghost town into a group of small holiday cabinswhilst retaining the turn of the centuryarchitecture.

Crystal City Powerhouse

From there we traveled up towards Schofieldpass. Along the way we drove along a steeplysided trail past a large snow avalanche and up to ahigh country meadow that was filled withwildflowers including many examples of theColorado State Flower. Well that’s what Larrytold me they were.

Devils Punch Bowl

We then proceeded over an old single car bridgeand through the Devils Punch Bowl. This is asteep climb up to the pass with the trail at thissection being very narrow [i.e. barely wideenough for a Rangie]. The trip is complicated byseveral large boulders that have fallen which mustbe negotiated with the aid of a spotter. It is in thissection of the trail that 9 tourists died in 1970when their full sized Four Wheel Driveplummeted off the edge. After reaching the topwe had a very easy drive along a large mountainpaddock filled with Pine Trees, wild flowers andseveral holiday log cabins.

Lake Emerald

After leaving the top of the pass we traveleddown past Emerald Lake on what we thoughtwould be a quick exit out to the township ofGothic. Were we wrong. Barely ¼ mile past theLake the road was blocked by a very largesnowdrift. Any attempt to drive over the driftwould have ended in disaster due to the steep offcamber angle that the snow had covered the trail.After much deliberation it was decided to retraceour steps and to hopefully find an alternate routeout and over to Crested Butte.

Luckily for us all Pat had bought along his Acenavigator Lurlie. With the assistance of her mapshe managed to plot an alternate course out for usvia Paradise Basin and Paradise Divide. The areaaround the Basin is very picturesque with mostagreeing that it is a place to return to and exploreat a future date. The road at its peak on the Divideis slightly over 11,250 feet above sea level andoffers magnificent views down the valley into theRaggeds Wilderness area.

Paradise Divide

After leaving the Divide we had two choices, themore traditional County Road 734 which featuresin Charles A. Wells book as trail 23 or the slightlymore direct Route 811. Given the time we chosethe quicker. Part way down we came across alarge group of vehicles including MountainRescue and Police. We were informed that a hiker

had been hit by a localized Lightening Strike andthat they were in the process of evacuating herfrom the peak. We had not seen rain or lighteningall weekend.

Ragged Wilderness AreaCottonwood Pass. I say eventually because ourintrepid leader flew past the turnoff at 80 miles anhour and only stopped when questioned by hischarges.

The effervescent Mrs Bickford

Cottonwood pass is a long winding dirt road thatpeaks out at 12,100 feet above sea level. Besidesconcentrating on the road all drivers had to be onthe lookout for grazing Deer at the side of theroad who have a habit of fleeing onto the roadwhen caught in headlights. Luckily, the trip overCottonwood as uneventful.

The trip home was also without incident and Ifinally rolled into the house at about 12.20

Digital Camerasby David Nowakowski

So each of you has indicated that they areinterested in buying a digital camera. I thought I

would take a few minutes to write down a bit onwhat I know about them, what is important tolook for, where to buy, things like that. Forgiveme if I repeat things that you already know. Alsoremember, this is just based on my experienceand while I have owned/used at least 6 differentdigital cameras extensively in the last year, myviewpoint is still limited. This will likely be justfree-form thoughts, much like if I was tellingyou in person, forgive the rambling nature. Sosaid, I shall begin. Important features toconsider.

Resolution

Generally, most of the cameras available todayare 1, 2, 3,4 or 5 mega pixels. I would consider2 mega pixels a good minimum. With a good 2MP image, you can print a photo quality imagethat is 8" by 10" with no visible pixelation. Asyou increase the resolution, you gain the abilityto print larger images without pixelation, butalso the ability to crop an image and still printan 8X10 without pixelation. For example, if youtake a picture but want to crop Larry out of thepicture, you could do this with less imagedegradation if your image is a higher resolution.The resolution is probably the single mostimportant attribute to consider, but not the onlyone.

Optical Zoom

90% of the digital cameras have an optical zoomcapability of 3X. This gives you the ability tomake an object in the distance fill your photo. Itis really cropping of an image done in the field.Depending on personal preference, you may notrequire more that the standard 3X. There are afew cameras available with larger zoom lenses,some with 7X and one or two with 10X zoom.The camera that I currently use has a 10Xoptical Zoom. Another side effect of opticalzoom is that the cameras tend to increase in sizewith increased zoom. Many cameras tout a

higher number referring to digital zoom.Disregard this completely, it offers no valuewhatsoever. You can crop an image on your PCand get the same result. Always make sure youare comparing optical zoom.

Size

Obviously , this is purely personal preference. Ifyou want a camera that will fit in your shirtpocket, you will sacrifice other features. If youdo not mind a larger camera, you are lessrestricted, specifically as it regards to zoom.

Low Light Capability

Not generally a quantitative attribute, this canstill be a deal breaker. This can only bedetermined by using the camera, although somereviews will include data on this. I had onecamera, a Fuji 6900Z, that I loved for everyother attribute but this, and ultimately could notget past. It was horrible at pictures indoors, withor without it’s flash. The camera I own now, onthe other hand, can focus on an object in thedark, really dark, and still take it’s picture. Notmany can do this.

Memory

There are three main types of memory used inmost cameras, Smartmedia, Compactflash andSony’s memory stick. I would avoid the Sonymodels for this reason alone. That leavesCompactflash and Smartmedia. Compactflash asa medium is cheaper and available in largersizes. Everything else being equal, I wouldchoose a camera which use Compactflash. Thatbeing said, my camera use Smartmedia. I chosethe camera and it’s ability to take great pictureover the memory type used. Don’t get twocaught up in the memory type, just keep it inmind.

Where to Buy

If you like the comfort of being able to return acamera locally, Wolf Camera has a goodselection, as does Circuit City. Best Buy andCompUSA, also carry a good selection. Makesure that you know the return policy. Circuitcity, for example, charges a 15% restocking feeafter 5 days, even if you buy another camerafrom them. Most online companies have betterreturn policy’s than that. Buying locally willusually cost more, not always. When buyingonline, use www.pricegrabber.com to find someof the best prices. One of the online vendors thatI recommend is www.buydig.com. Recognizethat most online vendors make there money byselling the camera cheap, then selling youaccessories at a premium. DO NOT FALL FORTHIS! Most places will try to cross-sell youadditional items, but will accept a no it youinsist. Some will even go so far as to all of asudden say that the camera is backordered afteryou refuse to buy accessories. If this happens,just call somewhere else.

When you want to buy memory, I highlyrecommend www.newegg.com. Rechargeablebatteries and chargers, I buy fromwww.thomasdistributing.com.

Summary

Okay, so what to buy? First, decide what sizeyou want, this limits your choices right away.Next, how much zoom do you need. If you don’tknow, you probably will be fine with thestandard 3X. If on the other hand, you are usedto a camera with greater zoom, think carefullyabout this, it will affect how you compose youpictures. Finally, after working through the firsttwo, buy the highest resolution that you canafford. Ultimately the increased picture qualitywill stand you in good stead.

I am a huge fan of Olympus’ cameras, they haveconsistently delivered cameras that put imagequality first. Nikon, Minolta, and Kodak alsomake cameras that are consistently on the top ofthe list.

If you decide that increased optical zoom is notas critical, and that you want to stay relativelysmall, several camera’s jump out. The Olympus2040, 3040 and 4040. The 2040 is 2 MP, the3040 is 3 MP and the 4040 has 4 MP. I used thepredecessor to the 2040 for a year and it takesfantastic pictures. The lenses that Olympus usesfor this line is one of the fastest and brightest,allowing the camera to take pictures very wellin low light without even using the flash. Thisallows much more flexibility. I can honestlysay these are great cameras. It is hard to take abad picture with them.

Olympus also has a smaller (cigarette pack size)model the C-40Z / D-40Z that is 4 MP and fairlynew. It has also gotten good reviews. I wouldlook closely at it if I were in the market for anew, small, camera.

The camera that I currently use is an oldermodel the 2100UZ with a 10X zoom lens. It is

also quite large, not pocket sized. For me twothings make this camera one of a kind. It has thebest 10X zoom of any digital camera under $2500.00 and is very good at low light focusing.It is also not very expensive.

Other cameras of note that I would look atinclude the Minolta Dimage 5, and the newlyannounced Dimage 7i. The D5 is a 3 MP camerathat has 7X optical zoom. It is somewhat large,but a fine camera. The new D7i is a 5 MPcamera, one of the highest resolutions availablealso with 7X optical. It is also going to costclose to $ 1000.00. With ought my currentbudget limitations, I would buy this camera theminute it is available.

One of the best places online to get informationabout digital cameras, new and old, iswww.dpreview.com. Go read reviews ofcameras that you are interested in. It also has theability to choose different cameras and comparethere specs directly, this is an invaluable tool, itgets you to the point of comparing apples toapples.

So there is my brain dump. I’m sure that it wenton for far to long, but there it is. Feel free todisregard everything, I will only tell you that Itold you so later, and feel free to ask me morespecific questions as you get closer to buying acamera. Try to see and touch them in person,even if you buy online for a lower price.

Hackett Gulch - Post theHayman Fireby Jim Hall

I recently had the unique opportunity to go onsome of the trails in the Hayman burn area. Myfriend and 4-wheeling buddy, Ralph Bradt, alsohappens to be the Lead Wilderness Ranger for theLost Creek and Mt. Evans Wilderness areas. At ameeting, someone asked if anyone had run any ofthe trails in the burn area to see what conditionthey were in. No one had, so Ralph volunteeredto run them and write up a report. Beingunwise to go off-road alone, Ralph invited mealong. We had both driven the trails many timesbefore, with the exception of the south end ofHackett.

Road 211

We went in on 211, which starts down byWigwam Creek, and followed this to CorralCreek Rd(540). It was erie driving along with noone else on the road, no animals other than a fewbirds, and such a vast amount of burned trees.The road(211) was in good shape, although itlooked as if a little work had been done to it in afew spots where it may have washed out. As wegot closer to Goose Creek Campground, itstarted getting greener all the way down to thecampground, which was unburned. The area

around Corral Creek Rd, as can be seen on themap below, ranged from toasty to not too burnt.

The road itself was in great shape, with only afew shallow ruts down the middle. When we gotto the junction of Corral Creek Rd andLongwater, we decided to go up Hackett, doMetbury, and return down Longwater. When wereached Taryall Creek, we could see that it hadflooded at some point. It no longer looked asdeep, and upstream, a lot of boulders werevisible. Upon attempting to cross, we discoveredthat large amounts of silt had been washed downand had collected near the banks. Ralph almostgot stuck going in, and both of us got stuckcoming out and had to winch up the far bank. Forthe most part, Hackett was only lightly burned,with only a few severly burned areas.

The trail was in as good of shape as a trail thathas been undriven or maintained for 6 monthscould be. When we got to the Platt crossing, wedecided to put some straps between our vehicles.The river was the deepest I had ever seen it, andwas flowing quite quickly, even in the normallyshallow areas. We figured that if Ralph startedfloating downstream, I could pull him back out. Itended up being deep, but not too deep. LikeTaryall Creek, it had silt built up on the banks.Ralph made it through but I needed a pull out.

The logs along the steep hill on the other side hadbeen burned, but the hill only had minor ruts. Italso had a minor washout at the bottom of themogul hill where it crosses the drainage. Just pastthere, we had to cut a tree that fell across the trail,as this was one of the burned areas. Downtowards the south half, the trail was unburned. Weturned around and followed the north half up toCedar Mountain Rd. At this point, we decided tosave Metbury for another day, which was a gooddecision as we had our work cut out for us onLongwater.

The mogul hill.

Going down Hackett Rock.

Longwater had some ruts about 1 ½ to 2 feetdeep at the beginning where it follows thedrainage. Unlike Hackett, it was fairly severelyburned down most of it’s length. However it alsowas in very good shape. This was due to the factthat these trails run ridgelines, and have been wellmaintained in the past. We had to cut 8 to 10 treesthat had fallen across the trail. More unstableones will need to be cut before the trail is safe.

The condition along most of Longwater.

Again, the Platt crossing proved difficult due tothe silt, but both of us made it across unaided. Wewent back the next weekend to run the south partof Hackett since we had never done it Before.The beginning was green from the river to maybehalfway up the first hill. From there it was alsoseverely burned. Trees also had to be cut on thistrail, and we had to cross three washed outsections where it follows the ravine. It was inslightly worse shape than the other two trails, butonly in a few sections. It could use work beforenext spring when the rain starts as the uppersection will no doubt wash out even more withouta bit of work.

The start of the south section of Hackett.

A much needed tool on this trip.

Typical view on this trail.

One of the washed out sections.

On the 20th, Ralph went on Metbury with a groupof other Rangers. I didn’t go on this one. It was inthe worst shape of the three trails as it doesn’tfollow the ridgeline as much. Apparently most ofthe other Rangers had fairly negative attitudesabout opening the area back up. This seems to bethe common attitude after a fire in the PikeDistrict. How long ago was the Buffalo Creekfire? 6 years or so I think, and is the Top of theWorld area open? No it isn’t. We need to call,write, and e-mail the Forest Service and let themknow that we want our land back! Let them knowthat we want

to help in any way possible, be it reseeding,cutting or moving trees, working on the trails androads, putting up new signs and markers. Thisarea is used by many people for many activitiesincluding hunting, fishing, camping, ohv’s, rockclimbers, so get your friends to help out too, evenif they aren’t into 4-wheeling. The stronger ourvoice is, the harder it is for them to ignore it. Youcan contact them at http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/psicc/or send mail to:Pike, San Isabel National Forests and Cimarron,Comanche National Grasslands2840 Kachina DrivePueblo, CO 81008(719) 553-1400

November 8, 2002

A Ride That’s Old, Rough and ReadyBy STEPHEN P. WILLIAMS

UST a decade ago, before the sport utility vehicleemerged as a supercharged family supply barge, itwas safe to typecast devotees of four-wheel driveas rugged people who preferred the most difficultfork in the road. Four-wheel drive spoke ofboulder-strewn mountain switchbacks, roughtracks in the bush, adventurers on safari.As S.U.V.’s have gone soft and mainstream, it’sonly natural that some drivers seeking to projectthe old rough-and-ready image are buying thenew Hummer H2 S.U.V., with its militaryswagger. But others are searching out the ruggedold models themselves, especially the most

glamorous of the old four-wheel drives: vintageLand Rovers and Toyota Land Cruisers.

Shops across the country find themselvesrewiring electrical systems, rebuildingcarburetors and even installing modern brakes,satellite radios and seats in pre-1980 Land Roversand Land Cruisers — not for storage in somecollector’s warehouse but for day-to-day driving.

While these old workhorses were never built forspeed, the refurbished versions do well at 60miles an hour on the freeway and can be pushedto do 65. Some of their buyers think they performbetter off-road than their modern offspring, ableto winch themselves out of a snowdrift or ford aflooding stream.

“There’s a mystique around them — they reallyturn heads,” said Cathy McGowan, 49, an artistwho owns a fully restored 1979 Land Cruiser anddrives it around Boulder, Colo., as well as inrougher country outside town.

The mystique comes with a long history. The firstfour-wheel drive was made by the Frenchcompany Latil in 1898. By the early 1930’s, afour-wheel-drive Citroën was tracking MarcoPolo’s route from Beirut to Beijing. In 1948,inspired by the Jeep, the workhorse of World WarII, the British automaker Rover introduced thealuminum-bodied Land Rover to keep itsfactories running during the postwar steelshortage. It took off, and Toyota followed withthe first Land Cruisers in the early 50’s.Eventually the Jeep evolved into the sportyvehicle we now see everywhere, and Land Rovers

and Land Cruisers became the hard-workingvehicles of choice in road-poor countries andbackwoods locales.

Because of their rarity and their quirky Britishdesign (body panels that can be removed with ascrewdriver for replacement; windshield wipersin some models that can be operated by handfrom within the vehicle), the old Land Rovershave special cachet today. About 16,000 LandRovers were sold in the United States between1951 and 1974, when the company abandoned theAmerican market (the brand returned in 1987 andis now owned by Ford). Perhaps 4,000 of thoseare still in use, the majority of them from modelseries 2a, made from 1961 to 1971.

“At least 85 percent of all old Land Rovers on theroad today are patched back together with oddparts, just like the American cars in Cuba,” saidCharles Kellog, owner of British Northwest LandRovers in Olympia, Wash., which doesrestorations rather than patch-ups. “They areowned by people who don’t have a clue howbeautifully and magnificently a properly turnedout Land Rover can run.”

You might find an old Land Rover for sale by anowner for a few thousand dollars but you wouldbe buying problems. With a restored engine andelectrical system, a two-door (plus rear hatch)pre-1971 series 2a is likely to be $30,000, and amint-condition restored model can be much more.A Land Cruiser may be cheaper — Toyota soldabout 350,000 of its FJ-40 model in the United

States between 1961 and 1979, and many (theactual number is hard to guess) remain on theroad. The Land Cruiser’s steel body is morevulnerable to rust than the Land Rover’saluminum husk, but Cruisers have a greatreputation for reliability and endurance, withengines routinely lasting for 200,000 miles.

TLC4X4 in Van Nuys, Calif., sells mechanicallyrestored Land Cruisers with imperfect bodies foras little as $12,000.

Since old Land Rovers and Land Cruisers lackmodern options and provide an old-fashioned,bumpy ride, buyers sometimes install powersteering, air-conditioning and an undercoating toreduce vibration, noise and rust. But many thinkthe quirks are part of the charm.

“There are more belches, wheezes and bumps thatmake noise in the night with this vehicle,” saidGreg Carrot, 52, a Chicago managementconsultant who is gradually restoring his 1969 2a.“But all that stuff grows on you.”

Committee Bios

Pam Haigh - Treasurer

A lot of you already know who I am. But forthose of you who don’t.....

My name is Pam Haigh. I was born in Ohio (GoBrowns!!), and after a move to Virginia met andmarried my husband Charlie. From ther wemoved to Vermont, had 10 great years there withRovers North, then got a job offer and came toColorado. We’ve been here 4 years now. Charlieworks at Land Rover Flatirons. We are a 4 Roverfamily. I have for the last 5 years driven a“Home-built” Defender 90 (with a 300 TDI), andjust recently have acquired a 95 LWB RangeRover (my Big Girl car!).

As for my personal life, I have 3 great kids (ajack russell, a black lab, and a little black cat). Iam a Veterinary Assistant at a place called the“ANIMALHOUSE”. I enjoy Rovers and Rover

people, Cleveland Browns Football (I’m notsure if “enjoy” is the appropriate term, but Iwent to my first game when I was 6 years oldso it’s in my blood I guess). I try to attend ahome game once a year no matter where I live.I am happy to be member of this club!

Mark Stolte - Vice President

Mark chose to give me a photo and no bio sothis is what I know of Mark.

Mark is a nice guy, I mean a really nice guy,unless you are spotting him and he hears anysort of metalic sound and then he turns intoFrankenstein with a bad attitude [sorry Mark].He loves his car almost as much as he loves hiswife and daughter. Mark drives a White 1997Defender 90 Hard top which is in pristinecondition because he washes it constantly andkeeps it immaculate [a good buy if he everwants to sell it]. If you ever wnat to have adrink with a nice guy then mark is your man.

Solihull Society 2003 EventsPlease visit www.4x4trails.net or Charles Wells Trail Books for info on trails and ratings.Please contact the trail leader before the trail ride dates to let them know you are going.If you are interested in leading trails that are TBD, contact Ali Vali at avali@mho.com

Date Description Contact Info. / Trail Leader04-08-03 Club Meeting - 7:30 PM

Zangs Brewery, Denver I-25 and 23RD Ave.04-13-03 Chinaman’s Gulch Trail near Buena Vista Mark Handlovitch

Trail is rated moderate to difficult. gonewheeln@attbi.com04-24-03 – 04-27-03 Spring Trip- Moab Utah Pat Bickford

Trails are rated moderate to difficult. pbickford@ai-colorado.com05-18-03 Carnage Canyon near Boulder Hans Schulze

Trail is rated difficult. zxblade@msn.com05-24-03 TBD Pending trail openings (snow) TBD06-08-03 Spring Creek Trail near Downieville

Trail is rated difficult and very rocky. TBD06-10-03 Club Meeting - 7:30 PM

Zangs Brewery, Denver I-25 and 23RD Ave.06-14-03 Twin Cone Peak Trail - Summit of Kenosha Pass Ali Vali

Trail is rated moderate to difficult. avali@mho.com06-15-03 Bill Moore Lake Trail near Empire

Trail is rated moderate and short. TBD06-28-03 to 06-29-03 Battlement Mesa near Parachute Larry Grubbs

Difficult Trail. Overnight camping lwgrubbs@us.ibm.com06-29-03 Wheeler lake Trail near Alma Ali Vali

Trail is rated moderate to difficult. avali@mho.com07-9-03 to 07-11-03 Rubicon Trail near Truckee California Norman Hall

Very Difficult trail. norman_p_hall@hotmail.com07-19-03 McCallister Gulch Trail near Camp Hale Tim Clair

Trail is rated moderate and very scenic. tclair@gowebway.com07-19-03 - 07-20-03 Holy Cross Camping Trip near Leadville Larry Grubbs

Difficult trail, damage possible, lockers lwgrubbs@us.ibm.com07-26-03 to 07-27-03 Blanca Peak near the sand dunes Hans Schulze

Trail is rated most difficult, lockers required. zxblade@msn.com08-02-03 Club BBQ and Swap Meet Tim Clair

More information TBA tclair@gowebway.com08-10-03 Trail Run, Jenny Creek near Rollinsville Doug Davis

Trail is rated Moderate and short. 96discovery@eazy.net08-08-03 to 08-10-03 Crested Butte to Aspen via Taylor Pass Ali Vali

Camping Friday and Saturday night nearReno Divide. Moderate 4-wheeling, scenic avali@mho.com

08-12-03 Club Meeting - 7:30 PMZangs Brewery, Denver I-25 and 23RD Ave.

08-16-03 Summit County-Georgia Pass, Middle Fork Ali Valiof Swan, St. JohnsTrails are rated as easy to moderate avali@mho.com

08-30-03 Iron Chest Trail near Buena Vista Larry GrubbsTrail is rated difficult. Rock sliders andclearance is recommended. lwgrubbs@us.ibm.com

09-11-03- 09-14-03 National Rally Moab, UT Pat BickfordMore information will be posted. pbickford@ai-colorado.com

10-14-03 Club Meeting - 7:30 PMZangs Brewery, Denver I-25 and 23RD Ave.

12-06-03 Holiday Party Mt. Vernon Country club