We had 3 H1's, and 4 H2's.

On Saturday we ran the Tahoe half of the Rubicon. We ran to observation point which includes some challenging rock gardens, some nice off camber areas, and then some fun granite rock climbs, as well as a whole bunch of spectacular scenery. The rock gardens took a little time to get everyone through virtually unscathed (all 4 of the H2's got a little wheel scuffing on the lips of their wheels, and a few small scrapes on their rocker protection bars, but nothing noticeable).

I was suprised how wide the trails were here ... there was no brush to scrape the trucks, and with a little patience, everyone could get through the obstacles ... the H1's definitely had some advantage with ground clearance though ... there were a few obstacles that the H2's had to finesse due to getting high centered. We hoped to conquer Cadillac Hill and make it in to Rubicon springs as well, but we ran out of time and only managed to get to the top (Observation Hill). It took us 5 hours to get in with a lunch stop, and 1-1/2 hours to return out ... (the drivers had more confidence and required less spotting) ... the only "damage" was to an H2 on the exit route that evidently had a rock or 2 bang their driveline and cause some vibration. I seem to recall that at Moab last year an H2 had driveline protection ... does anyone remember who it was and where they got it? The H2's could defiantely benefit from it. There were several jeepers and atv'ers that were supprised to see the Hummers in there ...

On Sunday, we climbed up to Verdi Peak which is just under 9000 ft in elevation. Their were some fun trails that shot off of the gravel road that made for some grin raising climbs. The view from the top was unbelievable ... You could see the Tahoe ski slopes and the buildings downtown Reno.

If you live in the northern California area and want a fun time you should contact Brian Piazza (h2norcal@pacbell.net) and get on his list. There are many more trips planned.

A big thanks to Brian for organizing this, and everyone for making it a great time.

-Dax Jolly
'02 Black Wagon

Chris