Rally Nor'West what a Gasss......

[jamby]

Yeee Ha!

Just got home from the Northwest Rally. What a time, Rob C. found us on the side of the ski slope they call KOA at Coeur D’ Alene Idaho just as we got set up and told us where to find the Western Diesel folks. Their camp was pressed into service as the main gathering place until we could find somewhere to hold the main rally. Since the KOA was renting out every square inch and seem to have lost Rob C’s reservation. Jess and his wife Sally were up to the challenge, they and their son Mark are the Medford Oregon distributor for Western Diesel Performance and they were dragging Mark Craig (the W/D man) with them. They had a huge cooler for our beer and cooked some great barbecue burgers for anyone that wanted one. So those that were there Friday night had a great time.
Saturday the main rally took place at Wolf Creek Camp Ground across I-90 from the KOA. Where some people had camped for the weekend. Lee and her husband were the mangers and not only when way out of their way to make us welcome they even got a chip for their truck. The wife and I were so impressed with the people and the campground (flat) we moved over Saturday afternoon and got away from the vertical rock pile. The day was a blast with 14 plus trucks pulled up to the grass field. With the Western Diesel Performance, Custom Truck’s Greg Windju and my wife with her of Ford and Monster truck earrings. Everyone started huddling up around each other’s trucks and swapping stories and checking out the equipment on each. Right off the bat Mark Craig and Big Mark started installing Chips and Turbo Brakes. All of us crowded around and watched the first couple. Yes we got a picture of Mark in his now famous pose, it will be appearing on the web soon. Hope everyone who came over found the party. There was some confusion about where to go and Rob C. got signs out by the highway pointing the way but we had hoped for more day-trippers.
Saturday Night several of us went over to the Wolf Creek Inn for what is reputed to be the best steak diner in the area. The smallest steak on the menu was 16 oz. And they are good. The beer is cold and plentiful. The best thing is there’s a path from the campground (Wolf Creek) to the Inn. No designated driver needed. Only a guide to help you find your way back.
Sunday was pretty short for the wife and I. We were ready to head home to Western Washington by 10:30 but then we found no turn signals on the right side of the trailer. We tested the abilities of our fellow truckers and the talents of JMark Enterprises by having Big Mark fix the wiring cable from the truck to the trailer. It seems in my haste to get moved on Saturday I had not fully retracted the jack and on the trip over the cable got pinched between the foot of the jack and the asphalt cutting through 2 wires and roughing up some others. But everyone was up to the challenge and after a short scramble to come up with the connectors, a new fuse and tools, repairs were made and we were on our way home. Outside Clelum there was a single car rollover that woke all the drivers up. But other then that it was a uneventful trip until we got home. The wife and I were both hurrying to unload the trailer and the wife’s shoe hung up on the trailer stairs and she came away with a badly sprained ankle and a hair line fracture. So we spent a charming 2+ hours in the local emergency center. Maybe they will rename these places semi-emergencies wards. But I learned a lesson no mater what the problem, call an ambulance, they check them into a room right away.
Rob C., David and Chris all have pictures that should show up soon. Thanks to all the people that made the rally work. Rob you did good boy. It was great. My new Chip and Turbo Brake worked flawlessly on the way home.
Talk is already flying around about next years rally, hope to see you there…
This will appear in paperback later this year…long ain’t it..


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Y2K F250 4x4 SD PSD SC LWB SRW Auto,373,Green,Rawhide Cap,Tork Lift Hitch,21' Sandpiper Sport.
Mucho Verde (lots a green)

[Collin Larsen]

Jamby, Sorry to hear about your wifes accident, I hope she is doing well. Thanks again to Rob for all his hard work and to Jess and his wife for their hospitality. Lori and I had a great time and met some wonderful people, I enjoyed all the shop talk more than she did though. The trip we took on Firekid9's boat was a definite hilite to our trip and thanks again,the water in lake Couer D'Alene was perfect. We arrived home at 5:30 pm pst. We took I2 west through Grand Coulee and spent the night and 1/2 a day in Leavenworth. Washing all the bugs of the rig is not something I am looking forword to. Can't wait till next year.

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99.5 F350,SC,LB,4x4,XLT,Red
Ford r/view mirror w/temp. and comp.,3.5" Banks pipe and guages, 4"Rancho lift quad RS9000 up front, 315x75R16 on 16x10 Eagle 589's, Super Chip Off Road, Alpine cd sound checker plate box liner and top mount tool box staight piped out the side

[This message has been edited by Collin Larsen (edited 08-01-2000).]

[TrailblazerFan]

Jim,

Sorry to hear about your wife's accident, hope she is feeling better. My family and I had a great time. Coeur D' Alene and the lake were beautiful! First time up there, but it definitely will not be the last.

I learned a lot from my fellow strokers. Even found out about some missing turbo bolts and problems we all have in common. Thanks! Bought a Turbo Chip from Mark Craig Western Diesel which works great! Thanks Mark. I will be putting the truck on a dyno in about a week, with and without the chip to check out the real numbers.

I'd like to say thanks to all the people, Rob, Jessie, Mark and others that made the rally a success. Count me in for next year. Any suggestions where? Around the same time of the year will more or less guarantee us good weather.

Damm I missed out on those steaks at the Wolf Creek Inn. Instead my family wanted to go to the Silverwood Theme Park and on the way back to camp we ate at Wendy's. Silverwood was great! Wendy's doesn't compare to a good juicy steak. In fact, the hamburger patty in the burger was no joke less than 1/32th of a inch thick (flat). Never in my life had I eaten a burger with such a lack of beef. Must of had a different meat vendor in the Coeur D' Alene area.

Well, tomorrow is bug scrubbing day. Never drove through so much bugs before, but it was well worth it. Hope to see you all next year.

Bill



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99.5 F-350,4x4,CC,LWB,SRW,3.73 LS,Red,PSD,Auto,Shift-on-the-fly,Western Diesel Turbo Chip,Every Option Except Leather,Trailer Tow Pkg,Camper Pkg,Factory Class V Hitch,Factory Running Lights,Factory Alarm System,Line-X spray-on bed liner