Added 16 August 2001
THE DISCLAIMER: With the exception of stock ponds, and the occasional necessity of turning around, I *ALWAYS* drive on established roads and trails. Doing otherwise is not only bad karma, but it leads to ill-will towards four-wheelers/four-wheeling and makes people want to close vehicles out of the beautiful environs that we all enjoy. Please be respectful of private property (don't trespass!) and public lands, as other people want to enjoy them too. TREAD LIGHTLY! For more information on responsible wheeling, go HERE or HERE Ziggy at dirtroad.com says it best, "Use your 4-wheel drive to enjoy the environment, don't use the environment to enjoy your 4-wheel drive!"
Shan and I met Kyle and Jauri (green '98 ZR2), Ron (black '94 Highrider) and Dan (80's full-size GMC) at the Circle K in Mammoth, Arizona mid-morning on a beautiful Saturday morning. It was the first time wheeling with Ron, so we talked for a bit in the parking lot then headed out for the trail, which starts right from the town of Mammoth. We crossed the San Pedro River heading east and drove until we hit dirt by going straight at the T junction.
Ron didn't have a CB, so we were using a combination of CB's and FRS radios. Dan's CB didn't seem to be working well, so the only reliable communications I had were with Kyle. Kyle and I chatted as we drove along the easy dirt track leading up into the mountains. After a time, the washboards became annoying so we stopped and aired down. I also used my new rear track bar disconnect, hoping that being disconnected would be useful later.
Our first real stop though was at the Copper Creek Mine. It is nearly impossible to miss, as it sites right along the roadside. What held our interest most was the well preserved hopper on the other side of the creek that paralleled the road, and the bridge that lead to it. There isn't much left of the bridge, but it is very stable for foot traffic.
We stopped for a bit at the hopper, then proceeded on up the road. Eventually we made it to the correct turn off at a junction with a large "Copper Creek sign on the opposite side of the junction in a stone wall. We then crossed Copper Creek and started heading roughly up the stream channel. It wasn't long before we reached our first obstacle, a rock slide that had covered the road. Kyle went first, followed by Dan, then me, then Ron.
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After a time we dropped back down into the stream bed. The going got narrower and rockier as we went. We picked our way through the boulders, getting out to spot when necessary. As we continued the 'road' got worse and we got to a place with rocker height boulders that threatened to bash our body panels. The maneuvering room got really tight as well. After spending about 45 minutes trying to get Kyle through a quick dog leg with plenty of boulders, we decided to have lunch. Over lunch we figured that we were just about a quarter of a mile away from Sibley Mansion. We figured that we could get everyone up to the mansion, but that it would take a fair amount of time so we just decided to move our trucks off of the road and walk the rest of the way. Only Dan drove all the way up.
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I think that 'The Beast' could have made it with less trouble than Kyle was having because of the extra 2" of clearance on the body and the extra 10" of clearance on the back, but Shan and I walked too. It was actually a nice day for a walk, and the exercise was good too. The area was beautiful and our destination didn't disappoint either.
The twenty room Sibley Mansion was built in 1908 by Roy Sibley, the manager of the Minnesota Mining Company. By all accounts, it was an opulent mansion for the times and for the place. It had polished wood floors and two 3 story towers. Apparently the mansion served as the social hub of the Copper Creek region, and dances were often held there which drew people from miles around. Found near the old mansion are other well built stone buildings which I believe once were stores. We spent a fair amount of time exploring the buildings and trying to figure out what was where.
Eventually we had to head back home, so we walked back to our trucks, passing Dan a couple of times along the way, then turned around and headed home.
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If you're in the Tucson area, drop me a line and we can go wheelin' sometime.
Speaking of which, if you own a Highrider/ZR2/BlaZeR2, or want to find out more about the best little 4X4's around, check out these great sites:
http://www.zr2.com and http://www.zr2hr.org
There is also a ZR2 discussion group, which is very fun for talking about our special trucks and in getting ideas, help, and useful information. I have learned a great deal from the list. You can join by sending an e-mail to mailto:zr2@zr2hr.org with the word "SUBSCRIBE" (without the quotes) in the subject line.
ENJOY!
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