Added 8 October 2000
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. Also leave gates as you find them (closed if closed, and open if open.) If a road has a big mud hole in the middle of it, do NOT go around it, as it only makes the road wider, eventually making the mud hole wider. This cycle of foolishness can get out of control. If you can't make it through the puddle, you shouldn't be there. Turn around and find someplace else to explore. 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!"
The Cargodera Powerline road is a serious gut puncher. Nearly the entire trail is a serious rock garden. There are a few good tests of a vehicle on the trail, and the entire length of it will definitely test the driver's knowledge of wheel placement. Even if you know exactly where your wheels are though, you are going to get seriously knocked about. There is just no way of avoiding all of the rocks.
Still, the trail is challenging, and offers some great views, both up to the peaks of the Catalina Mountains, and down to the valley below.
This pic was taken on my trucks first real test of ability. It's on a road near Tucson called The Cargodera Powerline Road. This was three weeks after I bought my truck, and I almost rolled it on this obstacle, a drop off down a 10-12 foot tall rock face. This is when my truck gained it's name: THE BEAST.
Now, here is a series of pics of THE BEAST, now fairly seriously modified, tackling the same trail.
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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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