At our 7 November Patrol 2 Monthly Meeting it was decided that we would have an impromptu Boys Day Out the following day. Galen Burkhardt (Cherokee), Jerry Kennedy(YJ), John Clark (JK), Scott Jones (TJ), Aaron Holdaway (Comanche), Bob Donovan (CJ), and Jim Chambers and Dazey Dog (TJ) met at the Lewis Sweet Shop in Empire the following morning for an assault on the Waldorf and Santiago mines. Aaron led the trip in his extremely capable Mercedes diesel powered Jeep Comanche.
 
We were met with a warm and beautiful day and about six inches of snow in the trees below timberline. We quickly made it to the Waldorf Mine where we began some serious snow busting as we headed onward toward the Santiago Mine. Aaron Holdaway in his diesel powered Comanche and Bob Donovan in his fuel injected AMC 401 cubic inch CJ demonstrated the capabilities of built Jeeps and John Clark in his 2009 JK with less than 1,000 miles on it demonstrated the capabilities of a new bought Jeep. All were very impressive as we pushed to 12,100 feet before the snow drifts got the best of us.
 
We retreated to the Waldorf Mine and made a second attempt to reach the Santiago Mine via a different route, but to no avail. As darkness approached we succumbed to the snow drifts and retreated back to the security of the pavement.
 
The trip home proved as eventful as the snow busting when a passerby delivered a message to Jim Chambers at the gas station in Downieville that a Jeep was stranded on I-70 at the Empire exit. After a bit of searching up and down the Empire exit Jim discovered Bob Donovan parked next to the highway with a flat tire while his tools and jack worked their way eastward in the back of Aaron’s Comanche. Jim had a jack and lug wrench but unfortunately the wrench was the wrong size.
 
The call went out to Jerry Kennedy who in turn contacted Aaron and both turned back to the west. In an hour the tire was changed, Bob was provided with an extra layer of clothing to fight the cold, and all 4 vehicles headed home.
 
What did we learn from our Boys Day Out?
 
- The Lewis Sweet Shop in Empire is a great place to eat. - Great Jeeps can be built. - Great Jeeps can be bought. - Great friends cannot be bought, they are only built. - Patrol 2 again demonstrated that “no vehicle is left behind”, even if it is on four lanes of asphalt. - Passersby will still stop for a distressed vehicle and deliver a message to a stranger at a gas station. - We’re very fortunate to have spouses and significant others who support a Boys Day Out.
 
Best Regards………….Jim Chambers