Joe, Addie, and Zander & I (Warren) left my house just before 9:00am today.  We met Chris & Sharon at the staging area just before 10:00.  While Joe and Addie aired down, I unloaded and we were in the dirt at about 10:25.

The creek crossings were a little deeper than the last time we were here with the deepest one was up to Addie's bumper.  There were a lot more boulders in the canyon than I've ever seen before.  We drove all the way to the boundary and the mud area was marked out of bounds.  I asked the ranger why and was told that too many people were driving past the boundary marker so they moved it back to give a buffer.  A few weeks ago they had written 21 tickets in a single weekend so the Forest Service Biologist and Forest Supervisor said move the boundary.

Joe found a small mud pit to play in and splatter on his Jeep.  Joe and I then took turns blasting through a muddy puddle.  My doors don't seal up very well so I soon had water dripping into the cab on my leg.  Zander thought the whole thing was great so we kept doing it.  Just about the time I was ready to quit, Addie got out her camera and took some pictures and video.  Eventually we convinced her to drive through as well.

We also spent some time on the small hill climbs and driving through the boulder fields.  The boulders went from very small to about 3' in diameter so there was plenty of variety for everyone.

The weather was a bit windy but the temperature was perfect without a jacket.

We all had a great time and were home by 4:00.  I don't think Azusa Canyon is place we'll go every month but it is nice to have something that we can get to in an hour.

Happy Trails,
Warren "Crash" Sternin