x2
As for the action. I arrived at about 1005, both boys asleep. I signed up and the boys woke up and got out and started with the trash in the staging area. There was a couple of JKs that left before we did. Mark in the trash truck and Ryan in the "deal of the century" XJ arrived while I aired down to 20 PSI... thinking I would air up at a gas station later.
At the first common dump spot there was law furniture, a safe, fridge, and a v6 mopar intake. Ryan and Riley<sp?> went down the hill to get the stuff. Lighter stuff was thrown up and heavier stuff was winched up. I think a cotter pin for the winch hook was lost at this time but there were plenty more in the XJ's tool boxes. My boys had ran around and thankfully avoided all the red ants in the area.
The next trashy area had some shotgun shells and targets and particle board, then up the road was a 37" (I think) tire with the worst cupping I have ever seen on a tire. Several quick stops were made for the beer bottles, cans, etc along the way. There seemed to be more water bottles than usual, I guess even the litterers have gotten the message about staying hydrated.
The next spot had a lot of shell casings (mostly .223). My boys used the cheap harbor freight grabber on trash and we even found a small bag for Ayrton to carry to pick up trash. After one more stop we decided to only stop for visible stuff on the trail and continue up into the trees for lunch. The snacks that my boys brought with had been mostly eaten by now.
About this time my XJ starting getting hot, almost into the red. It would cool down if I drove with the AC off. I think I am low on refrigerant because it will quickly cycle on and off when I run the AC and it seems to cycle the electric fan too. I thought that the fan would stay on when hot, but I guess the AC activation of the fan overrides it. Without AC it wasn't too hot, and Ayrton even fell asleep by the time we got the the trees.
Lunch was had by everyone. My boys had a lot of cold cut up watermelon and we shared some with James. A lot more .223, and some .45 and 9mm casings were found here. A group of Pickups (Large, white, diesel, of course) stopped with us and I gave them some of the maps of the area. This is where the growth encroaching on the trail really started to get thick. I don't know how the big trucks made it through without "manzanita pin stripping". We went up to the Monument and it was surprisingly clean. Up there we saw some para-sails and hang-gliders. Later on the trail we found an illegal spur and moved some trees to block it again. We stopped and cut a lot of brush/trees in a couple of spots but we realized we really need to come up early, or stay the night and start early to do the trimming in the sunny areas before it gets too hot. The areas we did work were the ones where there was some shade and the boys enjoyed taking the cut branches and throwing them over the side. It was close to 1600 and I had to call the wife to let her know we would not be home for dinner. We decided then to get down to the end of the trail, just picking up trash in the trail. Right before the end the constant "clink-clink-clink" I heard from the trashbag hanging on the side suddenly changed as the bottles broke and the tire rubbed a hole in the trash bag.
I should have aired up there, but figured a few miles on the 138 to the 15 would be fine and then I could air up at the gas station and the boys could get dinner. That is when I found the air compressor at the gas station was actually letting air out of my tires. While the little portable pump filled the tires the boys found some broken glass and right after I told them not to play with it Ronan cut his finger bad on a piece. I got him bandaged up and kept them in their seats until it was time to go. I was a bit angry at first, but I think Ronan thought that when I said to not play with it, he should pick it up and put it in the trash to keep his little brother from playing with it. He enjoyed telling everyone about his wound and how it was healing and he was keeping it clean, so hopefully no PTSD.
When I asked them if they wanted to go again, Ayrton said an enthusiastic "YES" and Ronan said only if his brother wasn't there.
That is all I can remember for now. Hopefully the others will fill in some more.