Sunday, September 20, 2009
CROSSING THE RUBICON
On January 10th of the year 49BC, Julius Caesar led an army legion across the Rubicon River in northern Italy toward Rome, in defiance of the Roman Senate. The river had previously been designated as an important boundary across which no army general would be allowed to pass. Caesar's act of crossing the Rubicon prompted his famous remark Alea iacta est ("the die is cast"), since he knew that this act would mark the beginning of civil war in the Republic. In modern English usage, the phrase "crossing the Rubicon" is used to mean passing a point of no return.
Today there is another Rubicon River west of Lake Tahoe which has lent its name to the most famous off-road vehicle (ORV) trail in the world. The trail is generally rated as one of the most difficult ORV trails, due to the need to negotiate across constant large boulder fields, ledges, and tight passages. While in theory a stock 4x4 vehicle might negotiate the trail, various vehicle modifications are generally deemed necessary, such as a body or suspension lift, protective side rails and bumpers, and axle-locking mechanisms. Such modifications are necessary to avoid substantial body damage to the vehicle, and to avoid becoming irretrievably stuck. Chrysler has used the trail as a testing ground for its Jeep models, and there is a model of the Jeep Wrangler called the Rubicon, which can be identified by the name emblazoned on the side of the hood of the vehicle.
The main ORV portion of the trail begins at Loon Lake, at the eastern edge of California's Gold Country. There is a staging area here where vehicles can stop and deflate their tires to improve traction. The first part of the trail is referred to as "the Gatekeeper". There used to be an actual boulder obstacle by that name here; it has been demolished, but the name is still appropriate since a vehicle that is unable to navigate this first trail section will not be able to pass the rest of the trail.
After the gatekeeper section, the trail passes over a relatively flat, solid section known as the Granite Bowl. While this is the only section devoid of large rocks and boulders on the entire trail,
there are still some ledges here that require careful maneuvering.
After the Granite Bowl, the trail resumes with two obstacles known as Walker Hill and the Soup
Bowl. These obstacles consist of climbs, ledges, and narrow notches that must be passed with walls and boulders and each side.
The next and most famous obstacle on the Rubicon Trail is called Little Sluice. Fortunately there is a bypass around this section, since it is only possible to traverse Little Sluice in a vehicle with highly specialized modifications.
Other obstacles in this region are called Toyota Rock and Thousand Dollar Hill. The trail then proceeds toward Buck Island Lake. The lake
is a popular place to camp for the night. After the lake the trail continues on through some tight passages, and then makes an abrupt turn to the north and proceeds downhill toward Rubicon Springs.
This downhill section contains the obstacle known as Big Sluice. Here there are numerous boulders, drop-offs, and ledges. There are also off-camber sections where the trail tilts to one side, forcing the driver to risk a tip-over or risk scraping boulders and trees along the side of the
vehicle. These places require scouting and trial-and-error to navigate.
After this long downhill section the trail crosses a bridge and passes through Rubicon Springs. This is an old abandoned resort that is now a popular camping area. There are a few helicopter landing pads here that can be used in emergencies. After Rubicon Springs the trail climbs Cadillac Hill and gains elevation rapidly. Cadillac Hill is composed of numerous rocky ledges and off-camber tight squeezes that must be negotiated with a steep cliff on the passenger side of the vehicle.
After Cadillac Hill there are some more rocky technical sections, but no more large obstacles. Drivers can get out at Observation Point and look west to see a nice Sierra Nevada panorama.
From here there are some more rocky sections, but the trail becomes flatter and leads to the paved McKinney-Rubicon Springs Road and the southwest shore of Lake Tahoe.
A map of the trail can be found here.
An informational brochure is here.
Here are a few more photographs:
Today there is another Rubicon River west of Lake Tahoe which has lent its name to the most famous off-road vehicle (ORV) trail in the world. The trail is generally rated as one of the most difficult ORV trails, due to the need to negotiate across constant large boulder fields, ledges, and tight passages. While in theory a stock 4x4 vehicle might negotiate the trail, various vehicle modifications are generally deemed necessary, such as a body or suspension lift, protective side rails and bumpers, and axle-locking mechanisms. Such modifications are necessary to avoid substantial body damage to the vehicle, and to avoid becoming irretrievably stuck. Chrysler has used the trail as a testing ground for its Jeep models, and there is a model of the Jeep Wrangler called the Rubicon, which can be identified by the name emblazoned on the side of the hood of the vehicle.
The main ORV portion of the trail begins at Loon Lake, at the eastern edge of California's Gold Country. There is a staging area here where vehicles can stop and deflate their tires to improve traction. The first part of the trail is referred to as "the Gatekeeper". There used to be an actual boulder obstacle by that name here; it has been demolished, but the name is still appropriate since a vehicle that is unable to navigate this first trail section will not be able to pass the rest of the trail.
After the gatekeeper section, the trail passes over a relatively flat, solid section known as the Granite Bowl. While this is the only section devoid of large rocks and boulders on the entire trail,
there are still some ledges here that require careful maneuvering.After the Granite Bowl, the trail resumes with two obstacles known as Walker Hill and the Soup
Bowl. These obstacles consist of climbs, ledges, and narrow notches that must be passed with walls and boulders and each side.
The next and most famous obstacle on the Rubicon Trail is called Little Sluice. Fortunately there is a bypass around this section, since it is only possible to traverse Little Sluice in a vehicle with highly specialized modifications.
Other obstacles in this region are called Toyota Rock and Thousand Dollar Hill. The trail then proceeds toward Buck Island Lake. The lake
is a popular place to camp for the night. After the lake the trail continues on through some tight passages, and then makes an abrupt turn to the north and proceeds downhill toward Rubicon Springs.This downhill section contains the obstacle known as Big Sluice. Here there are numerous boulders, drop-offs, and ledges. There are also off-camber sections where the trail tilts to one side, forcing the driver to risk a tip-over or risk scraping boulders and trees along the side of the
vehicle. These places require scouting and trial-and-error to navigate.
After this long downhill section the trail crosses a bridge and passes through Rubicon Springs. This is an old abandoned resort that is now a popular camping area. There are a few helicopter landing pads here that can be used in emergencies. After Rubicon Springs the trail climbs Cadillac Hill and gains elevation rapidly. Cadillac Hill is composed of numerous rocky ledges and off-camber tight squeezes that must be negotiated with a steep cliff on the passenger side of the vehicle.After Cadillac Hill there are some more rocky technical sections, but no more large obstacles. Drivers can get out at Observation Point and look west to see a nice Sierra Nevada panorama.
From here there are some more rocky sections, but the trail becomes flatter and leads to the paved McKinney-Rubicon Springs Road and the southwest shore of Lake Tahoe.A map of the trail can be found here.
An informational brochure is here.
Here are a few more photographs:
# posted by MATT E @ 7:16 PM 
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