4 Wheeling, Cow Mountain, Ukiah California, September 2010

woodbee · 08-09-2013, 10:21 AM

I just finished doing two videos I have been going to work on for 3 years. This is about 4 wheeling at a place outside of Ukiah, California, called Cow Mountain. There are areas for off road vehicles. More brush then I expected. No damage, just desert pin stripping.

Woody

Part 1

[youtube:99rofi2u]

**daveb** · 08-15-2013, 12:09 AM

Damn Woody, your really putting her through the sticks. Nice video. How is it in the spring up there? Are those trails doable or does the wet weather tear em up?

woodbee · 08-15-2013, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by daveb

Damn Woody, your really putting her through the sticks. Nice video. How is it in the spring up there? Are those trails doable or does the wet weather tear em up?

Hi Dave,

Cow mountain was the second 4 wheeling trip I did in the SMB. The first was Steel Pass in Death Valley.
The 4 wheeling was no problem, even though there were signs of other vehicles spinning tires on some of the steeper climbs. The brush was bad. I feel the SMB was the largest vehicle ever to take this trail. Not sure how it would be in the spring, this was my first time at Cow Mountain. I was told the weekends are very crowded. That is why I went during the week. It was a lot of fun, I love 4 wheeling, just not much around where I live in Rohnert Park, CA.

Woody

**daveb** · 08-15-2013, 02:19 PM

I had hoped you'd been back a few times. One thing I'd be looking for are some boon dock spots in pine trees around the local area.

BTW that camera you were using didn't appear to be a go-pro. I don't even remember if they were out back then. I just got back from a wheelin trip that was very narrow, had some boldering, and also very windy. All the rock crawlers told us there was no way we would make it. It was slow but doable. I go-pro'd the return trip but after download wasn't impressed by what I saw compared to what I was looking at coming off the mountain. I attribute this to the extreme fisheye. Just wondered if you were using one, what you had it set at. Could have sworn you had a go pro.

Anyway if you have any reasonable camps and feel like posting them, I'd like to hear about it here or in the subscribers section in "post your campsite info"
Thanks
Dave

woodbee · 08-15-2013, 06:19 PM

Dave,

I was told that there is a at least one campground in the Cow Mountain area and I believe it is free and not real easy to get to. I think it is South of where I was.

The camera I was using at Cow Mountain is my Canon pocket camera. I built an "L" shape sheet metal bracket that I screwed into the ceiling plywood at the top of the front wind shield. I use a 1/4-20 thumb screw to hold it to the frame. I used the same camera along with my GoPro last year filming the trip from Trona Pinnacles to Death Valley.
I agree with you on using the Fish Eye, so I don't use that setting anymore. It also makes things look to far away. I also think it's the 2 dimensional thing instead of 3 dimensional. I look at my 4 wheeling movies and it sure doesn't as steep as it was when I did the climb. I think I am going to start setting up a camcorder off to the side, a ways off, to get the steepness of the climb. That means I will have three cameras going at the same time. It should be fun to edit.

Talk to you later,
Woody

Christopher Thwaites · 09-11-2013, 01:44 PM

Hi Woody. How have you been? I just stumbled on to this thread and wanted to say hi. The Camp ground near Cow Mountain is called Bear Creek. Access is off Hwy 20 near Lakeport as I recall. I was there pre SMB and although it was a nice spot it was spoiled by all of the yahoos flying through the camp on motorcycles and 4 wheelers. Completely rude. They kept it up well into the early am and finally quieted down at sun up. This area is very popular with the dim witted Jack Daniels and Meth crowd. I can't recommend it but you might get lucky. You do have to cross Bear Creek but I did it in my old Montero. There are also many places to dry camp.
Chris and Ruth

woodbee · 09-11-2013, 03:01 PM

Hi Chris and Ruth,

I have been doing great after the removal of the rest of my left lung 15 months ago. How have you two been doing?
I was warned about the crowds at Cow Mountain before Cheryl and I went to do the 4 wheeling in 2010. I was told to do it during the week. One of these days we will probably take another trip up and check out more of it. It is a beautiful area.

Good to talk to you,
Take care,
Woody

Christopher Thwaites · 09-11-2013, 04:42 PM

Wow....so now you are like an old John Deere tractor....a one lunger! Glad to hear you are doing well. I know when we met in DV you were waiting for test results. We are going down in Oct. for the meetup at Panamint Springs then over to The Race Track via Hunter Mountain Rd. As I recall thats how you went out when we left The race track. We were at Cow Mountain on a weekend. I was so angry at the idiots camped nearby. They actually cut down all of the young fir trees around their campsite and tried to burn them. ARRRGH!
Chris

woodbee · 09-12-2013, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Christopher Thwaites

Wow....so now you are like an old John Deere tractor....a one lunger!

My color is better than the tractor and I sound a bit better than a John Deere one lunger engine.

After our last meet and greet in Death Valley I headed home through Big Pine. Never been through the Hunter Mountain area.
I have been watching the posts on the meet and greet in Panamint Springs. It sounds great and I think I can make it. I really need to get out into the desert and do some 4 wheeling.

Talk to you later,
Woody

Christopher Thwaites · 09-12-2013, 10:29 AM

We will leave Santa Rosa on Oct. 2nd or 3rd and head over to 395 via South Shore or 89 take our time to arrive in Panamint Springs on Friday the 4th. Most likely we will camp near Mono Lake off hwy 120. If that's your route and timing let's rendezvous.