Lake Shore Drive
an Appreciation of a Fine Trail
The Two Rivers Jeep Club usually offers around fifteen trails for it's club
runs, the Illini Safari and 4X4 Blast. The trails range from an easy 1 to a hard
core 5. Something for all driver competency levels and family comfort, to the
totally insane where you will wish you stayed home with the neighbor's wife.
One of my favorite trails is Lake Shore Drive. It was
on this trail that I experienced my first
club trail building
weekend in Pike County. The trail just gets better and better every year. It was tough back then
in a a totally stock, 700 mile old TJ. It still gets your attention in a
35" Super Swampered, Detroit locked Willy's MB.
The trail meanders across three properties owned by
Bob Hammitt, Brian and Rich Hoover and Mike Ray and Tom Dubit. It takes a
lot of work and dedication for the Trail Guides to keep so many landowners happy
enough to allow the club access to such a fine trail. It is one of the most used
trails in the club, yet it is taken care of extremely well by the guides. The
land is comprised of creeks, waterfalls, rock outcroppings, swamp,
mud, more mud, and steep hills that get steeper going down. Rolling countryside,
wooded areas to get lost in for a month and enough gnarly, twisting trails with
tire shredding rocks and tree stumps to piss off the Pope.
The trail is led by Trail Guides Craig Laurich,
Jim Smith and Jamie Veach. One
would have to wonder if they had all just escaped from an insane asylum the way they
like to play and give everyone on the trail a good time. When it gets serious
though they know when to get serious themselves and get you out of trouble. They
have a relationship with the landowners that you rarely see in the club. They
are treated
like
sons. They
often help the farmers outside of club activities. They have cut and hauled
trailer loads of wood on many occasions. In return Mike Ray has been known to
cut trail just for the Jeep club. On special trail rides you will stop for lunch
and find that Mike not only has plates of cookies and brownies waiting, but has
cooked chicken and hotdogs for everyone on the trail. Mike also lets us
use his cabin for freshening up, lets the kids play on his swings and would even
let them fish in his stocked fishing pond.
Click on the pictures to enlarge
The trail is just a short drive from town. A typical group comprises about 15
vehicles plus guides. The "air down" area is on a blacktop road that circles
Pittsfield City Lake. You don't even get dirty airing up after a muddy day on
the trail.
Click on the pictures to enlarge
If it has been raining anytime during or preceeding the run you can expect to
get very muddy. Don't expect the guides to go running for shelter in a thunder
storm because there isn't any. You just keep wheeling and get muddier. You can also expect the creeks to be anywhere from
totally dry in places
to over 3 foot deep. It pays to watch the person ahead of you to make sure you
do not fall into a hole.
Click on the pictures to enlarge
The trail takes you around crop land, up and down fairly difficult
waterfalls with very sharp rocks interspersed with muddy ravines. There are several rock outcroppings that are
used as play areas for the brave, the foolhardy and the adventuresome. Most of
the trail is under the canopy of mature trees so it's great in the heat of
Summer. You will
lose count of the steep hills to climb up and plummet down. Obstacles, or
challenges depending upon your point of view have such eloquent names as "Point of No Return Ravine" and "Oh S**t
Hill". Some have by-passes if you are unable to make them in 3 attempts.
If you start to excavate you will hear a loud whistle letting you know you had
better stop. If you don't you get booted off the trail.
Video
![Willys Hill Climb]()
Willys MB climbing a muddy hill video
Click on the pictures to enlarge
The trail will take a full day to traverse depending on the type of Jeeps and
drivers. If there is time left at the end of the day expect Craig to lead you
backwards through a waterfall or he will find a play area guaranteed to increase your
pucker factor.
Regardless of what type of vehicle you drive, you are
guaranteed a really great day of wheeling that will bring you back time and time
again. My thanks and deep appreciation goes to the fine
landowners that let us use their property.
The trail is led by Trail Guides Craig Laurich,
Jim Smith and Jamie Veach. One
would have to wonder if they had all just escaped from an insane asylum the way they
like to play and give everyone on the trail a good time. When it gets serious
though they know when to get serious themselves and get you out of trouble. They
have a relationship with the landowners that you rarely see in the club. They
are treated
like
sons. They
often help the farmers outside of club activities. They have cut and hauled
trailer loads of wood on many occasions. In return Mike Ray has been known to
cut trail just for the Jeep club. On special trail rides you will stop for lunch
and find that Mike not only has plates of cookies and brownies waiting, but has
cooked chicken and hotdogs for everyone on the trail. Mike also lets us
use his cabin for freshening up, lets the kids play on his swings and would even
let them fish in his stocked fishing pond.
