Spring at the Flat

Wow, it has been way too long since the car has been out in the hills.  It's been driven around town a bit but there's nothing an old Toyota Land Cruiser likes more than dirt.  So, today I took it out to it's old stomping grounds Rowher Flats or "Rowher Flat" as I discovered by actually stopping and looking at the sign.

I've ordered new rear shocks (the old ones were killed by the race) and I wanted to do a little before and after test. 

Rowher Flat has been cleaned up quite a bit.  All the bathroom structures were rebuilt and they've added a bunch of shaded picnic areas.  It seemed to help.  In the hour I was there I saw 2 jeeps, about 5 motorcycles and someone camping with a trailer.  That's a lot for a Tuesday morning.  

Even with that crowd it felt pretty empty.  I did find a gopher snake to keep me company.

The fj40 ran great.  All the high and low gears were where they were meant to be, no stalling and it seemed to enjoy going fast.  I mainly stuck around the flats.

One thing I did learn is that I might need to wrap my new steering wheel.  The spun aluminum really came off on my hand....I guess that's what gloves are for.