SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2009

Tucker Ramsey’s Big Rock Playground

by Tucker Ramsey (with Brenda Ramsey)

I’m the luckiest boy in the world! I got to go on the famed Rubicon Trail for the first time when I was 3 years old!

My name is Tucker Ramsey and I’m the son of Ryan and Brenda Ramsey. Technically, I was on the trail one other time, in 2005. That doesn’t completely count as far as I’m concerned, because I didn’t get to explore, climb, get dirty and see the amazing views of the El Dorado National Forest and all the really cool Cruisers.

I’ve read about this off-road event in Toyota Trails and knew the Rubicon was at the top of my To Do List. My Daddy has been on the Rubicon lots of times. He was even in the September/October 2006 issue of Toyota Trails for earning the Trail Hero Award at Rubithon 2006. I’m lucky to have such a knowledgeable Daddy who shares his love of Toyota Land Cruisers, off-roading and camping with me.

I’ve gone on other fun wheeling trips, like Pismo Beach for Surf ‘N’ Turf, Deer Valley for the FJ45 Run, Lake Pillsbury for the PMC Mud Run and snow-wheeling to cut down our Christmas tree, but those were all in my Mommy’s 1997 FZJ80. I was finally going to wheel in my Daddy’s big red 1974 FJ40 on the Crown Jewel of Four Wheeling—The Rubicon Trail! Nothing can compare to that on Father’s Day weekend at a TLCA event.

It took a lot for my parents to bring me along on this trip to the 21st Annual Rubithon. It started with my mom searching on eBay to buy me a used PRP Preemy off-road seat so I’d be safe. She scored one back in December 2008 with a winning bid of $125. In March 2009, I helped my Mommy get 37 affidavits signed by family, friends and her coworkers and send them to the Rubicon Trail Foundation to try to keep the Rubicon Trail open due to pending litigation With the California Water Board. My parents are teaching me early to fight to preserve our trails and keep them open for future generations as well as our own use. In April, Daddy had to do some repairs to his FJ40 after he and his friend Georg Esterer showed those Texans how the California guys wheel at the last Lone Star Cruiser Roundup. Then my Daddy and his buddy Don from FC Fabrication came up with a plan to mount my seat and tie it into the awesome roll cage made by FC Fabrication. My Daddy and Don put in a lot of hours and late nights to make sure that I was safe in the FJ40. Don even fabricated my own handle bar for me!

It was finally time for us to go! Yay!! We were on an Outlaw Run led by Georg Esterer. We left the tow rigs and trailers at the Loon Lake Spillway on Thursday morning and were fortunate that the recent rains and thunderstorms had passed. Everywhere you looked were blue skies, granite rocks and beautiful tree lined mountain ranges...

 

Our friend, Georg Esterer, watching Dan Rohweder crawl over a rock.

Daddy's roof rack holds all of our gear for adventures like the Rubicon Trail.