Ian and Mike Smith of East Coast Rovers The thing we like best about going to Maine, are the people. When Ian was asked 'Why?' he replied 'Because it was there.' Word has it the folks at the Land Rover Centre in Scarborough, Me. have told Mike 'Not to park his truck out front' when he is visiting.

Maine Winter Romp '99

There's not much (Roverwise) going on in February. This makes it a perect time to head to Maine and play in the snow. EROS leadership Jeff Berg, Bill Caloccia and Eric "AB x231" Riston were to lead the invasion team...

As in previous years, this year's Maine Winter Romp was held over Valentines Day weekend - though not on the social calendar for some of us, Eric sacraficed spending the weekend with his S.O. to pilot his '88 Range Rover, a rolling parts testbed, now called the Crab up to Unity, Maine to test out the latest additions. The event's organizer is Unity resident, and Land-Rover enthusiast, Bruce Fowler. At present, no club is associated with the event, which makes it opportune for an Empire Invasion.

Why do Rovers travel in packs ?

Friday at 11:00 Marty (from Long Island), Jeff, Eric and I were scheduled to rendezvous at in the Donut Cafe (Shrewsbury Blvd) in Worcester. 08:53 my phone rings. Jeff is on the line. Clouds of coolant are spraying from the front of the engine, the fan belt is loose, there was a bang, and the temperature shot up to way too hot. FINSUP is PAWS-UP! While on the phone, a Range Rover pulls up, it is George, who is travelling with Marty, pulling over. "Hey, are you headed up to Maine?" Marty was in the lead and saw Jeff, but was unable to safely pull over from speed, he's gone ahead to the next exit and returns briefly. Jeff determines that the fan hub has come off the water pump shaft, and in doing so, one of the blades is cocked at a 90degree angle from when it spun off into the radiator, slicing through a number of tubes and ripping open the bottom tank. Jeff calls me. Jeff calls AAA. A recovery operator with a hook arrives, and they remove the disabled Series IIa off I-91, until they can send a flat top to return it to the far side of CT for repairs. Jeff's stuff is relocated to to Marty & George's trucks and they continue onto to Worcester. I run out to fuel up and get some supplies for my Rangie, as Jeff and I now need a ride up to the event.

The Friday Night Run

Friday evening a number of folks met for dinner at the Unity Co-op Cafe. After the meal most headed out to the woods to attempt a hill climb. Unfortunately, the group never quite reached the hill itself as the lead cars discovered their was insufficient traction to head up the hill, which was a sheet of ice.

The latest addition to the Crab included some mechanical work and lots of electrical work. On the electrical front, power was finally run to the rear winch, and from there to a pair of compressors which operate some other goodies :-) At the front, standard manufacturers wiring harnesses were installed with a relay box and a direct power feed run up to the front of the roof rack.

At left Jeff is shown getting some tan maintenance, thanks to the work lights at each corner of the Crab. With ten quartz halogen lamps facing forward, drawing some 77 Amps, the view from the cockpit of the the Crab is impressive, however, this is incentive to follow the Crab as opposed to driving in front of it.

Snow, sleet, rain, dark of night.

It must be time to winch !

Already soaked once from his photographer's swan dive into a stream,

The Photographer's Swan Dive - where the diver enters the water face first, and instinctively raises the camera well behind his back, high and dry above the stream's icy waters.

Miracle Mirrors

Long road ahead, long road behind. (Image on right is what is in the rear view mirror pictured on left! Click on it to see.)

Icy Hills

Joanne was having difficulty negotiating this long icy hill, until she dumped her navigator (and S.O. George Bull) at the bottom, then she had no problem negotiating the icy slope. George hitched a ride in another motor. Con from Nova Scotia, successfully negotiated this slope, but didn't make it up to the fire tower later in the day.

Rallye Ettiquite

Usually on a road rally, all a navigtor needs to worry about is opening the door to find a drainage ditch or heavy brush. With Rover Rallyes, there can be new obstacles for the Navigator - like exiting the vehicle into into a six inch deep running stream.

Note: how the driver steps out onto dry land.

On Saturday of the Winter Romp, Bruce conducts a traditional 'Gimmick Rallye' where the participants are given a number of locations on local roads where if they seek, they shall find Land Rover parts or other interesting items tucked away in the vicinity. Above, Eric is using binoculars to observe a part hung from a tree limb about 25 feet in from the edge of this iced over swamp. Team Empire (Eric, Jeff and I) running in one vehicle, actually won the Road Rallye with 20 parts found and identified correctly, but declined accepting the first place award, as Eric's employer donated the prizes.

Chris Komar

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