15th Annual Graves Mountain Virginia Rally August 30 - Sept 4, 2023

[cgarbee]

15th Annual Graves Mountain Military Vehicle and Vintage 4x4 Trail Rides and Rally
Labor Day Weekend, August 30 through September 4, 2023
(early arrivals are ok, just let me know...).
A fun filled weekend of trailriding, parts-swapping, and fellowship in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia open to all Military Vehicles and to Civilian Vehicles 25 years old and older. Newer vehicles may be allowed by permission of the organizers.
For More Event Information and Registration, See: https://gravesmountaintrailrides.com/

Website is "mostly" updated for this year...

Meghan is working on a shirt design...
Paper copies of the event flyer, registration form, and Trail Crew information, went out in the USPS mail today to folks who have attended in the past or otherwise got on the mailing list...

Need more information?
Check the website, ask me directly, or post here ...

Looking forward to seeing a bunch of you in August...

[cgarbee]

Trail Crew!
Join us for a combined four days of trail maintenance and site preparation leading up to the week of the event and earn yourself a Trail Crew shirt and other recognition.
We will be having a work weekend (trail clearing/trail preview) during the days leading up to the 4th of July, Peach Day in July, and a weekend TBD in August. Individuals who can join us for four combined complete days of volunteer labor during any of these work weekends will receive a TRAIL CREW shirt and other recognition at the Trailrides and Rally. You must register with me in advance (send me a message/email) for the work weekends so that we can coordinate volunteers and ensure that everyone is provided an opportunity to work and earn their Trail Crew membership.
Other than having a trail ready vehicle (Jeep, MV, Gator, etc) so that you can get out and work on the trails, we also have a need for such equipment as chain saws, loppers, weed and hedge trimmers, Compact Track Loader, 4x4 Tractor with FEL/Bushhog, etc. Contact us before you come to a Trail Crew weekend to ensure that the equipment and tools that you are bringing are appropriate for that weekend’s work.
July 4 Weekend
We will be having a work weekend (trail clearing/trail preview) during the days leading up to the 4th of July. You must register with Cabell Garbee in advance (send him a message/email) for the work weekends so that we can coordinate volunteers and ensure that everyone is provided an opportunity to work and earn their Trail Crew membership.
The Graves family will once again have a massive fireworks display on the 4th, along with activities that afternoon. The show last about 45 minutes and they shoot off 3" to 5" shells, then the neighbors have about an hour long "battle" utilizing fireworks purchased during the year from states that are a tad more lenient about what can be purchased without a liscense than Va or NC...
We’ll be at the farm from the morning of July 1st through the morning of the 5th...
Peach Day Weekend
We will be having a work weekend (trail clearing/trail preview) during the days around Peach Day on the 22 of July. You must register with Cabell Garbee in advance (send him a message/email) for the work weekends so that we can coordinate volunteers and ensure that everyone is provided an opportunity to work and earn their Trail Crew membership.
The Graves family will once again be celebrating all things Peachy… See their website for information at:
https://www.gravesmountain.com/peach-day/
We’ll be at the farm from the evening of July 20th through the morning of the 23rd...
August weekend TBD
We will also take a weekend in August prior to the Trailrides and Rally week to do some mowing of the big camping field and trimming of a few more trails…. This weekend will be announced. Contact Cabell Garbee directly for dates and information.
Important note!
You must contact Cabell Garbee before each of the work days to coordinate needed equipment, meeting locations and times, and to confirm that the Trail Crew is actually working on a given weekend. Trail Crew weekends are subject to change due to weather and other unforeseen events. Cabell may be reached at 919-906-6294 (leave message or text) or by email at cgarbee@nc.rr.com

[rickf]

Really wanted to get back into coming down this year but wife just retired last week and our puppy is not doing well at all and would never make the trip. The RV never recovered from the alcohol gas issue from the last trip down there and now needs tires, batteries and complete exhaust so just too much to get through for this year. I will give you a call in a week or so.

[csmith]

Ill be there with my Mutt and friend bringing a 50's Willys, our boys and labs! Looking forward to it!

[cgarbee]

Graves Mountain Trailrides and Rally... Event "preview" and a reminder that it is coming up soon!!

We are planning on having a trail clearing on August 26-27 (the weekend before the rally). We'll plan on meeting at the Syria Store at 8AM each morning...
We already managed to get the big stuff off the trails on Graves Mountain, so what we are going to focus on this time is cutting the branches and brambles that are hanging over the sides of the trails...
Bring your loppers, pruning saws, and hand trimmers...
Extra points if you bring your own vehicle to get up on the trails so that we can split up and go after more than one at a time...
Even more bonus points if you have a tracked skid steer with an enclosed cab (so that we can try out a trail mower...).

Call (leave a Voicemail), text, or post here, if you plan on helping out.

You still have time to plan on attending the cleanup/preview and/or the event itself!

Info may also be found on the event website at:
gravesmountaintrailrides.com

If you call me, leave a message...

Hate that we will miss seeing RickF again this year... Maybe next year I will just ride up and kidnap you for the week...

Looking forward to seeing the rest of you!!

[rickf]

Thanks Cabell, I see where some guys daughter just set up a Go Fund me account for her father because he retired. That was it, just because he retired and it got some 40,000 dollars in a very short time!!!!!! Maybe if someone sets up a Go Fund Me for me to fix up the RV I can pull it off next year? If only the deal had not fallen through on the other RV I was supposed to buy.

[cgarbee]

Remember that the closest fuel is 12 miles from the Lodge in Madison, so get gas/diesel on your way in....
I'm already here working on getting the signs and tent up ready for everyones' arrival....

[rickf]

Ah Yes, tent erection. The highlight of my arrival every year. I hope everyone has a good time this year. Tell Steve and the gang I said hello.

[csmith]

Remember that the closest fuel is 12 miles from the Lodge in Madison, so get gas/diesel on your way in....
I'm already here working on getting the signs and tent up ready for everyones' arrival....

Will be there Thursday afternoon, looking forward to some trail riding!

[csmith]

Cabell and Crew, thanks for putting on this awesome event again this year! Put my 151 through the most extreme trail riding ever! Our group normally consisted of a 45 MB, 51 CJ3A, 54 CJ3B, two 151A2's, with Blakes MB leading the way, no breakdowns (except a battery cable vibrating's off) and all rigs performed as they were built for. Amazing what these rigs can do off the highway!

Will be back next year god willing!

Clell

[cgarbee]

It's been long enough that I have almost recovered (aka, I have dug down through the pile of stuff that was waiting for me to handle when I got back to the office...)...

So, a huge thanks to all the attended and especially those that helped put the event together (Chuck, Rad, Steve, Laura, Khloe, the Graves, Robert...)...
We'll do it again next year with the same basic plan, at the same time...
If you have suggestions for next year, let me know.

Meanwhile, I have posted my photos, and a few that I collected from here and there, on the Flickr page that I use to host event photos (linked from the event website)...
The direct link to this years' photos is: https://www.flickr.com/photos/124394777 ... 121385474/

Thanks again to all, and I hope to see everyone again next year!