Ok everybody, check this out...Geoff and I went with my club to Fordyce this weekend for our bbq run. We camped at meadow lake, basically the end of the trail. Our group goes down the trail on Sat and on our way back a Jeep breaks his ball joints leaving the tire flopping which also broke the axle. So while we're fixing it, a red FJ40 pulls up and a guy wearing a brown hat jumps out and lends a hand. His kid was still in the drivers seat.

Geoff says that guy looks familiar. We realize it's Danno...as in Gary's (olebiker) relative! So we chat a while and then continue on to camp, leaving a crew to take care of the jeep.

Soooo...Sunday, Geoff and I are driving back on the altamont pass and I notice a yellow, built xterra in the rear view mirror. He pulls up and sure enough, it's Gary! I wave but I don't think he recognized me because the last trip with him was a couple years ago and I didn't have the distinctive rear bumper.

What are the odds of that?!

Where were my manners? I notice these two rigs and pull along side and this guy waves. I nod and drive on...then suddenly realized who it was. Sorry Steve, must have had a bit of a senior moment.
BTW Danno is the bro/out/law. In fact he called wanting me to join him last weekend. But,alas I was committed to Deer Valley where I managed to put a sizable dent in the passenger door... Dent...weekend with Danno....hummmmmm?
Join us on the upcoming BRT!

Dang...I could have sworn danno said something about uncle, I guess he was talking about his son and you.

Unfortunately, my truck is down...I discovered a pretty severe oil leak on saturday.

Steve,

Coincidentally I drove by you guys yesterday evening stuck in traffic right at the 580 split in Hayward. I waved from the offramp 3 lanes over, but you guys didn't wave back!

Small world.

- Matt

Ha, didn't even see you matt! Cool, this weekend was full of coincidences. It's funny too because 580-880 isn't my usual way home.

I was trying to get on 680S from 580 and it took me about 15 minutes just to get to the off ramp. As soon as I got on 680S I saw nothing but a wall of brake lights so I got off at stoneridge and stopped at a taco bell for some soda. I called a friend to check the internet for traffic problems and she said there's an accident at 237 and 680 and the traffic was backed up all the way to 580!

Needless to say, I drove to 880.

Wow, regarding that traffic... When I reached it, it was backing up at Santa Rita Rd, so I got off and headed south towards Pleasanton.

I ended up crossing 680 on Bernal, saw it was still horribly backed up, so I drove the "frontage roads" through Sunol before getting back on. I missed all of the traffic! Woohoo!

That traffic was the worst I've ever seen it there.

It was a Big Rig over the side, news said somthing along the lines of Ball of Flames.. all SB lanes blocked for several hours..

So the accident wasn't at 237 then?

No, the accident that was holding up traffic was somewhere before the Sunol exit. From the sounds of it Carol & I took the same route that Dean did, bypassing the traffic and entering back onto 680 in Sunol.

I remember that trail.

Hope you don't mind me posting this:
http://www.robinhood4x4.com/gallery2/Strawberry%20Creek%2002/

Here's Danno and Gary.

Ugly bumper award?
Hope you're doing well John...

Heh, yup. And as I recall Danno had to keep stopping to add water to his radiator because the 350 kept overheating. Times sure have changed...Danno said he solved his overheating problem but now Geoff's (my passenger on strawberry creek trail) new 84 toy truck with a 350 is the one overheating.

Kinda brought back memories of Mustard Custard's rig.