Mon., April 17: Parts is Parts

The score: 1 cracked frame, 1 broken spring, 1 slightly defective motor mount, 1 bad U-joint, 2 very loose bolts holding the front spring in place, 1 sunburn, another sunburn on top of the first sunburn and yes, you can get a windburn on top of the aforementioned sunburns. I don't care! This is so much fun doing my annual maintenance in a campground in Moab.

So 9 AM, called Steve at Moab 4x4 Outpost (which was closed today BTW) and he graciously met me there and sold me an old spring for $10. This saved a trip to the Junction for a $190 spring set. I was ecstatic! The new spring wasn't quite the same as the defective one but it was within 1. Good enough for government work. Also picked up a motor mount.

Started the repair. Jeff was an excellent "parts dude" as he made several trips for bolts and u-joints as I kept finding more things to replace. By 1 PM the spring, motor mount and front axle U-joint were done. Next step - try 'er out.

If you can't wrench it out, get a BFH and beat the hell out of it.

So up to Fins 'N' Things to check it out. Jeff elected to stay back. Good thing, he would not have been a happy camper, so to speak. This was a very windy day, especially up on the top of the Sand Flats where wind gusts were up to 55 mph. I got sandblasted and sometimes had to stop, the blowing sand was so bad. Now the Jeep had been making new and strange noises yesterday for good reason. As I started the trail to test it out, it was remarkably quiet. This will never do. After a "stress test" (another reason Jeff would not have been a happy camper!) I declared it fixed although by now the Jeep was again beginning to complain about the way I was treating it. Too bad, get over it! I'll now wait until something else breaks before trying to figure out what the new noises are.

So on the way back, got some photos of the big dust storm. Got back, took a shower, updated this crap, had some adult beverages, cooked about 2 lbs of steaks and then must head out to the debriefing meeting - along with a spare set of briefs. It'll be interesting to hear all the weird stuff that happened over the last week here in Moab. And tomorrow we plan to move to the Swell for a swell time.

Did I mention that Jacob left and dropped off a bunch of steaks and adult beverages? He's returning to Liechtenstein tomorrow. One of the beverages was some hard cider. The bottles had stamps on them stating it was "unlawful to remove." You know where this is going --- it gave me intense pleasure to remove the friggin' label. Take that Utah!!!!

Jeff plans to leave for home Thursday and I'll be in the Capitol Reef/Torrey/Boulder/Hanksville/somewhere area until next Monday or so doing some exploring. I may or may not have internet service until next Monday. Who knows? Que sera sera.

Tue., April 18: Movin' On

It was with some reluctance that we packed up and left Moab this morning. There are other places to see and other things to do, sans cellular service and any kind of internet access. We elected to take Utah 191 South to Blanding and then take the very scenic Utah 95 past Comb Wash, Natural Bridges, White Canyon, Hite (no Marina!), the River Powell, Hanksville and finally to a BLM parking spot in the shadow of Temple Mountain. This was a good day to drive as after the front passed yesterday afternoon, temperatures plummeted and today the high was only about 60. Tomorrow it will be over 70 and by Saturday approaching 90. Such is Southern Utah. Northern Utah, on the other hand, got slammed with snow. Quite a mess up there. From where we are now, one can still see the heavy bank of clouds way to the north, probably still dropping snow somewhere.

So here we are, 30 miles from the nearest town running on inverter and batteries (and generator when needed) in a gorgeous site at the beginning of the San Rafael Swell. After setting up, we cooked some of the burgers Jacob dropped off and had a couple beers. From there we drove a whole 7 miles to Goblin Valley. This was the location of Woodpecker and Doc's Swell Time in 2000 (Holy shit! that was six years ago - jeez time flies!)

At any rate, they've ruined Goblin Valley. The road to the campground is now paved, all the sites now have little shelters and are paved, there is a staffed entrance booth, and it's now become a major destination. Hell, we even saw a car from Wisconsin there! They torn down the old bathroom, are building a new one as I type, and they're also building a visitor center of all things! I expressed my concern about the decay of this lovely place to the woman at the entrance booth and to my surprise she agreed with me. All change is not good. So long Ranger Dave and the twins from Ohio - Goblin Valley will never see the likes of you folks again! Civilization has arrived. Sigh.

So we wandered Goblin Valley for a while. I was tired so "rested my eyes" (yes, on a Goblin) and took a short nap while Jeff wandered aboot snapping photos. After his fill of photos, we meandered the long 7 miles to the camp. I took another nap and then started this blog. It's about 6 PM now and I'm ready for a short drive up around Temple Mountain followed by pizza and beer.

Lots of photos again, they tell the tale much better than I. Tomorrow we do Little Wild Horse, the Big Muddy and Factory Butte (before the greenies close that too. It's high on their list.) Personally I think they should concentrate their efforts on draining Lake Powell instead.

Wed., April 19: Take a Swell Hike ......

8 AM. 39 degrees and the Jeep won't start. Pull the plugs to scrape off the carbon. Nope that didn't do it. Take a short break to give someone from a campsite 1/2 mile away some cooking oil (strange - go figure....) Jeep still won't start. Starting fluid helps even less. Hmmmm, maybe it's flooded - but the plugs were dry. Pull the connectors off both injectors (TBI, don'tcha know) and the DamJP fires up and runs for a few seconds with no fuel. I guess excess fuel had settled in the bottom of the intake manifold. Very strange, but this is a morning for strange. Another lesson learned. Time to head out to Wild Horse Canyon.

Jeff and I hiked maybe a couple miles up the narrows of the slot canyon. It was awesome. A couple places one had to squeeze through it was so tight - with walls 20 - 50' high. There's a 9 mile loop up Little Wild Horse and down Bell Canyon but that'll have to wait until I'm better fit, in other words, probably never! Great hike and the time and length were about right. I was tired already. Got back to the Jeep and headed out for Factory Butte.

This particular"road" requires one to ford the Big Muddy River which, along with the Swell, has provided entertainment on many of the other Moab trips (1993, 1994, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, are a few examples.) A load of folks in a Cherokee stopped to ask for directions to I-70. Ooops! (I-70 is a long ways away and the opposite direction....) They were heading the same direction we were when we overtook them.

We got to the Big Muddy and it lived up to its name. I barely made it through the silt and quicksand. We waited until the group looking for I-70 showed up and convinced them that their stock Cherokee with street tires, aired up, would get about one foot in and two feet down. They chose wisely.

On the other side of the Muddy, there was this road. It looked like a good road. It was even graded. 15 miles later it ended nowhere. Now that was also very strange. So backtrack we did until we got to the original turnoff and took the 30 minute ride back to Hanksville for fuel and a little air in the tires. 30 minutes later, about 2 PM, arrived at camp.

Today's trip was about 2 hours longer than planned but entirely different scenery than we had thus far seen. Plans are to chill back at the camp and them take another drive later this afternoon.

4 PM. I woke up from my "resting my eyes." Just call me Second Wind Dave. Time for a scenic drive. Jeff is watching Rooster Cogburn - no accounting for his taste except that he does have an exceptional taste for good beer. Too bad we're running out. Off to do the loop around Temple Mountain.

Arrived back at 6:30 and helped prepare a meal of pork chops and baked potatoes. My job was to thaw the chops and I think I did an interesting job of doing so. Hey, at least they weren't frozen when placed on the grill.

A LOT of folks are moving in with their ATVs. I'm the only DamJP. Go figure......

A very pleasant evening. After the pork chops, baked potatoes and beer, we sat out watching and counting the stars come out (we lost count at 1,390,286) and drinking mighty cold beer. Eventually we froze our asses off, came in, started the generator, turned up the furnace and watched cowboy flicks on satellite. Jeez, I love roughing it in the middle of nowhere! It was pretty impressive for a couple hours watching the stars come out. Score: 2 real satellites, one of Dave's "satellites", and many shooting stars. Awesome, really awesome!

Thu., April 20: A Swell Day

Jeff headed out this morning for his scenic drive home. It will be an adjustment for me as for the past two weeks it has been "socialization city." Between the dozens of folks in Moab and the company Jeff provided over the last few days it has been more than enjoyable. In fact, it has been fine and dandy! I shall miss the company very much. Besides that, I've now lost my photographer so there will be much less to choose from for this blog. Jeff was shooting 200+ photos per day, on the average. So to console myself, have elected to do a loop around the southern part of the Swell and am determined to have a swell time! (Post script: I did!)

So here it is 7:30 PM. I fixed a seasoned burger and baked potato for supper and have been staring at the Henrys off in the distance for quite some time and watching the evening shadows as the sun sets behind the rocks. This is an outstanding place to camp. It's peaceful, quiet, serene, calm and very enjoyable. And you can't beat the scenery!

So today I started the circle tour of the Swell. Started on the Behind the Reef 4WD road and wound up instead (by choice!) on Little Wild Horse. This is trail is open to all vehicles but only ATVs have been traveling it and I see why. There are some damn narrow spots and some damn tippy spots with a Jeep. It was great!

After coming back to the main road, headed to Hondu Arch and Tomisch Butte. Came back up Reds Canyon. WOW! Spectacular! This will deserve another trip and a whole day just traversing the Canyon and its many roads. I never cease to be amazed at the beauty and color of this land. It really does overload the senses at times and it's hard to take it all in. Gee - I'll have to come back again!

Getting closer to camp, I noticed some roads up to the top of Flat Top mountain. Would like to try them but I'm tired. Got back to camp about 3, took a nap, got my second wind and headed up towards Flat Top about 4. Dammit! The trail is blocked off. So meander on back via another ATV trail and fixed supper. These drives in the late afternoon are so awesome. The shadows and colors come alive. It's unbelievable!

Tomorrow I shall leave for Torrey (Pop. 174) to do some trails over there. There's a motel on the way in to Torrey that has open high speed internet so perhaps I can upload this on the way there.

Fri., April 21: Torrey, Torrey, Torrey or deja vu again and again

Didn't get far. Got off the gravel and on to the single lane asphalt and heard this thump, thump, thump from the back of the motorhome. Sonuvabitch - I've a flat tire - or maybe a bad spot on one of the rear tires. Can't stop here, it would block traffic. Drive 1/4 mile to a BLM pull off point only to find a 20 lb rock wedged in between the duallys. Double damn! Hammer. Chisel. Nada. Now I'm worried about chipping the rock and damaging the sidewall. So air down. After letting the air out of the outside tire I was able to convince the errant stone it was in its best interests to leave. Sidewalls look ok, I guess. Now the long process of airing up. It'll take my air compressor on the trailer about 20-30 minutes to pump the volume of air up to the 110 lb running pressure so might as well finish this. At least it's a nice day!

My oh my, how time flies. Even though I type this 'stuff' in each day, it took a phone call back home before I realized this was Friday and the beginning of the weekend. But when everyday is the weekend .......... ........ sorry, just couldn't resist saying that!

Slow day. Drove all 21 miles to Hanksville and filled up at Hollow Mountain where the registers for the gas station and the associated c-store are located inside a hollowed out slickrock dome.

Next was a stop at the BLM office in Hanksville (Pop. 206) and a very nice chat with Mr. Ranger (not dude!) He also lamented the fact that the green a**holes are trying to close Factory Butte and the surrounding area. Once again, the local BLM folks are very nice and understand the definition of multiple use. It's just that further up the food chain, the BLM administrators become more incompetent and much more sickenly (or perhaps Soylent) green. At any rate, the small BLM office had some books and maps I'd never seen before on the Swell, Henrys, BLM lands, etc. $70 poorer I left after a lengthy chat with the very nice Mr. Ranger. Tonight shall be entertaining looking at the new maps and planning additional places to go.

Next was a leisurely 47.9 mile drive from Hanksville to Torrey via U-24, a most scenic route (hence the 45 mph.) Now at Hanksville, the pump shut off at $75.00 so I figured on pulling in at a station associated with a motel (with unsecured internet) near Torrey, get gas and do the internet thing. First, the pumps had to be "pre-authorized." The clerk seemed to have difficulty understanding the difference between $0.75 and $75. After a couple tries and a buck and a half I gave up. Now to the wifi. The access was OK for email and web surfing (to get weather reports.) But FTP sucked. Seems like after uploading about 75-100K, FTP took a dump. I'm assuming this was a feature and not a bug. So it took a while as the previous photos needed to be uploaded only 3 at a time. Then I tried getting into work via the new VPN. That sucked also. Screw it. I'm on vacation, dammit!

Pulled into Torrey late (about 2 PM) but still had time to do a scenic loop. Alas, the best laid plans. First I had a low tire on the DamJP. Air up. No leak. Perhaps some air got farted out when I hit a rock yesterday. Who knows? Then I notice liquid dripping down on the spare tires on the trailer. Transmission fluid! No, not the leak from the pan that has been vexing me for the last 4 months. This was near the transmission fluid filter I added some years ago. Poked around and found the filter was quite loose. Hmm. Tighten it up and then off to the car wash to clean up all the oil and 3" of oily sand surrounding it. Then went back for a beer as I was severely dehydrated. Then another. Well so much for the drive - it was too late anyhow.

Besides that, the skies have clouded a little and all will be better tomorrow. I guess that debunks the old myth, "and the skies are not cloudy all day." But, on the other hand, the skies have not been cloudy all day. Oh well......musings of a twisted mind.

So what next: crank up the laptop and load the "Bottom 20" (songs that were 80 - 100 on the charts) from 1955-1962. Love 'em! I mean, when is the last time you heard Teresa Brewer singing Bo Weevil or Baby Blue by the Echoes? Love 'em!

So tonight will drink some Wasatch Beer (1st Amendment Lager and Polygamy Porter, "Why have just one?"), take a shower, drink some beer, wash clothes, drink some beer, cook a burger, drink some beer, look at maps, drink some beer, plan tomorrow and the day after's activities and perhaps drink some beer. Life can be good.

Post Script: Nice meal, nice camp but the frickin' dryers have run two hours now and the clothes still aren't dry. I'd be better off hanging them on a clothes line (which I just might do!)

Also entertaining was the caravan of people (whose native language is not English) who came in with about 8 rent-a-campers and then tried to figure out how to (a) park them and (b) how to work the locks to get into the showers. Hee hee hee! Dieter was right!

Gorgeous sunset waiting for the friggin' clothes to dry. All is not lost.

Sat., April 22: The Road Less Traveled

"The Burr Trail traverses 66 miles of the most rugged and scenic country in the American West. It offers an unparalleled experience to the hardy few who choose to follow the road less traveled."
    - Garfield County Travel Council Brochure

"All well in health but we had the life frightened right out of us all. I don't know what they call this place, but I'll call it the Devil's Twist and that's a Sunday morning name for it. For all the roads on earth, I don't think there are any worse than there are here. It is the most God-forsaken and wild looking country that was ever traveled."
    - Josephine Catherine Chatterly Wood, October, 1892.

That may have been then, but this is now. As expected, much of the Notom and Burr Trail roads were either good asphalt or gravel, except for the gravel washboards so large one could loose a small car in them. In fact. I could have driven this, easily, in a passenger car (just not mine!) Even with the many little side trips, I never used 4WD or low range. So for this segment today, the pucker factor was 0 but the scenery and remoteness was a 9.9 ('Cause there ain't no tens.) For most of the 90+ mile segment, I saw less than 6 vehicles.

Notom Road, 24 miles east of Torrey runs south along the middle of the geologic feature called the Waterpocket Fold. It was a marvelously remote and scenic drive passing interestingly named features like Tarantula Mesa. About 30 miles down, turned west again to drive Burr Trail. The switchbacks to get to the top of the fold must be what Ms. Wood was describing. A most enjoyable climb to the top.

Once at the top, took a short side trip to Upper Muley Twist, perhaps another trail Ms. Wood was describing in accurate detail, but easily traversed in 2WD. At the end was an astounding view of the Fold and a couple of arches thrown in for good measure.

The beginning of the Burr Trail. Two observations: (1) Yeah, right! Try doing 10 mph! (2) Yes, Virginia, there is a road up there....somewhere.


Yes, Virginia, there is a road down there....somewhere.

Danger Will Robinson: Political Statement!

After the Twist, drove along Burr Trail and was surprisingly greeted by the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. I didn't think it went this far north. Creation of this Monument was a highly political act. It has had a negative affect on the many small towns and counties which relied on mineral exploration, taxes, ranching and other forms of employment to help them sustain their local economy. And let's face it, tourism 7 months out of the year just isn't going to cut it. This is another case where big brother out East knows better than the people who live here "what's good for them." Heck, this 1.9 million acre Monument is in Utah and when it was dedicated in 1996, Clinton didn't even have the decency to give his silly speech in Utah - he was across the border in Arizona. I feel sorry for the folks who live in these remote areas as they no longer are the masters of their own destiny. Just like Moab, they are subject to the whims of people (mostly members of greenie organizations) who probably have never been here or there before. These alleged do-gooders are eager to close off most everything in the west (maybe even draining Lake Powell ), not realizing the drastic consequences these decisions have on the people out here that must make a living. They also have no concept of the word "public" in public land.

(Sorry for the Sunday morning flame but it had to be said!)

Now to better stuff - maybe! After experiencing the Monument, headed North and climbed a long way just to skirt Boulder Mountain. Paid homage to the site where we were stalled for a few days last fall and then elected to head east, down the mountain via Tantalus Creek Trail.

The creek trail was fun, but went down thousands of feet. I'd rather be climbing, it would be a lot more fun. There's not much challenge in going downhill - well, maybe ........ At any rate, another day, another trip. Once again, the DamJP was complaining with new creaks and groans with 60 miles yet to go.

Even with the side trips, got back by 4, went to a cafe and had an experience ordering a pizza and, heaven forbid, spilling a beer - due to the wobbly table, of course. Back at camp, elected to see what was creaking but in the meantime noticed a large oil leak again from the after market oil filter. Perhaps the connecting hoses were loose. Yes, they were. Tighten them. Start the engine. What's all this liquid? Tastes bad (but smells good.) Turn off the engine. Oh my. The engine, hood, windshield, myself, etc. have just been subject to a bath of transmission fluid. The hoses were cracked where they were attached to the filter base and, in the process of tightening them, I apparently encouraged the cracks to enlarge significantly. So spent the next 2 hours trying to fix the brittle hoses. This involved some major re-plumbing but still using the old hoses as I thought I had no replacements. Finally done. Convinced all was well. Start the engine. Oh my! Another bath. Fixed the errant hose. Convinced all was well. Start the engine. Oh my! Another (small) bath. Fixed that - now it seems to be OK but these hoses definitely to be replaced once home. What a mess. Lost 3 quarts of tranny fluid. Now it's dark. Spend a few minutes looking for the new noise. It's the mount for my front right rear spring hanger which has flopped around long enough to do some damage to the frame - which I suspect can only be repaired by welding. Screw it. Clean the engine. Clean me. Have a beer and try to get some sleep.

Postscript again: While bummed about the frame, I'm SO glad the hose issue manifested itself here and not on the trail. That would have been a real problem considering the remoteness of some of the places I was in. A broken hose could pump out all the tranny fluid in 20 - 30 seconds. Whew! Dodged another one!

Sun., April 23: Some people never learn.....

Here it is, Sunday AM and still hitting random keys. I should be out fixing and then wheeling but I suspect some major weldage may be required and there sure isn't any place here than can weld, especially on a Sunday in Torrey (Pop. 175), Utah. Somewhat bummed I shall quickly wrap this typing up for now and see how much more damage I can do in an effort to temporarily repair the DamJP. Beautiful day again but very, very windy as a cold front is coming through later today. Tomorrow may bring clouds and rain. Que sera sera.

10 PM. Pizza, beer, a shower, heat, and watching Pulp Fiction. I was wondering if I'd be sleeping here tonight or in the Jeep 55 miles out on a trail......

So got the spring fixed by grinding down a spare bushing to make it a smaller outside diameter and using that as a spacer to correct an elongated hole in the buggy spring. Elapsed time: 2.5 hours and no welding needed. This will be a 'permanent' fix until it wears again. Quite pleased if I say so myself. Thank goodness for cheap power tools from Harbor Freight! Tranny hoses look good - no leaks. Clean up, make a hot pastrami sandwich, load up the Jeep for a 'test' run and get on the road at 1:30. Clouds are forming in the west.

The original plan for today was to drive 25 miles east and pick up the Cathedral Valley Trail, returning via Caineville Wash (55 miles total) and then head back from there, another 30 miles. Perhaps I'll just go part of the way, to Jailhouse Rock (yes, that's the name of the rock!) Get to the trailhead, past the half dozen or so young folks who also forded the Fremont River (with hand drawn carts no less.) Very strange. Very unfriendly but they seemed to be able to communicate via sign language. Had I not wanted to at least get to Jailhouse Rock, it would have been fun to entertain a lively discussion with them. Instead I wished them a nice day and moved on in a cloud of dust.

15 miles into the trail, 40 from the nearest town (Pop. 174), I smell hot oil. Tranny fluid again. Shit! The brittle hose that seemed to be OK, sprung a leak. Cut the damaged end off, reconfigure, put it on and retighten. Start the engine. Double shit! The leak's worse than ever. This is not good! Regroup. Decided to open up the back seat trunk and see how much ATF is there. Maybe I can plug the leak long enough to at least get back to the highway. Found my two quart reserve but also a long chunk of virgin fuel hose. WOW! My lucky day. So lay in the ATF soaked sand and replaced all the errant hoses. (The old hoses were part of the aftermarket filter kit I bought years ago and they were so rotten they would crack just by bending them. ARG!) Fire up the engine and all seems well, but have been down that road before!

Decision point - return or go forward? Perhaps go forward a ways and check the hoses. All seems well. Go forward another mile and check the hoses. All seems well. Transmission isn't overheating. Aw to hell with it. 40 or 55 from the nearest town - what's the difference? (other than 15 miles.) I want to see Cathedral Valley, dammit. There's enough food and water for a few days out. So keep moving closer to the halfway point and keep a close eye on the transmission. All was well. The views of the desert floor and Cathedral Valley made it all worth it. Finally got back to the highway by 6 PM and had a very cold 30 mile ride back as the front passed through. All's well that ends well.

And here endeth the parable about the person who didn't learn the lesson about brittle hoses the night before. Safe, sound, warm, and happy.

Dave's Garage

Spelling is not a prerequisite out here.

An old drilling rig and a flowing well for a water tank.