6:30 up and at 'em. Start the generator. Brew the coffee. Tote that barge. Lift that bale. By 8 AM Jeff was ready to go as was I. His alternate route, while longer, was much more scenic. By 10 AM pulled into Moab. Spent the next 1/2 hour (and $6) trying remove most of Salt Wash from the Jeep at the car wash. Then moved to the Portal CG and got set up. Had some clothes to wash and needed to vacuum and clean the RV a little (well, OK, a lot!).
Yesterday Salt Wash deposited more than minerals on the dash of the Jeep. It's squeaking and groaning like a banshee. Pulled both front tires and rotors off and they were so full of sand and gravel that one could not even see light through the vent fins on the rotors. Oh my! Spent an hour cleaning all the crap out and then going for a test drive and the damned noise is still there. It must be the driveshaft. Oh well, it'll just have to squeak. I'm done! No photos - my professional photographer was not present to capture the moment nor language....fortunately.
I wonder how much I can bend it before the bumper tears loose?
Tim did great. Jill did great.
This is going to be a great few days!
After the quick trip we came back and found that Dieter had moved to Moab Brewery instead. We spent a few hours there, had more than a few beers, a lot of laughter, and then we all retired to our respective abodes, all ready and raring to go tomorrow morning. Thanks, Tim, for the meal and the beers!
8:30 and here are Tim & Jill, all ready to go. The weather is a little iffy, clear now but rain predicted for later. Oh hell, let's do Poison Spider. Jeff stayed behind as he'd done this one before.
This was Tim & Jill's first experience doing real wheeling and they both did excellent. Tim did a great job driving and Jill didn't call me a sonuvabitch (as some people have done!) when we got done so I have to assume they both had a great time. Plans were to do just a little of the Spider but we wound up doing the entire route and even had time to stop at the overlook, something I've wanted to do again for years but could not do with 75 vehicles following me!
2 PM: Back at the camp for a few minutes while Jill does some work. As soon as she's done, Tim will give me a call and then, on this day that has already produced 3 raindrops, we'll decide where to go next ........ maybe the nearest bar!
Tim & Jill at Little Arch, on the Poison Spider Trail. Below is the Colorado River and the Moab Rim Trail.
A view from near Little Arch. Remember all the photos of the Portal?
Well this is the view from the other side of the Portal.
Camp Dave is somewhere near the green in the center of the photo.
Another view of Moab and the valley from the overlook. Clouds are forming over the LaSals and I suspect we might get precipitated upon.
On the way back, we played a little at the Wedgie. Tim did just fine - or was it the awesomely built Jeep!
Almost the end of the trail for Poison Spider. The LaSals are getting rain or snow by now.
30 miles later were at the historic Dewey Bridge which was used until about 1980 or so. And yes, we did drive the Suburban with the trailer over the bridge back in the 70s. Will post a photo of that if I can ever find it amongst all the 35 mm slides.
After the bridge, we headed to Onion Creek. Sadly the bastards have closed the Creek to vehicular travel so we took the county road and saw some incredible scenery anyway. The weather was so - so. Clouds, sun, clouds. The wind was brutal at 35 mph and there were numerous sandstorms.
Nice! What more can be said?
We had to play on the way back. And heeeere's Tim!
Got back about 7, picked up Jeff at the RV and went to Zax for beer and pizza (in that order). A number of pitchers later (thanks to Tim!), we headed back to our separate camps. Tomorrow we'll have to see what the weather is before deciding how to fit 10 lbs of "stuff" in a 1 lb bag! Jeff will be leaving tomorrow for a relaxing, scenic drive back home. He'll be heading south - New Mexico and Texas. I hope he brought his passport.
So my parting shot for the night was a toss up between these two photos; then I thought, WTF, do 'em both! Enjoy! We sure did!
Day has dawned. We got a few sprinkles of rain last night but this morning it's clear as a bell. Jeff will be OTR soon and Tim & Jill will be here in about an hour. Jeff will take two of the old BFG tires back with him as will Tim so it's a good thing (for me, at least) they both drove pickup trucks out here. The new Pro Comps I put are are awesome. Very pleased. Have successfully cleaned the cup of coffee out of the keyboard and, sadly, the keyboard still seems to be working.....for now. Still unsure what we'll do today - so many, many things to do and so little time! Sigh!
9 AM: But, not to be deterred, without a firm plan we headed North to find a trail to see some Indian writings, etc. At the beginning of the clay road, who should we see but Bob and Guy at the air down point. Bob and I exchanged appropriate hand signals and then we complained bitterly about the damn tourists and traffic in this area. We had a great time as always! Lots of laughter! Glad everyone got to meet.
Tim, having a conversation with his Jeep. All sorts of drippage below the front diff.
It seems the moron that helped him build his Jeep maybe had the coolant line from the automatic transmission too close to the fan and WHACK! The rubber hit the fan. Transmission fluid was squirting out all over the place. The line was halfway cut through. There was a larger piece of tubing placed over the line to guard against damage, just not in the right spot. We took that oversize tubing and used that to cover the gash, put a bunch of hose clamps on it and bingo! It was fixed and he only lost about 2 quarts of tranny fluid.
What to do now? Continue the trip, of course. A couple quarts low won't hurt a thing (it's not my Jeep!) and the patch we put over the cut hose is holding with only a few drops once in a while. Tim was cool with the fix. Jill was cool with the fix. Let's go wheelin'.
So we went to Dead Horse Point and ooohed and ahhed at the scenery, very appropriately. This is one of my favorite places and, IMHO, beats the heck out of the Grand Canyon .... there are hardly any people here and what a view. Wow!
Only one of the many views from Dead Horse Point.......this does NOT do it justice!
The road through Long Canyon, aka Pucker Pass
Have many photos of this spot - always a crowd pleaser! If there was no one here when this boulder fell, did it make a noise?
"Thissss is Red Rock Country....."
This was, IMHO, a design problem, but we fixed 'er, by golly!
After Tim (sans Jill) did Tip Over Challenge, we were kidding him about the pucker factor. Well, we thought we were kidding until he got out of the Jeep and we saw proof! Jill and I had a good laugh and we both took many photos to capture this momentous occasion. Well done Tim, and what flavor was it?
We returned back to Camp Dave and elected to go to the Sunset Grill, "Down at the Sunset Grill." We had hoped to meet Dieter there but he called later and said that they had decided go to to the Junction a day early, have a few beers there, and then catch their early morning flight back home. But back to the Sunset Grill. This used to be Charlie Steen's house, the guy that discovered the mother lode of uranium in this area. He was a helluva partier and built this house high above Moab. What a view. What a good meal. What good beer. And thank you Tim & Jill for the meal and beer! This whole day was a most excellent day.
but I'm too trashed tonight to write more....
Wednesday 8:30 AM: Got up only a half hour ago. Oh my! Not sure if it was the hike or the beer! Yesterday was yet another great day. Tim and I had talked a lot about this trip during the winter doldrums and I'd mentioned to Tim, jokingly, there might also be a couple trail breakdowns and associated repairs. Well, that too came to pass. One down, one to go.
Yesterday we took off for Mill Canyon and the BLM dinosaur trail. As the black LJ pulled up at the RV, it's Jill driving. Yessss! So, under blue skies we Jeeped 9 miles up Hwy 191 to the trail head and spent about an hour walking around looking at dinosaur bones that were embedded in the cliffs. That was an awesome experience, to see remnants of dinosaurs and actually touch the bones of something that lived here 150 million years ago. Time well spent. We also saw ruins of the old copper mill from which Mill Canyon derived its name.
Then Jill got her first taste of wheeling as we drove up the sandy wash of Mill Creek and onto a large flat sandy area. It wasn't much but gave her a taste of wheelin' and required some maneuvering. From there we went to Determination Towers. No photos here this year, but plenty from other year's trips (See 2006, Wednesday, an easy day). Then the fun began.
A short distance away was the steep hill (See
2005, Friday, March 25) we did on another Safari. Dry, Jill climbed
right up and she said "That certainly got my
attention!" If she only knew what was in store a few minutes later!
Final pointers.....
People ask why I put myself through the pain of leading trails and helping at the Safari or when out with a group. It's looks like this on Jill's face when she successfully made it down the bottom of Wipe Out or the obvious glee Tim has when conquering an obstacle that makes it all worthwhile.
Tim remarked more than once that he fears he's lost his Jeep.
Ya think she's having fun????
A thing of beauty.
It wasn't until the tire went flat about 15 minutes later that we discovered there was a gash in the sidewall. What to do? Get out Tim's tire repair kit and put a plug in it and pump it back up with air. Now we're two for two! The plug worked so well that we left it in for the rest of the day and the next morning's run.
We took a fun, twisty, 4WD road back to the highway where we checked the tire and it looked great - so onward! Next stop, Arches National Park. We took a slow drive through with stops and hikes at Double and Window arches. True to form, I took a nap and slept while Tim and Jill hiked and explored the arches.
After that, we had the loooooong hike to Delicate Arch. Bet'cha thought the long hike was related to the breakdown, huh? Hey, it got you to read this far at least!
This alleged 1.5 mile trip, going up almost 500' to the Arch was a killer for the three of us. We pretty much decided this was it! No more hikes this trip! But it was worth it at the top. The sun came out from behind a cloud just at the right time to get some fantastic photos.
Delicate Arch at about 4 PM. What a view!
Had to try for a couple artsy shots. Here are the LaSals viewed through Delicate Arch.
There is another arch that required a little climbing and scrambling but we got to it. We took a lot of photos there with Delicate Arch framed in the background. Sliding back down on our backsides was an interesting task also...as Tim remarked..."Thisss is red butt country!"
Jill got this flattering photo of Tim and me resting on the way down.
But we made back it knowing there would be copious quantities of beer tonight - and T&J even found their Jeep key - life is good - sometimes. We were also rewarded on the way back with the sun being in just the right spot to get some stunning photos of Arches.
This must have been a good day as later Tim said they got almost 200 photos!
By now we were parched and a beeline to Moab Brewery was in order where we quickly dispatched a number (>>0) of pitchers of Scorpion Pale Ale. Mmmmmm good....and it made us hoppy, very hoppy! Karaoke Dave called while we were there. He was in town so he stopped over, met T&J and we had a fun time for a few hours before we all called it a damn good day and retired. Thanks Tim & Jill for the meal and the beer. A mighty good end to a mighty good day.
I got back and essentially collapsed, hence no web updates last night. But it was a good collapse, though!
It had always been planned that Wednesday was to be Jill's day to explore Moab. But last night, the consensus was to spend a couple hours today on one more trail. Way to go! By 9 AM we were all set and headed up Sand Flats Road and did the north portion of Fins 'N' Things. It's a scenic drive but with enough sandstone climbs and descents to really get one's attention.
All went very well with Jill again driving. At one point Tim remarked she looked a bit ragged after a nasty descent but she recovered and even made it up Kenny's Climb, a very steep optional obstacle that requires a certain amount of intestinal fortitude as well as an appropriate amount of pressure on the throttle. "Ya done good!" Jeez we had fun.
It was a short trail, only a couple hours as T&J had some shopping to do so we went back to town and had lunch at the historic Moab Diner. Then they stopped by the RV where we finally replaced the wayward tire, aired up the other 3 and loaded the remaining two of my old BFGs into Tim's truck for the trek home.
I stayed at the RV, started these ramblings again and was so bored with my writings that I promptly fell asleep! After a really good nap, finished the ramblings, took a shower and met T&J for dinner at Zax where we had a good time recounting the last few days. Perhaps some planning will need to be done once back home to talk about future Jeep mods and future trips. They will be on their way back to reality tomorrow. We all had a great time! Thanks T&J!
Not sure of the plan tomorrow. Would like to do a run with Bob but the Jeep has not been happy since drowning it in the quicksand last week. I may have some work to do before taking it out, without a back up Jeep, into the wilds of Bob's Land. We'll see. Oh yeah, the diesel has not been happy either......takes a long time to get started. More and more I suspect bad fuel so may have to get yet another fuel filter and change that also.
6:30 AM up at at 'em. Too bad I'm not meeting Dave and Debi at the Stagecoach for breakfast until 8 AM. Ooops....there's the phone....it's Dave reminding me that we're supposed to meet at 8. See, even out here people know about my infinitesimal attention span. So off to see Dave and Debi. Great breakfast. Thanks for breakfast!!! (Notice a pattern?)
Bob and Guy are heading out again today to Bob's Land but I won't spoil their fun by wanting to get back early. They often stay out until 10 PM and I'd LOVE to do that but today will be my last day and a busy one.
From whence I started the loop, Tombstone Rock.
The LaSals from the window of the RV. Note the Sunset Grill to the left.
What a nice ending to a helluva good trip. This has been
great. Before I get too screwed up tonight (which I'm well on
the way to doing), I'd like to thank (in order of arrival, maybe): Dieter
and buddies; Clint & Co.; Dave, Debi and Eric; Jeff; Graham; Tim & Jill;
Bob & Guy.....and all those who helped me so much on the trail, especially
Jim and Daisy. Yes, I know forgot someone. If so, and you wish to file
a complaint, please send your comments to null@nowhere.com.
Now to find more booze and finish my chores to get ready for the 4,187 (approximately) miles back home tomorrow. Wah, wah, wah (deja vu again and again!)
"Bodies, we need more bodies!" Jeez, it's nice to listen to the scanner. They are having an emergency drill and apparently they haven't enough mock bodies for the mock drill. They need 30 kids from 6 to 17 at the school and seem to be having an issue getting the bodies. Moab is great!
Just finished tying down the Jeep and am locked and loaded for the long, lonely, depressing trip back to Illinois and work. Ugh!
So enjoy the previous view, next year at this time there will be a friggin' Wally World in the way instead. "They" are totally ruining this country. Deadhorse now has electricity. BLM is putting in group campsites at Lone Mesa with more regulations than there are bits on my laptop. And now a Wally World in Moab --- and maybe even a Lowe's?
This only confirms my observation: Progress sucks the big one!
Time for a shower, some wine, a pork chop on the barbie and a relaxing evening.
Glenwood Canyon is always a highlight. It's pretty cool how they "double-deckered" the Interstate to make it fit through the narrow canyon and then colored the concrete to fit in. Well done!
I'd put in a couple photos of the Eisenhower/Johnson Tunnel but took them out. Big deal. There are only so many bits to go around.
Got to the city campground in Brush, CO, about 5 and packed it in. Not the most scenic but the price is right! Had to move the RV to get satellite, no big deal but then stepped in some grease that someone deposited on the ground and dragged that through the RV. Got that cleaned while I was burning my pork chops on the grill. Then cleaned the "grease bugs" off the front window. Damn things are hard to get off and leave a helluva smear.
So now all is well. Am sufficiently chilled and depleting the ample supply of Blue Moon. If all goes well, the plan tomorrow is to take a leisurely drive to Omaha on US 34 and stop at Camp Clint and reminisce about this year's trip over a number of adult beverages.
BTW, only sloooow Sprint dial up here. This is roughing it!
Had a very relaxing drive from Brush to Omaha via US 34, a favorite route. 35 mph side winds became a problem once on the interstate about 2 PM but it all worked out. In Mccook, stopped for lunch and the friggin' engine wouldn't start so changed the first fuel filter and that seemed to fix the problem. NOT - as I found out later. Sigh - now what? Well.....don't shut off the engine!
Pulled into Camp Clint about 5. Changed the second in-line fuel filter to no avail. I strongly suspect it's the fuel pump (made in China, BTW.) Afterwards Tim (Omaha Tim) stopped by and we had a few beers then went up to Dallas' place along with Clint and Co. and had a great set of steaks and baked potatoes. Thank guys - it was really a nice way to end the trip before the madness of returning begins.
Got back in the late afternoon. Did NOT shut the engine off for refueling or even the lunch stop. Will put a pressure gauge on the output of the new pump but from manual testing yesterday, I'm 95% convinced the new pump is bad. Will call Cummins and see if they concur. So frustrations OTR were not enough to spoil the trip. It was a great get-away and good sanity relief. Now....can I last until the next ETD of April 1, 2009??????????
Thanks for riding along with me this year!
