Sunday March 28 - Leading Hell's Revenge
Been there, done that, all went very well! Only 15 vehicles! With a small number like that, it just had to be a good day. Graham got his first opportunity to drive his Willys MB "flatty" for the first time in Moab along with Brad as passenger/spotter/driver. The Willys was most impressive and I have to admit, reluctantly, that the driving wasn't half bad either!
With a small and very capable group like we had, we got to the lunch spot about 11 AM and had a chance to unofficially play on Hell's Gate. This is a narrow set of waterfalls in between a couple slickrock fins that requires excellent driving as well as spotting skills. Brad helped as a spotter and got about a half dozen vehicles up the narrow, steep, canyon without a hitch. Nice!
It's a ways back down. It's at that point many folks have problems and rollovers occur.
More of the same.
There are a lot of YouTube videos of Hell's Gate but I didn't put any links to them here since I didn't want to associate our group in any way, shape or form with some of the antics of the YouTube folks that did some rather stupid things here. Some are good - but some aren't!
Graham driving his flatty out of one of the "tubs" called the Car Wash.
After a most enjoyable time, we headed to to the tubs then Tip Over Challenge, Rubble Trouble and we were out by 3 PM. A most competent group of people and a great time.
Afterwards Graham wanted to go to Potato Salad Hill and watch the antics. Good timing! As we got there, some guy in a beater Ford pickup was trying to climb the Hill. This is a nasty hill climb with frequent rollovers and there is always a crowd of folks waiting for carnage. There are cheers when someone actually climbs the hill (sometimes) but always great cheering when someone doesn't. It's just that kind of thing. People sit out there for the entire day with lawn chairs, coolers and grills just to watch people try to climb the hill (or not).
This Ford guy was a kick. He was beating the hell out of his pickup trying to drive up. It was 4WD but no lockers and with street tires. He put on a great show. At one point his steering wheel even fell off and he had to rebolt it back on. After numerous attempts to make it up, he tried to do it in reverse and got further up that way! He drove to the bottom, got out and started jumping on the roof of the truck. Go figure. Graham has it all on video and will get it posted here someday - maybe. One way or another, we'll have a showing once I'm back home - it's too good to miss.
Then he tried it again but his battery fell out. After "securing" the battery, he took off for the hill with his hood still open. That time he made it about 80% of the way before finally breaking. Ahh, spring in Utah.
He got further in reverse the first time!
Perhaps he made it further this time because he couldn't see the hill.
Monday March 29 - Flat Iron - Backwards
7:15 AM - here we go again... .. ...and now 9 PM and finally back
at Camp Dave - and a 6 AM alarm set for tomorrow. But enough whining
about the terrible time I'm having 
.
Today was a much longer day than expected (nor than needed to be) but
was still a most enjoyable and fun day. We had about 45 vehicles for
this trail and the best part was that I didn't have to do any work! I,
along with Graham, Brad, Steve, Tim, Jim, Larry and Dustin, were all
just participants. This trail proved to be a little more difficult than
we expected and it was compounded by a couple of minor breakdowns as
well as a few folks who didn't want to modify the sheet metal on their
bright, shiny (and in one case rental!) Jeeps.
This day is best told with photos - and lots of 'em. Anyway, it's hard to type and drink a number of Edmund Fitzgeralds. Besides that, these photos are far better than any attempt at a narrative I could possibly give.
This is the first obstacle, The Intimidator. It looks worse when driving than it does here. There's only about a foot to spare then it's off a 200' cliff. And, to add to the pucker factor, it's slightly off camber and on a turn.
Here's Graham going into the turn. The spotter is in a bad spot (ha ha) as if he takes two steps backwards, he's toast.
A close up of a chap who is just enjoying himself to absolutely no end.
Now here's a chap, Steve, who made the turn and is quite happy. His expression changed dramatically once he got off the cliff's edge.
And heeeere's Tim with his long wheelbase Cherokee. One has to drive fairly close to the edge so as not to crinkle the sheet metal on the passenger side. This was great fun watching the large JKs squeak through.
Tim, also, was all smiles after making the turn and not winding up as part of a Toyota built from recycled steel reclaimed from the bottom of the canyon.
Jim made it and it's not obvious what his current emotions are. I'm thinking he's really concentrating on a place to take a "natural break".
I was so skeered that as I came around the turn, I put my (non-steering wheel!) hand over my eyes to keep from fainting and then let out a small scream of fear. Brad may have captured this most embarrassing moment on camera but that photo shan't appear here!
Only a few hundred yards ahead was the next little obstacle, Easter Egg Hill. One needs to accomplish a rather steep ascent then turn to the left. Sadly the right tire is on a rock which will push the driver's side into the rock ledge at the left. However, on the right is also a large rock that is just looking to make friends with the passenger side fender.
Our fearless trail leader (who could perhaps be blessed with a little more mass for this job) and some young volunteers to the left are working very hard to counterbalance and/or push away the side of Steve's Jeep to keep the sheet metal from being rearranged.
And here our mass-challenged leader is hanging on the front of Jim's Jeep in a futile attempt to provide more weight on the passenger side front tire so it will grip the rock and climb over, thusly placing the driver's side firmly into the rock ledge at the right.
And here's a good example of what it looks like when someone gets too close to the rock on the driver's side. But speaking of the rock on the left side........
A number of people were standing on this rock (the one that wanted to make friends with the passenger side fender) when all of a sudden the damn thing started to move! It was precariously balanced and that balance was upset by said members of the peanut gallery. The rock moved maybe a foot. But science and ingenuity triumphed again as a number of rocks were strategically placed under the big guy to keep it securely in its place. Right.......but it was funny, though!
No expense was spared for this sign.
No wood gathering allowed. How would I explain this to Ranger Rick? Oh, yeah, I missed my turn and ran into a tree.
Yours truly, standing proudly by my new rent-a-Jeep. Yes, I walked away from my vehicle again for 12 seconds.
On one of the last obstacles, Graham's flatty got a little air. Very nice!
After Jim made it up, his transmission linkage came loose. In the spirit of road workers everywhere, 10 people watched while one person did the work.
Larry, whom we shall now call Thor, proudly displays his hammer which he didn't use and we still have no idea why he was brandishing it about. But that's our Larry, I mean Thor!
And, as the day drew to a close, Brad and Graham drove by and flashed me the British gestures of goodwill indicating they appreciated my help, advice, and company during the day.
Yes, it was a fun day. We got out of the trail about 5:30 PM and Brad, Graham and I went to the Branding Iron restaurant where we had a quick supper and I downed a number of beers in rapid succession before going to the safety meeting being held an hour later.
From there, back to camp and prepare for the morrow's adventure. Jason, Ray and Lou stopped by as I was unpacking and we chatted for a while.
And yes, I have a sunburn, both my face and lips (no more jalapenos for a few days)! And now the weather service is predicting a major storm to enter here Thursday or so and there is a potential for up to 60 mph wind gusts. Ahhhh....spring in Utah!
Tuesday March 30 - Lead Moab Rim
Up at 6, on the trail by 9, out at 3, a number of hours at the Brewery and back at the RV for a steak dinner with the obligatory baked potato. Another day in paradise.
Moab Rim is another tough one but by the time we left the staging area it was obvious this was a good group today. This trail sometimes takes 8+ hours and more often than not has breakage and rollovers. None of that occurred today. Not only did we get done in record time, we had a chance to play on the sand hills and in the tubs.
Names, names, I can't remember names. But they had fun and drove really well, though.
On the way to the lunch spot we had to climb this very large petrified sand dune. Once again, Brad, Graham and the Flatty performed flawlessly. (You guys now owe me....oh wait...you bought the beer tonight...I forgot!)
Gary and Dena were the mid gunners and along with tail gunner Bob, made this trail one of the easiest and most enjoyable I've been on.
The lunch spot and the 40+ Jeeps.
The large sand hill is always challenging and fun. Here's Brad half-hammering his way to the top. Only a few made it. The big G. told Brad he could drive up there only if he held it at half throttle. The hemi guys really hammered their way up but Brad walked up to the top, half-throttle just like the hill wasn't even there!
On the way down.....a perspective shot.
No one rolled. No one broke. We all had so much fun. Then afterwards, a number of us headed to the Brewery. By the time we were done, the number totaled 15+. Some guys from Evergreen, CO, who were on the trail, bought me some beer. Then Graham bought me some beer. So did Gary and Dena. Then a couple who climbed Hell's Gate the other day bought me some beer. Then Tim bought me a pack of Scorpion to bring back to the RV. Oh my! And that was all before I had to buy a steak, jerky, gas and figure out the details for tomorrow's trip. Oh my again! But it all got done and there is even time to get this drivel written well before midnight for a change.
And, as a bonus, mid-gunner Gary is a pilot and often flies into Chicago. We agreed that one of the times he flies in we'll get together for a meal. Papadeaux's was enthusiastically received as a potential place to eat.
After getting back to Camp Dave, there were quite a few housekeeping chores but now those are done, this blather is done and it's time for bed. 9 PM. What a revoltin' development this is!
Wednesday March 31 - The White Rim Trail
This will be was a long, 150 mile trip! My
neighbor at the Portal, Jason and his family will be joining joined
us (Graham, Brad, Jim, Tim, Steve). This ought to be was fun...his
wife is a Blackjack dealer at a casino in Las Vegas! One meets such fascinating
people here. But again, I digress. Yesterday was a long day
but very enjoyable. 7 AM to 7 PM and 90% of that time was driving the
140 miles on the trail. Whew!
The day started well. We ran on the Potash Road to get to the White Rim as Shafer Trail was still closed. We did have some opportunities for entertainment, however, as even early in the morning Tim, of Clint & Co. (sans Clint) had this outdoor toilet fetish. Yesterday, for example, Tim held up a line of 35 vehicles at trail line-up while he "inspected" the innards of the local garderobe. I suspect the lady who next was in line was in severe distress after Tim's exodus. But I digress, deja vu. As we stopped to leave the asphalt and begin the trail, there was yet another of the many garderobes at the side of the road. While Tim went in to do whatever Tim frequently goes in to do (don't ask!), Graham moved Tim's Jeep to the back of the building and on his exodus it took Tim a while to realize his Cherokee was nowhere to be seen. The look on his face was priceless!
After making sufficient fun of Tim (again!) we drove past the balanced rock and the evaporation ponds of the Intrepid Potash plant. <- Cool link! We descended into a most beautious canyon and then after yet another stop at a "pissoir", we moved on to the White Rim trail itself.
Balanced rock....duh! But perhaps 20' high....wow!
Just because I like this one!
Graham's Jeep (the JK) near Thelma and Louise Point on the Potash Road.
I like this one. The canyon road is below.
Mussleman Arch. Some of us walked over it. It's probably 200' above the canyon and 5' wide. No problem! Awesome!
These are what I call the "Wiley Coyote" rocks. Think back to the Road Runner cartoons and Wiley jumping from rock to rock.
More of Wiley's rocks, just because I like them.
This may be the tallest spire in Canyonlands, about 300' tall.
It's hard to describe the White Rim so I won't. Go look at some of the previous links, as well as here, instead. Suffice to say that by about 1 PM we were at the halfway point where we veered away from the Colorado River side and went towards the Green River side. I personally like the Green River side better...there are more canyons and some attention getting shelf roads - as our group quickly found out!
At the halfway point we got sandblasted by probably 50 mph winds and enough blowing sand to change my black seat covers to a reddish hue - really! But wait! There's more! The unfortunate individual who was leading the group needed to take a "natural break". Now he knew better than to piss into the wind. He carefully positioned himself in front of his kick-ass Jeep such that any torrent would be directionally correct. That worked fine until a mighty powerful, mighty powerful, gust came from another direction and said torrent went straight up in the air and then 180° directionally incorrect right into said leader's face and all over said leader's glasses. One can only imagine the look of distress and anguish caused by the wayward wind - as well as the very futile attempt to cease said torrent. After some "discussion" over the event, the distressed trail leader was able to wipe said fluid from his face with an Office Despot Clorox wipee and proceed to the next scheduled event for the day.
The next events were a few experiences meeting some folks driving relatively stock vehicles on some fairly steep single lane shelf roads and an experience with someone in spandex....yet another story.
This is the Green River side of the White Rim. See our crew descending the small hill?
Another perspective shot of the JK on the edge.
Thursday April 1 - Nothing
So much to do, so little time. Today was a "free" day but that's all relative. After running for some parts today, spent the morning cleaning the RV, deloading some of its accumulated contents, and making a repair. Last night the winds were maybe 50 mph and I noticed a draft coming from the side of the refrigerator. Turns out there was about 1/4" gap between the refrigerator and the surrounding woodwork which would allow outside winds to enter. Not sure why or what happened but the dust and dirt seem to indicate it had been that way for a while and the high winds just made me notice it. While duct tape may hold the universe together, silicone caulk runs a close second. After a liberal application of caulk the leak should be now be sealed and perhaps it will not reappear again.
About 11 AM I went up to the the Old Spanish Trail Arena where the vendor show was in full progress with the sun shining brightly. After poking around inside at the hundreds of exhibits and doing the usual chatting with once-a-year friends, I went outside where it was starting to snow like the dickens. It dawned on me that this would be a good day to heat up and drink the vin Glögg I brought......a snowy day....a warm RV....and relaxation. And it all worked so well! Especially finishing the bottle of vin Glögg. Sadly this prevented me from driving to the Brewery for dinner with Clint & Co. (sans Clint). Life is so difficult at times. Speaking of Clint, he and Dallas could not make it this year but there will be other times. Clint, Dallas: you were both missed but there's always this summer!
Jim, of driving Miss Daisy fame (look back at previous Moab trips, you'll find 'em!) stopped by for a couple beers and we had a great chat as well as solving many of the world's problems. Jim - thanks - that was a most enjoyable way to spend a couple hours!
After his visit, I just chilled and now, 8 PM, finally doing this tripe and eating an extremely well done pizza. Tonight Graham will be by to transfer photos and Dieter will stop by to plan tomorrow's events - which may include a snow run into the La Sals.
Speaking of the Graham, I should point out that he did a mighty fine thing bringing Brad out here. Brad is an avid 4 wheeler from back home who may never have had a chance to get out here. He's like a kid in a candy store - as we all are actually! He's a great mechanic and the first one under a vehicle to fix it, even when it's not his own. He fully understood (after the first 30 seconds on a trail) Dave's standard proclamation given to all those first time flatlanders who venture out here: "You'll never look at four wheelin' the same way again!" While Graham (aka Greg) and Brad (aka Brett) will be heading back in a few days, tonight just seemed to be the time to thank Greg and Brett for coming out.
This is pretty bad. Only one photo today...sunset on
the LaSals. But it's a good one though. Sorry - none at the vendor show.
Friday April 2 - A Decision!
As folks started to arrive at Camp Dave for some kind of adventure this morning we still hadn't made a decision where to go. 3D was suggested by the Omaha guys. Graham, however, kind of wanted to go into the LaSals and I kind of wanted to do a snow run. Now down in the valley in Moab, at 4,000', the temperature was about 60° and no snow. After all, this is a semi-arid environment. But up in the LaSals, 5000' higher, there be snow! We elected to head for the Geyser Pass road and if we were lucky we'd run into some fresh snow.
We ran into snow long before Geyser Pass road. We barely made it to the parking lot at 9000' for the beginning of what would have been the snow run. It was a most beautiful drive up there and filled with many surprises. Once again, there are a lot of photos so will let them do the "talking".
This was typical of the LaSal Mountain Loop Road on the way up to Geyser Pass Road. Miles and miles of scenes like this.
We finally turned off the main highway (which by the way had not yet been plowed, adding to our enjoyment immensely) and onto the road leading to where we normally start our snow run. Here the snow was maybe 8". Later on, and higher in elevation, we were into at least 2 - 3' of snow on this back road. And then looking back down the road, it was impressive to see all the red rock and essentially desert below.
Our destination was here, but there was the dreaded carsonite sign blocking our way. This was a major irritant as in other years this was open. But it made no difference to us this year as we barely made it here anyhow through the deep, unplowed snow.
Some of the crew rejoicing in the arrival at the parking lot, filled with 2' or more of snow. Too bad Steve and Tim were wearing tennis shoes. Brrrrr!
At the "parking lot", we played for quite some time. This was a blast!
Here's Graham plowing through the fresh, powdery 2 - 3' of snow in the lot....doing maybe 15 mph!
And here's Tim.
And here's Steve.
And here's Jim ...
... until he got so much snow built up underneath that he needed a strap. Be it known, Jim was not enthused about this photo being put on the web, but of course it just had to be!
As we were getting ready to leave, Brad discovered he dropped his phone somewhere along the way. OH MY! And he had it loaded with lots of photos and movies from this trip. We formed a kind of grid pattern (well, not really) and as Graham called Brad's phone, we listened intently for it. Hey, at least the phone wasn't under water!
After a while Brad thought that he might have dropped it when we got out to air down so Tim and I went down the road to that point and waited for Graham to call Brad's phone. Amazingly enough, Tim heard the phone ringing under a foot of snow and retrieved it! He later pointed out that it was right by my Jeep and he could see my foot print in the snow as I got out to search for the phone. I missed stepping on the phone and jamming it further into the snow by only about 6". Good for Tim. Brad...you owe Tim a LOT of beer. But since Tim is in Omaha and I'm back in Illinois with you, you can buy me the beer instead ---- for not stepping on your phone! We all left very happy.
We elected to take the Sand Flats road on the way back to Moab, some 5000' lower in elevation. The scenes were great - until we got into the melted snow and mud. What a mess. But it was fun though! This is the first time I've ever seen snow at this low an elevation. Most of the time here it's HOT!
When we got back to town, we elected to do Baby Lion's Back. This is nothing at all like the real thing but the real thing is closed. It was still fun and once we got over the slickrock fin, we wound up in a small mud puddle before climbing back up.
Next was a trip to Potato Salad. Nothing much was going on as there were 4 or 5 police cars (with associated police!) trying to keep people honest. The peanut gallery was more fun, though. People pull up in trucks, with couches and beer, and sit there all day waiting for carnage. Not a bad way to spend the day.
Eeeeeuuuuuw! Do I really have to touch this to open my door?
This is a sample of the vendor show - and these are only the door prizes. This is a huge, huge, show with 5 times or more outside.
This is a sign in the Spanish Trail Arena. "If it is not windy" seems to be the key phrase!
Big Saturday April 3 - Lead Behind the Rocks - and then there were 12....
Perhaps it was an omen - the "buzzards" were circling Camp Dave this morning. Big Saturday is always a cluster that seems to work. Over 1600 4WD vehicles line up in downtown Moab for the the 30 trails that get run that day. With cooperation from the Moab Police Department, which blocks both ends of the main drag for a while, the 1600+ Jeeps are out of Moab in less than 20 minutes starting at 9 AM. It's 4WD poetry in motion.
Graham and Brad wanted to do The Kane Creek that day and they found out what it's like to run a Big Saturday trail with people of various skill levels......very various! They got off the trail even later than my group. But that story will perhaps be on Graham's page someday.
My group, initially 45 vehicles, got out and to the trail head without a
problem. After airing down, the fun began.
It took until about 11:30 to get to the first two real obstacles, High Dive and Up Chuck, somewhat longer than normal. This was not due to any driving skill issues. Everyone (who did not listen to me) did really well driving. It was just the sheer number of vehicles.
We got to High Dive and I did the sideways thing once again, much to the entertainment of those who watched me. Tickets could have been sold for this display of driving "skill". Unlike the other day, this time there were a couple folks who counter-balanced on the bumper and kept me from going even further over. Then Up Chuck, with which I had been doing OK, gave me a small problem and I had to try a second time. Powering over the rock worked wonders. Next was Travis, driving a Cherokee that he took up the Hell's Gate obstacle on the run the other day. He came down and not only pulled a Dave, but did it twice, once to the left and once to the right! Show off! By now the fear of High Dive had been indelibly instilled in most of the crowd.
We stacked some rocks, filling in the hole that made us tippy, and the rest of the crew came down - albeit very slowly and very cautiously.
About 42 made it down. A couple had mechanical problems and turned back. Going down, while somewhat harrowing for people, just took time. There were no major problems. Ahhhh....but going up Up Chuck, now there's a story!
Trying to spot people up Up Chuck was interesting to say the least. It had been dug out at the bottom by vehicles with big tires and required a "Moab bump" at the bottom and another at the top. However, there is this 3' deep crevice in the middle with only a tire's width ledge to the left on which to ride. If you miss by only inches and drop into the crack, in the immortal words of someone captured on video, "[name withheld], you're screwed!"
This guy got a little off the line, such as it was, and instead of pulling a Dave, elected to take a strap with some folks of "mass" holding his passenger rear down. He did fine.
Ooops! Back down, try again and let's see what I can get to break on your vehicle!
Some folks made it up easily, some had a little problem, and a few broke. The Ridge Runners 4WD Club had chosen poorly and had about six vehicles on my trail. Before it was done I had broken two of them and put one on its side in the crevice. He did a number on his mirror and driver's door based on my expert guidance, but by damn, he was going to do it and the next attempt he did fine.
They were a great bunch of folks, good sports, and later that afternoon when off the trail, I stopped at the world famous Woody's Tavern to wish their Dave a very happy 71st birthday and buy him a shot of Cuervo! We all agreed that this coming week, since they will be out here also, we'll try to go on some runs together. Perhaps they are looking to get even with me! But they are indeed a good group. I've had them before on trails and they're a lot of fun.
This is the bottom of Up Chuck which someone dubbed "Dave's Garage". For a while there were 5 vehicles being repaired. We were filled to capacity. Business was good!
Now it was 2 PM. Normally we would have been past these two obstacles
by noon. As we made the turn to continue to White Knuckle, a number of
other folks elected to leave the trail. Some were worried, based on the
day's carnage this far, and others were tired and didn't want to spend
another 4 hours on the trail. No one complained about having a bad time,
though!
At White Knuckle we got the 24 or so vehicles down much easier than we did High Dive. There were a few shows but nothing of any serious consequence.
A couple of the buggies wanted to go back up the hill and at that point about a dozen more vehicles left the trail to head for town as they knew we'd be there at least another hour or so. We were now down to 12.
The buggies made it up and made the wait all worthwhile. We finally headed out of the trail and at the end of the day my trail had dwindled from 45 to 12. That says it all! We were on the highway to town by 6 PM.
Easter Sunday April 4 - A Day of RnR
The morning has finally settled. First (7 AM) a drive to Goose Island Campground to say goodbye to Larry, oops, I mean Thor. He's a lot of fun and I sure enjoy wheeling with him and his kids. Then a call to Graham to wish him and Brad a good trip home. Then a call to LaSal Dave to give him a rough time about his rough time on The Kane Creek. Then Jason and Tina stopped by to say goodbye and presented me with a White Rim T-shirt. How nice -- thanks!!! Then Graham called, while I was dumping the "excess" water from the RV, and asked about road conditions as I-70 had chain requirements in place due to the snow and ice. Oh my! So he's going through the Rockies eastbound, and Mark and Mike and wives are coming through there westbound. It was much ado about nothing as everyone made it safely. There was little or no snow but much cinders and super glue. It took a bit to clean off all the vehicles. Glad it wasn't me this time.
11 AM, the dust has settled. Took a well deserved nap and then a short drive to Potato Salad Hill. The buggy made it up and down, in more than one way. Then an old pickup crawled right up. Go figure.
Going up....
Up.....
Going down the hard way......
Bent up a little but he drove it out!
And this guy just crawled it!
Afterwards Ray and Lou stopped by to say goodbye. Then Gray Fox stopped over for a few adult beverages. Then Mark, Chris, Mike, Julie and Charlie pulled in after they got settled in from their drive from Illinois.
After chatting away and having a few more beverages, we headed to the Branding Iron for a nice meal. While there, LaSal Dave stopped by and introductions were made. He'll join us on at least a couple runs this week. From there it was back to Camp Dave, a shower, this stuff, and to bed by 10 PM. These days are so much hard work.
