WeBeJeepin’ Moab

Jeff, Jim, Gary Lee, Melissa, and guest Jeff went out to run the Pickle and Mashed Potato trail on Saturday. Boy, it is summertime now and we really felt the heat along with the biting gnats. The Pickle is always fun though and we were looking forward to it.

Look at this new rock that fell over the winter, partially blocking the left line of the first obstacle. There is another rock up at the top of the obstacle, partially blocking the road to the right. It’s amazing how much a wash trail can change when exposed to winter ice and water.

Guest Jeff and his family flex out their YJ in the Pickle obstacle.

Big ol’ Redroxx takes the higher line but it’s not as impressive on a wide Jeep as it is with the Sammi’s.

Rick is trying to make Flipper into flopper. Actually he was easily able to back out of this and back onto his tires. Pretty impressive though.

Gary Lee’s Over EZ does the same thing. Lots of laughs and yes, we are crazy!

Here’s Jim going up the last obstacle of the Pickle, making it look easy. Well the Pickle is short and although we had lots of fun, we only took about 45 minutes so it was off to the Mashed Potato trail.

This trail has some really neat sandstone features that look like lumps of Mashed Potatoes, hence the name. Jeff and his family tackled the first mound of taters only to hear the dreaded driveline snap.

Yep, there’s the broken u-joint and a shiny new driveline still with the name on it. There was also a problem with the shifter cable that required a length of Rick’s bulk wire and lots of zip ties.

We all had lunch while the repairs were made and then since we were near the county road, Jeff and his family decided to head back.

But wait, what’s this? What could Jim possibly be thinking?

a. Does church automatically begin when the temperatures reach 100 degrees? You betcha!

b. Why are we dressed alike? Competing with Davon and Marlene?

c. How does Gary Lee drive so well with just one leg?

d. Let’s quit horsing around and head off to the Gravy Boat!

Here’s Jim headed up the now gravy-free boat. Small tire lift as can typically happen in this obstacle.

Here I am in Redroxx making it to the top.

Here’s Rick getting twisted into position.

And, no problem, up he goes.

Here goes Gary Lee. This obstacle sure is easy today. But wait! What’s this?

Uh-oh, what’s going on here. Is Jeff just showing off, starting to give the Pirate 1 finger salute? OR……could he possibly, just possibly be having trouble.

Yup! Trouble. Jeff took a strap line with a couple of guys holding the front of Drtsqrl down while he got his truck into the proper position.

Oh well, it happens to the best of us and I’ll quit now before I get put on probation.

Another great but hot day on the trail!

Melissa

Trail Reports

So, anyone who still doesn’t know what Rick named his buggy…….Can you read it? Flipper! Rick came out on Memorial Day and brought his slightly battered Samurai but his spirit and sense of adventure was still intact.

I call this trail the Devil’s Duo since we were on Moab Rim (with the Devil’s Crack) and then went over to Hell’s Revenge (always a favorite)

Everyone started up on a beautiful and warm morning with glorious views of the Colorado river in the background.

Here’s a shot of the line-up for the Z-turns. This group doesn’t have much trouble and soon we are at the top of the Rim enjoying the overlook of Moab.

Springtime is still in Moab but with the warmer (100 degree) temps coming, these flowers will soon be a thing of the past.

Everything went smoothly on the way down too until we reached the Devil’s Crack. John had a bit of trouble getting his rig to turn sharp enough and Oops!

How about a view from the other side? Yup, that looks pretty tippy.

Once we got John stabilized, we finished the trail and headed over to Hell’s Revenge. My camera was full at this point so I am relying on other photos…..thanks Molly!

Here’s a shot of Hell’s Gate.

Then after a long look at the Big Hot Tub, it was over to Mickey’s. Incredibly, everyone in our group went into Mickey’s. Some, like Gary Lee, could go solo….

Some more stock length chose wisely to take a leash.  A little bit of pulling by a couple of guys on the other end of the strap can get most everyone up when the tub is dry.

Here goes Redroxx.

Then after everyone did Mickey’s, we went over to the Escalator. A few of us went right up but the line to the right was a bit off today. The Escalator has a margin of error of inches, making it look really easy when you make it, and downright silly when you don’t.

A few of us went over to Potato Salad hill after this and then back into Moab. Another great trail day.

Thanks!

Trail Reports

The group decided to go out once again on this glorious Memorial Day weekend and Sunday called for Rusty Nail and Golden Spike, crossing over the crack and back down Gold Bar Rim.

At the trailhead, a Jeep asked to join us and although we warned them this was a hard trail, they still wanted to give it a go. The driver did a fantastic job right up until the end….but I digress.

Well, Melanie sure was sure of herself after her success on Pritchett Canyon. What a poser on this first obstacle! She’s getting as bad as Susan! I know Susan is already the Princess of Pritchett, what could Melanie be? Perhaps her Royal Rustiness?

Is she stuck here and needing a pull? You betcha! Does she care? NO WAY!

The group from Georgia was interested in seeing this trail as it’s not one offered during Easter Safari, at least not yet.

The bad thing is, I don’t know the names of all these obstacles. I just call this the first obstacle where you climb up the rock….silly, huh?

Not knowing the name doesn’t change the obstacle or its difficulty. Most everyone did a pretty good job here. You don’t want to slide too far right or your tire comes off the rock and you’re either stuck or tippy!

Jim shows how you do it. Anybody interested in BadCat? Chief 9 will be on the trail soon and this would be a great buggy for someone!

Over to the second obstacle where Monte gets the line from Jim. Monte (from Washington) only gets to visit Moab about once a year and this was his first time on the trail. I can tell you after this, he went right to the T-Shirt shop and got his Rusty Nail shirt. Is he still wearing it 5 days later? I imagine so……

Here is the fellow that joined up with us. I’m terrible with names but do know he and his Jeep were relatively new to things. That poor, poor Dana 35……oops, too early to tell that yet.

I do know the name of this one! No Left Turn and here’s Melanie showing off yet again. STOP IT!

After we finished the Rusty Nail, we stopped in a little alcove to have lunch and proceeded on to the Crack!

John realized that his stock wheelbase was roughly equivalent to the width of the crack. Non-plussed, he still gives his paparazzi thumbs-up! I guess he knows Monte’s around if he needs a lift!

Everyone who wanted to crossed the crack and then turned around and made their way back.

Then we were off to Double Whammy! Jim gave a great try with the Bad Cat but it wasn’t meant to be.

Dave Garbs, over from Denver, made it and was quite happy about it. Good job in not bailing!

Even Melissa in Redroxx made it, dragging my strap all the way. Sheesh!

This Samurai made it too after a few scary tries!

We finally finished making our tries on Double Whammy and then made it up to the Gold Bar overlook. Redroxx and Bad Cat look so pretty with the Colorado river in the background.

While we were up here enjoying the view, our poor guest Jeep broke the rear axle trying to climb up the shelf to the overlook. Being a C-clip axle, we had to abandon the truck and bring the passengers into town for a replacement. They got a ride back up the next morning and repaired the Jeep, making it back into Moab the next afternoon. Yuk! But, speaking from experience, axles are made to be broken and they do….part of the joys of Jeeping.

Here’s one more view of 191 from the overlook.

After this, it was a quick trip down Gold Bar Rim and back into town.

Yes, another great day on the trail!

Melissa

Trail Reports

Well, I’m working on the commentary on the first of 3 trails we ran over the Memorial Day weekend and this one is rough. I’ll come back and edit more later.

 What would Moab be without a great Pritchett Canyon run? We had lots of friends and visitors in town and this one gets asked for just about as much as Hell’s Revenge.

This is Melanie’s first time out on Pritchett as a driver and she was pretty nervous. We started with a total of 18 rigs today, a huge group for this difficult trail but everyone did a really good job and we kept moving right along.

Dave Garbs was in town with his unique colored Samurai and is shown here on the Brickyard obstacle.

Gary Lee is putting on his helmet, preparing for the Chewy climb. I’ve noticed more and more folks going to helmets and I’m guessing after this trail, we might have at least one more.

I was a spotter on Chewy and didn’t get photos……booh! Anyway, everyone made it fine. There were a few wheel lifts and a couple of scary moments but all turned out fine.

We then worked our way through the waterfall area just before Rocker Knocker.

Here’s Monte all the way from Washington, enjoying the sunshine and collecting stickers for his Jeep! Chewy unassisted feels pretty good right now.

Next we were over to the Rocker Knocker and spent some time here lunching and watching everyone give it a try. Melanie made it perfectly on her very first try. Riding along on Pritchett a half dozen times sure does prepare you for the drive!

A delightful view of Pritchett Arch. Always nice to see this waypoint around lunchtime. The skies and weather were first rate!

Back to the Rocker Knocker.

There were a couple of close calls but everyone got up….eventually.

Over to the Broken Step and then directly to Axle Hill.

Ah, here’s Susan and the obstacle that’s named for her.

Now here comes Melanie……

And….there goes Melanie. Wonderful!

John had a wild ride and an almost scary flop but eventually got up and over this obstacle too.

Sandwich time? On Axle Hill? Guess he trusts his driver!

Here is the video of the Back Flip off Rock Pile on Saturday. Congratulations Rick! This is the most spectacular roll over I’ve seen and I’m glad that you and Flipper are okay! Just glad I caught it on video.

On to Yellow hill!

All the Samurai’s line up at the top of Pritchett.

Did I mention the wildflowers? These were absolutely beautiful.

Thanks all and see ya on the trail.

Melissa

Trail Reports