Four days of Jeeping in Southern Utah

[calvinhunt]

Carlsjeep and his wife brought their jeep all the way from KY.  We had lots of fun mixed with a little grief. �I have several pics of our trail rides.  Carl took several he may post when he gets back to KY.

Carl arrived Sunday evening. �We headed out Monday morning for a canyon bottom trail. �It started well.


We'd had more rain than usual for this arid country and so less than a mile into the canyon...




...after three tries I made it through but Carl got bogged down. �He said it was because I messed up the trail. �I said it was because I was a better driver (I believe he's right, but I'm not going to admit that to him).


I went back into the bog with my Jeep and hooked onto his with a tow strap. �Not enough traction. �He was really planted--high-centered with the wheels spinning freely in the water. �We studied the situation, had lunch, fretted, and started in. �After a couple of hours of digging and trying to find a way to get my Jeep back around his to go for help, we decided that I should walk out (of course there was no cell service in the canyon). �I was lucky enough to catch a ride after just 2.5 miles of walking. �On the way to town I was able to call ahead and made arrangements for a couple friends with Jeeps with winches to come for us when they got off work at 5pm. �


Recovery complete. �Smiling faces of the recovered--in spite of spending the day around a half-buried Jeep rather than Jeeping through the beautiful canyon.


Even though we wanted to make the drive up that canyon we chose to wait for three days till one of the Jeep owners with a winch could accompany us. �So, the second day we decided to drive some mountain roads.


We found it a bit higher and dryer.


A beautiful day for a drive in the mountains.


I enjoyed seeing Carl's Jeep in the mirror. �It's a lot of fun to have someone enjoying my area with me.


We enjoyed the cool colorful drive.


All smiles.


As we were approaching the top of the mountain Carl's Jeep started cutting out and died. �Vapor lock.


No, Carl. �The gas is for the carb.


Nearly 12,000 feet above sea level. �


We had tried a canyon bottom trail and a mountain top drive, so on the 3rd day we chose a desert trail. �We had another beautiful day.


Fun drive.


Beware of the mud, Carl.


Time for a break.


A bit of a rough climb.


On the 4th day it was time to try the canyon bottom trail again. �We found the water had receded some, but we breathed a little easier having the Samarai with a winch and several straps along. �


There was always lots to look at up on the canyon walls.


Group photo.


360 degree view with the windshields down.


My 85-year old sister had never been on this trail.


Tall pines and an arch means the end of the trail.


Back to the main road after a long & enjoyable drive.

[Bob W]

Very cool!!! Thanks for posting the pics  

[Gunslinger]

Calvin
That is very cool, what fun to have such beutiful country that close to enjoy!!!  Carl looks like he had a ton of fun.  Way cool.
Todd

[aboyandhisdog]

Calvin, you are the best!  This is just what I needed right now!  It looks like your jeeps are set up about the same.  Are they the same height?  Do you have a bit more tread on your tires?  Just trying to figure why Carl got high-centered and you didn't.  Does that Samauri make it through that bog okay?  Thanks for the pics.

[calvinhunt]

Todd,

Yes, the Jeeps are just about identical. And you are right, my tires are newer than Carl's and do have a little more tread. �Another difference in tires is that my CJ-3A came with the optional 700 X 15s while Carl's are the standard 600 X 16. �We measured them. �Mine are about an inch greater in diameter and a little wider. �You asked about the Samarai--it did fine going through there. �It has good mud tires and is equipped with lockers front and rear. �Carl has better pics than I of his Jeep stuck in the bog.  I believe he will be posting them once he gets back home.

[macrisel]

WOW!!!    What an awesome set of pictures you put on here!  That is some beautiful country you have out in that part of the country.  I bet the whole trip was great and I'm glad you all had the chance to go.  The picture on the trail with all the yellow leaves around your yellow jeep would be a great postcard!!

Carl, you have a tough act to follow but we are expecting some equally great photos on here when you get back!!

What a great motivator to finish up my project! 8-)

[Gunslinger]

Anybody want to go play with Calvin next year??

[Carls_jeep]

I will �;).

Calvin is leaving out a lot of interesting data in the first attempt at a trail run. I have 399 photo's I took and my wife took 184. I have viewed mine in a slide form but I have not seen hers. I am preparing to load her's after I make this post. I will select from those the photo's that best show the trip without overloading the site.

The fact is the trip was so AWESOME that photo's can't do it justice. The photo's are like tunnel vision while the eyes see a panorama view.

Calvin and Lucille are the most wonderful people you could ever meet and planned a full five days of trail visiting which all four of us totally enjoyed.

Sunday my wife and I spent the morning driving down hwy 128 to Moab and then unloaded the Jeep and drove all through the Arches Monument National Park. We also went on a trail in the park that led us off the park onto BLM land. I went several miles and turned back when I had a sudden feeling I had gone far enough. I loaded the Jeep and headed to Blanding to Calvin. When I finally tried to unload the Jeep it would not start. After pulling the fuel pump cover I found a valve had fallen out again. I repaired it at Calvin's and had I gone any farther on the desert trail I would have had to repair it out there.

Monday we headed for Arch Canyon trail and when we got to the trench in the road that was cut by a Cat dozer we had an issue. It was only a foot wider than the Jeeps and we had no idea how the bottom looked so Calvin took the lead and forged through on the third attempt. When I tried I had it in low range low gear and should have used second gear like he did. The trench was like a V with a gradual slope on entry and a steep slope at the exit. I slammed against the steep slope and stuck like it was glued and it was. After much digging we decided it would not move. When they pulled it off it drug the large 4000 lb Jeep about 10' and when my Jeep came loose it sounded like pulling a boot out of mud but 10 times louder.

I can tell you I had the time of my life. I have never driven rough trails like those and was having a ball while my wife bounced around like a ball as she hung on for dear life. She doesn't like off roading like I do but she said she had fun and enjoyed the scenery and Calvin and Lucille. She is a good sport about stuff I like to do so I have to be real good to her.

I will post some photo's in a few days when I get settled down from the trip. The first thing you'll see is the Jeep Road photo �8-).

[Chasm]

I love seeing that yellow jeep out west... almost makes me think it's mine!  

Really looks like you guys (and gals) had a blast!

[Carls_jeep]

The first stop was at Jeep Road in Kansas. We unloaded at a farm store and drove to the sign. I had to back down the exit ramp to take the photo.


This is where I turned around on BLM land at Arches Monument Park and I had a bad omen about going farther.


This is a parking lot at Moab where I unloaded and loaded the Jeep for Arches Monument Park.


This is my loving wife thanking me for sticking her in a Jeep in mud in a trench.


This is some Cliff Dweller ruins I saw and inspected.


More of the same ruins.


Calvin thinks he can pull me off the mud.


Ruins at another location.


Some more ruins.


Draining gas from the tank to restart Jeep. A mechanics work is sometimes dirty.


A real petrified log.


This was the best trip I have ever taken. The weather was great, the scenes were great and Calvin and Lucille and all their friends were the best of the best.

[calvinhunt]

Hey Carl,
 ï¿½Thanks for adding some great photos of the fun time we had together. �It was a real treat to have you and your wife bring your Jeep and come so far to drive the trails in Southern Utah. �

 ï¿½I'm adding a picture I have of the petrified log with people in it so that everyone can easily tell how large the petrified log really is.  The man next to the log is my son-in-law, who is no small man, along with my two beautiful grand kids.

[Carls_jeep]

Your photo does put in better perspective as to size.

[Bob W]

How about the dinosaur bone? �;)

[Carls_jeep]

Yeah, and they were next to each other. I wonder if they both got buried at the same time? They were in different rocks so it's anyone's guess I'd suppose.