First Drive out west (MOAB etc) Suggestions to keep me married

[Stepsride]

Tips for technical wheeling out west:

Horsepower and wheel spin is not your friend like it is in the slippery east. Crawl rocks with only enough throttle to create or maintain momentum as needed. Use that low transfer and let the gears do the work.

Have a kinetic recovery strap and shackles. That *will* be your first choice for recovery or help over an obstacle in most cases. Maxtrax have much less application in the rocky deserts.

Carry lots of water and make sure everyone is staying hydrated. Moab will be hot that time of year and the air is very dry. Dehydration happens faster than you are accustomed to.

That was going to be my next question. East coast wheeling is much different than west coast wheeling in some cases. Any and all suggestions are welcome. I just ordered a new rear drive shaft and some extra control arm joints for spares as well. Things are starting to come together.

We will be doing more hotel than camping due to some of the cold weather and overall space in my rig. This thread has been helpful thank you all for the help

 

[Rblessed]

1. cell phone coverage will be your first priority with your age group.
2. stop to smell the roses, do a side trip for them. Ask them what they would like to see.
3. what is your route? If we knew your route we can tell you the historical and natural sites.
4. Don't be pressed for time, stay flexible.

I would add food and restroom also.
I did a similar trip in 2017 from Texas and it was amazing out there ( granted I was solo) but I did rendezvoused with a friend and his family in Utah.

I also used Gaia maps and some google (offline also)

 

[fixiecory]

I second the Fins n’ Things trail for a good introduction to Moab 4wheeling. Fun trail, some good steep slick rock climbs, but less intimidating than some other trails.

 

[Stepsride]

Just a few parts to make sure we have a safe Moab trip. Adams rear Driveshaft to match the front



Great add in to your JKU. Atomic Monkey Industries

 

[darjo242]

Also, if you're a beer drinker, Moab Brewing Co has some good beer on tap and some amazing food.

 

[old_man]

If you go through Ouray, stop at the local Chocolatier down town. They have great coffee in the morning. Pick up a couple of their scrap cookies. They are loaded with the chocolate leavings from the previous day and are around a half pound. That should placate the female gender.


There is also a nice public hot springs pool in Ouray with dressing rooms and showers.
There is a city run great campground overlooking the town.

Corkscrew is my favorite trail for scenic in Ouray. There are a couple of decent Mexican food places downtown. There is a very small farm table seating one just about a half block off of the main drag. Don't let the smallness throw you, it was great.

 

[darjo242]

If you go through Ouray, stop at the local Chocolatier down town. They have great coffee in the morning. Pick up a couple of their scrap cookies. They are loaded with the chocolate leavings from the previous day and are around a half pound. That should placate the female gender.

View attachment 98194
There is also a nice public hot springs pool in Ouray with dressing rooms and showers.
There is a city run great campground overlooking the town.

Corkscrew is my favorite trail for scenic in Ouray. There are a couple of decent Mexican food places downtown. There is a very small farm table seating one just about a half block off of the main drag. Don't let the smallness throw you, it was great.

Ok, this pictures is gonna make me come up with a really good excuse for a weekend roadtrip to Ouray from Northern AZ now. My waistline says thank you in advance!!

 

[old_man]

I LOVE THIS THREAD. You guys laugh about knowing about this place, but I haven't stayed married 44 years without learning a few survival tips. I married a city girl. She begrudgingly accompanies me on my wanderings. I have to make sure to have regularly scheduled pampering, feeding, and shopping along the way.

 

[old_man]

I hate to break the bad news but the snowpack this year is record breaking. On over the whole state of Colorado, we are at 193% of average and the San Juan's (southwest Colorado) are at 302%. Current reports are that the road from Silverton to Animus Forks (part of the Alpine Loop) may not even open this year due to snow slides that have been reported to be 120 feet deep.

 

[Roam_CO85]

Gotta keep those girls happy! A happy wife is a happy trip!

 

[Roam_CO85]

Its crazy the snow that weve got this year! Mountains are still getting hit here and its almost June.

 

[920TBS]

Check out Creeper Jeepers Gang fb page. Some of our members have been up to Silverton and have put pictures and videos of the snow. Like others have said, some places my not open this year, but still a great place to visit.

 

[Stepsride]

I hate to break the bad news but the snowpack this year is record breaking. On over the whole state of Colorado, we are at 193% of average and the San Juan's (southwest Colorado) are at 302%. Current reports are that the road from Silverton to Animus Forks (part of the Alpine Loop) may not even open this year due to snow slides that have been reported to be 120 feet deep.

LOL

It is because I planned this trip last year. My bad luck! I should apologize to everyone for planning my trip. LOL

I will be spending more time in Utah. I think someone said be flexible earlier on this thread

 

[Anak]

Someone already said Shafer Trail. Let me second that, and suggest that you go as far as Lathrop Canyon. If you start at Canyonlands (top of the mesa) and go all the way down Lathrop you will have gone from the upper rim all the way to the banks of the Colorado river. And going down it is awesome views all the way. Words can't do it justice.

Your Jeep should be fine with Lathrop. A Suburban might have a bit of trouble with one of the switchbacks, but should be capable if the wet season hasn't been too hard on the trail. I would want to make a call and check on trail conditions if the Suburban is going along.

 

[Stepsride]

We made it out west!! Jeep did great. A whopping 15 mpg average? We are in Boulder doing some hiking and did some wheeling. We did the Switzerland Trail. We were about 9000 feet above sea level and being from Florida it was pretty interesting the impact on your breathing. This was a good test run for airing down, disconnecting sway bar, just a little low gear action. It had some epic views. Here are a few pics View attachment 101325
View attachment 101331

 

[old_man]

We made it out west!! Jeep did great. A whopping 15 mpg average? We are in Boulder doing some hiking and did some wheeling. We did the Switzerland Trail. We were about 9000 feet above sea level and being from Florida it was pretty interesting the impact on your breathing. This was a good test run for airing down, disconnecting sway bar, just a little low gear action. It had some epic views. Here are a few pics View attachment 101323View attachment 101325
View attachment 101331

Love it. This is in my back yard.

 

[Stepsride]

Love it. This is in my back yard.

There was so much more. Next year we are doing Colorado. So beautiful out here

 

[Stepsride]

Just finished Moab. Hells Revenge, Fins,Hoorah Pass/Kane’s creek, White Rim. A lot of wheeling/Overlanding. The Jeep build did really well. However shocks are an area that needs to be addressed and maybe a fully disconnected sway bar is too much flex? We will see once shocks are addressed.

 

[Stepsride]

Hurrah Pass with Chicken corner is a great trail. We hit catacomb rock as well. Incredible

 

[Stepsride]

The road trip is done. Over 5 k miles with the family in the Jeep. Starting in Palm Harbor FL with stops in Birmingham, AL, London, AR, Selina, KS, Boulder,CO, Moab,UT, Sante Fe,NM, Granbury,TX, and New Orleans. Along with many detours and side trips. All went well minus a cracked windshield. More pics and videos to come.