The Adventures of Gary

[TwoBobsKJ]

Great pics, Gary!

The KJ is the perfect vehicle for that kind of adventure isn't it? May have been -12 outside but the Liberty's heater keeps ya nice and toasty! :Caffeine:

Bob

 

[CobraNutt]

Ok, so some of you may have heard rumors about a little trip I took recently to Moab. Well…the rumors are true, and it was friggin’ AWESOME!
I was invited to tag along and drive support vehicle (one of two) for a small group of cyclists that wanted to ride the White Rim Trail. Of course I agreed! We packed up and headed out on a four day adventure that will not soon be forgotten!

I headed out early so I could spend an afternoon and early evening shooting at Dead Horse Point. I wasn’t disappointed! The weather was perfect, and the sunset was pretty decent.

Looking East from Dead Horse Point visitor center…

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Here’s what I came here for…Dead Horse Point at sunset…

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Next day,we were loaded up and ready to hit the trail!

 

[CobraNutt]

Day one: 28.4 miles

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At the top of the Shafer Switchbacks...terrific view!

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The Shafer Switchbacks...not a difficult section, but still a little unnerving if you look over the edge!

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Everywhere you look, the views are just incredible!

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Of course, we had to get everyone out on Musselman Arch!

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Yes...even the old fat guy trudged out for a Musselman "selfie"... LOL! :gr_grin:

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Off to see some more scenery!

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Easy to find places to shoot poser shots!

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Just before our first night on the trail...pushing the last few miles toward cap before sunset...

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First camp...Gooseberry Camp...and more terrific views...especially of the Libby. Ha!

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...and some distant rainclouds...

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...and then it was night time...food, stories and riddles around the table in my tent...and a few night shots just for fun...

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The landscape at camp was really interesting...to me at least...

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Day two: 26 miles to Candlestick!

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More great views along the way as we wind our way around the many fingers of the canyons along the Colorado River.

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This is a little section called Murphy's Hogback. It's a nice little climb along a drop-off to the top of the ridge. First decent challenge for the Liberty loaded with gear and pulling a trailer along behind!
I'll post a video when I get them loaded...

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...and a view from the top. You can see the road we were on toward the right side of this picture...Not terribly difficult, but just enough of a climb to warm the motor up a bit!

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...and then it was some nice downhill riding back to the lower elevations and canyon rims.

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You don't want to turn left here...

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Second camp...Candlestick...

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...and another great sunset...

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Day Three: 21.5 miles.
Off and running! Not quite as scenic on this side of the trail, but still plenty to see!

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One of the many slot canyons that are in the area...

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This side follows the Green River...

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The group stopped for hike...I stayed and kept watch on the bikes and gear.

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...and read and had lunch and a quick nap!

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I also had a little visitor. He wasn't interested in the little piece of melon I tossed to him...

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Then it was up and over Hard Scrabble...probably the most difficult section on the trail....steep, hairpin turns, loose rock...everything a Jeep owner could wish for! I didn't get pics except of the view from on top...but I'll post video when I get it put together.

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After Hard Scrabble, it was off to Fort Bottom to play in the river and cool off..yes, the river was pretty cold still!

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Still lots of massive cliffs and rock along the way!

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We were going to camp near this area, but everyone decided they wanted to finish up and head into Moab for Pizza instead. This meant a tough climb up the Mineral Bottom Switchbacks. Tough ride...not that steep, but steep enough, and fairly long.

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A couple views looking back over the switchbacks on my way up...

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They all made it!! Most rode...some walked and rode...a great accomplishment either way!

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And that's the trip report for this time around! Hope you enjoyed a taste of a really fun trip!

 

[profdlp]

You have made my Saturday night - what a great trip and great pictures! :waytogo:

 

[CobraNutt]

You have made my Saturday night - what a great trip and great pictures! :waytogo:

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed them!

 

[twowings]

Fantastic! Thanks for the show!!

 

[boboborino]

one word-----JEALOUS,---- both of you and the riders, as I would be equally ecstatic doing either Jeeping or cycling in areas like this. Great pictures once again.

Bert

 

[CobraNutt]

Took a little trip with some folks last weekend...about 350 miles of dirt road and more than a dozen ghost towns in southwestern Utah. Educational, fun, sobering, all at the same time. Life was tough back then...simple, but tough.

I didn't take as many pictures as I usually do...just over 300 this trip...but here are a few that I think might be worth sharing without duplicating too much of the above.

The charcoal kilns near Frisco...(GPS Coordinate: 38 27.618,-113 15.780) wish the fence wasn't around them...

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Elevator/mill house near Frisco

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Lots of cemeteries and little graves. Sad to see so many graves of infants and young children...

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The rigs parked at Newhouse (GPS Coordinate: 38.4784733,-113.3411040)...good group...and I wasn't the only Libby for a change!

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My son (Josh) enjoying the adventure of exploring the remains of Newhouse.

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Footings, old weathered wood planks and old window glass are all that remain of most of the buildings...

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Desert Research Experimental Station (GPS Coordinate: 38.594998,-113.749479)...like a sci-fi movie town...still seems so surreal...

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No one dared open the mailbox to see what was inside...

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One of my favorite places along the trip...Revenue Mine (GPS Coordinate: 38.340453,-113.619849). I could enjoy homesteading here...ok...maybe just lying down by the little stream and taking a nap.

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Stateline (GPS Coordinate: 37.9987,-114.0122)...a pretty neat place with a lot of things to explore. The General Store is in fair condition...not ready to reopen any time soon, but still...

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The mine elevator house at Stateline...

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...and then there is, of courses a local cemetery, which includes some relatively recent additions...

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...as well as some tiny residents from years past...

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There aren't just people out there!

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Our fearless leader, Dave, along with John and his guard dog...

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No wait...THIS is the guard dog...keeping an eye on us!

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We visited several other sites along the UT/NV border, but I didn't take many pics. I want to go back and catch them later. The Liberty ran great, hauled the trailer around just fine (as expected!), but I could sure use some more comfortable seats!

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It was nice to see another Libby in the group for a change! 2005 CRD from Grand Junction. Nice little rig!

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That's about all I have... It was a terrific trip, with a great group of people! I can't wait to go back to a few of these places to explore them thoroughly!

 

[uss2defiant]

How did your new gas cans mounts hold up?

 

[profdlp]

Looks like a great trip and some beautiful and interesting scenery. Great pictures and nice write-up, too! :waytogo:

 

[CobraNutt]

How did your new gas cans mounts hold up?

Perfect! Still solid! It was nice to have that 10 gallons of fuel...I used them the last day.

 

[CactusJacked]

Awesome pictures, cool looking trip.

 

[TwoBobsKJ]

Your narrative and photos are the ideal travelogue for us Liberty owners - you're creating ideas for some "bucket list" trips for my wife and me!

Now just have to get working on an awesome overland trailer :waytogo:

Thanks so much for the posts!!

Bob

 

[CobraNutt]

Your narrative and photos are the ideal travelogue for us Liberty owners - you're creating ideas for some "bucket list" trips for my wife and me!

Now just have to get working on an awesome overland trailer :waytogo:

Thanks so much for the posts!!

Bob

Thank you Bob! I enjoy getting out and sharing my little trips. I've lived here in Utah for 25 years now, and I've seen more of it the past three years with the KJ than I did in all the other years combined!

You can build a trailer for the overland excursions without breaking the bank...if you have the time and resources...which I don't! lol! We have several guys around here that have built their own to haul gear and/or put a RTT (Roof Top Tent) on and get off the ground at night. Tons of idea out there on the interweb if you can fabricate stuff! If you ever get out this direction, gimme a shout! Lots to see and explore out here! I've just scratched the surface....

 

[CobraNutt]

So last week, I had an itch to figure out how I wanted to get the kayak mounted onto my trailer. I needed 1" square cross-bars to mount my kayak cradles. I wanted them to go across the top of the trailer deck and down each side where I can pin them to the trailer. Total span of ~68" inside to inside of end-plate, and needs to support ~200 lbs. I had an idea of how I wanted to go about it so it would be easily installed and removed from the trailer.

Here's my arts and crafts project. (I couldn't find the hot glue gun, so I settled for cheap dollar-store tape.) :gr_grin:

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I had a local friend of mine take a shot at it and he had the end pieces whipped out the day after I took my mock-up project over to his shop. It's nice to have friends with CNC plasma tables!

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I picked up and delivered the 1" steel cross bars to him on Friday, and picked up the finished pieces today (Monday). He didn't mess around! I was excited to finally get the big old kayak up on the trailer, so I set the bars up and get the saddles in place to see how it all fits. It's perfect!

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Once I decide on paint or powdercoat, and have the bars finished, I'll be adding rubber pads under the end pieces to absorb vibration and protect the trailer paint. That's why there is a slight gap there right now.

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He also made a third cross bar for me. This one will be getting two adjustable rubber "feet" installed on the bottom. The red and green caps in the pic are about where they will go. These feet will hold the aluminum panels down nice and solid so I can eliminate the ratchet strap that is currently holding everything in place.

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All the ends will be plugged with caps as soon as I have them finished. I'm really happy how everything turned out! I still have room on both sides to haul coolers and make up a bike rack for my mountain bike if I want to go pedal AND paddle!

Now I can't wait to get out on the water and start catching some fish!

 

[TwoBobsKJ]

Excellent design - your mockups are really well done. Gives your friend some great templates to work with.

Jealous as usual

Bob

 

[renegade 04]

Looks amazing! A job well done.

 

[CobraNutt]

Excellent design - your mockups are really well done. Gives your friend some great templates to work with.

Jealous as usual

Bob

Thank you sir! I kinda like my little arts and crafts mock-ups! I wish I had the time, money, space & equipment to be able to do all the random little projects and modifications I have rolling around in my head! I can get pretty creative if I really want to! lol! :gr_grin:

 

[CobraNutt]

Watched fireworks after the races tonight at RMR...

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[profdlp]

Wow! :worthy: