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What I learned at the crawl 2015 edition

FlexdXJ

NAXJA Forum User
NAXJA Memorial Lifetime Member
Location
Columbus, In
When it rains in Harlan, it rains a lot and its still a blast

Cooper STT's work in mud

Joshooha is dumber than I thought, in an awesome way

$700 J trucks can do 1100 mile road trips(and apparently go over 80mph)

The trails can be fun even if you're babying your jeep

I forgot to tighten a PCM ground after the engine swap

I need to redo my suspension

More to come...
 
A cabin is worth paying for.

You can make it from the end of Mason Jar to the campground in 22 minutes if you run 40 mph the entire way down the mountain.

I should probably run more than 6 psi in each tire.

Mason Jar is nasty in the rain. (I already knew that but I'm 100% certain of it now)

My winch works well.

My Jeep can fly.
 
I don't know how to drive.

Red labels work good wet, but not in sloppy mud.

Trees like my Jeep.

You can get anything you want in Harlan with a dime bag.

The subway in Evarts is entertaining.

Andy's Jeep can fly.

I need a better music set up in my Jeep and truck.

My trance mission gets too hot.

Not many people wheel past 2PM :)

Gotta just let the pulling tire do the work.
 
Having access to a tow pig makes life much, much easier.

Cabins are still the way to go in Harlan.

My STT's continue to impress me.

1-ton steering blows.

My power steering pump needs replacing.

Blown rear shocks make for a bouncy weekend.

Black Mountain has lots of history that can be found with a little bit of exploring.

No matter how hard you try, there's always somebody complaining about something.

Molly apparently has no idea what to do with her hands when there are lit bottle rockets in them.

NAXJA SEC still rocks!
 
Didn't really learn this, but the Crawl is an awesome event
Cabins are worth the cost
Rain wheelin can make for interesting trails
Hanging with rigs on 40s and 42s is possible
My rear spring rates are too soft
BrianHO is good at holding onto a rollcage while holding an umbrella
 
  • BBQ is the way to go
  • It is possible to get down the mountain safely with only 3 brakes
  • I should have waited until I got a new spare tire mounted on the back before I set my shackle angles. Now I have to redo them.
  • I love cabins in the rain.
  • Sometimes you even need to be winched off of a bypass
  • I need to pack CDs for the Sunday morning drive home - since all the radio will pull in are preachers giving sermons.
  • I know everyone now - thanks to setting up and passing out registration packets.
  • It's tough to get new registration and sign up processes in place without full buy in.
  • Baofeng makes a nice little handset radio
  • The coal mines are cool - and hopefully next year dry enough to walk into
  • Black Mountain needs to make the access road to middle fork a "one way up only" until at least 10 in the morning to avoid traffic jams - or at least require 4 wheelers and RZRs to take the drop off side of the trail when passing.
  • Lots of people got "balance beads....and a hammer" this year.
  • Wade and Lisa were married on my daughter's 9th birthday...and I bet their reception was way more fun than having 4 nine year old girls in the house for a sleepover
  • I really like the Firestone Destination MT's
  • From January 1 to June 30 I drove my XJ 1199 miles total. From July 1 to July 5 I drove 758.
 
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- Cabins... yeah.
- Riding shotgun all weekend due to a broken foot is way better than moping around at home.
- I have really good friends in my NAXJA family.
- Sometimes you get a really good return on a small investment in raffle tickets...
- J-TRUCK!!!!
 
My 12 year old son has a heavier right foot than me.

Eel snot does exist.

Sometimes it doesn't matter what the wheelbase is...you just get stuck!

I need to take 2 weeks of vacation next year
 
The Comfort Inn is a nice place to stay, just a tad on the pricy side.. The free breakfast is a plus, if not the Big Box mart is right down the street.

Going up the Putney access road in two wheel drive with a wounded Aussie locker in your Chrysler 8.25 will not make for a good ride home back to Georgia.

ROCKS....Need softer shocks for the damn rocks.. and a neck brace.

Two door XJ's never leave a brother behind.

The Durango steering box swap did not work out like the internet said it would. Hmmm.

Need to by more raffle tickets next time!!!
 
A waterproof tent is only waterproof for so many days.

I really need a whole week in Harlan. Last year spoiled me.

Crawl is still fun in the rain but i rather have sun.

Despite what I heard from others, the pavilion was a cool add on and just in time. Two years ago was an interesting raffle evening.

Jim can start a fire after everything has been rained on for days.

Barefoot is awesome for sloppy mud, unless you are on a hill or MOUNTAIN!

Lisa knows her priorities when she gracefully falls. Save the food!

BBQ!

This was my first crawl without my rig and I still have a blast!

Justin does a great fireworks show and shuts local competition down.
 
  • It's great to see all my friends again and meet new ones
  • Harlan Coal Burners know BBQ
  • BrianHO is a great guy and supporter of the Crawl
  • The Baofeng FRS radios are the only way to go
  • You will see turtles, copperheads and deer on the trails in Harlan
  • The Pavilion is nice to have
  • Don't listen to High2by when he says "get out of the ruts"
  • I need to make a lot of improvements to my rig before next year
  • We see cool stuff when we wheel Harlan - coal mines, sunsets, and an abandoned loco sheds
  • Black Mountain ORVP likes NAXJA - the sign said so
  • Recovering from a flop with your own winch is pretty cool - thanks Jim, Sarah, Nick and Mark for the help.
  • A locker in the rear axle makes you forget you are only in 2 wheel drive
  • I'll be back next year
  • Getting ice cream at the General Store has become a tradition
  • The helipad in the rain is still cool - in both ways
 
When you drive your shit to the crawl, you tend to keep your head on straighter

Brakes are over rated when you have low range

Broncos make shitty wheel chocks

Long wheel base low cg trucks like to belly rub everything.
 
Check the weather before heading to Harlan.

A cabin is probably a wise investment for this trip.

There's absolutely no reason to not cook a steak in bacon grease at 9am on the 4th of July.

Moon rockets will blow up in your hand.

Roman candles are fun to shoot at each other.

Tim's Jeep stops at bottle rocket crossings.

Clay's Bronco can't Lower Rock Garden.

J-trucks are like the best ride in a dryer you will ever have, especially with no brakes.

Aaron's Jeep rides like a Cadillac.

GoPros take incredible pictures and videos.

This event is a blast, even if your can't bring your rig.

The old mining structures are just freaking cool.
 
More things I learned:

Raise hell, praise Dale!!!

Josh has lots of "Tallent"

Emily keeps Clay in line

Do you even Bro?

Brad gets wrecked when he mixes liqour with Busch light

Steak and bacon can be warmed up in no time on your engine

Mac can grow a beard

People you hardly know will help you all day
Like they are family
 
Candied Bacon is awesome!
 
Jack is real sorry his daddy messed up and rolled his rig
Shawn is like Forest Gump when you tell him to hit something with speed. He keeps going past the trail till people yell at him to stop.
Glen can go through a whole weekend and not break anything major
"Don't worry I'm an engineer" can convince NAXJA folks that your redneck idea to move a motor will work.
Sarah can drive lower rock garden
 
No tent is water proof.
I need longer shocks.
I completely agree with the "one way" idea.....
Yeah, I'm the one who blew a tire anchoring Jon from rollin down the mountain trying to avoid the "Razr's" at 9:30am!
Everyone is cool, and evryone sticks together.
NAXJA did a nice job taking care of us.
Made out like a bandit onthe raffle!
My wife can be a real bitch in the rain.
New guy on campus.....Hi everyone! More to come when I figure out the site.
 
My tires owned the mud hole at Can Opener.
My tires can work decent in the nasty wet hills of KY.
My jeep does have some power to that tiny motor! Just not enough!
Jim is awesome to wheel with even when he blocks the exit you are planning on taking.....
I have a very bad leak that I'm in the process of fixing!
My jeep needs to go on a diet like I did!
I have an awesome girlfriend that is a blast to camp and wheel with.
Wheeling in small groups is king! You can really cover some ground!
This was one of the best crawls I have attended in 14 years of attending the Crawl! party1:
 
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