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SE Utah and Colorado? 2010

Handlebars said:
The whole region got hammered with that storm. I don't know of any of the roads mentioned here are in your plan:

http://www.wayneswords.com/cgi-bin/wwlprecreation.pl?read=72506

I would bet there are lots of other roads washed out that are not mentioned.
Click to expand...


Thanks for this Alex. Other than WRT we also hold permits for Devils Kitchen and Elephant Hill is also listed as closed.

According to your link it seems we may have issue with Blue Notch as well, putting every camp in Utah that we have scheduled in jeopardy. I'll have to call about Blue Notch..

Have an email in with Canyonlands in reference to Devils Kitchen, awaiting reply.

We are in good hands with Ryan and mofo (Doug), this trip will still turn out fantastic.
 
DrMoab said:
Trailer or no trailer my Jeep is a total pig. From what I'm finding it seems to be a 2001 thing.

Off road it seems to be at it's worse. With in 80 miles or so I am at a half tank and I can't get 200 miles out of a tank. This is with out my trailer. On the highway with the roof racks off and driving 65 with no trailer I can sometimes get 250 miles a tank...sometimes. The best mileage I've ever got was around 14. Normal is 13 MPG. 11 with the trailer.
Click to expand...

Mine is much better than that. I get 15 to 16 around town regularly and it actually seems better offroad. Maybe its the tire size/gear ratio combo? Seems odd to me.

Loking forward to the trip report from this adventure!
 
Now that I think about it more Ryan, there is always more of a load inside your rig, I've nearly always wheeled solo, what between Tobe and family members always with you it adds up. It's been ten years since I carried a load full of friends with gear and with a boat trailing behind down to lake Powell - can't remember what that did to my milage back then.


I'm jealous, sounds like you guys will have a great trip, I'm just glad that storm didn't knock out the Flint trail! :cool:
 
I wanna go SSSSSSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOO BAD!!! But I have no money and my wife wants me to work on our back yard and put in a sprinking system on my week off instead.
 
Jared...even when we bought it, the mileage sucked. I figured driving it home from Chicago across the flats with the little 215 tires it had we should have got at least 20. It was never the case. We averaged 16 and the best tank I ever saw was 19.
 
Heard back from Bruce at Canyonlands, the road crew will have WRT opened back up for the weekend.. obviously with the exception of Mineral Bottom. I get the impression it's gonna be more work than anticipated.

He wasnt familiar with the details on Elephant Hill. He gave me a number to call.

My transfercase is rebuilt and back in the Jeep, finish hooking it up tomorrow. Hopefully i fixed my issue and can give my back a rest. :repair:

Wish all you guys out there could join in, would have liked to meet you all.

7 and a wakeup..
 
Ryan,
You should have stuck with your original estimate of 220 to 250 miles via Potash Road in and out to Mineral Bottom, although it is not all dirt. I got confused when you played the Google Maps card. It is 32 miles from the Colorado River bridge to the bottom of Shafer Trail, half of that is dirt. There is another 77 miles to Mineral Bottom via the WRT, for a total of 109 miles. Then you do the obligatory side trip of Lathrop Canyon, which adds 10 miles. From the river to the closest gas station, it is 4 miles. This is a total round trip distance of 236 miles, 196 miles of dirt. I am getting 16 MPG on the highway, but I think it would be a foolish to try this without an extra can of gas. There may be a 1/4 tank coushion if we were going in and out on 313, but that won't be the case this time.
Doug
 
According to their website, Candlestick (which is ten miles past Murpheys) is 55 miles in.

So figure 110 miles plus 36 miles if you plan on going in on the Potash road.

Thats 182 miles. I would bet though that you guys will want to do some more exploring in the area. Maybe leaving head up the Shaffer switchbacks and back down Long Canyon?

180 miles on dirt would be pushing my rig to the limit as far as fuel goes.
 
I was planning to enter via Shaefer switchbacks, i'd like to experience the view. We could head out on Potash.

Unfortunately we lost Swampman on this trip.

I gotta get outside and finish up my transfer install...laters.
 
His GFs back is too bad for the trip, so she cancelled. Then he was going to bring his daughter. Then his rig started giving him trouble, fuel tank, OFA and oil sender leaks, overheating at highway speed and some unknown drivetrain noises. He has had a whole series of other problems that I am forgetting, so he thought it best to not do the trip this time. Looks like I drive to Dayton by myself.
 
DrMoab said:
What happened to Swampman?
Click to expand...

hey guys .. you have no idea how bad i feel about having to bail out at the last minute like this , but it just seems this trip was doomed for me for the last 2 months,, i step forward and 3 steps back, i have been on too many rides where somebuddy is breaking down and shouldnt be there in the first place and i do not want to be that guy, i know it is an adventure and all that, but i wish to go when i am better prepared, soo,, the xj is off the road for the time being, i sold my honda and bought me a brand spanking new 2010 4 door jk rubicon,, delivery is scheduled for next week, do you know i have been driving xj;s for 25 yrs and in that time i have only owned 2 of them, at this point i refuse to let this one go so it will sit for a while before i really decide what to do with it, i sure wish they still made the xj cuz i would be first inline for a new one but well that just aint gonna happen ,, i hope you guys have a great trip, and hopefully the closures dont mess you up too bad,,,

one day soon i will get to utah and i really hope to meet up with you guys even if i am drivin a jk, its still a jeep
 
Dont sweat it Bryan.. it wasnt meant to be apprently. You kept struggling through trying to make this happen, and thats what counts. It's not like you sat on your butt up there and didnt attempt to get it prepared.. shit happens eh! Be prepared for the North Maine woods next fall.. :laugh3:

I have been tracking that noise i keep hearing, while hoping it's just a noisy gearset up front... i didnt want to find the issue on I70 somewhere alongside a corn field. This week i rebuilt the transfercase, finished hooking everything up this am to find i had nothing.. like it was in neutral. Tear it back down and i think i found the problem. It's all back together again minus the driveshafts and fluid.. i'll wait til morning to see if i'm good to go.

6 and a wakeup...
 
Received a call from the NPS today, their doing a good job of keeping those with permits informed. She didnt mention we couldnt drive up and see the damge though.



Heres an update:


CURRENT CONDITIONS

Island in the Sky District - White Rim Road

Due to the total failure of the switchbacks on the Mineral Bottom Road, it is currently impossible to complete the White Rim as a loop. The Shafer Trail and Potash roads are open; however the White Rim Road is currently closed to motor vehicles just beyond Potato Bottom. You cannot access the Hardscrabble, Labrinth or Taylor campsites by motor vehicle.

There are no current estimates for when Mineral Bottom will again be accessible by road; however it will likely be several months. We have temporarily suspended making reservations for the White Rim for calendar year 2011.

We will update this webpage as information becomes available. Those with White Rim permits for the next couple of months should contact the reservation office (open Monday through Friday) at (435) 259-4351.

Green River - Mineral Bottom
All roads to Mineral Bottom are impassable. There are no current estimates for when Mineral Bottom will again be accessible by road; however it will likely be several months.

Needles District
All four-wheel-drive roads are closed. This includes Elephant Hill, Confluence Overlook, Horse Canyon/Salt Creek and Lavender Canyon.

Maze District
The roads from Utah Highway 24 to Hans Flat or Horseshoe Canyon currently require high-clearance, four-wheel-drive vehicles. The road from Green River to Horseshoe Canyon is impassable. All other roads are open.

If you are planning a trip to the park that involves backcountry travel by vehicle, please contact district visitor centers for the most up-to-date conditions:

Island in the Sky District Visitor Center: (435) 259-4712
Needles District Visitor Center: (435) 259-4711
Maze District Ranger Station: (435) 259-2652
 
well that just blows, how badly is this gonna affect your plans john ?

i saw 2 well built xjs heading down the highway this morning , fully outfitted for a little fishing trip i would assume, i wanted to cry,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
 
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