WooHoo! I'm an off-road 4x4 driver!! - Page 3 - Montana Owners Club

sreigle · 04-06-2006, 08:21 AM

Helen, are you serious?? You amaze me. No way would I have figured you for owning a motorcycle shop and doing motocross. I used to have street bikes, back in the 70's, and dirt bikes (the boys and me) in the early 80's. I never did any real racing, though. I would love to rent an ATV but the weather forecast is for rain every day before we leave except Friday through Sunday. Friday we have plans. Maybe one of those other days although we have plans then, too.

Sunshine, that's our plan for Friday. I don't know how far we'll get. My research says we can do it up to the pass itself, near or at the top, and then it gets beyond my ability and equipment. At that point we would turn around. We'll see on Friday, assuming the rain has stopped and the sun has dried things out. No way am I into mudding with this truck.

Montana Sky, retirement from fulltiming is still a long ways down the road. Someday it will happen, but probably not for several years yet. When it does we likely will still take extended trips. And I would like to have a couple of toys, maybe a Jeep and/or an ATV, and maybe I'd get another bassboat. I sold ours before we started the fulltiming. Maybe not on the boat. I'd have to decide. Might go with a deckboat or fish and ski.

Sweetfire, I'm going to have to google "little canyon road" to see where that is. The road we took is shown on streets and trips as "gemini bridges road". Going north out of Moab there is a highway sign for a turn to Gemini Bridges. It is south of highway 313 and north of 279. Just west of 191 there is a fee-based parking lot, I assume for hikers, bikers, and atv'ers, anyone who trailered to that point. The road crosses the RR tracks, then turns south for maybe half a mile (approx.). At that point there is a billboard with regulations, etc. The road turns west for a little ways, then S-curves its way back south, climbing the ledge in the picture as it snakes up the mountainside. We never got all the way around the mountain before turning around. I know coming back down looked completely different from going up but I have to wonder if it's the road you describe as Little Canyon Road. Maybe that's the road I was supposed to take instead of Gemini Bridges Road. I'll have to research this. Anyhow, we got to the bridges from the 313 side which, as you know, is a piece of cake and could be done by many 4x2 vehicles, even most autos.

The Jeep picture was taken right up by the bridges. You probably remember the parking lot up there. Then the 4x4 road that goes down to the bridges themselves. The one with the short white stripes every so often so you can tell where the road is. That Jeep is negotiating between the bridges and the parking lot. We parked and hoofed it. It's only a quarter mile or less walk. And well worth it.

I hope I didn't miss anyone's question or comment.

Montana_5036 · 04-06-2006, 10:45 AM

Some folks from our jeep club (Motor home RV'ers) just got back from Moab. They had never been there before and hired a guide. Said it was the best thing they could have done, the guide helped them try things they would never have attempted on their own. I dod not know that there were guides for hire.

Sweetfire · 04-06-2006, 12:25 PM

Steve - sounds like the same road. It's been 4 years since I've been back so it could be a lot different by now.

sreigle · 04-07-2006, 06:52 AM

Badgoat, there are tours all over the place but I also didn't realize you could hire a guide to go with you in your vehicle. Great idea. If I were to ever get into four wheeling seriously I would either hire a guide to teach me or would join a club where I could learn before biting off too much. I tend to cautious but also enjoy the challenge. When we had dirt bikes I loved riding but I would always slowly tour the area first and sometimes get off and walk it to see what's on the other side of that hill, etc. I like to keep my body in one piece.

Dennis and Leona (not sure who's doing the writing), the road has probably not changed all that much in four years. It could well be the camera angle and that the picture was taken looking up the hill while you were coming down the hill. Sometimes pictures without all the surrounding terrain make things look a bit different. I know it looked a whole lot tougher to me in person than it does in that picture. Much rougher and broken up.

Today we're going to do as much as we can of the Chicken Corners Trail. Several miles are paved road, then gravel road, then dirt. From what I can find we should be able to get to the top of Hurrah Pass (at the 10.0 mile mark) before turning around. The "official" Moab 4x4 trails website says after that it takes on more "4x4 characteristics", which I take as a euphemism for "Steve, turn around and go home."

It should be very enjoyable even though we can't go beyond that point.

I am guessing it is from the top of the pass that was so scary and where the Jeep overturned, right? You can bet if I don't think we can get that far, we won't.

Sweetfire · 04-07-2006, 11:37 AM

Steve, this is Dennis, if you're renting a 4X4, or ATV check out The White Rim Trail. I'm not sure of the regulations now but last time we planned a trip we were going to do it on motorcycles. Things came up and the trip was canceled so we never made it. I'm getting too old to do it on a mountain bike anymore. If I remember correctly it's about a 100 mile loop.

sreigle · 04-08-2006, 07:31 AM

We heard about the White Rim Trail at the Canyonlands NP Visitor Center. It's 108 miles and not recommended to be done in a single day. Just not enough time to see anything, although it can be done in a very long day. They recommend overnighting in one of the primitive campgrounds. That requires a permit, of course. If we had more time we might do part of it. We're not equipped for an overnight sans Montana and sans motel. I've been told our truck would be fine for the White Rim Trail but reading your post maybe that is wrong.

The initial part of the White Rim Trail is the Shafer Trail, which we did. Once you reach the canyon floor (1st level, that is) the road splits. The White Rim Trail goes to the right and Potash Road goes to the left. We took Potash Road to highway 279, below Dead Horse Point. Beautiful and enjoyable drive.

We have sure enjoyed our time here at Moab. As it comes to and end and we leave here on Wednesday, we're looking forward to hopefully similar experiences in the Escalante/Bryce Canyon area.

We got to the summit of Hurrah Pass with no problem. The last 3 miles was interesting and slow but probably not a big deal for you. We turned around at the top. The road going down the other side looked decent to me but one of the locals who was up there told me it sucks you in and deteriorates rapidly. He did not recommend we try it given this is our only vehicle and we don't want it beat up. That squared with most all I've read about that stretch. So we retraced our steps back to Moab. The off-pavement stretch we did is 10 miles. Very enjoyable miles.

keham · 04-08-2006, 08:56 PM

Steve

One thing I learned about 4 wheeling is not in a truck if other then mild. to easy to get stuck. (long wheel base to easy to get bottomed out in the middle) IMHO 4x4 trucks for fire trials and dirt roads and fields.

But if going to use truck get a winch, they are life savers.

But enjoy it with in your comfort level. The pics are great.

ken

sreigle · 04-09-2006, 12:16 PM

Ken, you pretty well summed up my feeling about it. Mild is as difficult as we get with this truck. And let's not forget my inexperience level. What we are doing is seeing as much as we can that most tourists never see by getting out on these roads. But when approach something I'm not sure about, even after walking over, around, and through it and considering coming back the other way, then we turn around and head back.

keham · 04-09-2006, 04:08 PM

Steve

I compelety agree, I learned the hard way.

ken

Sunshine · 04-10-2006, 07:22 AM

Hi Steve,

Glad you got to the Hurrah Pass. That part of the road didn't scare me as much as the road going down the other side. The trip was sure interesting, and the scenery is awesome!

Karen

Montana_5036 · 04-10-2006, 07:45 AM

Here is a pic from our last trip to Moab. This is me going over the golden crack. Just too much fun.

Img:

vickir · 04-10-2006, 09:07 AM

Okay you guys ... stop encouraging him!!! He's getting that "look" in his eyes!!!

sreigle · 04-10-2006, 09:39 AM

OK, Badgoat, that is a great picture! Did you get out of that on your own or did it require a bit of help? There's another place up here that looks a lot like that one. I think it's called "Devil's Crack." I haven't seen in firsthand, just pictures in the Jeep Safari guide available here now.

Tomorrow we're going to go out to "Potato Salad" and watch the action for a bit. We won't be able to stay too long as we also need to do some grocery shopping and get the Montana ready to pull out the next morning.

Keham, you piqued my curiosity! Would you like to elaborate on "I learned the hard way."??

Vicki, honey, too late!

Sunshine, I wish I could see the road a ways farther than we could see from the summit of Hurrah Pass. From there it looked like a piece of cake. But a guy at the summit told us that's very deceiving and it deteriorates rapidly soon as you get out of sight of the pass. But you know that already!

Montana_5036 · 04-10-2006, 10:41 AM

Yes I did make it over the crack. Here is another photo of a friend of mine on that same trip - Thats one of the hot tubs on the Hells Revenge trail - he went head over heels on his way in. Just shows what can happen on the more challenging trails.

-edited to reduce picture size to meet guidelines

vickir · 04-10-2006, 10:46 AM

Karen ... you are SOOOOOOOOOOO much braver than I! When Steve was reading the directions/description of the Chicken Corners drive ("The point where the trail is pinched between rocks on the left and the abyss on the right ..."), I came to an immediate decision that there's NO WAY in h*** I'm going down any road that has the word "abyss" in its description!!!

sreigle · 04-10-2006, 10:50 AM

Just to add to Vicki's comment, the directions state that the trail is between a sheer rock wall on one side and slopes towards the 400 foot abyss on the other!

Wow, badgoat, what a great picture! The local channel here, a public service / local sales pitch channel has been showing nearly non-stop rock crawling and dirt bike documentaries. Some of those are unbelievable. After those turnovers they just righted the jeep, checked fluids, and took off again. Hopefully your friends were belted in and didn't get hurt!

keham · 04-10-2006, 12:11 PM

truck to long, bottomed out in middle was like a teeter totter. no winch had to walk 3 miles. got help to get out but the whole drive shaft and some other parts,
with tow came out little over a grand. so now its a jeep or I am staying on dirt roads and level Fields or just for snow..

Sunshine · 04-13-2006, 05:29 AM

Steve and Vicki, I'll try to remember to bring our pictures of the Moab adventure with us to Mt. Shasta. I have some taken of the area over Hurrah that I can trace the road on. The description of the goat trail, er, road, is correct, sheer rock wall on one side and straight down to the bottom of the canyon on the other!! Oh s---, I mean, Hurrah!! we made it!!

sreigle · 04-20-2006, 12:25 PM

Karen, please do. And remind me when we see you. My memory is very bad on these things. I wish we had at least seen that trail at Chicken Corners but it was getting late and we decided not to press on until we could safely go no further.

Ken, that's an expensive tow! Since this is our only vehicle I am not willing to tackle something I am unsure I can handle with that truck. If it were a toy, that's different. But this truck is not equipped to handle any serious offroading nor am I!

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