2013 San Rafael Swell! (3 Viewers)

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We had 22 degrees in Cedaredge Saturday morning, 16 today snd windy so expect it was pretty brutal at Lone Warrior. Cold I can tolerate but add a stiff wind and I'm all for heading home too. I've camped there five different occaisions and only once was it reasonably calm. I am suggesting we move this trip to mid April next year.

Got the new alternator in Friday and everything is working fine except rear diff got so noisy by the time that I got to Safari they didn't think it safe to go any further. Hopefully it will be fixed and ready for the Bill Burke training next week. Now stuck at home with no wheels except my bikes. One bright note: Doug brought my steak home and we are going to BBQ them this afternoon. :-)

Note to Garrett: that air cleaner couldn't hold two pounds of dirt. ;-)
Garrett and his mini were MVPs on Tuesday when we were trying to bust through deep snow. That truck may be "mini" but it sure performed "MAXI".

Ace

Arch Canyon trail:

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Galen and Linda said they saw 10 degrees Saturday morning and with the wind it had to be closer to zero with the wind chill factored in. Even with my best cold weather gear on it was hard to stay warm. The little twins are tougher than me :D Talking to the lady at Goblin Valley the weekend before it was nice and warm, its always a crap shoot this early in the year.
 
Thanks for confirming that CA and Joshua Tree was the right call. Supposed to be in the 80s when we get there this afternoon. 1000 mi. on the Pig since Thurs with no probs other than needing to replace a tire due to a split in the sidewall. We watched it go completely flat immediately after parking in my brothers driveway in LA after completing 800 interstate miles. Pretty amazing to cruise at 75-80 with the overdrive. F150 buckets made the long days on the road very nice!
 
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Enjoyed those steaks with Doug and Susie this afternoon and they were great. Thanks Matt!!!

Heading home via river road about noon on Thursday I saw a tan 4runner heading to Moab. Looked a lot like Matt's truck, was it?

Ace
 
Thats way cooler than the ARB. Ill have to keep that one in mind if I pick up an 80. Currently considering another Mini for an expo build though but who knows. There will for sure be a new build for next years trip though.
 
RustbombFJ40 said:
Thats way cooler than the ARB. Ill have to keep that one in mind if I pick up an 80. Currently considering another Mini for an expo build though but who knows. There will for sure be a new build for next years trip though.
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Probably lighter too. I had an ARB on my FJ and replaced with Expedition One and saved about 40#s. ARB are heavy because of the crumple zone and they're a bit overbuilt. I don't like the idea of mounting a winch or snatching from a bumper that is attached to the frame with a crumple zone.
 
bluecruiser said:
https://forum.ih8mud.com/vendor-mar...w-high-clearance-bullbar-market-feedback.html


JIM, this is what you need...sell the ARB and be one of the early adopters to this style of 80 series bumper...looks sweet. You will definitely have to dump the rear ARB if you go with something this cool up front...it just won't match! Cobra Kai!!!
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Even though I think Extreme LC is bunk That looks really good. Jim! Do it! Crumple zones are over rated. I've seen time and time again other bumpers work properly in crashes, crumple zone or not.
 
I'll be good with 37s.......
 
OK.........I've decided to try to approach going through my photos and thoughts on the trip on a day by day basis so as not to get overwhelmed. This was probably the single best trip I've been on. Period. Not only was the scenery incredible but the new friends made along the way made it worth everything. The teamwork, camaraderie and awe in peoples faces was the highlight for me. I appreciate everyone of you.

These are my first posts with SmugMug. After two dedicated years of using Photobucket only to get completely hosed by their new and improved pricing strategy I will never post another picture from that site again. Thanks Craig for turning me on to SM. So far I really like what I see.

Day 1-2
Sitting here now, the first days feel a lifetime away. Ace, Chris and Myself (with Ace getting a head start) joined Rising Sun for their annual Cruise Moab trail leader pre-run. We arrived at Area BFE when the RS crew was on their way out but got to enjoy a night by the fire with them at least. We decided to run Flat Iron Mesa on Sunday and it proved to be a great day out.

A good day starts with a great breakfast.
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Cleaning up around camp.




On the trail!












The Chute. This obstacle eats tail lights and quarter panels. We made it.


BlueCruiser always approved spotting garb.














 
At the end of the day We had not had quite enough. We found an old powerline road and judging by the tracks and the condition of the trail were the first people of the year up it. Great trail and really the type of wheeling I enjoy.








Back at Area BFE
 
Usually photos don't show how difficult an obstacle really was but "the chute" stands out as darn difficult.
 
Nice pics Jonathan, like Ace said a lot of the time pics don't really show how steep or hard a section really is but those pics sure do!
 
I was just looking at those thinking Wow! If that how the pictures look I wonder what the real thing was like. Very nice pictures Jonathon.
 
I'm wondering if anyone ever figured how and where we lost Maxtraxs?
 
Excellent pictures as usual. I lost a flip flop on the trail. I was cleaning the Trasharoo and only found one...haha, it was melted anyway from the camp fire.
 
Monday

Monday was a travel day for many of us. The Shell station and adjoining campground in Blanding gave us a refreshing place to shower. $5 with no timers, highly recommended for dusty travelers. Once we set up camp in Comb Wash an impromptu run up Arch Canyon was in order. Some great ruins are present in the canyon as well as incredible driving.























These are the last few shots i instinctively captured before Bluecruiser's truck rolled into the wash.



 
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