We made a pitch last night at the club meeting for those that might show up and wildcat CM 19. It's my off year but I'll roll with the 40 next year, which will be my first time at CM without a FJC since 2008.
2019 Cruise Moab
- Thread starter Stepmurr
- Start date
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Trip Report???
@Stepmurr
@Stepmurr
@Stepmurr any pictures?
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- #24
Photos
The drive up 191
Made it to the border
Camped first night outside Bluff,Utah
The drive up 191
Made it to the border
Camped first night outside Bluff,Utah
- Thread starter
- #25
Photos
First day was Gold Bar Rim
Rob was tail gunner in his 1960 FJ-25
First day was Gold Bar Rim
Rob was tail gunner in his 1960 FJ-25
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- #26
Crazy climbing
The main obstacle
Marlin set up to winch most of us down the waterfall
My turn to go over the falls
The main obstacle
Marlin set up to winch most of us down the waterfall
My turn to go over the falls
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- #27
The waterfall has gotten very steep since I went though this in 2012
Some videos
Four Runner down & up
Everyone safe after the fall
Some videos
Four Runner down & up
Everyone safe after the fall
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- #28
More video
My grand nephew took this video of me coming up the fall
For comparison my brother went up the fall on two wheels back in 2012
Local color
Marlin relaxing in between winching us down and winching us back up the fall
My grand nephew took this video of me coming up the fall
For comparison my brother went up the fall on two wheels back in 2012
Local color
Marlin relaxing in between winching us down and winching us back up the fall
Is that a bone stock 4runner? This feature scared me on a mountain bike, so I'm truly impressed!
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"The falls" obstacle is called Butt Scratcher. In your picture "My turn to go over the falls" the big rock just to the left of the mud pit was up against the slope which was very helpful on the way out, but it looks like it's now been kicked 3 or 4 feet out. That water at the bottom is no help either. I was able to get up it in my FJC 3 years ago using that rock, but last year I had to take a strap. The sand at the bottom just keeps getting more and more dug out after the Easter Jeep Safari groups go through. Even more scary on the way down with nothing to ramp off of at the bottom.
Awesome pics!!! And by the way, Marlin and his wife are just amazingly nice people. My daughter (13 then) was with me at vender night and we were looking at his truck. He came up and engaged her, and was asking her all about the trails we went on, previous times at CM, her future as a driver at this event . . . can't say enough about that man's character!
Awesome pics!!! And by the way, Marlin and his wife are just amazingly nice people. My daughter (13 then) was with me at vender night and we were looking at his truck. He came up and engaged her, and was asking her all about the trails we went on, previous times at CM, her future as a driver at this event . . . can't say enough about that man's character!
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- #31
Not stock - it has sliders & an awning . . .
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- #32
It was a fun climb in 2012 - now it is definitely an obstacle. I was too far back in the pack to see how many went down it unaided, but only a green fj-80 skinny-pedaled up it without Marlin's help with the winch. I did see the FJ-25 following me zip down it but he was too fast for me to get the camera out!
Props to Marlin's passenger - he hooked up, guided, & unhooked everyone down & up the fall. Quite the work-out.
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- #33
Day 2 - Porcupine Rim Trail
Long line to get into the Sand Flats area
One of the several scary climbs on the cliff side
Video
This trail was a lot scarier than when I ran it in 2013.
The theory being bandied about was that the atvs and razors are undercutting the rock climbs because they have no gears and can only use skinny petal to make the climbs. Their spinning tires dig all the sand and smaller rocks out, creating walls out of previously short climbs.
One of the Rising Sun members told me there is talk of assigning certain trails around Moab to different vehicle types.
Long line to get into the Sand Flats area
One of the several scary climbs on the cliff side
Video
This trail was a lot scarier than when I ran it in 2013.
The theory being bandied about was that the atvs and razors are undercutting the rock climbs because they have no gears and can only use skinny petal to make the climbs. Their spinning tires dig all the sand and smaller rocks out, creating walls out of previously short climbs.
One of the Rising Sun members told me there is talk of assigning certain trails around Moab to different vehicle types.
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- #34
Day 3 - Jax Trax Trail
- Thread starter
- #35
Video of the bestest obstacle
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- #36
Mo pics
- Thread starter
- #37
Well the FJ-40 survived Moab, but unfortunately, it did not survive the trip home unscathed 
86 miles north of Holbrook I heard a really loud noise come from the engine compartment so I immediately shut off the engine and coasted to the side.
It sounded like a broken fan belt, but upon opening the hood I saw the belts were fine.
Stumped as to the cause of the noise, I started the engine and it purred like normal. I gave it some gas and it again sounded like a demon in the engine compartment.
I looked around again with the engine idling and didn't see anything obvious, but as I pulled on the throttle linkage the air cleaner started jumping all over the place. A ha! I must have collapsed the air filter or sucked in a bird!
No such luck.
As I was tightening down the air cleaner lid I noticed this:
Nothing like being stranded in the middle of the res with only 80% of your fan blades!
I knew there was state trust land right on the south border of the reservation, so I took the fan blade off and started heading south with my fingers crossed it was cool enough to avoid engine damage.
I got to the state trust ok, but the guy at the O'Reillys in Holbrook couldn't hear me on the phone, so I figured if I made it 40 miles without a fan I could make it another 46 to Holbrook. The last 3 1/2 miles on I-40 were pretty touchy though.
O'Reillys didn't have any fan blades that were close so I bought this electric fan. I drove to the forest near Show Low and camped for the night and strapped the electric fan on in the morning.
Not too pretty (or effective), but I made it home without overheating!
Trip specs - almost 1250 miles with a top speed of 80 mph (on I-40 heading to Moab)
86 miles north of Holbrook I heard a really loud noise come from the engine compartment so I immediately shut off the engine and coasted to the side.
It sounded like a broken fan belt, but upon opening the hood I saw the belts were fine.
Stumped as to the cause of the noise, I started the engine and it purred like normal. I gave it some gas and it again sounded like a demon in the engine compartment.
I looked around again with the engine idling and didn't see anything obvious, but as I pulled on the throttle linkage the air cleaner started jumping all over the place. A ha! I must have collapsed the air filter or sucked in a bird!
No such luck.
As I was tightening down the air cleaner lid I noticed this:
Nothing like being stranded in the middle of the res with only 80% of your fan blades!
I knew there was state trust land right on the south border of the reservation, so I took the fan blade off and started heading south with my fingers crossed it was cool enough to avoid engine damage.
I got to the state trust ok, but the guy at the O'Reillys in Holbrook couldn't hear me on the phone, so I figured if I made it 40 miles without a fan I could make it another 46 to Holbrook. The last 3 1/2 miles on I-40 were pretty touchy though.
O'Reillys didn't have any fan blades that were close so I bought this electric fan. I drove to the forest near Show Low and camped for the night and strapped the electric fan on in the morning.
Not too pretty (or effective), but I made it home without overheating!
Trip specs - almost 1250 miles with a top speed of 80 mph (on I-40 heading to Moab)
not discounting that all the obstacles may have become a whole lot more difficult since I last went there in the 2012 . . .
in my experience of running it on ~10 occasions, ButtScratcherLedge for a 40 is best run as far to the right as you can possibly stomach (yes, it appears awfully steep, but the minute your front tires grip -front lockers, yeah- you are golden
- it is contrary to what seems intuitive for other Toyota models (and I have looked at side-by-side pics comparing me in the 40 to some 80-series rigs, the 40 definitely does better on the straightest path) - I have yet to experience it in an 80-series truck myself, but guess where I am going to try first . . .
that said, there was one year where the silt-build-up below the ledge combined with rock-stacking were totally conducive to taking the left-most line in a 40 - just THAT ONE TIME out of all the 10 years I went there . . .
considering that most of the Cruise Moab trail leaders are more familiar with later model trucks, people driving 40s would be well advised to identify a trail leader that has appreciation for the unique features of short-wheelbase vehicles . . . just sayin'
in my experience of running it on ~10 occasions, ButtScratcherLedge for a 40 is best run as far to the right as you can possibly stomach (yes, it appears awfully steep, but the minute your front tires grip -front lockers, yeah- you are golden
- it is contrary to what seems intuitive for other Toyota models (and I have looked at side-by-side pics comparing me in the 40 to some 80-series rigs, the 40 definitely does better on the straightest path) - I have yet to experience it in an 80-series truck myself, but guess where I am going to try first . . .that said, there was one year where the silt-build-up below the ledge combined with rock-stacking were totally conducive to taking the left-most line in a 40 - just THAT ONE TIME out of all the 10 years I went there . . .
considering that most of the Cruise Moab trail leaders are more familiar with later model trucks, people driving 40s would be well advised to identify a trail leader that has appreciation for the unique features of short-wheelbase vehicles . . . just sayin'
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don't recall what year it was, but at one Cruise Moab we ran Porcupine Rim in drenching rain, it was not much fun then - yes, I personally didn't have problems with my 40 (even while still all manual steering back then), but others in the group struggled at each of the 2-3 ft climbs . . .