My dang unit's too friggin' short ...

[Domek]

So...
Where you at?
havent heard much about you or you Heep.

Stay healthy

So Round up has a new date, Are you going to make it?

 

[KOWBOY]

All good sir.

Been workin'/livin' in Jacksonville, FL for over a year now.

Headin' out in the mornin' to go spend a night in South Dakota.

 

[Domek]

...Well, it's good to hear that you're doing great!

I want to hear about your trips...

It's always fun to read your adventures..

Why just to spend night in So Dakota?
isn't a lil too far ?

Take care my good friend and stay healthy.

...Thats the new game

Regards

JP

 

[SHavis]

...Well, it's good to hear that you're doing great!

I want to hear about your trips...

It's always fun to read your adventures..

Why just to spend night in So Dakota?
isn't a lil too far ?

Take care my good friend and stay healthy.

...Thats the new game

Regards

JP

I have to ditto this. I've enjoyed this thread from the very beginning. Great stories and good pictures.
Cheers!!

 

[KOWBOY]

Gotta spend a night in South Dakota so I can establish residency there.


So reckon got 'bout 3 thousand miles or so to cover with this rig so hit the road right at the crack of dawn this mornin'. Worried some 'bout floodin' issues along the Gulf Coast so figured head north into Georgia and cut over west from there.

Made it 22.4 miles to Kingsland, GA ... and stopped 'cause I was hungry.

Joint's been there since 1948 for gawds sake. Back when Hwy 17 was the main drag up the East Coast. Ain't got no souvenirs no more but the AC works great. Unlike the one in my jeep which quit blowin' cold air months ago.

This here's how a man should start out on such an adventure …

Damn-fine viddles right there.

I might die out on the roads today ... but I sure as **** ain't gonna die hungry!

 

[KOWBOY]

So ridin' Hwy 82 and 80 west 'cross Georgia and Alabama takes a man right thru the heart of the African Nation.

Judgin' by the looks on the faces of some of the Natives, reckon I mighta been the first white fella they seen in them parts. Sure as **** didn't dally nowheres. Get gas and get back on the road.

Overcast most of the way so kept both me and the Hemi nice and cool. Right reg'lar rain showers but never enough for me to have to close up the top. Creeks were up but roads were clear. Just eased on down the road and kept the rpm's below 3 grand. Only burned a quart of oil.

518 miles of open-top drivin' brought me to the Clarkco State Park by Meridian, MS. Usually ain't much on campgrounds but this one came recommended by the CottanLand Crew in the area. Plus it's kind of a safe haven in the midst of the Nation where like-minded folks can come together and circle the wagons for the night.

Not really sure how many miles the stroker Hemi's got left in 'er. But I sure as **** hope she's got enough left to get me outta the Nation tomorrow.

 

[KOWBOY]

DAY 2


Slept like the dead last night and then had bacon, eggs, and coffee cooked before the sun came up. Draggin' your bedroom and kitchen 'round with ya ain't a bad deal.

Some top-notch 2-lane-blacktop drivin' put me back on Hwy 82 right into Arkansas. Stopped near Hamburg to see Bossman with the trip odometer readin' 777.7 .... jackpot!!

But mine weren't the only jeep in his yard last night … always suspected he was a closet jeep fan!

At some piss-ant gas station in some piss-ant town in Mississippi, I had an epic brain fart and managed to lose my high-end, aluminum, bad-ass gas cap.

So told Bossman he had to MacGyver somethin' for the rest of the trip.

He accepted the challenge and proceeded to dig 'round in his massive shop and tried all sorts of s*** 'fore he shaved some rubber off an FJ-80 body mount and got the perfect ft. Brilliant!

Added another 1/2 quart of oil into the hemi and we then proceeded to solve most of the world's problems well into the night.

 

[KOWBOY]

DAY 3

Good ol' Hwy 82 took me right the **** outta Arkansas and into the Great State of Texas.

Fella can't pass thru Paris without a pic of the Eiffel Tower By Gawd …

Next stop was my ol' stompin' grounds to drop in on the Baker Clan. Odometer was at 1065.9 when got to Butch's.

Ain't no doubt it pained 'im havin' a jeep in his yard.

Added another 1/2 quart of oil to the Hemi and proceeded to drink beer well into the night.

Last coupla nights been mighty fine seein' ol' friends.

 

[SHavis]

Glad your back at letting us enjoy your adventures! Do you sleep in that trailer? That door looks awfully small. LOVE the kitchen setup!!

 

[Texican]

He does sleep in that, we sat up gazing at the stars, and sharing wisdom...... he was gone when we got up at 7.

 

[KOWBOY]

Full queen size bed and righty comfy.

DAY 4

Hit the road at sunrise and kept headin' west.

Here's a behind-the-scenes shot of the picnic area outside Archer City, TX where I took a break and posted up yesterday's update ...

The destination is nothin' more than the excuse to take the journey. The journey itself is the prize. Realize that and embrace it …

Other than a few crazy shortcuts my Google Maps deal on my phone made me drive, Hwy 82 pretty much carried me from Georgia to Lubbock, TX. Where I caught Hwy 84 that brought me here.

Typin' this sittin' in the Shaggin' Wagon parked at a truck stop right next to some railroad tracks in Vaughn, NM.

In a thunderstorm.

Damn-fine day for a roadtrip though right 'till I got here. 576.1 miles for the day with 1642 on the trip odometer.

 

[Fireman]

You drove right ****ing by and didn't even call me? I haven't checked with Ardenne to see if you called her...

 

[KOWBOY]

When I left your house, she said she'd tell you Hello when you got home. Great visit.


DAY 5

Sunrise at the truck stop.

Big rigs next to me and train zippin' by behind me. Point is that it was right handy bein' able to jump right into the Shaggin' Wagon durin' that thunderstorm last night and comfortably get on the computer and then go to bed. Can't do that s*** with a roof-top tent for example. In fact, folks next to me was asleep in the cab of their truck with a tent trailer behind 'em.

Add half a quart of oil and off to Clines Corners. Perhaps a sane man woulda just jumped on I-40 and went over the pass to Albuquerque. But one of my Prime Directives for the trip is no Interstates. Honestly weren't sure a fella could cross the pass without bein' on the Interstate, but my phone said I could so I went north across I-40. Phone said turn left on White Lakes Road. So I did ...

Hot Damn! Not only not an Interstate ... but also the first dirt road of the trip. Outstandin'! I then just mindlessly turned where my phone said to turn and went thru all kinds of cool housin' developments and circled back to I-40 and crossed under it. Basic'ly went right alongside it and criss-crossed it a few times to get over the Sandia mountains. Coolest part is that road ended up bein' part of the old Route 66. Great bonus for the journey.

Then it was a right on Tramway Blvd to very effectively by-pass Albuquerque ... the city I was born in.

 

[KOWBOY]

Then it was on up towards Cuba. Lots of fond memories of this route 'cause when I was a young'un we went campin' up in the Jemez (pronounced hay-mus) mountains damn near ev'ry weekend of the summer. Got me a lil' tingle when I seen the sign for the turn-off to Jemez Springs. First buck-ass nekkid women I ever seen in my life was the hippies hangin' out at the springs. That woulda been the early 70's and I was a very impressionable young boy. Image burned itself into my memory and I beat off like a left-handed monkey for years afterwards. Hell ... to this day, I prefer huntin' beaver with a heavy fur.

On up across all the Indian reservations. Found a rare shady spot near Ojo Amarillo, NM for a lunch break ...

Pretty damn warm across that part of NM but cooled off noticeably once I got on into Colorado. Just cut the corner there and on into Utah.


And here I sit ... broadcastin' live from Woody's Tavern in Moab.

When I left outta the trailer park in Jacksonville, I didn't type in Moab. I typed in Woody's Tavern. Hard to believe first bar of the trip.

2115.8 miles. Not a single inch of Interstate highway and all but 128.3 of them miles were with the top opened up and the upper doors off.

And I think that's pretty ****in' cool.

 

[Domek]

When I read that you went through Africa, and shared that with my boys, both of them said you're a racist.
..


great story... keep on heeping

 

[KOWBOY]

So left Woody’s Tavern after 4 beers and gettin’ this here thread updated. The main drag in Moab’s always ****ed up like a rat but this time they got construction goin’ on so it sucked even worser than normal. Turn right on Hwy 128, pop open a beer, and all is good again. One of my favorite stretches of road right alongside the Colorado River. Google it. And go drive it.

Takes a fella up to the Old Dewey Bridge. Can’t even count how many times I’ve camped here. Is it the campsite of your dreams? Hell no. But it’s easy, it’s free, and it beats the hell out of a truck stop next to some ****in’ train tracks.

 

[KOWBOY]

DAY 6

Woke up at daybreak and commenced to cookin’ me up some bacon and eggs. It turned out to be a struggle. Can’t anythang be easy? The problem with an outdoor kitchen is it’s outdoors. Wind kicked up and was raisin’ hell with my stove burners. Used my fat ass as a windblock and got ‘er done. Reckon strugglin’ to cook breakfast in Utah ain’t a bad problem to have though.

Added a quart of oil and a lil’ coolant and power steerin’ juice. Hooked up the hoses for the onboard air system and aired down the 40’s to 10 psi. Also let the 33’s down to 15 on the trailer. Just to smooth out the bumps some.

And headed on up the dirt road. Eased along in 1st gear. Did I need too? No. But drove a long ****in’ ways to see this country again and sure as s*** ain’t in no hurry to get thru it. And ain’t no use to shake up all my beer neither.

‘Bout 5 miles takes ya to the turnoff for Top of the World. ‘Nother coupla miles takes ya to the turn to some sorta resort deal. Believe it’s a bible-thumpin’ type place. 12 miles gets ya to where the Rose Garden Hill trail comes in. At that point take a left and the trail starts to head pretty steady downhill. Shifted the Atlas to throw the rear axle into low so all the gears could keep me from ridin’ the brakes. (Concept might be too complicated for you ****ers with the auto trannies).

 

[KOWBOY]

Shrinks’ll tell ya that when s*** gets really bad in your head, close your eyes and focus on your ‘happy place’. I’m on call 24 hours a day and ain’t had a day off in 6 ****in’ months. Seems like I been goin’ to my happy place a lot in my mind lately.

‘Bout 17 miles at the end of this dirt road IS my happy place!

Dolores River Overlook.

Ain’t hardcore by no means and long ways from the hotels in Moab so not much traffic. Local cop told me ‘bout this place years ago and I been comin’ back ever since. I truly believe this to be one of Moab’s finest hidden gems.

Parked the trailer at the end of the road right on the edge of the bluff. Leveled it up and ran out the awnin’ for some shade. Here’s the views from the various directions …

Here’s the view as I was sittin’ and drinkin’ …

Opened up the doors and tailgate on the jeep and cranked up the tunes. Got over 5 hun’erd of my favorite songs on one of them thumbdrive thangies.

And just got lost in the music. The beer. And the whiskey.

Ain’t sure if’n I was drinkin’ to remember … or drinkin’ to forget … but sure as **** know I was drinkin’.

Drank myself right into a nap … and then commenced to drinkin’ again ...

 

[KOWBOY]

DAY 7


Woke up in my bed. Can't say I really recall gettin' there but all is good.

Too windy out on that bluff for cookin' coffee or breakfast, so grabbed a coupla pop-tarts and off I went. Ice situation in the cooler weren't good. And didn't have no coffee, so commenced to drinkin' beer. Killin' 2 chickens with one rock.

Them steady grades comin' down proved lot harder than I expected climbin' out. Draggin' 25 hun'erd pounds of dead weight makes a HUGE dif'rence. What normally woulda been 2nd gear one-wheel-drive ended up bein' 3rd gear in 4-lo with the rear locker kicked in.

Drove down to my campsite and dropped off the trailer and headed to Top of the World. Didn't see nary a soul this whole time 'till I got way up the trail. Past where the return loop joins back.

Come up on 3 JKU's on 37's. Swear they're like sugar cookies ... all from the same cookie cutter and you just choose the color of the icin'. You know the ones ... your wife drives it to the Starbucks to get her vanilla almond milk frocha-mocha latte. One in front of me was white and flounderin' on a ledge. Bad line and bad technique made it obvious it weren't gonna work. He sure hammered on it a few times though. Then moved over and took one of the hun'erd by-passes made by the thousands of lesser drivers and/or lesser vehicles.

When he was clear, I crawled right up it. Then realized he was outta the jeep and walkin' towards me. I assumed it was to 'fess up that he's a piss-poor driver behind the wheel of his wife's jeep. But no. He said they was killin' time on the ledges 'cause the trail ahead was jammed up. Group of late-model Ram Power Wagons. 25 of 'em for s*** sake! Evidently they been winchin' and strappin' each other all day to get this far.

So let's do some cypherin' here ... 25 trucks and 3 jeeps ahead of me. 28 rigs. Let's say each one needs 5 minutes for the mandatory photo op at the top. That's 140 minutes. And we ain't quite to the top yet. And then I'll be stuck behind 'em goin' back down. And I only got 1 beer left that's floatin' in water at this point.

Popped open the last beer and turned 'round and bounced back down the trail to camp. Fail.

Aired up all the tires, dumped both gas cans in the tank, hooked the trailer, and made camp. With an 18-pack in the DC fridge in the galley.


Social distancin' ... no mask required.

 

[KOWBOY]

DAY 8

Woke up with the first hint of light and the air was dead still. Hot Damn! Means fresh coffee and a hot breakfast. Sausage, egg, and cheese burritos. Outstandin'.

Eased on out with all the tires at highway pressure. 'Bout an hour back to pavement at Dewey. And the pavement was brand-spanky new all the way up to Cisco. Which is where the sane folks jump on I-70 and ease on into Grand Junction. But I said no Interstates. And once a man starts makin' compromises, he's startin' a downward spiral. Weren't sure I could pull it off but my phone said I could ... so here we go.

Starts out pretty funny as you're drivin' on a gravel road just the other side of the fence from the Interstate.

Then the road turns due south. Weren't no signs but my phone said I was on BLM 179. So even out here in Bumfuck, Utah ... black lives matter.

That road ended and had to turn left on a skinny-ass two-track. Phone said 'unknown road' ... that can't be good. Was sure hopin' this weren't a bad idea. But after a mile or so, came up on this here lil' sign …

HOLY ****! ... I'm on the Kokopelli Trail.

Never had to throw 'er in 4wd but sure 'nough was in 1st gear most of the time.

As a special bonus, this here tool roll and bag got chunked outta some kinda rig and was on the side of the trail. Not much for tools but nice bag.