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It doesn't involve any wheeling (unfortunately), but I though I'd post our road trip in case some of you are interested. Plus, it involves a Jeep so all is good. 
Around Thanksgiving, we found an LJ with a few goodies and decided to purchase it. So, we flew into Salt Lake City on the Sunday before where the owner of the Jeep picked us up and we drove straight to his house in Provo to go check it out (minus a pit stop at In-N-Out
).
For those who are curious, here are the main specs:
2005 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited
5.7L Hemi/545rfe Automatic Trans Conversion (Dodge Ram 1500)
NP231hd T/Case With Heavy Duty Short Shaft Conversion (Dodge front half)
Tera CRD60R Front Axle with ARB Air Locker, 4.88 Gears, 35 Spline inner and outer shafts with Warn Premium Hubs
Tera CRD60R Rear Axle with 4.88 Gears, Hardened 35 Spline shafts, Detroit Locker and disc brakes with internal E-Brake
4" Teraflex Pro LCG Suspension System
16" Sway Away Remote Res. Triple Rate Coilover Shocks In The Front - 3.5" coils+shocks in the Rear
GenRight Full Body Armor High Fender Kit w/3" Fender Flares And Custom Cut Rear Corners For Wheelbase Stretch (109”), Rock Sliders, LED Lights
5-40x13.50R17 GoodYear MTR's on 17x10 Chrome Rims
Full PSC Hydro Assist System
Warn 9.5TI Winch, Custom Front Bumper, Currie Rear With Spare
Lots of custom fab work done.
Monday morning, we left from LaVell Edwards stadium in downtown Provo and headed straight for Moab.
We arrived there right after lunch and after a quick burger at the Moab Diner, we were off to Arches National Park. What a sight, the landscape is really breathtaking and the weather was cooperating. Although really windy which made it for chilly temperatures, the sky was blue and the sun was out giving some really nice colors on the rocks.
After Arches, we proceeded to our hotel for the night and we chose the Red Cliffs Inn which also doubles as a winery, working ranch, and fairly extensive film location. Normally at $220/night, we ended up in a King suite with an extra pull out bed and a small kitchenette, all of this on the banks of the Colorado river and for the incredible price of $79/night, a real no brainer. So, we drove on Hwy 128 for 14 miles which was very cool and arrived at our destination.
Highway 128
The Lodge
The view from our suite
The next day, we headed back towards Moab and visited Dead Horse. The sights are incredible and you quickly realize how small you are. Unfortunately, we did not have time for Canyonlands, so we’ll have to come back.
Before heading out, we checked on the weather since we had heard a storm was heading our way. We spoke with some folks who told us we could get to Ouray before the storm, but that we should prepare for an extended stay since a major blizzard was called for and the roads out of there would most likely be closed. Added that we were in a new-to-us vehicle, we chose a “safer” alternative and headed to Glenwood Springs instead. We figured that if the storm were to delay us, we should get a little jump on it so not to lose too much time.
So, off we went and about 3.5 hours later we arrived in Glenwood Springs. It is a beautiful small town tucked in a gorgeous canyon, and it is the home of the “Spa of the Rockies”. What a treat to be able to soak in the middle of winter looking at the snow capped mountains surrounding you, especially after a long drive. The very nice size therapy pool is at a constant 104F and the even nicer size main pool (400ftx100ft) is around 90F-93F.
The next day, we woke up to the blizzard that was expected. It had snowed all night, it was still snowing, and the visibility was not great. So, after a nice breakfast, we went back to the hot springs for another soaking. Nothing like being in a pool with the snow falling on you.
We hit the road around noon and we were not sure where we would spend the night. We caught up to the blizzard and the drive through Vail pass and the Eisenhower tunnel was as crappy as it could get without shutting down the interstate. The LJ performed extremely well, and I was taking it super easy so not to get an unpleasant surprise. Then, after Idaho Springs, all of a sudden the snow was gone, just weird. However, on I-25 past Denver, the winds picked up and the temperatures dropped like crazy. It got a little hairy, so we called it the night and stopped in Cheyenne at a super cheesy Super 8 motel. The bad thing is that we were in Cheyenne, the good thing is that a major truck stop was ½ mile down the road. I saw some fluid dripping from the front, investigated a little, and found that the lower radiator hose was leaking a bit. Turned out to be a loose hose clamp, pressure tested the system, all was good (at least for the trip, turns out the water pump is going out) and $40 later we were in a hurry to leave Cheyenne for the Black Hills.
The good news was that I-25 was open (I-80 was shut down), the bad news was that the winds were 60+mph according to the signs on the freeway and the tipped over big rigs. The drive not only sucked because of the wind, but also from the lack of scenery, that was brutal. While checking my fluids in Cheyenne, I noticed that the power steering was a little on the low side, so I stopped in Wheatland to hit the gas stations for some ATF+4 (truck stop did not have any). No luck in finding some, but I realized that the door straps are not that strong. In a bonehead move, I forgot to park into the wind, opened my door and watched it swing out like a bullet and slam into the front fender. A beauty scratch but no damage except to my ego and the strap. Needless to say that I felt really dumb.
Around Thanksgiving, we found an LJ with a few goodies and decided to purchase it. So, we flew into Salt Lake City on the Sunday before where the owner of the Jeep picked us up and we drove straight to his house in Provo to go check it out (minus a pit stop at In-N-Out
).For those who are curious, here are the main specs:
2005 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited
5.7L Hemi/545rfe Automatic Trans Conversion (Dodge Ram 1500)
NP231hd T/Case With Heavy Duty Short Shaft Conversion (Dodge front half)
Tera CRD60R Front Axle with ARB Air Locker, 4.88 Gears, 35 Spline inner and outer shafts with Warn Premium Hubs
Tera CRD60R Rear Axle with 4.88 Gears, Hardened 35 Spline shafts, Detroit Locker and disc brakes with internal E-Brake
4" Teraflex Pro LCG Suspension System
16" Sway Away Remote Res. Triple Rate Coilover Shocks In The Front - 3.5" coils+shocks in the Rear
GenRight Full Body Armor High Fender Kit w/3" Fender Flares And Custom Cut Rear Corners For Wheelbase Stretch (109”), Rock Sliders, LED Lights
5-40x13.50R17 GoodYear MTR's on 17x10 Chrome Rims
Full PSC Hydro Assist System
Warn 9.5TI Winch, Custom Front Bumper, Currie Rear With Spare
Lots of custom fab work done.
Monday morning, we left from LaVell Edwards stadium in downtown Provo and headed straight for Moab.
We arrived there right after lunch and after a quick burger at the Moab Diner, we were off to Arches National Park. What a sight, the landscape is really breathtaking and the weather was cooperating. Although really windy which made it for chilly temperatures, the sky was blue and the sun was out giving some really nice colors on the rocks.
After Arches, we proceeded to our hotel for the night and we chose the Red Cliffs Inn which also doubles as a winery, working ranch, and fairly extensive film location. Normally at $220/night, we ended up in a King suite with an extra pull out bed and a small kitchenette, all of this on the banks of the Colorado river and for the incredible price of $79/night, a real no brainer. So, we drove on Hwy 128 for 14 miles which was very cool and arrived at our destination.
Highway 128
The Lodge
The view from our suite
The next day, we headed back towards Moab and visited Dead Horse. The sights are incredible and you quickly realize how small you are. Unfortunately, we did not have time for Canyonlands, so we’ll have to come back.
Before heading out, we checked on the weather since we had heard a storm was heading our way. We spoke with some folks who told us we could get to Ouray before the storm, but that we should prepare for an extended stay since a major blizzard was called for and the roads out of there would most likely be closed. Added that we were in a new-to-us vehicle, we chose a “safer” alternative and headed to Glenwood Springs instead. We figured that if the storm were to delay us, we should get a little jump on it so not to lose too much time.
So, off we went and about 3.5 hours later we arrived in Glenwood Springs. It is a beautiful small town tucked in a gorgeous canyon, and it is the home of the “Spa of the Rockies”. What a treat to be able to soak in the middle of winter looking at the snow capped mountains surrounding you, especially after a long drive. The very nice size therapy pool is at a constant 104F and the even nicer size main pool (400ftx100ft) is around 90F-93F.
The next day, we woke up to the blizzard that was expected. It had snowed all night, it was still snowing, and the visibility was not great. So, after a nice breakfast, we went back to the hot springs for another soaking. Nothing like being in a pool with the snow falling on you.
We hit the road around noon and we were not sure where we would spend the night. We caught up to the blizzard and the drive through Vail pass and the Eisenhower tunnel was as crappy as it could get without shutting down the interstate. The LJ performed extremely well, and I was taking it super easy so not to get an unpleasant surprise. Then, after Idaho Springs, all of a sudden the snow was gone, just weird. However, on I-25 past Denver, the winds picked up and the temperatures dropped like crazy. It got a little hairy, so we called it the night and stopped in Cheyenne at a super cheesy Super 8 motel. The bad thing is that we were in Cheyenne, the good thing is that a major truck stop was ½ mile down the road. I saw some fluid dripping from the front, investigated a little, and found that the lower radiator hose was leaking a bit. Turned out to be a loose hose clamp, pressure tested the system, all was good (at least for the trip, turns out the water pump is going out) and $40 later we were in a hurry to leave Cheyenne for the Black Hills.
The good news was that I-25 was open (I-80 was shut down), the bad news was that the winds were 60+mph according to the signs on the freeway and the tipped over big rigs. The drive not only sucked because of the wind, but also from the lack of scenery, that was brutal. While checking my fluids in Cheyenne, I noticed that the power steering was a little on the low side, so I stopped in Wheatland to hit the gas stations for some ATF+4 (truck stop did not have any). No luck in finding some, but I realized that the door straps are not that strong. In a bonehead move, I forgot to park into the wind, opened my door and watched it swing out like a bullet and slam into the front fender. A beauty scratch but no damage except to my ego and the strap. Needless to say that I felt really dumb.
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