good-times-rollin

Sunday, June 28, 2015

Some Revenge and a Britney Spears Flop

Portal RV Resort
Moab, UT
June 19 and 20, 2015

The next morning, after Joe III's very brief introduction to jeeps the night before, he was in for a challenge and some revenge...Hell's Revenge that is. It's my all-time favorite 4X4 trail ranked mid-way on the difficult list in Charles Wells' Guide because of "steep climbs and descents over sandstone domes and ledges. Not for stock vehicles or novice drivers." We would never have ventured out on such a daring trail if it had not been for Dee's encouragement and having her at the helm. Thank you Dee for a great day and experience...one I am sure Joe III and Jena will keep forever in the memory bank.

Just follow the black tire marks...

I rode with Dee in her buggy Wild Thing, Joe III and Jena rode saddle and Joe and Ronnie were tail-gunner in Pearl.

Descending into the entrance of Hell's Gate...Dee took Joe III and Jena for an exciting ride on one of the obstacles.

Check out the video that shows their ride...

https://youtu.be/VQikToqQtpo

Photo by Dee

Photo by Dee...Joe III climbing out of Mickey's Hot Tub

Early the next morning, we off to AreaBFE on the south side of town. BFE is a 320 recreational park for many different outdoor activities such as trail runs and camping as well as hosting special events like competitions, club gatherings, and music festivals. It is privately owned, but open to the public. It is free to use, but donations are accepted to help with upkeep.

Meeting/staging area

Pearl and Rubi followed these buggies to the playground known as Britney Spears.

Britney Spears as described on the BFE webpage...
Trail Rating : Expert
Description : Horseshoe loop up the side of a hill. Major boulders! Counter clockwise is harder!
Requirements : Min. 37" tires, Lockers, Winch, and a great spotter - Do not attempt alone!

Yikes! The first buggy up made a great effort...a lot of backing up and repositioning for different lines, but in the end it was a flop. It's quite impressive watching these folks in a crisis...Glen unstrapped the driver in the picture above, then Jeff scrambles to turn the engine off. Driver was OK and the buggy lost it's brakes.

The second buggy up had a successful run, but not without a little help.

It did not flop, but it was stuck...

L to R...Dee, Joe III and Glen strap and pull so it could move forward.

Woo-hoo!

One other buggy tried, but after a few attempts, was advised to turn around.

Joe and Jena at the top of Britney Spears Trail

Tired, hot, thristy and hungry we followed Dee to Zax...yep, the AC and a pitcher of Blue Moon "fit the bill"!

Let the good times roll...

HAPPY TRAILS!

Up next...the little camper that could!

Friday, June 26, 2015

It's 105 Degrees for Crying Out Loud!

Portal RV Resort
Moab, UT
June 18, 2015

Yep, the temps in Moab are unseasonably warm this June. So what do you do when the forecast calls for temps "Hotter than Hades"? Joe III and Jena get up at the break of dawn to get in a 5 mile run/bike ride along the Colorado River...

Warming up for a run as they leave the resort

...then you go on a hike!

Joe and I had several hikes in mind for the week with Corona Arch at the top of the list and a close second being Delicate Arch. The hot temps put a damper on our hiking so this was the only one we did. The kids enjoyed it and got a small taste of the ginormous size and space of the area.

Our next stop was Barlow's Adventures to pick up a rental 2-door Rubi for the kids. Our ride the night before had sparked their interest to try their hand at some off-roading. Yippe!

So late that afternoon, we headed out to Chicken Corners...

an easy to moderate trail on the south side of town. This was Joe III's first time to drive a jeep!

Joe III rode saddle with us leading and Ronnie and Carol as tail-gunner.

He did a great job absorbing all the information he received, asked lots of good questions, and felt pretty confident as we pointed the jeeps toward home.

The afternoon glow made for a spectacular ride...