[jeep-newbie]

It's time to move!!! I could NEVER live in MPLS again!

[4wmm]

Wait, it sounds like this Jeep has 40's, is new to you, and is very streetable if you're driving it all that way.

Do share. What did you get?

[Lawrence]

Originally Posted by jeep-newbie

It's time to move!!! I could NEVER live in MPLS again!

I moved there from SoCal, someone told me that the weather would be nicer.

Originally Posted by 4wmm

Wait, it sounds like this Jeep has 40's, is new to you, and is very streetable if you're driving it all that way.
Do share. What did you get?

2005 LJ, 5.7L Hemi, D60s, 4" Teraflex Pro LCG, stretched wheelbase, coilovers up front, PSC hydro steering, 40" MTRs. There is more stuff but that about sums it up.

So, I have revised the route a bit, the old saying holds true "too many places, too little time". Adding that I am also trying to anticipate the weather, makes it for a tough choice.

Speaking of weather, it will be a big determining factor and I am still trying to figure it out. Some sites give me a "sunny and cold" forecast while others "cloudy with 70% chance of snow" for the same day, same place. Any weather site you guys trust?

So, here it is:

• Monday: Leave for Moab midday/early pm. Do a scenic trail through the Arches. Spend the night in Moab.
• Tuesday: Do a little more touring and head out toward Ouray late afternoon via
  La Sal/Bedrock/Norwood

  La Sal/Bedrock/Norwood

  or via UT-128/Grand Junction/Montrose. Spend the night in Ouray.
• Wednesday: Tour the area, go to Silverton (if weather permits), head toward Frisco through Gunnison/Salida/Buena Vista/Leadville. Look for scenic spots (Black Canyon, Midland Train Tunnels, Cottonwood Pass, etc..) as time permits. Spend the night around Frisco depending on progress.
• Thursday: Head out to Custer/Keystone via
  freeway

  freeway

  or via backroads depending on progress the day before. Spend the night in Custer/Keystone.
• Friday: Drive the Norbeck Scenic Byway/Wildlife Loop and maybe Crazy Horse/Hill City. Spend the night somewhere nearby.
• Saturday: Head home with possible pit stop in the Badlands.

I think it is a pretty good route, now let's hope the weather cooperates to make it a fun trip. In case of weather problems, I'll stay close to I-70.

[fatboris]

I-70, pull over when the weather tells you to. There's nothing you'll regret that you checked out.

[4wmm]

Last spring we did the same route to Ouray, only we were coming from Ouray to Moab. Great drive. Actually, truly amazing. If you can help it don't drive it all after dark. The diversity of terrain on that drive is amazing. From desert colorful rock to rugged mountains in Ouray.

As for Arches, you are talking about a scenic OHV trail right? I didn't have a jeep out there so we rented a Jeep and did some of the more popular, not to difficult trails. We drove through the Arches Natl Park to see the sites in the car. It was cool but honestly I think you get a better flavor of the land and have more fun on the OHV trails.

One of the natives can speak more about the deer. I have no idea what the situation is this time of year but last spring they were standing by the road in droves. We would literally see hundreds in one evening. Surprisingly we didn't see very many dead by the road like we do back east so maybe they have smarter deer out west. The natives may say don't worry about it but coming from the east it seemed to me to be a concern.

I asked the same question all the time about reliable forecast. I was traveling with someone who has a degree in Meteorology. The resounding answer is that there isn't a reliable forecast until the weather is right on top of you and even then it can change quickly. Lots of people use Weather Underground. I learned that for the most part, if they start talking snow on an interstate that means one of the passes is going to have trouble or close for a little while (or several hours).

Just a few things I learned while doing a similar trip (although part of mine was for business).

Have fun.

[Lawrence]

Thanks for the reply. We got in SLC yesterday and it started snowing and the forecast is snow for the next couple of days. Heading out to Moab sometime around lunch and spending the night there. Rain in the forecast for Moab on Monday but Tuesday looks good so far for going to Ouray, and the forecast is snow on Wednesday which may make it difficult to get. We'll play it by ear and call some of the local places to se what they recommend. Thanks for the tip about deer, will be on the lookout.

[townslo]

Don't let the haters steer you from Vail, they obviously never lived there. It is a great place and has a lot of good people there, it is the non-locals that give it a bad rep. Great restaurants and great to just people watch. Plus it has the best mountain to board or ski.

[Lawrence]

We flew into Salt Lake City on Sunday where the PO picked us up and we drove straight to his house in Provo to pick up the LJ (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
Teraflex S/T dual rate swaybar
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 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




Our friends from AZ never made it since it was "too cold" for them, so 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. 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. Since Juicy Lucy's was closed for renovations, we had dinner at the Brew Pub upon the recommendations of some locals. Good food and even better beer.





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.

[Lawrence]

We hit the road around noon and we were not sure where we would spend the night. We caught up to the bad weather and the drive through Vail pass and the Eisenhower tunnel was really crappy. 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 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.

We were going to stay at a Holiday Inn or similar and find a place to have Thanksgiving dinner when Marilyn from the Buffalo Rock Lodge emailed me saying they were at home, had no guests, and would love to have us over for Thanksgiving dinner. So, after a phone call to confirm everything, we were looking forward to it.

A couple of shots while driving through the hills




We drove through Custer and past Crazy Horse, decided not to stop and see it, but rather go to Mount Rushmore instead. To our surprise, the gates were open with a note to enjoy the free visit on Thanksgiving day. So we did, and parked the Jeep right in front of the memorial. As soon as we got out, we were greeted by mountain goats, 3 adults and one baby grazing less than 6 feet from us. It was great, nobody else was around, we literally had the park to ourselves.






We then proceeded to the lodge where Art and Marilyn greeted us. It couldn’t have been a better stay, they were wonderful hosts, the food was outstanding, and we could see Mount Rushmore from their back porch while sipping on a cup of coffee. The next morning they made us an incredible breakfast and gave us directions to the Wildlife Loop and the one and only Auto parts store that had ATF+4.





So, we packed everything back into the Jeep and headed out. After a couple miles on the loop I was concerned that we would have no encounters, just as we came around a bend and had a pack of bisons hanging out on the road. We slowly made our way through the herd and I have to admit that I was a little nervous, these animals are quite impressive. Just as I was relaxing, we came upon another herd, a really big one. This time, the bisons were quite content staying on the road and they didn’t care that I was there. As a matter of fact, they liked hanging around the Jeep to get some warmth from the engine, yikes!





A couple of them had a mean look to them, but we made it through and the next encounter was a group of antelopes. My daughter tried to feed them Cheerios, but they apparently were not fond of it. Nevertheless, they were just hanging out, not really concerned with us.





We searched for the burros but never saw them, so we went back to Custer to get the ATF+4 and then be on our way. We were hoping to stop at Bear Country, but it was closed due to the weather so we proceeded onto I-90. The goal was to make it to Chamberlain. The drive through South Dakota was so excruciating that when we got to Chamberlain, I thought maybe we’d got to Mitchell. And when we got there, I thought maybe we’d drive to Sioux Falls. And I figured, since we had driven this far and it was so boring, maybe we’d just drive across the great state of Minnesota. And that's what we did, for no particular reason I just kept driving and we got home very late Friday night.

What a trip, we are so glad we did it, except for the Wyoming and South Dakota drives. As far as the LJ, it drove like a dream and the Hemi made all the difference in the world through the mountain passes and in heavy winds. We had a few minor hiccups but nothing to worry about.

1,737 miles and 5 days... Jeep adventures rule! Gratuitous picture sitting in the driveway

[fredrok]

Wow, thanks for taking the time to post and share your experience/pictures. Way cool trip! Now THAT'S the way to purchase a Jeep.

[jeep-newbie]

Thanks for the trip report! Dang - that was the coldest Thanksgiving in Minnesota I think in 30 years (and you can tell by the huge icicle hanging off the roof of your house)!

Enjoy your Jeep and come back out for a Colorado visit in the summer!