Nice jeep run last weekend,,,and we outran the rain.

troy2000 · 10-19-2005, 08:55 PM

Early Saturday morning my fifteen-year-old son and I hooked up with some friends and friends-of-friends in Blythe, CA and headed for the Kofa Wildlife Refuge between Quartzsite and Yuma, AZ.

Total of ten jeeps, or at least nine jeeps and one that's jeep by courtesy. That one's a full-sized 1977 Chevy Blazer that the owner stripped of its body. Then he fabricated an oversized jeep body for it instead. It looks like an old CJ on steroids; we called it "Jeepzilla." Then there was my little Frankenjeep, a 1970 and older CJ5 put together out of parts of dead jeeps . Also a couple of other, younger CJ5's, a couple of CJ7's, a very tricked-out CJ8 (Scrambler), a square-eyed Wrangler, and a couple of Rubicons. Nice assortment.

We turneded off the pavement from hwy 95 a few miles south of Quartzsite, and headed east on Pipeline Road. Then we dropped down thru Red Rock Pass, ran Hoodoo Wash back west, and camped for the night in front of an old cabin. Had a nice ironwood fire, and everyone had brought his own steak and a side dish, so we all stuffed ourselves nicely. On top of the day's beer, that ensured most of us turned in fairly early. Lots of air mattresses and cots, a few tents, and the weather stayed t-shirt temperature all night long because the clouds had rolled in; we went to sleep watching the lightning.

Next morning we had a communal breakfast: bacon, sausage, eggs, hashbrowns, pancakes, coffee, milk and orange juice. We were so stuffed most of us couldn't even look at a beer for an hour or two...

We ran the last leg of Hoodoo wash, turned back north thru Bighorn pass, bounced our way back north between the Kofa monument and Alamo Spring to the Kofa cabin, and thence back down Pipeline Road and on out. We got a few draindrops, and that was it.

We had an absolutely wonderful time. Good company, lots of beer, lots of scenery. I let my son drive the last leg of the trip out, until he came up on a hairpin curve at thirty mph, and almost sent us down a very steep, bumpy shortcut that would have involved lots of cactus and even more boulders.

Back in Blythe, we hooked up the jeep, headed west toward home, and made maybe ten miles before the skies opened up. We faced rain and lightning for the rest of the 168 miles home.

It wasn't a "!!!! the torpedos/let's break something" crowd or route, but it beat us up a little anyway. I cracked my frame enough to let daylight thru, and shook enough crud loose from the gas tank to make me stop and clean my fuel filter every hour or so by the end of the trip. Time for a settling bowl, I guess; I'm not ambitious enough to drop the tank and get it steam-cleaned.

rebel727 · 10-19-2005, 10:41 PM

Sounds like fun. I've got a Jeep...... A Cherokee. Not a real jeep but carries the name

Thrawn · 10-19-2005, 10:45 PM

Jeeps are cool.
I use to have a DJ-5 good power, only 2 wheel drive.

BattleRifleG3 · 10-20-2005, 01:11 AM

How about that new Commander? Can't afford for many years, but it looks good to me.

Apollyon67 · 10-22-2005, 12:00 PM

I would love to hear how the new Diesel Liberty would do on such a trip. Sounds like you have a very pleasant outing Troy.

rebel727 · 10-22-2005, 02:03 PM

Well, I had a Jeep. My moms car went bad on her so we gave her the Jeep.

Apollyon67 · 10-22-2005, 10:02 PM

Reb You are a generous man.

troy2000 · 10-22-2005, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apollyon67

I would love to hear how the new Diesel Liberty would do on such a trip. Sounds like you have a very pleasant outing Troy.

I'm kind of frozen in time, back when they made jeeps that I could (and can) work on blindfolded.

The diesel part sounds good; you can't go wrong with low-end torque in the desert, and I think most diesels have it. And if the suspension is anything like what they've put on the later Wranglers and the Rubicons, it should be fine, too.

The two places I'd have questions about are (1) ground clearance, and (2) the owner's willingness to scratch the paint job brushing up against Ironwood trees and ocatillos. I don't know how high the Libertys stand. For what I'm used to doing, which isn't really radical, the average old CJ does a lot better with 31-inch tires and a two-inch lift (suspension, not body).

Academic question for me. I'm not happy in the desert unless I can take off the top and put the windshield down, unless I'm running fast on a dusty road. I never saw the point of being out there in a hard top, although lots of my friends do it.

But I'm not totally nuts. If it's the middle of a hot day and I'm cooking, I'll put the windshield back up and stretch a bikini top for some shade.

rebel727 · 10-23-2005, 01:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apollyon67

Reb You are a generous man.

It's my mom. I'd have given her my F150 Lariat if she could get in and out of it.

Apollyon67 · 10-23-2005, 08:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by troy2000

I'm kind of frozen in time, back when they made jeeps that I could (and can) work on blindfolded.

The diesel part sounds good; you can't go wrong with low-end torque in the desert, and I think most diesels have it. And if the suspension is anything like what they've put on the later Wranglers and the Rubicons, it should be fine, too.

The two places I'd have questions about are (1) ground clearance, and (2) the owner's willingness to scratch the paint job brushing up against Ironwood trees and ocatillos. I don't know how high the Libertys stand. For what I'm used to doing, which isn't really radical, the average old CJ does a lot better with 31-inch tires and a two-inch lift (suspension, not body).

Academic question for me. I'm not happy in the desert unless I can take off the top and put the windshield down, unless I'm running fast on a dusty road. I never saw the point of being out there in a hard top, although lots of my friends do it.

But I'm not totally nuts. If it's the middle of a hot day and I'm cooking, I'll put the windshield back up and stretch a bikini top for some shade.

Hey Troy, I am with you there. Last time I went four wheeling in AZ was a nice trip to Crown King up the back road. Spent about 8 hours in low range, now thats what I call fun. Pretty cool little town they have there.

troy2000 · 10-23-2005, 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apollyon67

Hey Troy, I am with you there. Last time I went four wheeling in AZ was a nice trip to Crown King up the back road. Spent about 8 hours in low range, now thats what I call fun. Pretty cool little town they have there.

Or did you used to live out here? Haven't been to Crown King, but I just looked it over on the internet, and that back way looks interesting.

t's a little farther than we usually roam, though. Since the bunch is all guys who live (or lived) in Blythe, we usually stick around the Colorado River area, on both sides. We usually do day trips, or overnighters like the last one, and that Crown King trip looks like a two or three-nighter to do it justice.

troy2000 · 01-26-2006, 12:11 AM

Friend of mine finally sent me a picture from the Jeep trip. Not the one I'd have chosen; he caught me coming out from under FrankenJeep after cleaning the filter for the umpteenth time. I got to where I could do it in a couple of minutes. And yes, when I got home I lost the filter and installed a settling bowl in front of the carburator instead; end of problem.

It took me a while to figure out what I was doing with my left hand in the pic; it finally dawned on me. I was pulling up my pants and making sure they came out from under the Jeep with me...

Dale · 01-26-2006, 09:57 AM

For some reason I didn't catch this thread before now, Troy.

Sounds like you guys had a blast.

We quaders go out with jeepsters quite a bit and it's a great, great time.

We live only 20 miles from Crown King so we go there on quite a frequent basis.

Wife and I ONCE talked about possibly moving to Crown King when she retires in a few years but there is very little shopping there and to do any you have to travel to Prescott Valley and that is a two hour ride (over sometimes very rough and muddy roads) just to go 35 miles or so.

Addditionally property has gone sky high there. Crown King is great for a summer home but for a permanent residence it's a little TOO remote for us.

Great community, nonetheless.

Dallas · 01-26-2006, 10:37 AM

I missed this thread the first time too. I'm fast approaching my mid life crisis and have been thinking about a jeep (always wanted one, not a sports car). Now you have thinking a lot again about getting one. I pay of my current car in November. Hmmmm?

troy2000 · 01-26-2006, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dallas

I missed this thread the first time too. I'm fast approaching my mid life crisis and have been thinking about a jeep (always wanted one, not a sports car). Now you have thinking a lot again about getting one. I pay of my current car in November. Hmmmm?

the modern Jeeps are good highway transportation too, if you only want to support one vehicle.

I don't use mine for transportation, so I can get away with playing around with an old one.

Apollyon67 · 01-26-2006, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by troy2000

Or did you used to live out here? Haven't been to Crown King, but I just looked it over on the internet, and that back way looks interesting.
t's a little farther than we usually roam, though. Since the bunch is all guys who live (or lived) in Blythe, we usually stick around the Colorado River area, on both sides. We usually do day trips, or overnighters like the last one, and that Crown King trip looks like a two or three-nighter to do it justice.

My Mom lives in Sun City and I just happened to visit her when I had enough time to do a little site seeing. Other than the heat and the scorpions I love AZ. I drove out there from MD in the jeep. Its got round headlights, so its a real jeep. LOL Sorry, its a jeep thing. Maybe next time I drive out I can hit the sand dunes. You are right about the driveability of the new Jeeps, pretty nice indeed.

troy2000 · 01-26-2006, 09:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apollyon67

My Mom lives in Sun City and I just happened to visit her when I had enough time to do a little site seeing. Other than the heat and the scorpions I love AZ. I drove out there from MD in the jeep. Its got round headlights, so its a real jeep. LOL Sorry, its a jeep thing. Maybe next time I drive out I can hit the sand dunes. You are right about the driveability of the new Jeeps, pretty nice indeed.

Because they were only made for a few years. And if I'm still around, I still won't be driving one.

I lost a ton of brownie points with my wife a couple of months ago. She said to me, "you know what? If we get our finances squared away like I hope this coming year, maybe we can afford to buy you a NICE Jeep."

And ungrateful dog that I am, I blurted out, "Why would I want a nice one? I LIKE my old Jeep. Why don't we just put some money into it instead?"

I know; sheer stupidity mixed with tactlessness. But she caught me off guard; who would've ever expected such a statement out of a wife?

Apollyon67 · 02-02-2006, 07:56 PM

D'Oh!!

7mmag6 · 02-02-2006, 09:15 PM

you look like crap--- just kidding it looks like fun, something I dont have much of these days

10-19-2005, 08:55 PM	#1
troy2000 Resident Armed Liberal Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Southern California Posts: 9,474 Images: 9	Nice jeep run last weekend,,,and we outran the rain. Early Saturday morning my fifteen-year-old son and I hooked up with some friends and friends-of-friends in Blythe, CA and headed for the Kofa Wildlife Refuge between Quartzsite and Yuma, AZ. Total of ten jeeps, or at least nine jeeps and one that's jeep by courtesy. That one's a full-sized 1977 Chevy Blazer that the owner stripped of its body. Then he fabricated an oversized jeep body for it instead. It looks like an old CJ on steroids; we called it "Jeepzilla." Then there was my little Frankenjeep, a 1970 and older CJ5 put together out of parts of dead jeeps . Also a couple of other, younger CJ5's, a couple of CJ7's, a very tricked-out CJ8 (Scrambler), a square-eyed Wrangler, and a couple of Rubicons. Nice assortment. We turneded off the pavement from hwy 95 a few miles south of Quartzsite, and headed east on Pipeline Road. Then we dropped down thru Red Rock Pass, ran Hoodoo Wash back west, and camped for the night in front of an old cabin. Had a nice ironwood fire, and everyone had brought his own steak and a side dish, so we all stuffed ourselves nicely. On top of the day's beer, that ensured most of us turned in fairly early. Lots of air mattresses and cots, a few tents, and the weather stayed t-shirt temperature all night long because the clouds had rolled in; we went to sleep watching the lightning. Next morning we had a communal breakfast: bacon, sausage, eggs, hashbrowns, pancakes, coffee, milk and orange juice. We were so stuffed most of us couldn't even look at a beer for an hour or two... We ran the last leg of Hoodoo wash, turned back north thru Bighorn pass, bounced our way back north between the Kofa monument and Alamo Spring to the Kofa cabin, and thence back down Pipeline Road and on out. We got a few draindrops, and that was it. We had an absolutely wonderful time. Good company, lots of beer, lots of scenery. I let my son drive the last leg of the trip out, until he came up on a hairpin curve at thirty mph, and almost sent us down a very steep, bumpy shortcut that would have involved lots of cactus and even more boulders. Back in Blythe, we hooked up the jeep, headed west toward home, and made maybe ten miles before the skies opened up. We faced rain and lightning for the rest of the 168 miles home. It wasn't a "!!!! the torpedos/let's break something" crowd or route, but it beat us up a little anyway. I cracked my frame enough to let daylight thru, and shook enough crud loose from the gas tank to make me stop and clean my fuel filter every hour or so by the end of the trip. Time for a settling bowl, I guess; I'm not ambitious enough to drop the tank and get it steam-cleaned. Last edited by troy2000; 01-26-2006 at 05:13 PM.

10-19-2005, 10:41 PM	#2
rebel727 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Heidelberg, Mississippi Posts: 1,549	Sounds like fun. I've got a Jeep...... A Cherokee. Not a real jeep but carries the name __________________ North-1 South-0 HALFTIME!

10-20-2005, 01:11 AM	#4
BattleRifleG3 Super Moderator Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Western PA Posts: 11,401 Images: 13	How about that new Commander? Can't afford for many years, but it looks good to me. __________________ Trust is earned, not... GIVEN away. - Worf

10-22-2005, 12:00 PM	#5
Apollyon67 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Southern Maryland Posts: 2,235 Images: 17	I would love to hear how the new Diesel Liberty would do on such a trip. Sounds like you have a very pleasant outing Troy. __________________ "To err is human, to repent divine; to persist devilish." Ben Franklin

10-22-2005, 02:03 PM	#6
rebel727 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Heidelberg, Mississippi Posts: 1,549	Well, I had a Jeep. My moms car went bad on her so we gave her the Jeep. __________________ North-1 South-0 HALFTIME!

10-19-2005, 10:45 PM	#3
Thrawn Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Okeefenokee Posts: 1,618 Images: 6	Jeeps are cool. I use to have a DJ-5 good power, only 2 wheel drive.

10-22-2005, 10:02 PM	#7
Apollyon67 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Southern Maryland Posts: 2,235 Images: 17	Reb You are a generous man. __________________ "To err is human, to repent divine; to persist devilish." Ben Franklin

01-26-2006, 12:11 AM	#12
troy2000 Resident Armed Liberal Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Southern California Posts: 9,474 Images: 9	Resurrecting the thread for a picture Friend of mine finally sent me a picture from the Jeep trip. Not the one I'd have chosen; he caught me coming out from under FrankenJeep after cleaning the filter for the umpteenth time. I got to where I could do it in a couple of minutes. And yes, when I got home I lost the filter and installed a settling bowl in front of the carburator instead; end of problem. It took me a while to figure out what I was doing with my left hand in the pic; it finally dawned on me. I was pulling up my pants and making sure they came out from under the Jeep with me...

01-26-2006, 09:57 AM	#13
Dale Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Too Dang Hot, Arizona Posts: 4,284	For some reason I didn't catch this thread before now, Troy. Sounds like you guys had a blast. We quaders go out with jeepsters quite a bit and it's a great, great time. We live only 20 miles from Crown King so we go there on quite a frequent basis. Wife and I *ONCE* talked about possibly moving to Crown King when she retires in a few years but there is very little shopping there and to do any you have to travel to Prescott Valley and that is a two hour ride (over sometimes very rough and muddy roads) just to go 35 miles or so. Addditionally property has gone sky high there. Crown King is great for a summer home but for a permanent residence it's a little TOO remote for us. Great community, nonetheless. __________________ "It confuses me how some people can vigorously go against the 2nd. Amendment and still call themselves patriotic"-me Last edited by Dale; 01-26-2006 at 01:44 PM.

01-26-2006, 10:37 AM	#14
Dallas PUKHA DAWG Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Virginia, just outside of Washington D.C. Posts: 3,596	I missed this thread the first time too. I'm fast approaching my mid life crisis and have been thinking about a jeep (always wanted one, not a sports car). Now you have thinking a lot again about getting one. I pay of my current car in November. Hmmmm?

02-02-2006, 07:56 PM	#18
Apollyon67 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Southern Maryland Posts: 2,235 Images: 17	D'Oh!! __________________ "To err is human, to repent divine; to persist devilish." Ben Franklin

02-02-2006, 09:15 PM	#19
7mmag6 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 337 Images: 1	you look like crap--- just kidding it looks like fun, something I dont have much of these days