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Brad Morris
The picturesque view from the top of Moab made it all worthwhile.
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Brad Morris
The picturesque view from the top of Moab made it all worthwhile.
"thanks to some fancy planning we were actually ready to set out on what would prove to be the trip of a lifetime...”
Words by J.D. Keating @DadsThatWheel
Photography by Brad Morris @DadsThatWheel
You will never be fully prepared, ever. There will always be some reason, some nagging thought that your mind uses as an excuse to prevent you from taking the plunge. Life is funny that way. However, sometimes you just need to throw caution into the wind and make it happen. Our latest adventure was exactly that.
We have spent many years daydreaming about visiting and conquering Moab, Utah, and many more years might have passed in planning had we not made the decision to finally go for it. There are a few quintessential wheeling destinations and Moab is one of them. The area has a rich history of off-roading, and thanks to some creative thinkers in the Moab Chamber of Commerce back in 1967, we can now experience the trails of a region that hosts the largest 4x4 event on the planet.
With such recognizable routes as ‘Lions Back,’ ‘Hells Revenge’ and The Crack,’ Moab is a mecca for off- roading. A four-wheelers dream, the red rocks of Moab were formed some 300 million years when a sea flowed into the region and eventually evaporated, leaving nothing but grippy sandstone in its wake. Then humanity learned to crawl on four tires, a few local explorers took their Jeeps into the hills, and ever since, Moab has been synonymous with pushing off-roading to the limit.
The exhilaration of actually getting to drive where so many iconic videos had been filmed was eclipsed only by the sheer distance involved in getting there. The shortest distance between two points is a straight line and with that in mind we grabbed our passports and headed west. Dads Do Moab 2020 was destined to be epic and we were pumped!
Brad Morris
Meandering along Hells Revenge on Day 1.
We cut off all the OEM suspensions on our two Jeep JL’s and replaced them with two long-arm suspension lifts from Rock Krawler before driving 3,000 km (1,864 mi) from Toronto to Moab, Utah. You read that right. What better way is there to iron out any issues with such a significant overhaul than to hammer it pretty much all the way across the U.S. to go wheeling?
What began as a pipe dream in a garage morphed into reality when we realized just how well these Jeeps drove on the highway. With our CB’s crackling and podcasts streaming, we began the 29-hour, one-way trip. Despite driving the Jeeps on stock gears, 40” tires and 5.5” tall suspension, the ride was surprisingly comfortable. Driver fatigue was not any worse than driving a tow rig and we were averaging 14.7 L/100 km (16 mpg). The scenery did become a little monotonous, but what it lacked in variety was made up for by meeting colourful people along the way. Our two Jeeps were attracting all sorts of attention on the Interstate. In fact, an owner of one well-built Rubicon we met while gassing up decided right then and there to join us on our adventure.
With cruise control set at 120 km/h (75 mph), all three rigs drove straight into an intense headwind. The temperature was actually dropping the further Southwest we travelled, and we were shocked to see snow-covered mountains as we drove from Nebraska into Colorado. However, a light dusting of snow was nothing compared to what we had left behind.
After stopping to take a few selfies at the “Welcome to Utah” sign, we drove directly into camp to register. We were told that parking was at a premium and we had to ensure our rigs stayed close to our campsites. Yet we were the only people camping in the entire site!
“…Just our luck, we drove for three days across the country to Moab and the snow in Utah is deeper than the snow at home…”
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Brad Morris
Potato Salad Hill is renowned for its rollover rate.
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Brad Morris
Our fearless trail guide Michael leading the way.
Day 1
The temperature continued to plummet lower than anticipated the first night, but excitement and adrenaline kept us too distracted to be concerned. Awaking to a dusting of snow, we quickly raced off to meet our crew and plan the day’s trails. We had connected with a few people remotely and lined up a couple of Utah locals to help show us around.
Over breakfast and coffee at the Moab Diner, we discussed what trails to attempt first, given the unusually large accumulation of snow. Having never been, we were anxious to hit any trail whatsoever, but a few of the iconic runs were at the top of our list.
‘Hells Revenge’ was first as it’s very close to town and a large majority is exposed to sunlight, which would allow the snow to melt and dry quickly. We were completely unaware of the dangers that lie ahead as we crested peak after peak of grippy sandstone mountains. However, our initial run was cut short when our fearless trail guide, Michael Shelswell, nearly rolled his rig slipping and sliding down a steep descent that was still snow covered in the shade.
Unsure of whether to proceed, our decision was quickly made for us when a group of tube buggies came thundering up from across the valley. Even they were turning around to go out the way they came in. Unfazed, we turned the group around and went approximately 40 km (25 mi) out of town. We ventured down the most majestic scenic canyon roads we’d ever seen. We were in Moab; it could have rained frogs and none of us would have cared.
Top of the World was our second trail run of the day. Going deeper into canyon land meant it was even more snow-covered. What is typically a relatively sedate trail became an entertaining challenge as we slipped and skidded towards the apex of the loop to reach a spectacular view.
We were surprised by the amount of vegetation on the red rocks as there was a shocking amount of greenery just off the beaten path. However, landscape aside, the sandstone ledges and lips were more of a challenge than expected due to the snow and ice. Thankfully, all of our hours in the garage paid off. The long-arm suspensions proved to be worth more than their weight in steel with precise articulation and the ability to reach traction whenever necessary. Our rigs were working so well that even in snow, the trail was a little too easy. It was, however, the perfect intro to what Moab had to offer, and we couldn’t wait to see what was in store for us the next day.
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Brad Morris
Golden Spike trail.
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Brad Morris
Some challenging cliff side roads.
Day 2
After brushing the snow off our tents, we were rested and excited. Poison Spider Trail was our destination and it would prove to be much more heart-pumping than Day 1.
At the gate to the trail was a left-turning, waterfall-style ledge and half of our group chose to turn around. What is typically a challenging yet passable obstacle, even in a stock Rubicon, was a slippery potential rollover due to the snow and ice. Local wild man W.S Goodspeed (yes, that’s his real name), in his 502 boat-engine equipped CJ buggy, needed several attempts to climb it.
Our trusted trail guide’s tires had seen better days, which had him burning and smoking to get up and over. Once our two long-arm JL’s scampered around the corner, the rest of our crew three-point turned around and bid us farewell with plans to meet at dinner.
The icing on the cake was the 16 cm (6 in) of snow in the whoops above the waterfall. All of the rigs put the hammer down and really opened ‘em up. Banking turns, fishtailing at speed, and turning left to go right are not typical driving techniques associated with Moab. Leave it to two Canadians to ramp-up the Utah experience. Our local buddy explained he hadn’t seen snow like this in Moab in more than a decade. Just our luck, we drove for three days across the country and the snow in Utah was deeper than the snow at home.
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Our lodging for the weekend.
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Playing on Metal Masher trail.
Day 3
If we were scrap bookers, this point in our trip would be the page highlighted with all sorts of bedazzled paraphernalia. The night before, entirely by chance, we met two fellow wheelers that were from our same small town, we literally met neighbours on the other side of the country.
As the snow began to fall once again, it was decided right then and there that we were destined to go wheeling together. So, we met up with Mark and Paula, and ran Metal Masher in the snow. The cool thing about this trail was that most of the obstacles had go-arounds and/or difficult lines to choose. It was nice to have a small group, which gave us the opportunity to really flex our rigs and see their potential. Metal Masher had a few wicked climbs and even though most of our group had 40’s, we weren’t able to crawl up all the obstacles because of ice. The trail down from Metal Masher is long and slow, the perfect way to catch the sunset after a long, incredible day of wheeling.
The trails and scenery were absolutely stunning, but what really made the trip was the people we met. Lifelong friendships were formed over rock climbs and canyon roads during a few close calls. Winter wheeling in Moab is our badge of honour, courtesy the generous hearts of our trail guides and fellow wheelers. I guess ‘they’ were right, it really is about the journey.
Stay tuned for DadsDo….somewhere else soon.