UCE3 - Utah Cruiser Expedition 3

Epic! thanks for sharing Adam.

 

damn that sucks about losing all that time..great to hear the repair went so well though..could have been a hell of a lot worse if you guys didn't stop in for drinks and ice though!!!

 

Exactly! We talked about that. Could have royally sucked to be in the middle of nowhere when that thing failed. More than likely it would have failed and we wouldn't have noticed until it was too late, and probably blew a headgasket.

 

In for the weather cliffhanger.

 

Ok where did we leave off.........

We began our descent past Big John's Flat and the rain begain to lightly fall. The lower we got we past a few other campers that were on the mountain for the black powder rifle deer hunt.



We continued toward the town of Circleville which turned out to be my least favorite road of the trip. It was still a dirt road but filled with matermellon sized rocks everywhere. It was a bumpy stretch to say the least. Too bumpy to go fast and not bumpy enough to really just crawl along. Uncomfortable to say the least.

The upside was the scenery was still oustanding and soo we were passing a massive cliff and were able to see some Mountain Goats hopping around on the ledges.




It wasn't too long later that we realized we'd missed a turn to take us down to Circleville and we had come to a dead end. This meant we had to backtrack down the crappy road that had shaken loose anything in the truck that wasn't bolted down. Fortunately the rain had stopped. For now.


everyone got turned around but we noticed a narrow track that went up the side hill. Cody and I decided we would scout it out and see whether or not it would bypass the deadend and get us into the canyon out to Circleville so we didn't have to drive the bumpy road again.


As Cody and I in our Tacomas got a little ways into the narrow track we were certain that is was an ATV trail and we were likely the only fullsize vehicles to ever drive it. It was a steep descent toward the canyon but looking at our maps it appeared that it would intersect the main trail in the bottom of the canyon and take us out to Circleville. The rest of the group backtracked while the two Tacomas negotiated the atv trail. The steep descent meant that there were several very tight switchbacks. They were 3-point turns at least and it was easy to get a wheel in the air making the tight turns.


After some pinstriping from the tight trees we made it to the canyon bottom and were relieved that we had in fact met up with the main trail out of the canyon. We had lost radio contact with the rest of the group, but were able to make contact again as we came out of the canyon. They were waiting for us in Circleville.


There was no gas station in Circleville and my tank was empty so I used one of the 5 gallon Scepter cans I was carrying and we were off again. to hit the Freemont trail in hopes of making it to Powell Point that night. It was already almost 6pm and we had 3 hours at least to go.

The Freemont trail was beautiful with several stream crossings. This was the first time I turned on the GoPro and caught some trail footage. The rain had returned but fortunately it was only a drizzle.

 

dig the new paint job

everyone else looks like they stopped along the way for a car wash compared to your rig

 

Looks like a fun trip. Switch backs look a little sketch.

 

The rain had picked up and the trail was getting very wet again. And by now it was starting to get dark. It was looking unlikely that we were going to make Powell Point tonight to camp.

After several miles we came to another washout in the road. This one was nearly as bad as ones we had encountered earlier but was still going to require a little work. We broke out the shovels and got to work on knocking down the bank on both sides so that we could drive both in and out of the washout.




The rain made this crossing more difficult that it would have been in dry weather for sure, but we finally had done enough "road-work" that we felt we were ready to try to get across. Kurt and Ryan were still leading in the Cruiser Outfitters UZJ100 and Kurt dropped the cruiser into the washout.


As the front tires came up the other side the rear bumper got hung up and the rear axle was suspended leaving the rear tires spinning.




With a little help Kurt was able to get the rear bumper off the bank but the heavy cruiser was struggling to make the exit out of the washout.


It required a bit more roadbuilding as the Cruiser slid over to a steep part of the bank




Then it was time to break out the winch.




Kurt made it through and Paul followed with a little help



After a bit more road building my 12 year old decided he would try driving my Tacoma across.


my 12 and 10 year olds getting after it.


They slid a bit in the bottom and got some instruction from Dave. Turned on the rear locker and up they went.




We were rewarded after everyone crossed the washout with a break in the rain and a killer scene in the sky. But the rain wouldn't stay away for long.

 

I remember when I was twelve and I thought it was a big deal that my uncle would let me steer his car down the back country road (i.e. straight and nobody around). That's nothing compared to what your son did!

 

Great trip for sure!

And a for being a great father!

 

looks like so much fun

 

Amazing the "mud puddle" photos!

 

WOW DUDE!!! definitely a nail biter. You should write books. That atv trail looked sketch man good read and awesome photos!

 

I tried to +1 you with some comments but my phone won't let me. I tried to comment on how cool of a dad you are.

 

I am following you every day in this Forum. Although I have found a wealth of into on this forum, you have elevated it for me with your Utah adventure. The pics, story and the fact that you took your two boys says a lot about who you are. Thank you so much for sharing.

 

Great adventure and pics. Sub'd for more.

 

Awesome thread, thanks for sharing.