Cruise Moab 08'

Steve Jones and I left for Moab, UT on Tuesday 5/6/08 around Noon in the new 1-ton Chevy and both rock crawlers (Big Tex and Meanie).  Unfortunately, Matthew's college schedule did not coincide with the trip this year.  He really wanted to go but had to tend to studying for finals.  Matthew is finishing up his 2nd year at Baylor U.

Fortunately, for Steve and I, the road trip to Moab this year was almost perfect.  We blew out one trailer tire before leaving Texas and almost got arrested in New Mexico, but other than that....it was a great trip!  Sometime in the wee hours of the night, a New Mexico Highway Patrol (let's just call him Barny), pulls me over and asked why I did not go through the Weigh Station (like all the commercial truckers).  He said that because we had "Lone Star Land Cruisers" all over my rigs, we were considered COMMERCIAL (for profit).  He said he could fine me for a) not stopping at the weigh station and b) for not having a commercial drivers license for being over 10,000 lbs.  We went back & forth for 15 minutes trying to explain to this guy that rockcrawling was my hobby and that I WISHED it was "for profit" endeavor.  I was not like "BIG FOOT" or "THE GRAVEDIGGER" like he compared me to.  We finally convinced him (in a round-a-bout way) that he would NEVER be able to prove we were for profit.  I think once he looked at my registration (on the pickup) and saw that it was in my personal name, he decided he had best let us go.  He did tell us we better stop at the weight station coming back into NM though.  We didn't!!!

Diesel prices were pretty steep this year.  We paid any where from $3.99/gallon to $4.39/gallon for fuel.  After the 1st tank, driving 70 MPH into a headwind and only getting about 6.5 MPG, we slowed down to 60 MPH and increased the MPG to 8.5 - 9.5 depending if we were going up the mountain or down!

We rolled into Moab around 7:30 a.m. Mountain Time (Just over 20 hours).  After a nice breakfast, we unloaded the vehicles and went through inspection.  It was a real treat to see Jeremiah's new crawler.  I could see a lot of Big Tex similarities but his rig had 2.5 ton Rockwell's, 4-wheel steer, and a bunch of bling! It is a beauty.  We were able to visit with a few of the Proffitt's Cruisers crew that had already arrived before heading out for lunch. Normally, we would hit the mountain all day; however, Steve & I decided to rest on Wednesday and wheel Thursday & Friday.

Friday, we were to meet up with the Proffitt's Cruisers crew & friends (Jeremiah & his wife, Barry, Lee, Peter Sloop & his wife, Ray Alexander and others).  We were going to wheel Pritchett Canyon.  Normally, you would trailer your rigs to the trailhead; however, since Jeremiah said he was going to drive his rig from camp, we decided to as well.  Unfortunately, Steve & I didn't know the back way (off the main street) and Steve got stopped by one of the locals. I had made it though a red light and was already down the road when Steve got pulled over.)  The officer was pretty nice (obviously not related to the New Mexico HP) and told him

he better not see the rig on the street anymore or it would be impounded.

We finally met up with everyone and went out for the day.  Steve was driving Big Tex and I was in Meanie.  At RockerKnocker, we heard a loud pop coming out of Big Tex.  It sounded like Steve broke an axle but I was standing near Jeremiah (spotter) and I know Steve did not do anything to cause an axle break.  

 backed her down from the obstacle and I pulled the hub. There were 3 broken parts in the center of the hub and I had a spare so I popped in some spare parts.  That did not fix the problem so when we get in, I bought and installed drive flanges and believed that would fix the problem.  I made the mistake of not checking everything since Big Tex was already strapped down on the trailer.  The next morning, I found out it wasn't the hub after all.  I pulled the axle out expecting to see a broken cromolly but it was in perfect shape. That could only mean one thing.  The Detroit Locker had failed on the long side.  It must have been weakened from some tough wheelin' at Katemcy last March.  We just parked Big Tex and both rode in Meanie.  Thank goodness we had a spare!  (A 40-hour round-trip and only 1/2 day of wheelin' would have NOT been good.)

One of the toughest obstacles in the canyon is the Rock Pile.  I tried to take Big Tex up it last year but after a few attempts, I passed on it.  Matthew would have probably made it in Meanie in '07 but his rear limiting strap had popped and attempting the Rock Pile would have most likely snapped his rear brake line when the rear air shocks extended as it went up.  This year, Meanie made it up the Rock Pile.   was ugly but it made it. 

On Friday, we wheeled Hells Revenge, one of the smaller Hot Tubs, and the Escalator.  Barry Ruter, Peter & Heather Sloop, Steve & I got a late start (trying to fix Big Tex) but caught up with everyone around Noon. Barry gave us a great show trying to climb up out of Micky's Hot Tub.   gave a valiant effort and came real close to making it out but unfortunately, he started rolling backwards near the top and ended up ripping out the Atlas output shaft.  He was 2WD for the rest of day.

Jeremiah gave us a show in the smaller hot tub.  He sort of.....missed the entry and almost scratched the paint on his new rig!  Once lined up, it came up and out with no problem.  Meanie made it in and out as well. 

We enjoyed seeing everyone and invited the entire Proffitt's Crew to the 2009 LSLC Roundup in Texas.  Jeremiah said they would come if we could also get him up a Fishing Trip and Hog Hunt while he is in the hill country.  We will work hard on that so they can come down and see the Moab of Texas (www.katemcy.com).

Steve and I left Moab around 10:00 a.m. (Mountain time) Saturday a.m. and arrived at his parents home in Denison, TX on Sunday Morning just in time for waffles.  This is 2 years straight that the Jones' fed us breakfast.  Thank you Ralph & Janelle!!!  I believe you have started a tradition.

Well, the trip was long and the time was short but it is well worth it to see God's beauty in the mountains surrounding Moab, UT.   Until next time......

Check out www.4x4crawl.smugmug.com for 2008 Moab pictures.

Cruise Moab 07'

Matthew and I along with a couple of friends (Steve Jones, with T-Bank in Dallas and Craig Blankenship, a Baylor friend of Matthew's) left for Moab, UT on Tuesday May 1st around 12:45 pm. Steve and I worked together at Texas National Bank back in 1983. His family and ours have been friends ever since. Matthew met a lot of great guys and gals at Baylor U his first year. He met Craig at Antioch Community Church in Waco. Craig's dad and I were in the same fraternity and attended the same college back in the day.

We were expecting an 18 1/2 hour trip to arrive early Wednesday morning in Moab. Unfortunately, those plans went out the window real quick.

A few miles out of Commerce, the trailer cut the left rear tire. I put on the spare and headed straight for SAMS in Sherman, TX to get a new tire. We picked up Steve Jones at his parents home in Denison, TX and hit the road.

About 10 miles outside of Childress, TX, the trailer cut the right rear tire. We knew we had a problem. Although the trailer has taken many trips with the same weight (the latest being LSLC Roundup when Stan Baker took the rig & Matthew), the springs must have flattened out a bit just enough to allow some contact with the tires. We knew we had to get this fixed or we would never make Moab. I called the Childress Sherriff's Dept. and was referred to Billy's Truck Service. We picked up a 2nd new tire at the Childress Wal-Mart around 8:00 p.m. and went across the road to Bill's. We pulled our rig inside his building and waited until a service tech could get back to the building to start the fender modifications. During the wait, Bill loaned us his Dodge PU so we could run and get something to eat. We ended up back at Wal-Mart hoping to catch part of the Maverick's game but Wal-Mart did not have access to it on their TV's.

Bill and one of his workers were able to start the repairs around 11:00 pm. Billy used a cutting torch to remove about two inches of steel from the outside of the fenders that were coming in contact with the tires. They ended up removing all 4 tires in order to grind everything smooth. Bill and his crew were very nice and very reasonable with the repair cost. We pulled out of Childress, TX around 1:30 a.m. We were tired but happy we had all our problems solved so we could get on down the road. Billy's company travels up to 100 miles to provide vehicle assistance. He can be reached at (940) 937-0115 24 hrs. a day.

Not so fast..... We were on I-40 near Santa Rosa, NM around 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday when I lost a driveshaft on the pick-up. Fortunately, I was able to coast completely off the highway and on to the shoulder. It was cold and raining and the big trucks were flying by us. A 911 call got us in touch with George Ortega with Ortega's 24-hr. Wrecker Service and Auto Repair Shop out of Santa Rosa. George came out with his big tow rig and towed us to his shop. It was now around 6:30 a.m. and the mechanics did not come in until 8:00 a.m. We went next door to the local cafe beside George's shop to have a bite to eat and dry out. Well one out of two isn't bad. This cafe was almost as wet inside (due to major leaks all over the restaurant) as it was outside. You even had to dodge the water leaks as you were taking a leak! We drank a lot of coffee and ordered the least risky breakfast items we could find on the menu.

When the mechanics showed up they quickly determined that I was going to need a new drive-shaft, yokes, straps & bolts and a new yoke in the rear diff. I got on the phone to every Chevrolet Dealership in a 100 mi. radius and finally found all the parts (except the drive-shaft) in Albuquerque. There was not a GM drive-shaft in the State that would fit my truck. George referred me to U-Joints, Inc. in Albuquerque to see if they could make me a drive-shaft. They could but it would not be ready until Wednesday. I offered to pay 2 times what he would normally charge in order to get it built & out that day (Tuesday). I really think this guy was familiar with rock-crawling and knew we were trying to get to Moab and felt sorry for us so he agreed to expedite my order. By the way..... he would not accept any additional money for the drive-shaft! He told me "That's the New Mexico Way". He is a firm believer in "What goes around, comes around". If you are ever needing driveline work in the Albuquerque, NM area, give him a call at (505) 345-2666.

I paid George Ortega to take the old drive-shaft into Albuquerque (106 mi. 1-way), pick up the new GM parts, deliver the drive-shaft and wait on the new one to be built, and then bring it back to Santa Rosa. He left for Albuquerque around 10:00 a.m. so we knew we were in for a long day. I got us a room at the Holiday Inn so we could wait out the day in comfort. Everyone got to clean up and caught up on some sleep. Had a couple of great meals at some of Santa Rosa's cleaner restaurants.

George made it back from Albuquerque around 7:00 p.m. and had his mechanic re-install the new drive-line. We checked out of the hotel and caught a ride back to Ortega's. We said our goodbye's and took pictures to document all the "fun" and then pulled out of Santa Rosa at 9:00 p.m. I would highly recommend George if you need any road assistance in the Santa Rosa, NM area. George can be reached at (505) 472-3204 24 hrs. a day.













We pulled into Moab around 5:30 a.m. Thursday. Our 18 1/2 hour trip to Moab,UT turned into a 42 hour trip. Although we lost a day and were not able to wheel Wednesday, we had two awesome days on the trail before heading home.

Thursday, we wheeled Pritchett Canyon with Jeremiah Proffitt, Peter Sloop, Bob Anderson, Lee Bender, and several others. It was very windy and dusty but we were just happy to be out on the trail. We did not make it up Rock Pile but Big Tex came close. If I had not been so chicken, it may have made it. I just couldn't get the images of JP flipping last year trying to go up something dang near vertical. Meanie would have probably made it (since Matthew has no fear) but he broke his rear limiting strap right before Rock Pile and would have pulled his brake line apart.

Friday, we wheeled Rusty Nail with Jack Rice and a couple of friends of his. Matthew and I tested our rigs more than we ever had. Both Big Tex and Meanie held up very well without any carnage. Unfortunately, Steve (driving Big Tex) ran over my digital video camera. Sony does not make a bullet-proof video camera! I did salvage the disc so I have some video from both days. We made it up over every obsticale we attempted Friday right behind Jack Rice. He showed us the line and was a great spotter. Matthew is an excellent driver and has already learned how to get the most out of the new Meanie.

All of us felt very fortunate to be in Moab with all the trouble we had getting there. On more than one occasion, we praised God for the beauty of our surroundings and we also gave thanks to the men & women in the military that are overseas fighting for the freedoms that enjoy.

We went to the BBQ Friday night along with 350 others and enjoyed great food & fellowship. I won a few door prizes and watched others win some real nice shwag. Proffitts Cruisers gave away a 4-link kit for an FJ40 valued at $1,350. A FJ Cruiser Team member won it and really did not have a need for it. I bought it, at a nice discount, for Todd Yonkman. He wants to 4-link his new Yellow 40.

I was a bit disappointed that I did not win the award for having the most problems getting to/or at Moab. I think it was because the powers at be really did not hear my entire story! The dude that won the nice "HEAVY cluster of broken parts" trophy had broken a hose or something on the trail. Oh well, I didn't need the extra weight coming back anyway.

We pulled out of Moab Saturday (in the Rain) around 10:00 a.m. NM time hoping for a non-eventful return trip. When we were fueling up at Clarenden, TX, I noticed the passenger front tire on the trailer was near flat. Sure enough, there were 2 holes in it that would not hold a plug. After putting on the spare tire, we realized we were 45 minutes from Childress, TX so we went ahead and called our good friend Billy with Billy's Truck Service. He met us at his building at 3:00 a.m. to put a spare tire I carry on the trailer on the rim so we would have 1 more spare with us before making the final 345 miles. With our luck, we did not think it was wise to continue on without a spare.

We made it back to Commerce this morning (Sunday 5/6) around 9:45 a.m. With all the stops, our 18 1/2 hour return trip turned into 23 hours.

Yes, we traveled a total of 65 hours in order to get approximately 10 hours on the trail at Moab. Would we do it again? Yep. It was that awesome. We made memories for life. I purposefully left out a few stories because..... well just because.....

Total "extra" Repair Costs for this trip.....$1,600
Total Road Trip Experience with family & friends.....PRICELESS

Check out all the pictures at www.4x4crawl.smugmug.com.

Cruise Moab 06'

Matthew and I made it back from MOAB, UT safe and sound with minimal carnage. We left Bonham (Baker's garage) around 4pm Tuesday and arrived in Moab at 9:30 a.m. After vehicle inspections and registration, we hooked up with some friends and took off to a trail named Coyote. Coyote turned out to be fairly mild compared to other trails we took during the week but it was one of the hardest ones Matthew and I had ever wheeled. Wheeled “Behind the Rocks” Thursday,

“Golden Spike” Friday and “Pritchett Canyon” Saturday. After being on the trail all day Saturday, we loaded up and left MOAB at 10:15 pm. Arrived dead tired in Commerce around 6pm Sunday.

We made many new friends, great memories, and had a few life experiences that we will never forget on this trip.

We cruised all 3 days with Jeremiah Proffitt (www.proffittscruisers.com) & his crew/friends and had a blast. Jeremiah & his son Devin & their dog Chief of Delta, CO, Peter Sloop from Steamboat Springs, CO, Chad & Kriss Deines and their 3 children Kim, Kourtney, Erik from Delta, CO, Jack Rice from Bend, OR, John Brazer from Delta, CO, Bob Anderson from Austin, CO, Barry Ruter, Ian & Mercedes Fradl and their baby girl Cameron all from Delta, CO, Ray Alexander from Glenwood Springs, CO, Matt Moyle from Salt Lake City, Lee Bender from Saratoga, Wyoming, and Murf from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

We witnessed 3 rollovers (including Jeremiah in The Newt), 1 amazing save by Barry, and 1 HORRIFFIC crash by Mercedes (Ian’s wife.) Ian works for Jeremiah at Proffitts Cruisers. Mercedes launched Ian’s FJ40 off a 25’ cliff after coming down White Knuckle. Somehow she hit the throttle instead of the brake. Only by the grace of God did she survive the crash. The truck ended up on the passenger side and Mercedes was hanging from her lap belt, unconscious and bleeding badly. There were approximately 10 vehicles on this run so everyone rallied around Ian and a couple of others that tended to Mercedes. She came to after a few minutes and was in a lot of pain and later went into shock.

The Rising Sun 4x4 club that sponsors Cruise Moab issued powerful radios & GPS equipment to all trail leaders so Jeremiah was able to call 911 & get a care flight chopper in to get Mercedes. She had 2 large cuts on her head, complained of neck & back pain. After a 45 minute wait for the helicopter, we were able to get her out of the vehicle and off to the hospital. Someone drove Ian back to camp to get a vehicle and then drove him 2 hours to the hospital. We received a report later that Mercedes had a broken collar bone, some cuts & bruises, and was sore but other than that she was ok. At the BBQ the final night, Jack made a wonderful speech and passed a box around collecting donations to help pay for the medical expenses and raised some $2,600. After Ian left, the crew worked on vehicle recovery. After some maintenance and fluids, the FJ40 started up and John drove it all the way back to the main road, some 10-12 miles. TOYOTA's are tough! Out of respect for Ian & Mercedes, I will not post up pictures of the accident.

During the trip, we saw friends break axles, driveshafts, & hubs as well as get new dents & scratches on vehicles. Even learned a few new words ! On the last day, Matthew broke a hub and I either broke a hub or outer axle. Have not had time to tear into Big Tex to find out yet. We each had to 3-wheel drive out of Pritchett Canyon Saturday but made it fine. Here is a picture of Joe Calleja's rig after it attempted an obsticle at Golden Spike. He was through for the day! Joe is the owner of CTS Toyota (www.ctstoyota.com) out of Conifer, CO.

Beautiful scenery, wonderful weather, and loads of fun.

Check out all the pics at www.4x4crawl.smugmug.com.

2006 Lone Star Roundup

The 2006 Lone Star Cruiser Roundup, sponsored by the Lone Star Land Cruiser Club, was held at Katempcy Rocks on March 3 - March 6, 2006. Katempcy is located between Brady, TX and Mason, TX. Somewhere around 85 vehicles registered for the event and there were well over 125 folks (including passengers) in attendance. Drivers came from all over the country for this event. The weather was beautiful and the event proved to be a huge success.

Matthew broke a rear axle on the Waterfall but within a couple of hours, we had Meanie fixed and back on the trail. A big thanks to Alec Wilkins from Salt Lake City, UT for showing me how to change it out.

Big Tex had its best outing yet. The PSC 1500 psi power steering pump fixed the hydraulic steering issue once and for good.

Check out all the pictures at www.4x4crawl.smugmug.com. Christopher Mann, a professional photographer from Dallas (www.mannphoto.com) wheeled with us the last day. He posted his pictures up at http://virtualvisitor.com/roundup.

Clayton, OK in January 06'

Back to Clayton with Todd Yonkman, Matthew, Bob Draughn and his son Bobby Draughn. Awesome weather once again. This is Todd's 2nd outing in his new yellow FJ40 and it is really sweet. By next month he will have his new WARN 9.5ti winch mounted. No carnage this trip but Matthew and I both had some power steering issues. Meanie needs a new Saginaw and Big Tex is going to take a trip to visit the folks at PSC Performance to get the hydraulic issues fixed once and for all.

We wheeled in town (Green Acres) on Saturday and Sunday. We hit just about all the trails and a few several times. Slim (David Williams of Slim's Offroad) even joined us for some goofin' around on Saturday afternoon with a bunch of newbie jeepers looking on. Big Tex climbed up a pretty steep ledge at the top of Wet n' Wild. How tall was it? Todd (standing beside Big Tex) is about 6'2".

On Sunday, we hit Three Stages, lower Cakewalk and 8 point. I took Big Tex up the upper half of Black Sheep.

See all the pics at www.4x4crawl.smugmug.com.

Big Tex makes Toyota Trails Issue

Check out the December / January issue of Toyota Trails. Nolen Grogan's Outside the Box article is on Proffitts Cruisers (http://www.proffittscruisers.com) and shows some pictures of the 4-link rig Jeremiah built for me. You can see part of the article at http://www.tlca.org/trails/otb/index.html but you have to be a member of TLCA to view the entire article. Here is a current picture of Big Tex.

Clayton, OK in December

Just got back from a great trip to Clayton, OK. Matthew & I, Lynn Kenney (my first cousin), Matt Burge (a friend of Matthews), Todd & Bonnie Yonkman and their daughter Nicole met up in Clayton Friday 12/9 so we could get an early start Saturday. Todd brought up his BRAND NEW custom FJ40 that he built (with a little help from Sunray). This weekend was it's shakedown run. It is a sweet rig and Todd really liked the way it handled.

We wheeled Freelings land all day Saturday and then did Green Acres on Sunday for 1/2 a day. Awesome weather and a carnage-free outing.

Check out the pics at www.4x4crawl.smugmug.com. I will be posting up more once I get Lynn's pictures.

No more trips until next year.....January 2006 !!!