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.
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.
posted by Russell | 6:19 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home