Note: I was attempting a different approach with this trip report. Wanted to tell more of a story about the trip, but it doesn’t seem to be my style, so I will continue to lean on the photos telling the story. I have been inspired by the story telling of trips on the AdventureTaco website. Take a look at that site on how great story telling should be done. After taking a stab at telling more of a story, I appreciate more the effort he puts into his site.
Back in December my offroading friends started collecting ideas for our April offroad trip. In the past this has meant a Utah trip, as we either attend Cruise Moab (an annual offroading event for Toyota 4wd vehicles) or stop in to visit with Toyota friends meeting there from around the country. We considered some Southern California locations for later in April for a change of venue. However Southern Utah in April has proved consistently good for us. With that decided, just needed to map out a route with a fair percentage of, new for us, interesting 4WD trails. It can be a bit of a challenge having logged many miles in the Utah backcountry over the past 16 years. But Utah does not disappoint, going through my notes and digging through the maps I found there is plenty to still be discovered. I checked with the other four team members and they were onboard and so we would meet in Green River, Utah on the 15th.
Map of our trip, click on map to enlarge
Ben from the Bay Area decided to come up a few days early to use Cliff’s shop. He had had a mechanic, and then a Toyota dealer give up on getting the parking brake working after installing new shoes. We discovered the new brake shoes were not Toyota, but Napa which run little small. We tried welding on the shoe to make it fit better, but had to undo it as it caused another issue. By redoing the parking brake adjustment process by the book and bedding the shoes, the parking brake has worked since. Seems shops have lost the recipes for working on older vehicles, as he has 1993 Land Cruiser. Don arrived at my house Sunday evening from the Portland area.
Meanwhile Tucker had left the Sacramento area early to avoid a big snowstorm headed for I-80 over the Sierras. With his extra time Tucker explored some areas of Utah and stopped at Bryce National Park. And Vince left early from northern Wyoming to get in a day of skiing at Steamboat Springs. Vince encountered a stuck semi-truck sideways blocking a narrow mountain road and had to turn back and take a 200-mile detour to Steamboat, getting in about 2AM. He skipped skiing the next day before meeting up with us.
Link to Tucker’s travels before arriving in Green River
Additional Photo Credits: 31 photos provided by Tucker
15 photos provided by Ben
Link to Travel Day – On Monday Ben, Don and Cliff drove from Idaho to the Land Cruiser Museum. Later all meet at KOA in Green River, Utah.
Link to Day 1 of Offroading – Green River, San Rafael Swell, Copper Globe Mine, Capitol Reef National Park, Cathedral Valley
Link to Day 2 of Offroading – Upper Cathedral Valley, Bentonite Hills, Fremont River, Hanksville, Factory Butte, Moonscape Overlook, Lone Warrior Campground
Link to Day 3 of Offroading – flat tire, Devil’s Racetrack, Eva Conover trail, Moab, Spanish Trail Arena, Cruise Moab
Link to Day 4 of Offroading – Moab Diner, Fiesta Mexicana, Fins N Things, busted fan, Cruise Moab, Spanish Trail Arena
Link to Day 5 of Offroading – Moab Diner, Montezuma Canyon Rd, Rincon on San Juan River, Mexican Hat Rock
Link to Day 6 of Offroading – Monument Valley, Goosenecks of the San Juan State Park, Moki Dugway, Burr Trail, Wolverine Loop Road
Link to Day 7 of Offroading – Wolverine Loop, Horse Canyon, Burr Trail, Burr Trail Grill, Hells Backbone Road, Escalante
Link to Day 8 of Offroading – rear differential leaking, Willis Creek slot canyon, Great Chamber, brutal bumpy road, Kanab
Link to Day 9 of Offroading – Barracks Trail, Zion NP, Sand Mountain Open OHV Area,
KOA Hurricane, Alfredo A’s
Day 10 Heading home – After breakfast Ben headed south to visit family in Southern California, and Cliff headed north for home in Idaho.