This April I made another run to Moab, UT with my buddy Dave. Almost immediately after we got back from our fall trip we started planning the spring trip. We usually make the Moab trip in the spring so the fall trip was kind of an anomoly. The 2015 trip was a little different because instead of driving out together we met in Moab.

Dave and I picked the weekend after Easter Jeep Safari (EJS) to head out. We like that week because all the trails and camp grounds have been spruced up, but most of the people are gone.  It’s a bit of a catch 22 because I like the energy when people are around, but I don’t like some of the hassle of crowds.  This week seems to be a nice hybrid for me.

I love preparing for road trips almost as much as I enjoy the actual drive. The planing  and  adventure prep take on a life of its own. This is probably why I notoriously overpack for literally every trip I go on…. I plan for every contingency and then plan contingencies off of that.  I have gear that has traveled ten thousand miles but never, ever been used.  Well,  it does get used to take up space –  and annoy myself as I’m loading and unloading it for the umpteenth time.

Back to the road though. There is something about the road that really calls to me. Most of my big road trips have either been with my dad my wife or Dave. This trip was different because I would take on the 19 hours 1200 mile trip alone. No back up or support.   If something were to go wrong with my 18 year old 150,000 rig it was all on me.  There was something very exciting about that notion.  All the little repairs I made in preparation of the trip became far more significant.

Funny thing about this trip was that I wasn’t worried about the 20 hours of aloneness… I was worried that that I wouldn’t have enough time to get to all the stuff I had planned to entertain myself with.  My wife made me plenty of food for the trip. I had great playlists for every section of country that I would be traveling through and I also had a few books downloaded.  I discovered listening to thrilling novels during the nighttime hours of a drive keep me from getting sleepy.

I was traveling from the midwest while Dave, who had already been on his own epic road trip, was headed in from California. I left my home at about noon on a Saturday and hoped to be in Moab no later than 10:00 am on Sunday. My plan was to arrive at the BLM camp ground area just about the time that the weekenders were leaving. There were two camp spots that I had always wanted to try and I hoped that if I got there bright and early that maybe I could grab one.

The drive was really smooth.  Gas prices were down around $2.20 and there wasn’t any wind or rain to deal with.  I always get a little nervous on I 70 out of Denver.  My 3 speed auto has to work pretty hard going up those hills at speed.  I decided that I would just take it nice and slow and not push two hard.

I stopped a couple of times because I did get a little tired.  That worked just great because I was able to catch a nap and time sunrise better.  I figured that seeing the rockies in the light would be much better then driving the the beautiful mountains at night.  It’s really not that interesting from the western side of the rockies to Moab.

I like to get off of I70 at Cisco, UT then pick up Highway 128 into Moab.  I think its the most scenic way there.  I have a Bestop Trek Top NX on my TJ so once I get off of I70 the top has to get flipped back.  That way I can start to take in the views I worked so hard to get to.  This year on my way to the Cisco exit I saw this JK with a AirTop on it.  All I can think about now is how sweet that would be for an adventure rig. I also liked seeing the Trasharoo in action as well.

I pulled into the BLM area of Moab at about 10 am on Sunday.  I drove straight to campsite E because those were the sites I had hoped to get.  As fate would have it just as I was pulling in a family was leaving #8…  That was my number 1 pick.  Take a look at this view!!!

 

Dave’s plan was to be to Moab at around 3:00 pm that Sunday. I didn’t have a problem with that because I could get the camp site all set up and ready for when he arrived. I also figured that I would warm up my rig on “fins and things” a trail that I hadn’t been on in 5 or 6 years. I recalled that I was a pretty simple run but thats all I was looking for anyhow. Just enough to see how the rig was running and keep me interested.

Ill follow up with more photos and trip information in the next posts.

 

Carter