Muspos
10-26-2005, 09:10 AM
Good morning Cruiserheads!
I have a story about an experience yesterday that transpired on a trail near Moab. My father-in-law is in charge of the search and rescue and had a run in with two German tourists that had gotten themselves stuck after pure stupidity. The rented a 2005 Grand Cherokee from Alamo and decided to take a back road from Canyonlands NP to Moab. The road was on their GPS unit and man it looked like a great shortcut to them. I got a phone call asking if I would see if I could get them unstuck, they said that they were hi centered on a rock. We all hopped in my stock 1978 40 30” tire unlocked cruiser and headed off with a hi lift and a variety of chains and straps. Most of this 70 mile trail is level 3 with a few 3+ sections but there is one section called the chute that is a 4 ˝ + section, a half of mile that drops you about 600 verticals feet with many off camber 3-10 foot drops, boulder fields and one spot large enough to turn around.
As we are driving towards the J**P we are seeing running boards, skid plates, radiator shroud, and a wide variety of plastic pieces scattered across the various obstacles. They kept commenting on how easy I was making it look and how well the Cruiser was doing. Obstacle after obstacle I kept envisioning a new $40,000 vehicle being rallied up these obstacles and I was just imagining where they had gotten themselves stuck. We reached the chute and the Cherokee was only fifty feet from the top but it was facing the wrong way. I asked them how come they were facing the wrong way and apparently they had come to a ten foot drop off and finally decided to turn around after already going through five obstacles just as difficult? SMRT! The Cherokee was mangled, every panel except roof had been damaged, every door barely opened and most of the panels were totally ruined, it was great!
I got the J**P unstuck by using the stock jack and putting rocks under the tires and driving it off the rock. The fun part was getting it turned around which resulted in the Cherokee sustaining a nice clean removal of the rear bumper while trying to negotiate around a four foot boulder, Opps did I do that? I felt like I was a test driver trying to make it down all the obstacles without removing any important mechanical part. The Cherokee collided with the rocks so many times and I beat the living crap out of it due to the speed that was needed to clear the obstacles, but man it was fun. My wife drove the cruiser through most of the obstacles and the Germans were floored at the cruisers pure brute and strength. Comments like “that is not a normal four wheel drive, WOW, and no way” were said about the stock cruisers ability to handle challenges that the J**P was suffering so greatly for attempting.
We made it down and out to pavement and sent the Germans on their way to go get a new vehicle from Alamo. After the entire experience the only damage we incurred on the whole excursion was when I came off a ledge to fast and scraped the paint/rust of my rear shackle and my steering wheel needing to be centered after trying to turn while the steering was bound against a rock, got to love no power steering! This is why I drive a cruiser, and it is amazing to see the reaction when people hear that I took a Toyota through the chute! I am proud to know that I drive one of the best off road vehicles ever built! Have fun!
I have a story about an experience yesterday that transpired on a trail near Moab. My father-in-law is in charge of the search and rescue and had a run in with two German tourists that had gotten themselves stuck after pure stupidity. The rented a 2005 Grand Cherokee from Alamo and decided to take a back road from Canyonlands NP to Moab. The road was on their GPS unit and man it looked like a great shortcut to them. I got a phone call asking if I would see if I could get them unstuck, they said that they were hi centered on a rock. We all hopped in my stock 1978 40 30” tire unlocked cruiser and headed off with a hi lift and a variety of chains and straps. Most of this 70 mile trail is level 3 with a few 3+ sections but there is one section called the chute that is a 4 ˝ + section, a half of mile that drops you about 600 verticals feet with many off camber 3-10 foot drops, boulder fields and one spot large enough to turn around.
As we are driving towards the J**P we are seeing running boards, skid plates, radiator shroud, and a wide variety of plastic pieces scattered across the various obstacles. They kept commenting on how easy I was making it look and how well the Cruiser was doing. Obstacle after obstacle I kept envisioning a new $40,000 vehicle being rallied up these obstacles and I was just imagining where they had gotten themselves stuck. We reached the chute and the Cherokee was only fifty feet from the top but it was facing the wrong way. I asked them how come they were facing the wrong way and apparently they had come to a ten foot drop off and finally decided to turn around after already going through five obstacles just as difficult? SMRT! The Cherokee was mangled, every panel except roof had been damaged, every door barely opened and most of the panels were totally ruined, it was great!
I got the J**P unstuck by using the stock jack and putting rocks under the tires and driving it off the rock. The fun part was getting it turned around which resulted in the Cherokee sustaining a nice clean removal of the rear bumper while trying to negotiate around a four foot boulder, Opps did I do that? I felt like I was a test driver trying to make it down all the obstacles without removing any important mechanical part. The Cherokee collided with the rocks so many times and I beat the living crap out of it due to the speed that was needed to clear the obstacles, but man it was fun. My wife drove the cruiser through most of the obstacles and the Germans were floored at the cruisers pure brute and strength. Comments like “that is not a normal four wheel drive, WOW, and no way” were said about the stock cruisers ability to handle challenges that the J**P was suffering so greatly for attempting.
We made it down and out to pavement and sent the Germans on their way to go get a new vehicle from Alamo. After the entire experience the only damage we incurred on the whole excursion was when I came off a ledge to fast and scraped the paint/rust of my rear shackle and my steering wheel needing to be centered after trying to turn while the steering was bound against a rock, got to love no power steering! This is why I drive a cruiser, and it is amazing to see the reaction when people hear that I took a Toyota through the chute! I am proud to know that I drive one of the best off road vehicles ever built! Have fun!