VOTE NOW for September 2011 ROTM

Official September 2011 ROTM submission thread

There is a special theme for this month. Your summer adventure. Here is the informational post from the Adventure forum.

Bryan C. said:

Just wanted to give a heads up for a special Rig of the Month theme for September of this year. It will be for expedition rigs, but with a twist. It's hard to place an expedition tag on a rig, so the idea here is post pics of your rig being used in an expedition type setting.

In addition to the normal rules of submitting 2 pics of your rig and a spec list, you must post up a mini-trip report of an expedition type run. The maximum number of pics allowed will be raised to 6. One of the pictures must be of your rig at your fully set-up campsite. You can use the other pictures not only to showcase features of your rig (like a rooftop tent, on board shower, etc.), but also should include some landscape shots with your rig in it.

Rules:
Full spec list of rig.
Expedition style trip, the trip must have taken place in 2011.
Maximum of 6 pictures allowed.
Mini trip report must be included.
And just to throw this out there, there is no rule that the Rig of the Month submission must be an XJ/MJ vehicle.


Also, a big thanks to Dr. Moab for suggestion this theme. Hopefully you guys can get some runs in over the next few months and post up some pics.

Click to expand...

So the same rules apply as always. First 5 red letter names to post their pics and trip report will be voted on.
See the sticky thread at the top of this forum for complete rules.

Re: Official September 2011 ROTM submission thread

In!

2001 Sport

Engine :4.0L
Trans: AW4
Tcase: NP231

Axles: Rear D44 with ARB and 33 spline alloy shafts
Front D30 ARB
4:56 gears

Lift:
TNT long arms, DPG coils, Deaver leafs, HD engineering drop shackle relocation kit, RE trackbar, RE shocks.

Odds and ends:
TNT frame stiffeners
Front RigidCo winch bumper
Warn XD9000i winch
Rear MattSmithbuilt bumper with swingout, jack and gas can holder.
ARB Fridge
Viair 450C compressor with 2.5 gal tank.

Trailer: 66 M416 Military 1/4 ton
33 inch KM2s
ARB roof tent on Thoule bars

Trip Report and photos...


June 2011

We decided to leave the kids home and head to Wyoming with another naxja guy (Slider) who happens to be my cousin. I haul propane for a living and just east of US-189 and north of Interstate 80 is a small mountain range that I drive past all the time. I have been curious what was up there so we decided to take a little weekend trip and see what there was to see.

Most of the area consists of rolling grassland with the occasional cedar tree. We wanted to camp at a spot called Jacobs Mine however when we got there, we found it wasn't really suitable for camping so we kept rolling east towards Carter.


(Between Jacobs Mine and Carter along the top of one of the many ridges in the area)

We drove into the late hours of the afternoon looking for a place to camp but our options were limited. Finally Brian (slider) mentioned an old family camp site north of Carter. It was quite a drive but we hammered down to see if anyone was there. Pulled in, just in time to set up camp before dark and settled in for the night. The stars were out and it was the perfect night to try out some star trails and light painting photos.



The next day we decided to go explore the area north east of Carter. We knew of a couple of old homesteads in the area so we thought we would check them out.


(One of the old Homesteads. The idea of living in this area at the turn of last century is pretty amazing. Not much water, harsh winters and howling wind would make life pretty rough.)

In a typical dumb ass Ryan move we decided to try and take a shortcut back to camp but we had to cross a small creek and with the high amount of snow we had during the winter and spring, it had left the banks too muddy to cross. Brian thought there was an old bridge somewhere along the way but we weren't too sure where it was. We started following an old two track that didn't look like anyone had been on it since the last wagon train and eventually made it to the bridge. This thing had probably been built around the time of Jesus and had holes in the deck large enough to swallow a Sherman tank. So...I let the wife drive....so I could spot her of course.


(Driving across the old bridge)

We made it back to camp, sit around the campfire and felt sorry for ourself because we had to head home the next day and back to real life. Again...typical dumbass Ryan move, I thought we would take another shortcut back to the highway. The views were great but the roads however...they were a little rough and some of them that were on the map didn't exist at all. After a few washouts and backtracks we made it back and safely home.


(One of the many washouts on the trail)

Looking south at the Uintah Mountain range in Utah.

Re: Official September 2011 ROTM submission thread

Awesome pictures!

Re: Official September 2011 ROTM submission thread

Second pic MUST go in the calendar. Thats totally cover worthy :worship:

This better not be a one horse race. I know there are more of you out there.

Re: Official September 2011 ROTM submission thread

DrMoab said:

This better not be a one horse race. I know there are more of you out there.

Click to expand...

I have won already or I would post up . . . maybe Jes, Bryan C., FarmerMatt, David T. or PorchPuppy will post up photos and a trip report from our Pannimint Death Vally run. They can use all my photos of it:
http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1060427


But I still don't think they will win over DrMoab's photos.

Re: Official September 2011 ROTM submission thread

2000 Sport

Engine : 4.0L
Trans : AW4
Case : 231

5.5 Rubicon Extreme Duty Long arm Kit
- Acos Spacers Front
- Add a leaf in Rear

Tom Woods Custom Drive Shafts front and rear
4:56 Gears
ARB Lockers Front and Rear
8.25 rear axle
Dana 30 front axle with Alloy shafts and Warn Hub Kit and stiffiner
Viair 300c compressor and extra air tank
Snorkel with pre cleaner
Teraflex SYE HD
ZJ Rear Disc Conversion
WJ 6 way power leather seats
K&N Filter
Ruff Stuff Front and Rear differential covers
Warn XDI 9000 winch
43qt Edge Star Fridge
Flip down DVD
Bushwhacker Flares
33x12.50x15 BFG km2 mud terrains
15x10 rims
Rock Lights
Passenger Side ladder to roof
HDI Headlight Conversion

Custom
Front bumper
Rear bumper/Tire carrier
Rock Sliders
Roof Rack

2002 Conqueror Compact Trailer

Over 80 Cubic Feet of Storage with lockable doors
Epoxy Powder Coated body that resists chipping and rust
2- 5 Gallon gasoline cans with mounts
Standard with shovel, axe, and grass slasher
Aluminum side steps
Wheel arch rubber shields
2 Rear anti-tilt legs
Electric side running lights
Large rubber jockey wheel
Huge tent: 2 to 4 person tent manufactured from military grade, rip-proof fabric with heavy duty zippers and mosquito screening
Personal item storage
Queen sized bed
Sun canopy with poles and adjustable tie-downs
Aluminum ladder with rubber mat
Dual water tanks for a 29 gallon capacity. Mounted under the trailer for a low center of gravity to aid handling.
110-12 volt power converter with integrated overload and ground fault protection
Heavy duty Battery
Fluorescent light in rear; LEDs all over the place
Hella receptacles for accessories
Standard 12 volt Power Outlet/Cigar lighter
Fully equipped kitchen with service for 6
Cutlery and crockery
5 piece stainless steel pot set
Stainless steel work surfaces on both sides
4 dry storage boxes
Slide out frame with Edgestar refrigerator and Buddy heater
2 propane bottles
Hand sprayer for cold water shower
Privacy toilet/shower shelter room
Small generator
2 burner Camp Chef stove with BBQ Box and Skillet

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=XcSbOOU7wss


So I did not have photos that went in order for a trip report. I am not as talented as Ryan and when I did plan for it on our trip across Utahs west desert and into Nevada I used all my Camera battery to take the night time sunset picture that I posted. So there are a few photos from some Expedition trips this year.

The first was from our trip around the Great Salt Lake, started at home and went all the way around the lake through the bombing range and home.



These next three represent the trip we took from Tooele across the Pony Express trail where we followed it into Nevada where we got rained out for the weekend. The roads out there get super slick and we got out back to pavement just in time before the big part of the storm hit.






These last two are from our 10 day trip to Silverton, Colorado just a few weeks ago. Most of the peaks we drove to were at 13000 ft and the views were spectacular. The first photo is coming down Kendall Mountain trail above Silverton (Photo by Dr. Moab) and the second is on the California gulch trail that leads out through Red mountain back towards Ouray, Co.





The definition of an Expedition is a journey or excursion undertaken for a specific purpose. My purpose is to take any opportunity to escape everyday life and get away either for the day, a weekend or a ten day trip.

Re: Official September 2011 ROTM submission thread

Awesome pictures :thumbup:

Re: Official September 2011 ROTM submission thread

Where are all the other submissions?

Re: Official September 2011 ROTM submission thread

Oooh... tough choices already, Can't wait to see more! C'Mon guys! Maybe we need to cross post this to the Expedition portal. I know there are guys over there.

Re: Official September 2011 ROTM submission thread

This is such a great idea...

My rig:

1999 Cherokee Sport 5-speed.
Warrior Products 3"+ front coils, 3.5" RE leafs w/HD Engineering shackle relocations brackets in the rear, gives me about 3.5" all around.
WP Trackbar relocation bracket and WP swaybar disconnects up front,
WP LCA's.
31x9.5 Wild Country Radial XTX Sport on 16" Limited 5-spokes (including the spare)
Rough Country T-case drop (NP-231)

Warrior Products Winch Bumper with brush guard,
-Two 4" HIDx driving lights & two 7" HIDx floods
-Smittybilt XRC10 winch that I haven't used on myself.
-Forget the brand, fancy flip-up license plate holder on the roller fairlead, huge waste of money

Durango 4x4 rear bumper with swing away tire carrier and built-in hitch. Bought used from Ba-reido and repainted with bed-liner. Usually carrying a black Trasharoo

Custom built rock sliders, I believe the original design was by WheelinJR.

Used to have the 76" WP Safari basket rack but I busted off my rain gutters so I'm working on something else now.

ARB compressor under the hood,
COBRA 75-wx cb radio
Yaesu FT7900-R Ham radio.
Galls 5-function switch box for lights.

Rear cargo box with:
-Canned food good for 5 days stranded alone
-Minimum 5-gallons water
-140 feet of 30,000lb rated yank strap
-3 snatch blocks & D-rings
-10-foot chain (great for dragging logs off the road)
-Chainsaw mount on top of cargo box
-Axe, hatchet, 2 machetes & more pocket knifes than I can count.
-Nine flashlights and a 12-volt spotlight.
-60" Hi-Lift Jack, barely used.

Since we can only do six photos, I'll just post a link to my gallery of small details which I opptimisticaly called Start to Finish, thinking I'd be done some day. HAH: http://s266.photobucket.com/albums/ii269/pelewanabesega/Start To Finish/



My biggest interest has always been exploration. I just got the Jeep by chance. My Mom bought the Jeep more for my sister, who loved Cherokees. Things didn't work out there and my sister didn't want to drive a stick and I needed a car so I bought the Jeep from my Mom with 57,xxx miles on it for $1500.
The 4x4 didn't even engage at the time and I ended up getting into trouble because of that. Hood River SAR had to come pull me out of some snow a few months after I'd gotten. While researching how to fix the problem, I came upon . After fixing the missing bushing on the xfer case linkage, I started exploring more, and finding my limitations.
By the time I'd saved money to work on my Jeep, I had I good idea of what wanted to do to it and got to work. Most of last spring I was without my Jeep as I got it done but finally, just days before NWFest I had it at a point where I could consider it "done." At least done enough to wheel it.




I had an awesome time but my heart was still leading me toward exploration/expedition travel.

Sept '10 I spent 4 days exploring central and southeast Oregon with another Jeep guy, culminating in the best campsite I've ever had, a soundless, windless night in the middle of the Alvord Desert. Simple spectacular.



Though I am still cleaning dust off my camping gear, no joke...

I once read about a doing a trip to Hat Point and how it is the most famous view point of Hells Canyon that nobody has ever heard of. In the same area, there is also Dug Bar, one of only 2-3 places you can drive into Hells Canyon in Oregon. One well-traveled author refers to it as the most spectacular drive in Oregon.
After missing out on several opportunities to visit this area, I decided to create my own and planned a trip. I posted an invitation on PNWAdventures.com and on July 15th, we had seven rigs at the meeting point in Joseph, Oregon. After picking a CB channel and 2m channel for the hams, we headed for Imnaha (pronounce im-NAAH-hah, with a long NAAH) After a quick stop at the store there for ice and to fix various CB issues and let the old guys check into their hotel rooms, we headed downstream.
The road to Dug Bar follows the Imnaha River Wild and Scenic River down stream from Imnaha for 16 miles, crossing the river a few times as it follows the west edge of the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area. At the last crossing, the road immediately begins a 6 mile, 1000 foot climb up to the top of a ridgeline, before dropping 2400 feet over the next 6 miles to the Snake River at Dug Bar. After lunch there, we turned around and headed back, almost all the way to Imnaha before setting up camp in a wide spot along the river.
The next morning, cooler, cloudier weather had moved in as we started the 5,000 foot, 24 mile climb up to Hat Point, the highest spot on the Oregon side of Hells Canyon and home to a staffed fire lookout tower. After lunch up there, my brother and Mom in her truck and myself and my GF in my XJ split off from the group, drove back down to Imnaha then turned upstream.
Our goal was to camp between the upper Imnaha and Joseph, since the gf and I had a 350 mile drive home the next day. We first went up to the Hells Canyon overlook, easily accessed in a Honda Civic for what was honestly one of the best views I'd ever seen. We then started on a small back road toward Joesph and found a campsite.
As we set up camp, the thunder in the distance started. Then it got closer. And closer. And it started to rain as the lightning was striking all around us. In half an hour we got nearly three inches of rain and completely soaked. I made the executive decision and we threw all our wet gear in the rigs and headed for a hotel room in Wallowa.
It wasn't the way we had planned the trip to end but we had an amazing time and I don't regret a single thing. (Well, I wish I'd set up the GoPro during the storm but beyond that)

Me leading the way with our friend Rich right behind me.


(photo by my brother, used with permission)

Going through a cut while looking for a campsite.


(photo by my brother, used with permission)


Stopped just outside Joseph to watch the lightning for a few minutes before continuing to our motel.





Driving up out of Hole-in-the-Ground, in the Christmas Valley area of Central Oregon in September of 2010.



(Photo by my ex-gf, used with permission)


I've also got a blog, which I've neglected greatly lately but I still post pics there from my travels, which are mostly of the scenery, not my Jeep...
Check it out, www.RMRX.Blogspot.com

Re: Official September 2011 ROTM submission thread

We all know Spongebob Square Jeep is gunna win, let's get this started already!

Re: Official September 2011 ROTM submission thread

The Enabler

Ten years of wheeling and exploring gave me a better idea about what makes a good vehicle for experiencing this beautiful country that I am blessed to live in. It needs to be comfortable and fun to drive over the long, high desert highways between the place I choose to live and the places I love. It needs to be able to reliably traverse any excuse for a road that may appear in my path. I needs to seamlessly make the transition between these 2 very different driving conditions. “Trailbait”, my previous Jeep, served that purpose, although it left a lot to be desired on the highway. I took the lessons learned from nearly 100k miles of journeys on my search for a replacement. That replacement came into my life in April of 2010. Thanks to the previous owner for taking such good care of it, and for financing the first $30,000 of depreciation so I could afford to own it.


The Enabler is a 2002 Grand Cherokee Overland. The Overland package comes with factory skid plates, tow hooks, rock rails, 4.7 liter HO V8, QuadraDrive 4wd setup and a leather, suede & wood interior treatment.

Looking at my mod list you will quickly realize that I enjoy driving Jeeps much more that working on them. Daimler/Chrysler did a great job to begin with. I added factory roof rack crossbars and cabin air filter. Additional electronics are a Uniden CB and Garmin Zumo 550 navigator. The 10 disc CD changer went from the cargo area to the trash can, a much more useful Quickair II compressor is mounted in its place and an aux input was added to the factory radio. An XM radio now provides entertainment anywhere I go. The suspension got a 2 inch boost from Old Man Emu. Five Goodyear Wrangler DuraTrac tires of 245/70R17 size went on the first chrome wheels I have ever owned. That tire size is the largest that will fit in the spare tire well and was integral to the prime directive: less is more.

I wanted every square foot of the interior space available to use for sleeping arrangements. My trips are all of a week or less duration, sometimes completely self contained 4wd excursions, others are backcountry sightseeing and hiking trips. Throw in the occasional trip to Lake Powell or to the river for some kayaking. Having the interior available to provide an all-weather, comfortable night’s sleep for my wife and I was vital. Two of those 3 inch thick Thermarest type pads, blankets and pillows let us get a good night’s sleep, even in the howling winds that are so common here in the Southwest. When the weather is nice we just sleep on the ground, letting an incredible display of stars lull us to sleep. Storage is provided by a bunch of 12 gallon clear plastic totes that are quick & easy to move in or out. A Coleman Extreme cooler holds frozen, home cooked meals that get warmed up on the engine while we drive. Water is carried in a 5 gallon army surplus jug that I modified with a tap from a water cooler. Hot running water is courtesy of a solar shower, or my Camelback, depending on the circumstances. A recent addition is the Thule Ascent 1100 storage box. It is the largest one that I could find that would still let me pull the Jeep into the garage. Now most of the gear goes on the roof and stays there. For very little effort and money I ended up with an extremely versatile 4wd camper/grocery getter/exploration vehicle.



A sample trip with The Enabler, to El Malpais National Monument:

Some call it “the poor man’s Hawaii”, El Malpais has had volcanic activity from 700,000 years ago until the recent past. The headline attractions are dozens of volcanoes that spawned huge lava flows and what may be the largest network of lava tubes on Earth. The rugged terrain looks inhospitable but actually supports an abundance of life, above ground and below. Some of the oldest trees in the Southwest have been found here, providing a climate record for the past 2000 years. What it doesn’t have is development. There are a few roads, ranging in quality from rutted, baby head strewn caliche to doubletrack slowly fading to nothing.

I headed west out of Albuquerque one July morning with the intention of spending the weekend exploring El Malpais. Since my route would take me through Grants I planned on a stop at the Mining Museum, billed as the only uranium mining museum in the world. It seems that my little trip coincided with the Fire & Ice Motorcycle Rally, which took over downtown Grants. One look at the crowds and I decided to save the museum for another trip.

First stop in El Malpais was the El Calderon area. A trail loops past several lava tubes and up the flank of the namesake cinder cone. This was the only place I would encounter anyone else in the caves, a church group from Albuquerque in Junction Cave.

The trail winds past Bat Cave, where a large colony of bats roost during the day and emerge at dusk every night. The Park Service requests that people stay out of this cave to give the bats a peaceful resting place. At the time, there were 5 caves open to the public in the Monument. The rest of them are kept secret and entry is prohibited without a permit. You need to prove that you have a good research or educational reason to be allowed in any of the other caves. Recently, all of the caves have been closed to investigate the causes of White Nose Syndrome, an epidemic that has been wiping out bat colonies in the eastern half of the country, and is suspected to be spread by human visitors.

I was planning on spending the night so I went over to the visitor center to pick up the free camping permit. The point of this exercise is so they know you got out alive. Your part of the deal is to bring the permit back to the same visitor center (there are 2) when you are done so they can verify that you are leaving and are still in one piece. This threw off my plan to do a loop from Hwy 53, down the Chain of Craters Scenic Backway and back to I40 on Hwy 117. Dropping off the permit at the other visitor center on 117 would have been easy for me but it was not an option. The ranger also warned me about driving any of the roads when wet as they are clay and become impassable to anything with wheels after a good soaking. And being summer time a thunderstorm was heading our way. Having been caught on the same type of volcanic clay roads in the Jemez during a gully washer I was not interested in repeating the experience so I drove a little ways down CR-42 to a point where I could wait out the storm. It lasted about an hour with intermittent rain so I continued on. It did not rain enough to turn the clay to slime so I was in good shape. The Jeep even stayed fairly clean.

The week before I left on this trip I was chatting with one of our vendors at work. He mentioned that there was a PBY Catalina wreck on the lava of the Malpais. The directions to the site: At the point where the Big Tubes road comes closest to the lava wall walk a 50° bearing for .5 miles. Heading down the Lava Tubes Road:


A 50° bearing takes you through a whole lot of aa lava. Much of the terminology about volcanoes comes from the Hawaiian language. Aa lava is the jagged, rubbly, talus-like form of lava. I suspect the name “aa” comes from what those islanders said while walking over the stuff in flimsy sandals. I wore my hiking boots, a rare occasion as I am now a big fan of lightweight trail running shoes. I doubt any trail runners would have survived the weekend. My feet were unscathed thanks to those clod hoppers. I also wore gloves, long sleeves and BDUs for protection from a fall, despite the 90°+ heat and humidity left in the wake of the departing thunderstorm.

Just inside the tree line I found the debris field, exactly where described. According to my source, seven men perished in the crash.


When I picked up my permit, the ranger said there were 2 recommended areas for camping. There is no campground, per se. But adjacent to the Big Tubes parking lot is a flat area with a couple of grills and picnic tables. There is also a pit toilet there. Nobody was around when I pulled up so that is where I enjoyed a nice, peaceful night in the back of the Jeep.

There is a cairned hiking trail that tours the Big Tubes area, I spent the whole next morning exploring them. This is just inside the entrance of Four Windows Cave. The ropy texture of pahoehoe lava is easily seen on the floor.


Further in the floor is littered with fallen rubble. Pahoehoe lava is still visible on the floor, as well as terraces on the wall from the different levels of lava flows. This particular cave had a back door, accessed through the upper part of a really neat double stacked passage that then ascended through rubble to the surface. The cave temperature was 46°, the existence of an exit was immediately apparent from the warm, dry air flowing out of the tube. I had to turn off my light a few times to look for the faint glow of the exit. It was not a place for fat people. After spelunking the Big Tubes I started the drive home, but not without checking out a few of the side roads in the area. These kinds of roads are just the sort of question my Jeep was made to ask:


The entire purpose of this Jeep is to take me places… not the other way around.

Re: Official September 2011 ROTM submission thread

Handlebars said:

We all know Spongebob Square Jeep is gunna win, let's get this started already!

Click to expand...

Till you threw your hat into the ring anyway.

IC ftw in September!

Re: Official September 2011 ROTM submission thread

Very nice rigs guys.This is going to be hard.Good luck to you all.

Re: Official September 2011 ROTM submission thread

scottmcneal said:

Very nice rigs guys.This is going to be hard.Good luck to you all.

Click to expand...

Yes, it will be a tough decision. Betting the winner wont be a runaway and last day will decide.

Great submissions guys! :cheers:

It would be cool to win but it would almost be worth losing to Alex just to hear everyone scream about a non-XJ winning two months in a row

Cast your vote accordingly.

If it helps your decision, I have hi-rez photos for the calendar. :rtm:

Not fair Alex's life is an Expedidition.