Project-JK 2012 Moab Easter Jeep Safari Photo Essay

wayoflife

wayoflife

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With the economy still in the dumps and gas prices through the roof, I suppose it really shouldn't come as any surprise that the 2012 Moab Easter Jeep Safari was by far one of the least crowded ones I've seen to date. And, it really is a shame too as this was really one of the nicest years to be out there. With the exception of only one day where we had a freak snow storm, every day during the week was a perfect doorless and topless day and, that's not something I've seen in over 5 years. Anyway, here are a few pics highlighting our epic journey to the promised land.

Trek to Moab
Meeting up with the SoCal Crew at our favorite breakfast spot - Bravo Burgers...
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Before heading out to Vegas, we all pitched in to buy some lottery tickets with the hopes of winning the big Mega Millions...
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Thanks to lotto fever, the drive down Mountain Pass to the Nevada state line was hell...
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As always, we make an important stop before heading into Utah to stock up on essentials...
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IT'S HONEY TIME - Let the partying begin!!
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Doug, Mirek and Nick running down to greet Cindy who rolled into Vegas about midnight with our hot off the rack, Rubicat...
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Daylight shot of our new and improved Rubicat sitting next to her brother, Moby Dick...
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Line-up shot of the SoCal convoy just outside of Ritchfield, UT...
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In Moab at last and before dark!! Time to stock up on food!!
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CHEERS from the Moab Brewery!!
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After settling in our home for the week - it's HONEY TIME!!
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More pics below...
 
Day 1 - Kane Creek

Day 1 - Kane Creek
With a gorgeous day like it was on our first official wheeling day in Moab, it was time for the doors and top to come off...
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Airing down at the trailhead...
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Pulling onto our trail for the day, Kane Creek...
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All lined up and ready to play on the first obstacle...
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Doug making his way up with ease...
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Followed by Don...
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Brian making his way down...
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Eric getting a little air time with his front tire...
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Mirek on his way up...
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Chris taking up the rear...
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Working our way up the trail...
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Couple of shots of Moby doing a little stretching...
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After bushwacking our way up Kane Creek, it's time to climb back out of the canyon...
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A lack of working lockers forced me to take on a different line up the first real challenging obstacle on the trail...
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Mirek had some issues getting up the ledge but, eventually made it up on his own power...
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Tony showing how easy it can be done...
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Moving on out...
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Back at the Condos well before dark and it's HONEY TIME!!
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More pics below...
 
Day 2 - Elephant Hill

Day 2 - Elephant Hill
While we all knew that there was a chance of precipitation heading our way, I don't think any of us had a clue that it would come in the form of SNOW!! I mean, being that it was in the 80's just the day before, would could have known we'd wake up to see this...
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Thanks to the unexpected white stuff, we had to spend some time getting buttoned back up...
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And, it was a good thing we did as our long drive down to Canyonlands was a cold and snowy one...
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Line up shot at Newspaper Rock - our normal stop along the way to check out the cool petroglyphs and relieve our bladders...
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Catching up on the front page headlines...
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Well, it's official - LED headlights do not put out enough heat to melt snow...
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But, the ice disc that forms on them do come off with ease...
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Lining up to top off at the Needles Outpost - one of the most expensive places you can go to get gas...
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Maybe someday this will be considered cheap but for today, all I can say is OUCH!!
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But hey, at least they provide something I haven't seen in years - Full Service...
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Time to head on up Elephant Hill...
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Half way up the switchbacks, our Canadian friend Chris experienced some problems with his transfer case...
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In the end, we had to manually shift his transfer case from under his Jeep. Not knowing exactly what the problem was, we decided to leave his Jeep behind at the parking area for the day and continue on...
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On the move again...
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Time to make our drop down into the Elephant Hill trail...
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Onward we go...
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Working our way through the squeeze is much easier in Rubicat...
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Making a stop over at the Silver Stairs to take in the awesome view...
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On our way down...
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Starting our hike to the Confluence Overlook...
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And here we are...
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Unfortunately, the storm muddied up the waters and so you couldn't really see the confluence of the Colorado and Green Rivers like you normally could...
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Working our way back to the beginning of the trail...
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Off the trail before sundown...
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More pics below...
 
Day 3 - Off Road Evolution Seven Mile Rim Run

Day 3 - Off Road Evolution Seven Mile Rim Run
The cold weather and snow disappeared about as quickly as it came and for our third day in Moab, we were all stripped down again and ready to take on the Seven Mile Rim trail with Off Road Evolution...
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Making our way up the trail...
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Stopping over at the Uranium Arch along the way...
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Time to climb up and walk over it...
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View from the top of the Uranium Arch looking out toward the Merrimack and Monitor Buttes...
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While not as big as the Golden Crack, this crack along the Seven Mile Rim trail still provides a great chance to flex out your Jeep...
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Mel testing out the new EVO entry level coil over system installed on Rubicat...
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Tim from Nitto having some fun in the EVO Rockstart Support Z71...
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Lined up and posed for a shot between the Merrimack and Monitor Buttes...
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Working our way around the psychologically intimidating side climb near the end of the trail...
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Having some fun going down and back up on Wipeout Hill...
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Tony from Mopar taking on the hard side...
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To the end of another great day - CHEERS!!
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More pics below...
 
Day 4 - Porcupine Rim & Fins-n-Things Israeli Run

Day 4 - Porcupine Rim & Fins-n-Things Israeli Run
About a month ago, I was contacted by a gal named Orly from Israel asking if it would be possible to meet up in Moab during the Easter Jeep Safari. I was told that she was a part of a club called Wrangler-Life and that about 20 of them would be flying out and renting some Jeeps. Excited about the opportunity to wheel with some of our international friends, we dedicated our 4th day to them and did a run up Porcupine Rim and Fins-n-Things. Here's a shot of us with their rental JK's after meeting up ...
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Everyone in our group chipped in to help air them down...
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Our ultimate goal was to take them up on Fins-n-Things but the Red Rock guys were doing a run on it that day so, to help kill some time, we decided to do a quick run up Porcupine Rim...
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If you look carefully, you can just make out a line of JK's along the narrow shelf road...
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With enough time put between us and the Red Rock guys, we started our run up Fins-n-Things, a trail that screams MOAB!!
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When I hesitated before taking on this alternate line, one of the Israeli guys behind me asked what the problem was and, when I let him know that I wasn't sure if they would be able to make it, he responded by saying, "never tell an Israeli what they can't do - it'll only make them do it." And, sure enough, that's exactly what they all did...
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Traversing just one of the many fins along the trail...
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Can you spot the dinosaur?
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On our way to some fun climbs...
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One of the best parts of Fins-n-Things are the steep climbs...
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Posing for a line-up group shot...
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Time to head on out...
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A final group shot with all our new Israeli friends...
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More pics below...
 
Day 5 - Steel Bender

Day 5 - Steel Bender
Looking to have a bit more fun, we decided to use our 5th day in Moab taking on the Steel Bender Trail. Here's a shot of us lined up and ready to take on the first set of ledges...
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In fact, most of Steel Bender is about climbing or descending ledges...
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Of course, when you're running 40" tires, some of them can look like speed bumps...
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And, some of the ledges are still big enough to make it a challenge even with 40's...
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As Eric will confirm, everything looks steeper in a 2-door...
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Posing for a shot along the back of a long fin...
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Getting ready to make our BIG drop off The Fall - a steep vertical ledge that stands about 6 feet tall and with a steeper drop into a deep ravine to the right...
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Cindy showing how in a 4-door running 40's, it really isn't too bad...
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Doug taking his plunge...
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Moochie getting ready to hop down...
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Being in a 2-door, Ken asks for a little support to make his way down...
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Chris informs me that it's still a rush regardless of being in a 4-door...
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Diane having a great time...
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Can't seem to wipe the smile off of Don's face...
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The same is true for Et...
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and Nick...
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Fearless Stephanie making her drop...
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I wish I had caught it but when Eric hopped off this ledge without a strap, he actually got his rear tires to lift up off the ground on landing...
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Dave taking Nemo off the ledge...
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And finally, Mirek making his way down after helping me get everyone else down the next obstacle...
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After following Cindy and Doug off and obstacle made more for something with better breakover angles, Moochie found himself high-centered and in need of a little tug off...
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A few more ledges to climb and we're just about done with the trail...
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The last ledge out is a sandy one and comes right after a creek crossing to make things a real challenge....
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And yet again, off the trail before sundown...
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CHEERS to another great day out on the trail!!
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More pics below...
 
Day 6 - Vendor Show & Arches Run

Day 6 - Vendor Show
For our last day in Moab, we decided to head over to the vendor show to check out the awesome Mopar Underground Mighty FC and J12 Concept Jeeps before hitting the trails. Here are a few shots of the Mighty FC - Man, do I ever love this thing...
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Shot of Mark Allen helping to demonstrate what it's like to be in something without a nose...
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A gratuitous shot of Rubicat posting with the Mighty FC...
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And, here's is the beautiful J12...
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Day 6 - Klondike Bluffs & Tower Arch Run

Day 6 - Klondike Bluffs & Tower Arch Run
After spending some time checking out the Mighty FC and J12 at the vendor show, we decided to make our final run in Moab an easy and scenic one up to the Klondike Bluffs and then back out again via the Tower Arch trail...
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Pulling up to the Tower Arch foot trail...
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Shot of the Tower Arch from the parking area...
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Hiking out to the Tower Arch...
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Taking a quick peek at the Eye of the Whale Arch on our way out...
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Line up shot next to the Balanced Rock...
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And, last but not least, a final toast to Moab - CHEERS!!
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Unfortunately, we didn't have our son along with us this year and for that, I apologize for not having more photos that we do. However, if you would like all the pics we took over the Easter Jeep Safari, you can see them by clicking on the link below:

Project-JK Photo Gallery

To all my friends old and new, thank you for joining us out in Moab and for helping it to be so much fun. We had a great time with all of you and, for those of you who weren't able to join us, it is my hope that you'll be able to make it out next year. :cool:
 
Beyond being such awesome hosts:clap2::clap2:, I don't think anyone can beat how you capture the story of a truly incredible week:rock:
Most important was to experience it with the great folks we met, got to know, and shared it with.
 
I wasent there but seing these pics make me feel like i was there. Maybe if i can convince the wife and get the time of work maybe we can make it next yr and rent a jeep to wheel with.
 
MTG said:
Excellent photos to capture the moments...as always!
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I am sorry that I wasn't able to get more of your Jeep. I may have a few in the gallery but, without our son helping out, it has been more difficult to do this well.
 
wayoflife said:
I am sorry that I wasn't able to get more of your Jeep. I may have a few in the gallery but, without our son helping out, it has been more difficult to do this well.
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Be honest...it's because of the 35s isn't it? :cheesy:
 
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