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I'm in, just give me the dates.
The Scorpion
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Looks like a nice area to spend time on a ranch......![]()
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What time of year would you go?
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I'm thinking about doing a run through the San Raphael Swell (Eastern Central Utah), which is even more remote than the Grand Staircase in terms of use and off roading vehicles. The question is more when than if.
The Staircase is magnificent but the Swell is --- remote ---.
There is only one paved road - I-70 and it splits the area into two parts (northern/southern). It's about 50 miles in length and 30 miles in width, which means it's about 1/4 the size of the Grand Staircase.
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Where there are road signs in the Grand Staircase telling you "the road is horrible, you won't make it" there are nothing of the kind in the San Raphael Swell because there's nobody to put them there. It's not a National Monument.
Once upon a time, I did a lot of field work in and on the east side of Capitol Reef and actually published a paper in a peer-reviewed journal. Some spectacular beauty there, and some cool places to camp. Lots of old uranium mines, dinosaur bones, petrified wood, and indian caches. If nothing else, I could explain the geology. :bandit: I helped some other guys do some field work on the Swell west of Emery and Ferron too, but I didn't spend near as much time there as around Capitol Reef. The trails I remember were not that bad, but there are probably some mine roads that could be fun.
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For the most part, the roads aren't difficult. They don't get much weathering or much use. I know there are mine roads down in Capitol Reef that can be fun. There are some interesting slot canyons, fossils and the like that make exploring worth the effort.
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Wow Uphill,
It has taken me three days of reading here and there to finish this thread from beginning to end, and every page of it has read like a good book that I couldn't put down. I found myself saying "just fifteen more minutes and I'm going to bed..." only to look at the clock an hour and a half later and realize I STILL couldn't stop because at that point I was in the middle of one of your trail reports and wanted to see how everything held up/came out in the end.
Your build is a great inspiration and your travels even more so. When I get my FJ armored up a little bit and get some time I would like to join you out on the trails if there is room for one more. I'll bring the steel cut oats :cheers:
It has taken me three days of reading here and there to finish this thread from beginning to end, and every page of it has read like a good book that I couldn't put down. I found myself saying "just fifteen more minutes and I'm going to bed..." only to look at the clock an hour and a half later and realize I STILL couldn't stop because at that point I was in the middle of one of your trail reports and wanted to see how everything held up/came out in the end.
Your build is a great inspiration and your travels even more so. When I get my FJ armored up a little bit and get some time I would like to join you out on the trails if there is room for one more. I'll bring the steel cut oats :cheers:
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That looks like a hotel in Ferron I stayed in one night for a week.and the great accomodations out there
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:cheers:
Most of the roads in the Swell were cut during the 50's-60's era uranium exploration and mining. It's also true of the Canyonlands and Moab areas. We all benefit. Teotwaki mentioned to me that there are BLM rules percolating to close many roads in that area, very similar to what we see happening in Arizona, California and throughout the West. All it means is that there are fewer places for us to enjoy.
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Brief Carnage Report:
In the run to the Grand Staircase I couldn't diagnose a problem I was having on the left-rear of the rig. It turns out that I blew a Jounce Shock. I'm having it recharged with nitrogen on Thursday and will be back in business. There was also an alignment issue when I ran the rig into a very sticky bit of river bed and had to winch out.
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Nothing serious - just another trail run.
In the run to the Grand Staircase I couldn't diagnose a problem I was having on the left-rear of the rig. It turns out that I blew a Jounce Shock. I'm having it recharged with nitrogen on Thursday and will be back in business. There was also an alignment issue when I ran the rig into a very sticky bit of river bed and had to winch out.
Nothing serious - just another trail run.
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I hope these and other usage failures will prompt Jason DeMello to keep me in the running as test bed for his new rear bumper. If anybody can break it, I can.
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If it helps at all you got my vote for the test rig.
By they way that was some nice looking mud..
Great pictures I really hope I can travel around that area some time.
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Today I found that my Warn Winch control box located on the ARB bumper was "wiggling". So I looked closer and the backing plate separated from the bolts that held it in place. Vibration and time did it in.
I trashed the hardware that came with the mount and replaced it with stainless steel bolts and SS fender washers. It's now riding like a champ.
I also pulled out the MAF sensor and it was a bit dirty. A health spray of sensor cleaner removed a fine coating of dust. Along with that, I first blew the dust out of the engine compartment with my power-tank and then I washed it down with a sponge. Desert dust is a real beast.
The cabin air filter was so dirty that it was beyond redemption even with hitting it with CO2 and a dust buster - so I put in a new OEM filter.
Checking the skid plate bolts, I found two were slightly loose so tightened them and changed the oil.
Another day in the life of the Scorpion.
I trashed the hardware that came with the mount and replaced it with stainless steel bolts and SS fender washers. It's now riding like a champ.
I also pulled out the MAF sensor and it was a bit dirty. A health spray of sensor cleaner removed a fine coating of dust. Along with that, I first blew the dust out of the engine compartment with my power-tank and then I washed it down with a sponge. Desert dust is a real beast.
The cabin air filter was so dirty that it was beyond redemption even with hitting it with CO2 and a dust buster - so I put in a new OEM filter.
Checking the skid plate bolts, I found two were slightly loose so tightened them and changed the oil.
Another day in the life of the Scorpion.
Proper maintenance is the key to a long running, reliable machine.
These things are on my list of things to do today, minus the winch part.
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7,480 Posts
I was over at WRIGMAN's house, screwing with the FJ because the check engine light came on.
Trouble shooting determined that the MAF sensor gasket/o-ring was torn. When I cleaned the MAF sensor last, I didn't grease the o-ring properly and it allowed air to leak down through the aperture.
Check your O-ring each time you clean the MAF sensor.:bigthumb:
Trouble shooting determined that the MAF sensor gasket/o-ring was torn. When I cleaned the MAF sensor last, I didn't grease the o-ring properly and it allowed air to leak down through the aperture.
Check your O-ring each time you clean the MAF sensor.:bigthumb:
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898 Posts
Absolutely agree!
I usually remove the O-ring so that the MAF cleaner doesn't dry the rubber out. Then I'll use some hi-temp silicon grease to clean and renew the O-ring's rubber and re-install it.
My problem is that I always manage to drop one of the small screws! Drives me crazy.... :lol:
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