2003

 

 

 

Moab, Utah

 

Click on Santana, Top Gun, Bob Marley, Rocky, AC/DC, Mission Impossible,

 Peanuts, Floyd, Eye of Tiger, Beatles, Fly like an Eagle, Deliverance, Men at Work,

Beach Boys, Axle's Theme, James Bond, Van Halen, or the Eagles while you browse the MOAB 2003 reports...

 

Moab, Ahhhhhhhhhhh, Ahhhhh, Moab! Moab, Moab, Moab!  MOAB, It's a place like no other!  Slickrock jeepin' is quite different from any Colorado jeepin'.  With 'sandpaper' like traction, only gravity is your enemy. The beautiful reds, whites, and peach colors of the rocks add to the scenery of every trail you challenge.  We are so fortunate to be only 7 hours away here in Denver.  If you go after Memorial Day and before Labor Day, it's a hot one, so prepare for it and bring lot's of water!  Rafters, Hikers, Mountain Bikers, and Jeepers know the area for it's wonderful red rock scenery, and 'Moab Slickrock'.  Many of you already know, as you have 'been there', it's a playground for grown-ups.  No other place in the country comes close; Moab is 'Jeepin Heaven'!

 

Click above for a 'cool' air photo of Moab!!

   The HoboJeepers met up early on Thursday May 22nd, and ventured west on I-70 towards the 'Slickrock Gods' for the long anticipated 2003 Memorial Day Weekend.  With drive days on Thursday and Monday, it leaves 3 days of trails in Moab!!  Driving over Vail Pass, you could see much more snow then last year.  Then in Glenwood Canyon, the Colorado River was roaring!  We stopped in Glenwood Springs to hook up with Jed's brother Jim, and the 4 of us headed to Moab!  

   The 2003 MEMORIAL MOAB group consisted of: Marc 'Nugget' Gilbertson & his wife Kristen (CJ7), Jed 'Clampett' McClelland (CJ7), and his brother Jim McClelland from Prescott, AZ (TJ), Scott 'Mad Max' Maxwell with Janet and the kids Tom & Pete (TJ), and myself (Bill "Willy" Hallinan-CJ7) and my jeepin' sidekick Molly.  Scott and Janet arrived in Moab Friday night and stayed in a cushy Best Western.  Jed and Marc both avoided the long 'jeep drive', and opted to tow instead.  Jed and Marc were now pros to Moab this year, having been to Memorial Moab in 2002.

    For the past few months we have anticipated this trip to MOAB!  Before the trip, we all tightened a few bolts added upgrades and fixed leaks.  I was fortunate to have a good friend who owns AAA Transmission Warehouse off Santa Fe and Union help me change my diff fluids.  While there, he noticed that I had no engine mounts bolts on the driver side (hummm-need those?), and that my front diver side axle u-joint was ready to go.  Good thing, because it would of gone on Hell's Revenge and probably messed up the spline too.  He was able to fixed it and I was ready to wheel, Thanks John!  

   We arrived and set up camp about 2:30pm (6.5 hour trip) Thursday just north of Moab.  The only problem on the trip over was Marc's new Ford truck leaking some diff fluid, and ongoing problem for Marc and his truck.  I hear, a new deal for a different truck is in the works.  He now owns a new CHEVY Truck!  Since we had the afternoon off after setting up camp, we headed over to Arches National Park for some sightseeing.  Then we headed into town for some groceries.  Ready for a few fun filled days of slick rock and scenery, bring on Moab!

   One warning for tent campers: for some reason, thousands of very small white larve (gnats maybe) were able to infiltrate my tent netting and invade my tent, what a feeling waking up to that!  I was camped under a Tamarisk tree, I hear the larva come up from the moist saline soil once a year, well thousands did Friday night!

   There were a few 'camp fixes' for the weekend.  On the 1st day-Friday, Jed busted his right hub on the 'Dump Bump' on Hell's Revenge, and Marc busted a front u-joint near Hell's Gate.  That afternoon, after getting parts in Moab, Jed and Marc set up 'shop' in the shade at camp.  Both were done by 5pm and ready for another day.  On Saturday, after a hard trail ride on Pritchett Canyon, Jed's steering column housing broke leaving the CJ7 hard to steer and hard to start.  Without a spare column, Jed was done for the weekend.  Thanks to Jim for a great tasting fried turkey for potluck Saturday night!  Ahhh, Moab!

    The weather was hot (low to mid-90's), but it's almost summer in Moab.  For 3 fun days, we followed 6 different trails up and over numerous obstacles, ledges, and fields of slickrock!  From the difficult 4+ Hell's Revenge Trail to the 3.5-Sevenmile Rim Trail 'Night Run', on to Pritchett Canyon 4+, and finally building to the 6+ hour tour- Poison Spider thru Golden Spike to Gold Bar Rim Loop--from North to South, we certainly got our fill!!  Aaahhhh-Moab!!

Click on a link below  to a trip report from the

Memorial Moab Run 2003...

Friday, May 23rd-Day 1

HELL'S REVENGE TRAIL

Friday 'Night' May 23rd-Day 1

SEVENMILE RIM TRAIL-'Night Run'

Saturday, May 24th-Day 2

PRITCHETT CANYON TRAIL

Sunday, May 25th-Day3

POISON SPIDER/ GOLDEN SPIKE/ GOLD BAR RIM TRAILS

'From North to South'

"Moab, A jeepers paradise"

Storylines, captions, and website construction by:

BILL HALLINAN  HoboJeepers

2003 digital photos provided by:

Marc & Kristen Gilbertson, Scott Maxwell, myself, & Jed McClelland--Thanks!

Need More Moab?!?!?!?

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Click on a link below  to a trip report from the

Memorial Moab Run 2002...

Friday, Day 1

HELL'S REVENGE

Saturday, Day 2

FLAT IRON MESA/

E. BEHIND THE ROCKS TRAIL

Sunday, Day3

POISON SPIDER/ GOLDEN SPIKE/ GOLD BAR RIM

click on link below  to a trip report from the

Memorial Moab Run 2001...

Friday, Day 1

STEEL BENDER

Saturday, Day 2

HELL'S REVENGE

Sunday, Day3

POISON SPIDER LOOP/ GOLDEN SPIKE/ GOLD BAR RIM

click on link below  to a trip report from the

Memorial Moab Run 2000...

Friday, Day 1

FINS AND THINGS/HELL'S REVENGE

Saturday, Day 2

HELL'S REVENGE 110%

Sunday, Day3

POISON SPIDER LOOP/ GOLDEN SPIKE/ GOLD BAR RIM

click on link below  to a trip report from the

Sept 99 Moab Run...

HELL'S REVENGE

METAL MASHER/ ARTH'S RIM

POISON SPIDER/ GOLDEN SPIKE/ GOLD BAR RIM

Back to 2003 OUTINGS page

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