JackBurns
Member
- Joined
- May 14, 2013
- Messages
- 132
As soon as the boys finished finals the second to last week in Aug we packed up the Jeep and headed for Beef Basin.
Although we left early we did not get to the turn off from 211 to Beef Basin road until after dark. (We were messing around looking at small furry animals through a high powered lens. Then burgers at Rays.)
Late Aug is just after the monsoon season in southern Utah.
Not unexpectedly the road was washed out in several spots and the drive in was long and slow.
That night we arrived at the place we wanted to camp at 2 in the morning.
The next day we spent looking for a panel that I had looked for in the past.
Platypus?
Cool rocks.
Haze was from the fires in the northwest.
After a hike in the beautiful country we headed west toward the Colorado river.
The road that we took has seen very little use and was in poor shape. Think the road from teapot to the standing rocks but twice as long and twice as rough.
Using google earth I had planed a campsite over looking Gypsum canyon.
However google earth did not convey the magnitude of the cliff that the campsite was perched upon. I suffer from a mild to moderate fear of heights and looking over the edge made my stomach queasy. I have a video of it but don't know how to post it.
We pulled back and camped up a side canyon.
The next two days we spent trying to get closer to the Colorado river across from Ernie's country.
Ultimately we had to unhook the trailer because the road deteriorated to the point that it was difficult for just the Rubicon to navigate.
One point the road was in such bad shape that we had to rebuild it to free the Jeep.
Taking care we followed the "road" around to a dry fall that blocked our progress.
We then hiked to a point where we could see into cataract canyon.
Along the way there was a mixture of cliff dwellings and structures on the tops of rocky outcroppings.
We then back tracked and looked into the top of cross canyon.
That night the weather changed and it looked like it was going to rain. We backed up and took the long drive back to Beef Basin.
The next day we drove up ruin canyon and looked at a large ruin and explored roads that we had not taken before.
Driving out we learned that the trailer can become top heavy when empty and that is a problem. We had used the twenty gal of fuel, twenty gal of water, food and such during the five days in the back country. All of which kept the weight low over the wheels. With out all that the center of balance is much higher.
Crossing ruin park the road was washed out in several places. Driving fast, radio up, windows down. The Jeep drove between the ruts but the trailer did not. It dropped in, out, then back in with enough force that it bounced back out and then over.
Luckily this type of trailer has a pintle hitch which is the key to its maneuverability. The pintle hitch can turn 360 degrees. This day it turned 180.
I saw the whole thing through my mirror. Without the pintle hitch it might have rolled the Jeep.
After stopping we unhitched the trailer, tipped it onto the tailgate, then over on to its wheels. Hooked it back to the jeep and drove off in about five min. The remainder of the drive was at a slower and more cautious rate of speed.
This is the correct trailer orientation.
Although we left early we did not get to the turn off from 211 to Beef Basin road until after dark. (We were messing around looking at small furry animals through a high powered lens. Then burgers at Rays.)
Late Aug is just after the monsoon season in southern Utah.
Not unexpectedly the road was washed out in several spots and the drive in was long and slow.
That night we arrived at the place we wanted to camp at 2 in the morning.
The next day we spent looking for a panel that I had looked for in the past.
Platypus?
Cool rocks.
Haze was from the fires in the northwest.
After a hike in the beautiful country we headed west toward the Colorado river.
The road that we took has seen very little use and was in poor shape. Think the road from teapot to the standing rocks but twice as long and twice as rough.
Using google earth I had planed a campsite over looking Gypsum canyon.
However google earth did not convey the magnitude of the cliff that the campsite was perched upon. I suffer from a mild to moderate fear of heights and looking over the edge made my stomach queasy. I have a video of it but don't know how to post it.
We pulled back and camped up a side canyon.
The next two days we spent trying to get closer to the Colorado river across from Ernie's country.
Ultimately we had to unhook the trailer because the road deteriorated to the point that it was difficult for just the Rubicon to navigate.
One point the road was in such bad shape that we had to rebuild it to free the Jeep.
Taking care we followed the "road" around to a dry fall that blocked our progress.
We then hiked to a point where we could see into cataract canyon.
Along the way there was a mixture of cliff dwellings and structures on the tops of rocky outcroppings.
We then back tracked and looked into the top of cross canyon.
That night the weather changed and it looked like it was going to rain. We backed up and took the long drive back to Beef Basin.
The next day we drove up ruin canyon and looked at a large ruin and explored roads that we had not taken before.
Driving out we learned that the trailer can become top heavy when empty and that is a problem. We had used the twenty gal of fuel, twenty gal of water, food and such during the five days in the back country. All of which kept the weight low over the wheels. With out all that the center of balance is much higher.
Crossing ruin park the road was washed out in several places. Driving fast, radio up, windows down. The Jeep drove between the ruts but the trailer did not. It dropped in, out, then back in with enough force that it bounced back out and then over.
Luckily this type of trailer has a pintle hitch which is the key to its maneuverability. The pintle hitch can turn 360 degrees. This day it turned 180.
I saw the whole thing through my mirror. Without the pintle hitch it might have rolled the Jeep.
After stopping we unhitched the trailer, tipped it onto the tailgate, then over on to its wheels. Hooked it back to the jeep and drove off in about five min. The remainder of the drive was at a slower and more cautious rate of speed.
This is the correct trailer orientation.
