My last hurrah for my favorite wheeling area...Calico Ghost Town Canyons in SoCal

Plumber1 said:
Not so sure on the winching on the blue JL, is that line attached to the Tie Rod :oops: and not something a little more substantial
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That's a brand new Hemi JL in-process build so he (a very well known old school Jeeper) hadn't had a chance to get his bumper and tow hooks installed by our weekend. That snatch rope was around the axle tube next to the pumpkin. Made me nervous too but he just needed a short tug. He has spotted me on a lot of trails over the years. I think that's only the second time I have seen him need a tug.
 
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Jerry by the time you get moved hopefully we will have contacts with folks who know Coppinger cove and we can get @AndyG @Hog and get you up this way with others for a weekend of wheeling.
 
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Looks like it was a ton of fun! Now that you’re moving to the southeast, I hope we can meet sometime and hopefully go wheeling (if I get my jeep sorted enough for the tough stuff)
 
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Jerry Bransford said:
Just got back from 4 days in the canyons surrounding Calico Ghost Town, just outside Barstow California. Such a beautiful and fun place to wheel! We also broke something like 5 out of 15 Jeeps to one degree or another, mostly minor, during the day. Usually it's zero breakages but....

Anyway, the beauty of this place just blows me away. And yeah, in some spots it's downright challenging.

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Awesome photos! Im curious what did you use the mount your rear shocks like that.
 
Oh they might be Nth Degree but they're nothing special. I bought this TJ used and it had some damage causing it to have a Salvage title so they might have been replaced by the previous owner.
 
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Shorts...T shirts.... and no tops even....:cry: I remember them days in sunny So Cal. Incredible rocks and scenery there no doubt. Never got to do Surprise canyon on wheels but did hike up it. Also a cool place!!
 
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Gilaguy23 said:
Shorts...T shirts.... and no tops even....:cry: I remember them days in sunny So Cal. Incredible rocks and scenery there no doubt. Never got to do Surprise canyon on wheels but did hike up it. Also a cool place!!
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Surprise Canyon in Death Valley was amazing, we were wheeling up its creek and trying to get up & over wet rocks. We didn't make it all the way to the waterfall as it was getting too late to continue.

This is my previous TJ there in 2000.

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John Cooper said:
Jerry by the time you get moved hopefully we will have contacts with folks who know Coppinger cove and we can get @AndyG @Hog and get you up this way with others for a weekend of wheeling.
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I'd be down for that too, but I may drive the JT... depending on getting busy on the TJ...
 
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Jerry Bransford said:
Geez that Gatekeeper in a couple of your photos is a tough mother isn't it lol.
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YES.... IT IS....
I have witnessed some serious carnage there....
My friend Mike in the picture drove his '88 Woody Wagoneer thru there and made it look easy....
I tried GK, but the manual transmission made it quite the challenge.
 
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The Gatekeeper is the toughest challenge I'm aware of, I'm not even aware what compares in JV. I used to do it when it was only really hard. Not stupid tough like it is now after rains shifted rocks and more rolled down into it from above.

Gerald Lee, owner of Savvy, has broken every time he tried it, even in KOH-level buggies. King of the Hammers competitors Sean and Brian from Poor Boy Racing absolutely destroyed their front axle on it one night I was there. It required two winches to get them out.

It has become a STUPID tough section of the Doran Canyon trail now. Thank God there's bypass for us mere mortals lol.
 
Jerry Bransford said:
The Gatekeeper is the toughest challenge I'm aware of, I'm not even aware what compares in JV. I used to do it when it was only really hard. Not stupid tough like it is now after rains shifted rocks and more rolled down into it from above.

Gerald Lee, owner of Savvy, has broken every time he tried it, even in KOH-level buggies. King of the Hammers competitors Sean and Brian from Poor Boy Racing absolutely destroyed their front axle on it one night I was there. It required two winches to get them out.

It has become a STUPID tough section of the Doran Canyon trail now. Thank God there's bypass for us mere mortals lol.
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Thanks for the history.
I agree....
 
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