Practicing for Moab

Neal

TJ Enthusiast
Joined
Nov 15, 2016
Messages
502
Location
Albuquerque, NM
Just over a week ago I posted a tribute to my wife over in the Off Topic section https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/shes-a-keeper.51089/. She had casually asked if the Jeep was ready for Moab, because she thought it was high time that we went there. We are now booked for the end of June and really looking forward to playing on the slickrock.

This weekend is one of the few that I have not been on call recently, so I decided to head over to an area that is popular with the locals (I have only been living in Albuquerque for 16 years, I don't qualify as a "local"). It is in the valley of the Rio Puerco, about 15 miles west of town. The area features a maze of trails, consisting mostly of sand with numerous sandstone outcroppings. The bikers, quads and side by sides all come for the sand, the Jeepers come for the rocks. I knew that there were a few spots that would help me determine if the Jeep really was ready for Moab, so we grabbed the dog and loaded up for "The Puerco".

After airing down we dropped over the edge of the mesa and took some random sand trails toward the area that had more rocks. You can drive on the sand for miles but you have to stay alert - the sight lines are very short on most of the trails and a lot of folks like to go fast. You don't get much warning of oncoming traffic.

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After a while we entered the area known as "Mini Moab". Most of the rocks and obstacles are fairly small but there are a few spots that can be very challenging. They tend to be fairly widely separated - do an obstacle, drive a bit, climb a rock, drive a bit, lather, rinse and repeat.

This spot doesn't look like much in the photo but the angle is a little deceptive. The elevation change is about 60 feet, and I'm about 2/3rds of the way up in this shot, with a tight left turn at the top. Lots of small to medium size rocks all the way up.

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We moved over to an area called "Moon Rocks" to play on some sandstone outcrops. I understand that the so-called "slickrock" in Moab is actually rather sticky, which is heartening, but the sandstone here is more than a bit slippery. You can also see that these rocks get a lot of traffic.

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After Moon Rocks we crossed over a ridge and descended through a slot into an area of really cool sandstone formations. Too bad people can't stop themselves from carving their names on the rocks. This place isn't a national park, but is it too much to ask folks to treat it like one? Pick up your trash, don't destroy stuff just for the rush and try to leave the place better than you found it.

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After a short break we headed home. No real issues with the LJ, although a little work on the brakes might be a good idea. We're thinking that the Jeep is pretty much ready for Moab and maybe, just maybe, we are too.

UPDATE: Well, as it turns out there was one little problem...

When we got home I popped the hood to check for leaks and found that the battery was tilted forward a bit. It turns out that the inner fender support bracket that the battery tray attaches to (supplied by MetalCloak when I bought my Overline front fenders) had broken into three pieces somewhere during the day. As luck would have it the brackets on both sides were identical, so I pulled the left side bracket (having to remove the inner fender and everything attached to it to get the bracket out was a special treat) and swapped it out with the broken right side part. There was enough left of the right side piece to bolt it to the left inner fender and connect it to the tub, there's just no way to put a tray on top any more. No biggie, I didn't have anything there anyway. If that's the only breakage I have to deal with as part of the Moab trip I'll be a happy camper (fingers crossed).

This used to be a single piece of metal. The middle piece is where the battery tray attaches, the top piece bolts to the firewall and the bottom piece bolts to the inner fender and the tub at the bottom of the firewall. The plastic box is the vacuum reservoir for the cruise control, I did have to drill two holes in the other bracket to attach it.

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I have been to the Puerco a few times with the folks from the nmvjc (I think they merged with another group), it was a fun place.
 
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I will be interested to hear your comparisons between posted trail ratings and what they actually were like. Trail descriptions seem similar across the board but some reviewers say they appear easier in Moab.
Also do you know any good off road area around Santa Fe.
 
Absolutely beautiful scenery! All we see here while wheeling in my part of the country is green vegetation, orange clay, and black swap water!
 
Great shots and great looking LJ! I’ve never been, but have heard good things about Las Cruces (sp?) out there too
 
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I will be interested to hear your comparisons between posted trail ratings and what they actually were like. Trail descriptions seem similar across the board but some reviewers say they appear easier in Moab.
Also do you know any good off road area around Santa Fe.
There are a couple of trails near Santa Fe that you might enjoy. One of the more challenging is La Bajada, a few miles southwest of town, which is part of what used to be Route 66 back in the 20's and 30's. Lots of switchbacks, small to medium sized rocks and washouts make it a little tricky in spots, but even a stock TJ/LJ would have no problems. There are also trails, mostly forest roads, in the Jemez Mountains to the west of Santa Fe. Don't forget to stop by Bandelier National Monument for some great hiking around Native American cliff dwellings, or you might try Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks for some amazing rock formations. Sadly, the best trail in the area for someone wanting a real challenge, Tank Trap, was closed several years ago by the Forest Service, although they never said why.
 
Great shots and great looking LJ! I’ve never been, but have heard good things about Las Cruces (sp?) out there too
Las Cruces was home to the Chili Challenge for many years and while that event has been moved up I25 to the Caballo Lake area there are plenty of trails in the Prehistoric Trackways National Monument/Robledo Mountain area that are decent. Check out https://lascrucesfourwheeldriveclub.com/ for more information.
 
Las Cruces was home to the Chili Challenge for many years and while that event has been moved up I25 to the Caballo Lake area there are plenty of trails in the Prehistoric Trackways National Monument/Robledo Mountain area that are decent. Check out https://lascrucesfourwheeldriveclub.com/ for more information.
I actually went to the Chili cookoff in Las Cruces when I was a much younger person