80 Series build - The Land Yacht

[VuickB6]

The next day we decided to explore in Arches National Park. First thing we wanted to do was to go see Tower Arch, Marching Men, and Klondike Bluffs. We picked those first since it's in the middle of nowhere and not the easiest to get to so we knew there wouldn't be many people around and we could really enjoy the scenery instead of bumping in to someone every few seconds.

The trail out there is pretty easy until you make the turn off of Salt Valley Road and then it starts getting fun. Nothing too challenging but the first bit of decent off-roading on the trip!



It smooths out somewhat for a little while and then you come over a hill and you get a nice view.

And a good time to take a picture with silly poses!

After that you go downhill for a little bit. Once again it isn't too tough but it sure was fun.

The one and only vehicle we came across while we were out there. We chatted for a little bit about the rest of the trail since they were one their way back. It was 2 couples and they were really nice people to talk with.

Then not too much later you get to the parking area for Tower Arch. You can see it from the parking area and looks maybe 1/8th of a mile away, but it's a bit tougher than it looks to get there. But once you get there it was really neat to explore.


Looking back kind of towards the parking area.

As usual the kids had a blast getting to run around and climb on everything.

Afterwards we drove around to see a few of the more popular spots throughout the park. The Windows and Turret Arch were way too busy so we decided to come back the next day to see those.

 

[Rezarf <><]

Awesome pictures, gotta get back out there with the family. What a great part of our country! Moab/Arches/Canyon Lands may be my favorite place on earth.

 

[MTWheeler]

Awesome LC man! Lovin this build thread! I gotta ask, what kind of mileage are you getting with that beast? I'm figuring 13-15...

 

[redthies]

Awesome LC man! Lovin this build thread! I gotta ask, what kind of mileage are you getting with that beast? I'm figuring 13-15...

I'm in at 11 mpg. 13-15 would be great out of a rig like that!

 

[VuickB6]

Awesome LC man! Lovin this build thread! I gotta ask, what kind of mileage are you getting with that beast? I'm figuring 13-15...

I'm in at 11 mpg. 13-15 would be great out of a rig like that!

For the Moab / Colorado trip I really paid attention to the mileage and loaded down I got just over 11 mpg at 75 mph and at 65 it was up over 13 mpg. :sombrero:

 

[VuickB6]

I'll hopefully have some time at work the next 4 nights to get more pictures of Moab and then the Colorado portion of our trip. :beer:

 

[PetitFrereArmada]

Nice pictures. Thanks for sharing.

 

[VuickB6]

Nice pictures. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks! :beer:

 

[VuickB6]

We wanted to see a few of the petroglyphs in the area so we first head up Kane Springs Road to see The Birthing Rock. Just before we were about to leave another couple pulls up to look at it as well. The guy asks me about the Land Cruiser and so we chat for a bit about it and come to find out he's a member of IH8MUD and if I remember right he has a 100 series. Really nice guy though, took a picture of us all in front of The Birthing Rock.

Afterwards we made our way out towards Canyonlands to see Newspaper Rock. Holy cow was that thing cool! Quite a collection of petroglyphs all on one rock.

We continued on and saw Beef Basin in the book along with some ruins and wanted to do that as well. Shortly afterwards we noticed that the entire trip is rather lengthy and we wouldn't have had enough time. But not before I got a few pictures.

We headed back to Moab and had an early dinner and then went back to Arches National Park to see The Windows and Turret Arch hoping it wouldn't be as busy. Unfortunately it was even though it was pretty late in the day but we walked up to see them anyways. Of course the kids had a blast being able to climb on everything. A funny thing happened while I was sitting down watching the kids play on the rocks. My sister sent me a text out of the blue with a picture of me climbing on rocks (somewhere in the mountains of Southern California where we lived) and it brought back some good memories of the fun we had as kids.

One of my favorite pictures of the trip. Such a perfect photo opportunity!

This would be our last full day in Moab. We ate once again at the Moab Brewery, I stocked up on beer, and we went back to our camp. The next day we would be heading to Ouray :sombrero:

:beer:

 

[mph]

some great pics...looks like you had a blast in Utah!

 

[VuickB6]

some great pics...looks like you had a blast in Utah!

Thanks. Only wish we had went with someone who knew it better than we did. We had the book with all the trails in it but I didn't like it very much. I stayed away from certain trails because of how difficult it said it was but after talking to others it sounds like my rig would have been just fine on them. But I did only have 3 weeks to plan this whole thing, oh well. We're planning on doing a trip like this every year now so I know better for next time.

 

[blkhwk]

If you guys are looking to do this trip on the norm there is an FJ Moab trip that happens every year in July. Mostly FJ's but any toyota is welcome! It's always in the middle of July a few days before the FJ Summit in Ouray, CO. Another great event that welcomes all toyotas. Let me know if you're interested.

 

[VuickB6]

That might work out for me. It just depends on how things play out here at work and if I can shuffle around my vacation. It will be last minute before I know if I can go or not.

 

[Aaron Schubert]

Awesome photos mate; what amazing country!

Aaron

 

[VuickB6]

How about those Colorado pictures?



We took 191 south out of Moab and then got on the 46 which then turns in to 90 when you cross over to Colorado. It was a great road to drive on with the twists and turns and elevation changes. It got a bit scary in a few parts because it started raining pretty badly but luckily it didn't last too long. Shortly after you get in to Colorado you come down in to Paradox Valley and I just had to stop and take a few pictures.

Out in the distance on the left I believe is Martin Mesa and on the right is Sawtooth Mesa and in the canyon is where the Dolores River comes out. Further in the San Miguel River meets up with the Dolores River.


When we got in to Ouray we looked around for a place to camp and a few of them looked promising but when we went to the KOA and saw the cabins we knew we found the right place. Unfortunately they didn't have one available for all 5 nights, so we paid for the 3 nights that were available and started to unpack.

The weather was a welcome change for all of us! In SE Texas it's too damn hot all the time and it was nice to be some place with cooler temps and no humidity. This is what we woke up to the next morning.

We ate breakfast at a small place called Backstreet Bistro and the food was great. The bacon was thick sliced and had a strong smoky taste. The biscuits and gravy were my favorite. Ended up eating there every morning for entire stay. Looked in the guide book and decided on Last Dollar Road. It's not a difficult trail at all but it has some great views and the birch trees were beautiful. Wilson Peak which can be seen in advertising for Coors Beer along with many others is in the first and third pictures if I'm not mistaken.

Last Dollar Road takes you all the way to Telluride right next to the airport. We spent a little while looking around there and then drove back to Ouray for dinner at the brewery. The food was ok but they did have great beer, my favorite being the Box Canyon Brown. I ended up going back to the cabin with a growler of it! :beer: