The Maze ROF trip 9/19

[gwittman]

Yes, Phil had a very organized arrangement for his 80 series Landcruiser. Tom's 80 was set up very nice too.

 

[LexusAllTerrain]

Thanks for the input guys. I wouldn't go alone, but have confidence in my truck and its capabilities. Just thinking about the prospects of bringing my trailer to something like this. Ideally would pick a place to use as a base camp and then go off on day trips. Would something like that be doable in/around the Maze? Just not completely sure of the truck's capabilities with the trailer attached. But slowly gaining confidence with each trip I'm going on.

Anyway, looked like a great trip.

I know somebody that did the Maze with and Australian Offroad trailer and 4th generation 4Runner....

 

[Ace Brown]

I know somebody that did the Maze with and Australian Offroad trailer and 4th generation 4Runner....

Yes, I know Brad too. He said it was one of the most difficult things he’s ever done and he would never do it again. He did not come down the Flint Trail. He entered and left through Hite. But he did do the roughest trail there on his way to the Dollhouse. His photos made it look incredibly difficult.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[WU7X]

Gary and all,

Thanks so much for the incredible write up. Gary, your rock art photography is exceptional. I would love to get down there and see them personally. Planning on spending all winter at the Y on the treadmill and stair stepper getting ready to do just that. I’ve enjoyed hiking off Cedar Mesa searching for Anasazi ruins in the past, but I have never seen rock art that beautiful before. Thanks for getting me fired up again.

Dale

 

[80t0ylc]

I totaled up my miles for this trip. From Shady Acres fuel fill up on the morning of 9/17 to my return to Shady Acres on the afternoon of 9/24, my odometer recorded 346 miles. Most of that was on dirt, since we took the dirt road to Hans Flat and I returned on the same road. The only pavement was in town, in Green River and on 24 for the Hanksville detour. (Hope this is helpful for anyone planning a similar trip in the area.) My road mileage from Oregon to Shady Acres and back was right at 1800 miles. But, I detoured through Green River, WY and Vernal, UT on the way down.

 

[jadmt]

I totaled up my miles for this trip. From Shady Acres fuel fill up on the morning of 9/17 to my return to Shady Acres on the afternoon of 9/24, my odometer recorded 346 miles. Most of that was on dirt, since we took the dirt road to Hans Flat and I returned on the same road. The only pavement was in town, in Green River and on 24 for the Hanksville detour. (Hope this is helpful for anyone planning a similar trip in the area.) My road mileage from Oregon to Shady Acres and back was right at 1600 miles. But, I detoured through Green River, WY and Vernal, UT on the way down.

So 346 miles without being able to fill up? good information.

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

I probably spent as much time preparing for this trip as I usually do when heading to Baja for two months. Yet I still felt a bit disorganized. I guess it was whenever I was around Phil’s rig. He has the most accessible set up I believe I’ve ever seen. One big difference between his set up and all others is he has no drawers. No, I don’t mean what he wears. Everything is either hanging on mesh racks or in open top bins. The biggest advantage there is being able to see just about all your gear at a glance.

But I think I’ll stick with my drawer (one big one) if for no other reason that it’s fairly dust proof. I do make lists on my iPhone to help me find things in my rig.

Long story, short I admired the LCP Mobile.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks guys for the very nice notes on my set up from experienced travelers. The truth is LCP organization stops with his vehicles. The rest of my life is total chaos. ? With that said Im currently 100% ready to go anywhere today.

 

[Ace Brown]

So 346 miles without being able to fill up? good information.

No, we drove into Hanksville for fuel because I was getting low despite starting the trip with 32 gallons. I drove about 300 miles from Green River and back including the side trip to Hanksville. But I also left the trip two days early.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[80t0ylc]

So 346 miles without being able to fill up? good information.

I was expecting folks to have read through the report, to see where we went before determining if this was helpful to them. As Ace mentioned, Hanksville was included as a fuel stop for those getting low on fuel by the time we were headed from the Maze overlook to the East side of Horseshoe canyon. And our leader, Gary, wisely allowed for, foresaw and suggested this modification to our original plan, as the trip progressed and trip members were able to see the results of their fuel consumption. It's a well know fact that low range uses more fuel, but there is no exact formula and depends a lot on conditions experienced on the trip.

 

[80t0ylc]

Reflecting on details of this trip, I have to smile when I realize as, I think it was Phil who mentioned, that we all were seasoned wheelers in well prepped rigs which we were intimately familiar with. Dan's fuel starvation hiccup was an excellent example which was taken care of rather quickly and confidently. Considering the trails and obstacles we covered, there was very little, if any wheel spinning or traction issues. I have lockers, but they weren't needed. Nice to have the confidence of having them, if needed. I can't remember a trip I've been on that I felt as connected and trusted the other members as much. Couple that with the area, hikes, scenery and weather, and this has to rate, in my book, at the top of my off road trips. I really feel blessed to have been a part of it. My thanks to Gary, Ace, Peter, Dan and of course "Shoeless Phil" who kept us all, on our toes. ? ?

 

[WOODY2]

Reflecting on details of this trip, I have to smile when I realize as, I think it was Phil who mentioned, that we all were seasoned wheelers in well prepped rigs which we were intimately familiar with. Dan's fuel starvation hiccup was an excellent example which was taken care of rather quickly and confidently. Considering the trails and obstacles we covered, there was very little, if any wheel spinning or traction issues. I have lockers, but they weren't needed. Nice to have the confidence of having them, if needed. I can't remember a trip I've been on that I felt as connected and trusted the other members as much. Couple that with the area, hikes, scenery and weather, and this has to rate, in my book, at the top of my off road trips. I really feel blessed to have been a part of it. My thanks to Gary, Ace, Peter, Dan and of course "Bare foot Phil" who kept us all, on our toes. ? ?

Thanks for memorializing one of the pearls of such an adventure, the camaraderie. Quite often a trip is quantified in scenic photos etc. but in my opinion you nailed it. Well played Sir.

 

[transalper]

Thanks for the trip report! I love the Maze, been all the way to the dollhouse three times, and need to get back there soon! I took my kids down to the Harvest Scene from Chimney Rock when they were 6 and 8 years old. Their response when we got to the bottom was "we hiked all this way for that?" I might have built it up a bit too much. I found out years later that I had taken them on one of the 10 MOST DANGEROUS HIKES IN AMERICA according to Backpacker Magazine.

 

[Ace Brown]

Thanks for the trip report! I love the Maze, been all the way to the dollhouse three times, and need to get back there soon! I took my kids down to the Harvest Scene from Chimney Rock when they were 6 and 8 years old. Their response when we got to the bottom was "we hiked all this way for that?" I might have built it up a bit too much. I found out years later that I had taken them on one of the 10 MOST DANGEROUS HIKES IN AMERICA according to Backpacker Magazine.

View attachment 542716

So dangerous you lost a kid already.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[gwittman]

Reflecting on details of this trip, I have to smile when I realize as, I think it was Phil who mentioned, that we all were seasoned wheelers in well prepped rigs which we were intimately familiar with. Dan's fuel starvation hiccup was an excellent example which was taken care of rather quickly and confidently. Considering the trails and obstacles we covered, there was very little, if any wheel spinning or traction issues. I have lockers, but they weren't needed. Nice to have the confidence of having them, if needed. I can't remember a trip I've been on that I felt as connected and trusted the other members as much. Couple that with the area, hikes, scenery and weather, and this has to rate, in my book, at the top of my off road trips. I really feel blessed to have been a part of it. My thanks to Gary, Ace, Peter, Dan and of course "Bare foot Phil" who kept us all, on our toes. ? ?

Tom, you summed it up very nicely and I could not agree with you more. The only person I knew before the trip was Ace, but through the communications we had in preparation for the trip, I had a feeling we were all going to get along well. It turned out better than I even hoped for.
I was called the leader in this trip but there was no leading required. I just got to run up front out of most of the dust.

 

[Ace Brown]

Tom, you summed it up very nicely and I could not agree with you more. The only person I knew before the trip was Ace, but through the communications we had in preparation for the trip, I had a feeling we were all going to get along well. It turned out better than I even hoped for.
I was called the leader in this trip but there was no leading required. I just got to run up front out of most of the dust.

Agree! Having done many, actually most of the Retired Ol’ Farts trips there is usually some friction. But one thing that minimized stress was only three in each camp. I think if it was six together something would have popped up. It also helped that we had nearly no vehicle or equipment problems.

I plan to go back and correct my mistake of leaving early.

Ace


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk