xj_scuba
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
I just finished a cross country move from California to Rhode Island. My fiance, dog, and I camped in only undeveloped sites from Cali to South Carolina, coast to coast, before making our way north. The run north was just staying with family. Here are the pictures and some details from the trip. I apologize for the lack of actual wheeling pictures, much of that happened at night, and I was driving.
Rig details: 2019 JLUR, stock suspension and tires
ARB Borah wheels (protection ring config)
Artec full aluminum skid system, Metalcloak steering stabilizer relocation and skid
Artec front bumper with lower skid, Quadratec Stealth winch, and KC Pro6 lights
AEV rear bumper and tire carrier with 10.2 gal fuel caddy, on the spare is the Rockslide Engineering EZ Rack kit with a 3.5 rotipax and a custom mounting solution for the traction boards, shovel integrated into the spare tire carrier, Rigid Industries DSS-side shooter on top of the tire carrier and Baja Designs scene light in the bumper
Thule Tepui Kukenam 3 RTT (with the canopy insulator), Thule Overcast awning, mounted on 3 Thule gutter mounted cross bars
Dometic 45 CFX in the trunk
All that, plus winter camping supplies for 2 people for an 11 night trip, 7 gallons of water and spare propane bottles for our space heater and stove. We were riding HEAVY. The rear end was definitely sagging.
We started our journey in Santa Cruz, CA. We stopped through Trona Pinnacles the see the site and take some pictures, definitely worth a visit and there were some really nice, scenic camp sites.
After that quick stop we continued straight to Geologist's Cabin in Death Valley via Coyote Canyon Road. It was during this drive that we realized we should have left earlier in the morning. The sun was setting as we entered the narrow turns of Goler Canyon. Taking the road at night, solo was not necessarily the best decision. We didn't have time to stop at the various mines I've seen on so many videos, and the route seems a whole lot sketchier. I've driven a fair share of trails before in my JL and in my previous XJ. However, I'd never taken the jeep out quite this loaded. The loss of ground clearance was clearly noticeable as we dragged belly and slammed rocks through the night. There were multiple times where we had to get out and assess how best to approach an obstacle. The stress coming from the passenger seat was palpable as the evening wore on.
We finally made it by around 11. Unsurprisingly, there was a crew already there so we found a flat(ish) site down the hill a ways, heated up some smoked sausage from Corralitos Sausage Company and called it a night.
We woke to a beautiful sunrise and got ready to drive to the classic attractions in Death Valley via Butte Valley Road. We were cruising along, enjoying the view, when I caught a rock the wrong way and this happened. Tore a nasty gash in the sidewall.
After a quick(ish) swap we were back on the road and rolling towards Badwater Basin, Devils Golf Course, and Zabrinski Point. They were all cool spots, but we wished we had more time (and no dog waiting in the car) to explore the badlands of Zabrinski Point.
After Zabriski Point we were on our way out of Death Valley and out of California. It was way too short a visit to Death Valley, I would love to visit again and spend time explore the park with someone who knows the history.
We drove through Las Vegas where the guys at Discount Tire off of W. Craig Road absolutely saved our schedule. I gave them a call 2 hours out asking if they had a replacement tire in stock, thankfully they did. We arrived, gave them the keys, and walked down the road to grab some lunch with a predicted turn around time of 2.5-3 hours. Not even 1.5 hours later I got a call saying the car was ready. I can't overstate how much I appreciated their incredible speed and customer service. We still had 5.5 hours left to drive to our Grand Canyon site with 43 of those miles off pavement and were eager to get to it.
As we were driving out to our site in Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument we encountered sunset on the trail (again), and snow. The snow started out slow but grew heavier as we climbed. There was minimal accumulation but visibility was limited. We continued on with the knowledge that our campsite was at a lower elevation, we had a heavy duty set of tire chains, a functional Garmin InReach, and a weather report that indicated the snow would pass quickly. That perseverance was rewarded with a truly breathtaking campsite, even in the dark.
After another quick dinner, this time precooked tortilla soup, we called it a night. The views we were greeted with in the morning were unbelievable. We hiked halfway down the trial to the Colorado before turning around to continue on our journey. (I refuse to apologize for the excessive number of pictures in this part, it was freaking incredible)
The view from our tent.
A quick breakfast before hiking.
The joyful face of a dog no longer trapped in a rattling, bumping, boring jeep.
We made some turkey wraps to eat along the way before hitting the road. The route through Parashant towards our next destination, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, was far more enjoyable than anticipated. Google took us over groomed dirt roads, wooded paths that seemed like they hadn't seen rubber in a few seasons, beautiful fields, multiple gates (none locked), and pleasant open dirt road that lead us into Utah. It didn't feel like the fasted route, but boy was it fun and stunning.
We FINALLY arrived to a campsite with the sun still in the sky. I was able to get camp setup why my fiance played fetch with our dog. We ate a nice dinner and finally were able to enjoy a fire before bed.
A quick peek of our trunk setup with clothing bags removed.
And this is where I'll end the first post. More to follow tomorrow.
Rig details: 2019 JLUR, stock suspension and tires
ARB Borah wheels (protection ring config)
Artec full aluminum skid system, Metalcloak steering stabilizer relocation and skid
Artec front bumper with lower skid, Quadratec Stealth winch, and KC Pro6 lights
AEV rear bumper and tire carrier with 10.2 gal fuel caddy, on the spare is the Rockslide Engineering EZ Rack kit with a 3.5 rotipax and a custom mounting solution for the traction boards, shovel integrated into the spare tire carrier, Rigid Industries DSS-side shooter on top of the tire carrier and Baja Designs scene light in the bumper
Thule Tepui Kukenam 3 RTT (with the canopy insulator), Thule Overcast awning, mounted on 3 Thule gutter mounted cross bars
Dometic 45 CFX in the trunk
All that, plus winter camping supplies for 2 people for an 11 night trip, 7 gallons of water and spare propane bottles for our space heater and stove. We were riding HEAVY. The rear end was definitely sagging.
We started our journey in Santa Cruz, CA. We stopped through Trona Pinnacles the see the site and take some pictures, definitely worth a visit and there were some really nice, scenic camp sites.
After that quick stop we continued straight to Geologist's Cabin in Death Valley via Coyote Canyon Road. It was during this drive that we realized we should have left earlier in the morning. The sun was setting as we entered the narrow turns of Goler Canyon. Taking the road at night, solo was not necessarily the best decision. We didn't have time to stop at the various mines I've seen on so many videos, and the route seems a whole lot sketchier. I've driven a fair share of trails before in my JL and in my previous XJ. However, I'd never taken the jeep out quite this loaded. The loss of ground clearance was clearly noticeable as we dragged belly and slammed rocks through the night. There were multiple times where we had to get out and assess how best to approach an obstacle. The stress coming from the passenger seat was palpable as the evening wore on.
We finally made it by around 11. Unsurprisingly, there was a crew already there so we found a flat(ish) site down the hill a ways, heated up some smoked sausage from Corralitos Sausage Company and called it a night.
We woke to a beautiful sunrise and got ready to drive to the classic attractions in Death Valley via Butte Valley Road. We were cruising along, enjoying the view, when I caught a rock the wrong way and this happened. Tore a nasty gash in the sidewall.
After a quick(ish) swap we were back on the road and rolling towards Badwater Basin, Devils Golf Course, and Zabrinski Point. They were all cool spots, but we wished we had more time (and no dog waiting in the car) to explore the badlands of Zabrinski Point.
After Zabriski Point we were on our way out of Death Valley and out of California. It was way too short a visit to Death Valley, I would love to visit again and spend time explore the park with someone who knows the history.
We drove through Las Vegas where the guys at Discount Tire off of W. Craig Road absolutely saved our schedule. I gave them a call 2 hours out asking if they had a replacement tire in stock, thankfully they did. We arrived, gave them the keys, and walked down the road to grab some lunch with a predicted turn around time of 2.5-3 hours. Not even 1.5 hours later I got a call saying the car was ready. I can't overstate how much I appreciated their incredible speed and customer service. We still had 5.5 hours left to drive to our Grand Canyon site with 43 of those miles off pavement and were eager to get to it.
As we were driving out to our site in Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument we encountered sunset on the trail (again), and snow. The snow started out slow but grew heavier as we climbed. There was minimal accumulation but visibility was limited. We continued on with the knowledge that our campsite was at a lower elevation, we had a heavy duty set of tire chains, a functional Garmin InReach, and a weather report that indicated the snow would pass quickly. That perseverance was rewarded with a truly breathtaking campsite, even in the dark.
After another quick dinner, this time precooked tortilla soup, we called it a night. The views we were greeted with in the morning were unbelievable. We hiked halfway down the trial to the Colorado before turning around to continue on our journey. (I refuse to apologize for the excessive number of pictures in this part, it was freaking incredible)
The view from our tent.
A quick breakfast before hiking.
The joyful face of a dog no longer trapped in a rattling, bumping, boring jeep.
We made some turkey wraps to eat along the way before hitting the road. The route through Parashant towards our next destination, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, was far more enjoyable than anticipated. Google took us over groomed dirt roads, wooded paths that seemed like they hadn't seen rubber in a few seasons, beautiful fields, multiple gates (none locked), and pleasant open dirt road that lead us into Utah. It didn't feel like the fasted route, but boy was it fun and stunning.
We FINALLY arrived to a campsite with the sun still in the sky. I was able to get camp setup why my fiance played fetch with our dog. We ate a nice dinner and finally were able to enjoy a fire before bed.
A quick peek of our trunk setup with clothing bags removed.
And this is where I'll end the first post. More to follow tomorrow.
Sponsored