OVERLANDING THE ARIZONA STRIP
PUTTING THE METALCLOAK
ADVENTURE RACK SYSTEM TO THE TEST!
By Del Albright, Sustainable Motorized Recreation Advocate
The high desert blossomed with colorful plant life as I
entered the Gold Butte National Monument outside of Mesquite, NV, overlanding
my way to the back side of Lake Mead. While the whole trip was beautiful, I
have to admit that the variety of events was exceptional. “Jumping” cactus
(cholla) threatened to stick me or stab me at every turn. Beavertail cactus, alive with purple flowers, forced me to stop
and take way too many pics. My back was sore at the end of the day, as some of
the roads in my JK were pretty bumpy. And, my goodness, the views were
incredible.
I was out to achieve a few things on this adventure: 1) give
my JK relatively new suspension a workout on desert roads; 2) fine-tune and
test the Adventure Rack System for overlanding; and 3) see some new high desert
scenery. I found the suitable terrain to accomplish all three.
Gold Butte is part of the Arizona Strip, along with Lake
Mead National Recreation Area. The “Strip” is that section of AZ lying north of
the Colorado River with the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, creating a physical
barrier to the rest of AZ. The nearest big city is St. George, UT.
My trip started in Mesquite, NV (not far from St. George), a
much cheaper town to stay in and get fuel/supplies. We aired down just off the
pavement out of Mesquite and found a comfortable 18-20 psi for heavily loaded
rigs.
“Lady J,” our 2014 JKU Rubicon, is fully set up for
overlanding with the Adventure Rack System (ARS) and Metalcloak Game Changer
Suspension on 35-inch tires. We stayed with 35’s as the JK gears are only 4:56
(with a stock motor). As much as I wanted 37s, I know that would have turned
the Jeep into a slug.
I was with a few friends, and we were all anxious to see
what was ahead of us. We chose to enter the Monument on the Limekiln
Road/Canyon, which had some wheeling obstacles right off the bat. Now,
remember, the JKU is a bit new to me (an old TJ guy), and I must say how
impressed I was with the suspension handling and “crawlability,” even though I
was overloaded for overlanding!
I found myself using the 6-speed automatic transmission in
manual mode a lot. Based on advice from other JK owners, I was also always in
4-wheel drive (high or low) the entire trip, with the sway bar disconnected. I
made a concerted effort not to lug the motor and always have good throttle
control in the right gear.
COOL STUFF TO SEE
Here are some of the cool places/sites to see.
Whitney Pockets: These are sandstone formations that
pop out of the earth like something from another planet. Wind erosion has
shaped these rocks into weird “creatures” of nature. We found tinajas (water
pools) up in the rock mounds, and we had beautiful views of the surrounding
desert.
Little Finland: Also called ‘hobgoblin’s playground”
and “Devil’s Fire,” is a fantastic strangely-shaped red rock formation
consisting of the weirdest erosional (wind) fins in the Aztec Sandstone and
some fossilized sand dunes. Camping is okay near the formation, but hiking is
permitted only up the rocks.
7 Key Holes: While not technically a slot canyon, this formation sure feels like one. It’s about a one-mile round-trip hike from the parking lot, but well worth it. Geologists call it a “joint” or “fracture,” which divides two large rock masses in the Aztec Sandstone with a hollowed-out bottom (perfect for the short hike up into the keyholes).
Scanlon Ferry and Dugway: This adventure is 18 miles
of trail dying from neglect, but fun as heck! Washouts, tight turns, and
falling boulders in the road make it a bit of a challenge for bigger rigs (like
JTs) on the dugway section. The dugway is a section of the road dug out of the
cliffs, and it descends through Gregg Canyon on the way to the shoreline of
Lake Mead. I would not do this road in less than 33-inch tires with a limited
slip. A rear locker is even better for the trip back out (yes, it’s an in-and-out
adventure).
What got my attention was knowing that horse-drawn buggies
and mule-drawn freight wagons used this same road in the late 1800s to early
1900s.
Lakeside Mine: Also known as the Lakeview Mine, it
operated in the 1930s, 1940s, and some in the 1950s, producing copper, gold,
and some silver. It’s a beautiful 4x4 road up the mine off the main canyon
floor.
CAMPING and GEAR
Every night, like any good overlanders, we moved and re-set
camp. I was in a tent with a lightweight aluminum cot and slept like a baby.
Springtime temperatures were in the low 80s during the day and 50s at night.
The ARS rack held my spare gas (yes, we needed 20 gallons in
reserve to make this trip), along with four bundles of firewood and a storage
box of spare fluids and emergency supplies. The rack and basket performed
flawlessly and made the trip so much more convenient. Of course, it didn’t hurt
that the JKU is set up with the ARS Metalcloak Rocklander Hinge Steps that
provide a foothold while loading/unloading the rack. My other foot rests
entirely on the Metalcloak Overline (hi-clearance) rear fender flare. This
combination makes the roof rack completely accessible and useable. I was
impressed and happy with the whole setup.
MORE HELPFUL LINKS:
DEL'S BOOKS (LAND USE, WILDFIRE, DEATH VALLEY, COWBOY POETRY, AND MORE)
WEBSITE (HOME PAGE)
PINTEREST (BOOKS, ARTICLES, AND MORE)
DEL'S ARTICLES (LAND USE, LIFE, WILDFIRE, VOLUNTEERISM, AND MORE)
More land use and volunteerism help here:
- MEETINGS:
- RUN A BETTER MEETING
- NEPA:
- LEARN MORE ABOUT NEPA
- LETTERS:
- WRITE A LETTER
- SPEECHES:
- GIVE A SPEECH
- FACILITATE:
- LEARN TO FACILITATE MEETINGS
- CLUBS:
- WHY JOIN A CLUB
- CONVOYS:
- ORGANIZE A CONVOY
- JOIN:
- JOIN THE RIGHT GROUPS
- TRAINING:
- GET VOLUNTEER TRAINING
- LEAD:
- LEAD VOLUNTEERS
- JOBS:
- CHOOSE THE RIGHT JOB FOR YOU
No comments:
Post a Comment