Adventures with Peggy's jeep.

[FLCJ8]

Looks like you are setup well. I am skipping the Rubicon this summer for just that reason! Will do many milder trails this year but back at it in full next year. Once I build some new rear corner guards, I will feel better about the big rocks!

Not sure if you saw my video when I did the Rubicon in 2017 before tearing down my Scrambler for the rebuild. That trip was the toughest time for me on all the Rubicon trips. The first day was cold and alternating between snow, hail and rain. Wet, cold granite does not provide much traction for wet, cold rubber tires. Lots of slipping off big rocks. I got through without any damage but we had one jeep break a leaf spring and a YJ that rolled on its side. Even with that, we made it from Loon Lake to Rubicon Springs on the first day. We were tired for sure. After that the weather cleared up for us.

Looked very capable back then.
Do you remember how much you aired down?

 

[gpassida]

Looked very capable back then.
Do you remember how much you aired down?

Yes. Those tires were 35 x 12.50 x 15 BFG First Gen KM's that I had siped. They were on 15x8 wheels. With a full gear load like that I run 18 PSI. If we setup camp and go out for day trips with minimal gear, I will go down to 14 PSI.

 

[sdsupilot]

@gpassida I didn’t watch close enough. Ironic that it was even the same side as you highlighted.

That said, made it through the rubicon in 2 days with just that dent. Great trip with beautiful scenery. Will post more pictures later.

 

[gpassida]

@gpassida I didn’t watch close enough. Ironic that it was even the same side as you highlighted.

That said, made it through the rubicon in 2 days with just that dent. Great trip with beautiful scenery. Will post more pictures later.

Doh! Sorry you got that damage. Glad you made it through otherwise. That side is the most vulnerable. You can't see it like you can on the drivers side.

Where on the trail did that happen?

Are you a manual trans or auto? I am manual with 125:1 crawl ratio. There are several sections that lower than that would be nice.

I am in final prep mode for the Colorado trip. Getting the F350, trailer and Scrambler ready to go.

 

[sdsupilot]

Doh! Sorry you got that damage. Glad you made it through otherwise. That side is the most vulnerable. You can't see it like you can on the drivers side.

Where on the trail did that happen?

Are you a manual trans or auto? I am manual with 125:1 crawl ratio. There are several sections that lower than that would be nice.

I am in final prep mode for the Colorado trip. Getting the F350, trailer and Scrambler ready to go.

Not sure where it happened. I think it was probably around Arnold’s Rock. The bumper drug on lots of different rocks. After a while I stopped paying attention.

I have an auto with a 41:1 crawl ratio. It really is about perfect for most of the wheeling I do. That said, the Rubicon is a grind and a manual would be nice for speed control.

Really beautiful scenery on the trail.
Hope you have a great time in Colorado! We were there a couple years ago. Black Bear Pass and Poughkeepsie Gulch were my two favorites.

 

[sdsupilot]

We made it back home Friday after our two week California trip. All in all 3600 miles on the motor home. 800 miles on the Jeep exploring.

We started out from OKC and made it to Gallop NM. Stayed at USA RV park. Was an excellent stop with a nice playground for the kids. Also had nice showers and bathrooms.

Second travel day we continued west on I40 to Kingman AZ then north through Las Vegas eventually to Hawthorne NV for the night at Whiskey Flats. Woke up the next morning and drove through Carson City, South Lake Tahoe and around down the valley to Ice House Road to Loon Lake.


After setting up we decided to head out to the trail to explore. We made it to the slabs, sat around and prepared for heading out in the morning. I am certainly no expert on the trail but if you do not like the gatekeeper I wouldn’t go much further.

 

[sdsupilot]

Still trying to gather pictures from everyone. Here is a start from day 1. The next morning we woke up, gathered the group and headed out. We watched videos and read forums for over the past year. We still didn’t really know what we were getting into.

First we headed in and went through the gatekeeper. This time it was pretty quick and easy as we all knew the line.



Then we passed through the slabs.


To the beer tree.


After the beer tree it we crossed over the steps. Only the TJ6 made it up. The LJ on 37s gave a valiant effort but in the end took the bypass.

 

[designerRob]

Great pics. What is a TJ6?

 

[sdsupilot]

Great pics. What is a TJ6?

It’s this thing:


Just a regular TJ cut and stretched to an LJ length tub. He really seems to be questioning his choices in this picture.


It works pretty well. It has an overhang more like a CJ6 vs an LJ. The fuel tank is also at the rear vs 5” further forward like an LJ. He also went from a Dana 44/60 combo on 35s to links, tons and 40s.

 

[sdsupilot]

After that we headed to whale bones. Looking through the pictures I think the body damage occurred right after the named obstacle. I was maneuvering to lead the group and took a harder line. The Rubicon is a grind. You really have to pay attention the whole time.


Our picture quality is pretty low on the trail. We started later than we were hoping and wanted to make it to Rubicon Springs for the night.

We didn’t have much for pictures between whale bones and soup bowl. The oldest likes to run hard obstacles in the TJ6. He jumped in. Took a few minutes but made it up.

The youngest then wanted to try riding in the LJ.

This attempt made for the best show. The LJ tried its best making abundant turbo noises from the 4.6 stroker. In the end we had to winch from two directions to unstick it.

 

[sdsupilot]

After soup bowl we drove around the corner to axle hill up to little sluice. I’ve heard much online that it is “easy” now. I disagree and took the bypass. It took winching and 45 minutes to get the scout through. The TJ6 took 20 minutes and some skilled driving. My 8 and the LJ had no business there, so we took the bypass.


At this point it was almost 1 pm and we still wanted to make it to rubicon springs for the night. We got back on the trail and made it to Arnold’s rock before a monsoon started. It even hailed enough to make the ground white. At this point I really wish I brought the sides to my top. In the chaos of lightning, thunder and hail we barely snapped a picture.


We ran into Harry Wagner around pumpkin rock. They were wheeling in a group with a nice 80 series Lexus. Really took a ton of finesse to get through the trail.

 

[sdsupilot]

Buck island was beautiful. Definitely a great place to camp. We ran into some cool folks. There was a new ford ranger broken down at Buck. Crazy to see it there, imagining the work it took to make it that far. Every panel had damage.


It is impossible to take a bad picture in this area. One of the most beautiful places we have had the privilege of exploring.


A scout in its natural habitat. This is big sluice, pretty rough section of trail with huge boulders.

 

[sdsupilot]

The Rubicon is a grind. It really tests your ability to focus as you have to pay attention the whole time. Otherwise you will get yourself in trouble. The hairpin at the bottom of big sluice looked really rough. Like most things on the trail, just keep going and you are able to pick your way through it. Shortly after that was the formerly famous V notch. Unfortunately the tree fell over and was cleared out a couple years ago.

Next we found a famous photo spot.
The Scout with my friend Phil and his cousin Aaron.


Then the TJ6 with Dave and his father Bruce.


Followed by the LJ with my friend Jeremy.


Last was my family in the Scrambler.


We got back on the trail and passed through Rubicon Springs and talked with the caretaker. Paid the fee and he offered to walk my wife and kids to a good spot. Set up camp and tried over landing for the first time.



Later we relaxed in the cool Rubicon River.


Sitting back in camp we watched a beautiful sunset.

 

[sdsupilot]

We’ve never tried the over landing thing. Overall it went pretty great. After a good nights sleep we woke up and prepped breakfast to finish the trail and head into South Lake Tahoe.



The rubicon is a bit rough. The linked scout on ORIs was rough enough to crush/pop every beer in his cooler.

We finished packing and had our first mechanical issue. The scout wouldn’t start. We quickly found smashed fuel pump wiring harness. Fixed that and made it 100 yards before it died again. This time the connector at the relay was loose. Dragging rigs on rocks causes some strange issues.

 

[sdsupilot]

Getting on the trail and headed out. The last obstacle is Cadillac Hill. I felt it was fairly mild compared to the rest of the trail.

Took some picture at Observation Point.

At this point it was a little faster traveling.

 

[gpassida]

Great pics and commentary! You are so correct that you need to always pay attention. You are on one obstacle and better look at what is next or it will bite you! At the end of the day, you are physically and mentally spent. It's a true gem that we need to fight to keep open.