On the weekend of June 23-24 several club members met to pre run some trails in the Grand Junction area. Jim (66 Series IIa) and Pete (70 Series IIa) linked up on I70 outside of Denver and drove over the ‘hill’ to Grand Junction. After dinner they met up with Neil (96 Disco) near the Bangs Canyon trail head. The three discovered that overnight camping was not allowed at the trail head so followed the Billings Canyon trail about a mile and a have until they found a good spot to set up for the night.
In the morning the three went to Starbucks to meet up with anyone else that wanted to run some trails. Gem (2002 D-II) arrived and after waiting for a while to ensure that no one else was coming the four trucks made their way towards the Colorado National Monument and the mornings first trail.

After crossing the bridge over the CO River there are plenty of signs marking the way to the Monument. At the first turn there is a gas station that had the lowest priced gas/diesel in town. They also have a quarter operated air pump. This is also on the way to the Bangs Canyon OHV area.
The entrance to the CO National Monument is just a few miles further down the road. At the Ranger Station you need to pay $10 per vehicle if you are going to be stopping in the park, but it’s free if you are passing straight through. We just went straight through but for the Rally we will be stopping at all of the scenic overlooks. On the far side of the park is West Glade road, two lane gravel. A short distance down this is the entrance to the trail with a sign Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness Area. Turn right here.

There is a large parking area with a map board explaining about the area, this is a good spot to air down a little, 20-25psi should be fine. There are a few areas on the trail that have some small rocks and a couple loose gravel climbs. Airing down isn’t really needed for these areas, but it does help to smooth out the bumps. The signs posted here explain how the canyon is two different trails. One that follows the rim prior to August 15th and the second follows the canyon after August 15th. So we had to take the upper trail, while for the Rally we will be using the lower. The lower is going to be the more difficult of the two, but still only rates a 4 and is passable by any stock Rover.
When the upper and lower trails meet back together you are now at the beginning of Rattle Snake Canyon trail itself. The trail follows on a finger point of land sticking out into the canyon. About half way down the trail there is a pull off on the right. As long as everyone parks tight there will be enough room to get a dozen trucks off the main trail. This pull off is on the canyon rim and has some great views.

At the end of he trail is a large parking lot. There is a hiking trail that leads ½ mile out to a point with good views of the arches. This area is second only to Arches National Park in Utah as far as number of arches, but it does involve a short hike to get to them. It is not a rugged trail but people should still be wearing sneakers or boots. And make sure to have sunscreen, brimmed hat, and at least a liter of water. Oh and don’t forget to bring your camera.

Since our goal was to scout and map as many trails for the Rally as possible we elected not to hike out to the view point. So we mounted up and headed back to the trail head. At the trail head instead of turning left to go back into the park we turned right and followed Glade around the southern edge of the park and then turned on Park Rd which led us to the Bangs Canyon OHV area. After a short lunch at the large parking lot, with no shade, we headed out on Tabeguache trail. This trail basically runs due south to the border of the OHV area.

Very shortly the trail turns to bare rock with trail markers painted in white on the face of the rock. Follow the marks until you come to a V painted in the rock and take the right hand trail. This leads down a series of easy steps and finally to a wide open rock area. There are a number of steep steps on the left side of the trail here and we stopped for a while so people could take turns climbing them.

After this the trail continues down hill and turns to the east. It does a 180 on a point over looking the Rough Canyon Falls. Only there was no water running on the day we were there so not much to see.
Just past the falls the trail climbs south. Approximately ½ mile down the trail will be the turn off to the east to the Rough Canyon trail. Continue another mile and half on Tabeguache and you will come to the turn off to the east for Bangs Canyon. Another 3.7 miles and you come to a T intersection. At the intersection the trail will continue east for 8 miles. The BLM map available online shows this trail dead ending at private land just short of highway 141. However the map posted at the trail head showed this trail going all the way to the main road. Due to the time of day we elected to turn around and backtrack to the canyon trail head. We need to contact BLM prior to the rally and determine if the trail goes through or not.
Tabeguache Trail featured some nice large rocks, steep climbs, and the ledges area. I would agree with the 7 rating. It does have a number of tight areas were the tree branches have grown out into the trail. Neal with his roof top tent was able to make it through but this trail can leave some pin striping on vehicles.

Back at the trail head Gem headed home for the evening and Neal, Jim, and Pete headed into town to find some dinner. After dinner the three headed back to Bangs Canyon OHV and did about 90% of the Billings Bypass Loop before finding a spot for the night to set up camp. The three found a good area to set up camp with a nice view of the lights from Grand Junction.
The Billings Bypass Loop is a 6 rated trail that goes around Billings Canyon itself. Taking the loop clockwise will present the most challenge. There is a steep step at one point and then some rocky climbs. The trail also goes out to a dead end overlooking the Colorado River.

The next morning after a quick breakfast at the Black Bear the three linked back up with Gem and his wife Fara and headed east towards Coal Canyon. You must drive through the coal plant to reach the trail head, but otherwise the area is very easy to find. Coal Canyon is part of the Little Book Cliffs Wild Horse Range. The area is crisscrossed with a network of trails and it is a multi-use area, with horses, motocross bikes, atvs, mountain bikers, and wheelers using the area. The group followed Coal Creek for about 2-3 miles before stopping. So far it was pretty boring and Pete was considering throwing in the towel. Jim ran over to talk to a group of motocrossers that informed him that the area does become more difficult and that the dry wash is a valid trail. So the group continued on. They found a couple nice obstacles in the wash then took a turn to the south. The path climbed up onto the cliff tops overlooking Palisade and the Colorado River. The trail dropped back down to the canyon floor and then climbed back up to an even higher cliff top. This will make an excellent spot for lunch. Dropping back down to the canyon floor the group continued further up the canyon. Alternating between the trail and the dry wash a couple more obstacles were encountered. There are sections of the trail that got tight and pin stripes are unavoidable. The hardest obstacles encountered are all bypassable, though all four Rovers were able to get through them. This trail is very enjoyable, but it really needs to be prerun for the Rally so that the Trail Leader knows which areas of the wash are blocked in order to avoid having to back track. Pete needed to head back to the Springs so the group turned around and headed back out. The way out is straight forward and quick. The group was able to make it back to the highway right at an hour. For the Rally a good plan is to just go as far as you can get by 2:30 and then turn around and head out. This will leave enough time to make it back to Montrose.

Everyone enjoyed the weekend. Some fun trails and great company. Plans are already being made for the next trip West for more preruns.

On June 3rd, 18 trucks made the trek north to run Kelly Flats. The vehicle make-up varied from stock to heavily modified trucks consisting of 9 Discovery Is and Discovery IIs, 3 Defenders, 3 Range Rover Classics, 2 LR3s and 1 Jeep. The weather was great and the scenery superb. Multiple lines were tried as the truck proceeded up Heart Attack hill without real incident. The real entertainment of the day started when everyone rolled up to the Chutes. Anthony in his D90 ST made quick work of the obstacle with only minor body damage. Next up was Kyle in his ‘customized’ RRC. Kyle quickly showed his energetic and enthusiastic driving style. The line chosen, ‘careful’ spotting by Ali, along with ample skinny pedal resulted in Kyle landing on his side. The truck was put back on it’s wheel with a strap and manual labor. A little winch action was required to properly orient the RRC Special, but after that Kyle proceeded through the rest of the obstacle with spirits non-the-less dampened. [Considering Kyle’s recent propensity to do acrobatics with his truck and the nice job he did fabricating the roll cage of this soft top RRC, one has to wonder how long it will take for him to make a complete external skeleton for the truck and stop typing up wanted ads each week on the forum for body panels.] Next up was Ali and his RRC. He chose a more delicate style of driving to negotiate his way through the obstacle. With just a little rock-to-metal contact he was through. Garbs was next and made it look easy with the short wheel-base of his D90 SW with 37” MTRs and rugged sliders. Scott in his DiscoII climbed up the first part of the obstacle with a nice wheel-stand and subsequent soft positioning of the truck’s front wheels back on the ground. He made it through with just a little rubbing (“Rubbin’s racing”- Days of Thunder) to the driver’s rear quarter panel. Last up was Jimmy in his highly modified DI. With the right line and ample use of his sliders he too was through with just a little ‘rubbin’. The rest of the contingent having taken the by-pass with their vehicles took a seat in the rocks to enjoy the show. Everyone had a great time, and served as a reminder that anyone interested in running trails with the club should come on out and enjoy themselves, regardless of their type of Rover, modifications, and driving experience.

Running Kelly Flats today was popular (16 trucks) and interesting!! Trip Report to follow….

Chinaman Gulch – Trip Report

I knew it was a bad sign when I drove past the bent up gate that signaled the left turn up to the Chinaman Gulch trailhead. Ordinarily not a big deal but I was the trail leader and I was leading 7 trucks including 2 defenders, 4 discos and 1 P38 RR and if Jim Hall had shown with his Series we would’ve had the spectrum of the Rover line. Jimmy had gone ahead of us and radioed for us to go back to the gate to get back on track. Chinaman’s reputation was that of a difficult trail with some challenging and notorious obstacles such as the waterfall, whale’s tail and rock pile. Fortunately, all the Rovers were driven by experienced members and had the necessary modifications.

From past experience I knew the trail could take a long time to complete but I felt confident with the relatively small, capable group we had that it would go fast. After airing down and assigning a tail gunner we spotted a group of Nissans approaching us to begin their air down. The Nissan trail leader called on the CB that both groups were on channel 4 and we should move. I suggested they go to 20 and we quickly lined up to start ahead of their group and get the jump on the trail.

A group’s ability to complete a trail quickly is affected by the least capable truck in your group, unexpected field repairs, trail traffic OR navigation errors. Shortly after our orderly start Mark’s Defender pulled over after the rock pinch at the beginning and opened his hood. I thought “uh oh” here is our first setback but it was a simple air filter issue and we were back in action fast. We continued on at a brisk pace easily moving through some rocky sections. At one of the breaks I commented to Jimmy who had done the trail two weeks previously that it seemed weird we hadn’t hit the first obstacle yet…

A brief time late I came across a steep obstacle that didn’t seem familiar but I decided to press on and realized quickly it was steeper and rougher than I thought. WHAMM!! I came down hard on my right rear bumper on a large rock. Fortunately, several of our group had stopped at the top and dismounted and I could hear the ohhhh! As I hit hard. I slowly made I it down and checked out the damage – whoa! I bent up my right rear bumper like a crooked smile. The rear door was jammed shut and my bumper looked beyond repair. Jimmy commented that he was suspicious but now confident that we were running the trail backwards as he remembered this was the last major obstacle before the end. Looking back at it from the bottom memories from past trips to the gulch came to mind and I realized he was right. *&%%, I made a mistake and missed a right turn at the beginning. Chinaman runs counterclockwise, everyone knows this but I had lost my concentration and went left. I was crestfallen and was trying to think of what to do next, someone called out “what now trail leader” with a little bit of deserved cynicism in his voice.

We decided to hold the group at the top and have them turn around while the three trucks that came down turned around and came back up the obstacle and backtrack to run the trail properly. At this point I knew the timing was all screwed up and we would behind the Nissan’s. We worked together to come up with a plan and broke for lunch before going at the trail the right way. I checked my watch it was noon and we were starting essentially from the beginning.

I decided my self – imposed punishment would be to take all the bypasses for the rest of the trail to save some of the time we lost. Quickly we came up on the rock pile with several jeeps that had just finished playing and looked upon us with a skeptical eye. First up was Jimmy, a former jeeper with a reputation for pushing his truck. The jeep guys came up to watch and see if we could handle it. One of them made the comment “those D90’s should have no problem but those others?” and then proceeded to spot Jimmy’s D1 through the difficult left side successfully when he commented “I have new respect for the Discovery”. Next up was Mike B. in his open diff D2 he used more of the easier right side but also got through. Pretty soon Anthony’s Defender and Jeff’s P38 made it through with Mike’s MIT D2 clearing from the rear. A really good showing from the group on a hard obstacle modded up jeeps sometimes struggle with.

Next up was the Whale’s Tail and I headed for the easier right side to clear quickly. This was a fun obstacle and I’d seen others practically do handstands to try and climb up the harder left side. Jimmy decided to take the middle approach and came up without problem. He was followed by Mike B. who’s work of the skinny pedal again made proof positive that driver skill trumps lockers. The rest took the middle approach but we weren’t sure how the P38 would do but with some careful spotting it also made it through unscathed. Last was the tailgunner MIT truck which made a few attempts at the middle before making through.

Next is the Stairs, this is a tricky obstacle that requires that the driver hugs tight to the right side as close to a obviously abused tree as possible. My last time here I used two foot breaking to work my through with competent spotting and came diagonal back across the grain. Most of our group used more of a straight approach from the tree with some adjustments but all made it through with some spotting.

The final obstacle is the chute which some of us had already run from the opposite direction. No bypass here so it’s your challenge to get through. By this time we were catching up with the Nissans but the day was also nearly over. I’d done the end of this trail in the dark on my last visit and no matter how many lights you have on your rig there are many things you just can’t see so I did not want recreate the night wheeling. IMHO, this is the hardest obstacle on the trail with large rocks on the left side and a canyon that you must work by bringing up high on the right and then just at the right moment break left so you don’t fall in the notch. I tried hard to get over it but I kept sliding down and coming too close to my side so in desperation with the day wearing down with the group behind me I decided to winch out. We hooked up a tree strap but when the winch didn’t have the strength to finish the job we rigged a snatch block for a double line pull that did the job. The rest of the group did much better than I and despite some struggle make it up without a problem. Mike’s MIT truck needed some coaxing to avoid the notch but also made it through.

It’s 5:00 and the homestretch but the Nissan’s are taking their time with and we waited several times for them to get through. On one of our breaks we checked out Carnage BV and we all agreed we won’t be doing that anytime soon. Finally, we made it all the way down and despite our wrong turn at the beginning agreed we had a great time. No one had any meaningful damage except my bumper.

April 27th 2007
The spring Moab trip took place on April 27/28. April 27 was a beautiful day and we met at City Market at 8:30 AM. The 5 of us that met were Mark and Terri, Paul and Phil, Dr. Dee and Charlotte, Rob and Mike, and Brian Gueck. An RR, Defender, and 3 Discos. We decided to do Poison Spider and headed out. At the trailhead amidst numerous ATV’s and some jeeps we aired down and took off on the gorgeous morning. Little did we know that EXCITEMENT was on our way shortly.

A short way up the trail, Rob and Mike followed Mark up some steep rocks that the rest of us had bypassed. They were in the rear of the group when Mark noticed they were not on the trail. Looking back they were off the trail in a precarious position above a nasty drop off. They had suffered a blowout of 2 brake lines when attempting the steep rocks and had rolled backwards off the trail. Only Rob’s quick thinking had kept them from rolling off the edge in what would have been a potentially nasty accident. They were balanced dangerously but with Mike’s expertise 2 winch lines and 2 towstraps were attached. The Disco was winched back over some nasty large rocks and with a tow strap attached the vehicle was moved downtrail to a level area and emergency repairs were made. Rob and Mike then got the vehicle back to Moab with Paul following and spent all day getting parts but were able to repair it to the point they could get home but could not do any trails with the group. Mark in his Defender and Dr. Dee and Brian in their D1′s then proceeded up Poison Spider.

Mark was a great trail leader and helped spot the 2 Discos up and down rocky ledges in numerous spots. The trail was busy with Jeeps, ATV’s and bikes. Great views were seen in all directions. As Brian and Dr. Dee had not done this trail before it was very exciting for us. We had a nice lunch on a sandstone fin. This trail is filled with a hodge podge of rocks, ledges, sandy areas, and easy level dusty tracks. That night we all met for dinner at the Moab Brewery and nearly starved to death due to large crowds and slow service. None wanted to go there again for awhile.

April 28th 2007
On the 28th, we once again met at City Market and decided to do Hell’s Revenge. We were joined this day by Jeff and Holly from Vail in their black Defender. Rob and Mike had talked the night before about renting a Jeep in place of their damaged Disco but did not show up. Jose from Salt Lake City also arrived and rode with Brian as did 2 off Brian’s brother-in-laws from Ogden. This day was cloudy and cool with off and on rain showers. We met at the trailhead, aired down and took off on a sandstone fin. Then we dropped down and went through the deep Lake Michigan mudhole and headed off for a wonderful day of steep sandstone fins, hills, and sandy trails. This is a fun trail that 3 of us had not done before so with Mark, Paul, and Jose’s expertise we went through this rollercoaster trail with no problems all day. We ate lunch above Negro Bill Canyon with great views in all directions especially into Arches NP.

Just after lunch a group of 3 Texas 1940′s era Dodge Power Wagons that had been beautifully restored showed up. These were marvelous vehicles and I wish everyone could have seen them. We were told that the finest one had been restored and modified to the tune of $100,000. Oh, to have that kind of moola!! These 3 plus jeeps and Mark in his Defender went up and down a deep, steep sandstone gully that I do not know the name of. Mark had both of his front tires lift off at the same time on the way up at one point and that gave us viewers a scary moment. An old Willys with dual tires on the rear chugged right up this gully like a bug too. On the way out near the trail’s end Mark went through a very tippy spot where he touched his softtop but did no damage. The reas of us fearing hardtop damage went around this spot.

We all ate Chinese that night to end a nice trip. On the way home the next day Brian and relatives did Top of the World which I greatly recommend as the view at the top is terrific. The best view at Moab. All in all this was a good trip and a lucky one for Rob and Mike who could have sustained a dangerous rollover but quick thinking saved them.

On 7 April having felt the need to get out of the house, Mike & Jenny Burris, Beth & Mark Muskopf, along with Marshall, decided to see how far we could make it up the trail to Bill Moore Lake. After a fine breakfast at the Pancake House, we drove out of Denver under cold and rainy weather conditions. As we ascended up I-70 the rain turned to snow, but at the trail head the weather broke. Several inches of snow was on the ground, but at this point we didn’t think it was necessary to chain-up just yet…

Traveling through the first section of the trail was unremarkable. The views were striking with a coating of snow across the landscape. Just before the trail split off for the rock garden, we encountered snow drifts on the trail. They were hard-packed and caused the vehicles to be in a more off-camber inclination than normal. Not wanting to slide off the trail, we took this opportunity to put on our chains. Moving across the snow drift sections required slow travel, good spotting, and a line close to the edge of the trail. Two areas were particularly ‘sporty’ which required the use of a winch and other rigging to keep from sliding off the trail or into trees. While we negotiated one such section, Beth took a walk up the trail. The switch back turn ahead of us was completely covered in snow and would require major effort for us to get through.

Having enough for the day, this signaled the point for us to turn around. The descent back down to the trail head was without incident. It was about 3:00pm, so we proceeded back to Denver just in time to have a few Heffavison Dark beers at the Chinook Tavern. Afterwards, Mike treated us all to his made-from-scratch pasta sauce which was excellent. We didn’t make it very far up the trail, but it was sure better than staying home and working off chores or watching the idiot box. Everyone had a good time and I for one would certainly like to do it again.

Trail Leader Course
Future Solihull Society trial leaders gathered in Fruita Colorado the weekend of March 30th through April 1st. Bill Burke of 4-Wheeling America provided a trail leading course to all of our volunteers.

Bill Burke is an internationally recognized trainer who teaches back country driving techniques, winching/extrication methods, vehicle preparation and maintenance, land navigation and woods’ skills through classes, private training, trainer and trail leader courses. Environmental awareness and trail etiquette are taught on every outing.

The Solihull Society would like to thank Bill for all of his help.

Photographs and Comments can be found on our forum.
Training

Bill Burke’s Homepage
bb4wa.com