Russ Chung

I have a 3 inch lift, a six speed manual transmission, motor mount lift, 1" body lift, and slip yoke eliminator. The Tummy Tucker is sturdy and well designed. I can reach the bolts to disconnect my front driveshaft when I have to grease it, but it's hard to get to the tranny drain plug unless you drop the skid. It weighs a lot; when I installed it, there were no aluminum skid plates but now Savvy and I believe Asfir offer aluminum skid plates.

I'd like to join you on Friday for the Rocker Panel Pass run.

Kris, The Forest Service Route Management Process takes a long time. The open comment period was two years ago. I don't remember the exact dates but I have some maps that I downloaded on November 20, 2011 during the open comment period. At this point, we will probably have to wait and see what the MVUM contains, and then submit requests to correct any errors or omissions. An example of an error would be if a route is misaligned or if a motorcycle trail is shown as a 4x4 route. If a route is not on the MVUM, then it is closed. Unless the route was omitted in error, trying to re-open a closed route is non-trivial; generally, you would need an environmental survey, an archeological survey, and public hearings. If a route has a numbered route sign, then it is an open route. If a route does not have any signage, then it is probably an illegal route. Russ

No. A CB antenna is tuned for a completely different frequency range (27 MHz); a Baofeng dual band radio uses the 140 MHz and 440 MHz bands. The page may have been cached in your browser. I hope by now that you've been able to get to the site. If not, try to clear your browser cache (tools menu or preferences menu on your browser).

It looks like Walmart still has bargains on other CB radios, too. http://www.walmart.com/cp/CB-Radios-Scanners/4510

1. Shelter. You didn't say what time of year you will be in Utah. Over the years, I've accumulated small, medium, and large tents. The small tent (two person pup tent) I use in cold weather because it's easier to keep warm inside. The medium tent (3-4 person tent) I use in warm weather when I have to do a lot of set up/tear down (such as on your trip to Utah). The large tent (5-6 person tent) I use in warm weather when we stay in one spot for a few days since it's a lot of work to set up/tear down; if your partner is interested in comfort and is willing to help set up/tear down, you might consider a large tent. 2. Bedding. With the small or medium tent, I use an air mattress and depending on the nighttime temps, I take my summer or my winter sleeping bag. With the large tent, I have room for a cot (more comfortable than sleeping on the ground). 3. Food storage and cooking. I have a 25 qt. Waeco 12 volt fridge so I don't have to worry about replenishing ice every day. I use plastic storage boxes I bought at Walmart to store non-perishables. I have a folding table to set up my two burner Coleman propane stove (It protects from the wind better than a single burner stove). I do most of my cooking with an MSR non-stick cook set. 4. Miscellaneous other items: Camp chairs. A battery or propane lantern. In cold weather, I'll pack a Coleman tent heater. Since you will be primitive camping, you'll need a portable toilet or wag bags.

Why do you need a No Ground Plane kit? NGP kits are designed for vehicles made of plastic, fiberglass, wood or aluminum. A Grand Cherokee makes a good ground plane when the antenna is properly installed. A conventional CB antenna kit is less complicated than an NGP kit, and less expensive, too.

Loren, According to my 2005 Jeep Wrangler Owners Manual: MAINTENANCE SCHEDULES There are two maintenance schedules that show the required service for your vehicle. First is Schedule B. It is for vehicles that are operated under the conditions that are listed below and at the beginning of the schedule. • Day or night temperatures are below 32°F (0°C) • Stop and go driving • Excessive engine idling • Driving in dusty conditions • Short trips of less than 10 miles (16.2 km) • More than 50% of your driving is at sustained high speeds during hot weather, above 90°F (32°C) • Trailer towing • Taxi, police, or delivery service (commercial service) • Off-road or desert driving • If equipped for and operated with E-85 (ethanol) fuel. NOTE: If ANY of these apply to you then change your engine oil every 3,000 miles (5 000 km) or 3 months, whichever comes first and follow “Schedule B” of the “Maintenance Schedules” section of this manual. NOTE: Most vehicles are operated under the conditions listed for Schedule “B.” Second is Schedule “A”. It is for vehicles that are not operated under any of the conditions listed under Schedule “B.” I don't know what the maintenance schedule for your wife's Liberty is, but if it is similar to my Wrangler, then the oil changes could have been based on the 3 month interval instead of the 3,000 mile interval. Russ

Jim, I have now done 32 samples over the past 100,000 miles (I now have 240,000 miles on my 2005 Jeep). Using Schedule B, I would have changed oil and filter about 33 times (Schedule B calls for oil and filter changes every 3,000 miles, which is what I was doing while my Jeep was under warranty and before starting oil analysis). Since starting oil analysis, I have changed oil 9 times based on the sample results; the intervals have ranged from 4,000 miles to 17,000 miles. The shorter oil change intervals have been because the oil is dirty, the longer intervals have been when the additives have been used up or when the oxidation reading gets high. I use Mobil 1 synthetic, each oil change costs about $60 (sometimes when the oil is on sale, I can get a filter and six quarts for $50. I have paid about $900 for oil analysis (including the postage and the sample supplies) and about $500 for the oil and filter changes for a total of about $1400. If I had continued changing oil every 3,000 miles, I would have spent about $2,000. YMMV. Russ

Chris, An excellent, thorough trip report! I like your recipe for "hobo dinner". I look forward to more trip reports. Russ

Mike, Get a 4 foot Firefly antenna (model #FL-4). It's very flexible, so unlike the Firestik II, you won't need a spring. I have not seen them in any truck stops, so you may need to order it via mail order or drive over to Firestik in Phoenix to get one. The four foot antenna won't fit under my garage door, so I have a 3 foot and a 4 foot antenna with quick disconnects. Unlike Roy, I'm not worried about theft. In fact, I've never heard of anyone losing an antenna to theft. I keep the 3 foot antenna mounted so I can use my CB anytime and then switch to the longer antenna when I'm planning to go on a run. Russ

Last summer, the radiator on my 2005 4.0 engine developed a hairline crack in the plastic header. It had over 200,000 miles at the time and it NEVER overheated whether I was in the High Sierra, the Arizona desert or in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. After learning about all the problems others have had with aftermarket radiators, I decided to stick with the factory radiator and I have had no problems with it. BTW, the factory radiator is aluminum except for the plastic header.

I love Hawaii. We went to Oahu, Kauai and Maui on our honeymoon and loved it. Our parents and in-laws did NOT go with us!

In July, 2008 I was passing through the northeastern part of Arizona and I decided to explore some backroads on the Navajo reservation enroute to the Four Corners Monument. From I-40, I took AZ-77 to Navajo Route 6. My GPS showed that I should turn when I reached Navajo Route 15 (a paved road) or I could take a shortcut via Navajo Route 153 (a dirt road) which would cut the corner and eventually join Navajo-15. When I got to the intersection of Navajo-153 a Toyota Corolla came out from the dirt road, so I figured that if a Toyota could use that road, I certainly could take it in my Jeep. There was little development and little traffic on the road; in ten miles I had only seen a few buildings and one other vehicle. It had rained the night before, so there were a few muddy spots but I had no problems until I reached a flooded section of the road. The flooded section was about 200 yards wide and I could not tell how deep the water was. Meanwhile, a pickup truck arrived at the other side of the flooded section of the road. The pickup truck driver got out, looked at the flooded section of the road, got back in his truck and took a detour through the field to the north. I watched as he took the detour and rejoined the road a couple hundred feet behind me. I got in my Jeep and tried to retrace his path through the field. I came to a flooded ditch. The pickup truck had easily made it across the narrow ditch. In my short wheelbase Jeep, I tried to take the ditch at an angle, but ended up with both driver side wheels in the water filled ditch: At the time, I had open diffs and I was unsuccessful in getting enough traction to get out of the ditch. I unloaded the gear in the back of my Jeep to lighten the load and took out my entrenching tool to build a ramp to get out of the ditch when the rancher came by and towed me out of the ditch. He didn't ask for any money but I gave him twenty bucks as I reloaded my gear in my Jeep.

I don't see it either in the watershedmonitor.com site It does show on the Salt River Project site: http://www.srpwater.com/dwr/ click the link to go to the "Reservoir release" section of the report. On April 24, it was 375 cfs.

Matt, 1. There was water flowing above the surface in the Hassayampa in Box Canyon. It was only a few inches deep so it was no problem to travel through Box Canyon. 2. The gate accross the access road to the Goldbar mine was closed. I didn't get close enough to see if it had a lock on it, but I would assume that it did. Dick Grover told us that the trail between Box Canyon and Constellation Road was closed because it crossed private property, and that was the reason we had to backtrack to the Mistake Mine road to get from the Hassayampa to Constellation Road. I don't know if he was referring to the same trail that you wanted to use. 3. There are some ruins about a mile up from Sayer. We didn't explore them so I can't say if they are accessible. But unlike the Monte Cristo and the Goldbar I didn't see any activity at that site so I would think it is open. 4. Most of the Copperopolis townsite has disappeared but there are a few ruins. Here's a picture of Cathy Mead exploring one of them: Russ

Matt, It depends on what you consider a "short trip up to the Hassayampa.." Last weekend, we started from Wickenburg. We headed up the Hassaympa River to Box Canyon. This is a photo of the dry riverbed of the Hassayampa below Box Canyon. It was taken from the Mistake Mine: We left the Mistake Mine about mid-morning, and headed southeast until we reached Constellation Road: Then we headed northeast on Constellation Road. We stopped for lunch at Sayer Spring, just past the intersection of Constellation Road and Buckhorn Road. After lunch, we continued along Constellation Road to Monte Cristo Mine. There are "No Trespassing" signs posted all around the site: We continued northeast on Constellation Road to the Goldbar Mine site. There was a closed gate on the road leading to the site so we just looked at the site from Constellation road: Not counting the lunch stop, I would estimate that it would take about two hours to get from the Monte Cristo Mine to the Hassayampa River via Constellation Road and Blue Tank Road. We camped near Bradshaw's grave, and the next day, we continued northeast to the Copperopolis mine and townsite, then headed north along Walker Gulch to Waggoner Road, Minnehaha, Oro Belle Mine and Crown King. I would estimate five hours to get from the Gold Bar Mine to the Hassayampa River at Waggoner Road if you went via Walker Gulch. Constellation Road, Buckhorn Road and Waggoner Road were easy, graded, two-wheel drive roads. A full size pickup would not have any problem on those roads. The roads around Bradshaw's grave, Copperopolis, and Walker Gulch are narrow two-track trails, eroded with deep ruts, washouts, and off-camber sections. They are definitely four wheel drive, high clearance roads. I would not take a full sized pickup on those roads. Bradshaw's grave: This is the narrow, two-track trail between Copperopolis and Walker Gulch: Walker Gulch:

Happy Birthday, Ken!!

The owner was thinking that if the Jeep broke down he could ride the quad to go for help!

Happy Birthday!

The video says that he spent 20,000 hours over 15 years to build that model. For that much effort, he shoulda built a full size Ferrari!

The thread that I linked in the earlier post was moved to a private site because it contained some discussion about the pros and cons of continuing the fight in court or to accept the revised closure list and the moderators didn't feel that it should be discussed in a public forum. Here's a different thread that is in the public forum which gives the history leading up to the settlement talks. http://www.myjeeprocks.com/forums/showthread.php/22354-Comments-needed-concerning-trail-closures-in-Big-Bear

The instructions for public input are found at the bottom of Page 5, continued on Page 6 of the January 31, 2013 Scoping Letter. Here is a link: TravelMgmtEISscoping01312013 1. Comments must be submitted by March 4, 2013 2. Comments must be specific to this proposal. Include route numbers or location descriptions as well as reasons for the recommendations. 3. Submit comments to: Neil Bosworth, Forest Supervisor, 2324 E. McDowell Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85006 or email to comments-southwestern-TMRTonto@fs.fed.us or fax 602-225-5213 4. The review process is governed by the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA). (for more info on NEPA procedures, see the link in post #1 of this thread). I suggest that we schedule some runs to inspect the trails shown on the map of the proposed action. Here's a link: EIS_ProposedActionMap_36x36_01312013 Once we have first hand knowledge of what's proposed, we can submit comments. And it gives us an excuse to get out into the forest and run some trails! Some members of MyJeepRocks recently did just that over the past few months in the San Bernandino National Forest, and the comments had much more credibility. As a result, the Forest Service has decided to rescind a proposed road closure. Here's a link to what they did: http://www.myjeeprocks.com/forums/showthread.php/23195-Legacy-Road-Closure-Conf-Call

After lunch, we headed to the site of the Squaw Creek ruins. This site was estimated to have had 150-200 rooms. The bluff below the Squaw Creek ruins contained many pictographs: