Impromptu run to The Gap!!!! I tried my hand at steeper sections of the granite wall. After making it steeper than I had the last time, and watching the others conquer similarly huge spots I decided I had to go for the steepest possible line.

It was a lot more than the front could clear. I had to take it at an angle, and grind the front end up the wall.


Image credit: CactusCruzer


Image credit: CactusCruzer

Once I was lined up against the wall I just backed off. This would have to wait until another day with some more people and trucks around. I wouldn’t mind a strap on the front for the first go, don’t really know what to expect… unlike a few folks on some of the forums, wheeling is NOT a machismo game for us and backing off an obstacle to save for another day is not a big deal.


Image credit: CactusCruzer

Running the trail at the same time as us was this guy in a monstrously built Jeep. They entered the wash long before we did and wheeled some pretty ridiculous stuff. Unfortunately, he bit off a little more than he could chew in this deep water here…

The engine stopped and he winched himself out. After poking around under the hood for a few minutes, he discovered that he’s blown a HOLE in the block of the Corvette engine he had in there…. ouch!!

While this was going on, Cayce’s dog decided my truck was its new home. It took quite some coercion to him out…

I gave The Step another go… without success today. Tried a few different lines, but couldn’t get over. :(

Here’s what the looks like from the approach… :lol:

Hung up on slider here, had to back off…

Tried it over to the left, made it about half way and had to back off…

Bad day for The Step! Failure!!!

Once we were done with The Gap, cactus and I decided to run Rice Peak really quick… that’s how we roll! It was a great time, and it was really interesting to see how my impressions of wheeling have changed since I last did this about a year ago (one of the first times I’d ever wheeled).

Jeff on the way up…

At the top there was a little party going on… the first thing that happened was a guy came up to my truck and yells “Hey, where’s Trail Bus!??!!”

Turns out they’d seen my rig on the net and knew Jake. Funny thing to happen on a random mountain summit!

Interesting rig to see up there…