Cruise Moab Live (2015)

[toyyota]

Dana and I were there, and met up with Big Mike and Marlin and Christine. For us, it was one of the best trip's ever! This is a first class event that should be a must do.

[SqWADoosh]

You gotta love the hustle 

[BigMike]

Oh, am I supposed to be continuing with the updates for this thread?

[jangelfire]

Damn rite! I felt ripped off for a few days! Lol

[BigMike]

Ok, will soon be heading to the Central Valley Crawler's Club Meeting in Tulare, will do some updates from the road (gives me 40 mins of downtime each way, will be riding shotgun in Mitchell's truck)

Regards,
BigMike

[BigMike]

You probably caught the group for Hell's Gate?

You guessed it!

After exactly 35 minutes of haul'n the mail, taking the hard-lines when convenient (especially if it reduced the radius of a corner), and stopping a few times confused at road crossings, we caught our 9a group at 11:18a as the very last truck finished Hell's Gate near the Colorado River Overlook.

So I didn't make it in time to get pics of everyone's effort (which included an 80-series laying it over on it's side!!) but that didn't stop me from immediately attempting it despite everyone having moved on for lunch save only for the tail gunner.

Apologizes for the blurry pic, but here is the tail gunners very cool FJ25:

[BigMike]

Of course I'm not going all this way to then not run the challenging obstacles so with the tail gunner staying behind for me I proceeded to run Hell's Gate.

To get to Hell's Gate you must first drop down a good sized ledge in order to get down and around for the set-up/entrance to climb up Hell's Gate. I had to stop to get out and walk over to the drop off to have a look. It was pretty bad, requiring a four wheel skid of about two feet during the descent. Needless to say once you've dropped down for Hell's Gate you certainly are committed no matter which way you choose (do the obstacle or turn around to "bail" out which has gotta be harder to do).

Here I am at the bottom getting set-up for the climb. Note how the path crosses up multiple times. Climbing this steep and not being mindful of how the rear suspension is loading/unloading can make for some unwelcomed surprises



Our Round-Up's EMT Mr Bob Brown was on this run and before dropping down I caught him driving away with the rest of the group. He told me that if I attempted Hell's Gate then I should stay high to the right towards the very top.

So not having seen the proper line before, I sort of had the basic idea. So let's do it-

Up up up



So what I thought should be done would be to enter high passenger and then level out about half way up and then get over passenger again and Crawl out.

Leveling out at this point



But my spotter had a different idea and had me stay off the wall and keep it driver. Rule #1 is you always listen to your spotter, so I did



Line not feeling so good at this point



So I backed down and told him I'd like to climb the wall

Ahhh much better Even just backing back down was a challenge because again you gotta keep track of which side rear tire is dropping or climbing to keep your suspension loaded properly on such a steep climb



From here it was just up and out

[blackdiamond]

You can make it out of Hell's Gate without lifting a tire in a lot of rigs, but the line you were on can certainly get interesting.  The only time my truck has been close to that far driver was with someone else driving and me taking a picture.  He intentionally went for air.

My list of trusted spotter is very short and nobody get's on the list unless I actually see them spot or wheel before I have the opportunity to receive instructions.  This doesn't mean that I'm rude and actively refuse to listen, but I always have a plan and if the spotter points me in a different direction while "live" I'll make my choice based on what I'm seeing and feeling at that moment.  One thing that I've learned is that most of the time when you don't listen they spotter just recalculates like a GPS and does the best with what they are given.

Crankycrawler and I have been friends pretty much since birth and even when we drove very different rigs (i.e. my Toyota and his K5) we almost always know exactly what the is thinking.  Most of the time we don't even have to discuss the plan because we almost always are thinking the same thing and we both trust the other as driver or spotter.  When he's not my spotter I am much less likely to try anything that pushes my limits.

[SqWADoosh]

I've been studying the line for hell's gate for the past 6 months. I've watched probably every video of the obstacle that is on the internet in preparation for leading my club through it in September. The best example of the perfect line for it has to be right here:

It is pretty obvious watching the guy take the obstacle at a cool 5-10 mph without any hesitation that he's done it 100x. That or he is just the most confident MOFO on the planet. Either way for those of you about to go to Moab and attempt Hell's Gate this was the best example of the proper line I have been able to find.

[jangelfire]

Dont do this! Right at the top of the gate 3 weeks ago.puckered my bhole!

[BigMike]

Finally met up with the group!

[BigMike]

Overlooking the mighty Colorado River



The quadcopter guy caught up to us and I got to chat with him for a bit. Really nice guy-



Learned a lot about coordinate programming and route setting. They have come so far, it's really amazing

[BigMike]

You can make it out of Hell's Gate without lifting a tire in a lot of rigs, but the line you were on can certainly get interesting.

I was able to back out of the line before lifting a tire; Knew it wasn't gonna end pretty Went right up after that just like the white 80-series in SqWADoosh's video. I think this is a climb that 1) looks a lot worse than it "can be", and 2) it's one of those hills where one or two feet off from the correct line makes a WORLD of difference.

My list of trusted spotter is very short and nobody get's on the list unless I actually see them spot or wheel before I have the opportunity to receive instructions.

I know exactly what you are talking about. The person who I trust the most who also happens to be the best driver I know is our very own transmission builder Tim "TURBO" Collins. He has been wheeling 1st gens since he was in high school and has extensive experience in spotting. My opinion of his spotting is the type where I would trust his directions even to the point of rolling over and after rolling over I'd blame something else for the mistake.

At any large event like this the trail leader always gives deliberate instruction on spotting: There should only be one spotter at a time, carefully follow his exact instruction to the best of your ability, always ask for a spot / don't be embarrassed, turn your radio and/or CB down, make clear communication, stay in eye contact, etc.

I want to be clear that I am very thankful that the Tail Gunner stayed back for me instead of moving on for lunch with the rest of the group. This seemed like an obstacle I wouldn't attempt without a spotter.

I'm experienced enough with my truck to know what it can and cannot do, and just as importantly to know what it can and cannot back-out of to reset, so nothing bad happened. Was just in my opinion a bad spot at only just that one location. He owns that FJ20-series Cruiser that is much more narrow and also shorter than me, so maybe that is the line that works for his rig

Dont do this! Right at the top of the gate 3 weeks ago.puckered my bhole!

GOOD GRIEF SON!! That looks HORRIBLE!! hahaha Were you able to back out of that or did you get winched?

[BigMike]

but I always have a plan and if the spotter points me in a different direction while "live" I'll make my choice based on what I'm seeing and feeling at that moment.  One thing that I've learned is that most of the time when you don't listen they spotter just recalculates like a GPS and does the best with what they are given.

I'd agree to the extent if the spotter doesn't know the line him/herself. I can't stand it when people don't listen to my spotting, but it's understandable to a degree as they don't know how inexperienced I might be. After a while of ignoring my instruction I just walk. I'm only trying to help -- go on and break something then

One thing that I've learned is that most of the time when you don't listen they spotter just recalculates like a GPS and does the best with what they are given.

This is the worst. When spotters are too embarrassed to say "Wait, hang on, I messed up and I'd like to reposition you." I wish every spotter was that honest. It's bad when someone is directing me and like you said they will sort of look puzzled like "hmmm didn't expect that to happen" but then precede to "well he's still moving so let's see where he'll end up now" and before you know it you're a truck width off line and in a worse situation than before. That's not proper execution of leadership

Regards,
BigMike

[blackdiamond]

Moab is definitely a game of inches where it can look easy or upside down.

I should clarify that I have not ever been on an organized run with designated spotter and would be more willing to listen in that situation. It when I meet friendly people on the trail that feel like providing their input that I feel free to completely ignore while trying to be as nice as possible. If I don't trust the people I am travelng with to spot well I will do my best to explain what the plan is and then use their feedback to see if I am on route. If it is something that I have real concern for I often just opt out rather than risk damage.

[BigMike]

Horizontal correction

[jangelfire]

I was able to back out of the line before lifting a tire; Knew it wasn't gonna end pretty Went right up after that just like the white 80-series in SqWADoosh's video. I think this is a climb that 1) looks a lot worse than it "can be", and 2) it's one of those hills where one or two feet off from the correct line makes a WORLD of difference.
I know exactly what you are talking about. The person who I trust the most who also happens to be the best driver I know is our very own transmission builder Tim "TURBO" Collins. He has been wheeling 1st gens since he was in high school and has extensive experience in spotting. My opinion of his spotting is the type where I would trust his directions even to the point of rolling over and after rolling over I'd blame something else for the mistake.

At any large event like this the trail leader always gives deliberate instruction on spotting: There should only be one spotter at a time, carefully follow his exact instruction to the best of your ability, always ask for a spot / don't be embarrassed, turn your radio and/or CB down, make clear communication, stay in eye contact, etc.

I want to be clear that I am very thankful that the Tail Gunner stayed back for me instead of moving on for lunch with the rest of the group. This seemed like an obstacle I wouldn't attempt without a spotter.

I'm experienced enough with my truck to know what it can and cannot do, and just as importantly to know what it can and cannot back-out of to reset, so nothing bad happened. Was just in my opinion a bad spot at only just that one location. He owns that FJ20-series Cruiser that is much more narrow and also shorter than me, so maybe that is the line that works for his rig

GOOD GRIEF SON!! That looks HORRIBLE!! hahaha Were you able to back out of that or did you get winched?

It was my buddies jeep.i was riding with him.we flopped over and had to pull it over with 10 guys on a strap.im just glad we stopped sliding.i thought it was over for us

[Waterman]

The worst part of Hells Gate is about 3/4 of the way up.  At that point you need to be crawling up the passengers side wall of the slot...feels all wrong as it leans you way towards the drivers side and instinct tells you to go left and level things out.  Don't do it!  Stay up on the wall and all will be good as a large ledge does the leveling for you.  Had an 80 in our group who didn't listen to the spotter...bailed and went left...below is the result...minor pass side body damage and a strap to get out.

[blackdiamond]

I've been studying the line for hell's gate for the past 6 months. I've watched probably every video of the obstacle that is on the internet in preparation for leading my club through it in September. The best example of the perfect line for it has to be right here:

It is pretty obvious watching the guy take the obstacle at a cool 5-10 mph without any hesitation that he's done it 100x. That or he is just the most confident MOFO on the planet. Either way for those of you about to go to Moab and attempt Hell's Gate this was the best example of the proper line I have been able to find.

That is a pretty clean run up Hell's Gate.  I think you can pretty much ride the passenger side wall all the way up.  His little diversion to the driver's side really made it look easy, but I'm not sure it makes much different is a rig that has a little suspension travel.  I didn't run Hell's Revenge this year so it's been 5 years for me so I'm sure it's changed a little from when I was there last.  Slow and easy wins the race.

[BigMike]

The group finished up lunch and we departed.

A lot of just really fun wheeling.

[BigMike]

[BigMike]

[BigMike]

One nice thing about using my phone is the ability to make easy panoramic shots



I pegged my clinometer no less than five times on this trail

[BigMike]

Regrouping for something...



Ahhh the Hot Tubs we had been hearing about!

[BigMike]

A few of these were NO JOKE guys. I would flip entirely on my back if I tried this one:

[BigMike]

Dropping in into a do-able Hot Tub:

[BigMike]

And then out the other side



It's a bit steeper at the bottom than it looks



But I actually crawled straight out even with wet tires

[BigMike]

So now I'm thinking two things: 1) That was too easy, and 2) This would be a great Walking The Crawler Opportunity!

So I reverse back down to the steeper section...



Drop it into Triple low 511:1 and get out...

[BigMike]

And with any Walking The Crawler attempt everyone is impressed...........and the truck just sits there slowing doing a burn-out in place

Epic fail haha So I get back in and then give it some throttle and she drives out again.









Oh well

[BigMike]

Pano from the area



By this time other traffic had caught up to us and we were blocking the road...



Time to head out!