Volcanic Off-Roading: Mogollon Rim to Cinders to Jacob Lake
Part 4 of Ultimate Adventure 2017. We awoke on Day Five to a stunningly panoramic view from our campsite high atop the Mogollon Rim. With all of Arizona laid out below us we drank in the scenery before mounting our 4x4s and heading for Flagstaff
Transcript
00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 Day five of Ultimate Adventure
00:22 and we are on the Mogollon Rim,
00:24 probably one of the best campsites in all of Arizona.
00:28 After another long day on the trail,
00:29 we made it into the camp a little after 10 p.m. last night.
00:32 As a result, everyone's moving a little slow this morning.
00:35 - Driver's finished!
00:36 - All right, welcome to day five of UA.
00:40 (cheering)
00:42 We got some road miles to cover today.
00:45 We're going to the Cinders,
00:47 then we're going to our campsite.
00:48 So Trent's gonna explain the route, what we have in store.
00:51 - We need to kind of make up some time.
00:52 So those of you that didn't air up last night,
00:54 go ahead and air up.
00:55 We're gonna have some road miles today.
00:57 - We are gonna be headed north
00:58 and we are going to the Cinders,
01:00 which is kind of like a dune area,
01:02 but it's solid black because it's all volcanic rock.
01:05 The Cinders OHV area is located just outside of Flagstaff,
01:13 about 85 miles away.
01:15 We're gonna be on dirt for a little while this morning
01:17 on the Mogollon Rim,
01:18 then we're gonna hop on 87 for a bit to Lake Mary Road,
01:21 which is going to take us all the way to Flagstaff.
01:28 We're driving down the road and we had a little wobble
01:31 and we pulled over to check it out.
01:33 There's a little clunk
01:34 when we push back and forth in the tire.
01:36 I'm not sure if it's in the unit bearing or track bar,
01:40 so we're gonna jack it up and try to see what's loose
01:42 and double check all our wheel lug nuts and everything.
01:45 - Today is as good as it gets.
01:49 It's nice and cool.
01:50 All the trucks are happy, gorgeous scenery.
01:53 We actually have trees and shade,
01:54 which deserts and cactus are pretty scenic and awesome also.
01:59 This is really nice.
01:59 This is comfortable.
02:00 - The Voodoo Off-Road Rugged Radios,
02:02 Off-Road Design Falcon Tire,
02:04 Power Products Skyjacker, Warren Winch,
02:06 Dana Axle, Mogollon Cummins Jeep was doing great out there,
02:10 but the front end started to get a little bit of wobble
02:12 coming into the corners hot.
02:13 We found that there was a track bar that needed adjusted,
02:15 but we got that tightened up
02:16 and we will be passing people on the rest of this road.
02:19 - All right guys,
02:20 we're gonna be changing the route a little bit.
02:21 - The entire trip was planned out
02:22 and then pre-run while mapping it on a Mogollon TRX-7.
02:25 - Go to this waypoint and hit go
02:27 and it'll-
02:28 - Knowing that we had some 250 miles to our destination,
02:32 it was necessary to make a more direct grout
02:34 to the cinders than originally planned
02:36 in order to give us a fighting chance
02:37 of making it into camp before midnight.
02:39 This is a bit embarrassing actually.
02:43 We got rolling about four miles later,
02:45 this thing sputtered and died.
02:47 Now I am holding the entire group up
02:49 while I put fuel in the thing
02:50 that I could have done 10 minutes ago.
02:52 After a quick stop in Flagstaff
02:56 for some desperately needed fuel,
02:58 it was on to the Cinder Hills OHV area.
03:00 Think dunes with volcanic ash instead of sand.
03:04 Now this is the first day in the past several
03:05 where we've had everyone back with the group
03:07 after the various breakdowns and repairs.
03:09 This is good because the cinders
03:11 offers a completely different off-road experience.
03:14 It's similar to sand, but it's different.
03:17 And it's a lot harder on parts.
03:19 So be aware of that.
03:21 And tires.
03:22 We explored a little bit as a group,
03:24 then basically turned to everyone loose
03:26 for a few hours to explore on their own.
03:28 Located at the foot of the San Francisco Peaks,
03:32 the cinders are the remnants
03:34 of the significant volcanic activity in the region.
03:36 The 13,500 acre OHV area is one of the few in Arizona
03:40 where open riding is permitted.
03:42 Meaning you can pretty much go wherever you want
03:44 and don't have to stick to an established route.
03:46 Though still, running over foliage is prohibited.
03:49 If it weren't for the trees,
03:50 you'd think we'd been transported to the moon.
03:52 (upbeat music)
03:55 Here we are out at the cinders OHV area.
04:03 It's basically, as you can see,
04:07 it's just a big pile of volcanic pumice.
04:11 So it's just like a bunch of little pebbles.
04:13 So this should be some pretty interesting wheeling.
04:15 There's some big hills, kind of dune-like.
04:17 So we're gonna go out, see how high we can get up.
04:21 Sam Gilles' buggy is powered by an all aluminum LS1.
04:24 So the lightweight rig really didn't have any trouble
04:27 with the steep hills.
04:28 Wheeling on the cinders is sort of like being in the dunes,
04:32 except with steeper hills.
04:33 It has to do with the angle of repose of sand versus ash.
04:37 Dry sand hills reach a maximum angle of about 34 degrees,
04:41 but these hills of ash can reach upwards of 40 degrees.
04:44 After four days of poking around on the rocks,
04:48 it was nice to have a place to open up the throttle
04:50 and get some wheel speed going.
04:52 Damon's Ford-powered Scout 80 also seemed right at home,
04:56 thanks to a suspension that soaks up the bumps
04:58 and plenty of power on tap.
04:59 I've done some stuff at Pismo a bunch,
05:09 kind of close to my home.
05:10 So I'm used to the sand, used to this kind of stuff,
05:12 but this will be interesting.
05:13 I'm sure it'll be slightly different.
05:14 So I'm getting excited and ready to get out there
05:17 and see what it's like.
05:19 (engine revving)
05:22 Meanwhile, Cooper has discovered that the problem
05:28 of the mysterious rotating front end
05:30 on the diesel power product's ram
05:32 is much more serious than just loose cam bolts.
05:35 The center of the front differential housing
05:37 has been spinning on the axle tubes
05:39 and causing serious driveline problems, among other things.
05:42 Now, Cooper has the truck tied off to two trees,
05:44 and the plan is to get the pinion to rotate back upwards
05:48 so that the center can be re-welded to the tubes.
05:51 Big truck, big dude, big axles, one tiny ball-peen hammer.
05:56 Chris Durham's Gladiator JK looks unique,
06:09 but underneath the unusual nose is typical Durham,
06:12 simple, strong, and effective.
06:15 And again, a clapped-out old car
06:16 running on just two cylinders could make it up these hills
06:18 with Chris behind the wheel.
06:20 The perfect gearing allows the stone-stock 3.8
06:22 under the hood to get the JK to the top without issue.
06:26 65-horsepower can do it.
06:29 - It's kind of like sand dunes.
06:38 Never wheeled in this type of terrain before.
06:40 (engine revving)
06:43 - Keith Bailey's Magellan CJ-7
07:04 really isn't built for the dunes,
07:05 but the thirsty small-block Chevy under the hood
07:08 manages to get the job done.
07:09 Note co-pilot Steve taking video with the Magellan TRX-7.
07:13 Some used horsepower,
07:17 but Fred decided on a different approach
07:18 and used the torque of the Cummins R2.8
07:20 to get TubeSock up the grades.
07:22 Certainly an impressive technique,
07:24 if not terribly exciting.
07:25 It's hard to say which had the better exhaust note,
07:32 the Watson's K30 or the 6.4-liter Hemi
07:35 in the SkyJacker JK.
07:37 Regardless, it had no trouble at its centers.
07:39 The distinctive whine coming from the Voodoo Rope CJ-10
07:48 gives away the fact that the JK-sourced 3.6-liter
07:51 under the hood is packing heat
07:53 in the form of a Sprintek Supercharger.
07:55 This combination has no problem
07:57 propelling the unique lightweight rig.
07:59 (siren blaring)
08:01 Everyone had a great time at the cinders,
08:13 and even better, no one managed to break anything.
08:16 But with more than six hours to go before camp tonight,
08:19 it was time to gather up the troops and get rolling.
08:21 Aired back up, it was back to the blacktop
08:28 to knock down some miles before dark.
08:30 Maybe this section of road will be uneventful for a change?
08:33 - Well, it appears the thermostat's not open
08:40 'cause the radiator's just ice cold,
08:41 but the motor's showing it's overheating.
08:43 So we're gonna try to pull the thermostat out right quick,
08:46 try to see if the thermostat's even opening.
08:48 Well, it ain't open, but I think it'll flow around it.
08:54 Hope we get to cool off a little bit.
08:57 (wind blowing)
08:59 - Heading due north through Cameron
09:03 and Bitter Springs on Highway 89,
09:04 the group turned west after passing through Marble Canyon.
09:08 In all, we would log 150 miles in 14 hours
09:11 before making it to our group campsite
09:13 for the night in Jacob Lake.
09:14 (upbeat music)
09:25 - Drivers meeting.
09:27 We're being quiet for the neighbors.
09:30 Let's go.
09:31 - Once we fire up all our engines,
09:35 that'll be a lot better.
09:38 - All right, well, welcome to day six
09:39 of the ultimate adventure 2017.
09:41 (cheering)
09:43 I think we're at what, 7,300 feet elevation?
09:46 - I think it's 8,000.
09:47 - 8,000, great campsite, great route.
09:50 Got an even better one today.
09:51 Who knows what's really close by?
09:54 - The Grand Canyon.
09:56 - And that is where we are headed this morning.
09:58 This leg is not too bad.
09:59 This leg is like 100, I wanna say about 120 miles.
10:03 The next leg is a legit 180,
10:07 and much of it is in low range.
10:09 Please have every drop of fuel that you can carry on you.
10:12 When people talk about the Grand Canyon,
10:15 most of the time they're talking about
10:17 the easier to access south rim.
10:19 Our route was taking us to the north rim,
10:22 which is more remote and receives less traffic
10:24 as a result.
10:25 When you're this close to one of the natural wonders
10:27 of the world, you simply have to stop and check it out,
10:30 even if it meant nearly a four hour detour
10:32 from our ultimate destination.
10:34 The drive to the north rim from Jacob Lake
10:36 also happens to be one of the most beautiful
10:38 in all of Arizona.
10:39 The scenery at the north rim is even more breathtaking
10:43 than the south, and it's certainly more rugged.
10:46 Multiple scenic overlooks are just a short hike
10:48 from the historic Grand Canyon Lodge,
10:50 which is worth seeing all by itself.
10:53 This year's ultimate adventure got to go
10:55 to one of the highlights of America.
10:58 This is America's favorite hole in the ground,
11:00 the Grand Canyon.
11:01 The Grand Canyon was formed about 60 million years ago,
11:05 much around the same time Fred Perry
11:07 started growing a beard.
11:08 This is really cool.
11:11 If you've never been to the Grand Canyon,
11:13 you should pack your bag and hop in your 4x4
11:16 and drive out here.
11:17 This is an icon of America.
11:19 And there's actually two sides of the Grand Canyon.
11:20 There's the north rim, which we're on right now,
11:23 which closes down in the winter,
11:24 and there's the south rim,
11:25 which I think is open year round.
11:27 And Fred, you got anything, any words of wisdom?
11:31 - Yeah, if you, you don't get any perspective on this
11:35 until you see the sightseeing plane fly through the bottom.
11:39 And then you realize how large a hole this is in the ground.
11:43 - America's favorite hole in the ground, the Grand Canyon.
11:46 Go check it out.
11:46 - Well, we had a Griswold look at the Grand Canyon.
11:50 We're all set up.
11:51 We've got a lot of miles to go.
11:52 So we're gonna load up and head out.
11:54 And there's some dirt coming up soon.
11:56 Leaving the north rim behind,
11:58 the group probably thought that this was the last
12:00 of the Grand Canyon they would see for this trip,
12:01 but they were in for a surprise.
12:03 Not far up the highway,
12:04 we took a shortcut to save some time on,
12:06 you guessed it, a dirt road.
12:09 And also saw some pretty cool stuff along the way.
12:11 After gassing up at Pipe Spring
12:20 and making sure every gas can was as full as it could be,
12:23 was back to the dirt for the longest leg of the entire trip.
12:26 - Well, we are airing down for the last really long stretch
12:35 of trail road day combination.
12:40 Or at least 120 miles,
12:41 which in Ultimate Adventure time could be two hours,
12:45 it could be six.
12:46 - Trent's got some more dirt roads planned for us.
12:49 So we're getting ready to get the dust mask back on
12:53 and hit the trail.
12:54 - We have some good dirt miles.
12:56 It's a little bit warm out
12:57 and it's gonna be a little bit dusty.
12:59 - This Ultimate Adventure,
13:00 we've been having a pretty good struggle
13:01 with mechanical issues.
13:03 Everything from transmission cooler leak
13:06 to fuel line leak, a brake line leak.
13:08 So we've kind of had our hands full
13:10 staying on top of repairs a little bit
13:12 and keeping the motor from getting too hot.
13:14 We were having that issue too.
13:15 So we had to wire a fan direct, keep that going.
13:18 But I think we have it all under control.
13:21 We'll see.
13:22 - Well, since we've been in dirt for the last four
13:24 or five days, 160, 70, 80 miles of dirt,
13:28 probably won't be nothing.
13:29 But as you can see, by looking at the row of vehicles,
13:31 I'm next to the last.
13:34 So I'll get my fair share of dirt.
13:36 I'm gonna try to keep a little distance anyway.
13:38 - He's doing great.
13:39 It's great being tail end.
13:41 You just sit here and mop up all the problems
13:43 that the other people have.
13:44 What's really cool is on this trip,
13:46 even though I used to lead it,
13:48 I don't know where we're going.
13:49 So it's really coming back.
13:51 All I know is that it's a hundred miles that way,
13:54 a hundred miles that way to get to where
13:56 we're supposed to be going.
13:58 This isn't the right way.
13:59 So this is gonna be great.
14:00 - Hurricane Utah is our destination feed
14:06 and it's Northwest of where we are right now.
14:08 But we are headed due South, roughly towards Toro Wheat
14:11 before eventually turning West towards Mount Trumbull.
14:14 Now this route is going to take us right through the heart
14:16 of the Arizona strip,
14:18 one of the most remote places in all of the United States.
14:21 Most of the normal ways in and out of this area
14:23 involve going to Utah, Nevada, or California.
14:26 Of course, our route is far from home.
14:28 Mount Trumbull is a tiny little settlement
14:33 and its most notable landmark
14:35 is the Mount Trumbull Schoolhouse.
14:37 Now this is a well cared for recreation
14:39 of the original building.
14:40 Inside are displays depicting the history of the area
14:43 and the settlers in it.
14:44 The schoolhouse is a historic building.
14:46 So we were sure to leave it exactly as we found it
14:49 while we explore.
14:50 - I think we got a little dusty today.
14:54 We had 32 miles.
14:56 Oh, I mean, three to two miles, two to three miles of dirt.
15:00 And we'll leave as much as we can
15:05 since we got to see the Grand Canyon today.
15:07 - I'm trying not to be that guy.
15:14 You know, that guy that holds the group up.
15:17 - And I would say if you showed up with Ultimate Adventure
15:19 this year without goggles, you're sorry.
15:22 You're very much regretting this right now.
15:24 'Cause they're a requirement this year for sure.
15:27 - One thing is for sure, we are well off the beaten path
15:32 as no tour bus would ever go near where we've been
15:35 or where we're going.
15:36 From Mount Trumbull, we are headed due south
15:38 past the Bar 10 Ranch and to the Whitmore Overlook,
15:41 one of the most remote vistas of the Grand Canyon
15:44 that is accessible by vehicle.
15:45 Whitmore Overlook is also the site
15:50 of where an ancient lava flow once dammed the Grand Canyon.
15:54 The path to the overlook follows this flow,
15:56 so it's rough and extremely bumpy, but totally worth it.
15:59 How many people get to see two distinctly different vantages
16:03 of the Grand Canyon in one day, especially one this remote?
16:07 - One of the advantages of vehicles like this
16:11 is that we can get to remote destinations
16:13 to see these majestic views like we have behind us here.
16:16 It's a view that very few people ever get to see.
16:18 It's a little bit of work,
16:20 but we can get there and it's worth it.
16:22 - All right, well, it's been a long, dusty day,
16:26 but here we are at the Whitmore Overlook.
16:28 We came in via Mount Trumbull.
16:31 This is a 25 mile one way in and out,
16:35 but as you can see, we're at the beautiful Grand Canyon,
16:37 the Colorado River's right down there.
16:40 Everybody did great.
16:41 We made great time down here.
16:43 We're checking it out, but we're not done yet.
16:45 We actually have to still get to Hurricane
16:47 and the hotel for a badly needed shower.
16:50 We're gonna get rolling and head to Hurricane.
16:52 The sun's going down, but there's another 85 miles of dirt
16:58 between us and the hotel for the night,
17:00 so it looks like we're going to be doing some night viewing.
17:02 Well, it was another long day,
17:03 but seeing the Grand Canyon was a bucket list item
17:06 for many in the group.
17:07 There's one more day of Ultimate Adventure yet to go,
17:10 and we've saved some of the best and hardest
17:12 wheeling for last.
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