TurboMinivan
Still plays with cars
- Location
- Lehi, UT
With little advance notice, I decided to hit AF canyon today. I had 4 or 5 people who wanted to go but were apparently only available at different times from one another. Kinda frustrated, I aimed for the middle ground and said I would go at 1:30. I got one confirmation from Ryan (dash), so I figured that would be enough--if anyone else showed up, it would be gravy.
Naturally, nobody else was able to make it.
Since we had as much time as we wanted, we decided to head all the way to Mineral Basin. Last time I set out to go there, I wasn't able to make it all the way (this was Steve's night time run last fall). I was determined to put in a better showing today.
Anyway, off we went. I had a nice chat with the gal at the ranger station. She tried to clarify the now-incredibly-confusing rules about when and if you pay a fee to enter the canyon. Driving into and out of Mineral Basin does not require any money. Parking at Tibble Fork reservoir and leaving your vehicle requires a pass, but she said if we just stopped there to air down for ~15 minutes we did not need to pay... so she waved us in with a smile.
As we left pavement, it was immediately apparent that some changes have been made. The gravel road has been graded in a number of stretches. Sometimes this made it wider than it used to be, but in all cases it did a remarkable job of eliminating the old washboard surfaces. It's not quite I-15 smooth, but nevertheless there has been a clear improvement which you can't help but notice.
We got through the switchback turns (which are no longer banked) and entered the narrow stretch. Everybody knows this part; it is where there is a steep dropoff on the right side of the road. It, too, was much smoother than last year, and we quickly saw why when we came upon a full-size road grader which was, well, grading the road. Some parts of this section are hairy enough in a small vehicle like my TJ, so I cannot imagine how big your cojones have to be to pilot that machine up here.
But just when I thought I had seen it all, the intensity ramped up: the grader was coming down the road while we--and others--we going up. Without so much as a honk from anyone, Mr Grader stopped, threw it in reverse, and began backing along the narrow section. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, but he kept going back and back and back--around blind sharp curves, even--until he found a spot wide enough for him to let us all pass. I don't know how much UDOT is paying this guy, but it isn't enough:
Once we got past him, we soon exited the narrow stretch and came upon the turnoff to Graveyard Flats. There was a temporary road sign for traffic coming out of the canyon, and when I saw what it said I had to photograph the irony. In all my years, I've never seen a sign like this in a place like that:
We continued on our way. As we approached the turnoff for Forest Lake, the road surface began to get softer. Seriously, it was soft, as in loose dirt. It was like this part had been freshly graded... and when I say fresh, I mean fresh. How fresh, exactly? This fresh:
That's right, we came up behind a bulldozer which was making the first pass in the grading process. We crawled along behind him until the road opened up and we were able to scoot past. Now we were back to the old hardpack washboard roads we all know and love, and it appeared there would be no more delays due to heavy machinery. We picked up the pace a bit and continued on.
We got to the unofficial start of the Mineral Basin trail--the infamous rock garden. We finally engaged 4WD and went straight to low range for better control over the large rocks. We began slowly making our way through the garden, and everything was going just fine. I was just entering the last right curve in the garden--you know, the one where at the other end is the end of the garden with that one big rock right in the middle of the road--and, alas, what did I see?
I saw exactly that: a lass, as in a girl. I think she was of Asian descent, but she was definitely sitting on the left-side bank of this final rock garden trench and looking into it. My curiosity was quickly satisfied, because when I finished rounding the curve I was greeted with this sight:
Her boyfriend was hopelessly, helplessly stuck. The noobie had broken Four Wheeling Rule #1 (Never 'wheel alone!) and, even worse, he did it in unfamiliar territory--he later told us he had never been up here before. Anyway, he had somehow slipped around the big rock and then slid backwards into it. Fortunately (not!), his rear diff cover absorbed the impact. He had then tried to move forward a few times, and he was indeed able to make some forward progress, but each time he would then slide back and crash his diff cover into that rock. I knelt down to look underneath, and I saw his stock stamped steel cover had a divot the side of a tennis ball in it... and the dent was right where his ring gear sits behind the cover. His only tool of significance was a high lift jack, and he was trying to use it despite the soft soil. Not a good situation.
There was juuuust enough room to squeeze past him on the right side, so I did so. I then hooked up my trusty 3"x30' strap and pulled him forward off the rock. Commenting on his damaged cover, I asked if he would be turning around now. Of course not. Instead, he wanted to keep going up the canyon until he could find a secluded spot by the water (off the trail) so he and his gal could spread out a blanket and have a picnic of sorts. He told Ryan he had a guitar he was going to play for her, but later (when he wasn't within earshot) I surmised he was more likely hoping his girlfriend would play his skin flute. Either way, he fell in line behind us for a little while:
Do any of you guys remember that off-camber obstacle from Steve's run last fall? I had to bail and exit it sideways, and Keller had to winch himself up it... remember? Anyway, now it looks like the hole in that obstacle is a bit bigger than before:
I had a score to settle, so I was hell bent on getting through here. I stuck to the left line since that was where I failed last time, and this time I managed to get through. (Full disclosure: I may have engaged my rear locker.) After that, Ryan gave it a go though he took a different path to miss the hole--his front bumper was just the right size to cause big interference with the rock on the left side.
Soon after this, Romeo in the YJ turned off and found his secluded spot by the stream. At last, we had nothing to slow us down. We were free to get to the top, and nothing would stop us now! We could continue on and enjoy the sights, such as a waterfall way up high with snow banks flanking it.
Going, going, going. We came upon the big ditch in the road (the one large enough to swallow a car) and things were still going great... but then we jumped a small snow bank, turned to the right, and saw that Mother Nature had the last laugh:
The snow was suddenly everywhere, and it was deep. There was no way we were going to make it through this, so we finally had to admit defeat and give up. We each took a few photos, then headed back down the canyon.
We'll have to try it again later in the season.
Naturally, nobody else was able to make it.
Since we had as much time as we wanted, we decided to head all the way to Mineral Basin. Last time I set out to go there, I wasn't able to make it all the way (this was Steve's night time run last fall). I was determined to put in a better showing today.
Anyway, off we went. I had a nice chat with the gal at the ranger station. She tried to clarify the now-incredibly-confusing rules about when and if you pay a fee to enter the canyon. Driving into and out of Mineral Basin does not require any money. Parking at Tibble Fork reservoir and leaving your vehicle requires a pass, but she said if we just stopped there to air down for ~15 minutes we did not need to pay... so she waved us in with a smile.
As we left pavement, it was immediately apparent that some changes have been made. The gravel road has been graded in a number of stretches. Sometimes this made it wider than it used to be, but in all cases it did a remarkable job of eliminating the old washboard surfaces. It's not quite I-15 smooth, but nevertheless there has been a clear improvement which you can't help but notice.
We got through the switchback turns (which are no longer banked) and entered the narrow stretch. Everybody knows this part; it is where there is a steep dropoff on the right side of the road. It, too, was much smoother than last year, and we quickly saw why when we came upon a full-size road grader which was, well, grading the road. Some parts of this section are hairy enough in a small vehicle like my TJ, so I cannot imagine how big your cojones have to be to pilot that machine up here.
But just when I thought I had seen it all, the intensity ramped up: the grader was coming down the road while we--and others--we going up. Without so much as a honk from anyone, Mr Grader stopped, threw it in reverse, and began backing along the narrow section. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, but he kept going back and back and back--around blind sharp curves, even--until he found a spot wide enough for him to let us all pass. I don't know how much UDOT is paying this guy, but it isn't enough:
Once we got past him, we soon exited the narrow stretch and came upon the turnoff to Graveyard Flats. There was a temporary road sign for traffic coming out of the canyon, and when I saw what it said I had to photograph the irony. In all my years, I've never seen a sign like this in a place like that:
We continued on our way. As we approached the turnoff for Forest Lake, the road surface began to get softer. Seriously, it was soft, as in loose dirt. It was like this part had been freshly graded... and when I say fresh, I mean fresh. How fresh, exactly? This fresh:
That's right, we came up behind a bulldozer which was making the first pass in the grading process. We crawled along behind him until the road opened up and we were able to scoot past. Now we were back to the old hardpack washboard roads we all know and love, and it appeared there would be no more delays due to heavy machinery. We picked up the pace a bit and continued on.
We got to the unofficial start of the Mineral Basin trail--the infamous rock garden. We finally engaged 4WD and went straight to low range for better control over the large rocks. We began slowly making our way through the garden, and everything was going just fine. I was just entering the last right curve in the garden--you know, the one where at the other end is the end of the garden with that one big rock right in the middle of the road--and, alas, what did I see?
I saw exactly that: a lass, as in a girl. I think she was of Asian descent, but she was definitely sitting on the left-side bank of this final rock garden trench and looking into it. My curiosity was quickly satisfied, because when I finished rounding the curve I was greeted with this sight:
Her boyfriend was hopelessly, helplessly stuck. The noobie had broken Four Wheeling Rule #1 (Never 'wheel alone!) and, even worse, he did it in unfamiliar territory--he later told us he had never been up here before. Anyway, he had somehow slipped around the big rock and then slid backwards into it. Fortunately (not!), his rear diff cover absorbed the impact. He had then tried to move forward a few times, and he was indeed able to make some forward progress, but each time he would then slide back and crash his diff cover into that rock. I knelt down to look underneath, and I saw his stock stamped steel cover had a divot the side of a tennis ball in it... and the dent was right where his ring gear sits behind the cover.
His only tool of significance was a high lift jack, and he was trying to use it despite the soft soil. Not a good situation.There was juuuust enough room to squeeze past him on the right side, so I did so. I then hooked up my trusty 3"x30' strap and pulled him forward off the rock. Commenting on his damaged cover, I asked if he would be turning around now. Of course not. Instead, he wanted to keep going up the canyon until he could find a secluded spot by the water (off the trail) so he and his gal could spread out a blanket and have a picnic of sorts. He told Ryan he had a guitar he was going to play for her, but later (when he wasn't within earshot) I surmised he was more likely hoping his girlfriend would play his skin flute. Either way, he fell in line behind us for a little while:
Do any of you guys remember that off-camber obstacle from Steve's run last fall? I had to bail and exit it sideways, and Keller had to winch himself up it... remember? Anyway, now it looks like the hole in that obstacle is a bit bigger than before:
I had a score to settle, so I was hell bent on getting through here. I stuck to the left line since that was where I failed last time, and this time I managed to get through. (Full disclosure: I may have engaged my rear locker.) After that, Ryan gave it a go though he took a different path to miss the hole--his front bumper was just the right size to cause big interference with the rock on the left side.
Soon after this, Romeo in the YJ turned off and found his secluded spot by the stream. At last, we had nothing to slow us down. We were free to get to the top, and nothing would stop us now! We could continue on and enjoy the sights, such as a waterfall way up high with snow banks flanking it.
Going, going, going. We came upon the big ditch in the road (the one large enough to swallow a car) and things were still going great... but then we jumped a small snow bank, turned to the right, and saw that Mother Nature had the last laugh:
The snow was suddenly everywhere, and it was deep. There was no way we were going to make it through this, so we finally had to admit defeat and give up.
We each took a few photos, then headed back down the canyon.We'll have to try it again later in the season.
