Every time I consider a trip up the Sheep trail I go into the, “this trail is nice, but really easy” mode. Then we run the trail and it all comes back to me. What an amazing area, views off ledges and mountaintops that make you say “Really?” Overlooks that cover hundreds of miles, rocky meadows covered with flowers, the scent of Christmas whisking through the air from the majestic pines; I’m not helping my case am I. Did I mention that the trail had been washed out, and that the ruts were deep enough to swallow 38’s?  That the trail leader became wedged in a rut and rock stacking was required? Ya, that was a little embarrassing, not really the best line on that section, but it made for a good adventure. Sometimes taking the “Hard” line will bite you in the ____ (fill in your body part choice)

The trailhead is a few hundred yards outside of Manti, to the south. The climb from the highway is steep and long. It winds through trees and eventually pops out to some open areas with staggering views. The high altitude point of the trail was on Skyline drive where we reached 10950 feet. With that kind of altitude comes the accompanying bizarre weather. We took a hard hit for about 30 min. Hail, rain, and some very nice wind and then it was gone. Hellooo mud! Really it wasn’t too bad mud wise; it was only a $6 car wash.

The route we used this year was from Manti to skyline drive then to Ferrin reservoir, down 12mile/ Mayfield canyon on what the GPS calls E Canyon Rd., and finished up down town Mayfield. We had a small but varied group of Jeeps this year. Link Hebrew brought his scrambler and a box of maps. (Thank goodness) There were 3 JK’s and one TJ. We made good time and were back in the SL valley by about 5pm.

You know how I always say how great the trip was, don’t miss it next time blah blah blah?  Well it was, and you shouldn’t we all had a great time and escaped any and all damage, be it mechanical, sheet metal or mental.

Stay tune for our next adventure:

What about a nice night run out to the snakes, Rattlesnake then on to Black rock Canyon to Little Moab then home on Redwood Road. We can see what the time looks like after Rattlesnake and go from there. How about Sept 10^th Sat night? I’m thinking we leave around 6pm and go till we drop.

Next up will be our annual Moab trip Oct 14^th and 15^th. It looks like there is a 5k run or something in Moab that weekend so get a room ASAP. We will use the Portal RV Resort as our headquarters again. Give Doug or his highly qualified staff a call if you would like to stay at the park. Tell him you are with Teraflex and he will take care of you.

435-259-6108. “take care of you?” hummm!

Wood Out

But wait, all is not lost, lets hit Manti instead. Same bat time same bat station, only we will head the other way. The trail is very similar to Providence, not that hard at all, but very scenic. The area is one to behold, if you haven’t been there you owe it to yourself. We will wind up on Skyline Drive, then drop down another canyon to come out. (yes it has a name, I just can’t remember it right now, give me a break).

So lets review, August 27th, we leave Teraflex at, 6:30 AM. We then head for Manti the trail starts just outside of town. If you are meeting us in Manti, meet at the Top Stop at 8:30 AM. Bring your own food/lunches whatever you’ll need that day. We will be back in town, SLC, by 7 or 8pm.
Lets do this

Wood out

I am so looking forward to this, hope to see you there !

Dennis

We headed west out of town for about 45 minutes. We traveled some highway, and a very ample quantity of dust road. I’m sure there was dirt involved with the road but I never saw it. The road ends at a parking area in the foot hills, that boarder a mountain range full of mines as well as 4wheeler and Jeep trails. The lower section was completely doable by JK’s or a locked up TJ. We didn’t however have any JK’s with us… what’s up with that? You guys would have had a ball on it. There is always next year.

The upper section is pretty much, no it is, buggy or really built jeep country. It consisted of ledge after waterfall after rock field and log jam. It was so much fun. In an effort to preserve their rigs, Scott and Joe walked the upper section,( as in did not drive) and helped spot and throw the occasional  rock. It took us another 3-4 hours, after completing the lower section, to claw our way up to the top of the trail. There was one waterfall that we were unable to dominate. Yes, we were forced to break out the winch and drag everyone up it. The trail continues up and out the top, where the view is amazing.

We drove back around to the trucks loaded up and hit the dust. We were all dirt balls, (not bags) by the time we got back into town, but happy dirt balls. Many thanks to Craig and Mike Stump for taking time to show us what Delta has to offer, truly the undiscovered country. (That would make a great movie title).

Next up is Moab. Get a room now it’s getting full down there. If it’s full now, some will free up as the time gets closer. I posted up most of the details for the trip, and will let you know of any other details.
Oct 15-16, start getting excited, its MOAB!!

Wood out

Where:   Delta, Utah.  Meet in the fairgrounds parking lot.  Those spending the night will have access to the rock crawl course that night.  We can camp in the Fair Grounds parking lot, get a room, or just come in the morning.

Trail:      We will be heading 45 miles out of town to a trail called Chainsaw. The lower section is rated a 4-4.5 on the 1 to 5 scale. Lockers are almost required (unless you want to do some serious rallying and get pulled over a few spots) 33 inch tires are the very minimum. The trail is wide so there should be very little chance for body damage on the lower section. JK’s do very well on the lower section and part of the upper. The upper part is much more difficult, some will run all or part of the upper trail. The rest can watch the carnage, or head back down. Craig Stump ( old school Rock Crawl director) will be guiding us. He knows the area like no other, his trips are always one of the best we do all year.  Don’t be scared, you can do it !!!
Hope to see you there!!

Event Date: Saturday August 28, 2010
Parade line-up (no registration required): 5:00 AM – 9:30 AM (1st come, 1st in line)
Location: Liberty Park (Around 900 S 700 E) and surrounding streets
Parade Start: 10:00 AM
Rally Start: Around 11:30 AM (or when parade is over)

Take Back Utah protects access to our public lands and defends the freedom of all American’s to explore and experience America’s Wild Places, while preserving America’s small town economies and rural lifestyles through responsible land use.

Last year, 4000 outdoor enthusiasts and multiple users of public land from around the country gathered in Salt Lake to march on the capitol in protest of land restrictions placed on Utah’s public lands by the federal government. The protest ignited a string of events that has changed the course and direction of local and state leaders regarding the importance of public land access in the state.

If you have always wanted to be a part of something or make a difference in your quality of life, then you need to be sure to attend this FREE event.

The time has past when it was sufficient for you to simply work your job, attend to your family, and participate in church and local civic functions. If those of you who care about public land and its management want to see positive change then you MUST become involved now. If you care about the direction of this country you cannot ignore the need for you to do more. We all MUST be active citizens. We need you to step up and come to this event. Your attendance WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE. Commit to attending and then spread the word and get ALL YOU CAN to do the same. PLEASE take this appeal for your attendance seriously. Please come and unite your voice with all of ours.

All of the available TeraFlex Staff will be at this critical event. Please make sure that you are there too!

For more information check out www.takebackutah.org

Where: San Rafael Swell, Utah

This is going to be an overnight trip for those who want to tag along!  We’ll be leaving the TeraFlex PLUS Showroom at noon on Friday the 11th and heading down.

Directions:

Head to Price, once there take Highway 10 to Huntington, take the exit to Castle Dale.  Head East on EM401 towards the “Wedge Overlook”, we’ll be staying at the Wedge Overlook Campground.  I’ll get the GPS coordinates posted as soon as I get them.

We have maps of the swell in the showroom for those of you that would like to pick one up.  Stop by and ask the guys at the desk.

For those of you not wanting to stay overnight we’ll be leaving camp at 9:00am.  It’s only ~2 hour drive down there so if you’d like to meet up with us Saturday morning let one of our guys in the showroom know and we’ll get you in contact with Dennis.  There was cell service at the campground last year so we’ll have no problem meeting up.

Hit us up with any questions!  We hope to see you all down there!

Due to a lack of snow on the Blackrock Trail, we decided to make a slight change in plans and head over to the Rattlesnake and Constrictor trailheads. The decision paid off! We found plenty of mud and snow, enough to break everyone’s rigs in for the season! We had a great turn out and got some great pictures of the run, hit the link to see them!

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