The views on the way to Colorado were nice. We did have to beat into the wind the entire way though
I keep making the mistake of coming to Colorado in the winter. I need to smarten up some
ॐ
Mistakes were Made
Reply
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Moab is Open!
Kane Creek 4×4 trail Part I
It was super-quiet at 9am Friday morning. This must be what it was like back in the day before it was discovered (not 1985 quiet, more like 1997 quiet)
I saw Hurrah Pass in a video and thought it would be a kewl trip. It was way too easy to get to the top. A dualie truck with 12 foot camper made it over to the other side. On the way back I decided to take a little 12-mile road to highway 191. Kane Creek looked like a nice way to spend the day
I planned to ride the Kane Creek Trail out to 191 then head back to town. It’s only 12 miles, how hard could that be? The ride up-creek was a delight!
I feel like I crossed or rode up the creek about 100 times. There were more than a few challenge areas with big rock obstacles (I folded the mirrors and tucked the GPS so I wouldn’t hit my chest on them) Notice the lack of a paddle in my kit
Since I started before the maddening crowds the creek was clear and I could see the bottom (sand and rocks. lots of rocks)
Rocks, then water, then sand. Repeat. I stopped here for lunch and had 1-bar of cell service. Enough for a call but not to send a pic
After this point it started to get sporting. Steeper, rockier, repeat
This was the end of the trail for me. Ten miles in, only two from the end, and I had to turn around and ride it back. So sad for me
I did watch about 8 UTV’s, 2 big-tire jeeps, and a couple of 300cc 2-strokes bash their way up this. Not for my old bones. Average speed on this trip was 8 mph. It took me over 7 hours to ride out and back to/from Moab. There are a lot of kewl trails in this area. If you are in Moab, ride ’em!
Repairs & Mods: Propane Edition
The last time I changed a gas bottle, which happens about every 5-days now, I noticed the hose was leaking gas at one of the crimps. I checked the other hose and it was leaking too.
The way the pig-tail hoses are arranged between the tank and the regulator seems a bit chintzy. There is a 45-degree turn in the hose right at the regulator followed by a tight 140-degree turn to get lined up with the valve on the tank. This puts a lot of strain on the hose-crimps. The hoses started leaking at the hose-crimp on the tank end of the set-up and it was made worse if the hose was side-loaded.
I emailed my contact at Outdoors RV and explained the situation. Within a few hours arrangements had been made for me to get new hoses and they showed up on my doorstep a few days later (turns out it was still covered by warranty). Outdoors RV has been great to work with when things come up with my travel trailer. I gotta say they are about 10,000 times more responsive than the dealer (a division of camping whirled).
The first thing I did with my new parts was to run to Home Depot and get more parts. I bought a couple of elbows and some nipples to make a hard-pipe connection that turns the first 90-degree bend. Then the hose only needs to make a sweeping 180 to reach the tank. All of the hose in the pig-tail is available to make the 180-turn so the radius is bigger and kinking is reduced. Even though the loops are bigger they still fit under the tank cover just fine.
I leak-checked the hoses and fittings a couple times and they hold gas pressure. I’ll check them again on a warmer day because the pressure will be higher than on the cold, gray, windy day I did the repair.
.
RV-ing means getting to work on your coach in exciting new locals!
Ask Mike Moore 