AS THE WINTER MONTHS SEEM TO STRETCH ETERNALLY WITH GRAY SKIES AND RAIN, we automotive writers find ourselves spending too much time in front of our computer, and not enough time out on the trail. We call it editorialitis, and we usually don't realize we are afflicted until we notice a tire long-flat and thick layer of dust on the steering wheel of our favorite wheeling rig (which was put away clean). That's when we know we need to get out of town. But covering an event, especially one like the Easter Jeep Safari (EJS), is that it's not all fun and games. Our week is filled with rubbing elbows with aftermarket manufacturers, (schmoozing), attending hoity-toity dinners with Jeep, Dodge or Toyota (free food and drinks), and making sure we can get up and back on the trail at o'dark-thirty without an aching head (too many free drinks). First and foremost, we have to capture the four-wheeling action so we can share it with you on the pages of Off-Road Adventures. Ok, ok, we lied about the work thing; it is all fun and games. That said, a day of true editorial bliss is derived from the simple pleasure of just hanging out on a hard rock'n trail with other wheelers. After all, we are just a bunch of wheelers ourselves.
Back in the day, Easter weekend of 1967 to be exact, the Moab Chamber of Commerce created a small family get-together - a Jeep ride and picnic to take place the day before Easter. A few things have changed since the early days, and today's Safari has become the annual spring gathering for four wheelers from across the fruited plain - a literal who's-who in four wheeling. The one-day event has now grown to a full week with 30 separate trail rides, a trade show with 120 vendors, and about 1,900 registered vehicles.
This April, as editorialitis is again causing severe hallucinations, we're heading back to check out the latest gizmos, new suspension technology, and some of the country's best 4WD trails. But while there are tons of Jeeps at the Safari (makes sense, ay?), there are thousands of non- Jeep drivers pouring over Moab's slick rock. If you're not going to make it to the Safari this year, start making plans for next year's event. In the meantime, check out these pages for some great wheeling from one of off-roading's premier events. For more information about EJS, surf the web to: www.rr4w.com
CAPTIONS
The city of Moab pulls out all the stops for the Jeep Safari. The 2006 event drew almost 1900 registered vehicles, 4,000 registered participants, and approximately 8,000 non-registered visitors.
If you think you've got the intestinal fortitude for big rocks and body carnage, Upper Heldorado may be the challenge you're looking for. We offer up this advice: Leave the whiners at home and enjoy.
Mickey's Hot Tub draws a crowd most any day. Several guys in our group played their hand on the slippery slick rock, turned black from previous challengers.
We dug this guy's vintage Ford Ranger. Sporting a custom long arm suspension, Bilstein shocks, and super flexi rear springs, he didn't have an issue keeping the beadlocked 37- inch Goodyear MTR's on the ground. We also liked the tube doors and bobbed bed.
Showing off the newest off-road gadgets and gizmos, there are over 100 manufacturers. Established companies like ProComp Tire, Advance Adaptors, and Bestop took the opportunity to show their wares to an estimated 5,000 attendees.
We figure Hells Revenge it got its name from a Wild West shootout over a slighted poker hand, or an early-day mule train that plummeted off a slick rock ledge in a panicked stampede. Today, a procession of red devils, stenciled on the slick rock, identify the route as twists through sandstone folds in the shadow of the La Sal Mountains.
On an early trek up the Moab Rim Trail, the sun crept over the eastern rim of the valley, lighting the swirling chocolate brown waters of the Colorado and provide an incredibly picturesque backdrop.
