 Several hundred vendors show up for the trade show on Thursday and Friday where you could buy everything from drivelines to fuel cells. 4 Wheel Parts brought their semi trailer stuffed with gear, and the crowd kept their sales guys busy for most of the day. |
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 We had an invitation to do a ride and drive in the new 4-door Ram. What a truck!! If you have ever run Wipeout Hill, one look at this picture says a thousand words. We took four full-sized, 4-door Rams down, and back up again, without spinning a tire. The front and rear electric locking differentials and the flick-of-a-switch swaybar disconnect were the trick. Needless to say, all heads turned as the big Rams nosed off the top ledge. |
 Cruising his ’76 Ford F-150, Red Rock 4Wheeler’s Tony Eyman was our guide for the 4 Wheel Parts Trail Ride. A long list of upgrades — starting with a big block 390, ARB locked Dynatrac axles, Tom Woods drivelines and 37-inch Pro Comp Xterrains — has transformed this old farm truck into a formidable wheeler. |
 We caught up with the guys from Jeep and their new batch of Underground Engineering rigs. The ImMortal, as they call it, is Hemi powered and sports portal axles. |
Eight of the eight mountain passes on my trek across Nevada and Utah were snowed in (yes, you probably had the same thing coming from your neck of the woods). But when the trip meter clicked the 829-mile mark, the distance from my door to the Moab, I edged my tires onto the bridge over the Colorado River, the skies were clearing. Peeking out the window of my cabin at the Slickrock Campground before I hit the sack, all signs of the storm were gone, the stars were brilliant, and things were looking up.
0800 Monday morning: Our contingent gathered at the arena for 4WP’s annual trail ride. Crystal clear skies stretched to all points of the compass and a light breeze drifted in from the west, it was a gift from the deities of wheeling. At the arena, the 4WP crew rounded up the guys who supply us with all the cool gadgets and gizmos that we ogle and awe over throughout the year, and took them wheeling. Trail leader for the day was Tony Eyman of the Red Rock 4Wheelers, and he would lead us up one of the iconic routes of the region, the Moab Rim.
Back in 1967, this trail was used for the first event. The idea for a safari was actually conceived by members of the Moab Chamber of Commerce as a one-day trail ride and fund raiser for the local community. It was a small gathering of friends, two or three guides, and lunch near the rim overlook with panoramic views of the La Sal Mountains and surrounding area.
The Rim Trail, which receives a 4+ on the scale of difficulty and is just a few miles from town, is a must do for Moab first timers (if you are in the right rig). Difficult, yes! But the view from the top of the rim is spectacular. If it is your first time, we suggest hiking the first half-mile of the trail to check it out. If you’re down with what you find, lock in the hubs. Tony and his crew were our spotters, but since most of the rigs were donning logos from Skyjacker, Trail Master, Pro Comp, Smittybilt and Rancho, we figured they probably know how to drive as well. Our lunch didn’t include an air-drop of ice cream as did the first event, but the homemade sack lunches brought an air of simpler times.
Four-Plus Perfect Days
From a wheeling standpoint, the Easter Jeep Safari has something happening every day. The Red Rock 4 Wheelers hosts trail rides each day on almost three dozen different trails. Monday through Friday, Jeep, Mopar and Dodge have a massive display of their newest Underground Engineering concept rigs, the latest in Mopar accessories, along with some downright classic rigs.On Thursday and Friday, the arena south of town becomes a carnival of off-road parts and accessories. Everyone from huge tire companies like Goodyear, BFGoodrich and Pro Comp Tire, to suspension gurus such as Rancho, Trail Master and Superlift. Then there are the guys from Warn, G2, ARB, Smittybilt, Tuffy Security, Hi-Lift and Mile Marker... and the list goes on. Even the crew from Jeepers Jamboree came out to the party to pitch their events.
We’re guessing that the average Friday night in Moab is probably quite subdued... but not during the EJS. Getting into a restaurant without a wait... good luck! Bellying up to the bar at the Moab Brewery... wait your turn buddy. Or landing a parking spot at City Market... try around back. Why the hoopla? Everyone is getting ready for Big Saturday!!
On big Saturday, the two- to- three hundred cops who are bought in to keep the peace (for all those criminals with fender and windshield infractions), shut down Main Street for a parade of epic Jeeportions. Yep, at least a thousand Jeeps, Toyotas (like me), Broncos, Chevys, Isuzus and Land Rovers breeze through blinking traffic lights on our way out to the trail. Wrapping up the week is the Boy Scout’s traditional Saturday night BBQ and fundraiser. Did I forget the raffle? Everyone who registers for the Safari gets one raffle ticket. With hundreds of prizes, worth well over $100,000, the chances of winning are pretty good.
If you want to take a break from the trail, the canyon lands of southeast Utah provide some of the most spectacular and awe-inspiring scenery in the country. Precipitous sand stone cliffs rise thousands of feet from pastoral valleys and arches and natural bridges span the skies above, standing testament to the handiwork of a hundred millennia of water and wind erosion. Canyonlands and Arches National Parks are just minutes from town and are worth taking a day to check out.
There was a lot of scuttlebutt about the numbers... were they up or down? Is the economy ebbing or flowing? We’re not sure. But what we do know is that we love the Easter Jeep Safari. The Red Rock crew said they had over 1,800 registrations, the hotels and restaurants were full and our personal take was that it was as big as ever. We had four days of great weather, a bit of snow, wind and rain one day, then sun again. Overall... Awesome!! Hope to see you there next year.
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