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2008 Land Rover National Rally Trip
Day 9: Monument Valley to Hovenweep
We woke up to some lovely sunrise scenes.
The break of dawn taken from my back door as I sipped a cuppa tea
I ran out in my night gown to snap our camp site just after sunrise. Then back in for a second cuppa tea before breaking camp
My rear battery had gone down again. I figure it was time to replace it. We went over to where the guides were to try and engage a step on guide so we could drive the both the front and back sections. People were offering to do it for $60 PER HOUR (about a 4 hour tour). We said thanks but no thanks and set out for the much smaller self guided tour.
I figure that this has got to be the most photographed tree in Monument Valley
The three sisters are always worth a shot
Linus's Land Rover Dormobile in National Monument Photo by Linus Tremaine
My Land Rover Dormobile in Monument Valley Photo by Linus Tremaine
As we started on from a picture stop my starter motor turned slowly. I checked my voltmeter and it was reading about 10 Volts. My alternator is over 10 years old so I thought it had headed to the last hunting ground. We aborted the tour and headed back to the last town (Kayenta) where I pulled the alternator and had it tested at the local NAPA auto parts store. The alternator tested good so I reinstalled it and cleaned the terminals and a couple connections. Still no help. Linus bypassed the alternator sense lines & I fired it up. Still no charge. I checked battery fluid - full. Next I pulled & cleaned the clean appearing battery terminals and guess what? the system started charging and the alternator came up to the correct voltage. I didn't expect dirty battery terminals to result in the alternator only putting out 10V. I'll have to look to see where I connected the alternator sense line.
I buttoned things up and we were off again. We visited the Gooseneck and drove through Valley of the Gods and ended up in Hovenweep where we toured the ruins until sun down and spent the night at the campground. Building of the Hovenweep Anasazi ruins started around 1230 and the pueblos were abandoned by the end of the 1200's.
Two Land Rover Dormobiles snuggled in for the night at the Hovenweep camp ground
Day 10: Hovenweep to Mesa Verde
I took the morning to check fluids and do a little maintenance then we decamped and drove to Mesa Verde. We arrived in the afternoon and toured 2 of the Anasazi ruins before heading down to the Mesa Verde camp ground where we spent the night. The ruins along Wetherill Mesa were closed because it was the tram driver's day off. We toured the Cliff Palace and the Spruce Tree House ruins. Mesa Verde cliff houses started construction in the late 1100's and became a major cultural centre rivaling Chaco and perhaps eclipsing it by the time the cliff dwellings were abandoned at the end of the 1200's. The average life span of these indians was somewhere between 25 and 35 years depending upon crop yields during their lifetimes. These ruins were inhabited for about 4 long life spans or about 7 generations.
Cliff Palace ruins above & below
Spruce Tree House
Our Mesa Verde camp site
Day 11: Mesa Verde to Moab
Not a whole lot to say here. We got up, packed hit the camp ground showers and drove to Moab, getting there a day early.
We stopped at an arch a little South of Moab
Linus & Nikkie waving from the arch
We did some window shopping after hitting the park visitor centre in downtown Moab, chatted with a few people then went off to Kane Creek to spend the night. Things have changed here. Better road & fewer expensive primitive camp sites. Used to be you camped free wherever there was a wide spot. Not anymore. We camped next to an interesting Toyota from Switzerland that had been on tour for 2 years so far.
Our camp site at Kane Creek canyon
Photo by Linus Tremaine
Photo by Linus Tremaine
Moon set in early dawn
As soon was the sun got near the horizon we had a lot of bats overhead feeding on flying insects. YEAH bats!!!. It is hot in Moab & I vapor locked in Kane Creek coming in. I'm worried that this will be a big problem if I try to run the trails. I need at least a 15 minute cool off, 20 or 30 minutes better. Engine is running normal to cool but the exhaust headers sitting near the fuel lines is just too much for the fuel. I'll use my infra red thermometer tomorrow and record temps for the entire system.
As it turns out a professional guitar player, Leon Joseph Littlebird was in a nearby camp site. He & Linus(banjo) jammed well into the night producing some really great music. Leon has come to this site in kane Creek Canyon previously for inspiration and has written a couple songs at this spot. It was a fine way to cap the day.
Day 12: Moab: visit to Arches
The day I lost Linus & Nikkie and discovered the Green Rover is not trail ready. We broke camp, drove out of Kane Creek Canyon and into Arches. We spent time in line behind a tour vehicle loaded with people while my fuel lines got hotter and hotter. Just past the entrance there is a longish steepish climb that is lacking in wide spots to wait out vapor lock. I radioed Linus to go ahead and start touring and I will cool the fuel lines down at the park visitor centre. Alas, that was the last I saw of Linus & Nikkie In the parking lot I met the group from Rovers North and chatted a bit before checking out the centre. I took my time in the centre to give the fuel lines plenty of time to cool down. I made it up to the top OK and bypassed the branch road to the first group of arches because I thought Linus & Nikkie were already past those and I would catch up sooner. In retrospect I suspect that they were actually still on that branch road and I got in front of them. I visited the other arches and bypassed the Devil"s playground area because there was no parking and the place looked really crowded.
Sand arch
I can never pass up twisty bare branches against an interesting background
Broken arch, the park people must have glued it back together again for the tourists
On the way back there is this trail that goes from near the Devil's Playground (Who thinks up these names??) past an arch and out to balancing rock. The trail is about 11 miles long and is nominally a twoish hour drive. I decided to take it to see how badly I vapor locked at trail speeds in Moab temperatures. The first part was well maintained and a fast drive with no problems. Then things started getting interesting I had to slow down and vapor lock became my constant companion. As it turned out I was able to drive about 10-14 minutes before vapor lock stopped the engine. Then I got to spray water on the fuel lines, read for 15 minutes and try again.
I had ample opportunity to take temperature measurements during my enforced stops.
Header closest to fuel line |
535 degrees F. |
fuel line wrap closest to the header |
220 |
Top of the frame adjacent to the fuel line |
267 |
Stainless steel fuel intake line |
157 |
Stainless steel return line |
141 |
fuel pressure regulator |
131 |
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I got a lot of reading done this day, and it took me about 8 hours to do the trail. I decided that I had absolutely no business being out on the trail rides tomorrow. I got back into Moab around 9:30ish in the evening after being on that trail for about 8 hours, grabbed a quick burger and went on to The Canyon Rim campground there I collapsed for the night.
When your rig is not up to the trails
You have no business on a group trail run
After the long trip out to the rally I had to admit that The Green Rover was in no condition to take to the trails in any of the group runs. One of those unforeseen gotchas that would not occur around home.
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