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2008 Land Rover National Rally Trip
Day13: Moab where I ended up playing hooky
I got to the staging area just as the last of the groups were heading out and got registered just before registration closed down. My plan was to hit the auto parts stores and look for ideas to keep the heat off the fuel lines so I could hit the trails with one of the groups on the following day. Well distractions happen, and as I headed back to my Rover I met up with Paul Donahue and we chatted, then Scott Brady came over to say hi and gave Paul & I a tour of his Jeep Earth roamer. Then Jerry Mugele showed up whom I had not seen in a few years so we chatted some more. Suddenly it was close to noon and Paul and I took the raffle discovery into town for Lunch at an Italian restaurant Afterwards I gave Paul a tour of Kane Creek Canyon so we could put a little dust on the raffle Disco. We got back just in time for me to head out to a BBQ party Bill Burke was throwing for for the event sponsors. After that it was to the grocery store to pick up some milk and back to the Canyon Rim camp ground to do a little cleaning up and writing. Hopefully tomorrow I'll get a fix for the vapor lock. I've been getting a lot of good ideas including a web site for heat protection products. I'm not too concerned though as I've been off road in Moab several times now and what is most important to me is renewing friendships and making new friends. For me it is the people who are important. I wonder how Linus & Nikkie are doing?
Day 14: Moab, where I tried to cool things down
Today I got serious about trying to make a temporary field repair to my vapor lock problem. The first thing I discovered was that no one parts store has everything. One had header wrap but no header wrap clamps, another had the header wrap clamps, insulating tape but no header wrap, and a third as long black tie wraps and large loop clamps. I wrapped the section of the closest to the fuel line header tube. Since I lost my last headers to rust from water trapped by the header wrap in under 2 years from new I'm real reluctant to wrap the new headers. So I just warped the one tube and only where it was near the fuel lines. I wanted to get the fuel line off the hot frame rail and as far away as possible. There are two steel uprights at the back of the engine bay which mount the steering boxes (RHD or LHD). I decided to clamp the fuel hoses (intake & return) to the right side upright using a hole I already had. I tie wrapped them together then clamped them to the upright. I used the insulating tape to wrap the stainless steel fuel lines where they went up alongside the engine in front of the headers to the fuel rail. I figure that is about the best I can do without a drill, saw and additional research.
While I was working on my problem in front of the NAPA store (They had the long tie wraps & clamps) Simon and his Dad were there working on their Ford 5.0 powered 101. Their friend John Tailor had his 88 parked on the other side of me and was providing everyone with encouragement. Simon's fuel delivery problem ended up being a bad fuel pressure regulator that was producing about 10 pounds too low fuel pressure. They decided to reroute their fuel delivery hose farther away from the exhaust pipe while they were at it. Meanwhile a Disco II dropped by looking for two engine mounts to replace they two that had recently broken. I bet they will carry spare engine mounts in the future.
I got finished with the alterations, drove around a little (no problems noted) and to clean up for the cocktail party. The cocktail party was a huge success. I saw a lot of people I hadn't seen in years and meant many more I've only known over the net.
Day 15: Moab, Where I discovered fixed is a relative term.
I almost went out and joined a trail run that didn't spend time next to the edge of cliffs (did I mention I am VERY phobic about drop offs and don't see the need to travel trails that cause my tummy to knot up). But I didn't want to hold a large group up if the problem were not cured. So I decided to go out and do some shorter trails I knew from previous visits. That way if I had fuel vapor lock problems I could just sit and read a while without causing problems to a group. What I discovered is that the problem had not gone away but it was considerably alleviated. I could go slower without vapor lock for much longer periods but if there is not enough air flow over the lines they will eventually get hot enough to vapor lock. But I did get some more trail sight seeing in during the day.
I got back in time to clean up then go over to the arena to set up for vendor night. The display was simple, Just my truck with the British Pacific sign on the side and Keith's truck which had run the Great Race and set a new rally record for Land Rover. Since British Pacific didn't sell Ford 302 parts, I put the bonnet and spare tyre back on my Land Rover. Very low key.
My Land Rover Dormobile set up on display during vendor night
I met up with Linus at the vendor party and we caught up on what each of us were doing. He took his Dormobile out on the fins & things trail ride first day and did quite well from what I heard from others. He discovered the woes of hangy down parts and did minor damage to a side step and tried to plow with the swing away spare tyre mount but otherwise took no damage. I've never understood why most Land Rover Dormobile owners don't think their Dormobiles are not as off road capable as any other 109.
Day 16: Moab where I discovered that I still vapor locked quickly in this heat with the bonnet on.
I started the day noting that I had just put on my last pair of clean underwear, so made a morning laundromat trip high priority. My plan was to follow that up with a run up to Potash to see if that link to the White Rim trail was still open. The thought was to drive part of it, vapor locking & reading as needed without causing anyone any problems. It was a hot day and I vapor locked just North of town. So after a little reading with the bonnet up I decided to go back into town and window shop some more. I browsed more stores and chatted with other Land Rover people who decided to spend the day playing hooky. For me this trip wasn't really about the trails so much as the people. Visiting with old friends and meeting new ones. I've been to Moab 6 or 7 times previously so hitting a couple more trails weren't what was important to me. Besides many of the trails chosen for the rally had sections that had serious (to me) drop offs that you drove alongside. I don't know about anyone else but I drive trails for fun or to get someplace. I don't drive trails just to be scared silly alongside drop offs and to feel my belly in a hard knot. I got back in camp soon before the banquet and Linus helped me return the bonnet back to the roof rack (drat!).
I'm really beginning to fondly remember having my old cast iron exhaust manifolds on the truck. I'm thinking seriously of having the right frame engine mount moved rearwards a tad so I can put them back on. I never really noticed the "free power and fuel economy gain" from headers. I've only noticed increased engine bay heat, melted rubber hoses, vapor lock and early header replacement. Sometimes better is not always better.
If you've noticed a decided lack of Moab trail pictures it is because I just can't get excited about taking pictures of my truck vapor locked in the middle of a trail and when the engine was running I just wanted to get as far along as possible. One thing I did notice is there were a lot of Land Rovers who were not on the official trail runs but doing their own thing on trails that did not have drop offs.
The banquet was good with good food (very unusual for a banquet) and very good company. The raffle was super with lots of good items. Unfortunately I ended up buying defective raffle tickets and merely watched people win. The raffle made over $13,000, the proceeds of which was donated to charity.
After the banquet I went back to the camp grounds I was sharing and sat up for the night. I noticed that the rear battery was very low from not driving much during the day and the refrigerator pulling power throughout the day. I decided to start the engine and let it run awhile to recharge the rear battery. The engine barely turned over and started. The volt meter was reading about 10.5V. Bummer. I wonder if my 8 year old battery is near end of life and relying upon the charge in my rear battery to turn the starter motor? Shortly after I started revving the engine and hammering on the front battery I was reminded that it was camp quiet hours. So much for trying to fix it with revs and a hammer while I'm half asleep. Time to turn in.
Day 17: Moab to Grand Junction
Linus & Nikkie left for home around six this morning. We said quick goodbyes in the predawn light then they are off for a quick run straight home and back to work. My plans are to drive East to Grand Junction then South to interstate 40 then home. I want to check out a few towns as possible future places to live. I will miss their company for the rest of my trip but I feel like they are still along in spirit.
Photo by Nikkie
The engine barely started this morning. I decided that maybe 8 years is a long life in battery years and to go ahead and replace the battery. My battery is an odd size but luckily the Moab auto parts store had it in stock. I needed to trim the protrusions off the battery to get it to fit in the box which took a bit of time with a pair of diagonal and long nose pliers. The voltage was up and it appeared that everything was working fine. The day was hot so I decided to make a run up to interstate 70 and then to Grand Junction. Coming into Grand Junction I noticed that the volt meter was again reading low. Has to be the alternator that was tested as good a couple days ago. I saw a Sears as I was coming into town and stopped for a free alternator check. The mechanic didn't inspire a lot of confidence but as best as he could tell the alternator was doing nothing. Today is Sunday so the automotive electrical places are all closed. I got directions for a camp ground and settled in early with thoughts of having a real automotive electrical person look at the alternator. As I write this it has occurred to me that it wouldn't hurt to check to see if the circuit the alternator sense line is tied to is working OK. I'll check it in the morning. Meanwhile I'm at a campground with 120V access and have plugged my Land Rover in.
The Green Rover's power inlet. There's a built in 3 stage permanently mounted charger on the other side along with a 12V connector for my dual voltage refrigerator and a duplex power outlet.
I'm running the refrigerator off the 120V connection. I have permanently mounted 3 stage battery charger that is currently charging both batteries in parallel. I have the key on so the circuit is made between the two. The hope is to charge both batteries so I can replace the alternator tomorrow. I've always thought having a permanently mounted 3 stage battery charger was a good idea for toping off the secondary battery when stopped for longer than a day but I had never considered it for charging both batteries before this trip. So far it is an unanticipated trip saver.
Day 18: Grand Junction to Durango
This morning I turned the key on and checked the sense line going to the alternator. It is reading battery voltage so a bad sense line is not the problem. The automotive electrical shop I went to has gone out of business and there is only one other shop in town that will turn the rear of an alternator so the plug will be facing the correct way for my application. The bad news is the only person in the shop who does that kind of stuff is off for the week. No one else in town will touch the job ... bummer. Oh well the battery got charged so I'll just head off to Durango, the next town I wanted to check out.
Grand Junction reminded my of Fresno, CA. It is not a destination so much as central to a lot of destinations 2 to 3 hours away. I ran across someone who moved there last year from Boulder Creek CA, a town I used to live in. I queried him for information about the town. The have a number of events but I wonder if it is enough to counter my general impression of the drabness of the place (Sorry, Bill & Racial no negatives beyond my personal perception intended).
Driving to Durango was an interesting experience with a scenic climb to nearly eleven thousand feet. Lovely scenery. Ouray is a lovely alpine town that just invites exploration and window shopping. Though I wondered about its location in a 'V' canyon with steep slopes on each side. It sure looks like the kind of place that someone would want to film an avalanche eats town type disaster movie in. I pressed on out of town and started up the steep climb to the near eleven thousand foot pass. The sky got progressively cloudier as I climbed the pass but quickly cleared up on the other side. And of course since I didn't pack my swim suit, I passed at least 3 hot springs on today's drive. I like Linus's idea of a hot spring to hot spring trip, soaking up the warm mineral waters at each spring. Maybe hit as far North as the hot springs in Radium, British Columbia.
I got into Durango and ordered an alternator for morning delivery. I made camp in a campground a bit South of Durango and will go back in the morning to get the alternator, I probably won't install it right away. I'd like to get to Aztec to look at Indian ruins. Durango appears to be a pleasant little town. Its in a wide canyon (narrow valley?) and has the basics. Its cooler than Grand Junction and is a lot more scenic. The river going through town looks like a great place for fly fishing. I haven't gone fishing since I was a teenager and went with my dad. Neither my mom nor my sister liked to go camping or fishing so I took both up as a way to get quality one on one daughter & dad time.
Day 19: Durango to Chaco national park
I drove back into Durango and picked up the alternator I had ordered yesterday. I detoured through the centre of town to see what it looked like. Zowie! 4 story tall BRICK buildings! Nothing like brick buildings to scare a Californian. They crumble in earthquakes and you almost don't bother to look for survivors. Other than that it is a charming looking down town. The Place is much nicer looking than Grand Junction. A river runs through it, a college is here and there are trees. I particularly like the area North of the river.
I picked up the alternator, took it out of the box and ... Hot digity dog! the plug is facing the right direction and I do not need to re key the back. I was dreading having to do that and risk the brushes coming off while turning the back. The old one was too hot to install right away and there are places I want to be so I decided to install it this evening or the morning after when the engine was cooler. So off I went with my first stop being the ruins at Aztec.
The ruins are in quite good shape and the self guide tour book is first rate, giving you an idea of how the Indians lived as you walked though the ruins. The reconstructed great kiva was very impressive. This one wasn't on my places to see list. It is just one of those serendipitous stops that helps make the trip exciting in a positive way. The ruins at Aztec consists of 13 distinct pueblo constructions, one of which is excavated and open for visitors. They are located between Chaco and Mesa Verde and shows influences from both centres. These Pueblos themselves likely served as administrative, trade & religious ceremonial centre for a large number of nearby smaller communities. One of the interesting things is that the great Kiva was rebuilt to allow visitors to see what a great kiva looked like in they days they were in use.
The Anasazi ruins at Aztec shows a relationship to the Chaco culture in construction methods and likely rituals.
These ruins have some corner windows which is a Chaco construction feature, likely placed for ritual purposes as it weakens the room's structural integrity.
Here is an original intact ceiling showing the Anasazi construction techniques.
Yes this ruin as several intact rooms with ceilings and yes the self guided tour goes through them
Doorways between rooms often lined up so light could reach farther inside. Most all the doorways were five feet tall or shorter
Next was a tour through Farmington, another town I was thinking of moving to. The town a large enough to have all the amities I am looking for but I am not wild about the scenery. So far Durango is the only town on my list that looks like it might work with my sense of what feels right. Coming out if Farmington I stopped at the Salmon ruins for a tour. Most of the rooms were filled in with dirt to stabilize the walls for future researches so there wasn't much to see. But there was an un restored great Kiva and the ruins was another piece of the historical puzzle that is the early pueblo people in this region. The Salmon ruins are named after George Salmon who owned the land the late 1800's and protected the ruins. These ruins are believed to be an early satellite hub of the Chaco Anasazi and like Chaco was abandoned near the end of the 1200's. The Salmon ruins are located South of the ruins near Aztec and North of Chaco.
Here you can see the wall construction is basically the same method used at Chaco
Religion and ritual played key parts in Anasazi daily life. Kivas were a key meeting place for the rituals that guide people in their daily lives. Most kivas are round pits in the ground line this one. That doorway on the left is the entrance from an air vent. The wall in front of it spread the incoming air and kept the breeze off the fire in the ring next to it. The Pueblo people believe that they entered this earth from an underworld and there is always a little hole or Sipapu in line with the barrier wall and fire pit that symbolizes the entrance from the underworld. The Kiva is roofed over and the only way in or out is through a ladder. Coming out of the kiva might have symbolized the coming into the over world.
Larger Anasazi towns were cultural centres and usually had one or more great kivas. A great Kiva is several times larger than the regular size kivas and seem to have a standardized layout. They are built into a large round hole, deeper than standard kivas, lined with dressed stone with a bench around the inside wall. Usually there is a rectangular antechamber, usually at the South end of the great Kiva that has steps leading down into the great kiva. Like the smaller kivas there is the air intake vent, barrier wall between the vent opening and the fire ring and the Sipapu hole representing the entrance way from the underworld. In addition great kivas have two rectangular rock lined vaults thought to be covered and used as foot drums during some rituals. The roof is held up by 4 upright timbers spaced rectangular in the kiva. These appear to be filled in in this kiva. Usually there is a small apron with a hole that holds the post (tree trunk) in place. Great kivas were the large meeting halls for rituals that involved a lot of people.
I decided to continue on to Chaco national park to spend the night without realizing the distance and that the last 20 or so miles required slower driving on a washboard road. About a mile from the campground I stopped to shut my rear door that had opened under harsh washboard shacking and the engine died. There was not enough battery power left to start the engine. I had gone a park too far. About a half hour later the engine cooled down enough to touch things so I went ahead & swapped alternators. A tad late I thought but something to do while waiting to be rescued. About a dozen cars went by without stopping, including 2 with park markings. About an hour and a half after the engine stopped a ranger came by, stopped and asked how I was doing. My reply, "Oh, I'm in distress". He had a power pack which quickly started the engine. The alternator started showing a charge so I headed on to the camp ground. Not a minute after I started moving the alternator stopped charging and my voltmeter was again reading about 10 volts. Drat! Not the battery, not the alternator, it must be one of the three wires to the alternator or the source of power for the charge or sense wires. As I pulled into the camp ground there was not quite enough voltage to feed the fuel pumps so there was not quite enough gas for the engine. I came into the camp ground missing from lack of fuel. As luck would have it the engine died in front of an empty camp side adjacent to the restrooms that have a power outlet. Home sweet home! I plugged in, popped the top and both batteries are recharging as I type. Looks like I get to trace some wires in the morning after taking some pictures of a couple ruins at the edge of the camp ground.
A camp site within reach of an outlet looked mighty good to my eyes that day
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