High adventure in a Jeep JKU while exploring the Colorado Plateau

While the eastern United States was getting covered with snow and experiencing freezing temperatures, we were having an exceptionally warm winter on the Colorado Plateau. This time of year I would normally be spending my weekends snowshoeing on the Grand Mesa or in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, but with spring-like temperatures (in the 60s) at the end of January and beginning of February, I could not resist taking advantage of hiking in the desert wearing nothing but a fleece pullover, for the cooler mornings.

A few years back I was lucky enough to discover a beautiful Barrier Canyon Style pictograph panel hidden in a remote canyon at the edge of the San Rafael Swell. It was an amazing experience and I have longed to return for another visit. My girlfriend Diane and good friend Marty were both interested in seeing this panel in person and I had promised to guide them there. With another beautiful weekend forecast, we planned a day trip for a Saturday in early February. Leaving home in Grand Junction a few hours before sunrise, we met up with Marty in Green River, where we topped off our fuel tanks and started making our way to the trailhead.

The initial drive took us through a narrow slot canyon that had carved its way through the San Rafael Reef and past the imposing Temple Mountain. I’ve hiked many slot canyons over the years, but it’s always fun to drive through these narrow canyons in your vehicle. Eventually we left the wash and followed a few rough old mining tracks that haven’t seen much traffic in recent years, except for the occasional ATV or dirt bike. We negotiated a few washouts along this road but were eventually stopped by a large washout with a big drop-off about a half mile short of our planned trailhead. We probably could have made it around the washout if we had wanted to get out the shovels and stack some rocks, but we were close enough to the end of the road that we decided not to waste time with road repairs. Instead we just started walking. It would only add another mile to the hike.

We hiked along a long-abandoned mining road for a few miles until we reached its end at an old drill site, where we found part of the old drill and many core samples littering the ground. I guess they didn’t find anything at this location worth sticking around for. There was petrified wood scattered on the ground throughout the area and we spent some time searching for interesting and unique pieces.

After leaving the drill site, we continued hiking down a sandy wash while enjoying the beautiful weather.  We soon climbed out of the wash by a steep and loose scree slope and found ourselves face to face with the amazing rock art panel we had come to see. This panel of ancient paintings contains some of the most unusual figures I have ever seen. We were all in awe over this ancient message that will probably never be understood.

For those not familiar, Barrier Canyon Style (BCS) describes a distinctive style of rock art which appears mostly in Utah and dates back a few thousand years to the Archaic Period. The largest concentration of sites is found around the San Rafael Swell and Canyonlands National Park (Horseshoe Canyon is the largest and best-known site), but the full range extends into much of the state and even into western Colorado.

After visiting the ancient pictographs and pondering their possible meanings, we explored the area in case there was something else hidden I had missed before. We didn’t find anything new, so we started the hike back to our vehicles. We spent the remainder of the day visiting a couple more well-known rock art sites on our way back to Green River before heading for home. After the sun dropped below the western horizon, the sky lit up with intense color, compelling me to pull over and take one last photo to end the day. A beautiful end to another amazing day in southern Utah.

About Randy’s Jeep JKU Rubicon

I purchased my charcoal 2010 Jeep JKU Rubicon brand new to replace a built-up 2000 Jeep Cherokee XJ. I was looking for something a little newer that didn’t need to be modified much for exploring the Colorado Plateau and Rocky Mountains. The JKU Rubicon had everything I needed in a vehicle to get me into the backcountry, and I really only had to add a few skid plates, bumpers and a winch to finish it off. Besides handling some of the rougher trails and roads I use to access hiking areas, the JKU also cruises nicely on the highway and can carry all the camping gear I need. After driving this JKU hard for the past five years, I have had very few problems with it and wouldn’t hesitate to buy another one.

ARB JK Bumpers

On the front of my Jeep JKU I am running the brand new ARB Deluxe Winch Bumper. I had previously been running a different aftermarket bumper when I decided to try the ARB. I really like the way the bumper matches the lines of the Jeep and meets up with the fender flares, which is important to me since I am not a fan of the stubby bumpers. The interior braces inside the wings on each side add support and rigidity, which is nice on a full-length bumper like this. One of the things I noticed when replacing the bumpers was how much lighter the ARB bumper was compared to my old aftermarket bumper, and I believe this comes down to better engineering allowing the use of thinner gauge materials. Obviously I needed a bumper that could hold my winch, and the ARB bumper makes it easy to install a winch. There are also holes already pre-drilled for aftermarket lights to be installed on either side of the winch. Having places for the factory or aftermarket fog lights is also a plus. I’ve had a few aftermarket bumpers on different Jeeps in the past and they’ve all been missing one little feature that ARB thought about on this one — a place for the license plate!  Unless you live in one of those states that don’t require a front plate, you usually need to figure out a way to add a license plate to the front of your rig. While this may be just a little detail, it was nice to see that ARB thought enough to include a bracket that not only holds your license plate in front of the fairlead, but also designed it so that it can flip up out of the way when you need to use the winch. I appreciate small details like this. If I have one minor complaint about this bumper, it would be with the installation. There were some bolts and nuts that were difficult to access and added a bit of frustration during the install. It’s a minor complaint considering it’s not something I will have to deal with again. That said, I am confident in the mounting system of the bumper to withstand many years of winching.

On the rear of my Jeep I am running the ARB Rear Bumper with Tire Carrier. This bumper replaced my old factory bumper, which had a few dings and dents from the trail. I’m positive that with the added strength of the new bumper, I will not have that problem again. The optional tire carrier takes the weight of the spare tire off my tailgate and has given me a convenient place to store my Hi-Lift jack. I actually have not been carrying my jack for a few years since I didn’t have a good place to store it in my Jeep, so it’s nice to have that peace of mind again. Just like the front, the rear bumper matches up nicely with the fender flares for a nice clean look. One of the main features I was seeking in a rear bumper and tire carrier was that the carrier would open with the tailgate so access into the back of my Jeep wouldn’t turn into a two-step process. This bumper includes that feature and the tailgate opens and closes smoothly.

Both front and rear bumper contain tow points allowing the full shackle to be installed through the opening, and convenient Hi-Lift jack points to assist with recovery efforts.

Sylvania ZEVO LED Headlights

Right after installing the Sylvania ZEVO LED sealed beam headlight replacements into my Jeep JKU, I immediately noticed a huge improvement over the stock headlights I have been living with for the past five years.  The light is much cleaner and whiter and even reaches a greater distance over the factory lights.  They offer me better visibility at night when cruising down the interstate on the way to my next adventure and the installation was a breeze with the proper adapters. The LEDs should also be more durable that regular incandescent bulbs in the long run, important on a vehicle that sees a lot of rough roads. Seriously, it’s completely a night and day difference!

ARB Intensity 7” LED Lights

On my front bumper I am also running the brand new ARB Intensity 7” LED Lights. These were easily and securely mounted on the bumper using the existing holes on either side of the winch and were a breeze to wire up with the additional ARB wiring harness. The lights come in two different beam patterns, spot and flood, and I installed one of each for the best of both worlds.  After flipping the switch on these lights for the first time, I was amazed at how bright they were.  They make driving down a trail or road during the night much more enjoyable, assuming there is no one right in front of you! These lights also come in handy for when you need to set up a camp site after dark. Since these lights utilize LEDs, they are able to handle the roughest conditions while being mounted to the front of my Jeep.

Resources:

San Rafael Swell – www.blm.gov/ut/st/en/fo/price/recreation/SanRafaelDesert.html

ARB USA – www.arbusa.com

Sylvania Lights – www.sylvania.com

* OutdoorX4 – Promoting responsible 4×4 adventure travel and outdoor recreation