Getting back to this blog thing

Blue Van Dyke print

Like so many of these posts, I'm writing to explain why I'm not writing much. After San Francisco, I spent a week in Long Beach with the ASU Sailing Team doing an intensive summer training camp (rhymes with pics to come). I've also been working on the ASU Sailing website, asusailing.org. After getting back from that I've been plunged into some rather intense summer courses, including an art history and alternative photographic processes. Also, I spent a week at and in the Grand Canyon for a couple of friends' wedding on the North Rim. The Gila Monster blew a rear shaft seal outside of Flagstaff, so I got an extra night there on the way up.

Typing drool

I'm being reminded to update this blog. It's been a busy day, so plaese excuse my typing drool*. My day started Friday at eight in the morning. It is now Sunday, around one am. Long day, jeep breakdowns invloved in long road trips. First, near Payson, AZ, radiator clogged and failed. I pulled over before serious overheating, but I had a major delay in getting a tow, getting to town  and buying parts, then getting the mechanic for Galvin towing to replace the radiator, thermostat, hoses and stuff. He did a good a job, and it cost less than a regular flush at a major shop in the town.

I got back on the road about midnight. Got into Burque about seven. Unpacked from the move, cleaned out the Gila Monster, picked up a couple friends and we hightailed it out of town, towards Heron Lake. We too the back roads, explored the area, saw the sights, and experienced the crazt high winds that rocked the lake area. After a full day, it was time to head to the cabin. The Gila Monster had (has?) other plans: the AC compressor apparently seized up, freezing the engine in place for now. After my folks got into the area we secured the jeep in place, and took off to the cabin for dinner (rhymes with steak (sirloin), awesome mashed potatoes (taragon, dill, oregano, garlic) and bacon gravy. Oh yeah, you read right, bacon gravy). So, tomorrow gets AAA, a tow perhaps, mebbe even forward progress. We'll see.

Goodnight



*Typing Drool: When the blog author feels so tired that typos are left unmended, leaving satins of interest across the page, like drool on paper.

Tempe

This is a summary of the past eight days: 1400 miles (màs o menos), 28 hours sitting behind the wheel (mehr oder weniger), and I'm back in the same place I started from. I did use the high ground clearance and heavy duty suspension for a chunk of that driving. I have stuff to do here in Tempe (rhymes with landlord not believing in 30 days notice), but I have to try to get back to ABQ in time for Marty's memorial service.

I need some personal time for photography, look for that sometime in the future. I need to figure out if I'm moving back into the parent's for the summer. I need to figure out where I'll be working.

Vista

Vista, originally uploaded by Gerald5970.

December 21

So, yeah, you might be noticing the lack of anything for Sunday. Well, I admit, I didn't do any shooting Sunday. I was watching football and being lazy. Today, to make up for that, I took the Gila Monster and a couple friends up Cedro to the Vista. The melting snow up there has left mud on the tires. The air was clear, cold and clean, and the usual mountain burgers turned out alright, even though we kept the fire rather tiny at the bottom of our pit. More stuff from this weekend on my Flickr page.

Night dish

Night dish, originally uploaded by Gerald5970.

Look" Another update!

So, now I've uploaded more goodness to flickr, so there's not much to say there. This was taken early one morning (rhymes with towards the end of an all night drive), but still hours away from twilight. The Gila Monster is lit entirely by moonlight. I was driving from Phoenix to Elephant Butte, so I took the scenic route by using US 60. It was great! Especially after 11 when the rest of the traffic had stopped. Once I was past Show Low, there was only another vehicle every twenty minutes or so. From the state line to Socorro I saw all of four vehicles on the road, but I had to stop completely a couple times for elk. They just weren't in a hurry to go anywhere. I saw dozens of them, plus a few deer and hundreds of rabbits. The VLA looks good at night, but the really cool thihg is the way the stars left streaks as the earth's rotation dragged them across the image. It was so still that I could hear that people were talking by the next dish down, and I could hear the whine of the motors as the dish was moved. Gotta love all my stuff from my dorm sitting in back of the jeep.

Ah, that road is a good one.

Jeep

Jeep, originally uploaded by Gerald5970.

Another Jeep update

I have, for the most part, a fully functional Jeep now.

So, I yanked the rear shaft a couple weeks ago when I installed the upper control arms. Since then, I shipped the shaft to the builder in Utah, who rebuilt both the CV and the U joints. I got the shaft back and installed. The jeep's nice and quiet now, without that rumbling, grating and thuka-thuka going on. The only thing to do now is to recharge the AC, but that shouldn't be too hard to do here. I also need a new sun-shade, since the cheap one I'd had before melted.

So, as of now the Gila Monster stands tall with 5.5" lift, 32x11.5" AT BF Goodrich tires, Tom Woods Custom shaft and SYE, custom rear bumper with spare tire carrier and a Surco safari rack on top.

On wishlist now: Rock Krawler lower control arms or Rock Krawler long arm kit, K&N cold air intake, headers, cat-back, custom front bumper w/winch, bike rack that mounts on spare carrier, beadlocks, maybe fresh paint, on-board air system, lights, lots of lights, and a shaded parking spot, preferably in a structure.

Jeep Noises Update

Well, for the past few months my jeep's been making noises beyond the normal. I've know about the CV joint in the rear drive shaft for a while now. It makes the "thk-thk-thk-thk..." noise that increases with speed and becomes quieter when coasting. So, it looks like I'll be taking the shaft off next soon and ship it back to the manufacturer to have it rebuilt. The other thing is of course to get to put on my new Rock Krawler control arms. The broken one sometimes clunks around down below, scaring first time passengers. Sometimes the whole vehicle scares first time passengers.

So that's the update.

Looking Back

Looking Back, originally uploaded by Gerald5970.

Cherokee

Cherokee, originally uploaded by Gerald5970.

Jeep Woes

A long day of problem hunting

Yesterday when I dropped the jeep of at a local, reputable mechanic for an oil change, I was assured that they would hunt for any possible problems that they could work on. Today, when I picked the Gila Monster up, I was warned that the CVs in both of my driveshafts were about to go. I was told that I could send the driveshafts off to be rebuilt for $290 apiece. I knew from my receipts that the rear shaft cost $300 new, and I found out online that the pricing is still the same from the same manufacturer. I declined to take action for the moment to take time to consider my options and to get my jeep inclined friends’ opinions.

As I drove, I could definitely hear the rumble from the driveshaft, and I could also hear other miscellaneous rattles and bumps. With a mechanically inclined friend, I looked around the underbelly of the beast to see what the condition of the various parts was. We found some damage that had been completely missed by the mechanic, including a Johnny Control Arm that had sheared at it’s connection point with the frame. This arm was banging around and letting the axle wobble and letting the steering be loose. The front axle has probably been moving back and forth, messing with the transfer case geometry. This could even be the cause of the rumble in the rear driveshaft.

So, when I get to Internet, I’ll be looking up the logistics of replacing these darned arms. That should take care of the steering issues and the rattles and bumps from below. Hopefully, it’ll also straighten the issues with the rear shaft and CV.

A little more jeep

Yup. Here is some rocky jeep. Going down the stairs (see last year sometime for more). And darn you alltel for doing your weird thing with adding non-visible things to this! geraldo

Testing new jeep

Here it is at the local proving ground, where hummers are just too big to go. geraldo

Here's the other side

Here's the other side, originally uploaded by Gerald5970.

This is the view of my jeep from the left side on the rock mentioned below. Wide-angle lenses are cool, but my phone does the same thing. See how the right front wheel is floating beyond the rock?
I have an interesting strategy for getting a great lift on my jeep: I let someone else outfit their own vehicle, then when they sell it, I can scoop it up for a fraction of the cost.

I'm flexing

I'm flexing, originally uploaded by Gerald5970.

Here I am, but I left my quick disconnects connected, so the left front wheel on the big rock holds my right front off the ground. This is in the Sandia National Forrest, near the Cedro Recreation area. I like the area because of it's proximity to Albuquerque. Here's a map that show's where i'm at.
View Larger Map The edge of the clear area holds the rock my jeep is on. Long live the rocky jeep abilities!

Poor little jeep

I encountered a alternatively aware driver a couple weeks ago. Now i'm waking everywhere i used to drive in town. I real aspeciat those curses that run frequently, like the 66 Central. That vehicle could in where very few all stock cars could, and t did so with a aptitude rarely seen. Maybe it's a jeep thing, but i feel the loss of this able car that could. Lately there haven't been too many pics of the jeep on the rocky areas, but the rocky keep won't be going far now. geraldo
Alltel has no control over, and is not responsible for, the content or use of this picture or the accompanying personal message.

geraldo
Alltel has no control over, and is not responsible for, the content or use of this picture or the accompanying personal message.

geraldo
Alltel has no control over, and is not responsible for, the content or use of this picture or the accompanying personal message.