Victoria BC to Death Valley and back!

[Christopher]

We got home last night. 5200km and 17 days of camping fun. 80 hours of jeep driving! The only troubles were minor. The wiper linkage started jamming in Reno, I fixed it with a piece of heater hose (to squish and push it over centre to keep running). And we broke the hi lift jack mount off the rear bumper on Steel Pass in Death Valley. Oh, and some ball bearings fell out of the steering column on the way home which made the wheel a little wobbly.

It was a great trip. We had below freezing temperatures to over 100. Snow, rain, winds, fog, and sunshine!

In Death Valley we also drove and towed the trailer over Lippincot pass. Which was the near the outer limits of traction for the little CJ with open diffs. Its pretty rough currently. Very exhilarating though!



Reno Snow:

















































After Death Valley, we drove over to Anaheim and went to Disneyland for a Day, before heading back up the coast and home. I think the freeways and the 101 were harder on the Jeep and my nerves than the washboard roads and trails in Death Valley! It was a great trip, and I understand now why desert trucks and jeeps look the way they do! Our spring rate is to stiff for that stuff! and the 15 gallon tank is too small. We left Bishop CA with a full tank, and ten gallons in jerry cans. We went to the Eureka Dunes, over Steel Pass, Warm Springs, Lippincott, Racetrack, Tea kettle junction to Stovepipe wells, and had just 6 gallons left in the tank when we got there. Too close for me! I did get to use my big spotlights in the desert after dark, and they were fantasic! 130w each. Up here at home, I rarely used them, we just don't have much space without trees and curves in the way.

The Jeep ran great, the BBD carb worked fine, from 248 feet below sea level to 8200 feet above!

 

[Torxhead]

Thanks for that report, sounds like a trip to remember well. I have heard a while back that Steel Pass had quite a washout, glad you were able to make it through o.k. Hopefully the Saline Valley hot spring pools made it all worth it.

 

[Christopher]

The pass on the hot springs side was quite fun. Having the short wheelbase makes all the difference. If we'd been longer, or had a longer tongue on the trailer it would have been a lot more work. The trailer is so short that even at full lock it's within 2" of the jeep's tacks. The pools blew us away. It was surreal sitting there in the pools with the fighters flying over at 500'! I could spend months exploring down there.

 

[mtnwhlr]

Looks like a great trip loved the pics. And I love the trailer/camper

 

[Posi]

Thanks for sharing, looks like a fun trip.

 

[oldjeeplady]

Thanks for sharing your trip. I would love to do something like this. Camping in the snow..

 

[Petescj]

Thanks for sharing. I only wish I was in your shoes.

 

[elwood blues]

Awesome pics and story!!! Thanks for sharing your adventure with us

 

[mtnwhlr]

I wish you would tell us more about your trailer. Did you buy it or build it?

 

[Christopher]

The trailer is a Bon-Air BA-550. It was made in Quebec in 1983. We stitched the wild roof onto it, and I did a spring over, put bigger rims and tires on it, and changed the tongue into an "A", and put the basket on the tongue.

It's truly a tent tailer, no interior fittings at all. There is storage inside, about 7" high on the floor when folded, as the mattresses take up the rest of the space. When open, its about 6' long, and 12' wide, and when closed the box is 6' long and 4' wide. When open, there are two double beds, and room to stand up and walk around. It's quite spacious, like the TARDIS. The track width is the same as the Jeep, and the short tongue means it tracks right behind, even on full lock turns. The short tongue does make it terrible to back up though! Jack knife city, as it's difficult to see it, being so short.

I looked for quite a while before finding it, as I really wanted a trailer that didn't have those little 8" wheels, and that was light enough that the CJ would drag it along anywhere it could go.

The tent trailer attracted quite a lot of attention from other off roaders.

 

[CJim7]

I love it! Great pics, this is what everyone should do at least once in their lifetime.

 

[Torxhead]

I love it! Great pics, this is what everyone should do at least once in their lifetime.

More than that! lol

 

[Christopher]

It was a great trip. Even as we rolled into the driveway we are thinking about the next one. Being a nerd, I just calculated our mileage for the trip, and we averaged 21 mpg, which isn't bad for the old CJ.

I recommend taking a long drive in an old jeep to anyone that will listen.

 

[mtnwhlr]

WOW you got great mileage

 

[Christopher]

Yeah, sometimes I get all worked up about putting fuel injection on the Jeep. Usually this happens during winter/fall here. At that time of year I get carb icing every~time I start the jeep. But this trip really made me settle down about that. The Carb is so simple and works so well. (I don't have the stock air cleaner with the hot air- although I bet it would still freeze up here!)