I left the BLM campsite and headed towards Quartzsite where I picked up I-10 eastbound to the next exit: Gold Nugget Road. I was using googlemaps and it didn't take me the easiest way it turns out. Sigh.
Still the way it took me wasn't too bad, though it's choice of routes did explain why things seemed so unclear at first.
The road was signposted as "Primitive" and it lived up to its description. Though only technical in the sloping portions, it was frequently covered in loose rocks and stones which made traction tricky at best.
The beginning of the dirt riding wasn't very difficult at all, and I used the hill with the antennas as a guide to keep me going in the right direction.
Soon enough, the dirt road turned mostly into a rocky road, with gravel thrown in with sand for good measure. Not too technical except when charging uphill to keep momentum going with Scarlett.
Once I was less than a mile from the trail that led up to the top of Black Mesa, I could see its imposing walls. The way got rougher and rougher as I neared the mesa walls as you can imagine.
No pics of the approach, it was rough and it was all I could do to keep Scarlett going up hill on loose rock and boulders! Finally as we started the last big uphill climb to a hogback turn, Scarlett couldn't do anymore.
I tried to go up the left side of a rock shelf but really not much steering control with the speeds involved and I ended up stalling the engine when the front wheel slipped off to the right.
Yep, it was at this point that caution finally won out and I cautiously turned Scarlett around on the trail and pointed her back down to a flatter spot to think on things a bit.
I decided, it looked short enough, I'd shed my riding gear and hike up to the top for pictures, seemed a shame to not do that, having come so close.
As I was getting ready, a trio of ATV Razr's came along and I asked the lead vehicle if he'd give me a ride up to the top. Cal, the driver, agreed and we had a pleasant conversation as his Razr and the others simply slowly crawled up the steep rock shelves and rocky obstructions that had stopped me.
I sure with Urals came with a "granny gear", they'd be unstoppable as these ATV Razrs seemed to be!
Cal let me off at the top of the mesa and they took off to explore the mesa and descend down the other side:
The trio of Razrs
A view across the top of the mesa, I thought it'd
be flatter based on the satellite imagery on google.
If you look closely, you can see two of the ATVs
rolling across the mesa
Alone once more, I wandered around a bit taking pictures before hiking down the dirt/rock road back to Scarlett.
A view of the mountains near where I started.
Part of the dirt road leading to the mesa.
Once I got back to Scarlett, I drank some water and had a snack. Thus fortified, and with my confidence only slightly shaken, I headed back.
I will say, going up rock-strewn hills is much easier with 2WD engaged! I always thought that steering would be more difficult but not really. Yes, there's more force needed but you also don't have to "charge" up the hill as much!
I'll be using 2WD more often, of that you can be sure.
I stopped at this stone "shack" I'd spotted on the way to the mesa. Turns out to be some sort of collection point for eclectic items. I'm thinking people either bring stuff they find on the trail here or they just bring stuff to add to the large collection of junk already there.
The shack is located next to a Federal Mining Claim nearby. I climbed the small hill next to the shack for a view of a small peak I'd seen from the trail:
The view from the top of the hill next to the stone shack
Now using the 2WD option more than usual, I easily climbed rock-strewn hills that had been worrying me a bit if I had to retrace my route. There were of no issue with 2WD on!
So I made it back to within sight of the hill with the antennas and I knew I was close to being home free.
As I motored on the frontage road that parallel's I-10 for a bit, I started hearing a "clacking sound" which I thought was something going wrong with the engine! Perhaps I'd strained it too much?
The strange part though was the sound went away while stopped with the engine running so that wasn't it. I kept moving, stopping, looking and finally what should have been painfully obvious was seen.
The two bolts which hold the u-joint forks for the sidecar propshaft had come loose and were GONE. The clacking I was hearing was the assembly hitting things as it rotated with the sidecar wheel's motion!
Dammit.
After removing my helmet and riding jacket, I dug through my spares and the motorcycling gods were with me today. I found two M8 bolts which while not the correct length, were long enough to hold the u-joint assembly to the final drive!
The temporary bolts now in place.
Everything held together as I got back on pavement and then merged onto westbound traffic on I-10. I kept looking down and back at the spinning u-joint and it seemed to be holding fine.
Got off at the next exit, and got gas at the Chevron station there. Then it was just a matter of riding on Quartzsite's main drag to the hardware store that was open.
They had the M8 x 20mm and 1.25 pitch hex bolts and washers I needed and they were soon installed at the hardware store's parking lot. I'll call the Ural dealer on Tuesday and get stock bolts sent to me but the ones I have should be OK. (Stock bolts are 16mm in length)
Got back to the campsite and had a well deserved beer as I watched the sunset:
After the sunset I spotted an unusual object in the sky, getting the telephoto lens and using digital zoom I was able to get close enough for this:
Sorry for the fuzzy image, had to turn off RAW format
in order to enable digital zoom to go with the
opticaol zoom.
Blimp flying off into the sunset
Rough roads lately, I also found the metal strap that holds down the battery gone....will get some rubber straps to secure the battery. Now using a racheting strap. All other nuts/bolts on Scarlett were secure.
8 comments:
Sounds like you had quite the adventure, Dom, met new friends, and found an eclectic shack. All in a day's work? Glad everything worked out with your broken pieces and you made it back safe and sound for a so-so sunset, but always beautiful through the window.
Richard is off to Barrow, and I have company coming tomorrow!
Thanks Bridget, I really did luck out having those misc bolts that worked....I wonder if I could call a cab from nearby Quartzsite?
Glad you caught the loose driveshaft before real damage was done. Beautiful area you found there.
Thanks Jan, luckily it all held together to get me past the last big hill...which was a bear.
In the past, I think that those bolts were wired in place. I use the medium locktite on them since I found them finger tight one time.
Someone brought an electric typewriter into the desert?
Yep older Urals had bolts that were safety wired to hold them.....I used blue loctite on the new bolts. As to the typewriter....you didn’t question the yellow thong? :)
I'm excited about this trying journey, I thought with our practice around Moab you would have already been in 2WD. Do you think you would have made that last stretch if you were engaged? I believe you need an accomplice ;)
Spat, I too wonder if I had engaged 2wd before that last stretch if I would have gotten further....but it was a tough section. Deeply sloping to the right where the sidecar wheel would have been, I don't think so.
With an accomplice, maybe, but you'd have to go first. :)
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