SPRING EPIC 2022 

Hopefully you’ve already read: Day-7.

DAY EIGHT: The Red Line Land Cruisers Spring Epic Overland Trip 2022

Photos & Story: Rodney Wills [Friday – March 25, 2022] Today we will be dirt road touring our way from the river edge into the small town of Escalante, Utah for fuel, then we point the vehicle noses towards home via Moab some 225-miles up the road (from Escalante). Again, not stopping or going through the iconic trails of Moab on this trip. The plan is that we will camp one more night on the backside of Moab then make the final stretch home to Colorado Springs. 

Bryan and I cowboy camp again under the stars.

These Icon Vehicle Dynamics 2.5 Piggy-Backs have been in service since 2018 and have seen some serious dirt road miles on the #RLLC80, Justin’s 1996 80-Series Land Cruiser. On this particular morning Justin chose to change out the end-link bushings. With milage, they get worn out due to the longer travel springs and the OEM swaybar is not designed for long-travel springs. He says when the sway increases and they start “clinking” it’s time to swap them. It’s one of those fixes that needs fixing but customers come first and adventures are important! Thus, trail-service is “par for the course.”

Minor services completed and we are off for more dirt! What will today bring?!

We start a nice decent on the edge of the desert floor… Or what we thought was the floor…

But the bottom falls out onto an even more spectacular view of a zig-zaggy decent!

We are so small…

Now we are off the hillside and rolling along the desert floor with a few roller in the mix just to keep things interesting.

Simi-blind crest… Slight L, 160, R-3, 60, L-4 flatout, straight over crest, R-3, no cut…

 
Watching the 4Runner boogie along the rattle-teeth washboard with ease! That’s what new suspension does!

Look at that dirt road snaking across the landscape!

What in the world is that coming out way?!?!

It’s a SHERP rolling down the road!

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We make it to tarmac which signals civilization thus our instincts is to run for the hills, but we need “town” to refuel the rigs.

We are at the Phillips 66 fueling station in Escalante, Utah and we see quite a few “adventure rigs” passing through. Always looking at the maps and potential alternate routes! But, look at that very STOCK looking 80-Series Land Cruiser that just rolled in! SO CLEAN! Needs DIRT!

If the 80-Series Land Cruiser is the “in between” then the Suzuki 4Dr Sidekick in the mini-end of 4X4’s and the Synco “SMPLVAN” Westfalia edition is on the larger’ish side. Yes, there is larger, but this is big enough. But if you are going big, may as well go big like our buddy’s M1083 called Endless Atlas.

With the little country side road found during our fuel break, we are visually immersed in high-wall canyon goodness!

Its time for our tires to eat some tarmac miles toward Moab. The rigs have ran great with a little waterpump hick-up from the XJ, but all sorted and forward progression continues! In the past, all three of these guys were typically towing crawlers to specific locations with trucks and trailers. Now look at them, they are seeking out the longest of dirt road touring routes, finding some fun obstacles along the way, all while being fully self-supported. Car camping or overlanding, call it what you want, but they are doing it!

We make it to Dewy Bridge just before sundown as this will be our camp area for tonight. Our last night under the stars.

Ahhh the Colorado River flowith…

Bryan’s Camp Time Roll-A-Table has been the jam all week long! Finally got around to asking him about it. Bryan stated its a table from the river rafting industry, his other adventure passion. More info: https://www.camptime.com/

Marston Mat pier. The original “sand mats” but originally designed for use as temporary runways and landing strips.

The last fire burned hot to coals as we reflect on the days events. With our bellies full from our camp dinners, we roll out the sleeping bags and fall asleep under the stars as the river currents passing us by. Tomorrow we will roll up our sleeping bags one last time for this trip and roll home. We will all start the week back at our various jobs and work towards the next adventure. Maybe it will be a day-outing, maybe it will be long or short weekend. But no matter the physical action, the thirst and yearn for more adventures only grows as we fill the “adventure gaps” until the Spring Epic 2023.

NEXT: DAY-9 The final tarmac home.