The Story Of A Cummins Suburban (Lots Of Pics)

[mosesburb]

Originally Posted by kikkegek

such a cool picture:

I'm not too into group travel, but I really wanted to meet the leader of this run and the run sounded pretty cool to boot. Turns out we had a whole group of great people. It was really a fun time.

[mosesburb]

The posts are getting a little out of order here. I posted the last trip pics because I had just loaded them and figured that it would be best not to stop. In doing that, I passed up a little trip we took at the end of June/beginning of July. The initial plan was to go to Colorado, but this is when the whole state seemed to be on fire. Everywhere I wanted to go was either on fire or full of smoke from a nearby fire. Pretty awful. Anyways, I had the time off and we were not going to be denied a vacation, so I contacted a couple friends that we were planning to meet up with and a plan was hatched.

Our voyage started Friday with a planned destination of Page, AZ/Lake Powell. We got out mid-morning and set a leisurely pace. We made Flagstaff by lunchtime.



This was a somewhat monumental event for the truck. As I understand it, the truck lived most of its life in/around Flagstaff. But, since I had built it, it had not been back. I had mentioned to my wife around Overland Expo time that of all the places we had been in the truck, we had not been to Flag yet--she was surprised too. I think every other vehicle I own has a button on the dash that says Flagstaff--push it and it will take you there unassisted. When we went to Overland Expo, we didn't hit Flag either as we went in through Munds Park and on the way out Lance had some goods in his first aid pack that got me back home without having to go into Flag for goods. So after all that, here we are, in the Suburban, passing the city limits of Flagstaff--finally.

Very shortly after leaving Flag, the trees go away almost instantly leaving you with some pretty spectacular views. This is the west end of the Navajo Reservation.



The scenery is spectacular and ever-changing. Many different colors and land formations around every curve.



Before arriving in Page, a crazy steep hill must be climbed. It has some great views off the west side back out over the reservation. I have some other ones, but I really liked this one for some reason.



We made it into Page and found a hotel, unloaded a few things and set out to do some wandering. We got a call from my friend Bill and he said he was not going to be able to make it to travel/wheel with us, but he would try to catch up with us done the road a bit. That sucked, but nothing had gone to plan so far, so I guess this is just about right.

So we wandered around taking in any sights we could. We found a good view of Glen Canyon Dam:



Some petrified sand dunes nearby:



Neat shot of a shadow of the bridge on the canyon wall:



This concludes day one. I am still sorting and editing pictures. It has been a long tedious project as I took just under 2700 pics (my boy took over 200 himself). So keep the seatbelt buckled as you never know when the truck will be in motion again. If you see a pic and want to see more of the area/event/location let me know as there are probably several pics in relation to any one pic shown.

[Dieselwrencher]

Very nice trip pics once again! That is too cool!

[justcuz]

The multicolored reflection at the top of the night picture is especially interesting. Reminds me of Northern Light displays.

[mosesburb]

Originally Posted by justcuz

On Lances Suburban, I think flex is more important than heighth. I would look into putting his rear springs in front and then doing a shackle flip with some late model Suburban/Tahoe or Pickup springs in the rear. The 88 and up Suburban/Tahoe springs are 60" (I think) and the pickups are 63/64". The rear springs Lance has now should be around 52" and 2.5 inches wide. His rear shackles are probably the short riveted ones. Later model rear spring mounts and longer newer style shackles should net him the needed lift. Maybe move his front mount to the rear and a newer dropped truck front mount at the front of the rear spring may do it. Obviously you need to keep the spring centered in the wheel opening. Standard aftermarket urethane bushings should work in the front, they have spacers on the outside to center the springs since the stock ones are 3" wide. I have been pondering this route for a while, I just have not tested the theory yet. My guess is with used springs it should keep the lift no more than 3".

He does need altitude as well. I won't put 52's up front as they are too flexy and the main leafs are weak when used in a front application.

Originally Posted by justcuz

I get a message that says it is a security code or some such and the pictures are no bigger than the one of the 2 vehicles I recently posted. I think it is because it is inside of another file. I will drag it out of the file it is in and see how that works.

Use photobucket and this problem goes away.

Originally Posted by justcuz

Ok Nick I posted the trip up in the 99-2006 message board.
The title is "Prescott to Seligman".
I had to resize the pictures and was still limited to only 5 per posting. I need to learn to post them like you do, so I can add the narrative below the pictures!
Any way no comparison to your beautiful photos but I will learn eventually!

Use photobucket and those problems go away. I think I have gotten to the point I am just going to deal with the pics I take and not edit them. Takes so long to do. The quality does improve, but at what cost time-wise?? Your pics look good!!

Originally Posted by Dieselwrencher

Very nice trip pics once again! That is too cool!

Thanks Ryan!! Get your hooptie going and bring it down and run some trails!!

Originally Posted by justcuz

The multicolored reflection at the top of the night picture is especially interesting. Reminds me of Northern Light displays.

That is something in the lens/mirror as it was not there in real time. I thought it was cool too though. I took some timed exposures and got a pretty good feel for what would work for some night shots. I am eager to try my ideas next time out. I took some that if I could put them together they show the earth's rotation relative to the stars. Pretty neat stuff. I used to be more into photography with my 35mm Nikon, but when my boy hatched I got real used to the digital stuff (at a tremendous loss of quality). We have gone through a few digicams and finally after several trips I got sick of not having a "good" camera so I popped on a DSLR. It is a whole new world as so much stuff can be adjusted with the digital camera that could not be done with film. I am having to re-train my brain to be able to use all of the technology that is available in my camera now.

[1985-GMC]

More great pictures! Unedited looks fine to me.

That's what your burb needs, A CB and a 102" whip!

[Delmo]

Awesome.

[mosesburb]

Originally Posted by Delmo

Awesome.

Thanks man!! Stay tuned as this is just day one so far.

[mosesburb]

Originally Posted by 1985-GMC

More great pictures! Unedited looks fine to me.

Thanks!! This last batch is edited. If you look at these and then the trip from last weekend (un-edited) you can tell a difference.

Originally Posted by 1985-GMC

That's what your burb needs, A CB and a 102" whip!

Yeah, uh, no. Lance actually just put one on his for when he ran chase for the NORRA race in Mexico, but I think I am going to pass. I need to get my HAM license as that is what we typically use out in the backcountry.

[hgs_notes]

The dam picture is outstanding. Would like to see more of that.

[mosesburb]

Originally Posted by hgs_notes

The dam picture is outstanding. Would like to see more of that.

That was a tough pic right there as it was completely the wrong time of day to be shooting where we were. I think I have some more of the dam in general, but this is definitely the best one I had from that angle/vantage point. Mid-day would have made a fantastic shot of that as the sun would have lit the canyon up and the color's volume would have been cranked to eleven.

[Dinos63]

very cool pics , looked like a ton of fun

[mosesburb]

Originally Posted by Dinos63

very cool pics , looked like a ton of fun

It WAS a blast, and this is only the first day. Much more to come, but even when it was over I was ready to turn around and do it again.

[mosesburb]

Here are a few more from the same general vicinity.

This is looking away from the dam from the same vantage point as the dam picture was taken, so down stream it would be:



This is from the bridge looking at the east end of the dam. That is a giant gantry crane up on top of the dam:



View of the bridge from the west side: note-that bridge is very large and made of large pieces of steel, but if you are standing still and a car drives by, the whole bridge moves a bit. Kind of un-nerving when you are that high over a canyon.



View upstream of the dam. Lake Powell. That grey thing above the right fork of the lake is the Navajo Generating Station. I think it has to be the most scenic power plant I have ever seen. It is an amazing deal. All of the coal is mined near Kayenta and travels on an electric train to this facility where it is turned into power. Really neat setup. The current administration is actively trying to shut this facility down because it uses coal.



View of the back side of the dam:

[1985-GMC]

Man those are some amazing shots!

[mosesburb]

So after we wandered around the dam and bridge, we headed into Page proper and looked for a dining establishment. While shopping for a restaurant we came across some Antelope Canyon tour establishments. Thet were easy to find as they all had a bunch of clapped-out, rode-hard put-away-wet, hooptie-ass, frazzled trucks lifted no less than six inches, with some monster mud tires of unknown names and varying nameplates on the trucks. Fords, Dodges, Chevys, they were all equal offenders. The prices in town were pretty consistent--hell, they were probably all owned by the same people. We did not book a reservation deciding to head to the trail head and see what the rates were there. They all go to the same place. The ones in town start in town and the one at the trail head starts there. Hmm, less time in a ragged-out hooptie is more-better in my book (it costs a little less too).

So the next morning, Saturday, we head over to Antelope Canyon to catch a ride down to the main attraction (can't ride your own whip down there).




I completely failed in the photographic documentation of the chariot that carried us to the canyon entrance. I was able to crop into the previous pic to give an idea of the high quality of the unit. We got the tan masterpiece in the center. Notice how she sags a bit, well quite a bit, empty?? Yeah, now throw eight adults and three or four kids in it. Ye olde front end gets a bit light, eh.



So they call our number and we pile in. My boy points out in a rather nervous voice that a GIRL is driving. I let him know that I am scared too and he must be strong so as not to upset the other passengers who think nothing is wrong and don't understand the full gravity of the situation.

The ride to the entrance of the canyon consists of a loose sand stream bed traveresed at a rather uncomfortable speed. Even though I thought we were going too fast, we did get passed by another janke hooptie traveling faster than we were, but that one seemed more stable than our platform.

We lived.

We arrived at the entrance intact. So was it worth the terror and impending nightmares from the ride?? I'll let you decide.













Monument Valley in the canyon:





People pay to take special tours to see this: (cheap bastards like me realize the time overlap in the tours and get the view without the premium price)



Saw this little dude on the way out:



Now this day was probably the heaviest on pictures of any day on the trip (we haven't made it to noon yet). It was real tough picking the best pics from this series. Soooo many cool shots. Absolutely stunning scenery in the canyon. A person could spend months in the canyon and still come away with unique shots that they had not gotten before. Amazing.

[1985-GMC]

Woah those are some wicked looking canyon walls, I'll have to go there some day. Hopefully I don't get the "Girl" driver.

[kikkegek]

ow man!
when my wife and me did the west-side tour in Amerika we also visited Page and only later found out that you could visit these very cool places...we jus tlooked at the dam and drove further...

[mosesburb]

Originally Posted by 1985-GMC

Woah those are some wicked looking canyon walls, I'll have to go there some day. Hopefully I don't get the "Girl" driver.

If you do, just be strong

Originally Posted by kikkegek

ow man!
when my wife and me did the west-side tour in Amerika we also visited Page and only later found out that you could visit these very cool places...we jus tlooked at the dam and drove further...

That sucks man!! It is a fantastic place to see. The tribe should promote it so when anything about the area comes up, their place shows up. I try to research places I am going before I go, but I miss stuff myself, especially when plans change on-the-fly. I put is on a mental list for next time--if I make it back to the place.

[hgs_notes]

Wasn't this canyon in a movie or 2? Seems familiar to me.

[FrankieD]

Stunning pix I would rather do what you are doing than go tramp around Europe. There a lot of great places to see everywhere in the states and a lot right in our back yards that we just take for granite and never see.

[mosesburb]

Originally Posted by hgs_notes

Wasn't this canyon in a movie or 2? Seems familiar to me.

Wouldn't surprise me if it was. Alot of movies were filmed on the Navajo Reservation.

Originally Posted by FrankieD

Stunning pix I would rather do what you are doing than go tramp around Europe. There a lot of great places to see everywhere in the states and a lot right in our back yards that we just take for granite and never see.

Yeah, me too. Too much to see here to go wandering around other countries at this point. Not saying there are not any other countries I would like to see, just not yet.

[DirtyLarry]

More pics please. Anxious to see what all you got in that couple thousand pics you took that week.

[FrankieD]

I noticed you don't have any off road lights if you want to put some on that work and are cheap try this I posted it on cheap tricks.

Here is a cheap way to get some really nice off road or really bright driving lights. I had 4 of them on my truck it made the black back roads like daylight. I have 2 on my plow truck . They will run $50 to $70 a set but a lot cheaper than KC Lights

Housings for 4411 bulbs (standard tractor bulbs...pop them out and pitch 'em ).or if you get them from NAPA they might buy the bulbs back from you mine did.
Pair of 4509 landing lights 100W 13V
30 amp relay
12 AWG wire (red and black) connectors (for grounds and positive battery terminal)
rocker switch 14 AWG wire (switch wire)
Most important thing...20 A inline fuse for positive battery terminal to relay slot 30.

http://www.bulbs.com/espec.aspx?ID=10704
__________________

[mosesburb]

Hey Larry!!

So we made it out alive. It was scary at times, but we did make it out alive. We chatted a bit with this couple from Germany before loading up in the Suburban. As soon as the German dude saw the truck he came over and started chatting again. I guess he flew into the states, bought a GM van and is wandering around the western US. He was intrigued by the sound of the truck when I started it. He could not believe the mileage I was getting out of this compared to his van. When we left, we headed past the scenic SRP Navajo Generating Station:



We had to head down 98 to hook up with 160 and go through Kayenta as there are no roads that go east out of Page. Before reaching Kayenta we went under a bridge. I didn't know what it was, but I took a pic of it to remind me to research it when we got home. Come to find out, this is the conveyor that hauls the coal off of the mesa where it is mined and out to a loading hopper where it gets loaded on an electric train and sent to the NGS. I noticed the tracks had a power line directly over the tracks and wondered what the deal with that was. When we got home I figured it all out. What a great setup. This is the conveyor bridge:



Once in Kayenta, we took 163 north out of town. We soon came upon this:



Shortly after that we came upon this sight:



Flagstaff, hell, we made it to Utah!! The truck is running like a well oiled Singer sewing machine. A large, diesel powered, turbocharged, four wheel drive sewing machine, but a sewing machine nonetheless.



Wow.



Amazing sights everywhere. Unbelievable. We have all seen pictures and movies of the area, but nothing conveys the beauty of the horizon-to-horizon views available everywhere. Wow.



In my conversation with the German guy, he said to go to the Monument Valley visitor center, take pics and bail. He stated with much emphasis to NOT go down the trail. It was the worst road he had ever been on!! It was awful. Don't do it. There is nothing to see down the trail worth subjecting your vehicle to the horrible trail. Must be bad??

Well, always being one to heed the warnings given, we decided to try the trail. Live dangerously. Safety third. Let's go!!

There are some great views to be had from the trail. This monument is called the three sisters: I don't see the female form in it, but then again I was not consulted when they were named.



The reason I subjected my vehicle to the worst road the German guy had ever been on was because toward the end was something I really wanted to see. John Ford Point. The indian on the horse was taken here. In fact, there was a brokendown looking horse in a small cage the you could pay two dollars to have your picture taken on it. I couldn't bring myself to do that to the horse. I settled for a picture of the point, sans horse:



I like this pic:



North of the valley. I think the monument on the right looks like it is giving the finger??



So how bad was the road?? Pretty nice actually. Had some washboard, but nothing to write home about. They must have roads paved with pillows in Germany for this to be the worst he had ever been on. There is a road coming up in our journey that would have pushed him so far that he would have parked his van and walked.