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Yep. The passes can be rough in CO. Scenic for sure though. Make sure your cooling system is in good working order. The Eisenhower tunnel is a little higher than Vail pass. Both can be a challenge. I like US50 or US160 through Southern CO. Monarch pass on US50 is over 11,000 feet (like I70). Wolf Creek pass on US160 tops out at 10,8xx. I80 through southern Wyoming tops out below 9,000 feet. US64 in northern NM tops out just over 9,000 feet. Those can be a little easier if they aren't too far out of your way.

I don't know that we need to standardize maps. It's not bad to have multiple maps to get more information.

I'll be building my own custom sliders as I build my MJ. Spring 27 is ambitious for me too.

More trail ideas for the mild trails folks. Chicken corners Easy trail with scenic views. There's a cool overlook that is good for a photo shoot. Onion Creek This one winds through a valley with high walls. Many water crossings. It's a fun trail. Gemini Bridges An easier trail that has scenic stops at natural rock bridges.

Metric would be 10.9, for a similar to grade 8 SAE.

Yeah, AMC in the 80s was so random on SAE vs Metric on pretty much every fastener. They used whatever was the cheapest when the contract was signed. If SAE saved them a dollar on every million fasteners, they would pick that. If the metric was cheaper that day, that's what they picked.

One thing also to consider is trail communication. It's good for everyone to have a 2 way radio so we can chat while we're driving. CB is falling out of favor. Though I still have them. I have my ham license but most people don't. So that's not the best option. The 4x4 community is standardizing on FRS/GMRS. I'd suggest this as the best option for most people. Decent quality handhelds are inexpensive on Amazon. Or you can do like I did and get a fixed mount radio to install in the Jeep. We can pick a channel and set up a privacy code so we don't have to listen to everyone else out there.

Fins N Things This is a good trail for people new to Moab. Lots of slickrock and some fun hills. Not too difficult for a vehicle close to stock. There is a day use/week use fee of like $10 to access this trail. Hell's Revenge A favorite trail for many. It has some optional obstacles to challenge more built rigs. Lots of optional lines lets you do the easy route while being challenging for more built rigs. An XJ on 32s and 3-4" lift has zero trouble making it on some of the harder lines. Hell's gate is intimidating but not technically challenging. Same day/week use fee as Fins. Poison Spider A difficult trail for more built rigs. But you get to a scenic overlook at the top of the bluffs west of town that is pretty cool. Top Of The World A rough trail and you need to be built a little. But the overlook is pretty stunning. Google top of the world and you can see the pictures people take. It's a bit of a drive to get there but worth it.

Growing up, we had a '78 Ninety-Eight, an '80 Ninety-Eight, and a '90 Eighty-Eight. They were decent cars in the day. Well, I take that back. The '78 had the 350 diesel and it was a POS. But we got 25 MPG. When it was running.

The factory certainly didn't leave much room for the fan clutch. And Rock Auto has the wrong one listed on their site. Took a bit for me to get the right combination and it's still really tight.

Made some good progress today. Got the fuel pump plumbed and the gas tank installed. The threaded portion at the end of the strap had broken and the welded on all-thread gave out. So I cut it back a bit further and put on a coupler nut with some red locktite. Got the tank installed. The Genright tank skid is a nice addition. But I found another issue while I was under there... So I guess the brake upgrade to power brakes is going to happen sooner than I planned.

Bumper jack. They haven't been used since the 70s or maybe early 80s

If I don't finish the Chief in time I'll be in the JL...

Same. I've never had any problems with Moog parts as an OEM replacement.

One thing I have wanted to do is to run the Rimrocker Trail. It goes from Montrose, CO to Moab. It's typically a 2 day trip with camping overnight. Very scenic but not really a hard trail. https://rimrockertrail.org/ It would be a fun trail to run on the way to the meetup. It's closed due to snow starting mid to late fall and doesn't open until the spring. But is that something people would be interested in with this gathering?

I can probably make it up to you in a weekend or two. I'm all the way down in Castle Rock.

So, I'm not going to get near Chicago until Christmas. But I'm interested. If you get to Western IL (quad cities) or even Eastern IA (Cedar Rapids), I have family that could meet you before that.

Got my annual bonus at work. Got some toys for the CJ. Proper fabric doors. Still need to finish assembling the latches bit the initial test fit is good.

I know the pieces are rare, and I'll likely just paint the gray pieces I already have. But if you have black interior pieces looking for a new home, I'd be happy to take them off your hands. I'm in Denver but I have a couple of road trips planned this summer so I may be able to meet you somewhere if you're on the way. Let me know what you have.

I'll encourage people to push their comfort level on trails. You'll be surprised what you and your Jeep can do. But when it comes down to it, you shouldn't feel that you're being pushed beyond your personal limits. The slickrock out there got its name when the pioneers in wagons with steel rimmed wheels were trying to get through. The steel would just slide all over the hard rock. But it's basically petrified sand dunes and it gives great traction to rubber tires. Imagine rock covered in sandpaper. It's very grippy and you can climb things that you wouldn't think you can.

I've been a trail leader for EJS and I've done a bunch of trails from easy to difficult over the last 15 years. I haven't done the more extreme trails but it's looking like few people would want to run those trails. I'm happy to offer to be a trail leader if people want. FWIW, I did Hell's Revenge (6 out of 10 on their scale) in an XJ on 3.5" lift and 32" tires. Just TrueTracs front and rear. I did bypass the harder lines but had zero trouble. If people are interested, I can spot them up Hell's gate. It's a fun side trail on Hell's Revenge and a good opportunity to get good video.