Gary's "Nothing Special" Moab trip

[Nothing Special]

Bob - Big Blue's spare is well and truly strapped down in the bed, as shown way below.

But I don't have a hand throttle, so that's a good idea. The 460 does have good torque, but it would be handy to throttle up a bit w/o using your feet. I'd hoped to be able to do that with the PTO function of the ECU, but it didn't work, so I'll look into a manual one. Thanks!

By the way, Janey's been looking for movies that were filmed out there, so we just watched MI-2, which she'd read has Dead Horse Point in it. If you don't remember it starts out with Ethan Hunt rock climbing and waaaaaaaay down below is a road, and farther down is a river. I told her "I'll bet that's our road and that's the Colorado!" Take a gander at where it is, and I know you know where the Thelma & Louise Point is.

I've never seen either MI2 or Thelma and Louise. And while I do know that there's a cliff out there called "Thelma and Louise Point" and that I drove under it, I didn't know exactly where it was when we were there, so I can say that I saw it, but I didn't know when I did.

If you're looking for movies that show the area, it's not quite in Moab, but a little over 100 miles south, near the Arizona border, is "Forrest Gump Point".

And here's a hand throttle kit at least much the same as what I have, if not the same one (I got mine so long ago I don't recal the brand or where I got it).

[Gary Lewis]

I've never seen either MI2 or Thelma and Louise. And while I do know that there's a cliff out there called "Thelma and Louise Point" and that I drove under it, I didn't know exactly where it was when we were there, so I can say that I saw it, but I didn't know when I did.

If you're looking for movies that show the area, it's not quite in Moab, but a little over 100 miles south, near the Arizona border, is "Forrest Gump Point".

And here's a hand throttle kit at least much the same as what I have, if not the same one (I got mine so long ago I don't recal the brand or where I got it).

I don't know that I can recommend Mission Implausible 2, but it was entertaining. And I certainly can't recommend Thelma & Louise. But I can recommend Forest Gump, although mentioning that movie gets snickers around my family.

We were sitting in the Geneva airport at the end of a European Vacation (speaking of movies) and I was wearing khakies (everything else was dirty) and white sneakers (my street shoes had gotten wet). We'd purchased a box of Swiss chocolate, which I had on my lap. I heard snickering and looked over and my wife, my daughter, and my son were about to roll in the floor. Then one of them said "Run Forest, run!"

Anyway, thanks for the link on the hand throttle. Amazon has a similar one, and it is the one that everybody seems to carry - TerraFLex.

And I found two guys that seem to have used bike shift levers - although I want a throttle kit. This one connects to an EFI system on an 89 Bronco, and this one originally connected to the throttle linkage in the truck but ended up going out to the throttle body. But it isn't as neat of an installation.

And now for a funny. As said, Janey is perusing the internet and just asked if we are going to be on Shafer Trail as she'd found a video of a nice truck going on it. I said yep, and looked to see what she had - a nice red and white 1984 F350 Crew Cab. Turns out it has Canadian plates.

[Nothing Special]

I don't know that I can recommend Mission Implausible 2, but it was entertaining. And I certainly can't recommend Thelma & Louise. But I can recommend Forest Gump, although mentioning that movie gets snickers around my family.

We were sitting in the Geneva airport at the end of a European Vacation (speaking of movies) and I was wearing khakies (everything else was dirty) and white sneakers (my street shoes had gotten wet). We'd purchased a box of Swiss chocolate, which I had on my lap. I heard snickering and looked over and my wife, my daughter, and my son were about to roll in the floor. Then one of them said "Run Forest, run!"

Anyway, thanks for the link on the hand throttle. Amazon has a similar one, and it is the one that everybody seems to carry - TerraFLex.

And I found two guys that seem to have used bike shift levers - although I want a throttle kit. This one connects to an EFI system on an 89 Bronco, and this one originally connected to the throttle linkage in the truck but ended up going out to the throttle body. But it isn't as neat of an installation.

And now for a funny. As said, Janey is perusing the internet and just asked if we are going to be on Shafer Trail as she'd found a video of a nice truck going on it. I said yep, and looked to see what she had - a nice red and white 1984 F350 Crew Cab. Turns out it has Canadian plates.

I think I've told you that Jeff, the guy who drives Bam Bam (one of the old Jeeps I meet with in Missouri) uses a bike brake lever for a hand throttle. He likes that because it doesn't lock the throttle in place, it returns to idle immediately when you release it. I've never used that type, but I like the TeraFlex one because it DOES lock the throttle. So to each his own.

And nothing wrong with one of the "roll yer own" set-ups using bike parts, but I bet they don't save much money over getting the TeraFlex kit. And while there's still a bit of putzing around to get the TeraFlex kit installed, at least you're starting with pretty much everyhthing you need rather than having to make multiple trips to bike shops and hardware stores.

As far as Forrest Gump goes (and yes, he does go pretty far, groan!), I can't recommend that movie. I watched it with Lesley, her brother and his wife, on VHS soon after it hit the video rental stores. I joke that the three of them all got a lot more out of the movie than I did, because they all slept through at least halk of it while I stayed awake. To each his own (in movies as well as hand throttle setups), but that one wasn't for me.

[Gary Lewis]

I think I've told you that Jeff, the guy who drives Bam Bam (one of the old Jeeps I meet with in Missouri) uses a bike brake lever for a hand throttle. He likes that because it doesn't lock the throttle in place, it returns to idle immediately when you release it. I've never used that type, but I like the TeraFlex one because it DOES lock the throttle. So to each his own.

And nothing wrong with one of the "roll yer own" set-ups using bike parts, but I bet they don't save much money over getting the TeraFlex kit. And while there's still a bit of putzing around to get the TeraFlex kit installed, at least you're starting with pretty much everyhthing you need rather than having to make multiple trips to bike shops and hardware stores.

As far as Forrest Gump goes (and yes, he does go pretty far, groan!), I can't recommend that movie. I watched it with Lesley, her brother and his wife, on VHS soon after it hit the video rental stores. I joke that the three of them all got a lot more out of the movie than I did, because they all slept through at least halk of it while I stayed awake. To each his own (in movies as well as hand throttle setups), but that one wasn't for me.

I think I want my hand throttle to stay on w/o holding it. There's too many other things to do at that point and I don't want to have to concentrate on holding the throttle steady.

[BigBrother-84]

I think I want my hand throttle to stay on w/o holding it.

Ok, Gary, so it’s time for another add-on to Big Blue’s well equipped cockpit?

There’s the Cessna throttle style:

Or the Boeing throttle style:

[Nothing Special]

I don't know that I can recommend Mission Implausible 2, but it was entertaining. And I certainly can't recommend Thelma & Louise. But I can recommend Forest Gump, although mentioning that movie gets snickers around my family.

We were sitting in the Geneva airport at the end of a European Vacation (speaking of movies) and I was wearing khakies (everything else was dirty) and white sneakers (my street shoes had gotten wet). We'd purchased a box of Swiss chocolate, which I had on my lap. I heard snickering and looked over and my wife, my daughter, and my son were about to roll in the floor. Then one of them said "Run Forest, run!"

Anyway, thanks for the link on the hand throttle. Amazon has a similar one, and it is the one that everybody seems to carry - TerraFLex.

And I found two guys that seem to have used bike shift levers - although I want a throttle kit. This one connects to an EFI system on an 89 Bronco, and this one originally connected to the throttle linkage in the truck but ended up going out to the throttle body. But it isn't as neat of an installation.

And now for a funny. As said, Janey is perusing the internet and just asked if we are going to be on Shafer Trail as she'd found a video of a nice truck going on it. I said yep, and looked to see what she had - a nice red and white 1984 F350 Crew Cab. Turns out it has Canadian plates.

Here are a couple more videos of Shafer Switchbacks. I don't think Janey would say the Jeeps in them are "nice", but I like them! You might recognize one in the second video from my videos at SMORR.

And if you're interested, that first video touches on Gemini Bridges.

he did just of Gemini Bridges where he drove to near the top and then hiked up to the bottom ("up" because he drove around to farther down the canyon to begin his hike). I don't know anything about the hike, but I doubt it's hard, and being in the bottom of a canyon it might not be in direct sun. The road to the top is easy too, so it might be a sight to see when you're out there.

[Gary Lewis]

Here are a couple more videos of Shafer Switchbacks. I don't think Janey would say the Jeeps in them are "nice", but I like them! You might recognize one in the second video from my videos at SMORR.

And if you're interested, that first video touches on Gemini Bridges.

he did just of Gemini Bridges where he drove to near the top and then hiked up to the bottom ("up" because he drove around to farther down the canyon to begin his hike). I don't know anything about the hike, but I doubt it's hard, and being in the bottom of a canyon it might not be in direct sun. The road to the top is easy too, so it might be a sight to see when you're out there.

Yes, I recognize the Jeep with the rope on the front and the "This side up" sticker. (We used to say "Shiny side up" but I'm not sure that one has a shiny side.)

Both of those videos are good, and I enjoyed watching them. Obviously that's going to be an easy day, but very scenic, for sure. But those Jeeps made the corners look easy compared to what I think I'll find.

And, as I was watching I happened to look at the videos listed down the right side of the screen. There's the one with the "nice truck" Janey was talking about! (Jeff - I'm going to keep tagging you until you comment. )

[Gary Lewis]

I think I want my hand throttle to stay on w/o holding it.

Ok, Gary, so it’s time for another add-on to Big Blue’s well equipped cockpit?

There’s the Cessna throttle style:

Or the Boeing throttle style:

Yes, Jeff, one more control for Big Blue. I like the Boeing style, but I think the Cessna is more realistic.

And, as I think about it, there are times when having the engine spinning a bit faster than idle would be good, like when using the winch as there'd be more current from the alternator. So the hand throttle is a good idea.

[Nothing Special]

Yes, I recognize the Jeep with the rope on the front and the "This side up" sticker. (We used to say "Shiny side up" but I'm not sure that one has a shiny side.)

Both of those videos are good, and I enjoyed watching them. Obviously that's going to be an easy day, but very scenic, for sure. But those Jeeps made the corners look easy compared to what I think I'll find.

And, as I was watching I happened to look at the videos listed down the right side of the screen. There's the one with the "nice truck" Janey was talking about! (Jeff - I'm going to keep tagging you until you comment. )

Long Canyon Road is another easy trail that lets you know that you're not in Kansas anymore.

I just found of a Toyota Tacoma driving down it. In 2021 Lesley and I drove up it to get to the main entrance to Canyonlands National Park. It's nothing iconic, or a must-do or anything. But it's a fun road to know about if you are interested in wandering around and seeing different things.

[Gary Lewis]

Long Canyon Road is another easy trail that lets you know that you're not in Kansas anymore.

I just found of a Toyota Tacoma driving down it. In 2021 Lesley and I drove up it to get to the main entrance to Canyonlands National Park. It's nothing iconic, or a must-do or anything. But it's a fun road to know about if you are interested in wandering around and seeing different things.

Interesting. It took a while to find it as I was on the national park services map. But it was easy to find in All Trails.