Mojave Road Adventure

Today, I leave on the last Mojave Road Adventure - at least until next fall (Check out www.4x4training.com for the fall trips).
This continues to be an unusual year for weather. The forecast for Needles and Baker are for 109 to 112 degrees this weekend. This is 20 to 25 degrees hotter then in normal years.
In addition to the normal risks of traveling in the Mojave (rattle snakes, sandy wash traps, tempting old killer mine, sticky mud that can swallow a vehicle,etc. ),we have killer temperatures.
But what would an “Adventure” be if there were no risks?

I sent the following message out to the Mojave crew a few days ago.

“I recommend you double check your vehicles cooling system to make sure it is up on fluids.
Bring plenty of water to drink. The only method our bodies have to stay cool is by sweating. And that water must be replaced to prevent dehydration. You will need to drink water even if you do not feel thirsty. Over hydration is never a problem (just remind me to make extra pit stops known as 10-100 breaks). At these temperatures, you might need as much as 3 gallons of water per person per day. Most guide books round this up to 5 gallons per person per day as a safety buffer. A case of 24 bottles of water at 16 oz each is 3 gallons if you go that route. You might supplement it with bulk water in 2.5 or 5 gallon jugs. Recycled milk or juice jugs might pack better in the space you have. It is a lot more enjoyable to have cold or cool water. I suggest you freeze a bunch of the 16 oz bottles and use them in your cooler to replace some of the ice. Later you can drink off the melted water and keep adding new water from a warm bottle until the ice is gone.

If you have and use your cars air conditioner, some of the impact of the high temps will be reduced. However, please prepare for the worse, such as not being able to run the AC because the engine is over heating. BTW the extra AC drag on your engine may use more fuel. Please bring extra gas.

Make sure you have a hat, long sleeve shirt and long pants in order to cover up when necessary. These should be baggy and of light weight. The clothes help prevent water loss. Also, there is nothing worse then sun burned and dehydrated.”

On another thought -- maybe this is why we go.
The Mojave provokes all types of strange events -- For example all the hype surrounding the phone booth on Aikens Mine Road. The phone booth is gone now, but for a few years between 1999 and 2000 it was the buzz of the Mojave Desert. This phone booth sat all by itself at an intersection with no one around. No doubt it rarely was used until the phone number was published on the internet. People from all over the world called to see if anyone would answer. Check out this link. It is fun reading. Too bad we will not be able to see it on our trip!
www.deuceofclubs.com/moj/mojave.htm

Tom

Poison Oak

If you plan to attend the Wine Country Safari event, you should learn to recognize Poison Oak.

While exposure to Poison Oak is not life-threatening, it will make you extremely uncomfortable. Symptoms are often present for up to three weeks. Most of the time an over-the-counter remedy is all that is required but you may need a Doctor to prescribe an antihistamine. Calamine Lotion sold 0ver-the-counter will dry out the blisters and reduce the itching.

Poison Oak is the western form of Poison Ivy. There is little difference between them other than Poison Oak has a leaf with toothed edges. Poison Oak and Poison Ivy have clusters of 3 leaves (vary rarely clusters of 5) and glossy leaves. In the center of this picture you can see poison oak. Notice how glossy it is and count the groupings of leaves. Each node has 3 leaves. Notice how it stands out from the other plants.



This is another plant that is growing at the base of the tree.



Compare the prior two pictures to this of a non poisonous plant that is common to the area. It also appears to have clusters of 3 leaves. Look closely and you will see that each one has its own stem and they are farther apart. The leaves do not have the glossy appearance.

Grand Adjustment

I found yet another use for the versatile Hi-lift jack! I wheel a Jeep Grand Cherokee because it has a long wheel base, has coil springs at each corner like the TJ and rides on solid axles. The extra room of a long wheel base is almost a must for my business. And to top it all off, the early Grand Cherokees are becoming very reasonably priced. There is a draw back. The Grand Cherokee has a uni-body substructure. As much as I try to avoid a hard smack mid section of the under carriage, it does happen. The uni-body is not as strong or ridged as a ladder frame. The hard pounding on the mid section has the effect of pushing the B-pillars up and bowing them.
Here is some information for those of you who also use a Grand Cherokee off-road and might need this solution. Over time the doors no longer seal tightly as they are held away from the frame by the bow in the B-Pillar. Using the hi-lift and a 20 foot strap, I flexed the B-pillar inward slightly. The result is a nice tight fit on the doors. With all four doors open and the front seats pulled forward, a 20' strap can circle the two B-pillars twice. The backs of the seats end up inside the loop but out of the way. By positioning the strap just above the top hinges of the rear doors, the loops on both ends will be just behind the front seats near the outside edge. If you remove the Hi-lift stand, it will fit length wise between the back doors just above the back seat. I needed a D ring to connect to the top end but was able to slide the other loop on the tongue of the jack. With the jack angled so the handle cleared the top of the back seat, I was able to tighten the strap until I had adjusted the pillars sufficient for the doors to close tightly. (The doors closed over the strap, so I could check after each ratchet of the jack without over doing it.)
I suspect there is only so much adjust that can be made and that too aggressive an approach may collapse the pillars. But for now, I can wash the vehicle again with out having to wipe up water on the inside!