First Day in Moab

Moab is a small town with at least six national parks and 40 marked Jeep trails. I got here in the morning and decided to do an “easy” trail by myself. Well, it took me to a cliff edge and the downward slope was so steep with slippery rock that I decided to go back. I went to a medium trail and waited for several Jeeps to group with. This was a very rocky trail so we all aired down our tires. This four mile trail took us almost two hours.

The weather here was cool enough for me to set up my tent. I found a nice campground right by a lake and got everything set up and went right to bed.

Almost done with Colorado

I started the day right at sunrise so I could navigate the trail through some very windy roads. There were lots of animals to be careful of; Cows, Deer, Goats. I went through San Isabel National Forest which took me up to 11,000 feet on the side of the mountain. If you went off the trail, you would have a very long fall. After the forest, I went through a couple of hours on the trail and saw the same empty fields. I decided to get on the highway and head for Moab. It will be cooler there and I can visit more of the trail on the way back as a cold front is supposed to come through on Thursday. I am currently in Montrose, Colorado and it is still 89 degrees. I will be able to get to Moab in less than three hours tomorrow. I will make camp there and try to hit most of the trails (there are 80 of them).

Trinidad, Colorado

I made it to Colorado today and it is still almost as hot as Florida. I will get into the mountains tomorrow which should considerably cool things off. Today’s drive was very slow as it was very foggy in Oklahoma and until the sun came out to burn the fog off, I could only see up to about 50 feet in front of me. Here are some pictures of today including a map of where I will be traveling tomorrow. I will be headed straight into the mountains tomorrow morning.

Almost on the trail

I hit the road on Thursday afternoon and spent the night in Tallahassee with my son Connor and his girlfriend Erin. Here are some picture of my packed vehicle. I have an overnight pack, a one day pack, a three day pack and a suitcase with 7 days of clothes. I have a Coleman Stove and an ARB Fridge. I have a CB radio and a HAM radio Analog / DMR.

I decided to start on the trail a little more West due to Hurricane Florence. I hit the road around 7am today and got to Tupelo, Mississippi. I am a few miles from the Trans America Trail and due to the 96 degree temperature, I decided to stay in a hotel instead of camp. Hopefully, tomorrow, I will be farther North and will be able to sleep in my tent.

The Jeep is finally ready!

The Jeep (Ronin), is finally ready for her trek across the Trans America Trail. Our journey begins this Friday, September 14th. I will be traveling across the Trans America Trail which is a dirt trail from coast to coast. I will end up in Moab, Utah, spending time to hit all the trails. Here is a map of the Trans America Trail:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1dCb0Ao26vNZ3_63-qx4Afe5ieUM&hl=en&ll=38.28585821340549%2C-99.38357139922016&z=5