I just spent a week in Moab, which happened to be the same week the Red Rock 4-Wheelers were holding the Easter Jeep Safari. As usual, most Moab establishments treated visitors the usual way by raising prices sky-high, making sure surly, unfriendly people were working in most service areas and, overall, pretty much making visitors feel as if they had been violated before they left. As an example - I fueled up in St. George, Utah, where I live and paid $1.45 a gallon for diesel. Moab, in the same state, with the same state taxes on fuel, was $1.75 a gallon on the same day!
Another surprising fact is that the Red Rock 4-Wheelers consider anyone who hasn't signed up for their event "renegades." Now, while they have a permit to lead people over trails on public lands during that week, they certainly don't have exclusive ownership and can't exclude other members of the public from enjoying that land. The term renegade could be applied to those who tried to "crash" the Red Rock's party by trying to get in their lineup without registering, but the rest of the people who are there are NOT renegades, just co-owners of the public land enjoying their property. That includes four-wheelers, hikers, photographers, rock hounds, mountain bikers, motorcyclists and any other tourist who happens to be there. I bet that many of the people in Moab that week had never heard of the Easter Jeep Safari, or the Red Rock 4-Wheelers.
On the plus side, as usual, the Red Rock 4-Wheelers did another fantastic job in running their event, which has become the largest 4x4-related event in North America. The manufacturer's days, in the arena, went especially well, it seemed to me, an outsider looking in. It's amazing how the Red Rock 4-Wheelers manage so many trail rides and so many people with so little trouble each year.
Thanks to the rock crawling events put on by Bob Hazel's Sports in the Rough and Goodyear-Skyjacker/ARCA, the bar has definitely been raised when it comes to 4x4's. It was amazing to see the number of extreme 4x4's driving around and, more importantly, doing great on the trail. Watch a video of Moab from just a few years ago and see how vehicle development has progressed! I was impressed.
Also, it was great to see Skyjacker, one of today's premier suspension companies, bring all of their senior staff to Moab with their own 4x4's equipped with their suspension products. This not only lets the staff to have a great time, but also allows them to "put their money where their mouth is," test what they sell,
| and get ideas on what to develop next. From what I saw, the Skyjacker rigs were doing fine, too. There were other suspension companies there, also, but I just happened to see Skyjacker on the trail.
I had a chance to photograph some great 4x4's, which you'll see soon here at Extreme 4x4.com and also got to drive some of the latest offerings from Suzuki, such as the Grand Vitara and the new, seven-passenger XL7. Calmini had modified some of the Grand Vitaras and they worked great on the trail. The XL7, which you'll also see here soon, is a great sport utility (with a real frame and a transfer case!) to take the family on exploring trips into the backcountry.
All in all, my week in Moab was a lot of fun. The first two paragraphs bring up some of the negative aspects of going to Moab that seem to have always been there, to some extent or another. Is Moab worth visiting? Yes, if you've never been there, you owe it to yourself to experience the place. Bring your patience and your wallet. Remember, too, that Farmington, Las Cruces, Montrose, Phoenix, Yucca Valley and many other towns and cities have superb, extreme trails to explore and roll out the red carpet to four-wheelers. We really don't have to put up with price gouging and surly service when we go four wheeling. Really, we don't!
UPDATE
Three weeks later, I went to Moab again. This time, there was no Easter Jeep Safari going on and I must report that I had a great time. Evidently, circuits trip during Easter Week and greed takes over, as this time, prices, while still high, were more in line with the rest of the world and service was rendered with a bit more cheerfulness. I also have to say that even during Easter Week, John Sensenbrenner, owner of Milt's Stop and Eat, always gave great service and good food at a very reasonable price. Everyone in Moab isn't out to gouge the tourists.
So, if you can get to Moab, try to do so some other time than during Easter Week. Your trip will be much more pleasant and cost less, too. If you visit during spring, summer or fall, you'll also find plenty of four-wheelers there that you could hook up with. If you REALLY want a great Moab experience, visit sometime besides Easter Week and hire Dan Mick, of Dan Mick's Guided Tours (435.259.4567). He'll take you four-wheeling to places even other locals don't know about and can tailor his tours to any four-wheeler's ability level. |
