Bibo Bar Ride, or Not!!!
We met at Sky City Travel Center. Aired down and drove over to the start of FR 400, the back way up Mt Taylor. It has been raining in this part of the state, and we did not know what this trail would give us. Most of the day's rain was east of us, all day. This is a clue to the future events.
Beautiful rocky low range climb, up towards the low hanging clouds. Steep and tight in places.
Nobody mentioned DUSTY, all day!!
As we climbed, we entered the clouds and we drove through a "London FOG". The aspens were still turning yellow,too.
Lunch at an over look and sleet coming down.
Decided to drive out on Horace Mesa and Snow knew how to get there. One thing about a mesa, it is generally flat. This turned a mixture of sand, clay and water into......... MUD!!!!
We did the slip slide down off the mesa after a great view of Grants, down in the valley. Aired up on pavement and started our drive to Bibo Bar for a burger.
BUT, Jeff and Paula's Jeep started making a loud clicking sound from the front drive shift. We all pulled over and determined this was not good. There was a small amount of fluid coming from the front seal on the transfer case. We decided to drive slow and try to get the Sky City Travel center and get a tow truck to take the wounded jeep back home. But we stopped when the noise got even louder and the rig was jerking. I told the group, they should go on the Bibo Bar and get a burger, and we would call a tow truck and wait for that.
Off they went , but they came back a little while later and told us that the highway was closed because of flooding. Nobody was going home to Albuquerque, tonight. Off they went to Grants to get food and find a place to spend the night.
We find out that the tow truck got stopped , by I 40 being closed. So, Glenn and Rebagayle and us got a room in Grants and left the wounded Jeep along the side of the road.
Snow and Wolfie had some folks stay at their house. How nice!
Sunday, everyone could drive home and we got the tow truck to get our jeep back home, too. To the repair shop soon for a new front drive shaft and maybe some transfer case work. The Rio Puerco and San Jose rivers were way out of their normal banks. Two places on I 40 had been flooded the night before and there was still water all along next to the highway.
So, Bring your toothbrush and meds, along with you if you do a day run, is the lesson we learned, because , who knows what will happen.
Thanks to everyone who came on the ride. Everyone helped with our Jeep problem. Thank you all.
The off road portion was a blast, the pavement , not so much. And nobody got to the intended goal, A burger at the Bibo Bar. Next time we should do that first????? LOL!!!!!
