Well, it is official. My off-road jeep days are officially over. I’m turning in my Yeti cooler and rubber ducks (you might have to look the rubber duck thing up). We rented a jeep when we got here on Thursday, so we could take some easy off road trails. The trails around Moab are marked “Easy,” “Moderate,” “Difficult,” and “Extreme.” The rating system was created by the local Red Rock 4 Wheelers Club: Easy (1-3) is okay for high clearance vehicles and SUV’s; Moderate (4-6) requires high clearance 4WD vehicles; Difficult (7-8) requires heavily modified 4WD vehicles with large tires and locking differentials (whatever that means); Extreme (9-10) are for expert drivers in specialized tough rock buggies. Note: Expect vehicle damage and 36 inch drops. Yikes!
So yesterday we took our jeep out on Schaffer Trail, which is rated “Easy.” Remember, the Easy rating is 1-3. So you can get a 1, 2 or 3 at different times and none of it is the promised “Easy.” To sum up, it is still fun to do something when you cannot wait until it ends? Like the kayak ride we took in the Bahamas with the cold, salty sea water slapping me in the face with every wave? Or the ferris wheel ride I took with my younger brother Don at the Missouri State Fair in about 1964 when Don had just started on his favorite thing, a huge multi-colored cotton candy cone when it started to rain, leaving him crying brokenheartedly about the melty mess for the entirety of the ride, with both of us covered in rainbow colored goo?
Anyway, this entire rant brought on by Shaffer Trail, which we were on two years ago when we were here. Too rough, too scary, too long. I have crossed the rubicon. And Rubicon takes on a double meaning in the pictures I have grudgingly added below:
We did a lot of off-roading when we were younger, especially in Colorado, but I guess I was more resilient then. In fact, we went over Imogene Pass in 2021, which is rated a 6 (Doug tricked me into that one. I will provide details if there is sufficient interest). To prove this I have added pictures of the Imogene trip below. The white jeep had high-centered and had to be wenched out. Like that’s not scary. (Colorado has basically the same rating system.)
Today we did a jeep light day at the Arches National Park, one of the other places we were two years ago.
Tomorrow, Doug is setting out for exciting solo adventures in the purple Jeep Rubicon while I stay in our air-conditioned hotel suite and enjoy the hotel pool. Did I tell you that it’s hot as Hades here?
A. Roam of My Own: Travels With Annie 
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