Land Rover?!” Jeff Aronson - Rackspace Hosting

Wedded Bliss
at Moab
Story & Photos Rick Olsen
[Dr. Rik Olsen, Hastings, MN, left his patients and ’60 II-A 88” SW
at home but took his ’96 Discovery I and his family – Kelly and
children Gracie and Dane - to Moab this fall. Here’s his story
–ed.]
I really thought the Discovery was up to the challenge of Moab.
Even though this area is considered a world center for off-roading, I
had been kitting-out the Discovery since 2004. It had been to
Leadville with the Solihull Society in 2005 and to MAR [Mid Atlantic
Rally] last year. There have also been the local trips through
Minnesota and Wisconsin. I’ve experienced the usual mix of joy and
trouble while improving the truck and my own abilities, I admit I do
not pamper the Discovery, but I want to keep her in good shape. The
most recent tragedy was the demise of the replacement transmission.
Another replacement went in just a couple of days before the
drive out.
Getting there was some of the fun as I traveled with Gustaf
Kupetz and his 110 NAS, Nate Kennedy, whose Discovery I 5-speed
got left behind at home, and Seth Dauphin, who is a rover but has no
Rover. Seth would come in handy later as we crossed Colorado. A
resident of Moab for almost a year, he had made several trips back
and forth. He’s snobbish about hot springs. On his advice we avoided
several and tried only one, which failed to measure up to expectations.
No need to mention its name; suffice to say we now call it the
“Nickel and Dime” hot springs. You can figure it out.
The use of my credit card at truck stops and a visit to a truly
independent Toyota shop in Grand Junction, CO, finally fixed my CB
issues. On arrival into Moab, we separated as the three were staying
at the Lazy Lizard Hostel with Doug Evilsizor, the editor of Land Rover
Lifestyle magazine. I set up tent at the Canyonlands Campground
preparing for the eventual arrival of my family. Then I crossed the
street to the Moab Brewery to end the day with my traveling
companions from Minnesota and Doug. Some complained about the
3.2% alcohol beer, but I just take it as chance to drink even more
yummy hops.
6
The next day, I was up early to get to the vehicle line up. I had
chosen a famous but relatively easy trail called “Fins and Things.” I
was just giddy to see all of the Land Rovers lined up at the Spanish
Arena. I got the tail position since my CB was actually working for
the moment and Keith Armstrong took the lead. I had never been on
slick rock so the crazy angles and vistas were all new and wondrous
to me. The group contained several beautiful examples including a
Dormobile and the RHD 109” in stunning blue that looked showroom
perfect. There was also about the cutest example of a Land
Rover ever, Dave Sticht’s blue RHD ‘64 88” from New Hampshire. He
never misses a year. A mother and son team entered in their LR3. I
followed a 2.5 diesel 90 and enjoyed the fumes.
Exhilarated by the day’s drive in the desert, I still had an evening
free before my family arrived, so I joined new friends for a meal at
the Moab Brewery. Golly, these fellers have seen some things!
I meandered my way back to the tent and had a hard time sleeping.
There was some hammering and mild cussing coming from the next
site. I couldn’t help but get up and see what was wrong. It turns out
Scott Brown was having some harmonic balancing problems with his
Discovery I. The part had been next day-mailed, but there was still
the argument with the wires and tools under the truck in the dark.
I grabbed my lantern and gave moral support while Scott lay in the
desert sand.
The next day, his Discovery was still not running, so I invited
him along with me for the Flat Iron Mesa trail. Our leader was in a
FFR [fitted for radio] green RHD 90. This was a real challenge for
me as the rocks were bigger and the angles tighter. Having Scott
along was a great asset. He could run my video camera, hold
wrenches when my right rear shock pin sheared off and the spring
dislocated, and borrow big wrenches when the sway bar disconnected
itself and pummeled my rear brake line. He could calm me when
the “Check Engine” light then came on. While helpful, I wondered
if maybe he was a bad luck charm.
I was fatigued from the concentration in this type of off-roading
and from the late night excitement, so it was great to have Scott drive