Feature > Backcountry Adventures
Crosscountry USA
Part 3
story & photos by Sven & Magdalena Schlogl
The four wheeling opportunities in the Moab area attract many aficionados - here on Poison Spider Mesa Trail.
Editor’s Note: Originally from Austria, Sven and Magdalena Schlogl have been living in Southern California for several years. Since they enjoy traveling, they have explored the south-western corner of the United States intensively. After many trips over about 4 years they decided to venture further and discover more of the US. For six months they traveled through 41 states and put nearly 32,000 miles on the odometer of their Cherokee — the first installment of their travels showcasing Paragon Adventure Park in Pennsylvania was in the March issue. Part Two, in the June issue showcased Telico ORV Park in North Carolina. Now this last installment completes their odyssey and the series. Look for more adventures from them in upcoming issues.
After a few days of spectacular wheeling in and around Moab, Utah, we pushed on.
In Canyonlands National Park we conquered the Elephant Hill - on our way back we rescued a family from Georgia who had gotten stuck with a broken rear driveshaft on their rental Wrangler. Towing them over the rough obstacles was a challenge in itself. We now made some new friends in Georgia...
An obstacle on the Elephant Hill trail.
Lake Powell’s vertical cliffs drop right into the water and create an amazing scenery for boating.
Our explorations led us further through Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park where we climbed Angels Landing early in the morning to reach the summit before the hottest part of the day. On a detour to Lake Powell we rented a speed boat to zoom through the narrow water-filled canyons — an ‘off-road’ adventure of a different kind. From here our journey took us back north, past Salt Lake City all the way to Yellowstone National Park, where the famous sulfur pools, geysers and wildlife kept our fingers busy on the camera trigger. We had planned some wheeling in the remoteness of Montana but again, snow and mud prevented us from exploring the high altitude trails of this northern state (in June!). In Glacier National Park we marveled upon the majestic rock formations reflecting in the ice-cold water of the crystal clear lakes which offered a refreshing bath after long hikes.
The Weeping Wall in Glacier National Park.
The deep colors of Yellowstone’s sulfur pools are a stunning wonder of nature.
With friends we spent a day wake-boarding and jet-skiing in the area of Seattle.
We cruised through Idaho and Washington to the Pacific Coast. It had been a little over five months since we had seen this ocean. We took the ferry to San Juan Island, one of about 100 islands in the Puget Sound, where we spent a few days with friends and were treated to a boat tour of the waterways. Then we visited some other friends in Seattle and enjoyed the vibrant birthplace of American gourmet coffee. The Olympic Peninsula sports the northwestern-most point of the contiguous USA which couldn’t be missed on this crosscountry trip. At Mount St. Helens, famous for its violent 1980 eruption, the scars of the lateral volcanic blast are still visible today.
Some of the islands along Washington’s shore.
Mount St. Helen’s is famous for its catastrophic eruption in 1980.
Damian underestimated the drop at the end of this decline. He almost rolled his truck.
Following the coast of Oregon south, we jumped at the opportunity to switch rock with sand and went off-roading in the Oregon Dunes, a popular area for sand buggies and ATVs. Most trails through the deep sand are for ATVs and too narrow for trucks. We continued inland over windy mountain roads and visited the Newberry National Volcanic Monument with its lava fields. One of the most famous volcanic landscapes is Crater Lake, the deepest lake in the US.
After exactly 30,000 miles, just four days short of six months, we reached the border of California.
We drove to Bodie, supposedly the best preserved ghost town in the West. Then we attacked one of the most famous four wheel trails in the country. Our friend Damian had come all the way from Los Angeles to tackle the Rubicon with us. We both had not done this trail before. In the late afternoon we conquered the Gatekeeper and set up camp. The next day would become one of the longest days of our journey. With only two rigs we made good progress, although we had a club with more than forty Jeeps ahead of us and and a bunch of breakdowns on the trail creating additional obstacles. The camp area in Rubicon Springs was over-crowded so we decided to push on. It was close to 9 p.m. when we reached Cadillac Hill where I rolled our rig in an off-camber section. We tried to radio for help but did not get an answer. With a Hi-Lift jack, tow straps and one Jeep on all four wheels we finally managed to get the XXXpedition vehicle back on its feet. It was 11 pm when we continued our trip.
Crater Lake was left after an enormous volcanic eruption several thousand years ago. It is known for its cobalt blue water in the nearly circular caldera.
Bodie Ghost Town was one of the wildest settlements with shootouts on a daily basis.
The Rubicon features obstacle after obstacle. It used to be called the toughest trail in the country. Today, in times of Rock Buggies, it is a moderate four wheel spot.
After a relaxing day at Lake Tahoe we visited Yosemite National Park and explored the rugged wilderness on foot. We found a last chance to use our four wheel drive in the deep sand of Pismo Beach where we met up with some friends who accompanied us on our last leg to Los Angeles. Six months and exactly one week after we had left for this trip we arrived back in LA.
We rolled our truck shortly before dark. It took us two hours to get the rig back on its wheels.
A CJ8 at the infamous Gatekeeper, the tough first obstacle on the Rubicon Trail.
A sand rail in action at Pismo Beach.
A long journey through many states had ended and we needed some time to digest countless impressions. This XXXpedition was definitely a great experience and hopefully we can do a similar adventure in the near future.
Some Facts:
Miles: 31,885
Days on the road: 188
No. of states visited: 41
No. of National Parks* visited: 78
No. of oil changes: 9
No. of sponsor stops: 6
No. of nights spent
- in motels (incl. New York City): 12
- with friends: 21
- camping: do the math
*including National Seashore, National Lakeshore, National (Volcanic, Scenic, Historic) Monument, National Scenic Area, National Parkway, and National Preserve.