the 2500 mile trip begins, working on upgrades 2017 X3

[John@Outfront]

The daily is awesome. Look forward to seeing every day. Do you guys have a starlink or just getting lucky with service every day?

The speed car has star link but we are in remote motels in small towns. The speed car blew a ps pump so we had to go down into manti and gram and find a belt to bypass his pump for rest of trip

 

[John@Outfront]

210 miles! Crazy day both awesome and some serious issues with speed car. Working on some Mac guyver fixes and will keep you posted Riding the Rim for 100 miles was absolutely spectacular! Spent most of the ride between 8000-11000 feet

 

[John@Outfront]

Up on the 100 mile ridge the speed car had a bad hydraulic leak near the motor. There is no way to fix this leak in the road nor could we drive 30 miles to the nearest towns. Manti and Ephram so we removed the belt but now he has no alternator either but at least we could proceed. He was watching his voltage and got down to 8 volts when car shut off in Manti. But all the stores were closed because of a state holiday. So we jumped his car for 15 min and he drove to Ephram Found a correct belt to run only alternator, ate lunch and went back up the hill for the remaining 100 miles

But during a stop the owner said his steering is so tough that he can’t do another day like this. My Mac Guyver kicked in. The reason is the ram and servi are still filled with ps fluid. With some thought we disconnected the ram lines and turned the steering to push the remaining oil out and hooked up a crossover hose so the ram can now move and not be under a constant hydraulic lock situation. Capped off the pump supply and return lines and wrapped a plastic bag, electrical tape and zip ties around the servo to keep dirt out.

He still has an additional electric power steering so I think he will be ok

 

[John@Outfront]

We should be in Wyoming tomorrow night

 

[John@Outfront]

At approx 1500 miles so far. Today we go through 3 states. WY, Utah, Idaho. Be close to bear lske. 160 miles. All cars still running. Got in early yesterday. Went to the movies. At it again this AM. Leave at 7:30. Pack a lunch. No gas on the entire ride. My 15 gallon gas tank and 12 mph has been awesome. What would I change on my car so far is a larger or thicker radiator as there have been times even in cooler weather while climbing huge mountains my temp has got to max (7 bars). I don’t know if my dash has an over heat light but I did have to pull over twice because the temp was uncomfortably high to let it cool off

 

[Crusty]

From our ride host about the ride tomorrow:

FYI: tomorrows route is great: Skyline Drive (often just called "the Skyline") in central Utah, it is one of the finest high-elevation backcountry drives in the western United States and a favorite among adventure motorcyclists, SxS riders, Jeep owners, and ATV enthusiasts.

Overview

Skyline Drive follows the crest of the Wasatch Plateau through the Manti–La Sal National Forest, stretching for more than 100 miles. Much of the route stays above 10,000 feet, with long sections riding directly along the mountain ridgeline.

What makes it special?
Spectacular 360-degree views across central Utah.
Long ridgelines where you can see valleys on both sides of the mountain.
Huge aspen groves that turn brilliant gold in the fall.
Alpine meadows filled with wildflowers during July and August.
Numerous small mountain lakes and excellent camping opportunities.
Frequent wildlife sightings including elk, deer, moose, hawks, and eagles.
The road

Skyline Drive is primarily a graded dirt and gravel road.

Conditions vary:

Look forward to being overwhelmed and bewildered by the striking beauty of nature God created.