Recent work on my 2003 Trailblazer:
I replaced a CV axle on the passenger side. Along the way, I noticed that the outer tie rod end was loose. Along the way or replacing the outer tie rod end, I realized that the boot protecting the inner tie rod joint had cracked and exposed the ball joint. So, I replaced both inner and outer tie rod ends. I also went with the Tahoe/Z71 springs in the rear as I was finding that the rear was sagging when the back was loaded. I have also installed a roof rack, although it is currently tied to the factory crossbars and I'm finding those to be a bit wonky. Soon to come: I'm building my own rack crossbars, adding two jerry cans on the tire carrier, and installing a custom bumper and skid plate.
Our recent trip:
Happy Canyon is a remote slot canyon near the maze district of Canyonlands National Park in Utah, usually requiring a 3-day backpacking trip to access. But, a class 3 4x4 road runs within 5 miles of the canyon, so we decided to see if we could visit the canyon on a day hike. We drove in 16 miles from Highway 95 on BLM 15000 and ended up near GPS coordinates 38.11 N and -110.41 W. From here, the road was blocked by rockfall and we continued on foot.
- Driving to Happy Canyon from Highway 95
- Dirty Devil River Below
We went north along the butte for several miles on foot. We then descended 600 feet to the Dirty Devil River, where we had a very muddy river crossing. After entering the mouth of Happy Canyon, we continued for about 1 kilometer until the canyon narrowed. At that point, we were in the narrows of Happy Canyon, which we had all to ourselves.
I'm going to try to post some photos here from my Flickr account, at least until my photography site is back online.
https://flic.kr/p/tpSbYh
https://flic.kr/p/t39AoZ
We walked about a mile into the canyon, at which point we decided to turn back due to time and weather. We headed back toward the canyon mouth, made our way back across the river and up the butte, then back to the Trailblazer. We drove back toward Highway 95. We didn't see anyone during our entire hike. Using the 4x4 roads turned a 3-day backpacking trip into a long single-day 4x4 drive plus a 10-mile hike.
I took a photo of the Trailblazer next to a balanced rock while my girlfriend found a giant chunk of petrified wood nearby.
- Trailblazer near balanced rock
