2021-02-22, 07:16 PM
I talked at length with Mr. Farabee when he first came to DV. At that time, he was debating whether to bring any Rubicons from Colorado, or just the standard Wranglers. For those of you not familiar, a Jeep Rubicon is a Wrangler, but equipped from the factory with front and rear locking differentials (happy buttons), disconnecting front sway bar, 4:1 low range transfer case and 32" tires. Farabee outfits his standard Wranglers with 32" tires, skid plates, and all the Jeeps have a SPOT device.
Fast forward a few years, and I stopped by and talked to him. He had brought in Rubicons, but it turns out, as Tacoland imagined, the vast majority of his customers wanted the Jeep "experience", and to drive on dirt roads, like Titus Canyon. So, the Rubis went back to Colorado. I haven't come through Furnace Creek in a few years, so not sure what the current inventory looks like. If he has Rubis, it would certainly be worth the money over the standard Wrangler.
Farabee's has had one of their rigs flop at Chicken Rock. I'm not sure what he does. You do have the option for insurance coverage, which includes off road damage, but I'm not sure if you flopped it. For mechanical failures, my understanding is they would send a replacement Jeep, and then deal with getting the injured one back to base. To the best of my knowledge, he does not have a contract with Millers out of Lone Pine for towing and recovery.
Dedeckera Canyon, in my mind, is more remote and certainly less traveled than Goler Wash / Mengals. Difficulty depends on the year. Dedeckera's stairsteps can be tough on a long wheelbase rig, especially if the sand is washed out of the area. Goler has also changed radically over the years, from near inaccessible in the 1970s to a freeway in the 1990s and pretty much anything in between. To me, Mengals has remained relatively constant, though I would agree unlocked rigs have torn it up more in the past few years. I think it's much easier going west to east, given gravity is on your side for the toughest part. I've run a number of different vehicles in both directions. The hardest to accomplish was my son's '04 Ram 2500, street tires, limited slip in the rear, long wheelbase. Running east to west, the rock garden adjusted one of his entry steps. They hung too low anyway; the V-notch at Swansea took out the matching one on the other side. It took some spotting to get a good line, but we made it up with minimal wheel spin.
Part of my problem these days is owning a vehicle that is perhaps a bit overbuilt for the area, since almost nothing seems difficult anymore. My XJ, is on 35s, locked front and rear, big axles, caged, winch, air, etc. I also want to err on the side of caution when posting in a public forum, and I don't know the capabilities of the individual or of their vehicle. I've seen so many times when a good driver can go places with a much less capable rig. As a side conversation, I'd be more inclined to share more info. I just don't want people to make assumptions based on something I've posted. I've also seen too many times when people have gotten themselves in trouble overestimating their abilities or their vehicle's.
David Bricker / SYR
Fast forward a few years, and I stopped by and talked to him. He had brought in Rubicons, but it turns out, as Tacoland imagined, the vast majority of his customers wanted the Jeep "experience", and to drive on dirt roads, like Titus Canyon. So, the Rubis went back to Colorado. I haven't come through Furnace Creek in a few years, so not sure what the current inventory looks like. If he has Rubis, it would certainly be worth the money over the standard Wrangler.
Farabee's has had one of their rigs flop at Chicken Rock. I'm not sure what he does. You do have the option for insurance coverage, which includes off road damage, but I'm not sure if you flopped it. For mechanical failures, my understanding is they would send a replacement Jeep, and then deal with getting the injured one back to base. To the best of my knowledge, he does not have a contract with Millers out of Lone Pine for towing and recovery.
Dedeckera Canyon, in my mind, is more remote and certainly less traveled than Goler Wash / Mengals. Difficulty depends on the year. Dedeckera's stairsteps can be tough on a long wheelbase rig, especially if the sand is washed out of the area. Goler has also changed radically over the years, from near inaccessible in the 1970s to a freeway in the 1990s and pretty much anything in between. To me, Mengals has remained relatively constant, though I would agree unlocked rigs have torn it up more in the past few years. I think it's much easier going west to east, given gravity is on your side for the toughest part. I've run a number of different vehicles in both directions. The hardest to accomplish was my son's '04 Ram 2500, street tires, limited slip in the rear, long wheelbase. Running east to west, the rock garden adjusted one of his entry steps. They hung too low anyway; the V-notch at Swansea took out the matching one on the other side. It took some spotting to get a good line, but we made it up with minimal wheel spin.
Part of my problem these days is owning a vehicle that is perhaps a bit overbuilt for the area, since almost nothing seems difficult anymore. My XJ, is on 35s, locked front and rear, big axles, caged, winch, air, etc. I also want to err on the side of caution when posting in a public forum, and I don't know the capabilities of the individual or of their vehicle. I've seen so many times when a good driver can go places with a much less capable rig. As a side conversation, I'd be more inclined to share more info. I just don't want people to make assumptions based on something I've posted. I've also seen too many times when people have gotten themselves in trouble overestimating their abilities or their vehicle's.
David Bricker / SYR
DV Rat. Live upstate NY, play Death Valley, retiring to Hawaii. '95 Cherokee, barely.