This was an interesting day. It started out with a nice run down a wash that put us at the base of a short and steep hill. I had to inquire why the name Carburetor Hill had been chosen and joked about my TJ having fuel injection. The trail leader told me that some carbed vehicles sometimes experience problems. We did some deliberate practicing of stopping half way up the hill and then backing down. I also learned what is it like (at least fairly close) to lose 1/2 of my drive train while going up the hill. The short summary is that it can (and most usually would) result in a roll-over. We tested this maneuver near the base of the hill until a bit of experience was gained at handling this problem.
Anyway, enough of that and here are a couple of photos. (Yes, in case anyone was wondering my TJ crawled to the top without slipping a tire.)
 A view of the hill from the bottom. Do you see Joe standing up on top over to the right side? |
 A view from the hill after you park your TJ on top of it. Hello down there! |
 Another shot looking down the hill. Airing down is a big help for a hill like this one. Note the big bowl that has been dug out over time as vehicles have struggled to get over the top. It is big enough to almost park your Jeep in. |
 The entrance to a small hard-rock mine that was further down the trail from Carburetor Hill. |
 This is what happens when your front wheels drop into a cut in the trail and your front bumper is too low. It becomes a road-grader blade! |
 I’ve been carrying that new bright-yellow tow strap around for the past 8 months. I finally got to use it on the Suzuki. |
A cactus keeps watch over a beautiful mountain side |
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