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Four-Exploring by Jeep — A How To Guide Four-Exploring by Jeep — A How To Guide
Fun Exploring by 4×4 Wherever You Live Four-wheeling is more than just bouncing around in rocks doing hard core trails. Stacie and I do... Four-Exploring by Jeep — A How To Guide

Fun Exploring by 4×4 Wherever You Live

Four-wheeling is more than just bouncing around in rocks doing hard core trails. Stacie and I do our share of rocks like the Rubicon Trail and Moab, UT, but we have also found that exploring, or overlanding, or jeep camping, or just 4×4 touring really has some fun side benefits.  And yes, we don’t break our rigs nearly as much!

“Four-Exploring” as we call it is taking out your 4×4-equipped rig, even stock, and finding someplace cool to explore, some part of the countryside you’ve not seen before, or visiting a ghost town in the desert.  It’s about picture-taking, critter watching, plant identification, cultural heritage learning, and letting your 4×4 take you away from the stress of everyday life.

 

Finding that spot where the pic is perfect, the sky beautiful, and the jeeps are lined up! Now THAT is 4-Exploring.

After the SEMA show this past Fall, we found some new territory to explore down by Needles, CA, right along the Colorado River. We both agree that finding new places to “four-explore” is in our blood and we let our fingers do the walking sometimes (on a map), or just jump at opportunities to see what the USA has to offer.  We loved camping and exploring right along the river.

RV camp along the river, with miles of jeeping nearby.

The deserts are full of old mining sites, vintage rusty cans (trash in those days), and even abandoned vehicles and settlers’ property.  It’s great to look and take pictures, but generally what you see should be left behind for someone else to see.  That is one reason nation, state and regional motorized groups fights so hard to maintain your access so you (and your relatives who can’t walk very well) can enjoy these treasures of the past.

Ghost towns and mining camps are favorites of the author for fun four exploring.

At one old abandoned mining site not far off the Colorado River, we found a real bonus – what appeared to be an old, hand-dug grave of some unfortunate who probably didn’t die an easy death in those days.  The rocks lining his grave site left little doubt that someone had taken care to “bury him right.”  They probably “spoke a few words” over the grave, as we hear said in today’s westerns.

Be careful in the back country, you never know who you might run into.

One fun thing to do is just ride desert washes (where trails/roads exist) and enjoy the geology and rock formations that make the southern deserts so unique and interesting.  Many times I’ve seen where uplifting, upheaval and other normal volcanic and geologic processes have created unique and beautiful rock patterns that make you put on the brakes and break out the camera.

Nothing like a simple desert wash with a few rocks to make your four exploring that much more fun.

The main tips for four exploring include:

  1. Have a good map and/or GPS with a SPOT or other tracker so your friends and family can follow along.
  2. Plan your trip and let folks know your schedule.
  3. Take plenty of water (and fuel, of course).  If you are not “finding a bush often” you are probably not drinking enough, especially in the desert.
  4. Have a first aid kit and know how to use it, but most importantly know how to keep the blood in and the victim breathing.
  5. Make sure your jeep is trail ready, will not break, and does not drip fluids.

The idea, really, as you see is just to get outside and do it.  Go jeeping.  See some country; even if just for a day. Take a friend.  Enjoy a picnic.  And help us keep the sport of fun four-exploring alive and well.

Del Albright Ambassador

Internationally published author; WorldWide ModernJeeper Abassador and 2014 Inductee of the Off Road Motorsports Hall of Fame. Del has been involved in the Jeeping Lifestyle for longer then most of us can count. His educational and mentorship programs have helped developed warfighters in the ongoing battle to keep Public Lands Open to the Public.

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