The church office building is ENORMOUS!

[_Ceeboo]

Rock,

AWESOME pictures!
Gorgeous!

I would LOVE to take the temple sqaure tour (To be super clear, I really mean that).

What I would consider a very large bonus would be to enjoy a Utah-burger with the company of "rockslider".


Who knows, perhaps I can talk the bride into a trip to SLC.


Thanks again for the fascinating information/pics.

Peace,
Ceeboo

[_RockSlider]

Ceeboo,

Typically the high mountains are not accessible until about the third week of June at the earliest. The first threatening snow starts covering those trails about the third week of October. Come in that window of time and the burger will not do. I'll share a sandwich with you right were that jeep is parked.

I have two quads, you drive one and load your bride on the back of it. My wife and I will lead the way on the other.

god awaits you!

[_Quasimodo]

Looking at those winter photos - my jeep is sitting about 3/4's of the way up "Mary Elen Bowl"



There is a huge mine that you can still go in about 50 yards up from the rock slide of the switch backed road.

Now I know why you're called RockSlider! Great photos!

I have a little Wrangler TJ that I use to romp in the deserts around here. Pretty much stock except for bigger wheels. Your's looks hardcore. :)

I've never been to Mary Elen Bowl, but your pictures remind me a little of the canyon above donut falls in Big Cottonwood Canyon. I spent some great weekends up there in my youth.

[_RockSlider]

Now I know why you're called RockSlider! Great photos!
I have a little Wrangler TJ that I use to romp in the deserts around here. Pretty much stock except for bigger wheels. Your's looks hardcore. :)
I've never been to Mary Elen Bowl, but your pictures remind me a little of the canyon above donut falls in Big Cottonwood Canyon. I spent some great weekends up there in my youth.

Yes, a "rock slider" is a piece of heavy metal that is fitted under the doors and spans between the two wheels. Its purpose is to help avoid high centering on huge boulders by allowing the vehicle to slide over/around the boulder.
This side view clearly shows one of the two rock sliders on my jeep.



TJ's are fantastic and even the mostly stock ones will do more than most realize. The body of mine is a cj, but the whole underworkings are custom (1 ton truck axles, fully locked, atlas xfer with doubler etc.) Its not street legal.

[_Ceeboo]

Yes, a "rock slider" is a piece of heavy metal that is fitted under the doors and spans between the two wheels. Its purpose is to help avoid high centering on huge boulders by allowing the vehicle to slide over/around the boulder.
This side view clearly shows one of the two rock sliders on my jeep.



TJ's are fantastic and even the mostly stock ones will do more than most realize. The body of mine is a cj, but the whole underworkings are custom (1 ton truck axles, fully locked, atlas xfer with doubler etc.) Its not street legal.

GREAT picture (Waaaaaaay cool!)

by the way: Who is the good looking guy driving?


Peace,
Ceeboo

[_RockSlider]

For those that might have done some rock crawling, that is a very technical obstacle. The driver side front wheel is fully engaged on the sidewalls on the cliff. That is not a wheelly. The reason the passenger side wheel is off the rock is because of axial torsion on the frame.

You see that block behind the driver side rear wheel, that is what is causing it. It is what you would call totally "hooked up", while the passenger rear is in loose dirt and is defiantly not "hooked up". This causes the torsion.

The trick is to keep the driver front wheel and the driver side rock slider engaged (that rock slider is sliding in that picture) to offset the frame torsion, otherwise you will simply torque over that passenger front leaving the jeep on its side.

If your driver front wheel and slider slips off the sidewall, let leaves you on your side rather quickly.

And yes the rugged driver is yours truly.

Also note that the articulation on that suspension is massive (about 5') and the reason that wheel is not articulated down to the rock is because the winch is tied to the axel to keep it from dropping out (helps keep the other side on the sidewall)

[_Blixa]

You can also check out Daymon Smith's book, The Book of Mammon, for another wonderful account of what it is like to work at the COB. There is also a four part series with him talking about his experiences on John Dehlin's MormonStories podcasts. Those are extremely worth while.

I remember when the COB was built. It was not well received by people with a love of Salt Lake City heritage since it neither fit in with the surrounding area and blocked many of the lovely views. The original plans did not work out well either: the two flaming altars at the base were turned into planters after the "fire fountains" wouldn't work. That's why there were incongruous over-large planters at the base near the hemispherical maps (not sure if they are still there, I suppose I could Google earth to find out). It still sticks out like a sore thumb, but with all the recent gutting of downtown, not the mention the shameful sectioning of main street and moving of the Brigham Young monument, it will probably blend in to the new generic cityscape under planning. I've never understood the penchant for historical destruction by the Mormon hierarchy. I guess it goes hand in hand with the "cookie cutter" directives for ward houses. The lost architecture and distinctive ambiance of many neighborhoods in Salt Lake, Provo and elsewhere are truly tragic. If you tour the Conference Building for example, you'll hear little about aesthetics, design and architecture compared to the price lists your guide will quote about how much the materials cost and the great pains taken to import them!

[_Jersey Girl]

Hey Rock,

Is that you? Why do you do that stuff?

[_Jersey Girl]

Hey Rock,

Is that you? Why do you do that stuff?

[_RockSlider]

Hey Rock,

Is that you? Why do you do that stuff?

Some men deal with their testosterone with their toys, some abuse woman in the Trailer park, who can say???