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2009 Dodge 3500 & 2007 Ultimate Adventure Jeep JK Missoula Montana Road Trip - The Road RulesIf You Can't Wheel, Hit The Road From the August, 2009 issue of 4Wheel & Off-Road By Fred Williams Photography by Fred Williams
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The Fun Buggy was broken after last month's racing escapade, the Army Truck needed a power steering pump, the Red Sled is getting dismantled for parts allocation in an upcoming project, and Clampy busted both rear spring center pins the last time out. As a result, going wheeling would involve wrenching, and for some reason I just didn't feel like opening up the tool box or my wallet for required parts. I just needed a break from smog-encrusted Los Angeles for a few days. I needed a road trip. Like most of you, my boss won't simply hand me the corporate gas card just because I want to go see the countryside. I needed a good excuse, and I found it in the company parking garage. The Ultimate Adventure 2007 Jeep JK, commonly referred to as the RubiWagon, was sitting on two flat tires, had a dead battery, and wasn't willing to start or run for some reason. This meant it had to be delivered back to Missoula, Montana, to the headquarters of American Expedition Vehicles for its two-year checkup. At least that's what I told the boss. Before he could question me I snaked the gas card, grabbed the keys to a '09 Dodge 1-ton test truck, and hitched up the 4-Wheel & Off-Road trailer. He was yelling about not spending too much money as I laid tracks out the office parking lot and pointed my bugout vehicle north.  Later this year Dodge will...  Later this year Dodge will release its redesigned Heavy Duty trucks, but in this economy many '08-'09 trucks are still on the lots awaiting buyers. I've been considering getting one as my own personal tow rig, but wanted some seat time in the current truck to compare to the new truck. From the press fleet I commandeered a Quad Cab Ram 3500 with a 6.7L Cummins and an automatic. The 68RFE six-speed automatic and diesel engine didn't care at all about the 9,800-pound load behind it.  When I'm on the road I try...  When I'm on the road I try to stop by the 4x4 shops and off-road parts manufacturers I pass to see what they have going on. The guys at Portaltek (www.portaltek.com) make custom portal axles. They are working on a lightweight Super 14-bolt axle that will be similar to a Ford 9-inch but with stronger 14-bolt gears and lockers; stay tuned for the exclusive first look.  Editor Pw told me that I couldn't...  Editor Pw told me that I couldn't spend any money on this trip, so I filled my ARB cooler with bread, milk, peanut butter, and jelly. I laid out my sleeping bag in the back seat of the Quad Cab every night I was on the road. The back seat has a level loading system for an enjoyable place to sleep, and the remote-start key fob means you can crank up the truck and get the heat going without leaving your sleeping bag. I'd recommend the Mega Cab version for bigger drivers.  Getting a dead trail rig on...  Getting a dead trail rig on the trailer involved some parking lot winching. Luckily our Carson trailer was built for hauling even the biggest of project vehicles.  I finally made it to Montana....  I finally made it to Montana. What a great state! I'm not sure why so many people feel the need to live in places like Los Angeles where there are tons of other people. Big Sky Country is way more appealing to me.  I dropped the RubiWagon off...  I dropped the RubiWagon off at AEV and spent a few days in Missoula goofing off-er, I mean working on stuff-before heading west through Idaho. Our snow-wheeling adventures will be in a future issue.  Since I was driving a Dodge...  Since I was driving a Dodge truck, I started noticing all the other new Dodge trucks and even visited Dave Smith Motors, the world's largest Dodge Dealer, in Kellog, Idaho. I also came across the specialty-built Dodge in Montana. Can you tell why it's an oddity?  Another favorite part of road...  Another favorite part of road trips is looking for old 4x4s (and possibly taking them home as my next project). By the time I found this barn-find-Flatty I had an empty trailer, but considering the snowplow and tire chains, it looked to still be in use.  I spent some time in Wallace,...  I spent some time in Wallace, Idaho, snow wheeling, wrenching on my friends 4x4s, and generally delaying the drive home. It's now one of my favorite places to visit. We even tried to burn some old magnesium Hummer run flats and found it to be stupidly fun, as water or snow just makes it burn all the brighter.  Besides four-wheeling, I'm...  Besides four-wheeling, I'm also a huge Bigfoot fan, but as much as I looked the only Sasquatch I saw on this trip was on a bag of jerky. Maybe he was hibernating.  The Route 95 corridor along...  The Route 95 corridor along the Salmon River is such an epic place I could have stayed for days, but with deadlines looming I begrudgingly headed south toward home.  All in all, I traveled 3,053...  All in all, I traveled 3,053 miles, got an average 14.3 mpg, and slept in the truck five nights. It was a great escape. One last thing: Bulls do not like to get their photo taken, be warned.
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