Waking up in remembrance of the events of 9/11 had the crew a bit somber but we went through the mornings drivers meeting and Mr. Randy Byers spoke up and said that the least we could do to honor the men and women who sacrificed that day and for our country since then was to say the “Pledge of Allegiance” and everyone agreed. The end of the Pledge brought a round of applause and a blessed feeling through everyone. Gateway14

We started the day with some road miles toward Gateway Colorado and the scenery along the way was breathtaking to say the least. I think it gave everyone a chance to clear their mind and think about how lucky we are in this country to be able to undertake something like the JKX, there are very few places in this world where people have the freedom and economic ability to do so. As we dropped into Gateway the snaking line up of JK’s turned into the Gateway Resort and Auto Museum and who doesn’t like classic cars right? The group filed into the museum and everyones jaw dropped at the sight of the awesome car collection. The owner of the Resort and Museum has really put together something special and it is worth getting off the beaten path to visit and take a look. http://www.gatewayautomusuem.com

Once everyone had finished the tour we were advised to stop at the local gas stations and make sure we were topped off and had all the necessary items for lunch and dinner as we were headed deep into the Dolores Triangle and we would be camping that evening. The steep monument style walls and canyons we encountered once we started on the dirt road were awe inspiring and also made you wonder where we were headed as there couldn’t possible be a way out of the area….well that is of course unless Mel Wade is leading the group.

The road took a hard right hand turn and looked us straight into a canyon and you could start to make out what might be somewhat of a road headed up the side of the cliffs…yes i said cliffs. The goat trail was an old mining route that lead us up to an old abandoned camp and then eventually up on Steamboat Mesa where we took few group photos and flew the drone to get an aerial view of where we were at.

Once the group got back on the trail we were full tilt toward camp for the night but we still had some pretty crazy high speed dirt miles to make and then a river crossing before we ended the day on a slick rock camp near Moab. The day had provided just about every type of terrain you could imagine putting a JK through. Randy Byers said it best when he stated that this day was the epitome of what the JK Experience is and stands for.

With the smell of BBQ in the air and a cold beverage in everyone's hand the laughter filled the night and the party was on….I think its safe to say that there isn’t another adventure style outing such as the JK Experience and this day showcased all it has to offer.