Michigan (and surrounding areas) BS thread
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 187
Likes: 24
From: Cedar Springs, MI
JK Enthusiast
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 210
Likes: 2
From: Richmond, MI
It was great, I had a chance to play in the rocks quite a bit.
Drummond Island was really cool. We left from St. Helen at about 6:00 am and headed out to the island. I think we made it onto the island about 10:00-10:30 am. My brother wanted to trailer the Jeep up just in case we had problems and because driving in his new Chevy pickup was a lot more comfortable not to mention quieter than riding in the jeep. I had a plan on where we wanted to go, our first stop was the tourism center to grab a map and ask about the tough spots. The nice lady at the desk told me where to stay away from because the water was very high in some spots at that time and I didn't want to turn the Jeep into a submarine. We headed out for another 20 min drive or so east and found the parking lot, unloaded the Jeep off the trailer and started the fun. We did not hit very much mud but the water was pretty deep in spots, nothing over the doors though, but pretty close.
At Marble Head we ran into another group of Jeeps that was making the decent down the rocks, we watched the last one go down. Great group of guys and gals. My trip down the rocks was pretty uneventful, I had a little bit more clearance than the Rubicon that went down before me, he rubbed a little on the control arms or frame (can't remember which) on that first drop which was the biggest one. I made it through unscathed.
Once at the bottom we stopped for some lunch and walked around to take in the sights, great scenery! We also took some time to look at the other Wranglers and compare notes, that was great. When it was time to leave I mentioned to my brothers, "well, I hope I don't stall it going up!" The guy that I was standing next to couldn't believe that I had a manual trans, he made the comment that was way to much work for him!!
Well the good news was I made it up the rocks without stalling it. I climbed the first set of rocks quite easily, the final two ledges were a little tougher and I had to back down one ledge to take another line as I was a little too close to this big boulder on my left and I didn't want to slide into it. My brother, who was spotting for me, said that last climb was pretty cool as the tire mushroomed out over the rock, grabbed it and up I went.
We headed out of Marble Head and made our way to shale beach which was really neat, the amount of rocks out there was awesome. A lot of spiders in those rocks as well. The trial was pretty cool on the way there as well, nothing overly technical but at certain points you did need to take a line and drive a little bit.
Overall the Jeep performed great, I had no complaints. I do think the highlight of my day was stopping to help the guy with the YJ fix his carb. I carry quite a bit of tools with me and they came in handy. He ended up getting it running again and he turned around and made it out to the main road without too much trouble.
The one thing I learned with having a manual trans in the rocks is you can't have a low enough low range. I think that, coupled with the fact I got an awesome deal, is why I pulled the trigger on a Rock Trac transfer case. I will get at least some of my money out of it when I head out west in a couple of months for Moab!
Sorry if I rambled on, you caught me at a time when I was planning my summer vacation and I can't wait to get the jeep off road again. All the cold and snow this winter is kinda got me down a little right now and I had a lot of fun remembering this trip.
I'll throw up some pics from my phone in the next post.
Drummond Island was really cool. We left from St. Helen at about 6:00 am and headed out to the island. I think we made it onto the island about 10:00-10:30 am. My brother wanted to trailer the Jeep up just in case we had problems and because driving in his new Chevy pickup was a lot more comfortable not to mention quieter than riding in the jeep. I had a plan on where we wanted to go, our first stop was the tourism center to grab a map and ask about the tough spots. The nice lady at the desk told me where to stay away from because the water was very high in some spots at that time and I didn't want to turn the Jeep into a submarine. We headed out for another 20 min drive or so east and found the parking lot, unloaded the Jeep off the trailer and started the fun. We did not hit very much mud but the water was pretty deep in spots, nothing over the doors though, but pretty close.
At Marble Head we ran into another group of Jeeps that was making the decent down the rocks, we watched the last one go down. Great group of guys and gals. My trip down the rocks was pretty uneventful, I had a little bit more clearance than the Rubicon that went down before me, he rubbed a little on the control arms or frame (can't remember which) on that first drop which was the biggest one. I made it through unscathed.
Once at the bottom we stopped for some lunch and walked around to take in the sights, great scenery! We also took some time to look at the other Wranglers and compare notes, that was great. When it was time to leave I mentioned to my brothers, "well, I hope I don't stall it going up!" The guy that I was standing next to couldn't believe that I had a manual trans, he made the comment that was way to much work for him!!
Well the good news was I made it up the rocks without stalling it. I climbed the first set of rocks quite easily, the final two ledges were a little tougher and I had to back down one ledge to take another line as I was a little too close to this big boulder on my left and I didn't want to slide into it. My brother, who was spotting for me, said that last climb was pretty cool as the tire mushroomed out over the rock, grabbed it and up I went.
We headed out of Marble Head and made our way to shale beach which was really neat, the amount of rocks out there was awesome. A lot of spiders in those rocks as well. The trial was pretty cool on the way there as well, nothing overly technical but at certain points you did need to take a line and drive a little bit.
Overall the Jeep performed great, I had no complaints. I do think the highlight of my day was stopping to help the guy with the YJ fix his carb. I carry quite a bit of tools with me and they came in handy. He ended up getting it running again and he turned around and made it out to the main road without too much trouble.
The one thing I learned with having a manual trans in the rocks is you can't have a low enough low range. I think that, coupled with the fact I got an awesome deal, is why I pulled the trigger on a Rock Trac transfer case. I will get at least some of my money out of it when I head out west in a couple of months for Moab!
Sorry if I rambled on, you caught me at a time when I was planning my summer vacation and I can't wait to get the jeep off road again. All the cold and snow this winter is kinda got me down a little right now and I had a lot of fun remembering this trip.
I'll throw up some pics from my phone in the next post.
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 187
Likes: 24
From: Cedar Springs, MI
I'm glad to hear you had a great time. My wife and I loved Drummond island too. We took our 97 TJ up there this past summer. My TJ is a stick as well. It crawled right up the stairs at marble head. You will love Moab! We went a few years ago and rented a JKU. That was fun, but I really want to go back with my own Jeep. I would love to do the white rim trail (and many others). Just last night I was asking my wife when we get to go back to Moab. Probably the best vacation I've ever taken.
