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wheelin with JKs

6K views 29 replies 20 participants last post by  CommanderDrako 
#1 ·
Went for a nice ride today with several JKs.


The trail is Santa Ynez Peak - up and over the mountains from Lake Cachuma to the Santa Barbara coast. It was supposed to be all smooth fire road.


My buddy's JK, he organized the ride. He's the original owner of the tires and rims on my Commander.


We did find some challenging areas.


They wanted me to stay at the bottom while they tried a climb (all had lifts, and there was a huge rock at the start of the climb)
 
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#2 ·
They got some suspension flex


But I found a really steep line that bypassed the rock. I love the hemi! They were surprised when I showed up behind them on the trail


After that I was included in everything. The JK folks kept raving about the capabilities of the Commander. My passengers were happy too.


Happiness is Rubicons in your rear mirror


The final bonus? 2 weeks from today the baby is due. So I guess this counts as her first off-road trip.
 
#4 ·
Very nice pics!!!
 
#5 ·
Love the pics. More please.
 
#6 ·
The trail runs along the backbone ridge separating the coast from the first inland valley. Unfortunately, the fog never fully burned off today. We would go from sun


to heavy fog


to drifting right at the edge


back to fog


to great views of the inland lake Cachuma


But it never burned off enough to show a picture of the ocean
 
#7 ·
here's an old beach pic of the same area
 
#8 ·
Great Photos. Glad to see you didn't let the JK's out perform the Commander!
 
#9 ·
Nice pics. Glad to hear that the XK was able to hang with the JKs. Your friend sure does have one nice looking JK. Looks like your family had a good time also. That is what it's all about.
 
#12 ·
Great pics! I can't wait to go find somewhere to play around here. I think the Commander is far more capable than most other Jeepers want to admit.
 
#13 ·
We have some nice trails here but nothing like that. Thanks for sharing.
 
#14 ·
That trail is right where I used to live! I had to relocate from Solvang (Santa Ynez Valley) to Vacaville in late February, and haven't been back since. I used to run that trail at least twice a week as a detour on my commute from Santa Barbara.

The views from there are spectacular... Where are you located, sespe?

Here are a couple more pics from up there, maybe six months ago:
 

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#15 ·
HEMI said:
Here are a couple more pics from up there, maybe six months ago:
....................

 
#16 ·
AWESOME Photos, Sespe!!! Thanks for sharing and congratulations on the new Jeeper! :D
 
#18 ·
HEMI said:
That trail is right where I used to live! I had to relocate from Solvang (Santa Ynez Valley) to Vacaville in late February, and haven't been back since. I used to run that trail at least twice a week as a detour on my commute from Santa Barbara.

The views from there are spectacular... Where are you located, sespe?
We're all from the Ventura area. I'd love to have that as part of my commute.
 
#19 ·
Fohn_Jargo said:
So, any chance a stock Commander with QT1 could make it?

Looks like a great ride. How long did it take to get to the end?
The trail guide stated that "any stock high-clearance SUV" would make it. Most of the drama shots were taken on a side path, not the main road. Some of the main road areas did have some mean-looking tire shredder rocks on them. I definitely wouldn't attempt it without a spare.

From start to end was about 3 1/2 hours. We had a lot of sightseeing stops and detours. Most of the road is fenced and clearly marked, but there are a couple areas where alternative trails branch off. Pavement to pavement could be done in under 2 hours. If you go from 154 to 101, the last half is all downhill on pavement.
 
#20 ·
At the north end of Camino Cielo, did you take Refugio road down to 101 (left turn) or down into Santa Ynez (right turn)? This is assuming you started at the top of 154 pass, heading north. The right turn on Refugio and descent into the valley is a really neat part of the trail, it's kinda "ledgy" and into and out of some wooded areas.
I am getting homesick....:(
-Hemi
 
#21 ·
sespe commander said:
The final bonus? 2 weeks from today the baby is due. So I guess this counts as her first off-road trip.
She's here! Helen Irene was born at 8:51 this morning. Time to change the license plate frame!
 
#23 ·
Congrats! Glad that the little one went for that ride on West Camino in the womb - it will make a great family story down the road.
 
#24 ·
Congrats!!!! They are lots of fun!!!
 
#25 ·
sespe commander said:
She's here! Helen Irene was born at 8:51 this morning. Time to change the license plate frame!
Congrats! Wow, a set of before-and-after pics the likes of which we've never seen on this forum???

:D
 
#26 ·
great news and good photos congats
 
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