Fall 2015 | Volume 8 | Issue 4

Most would say Arizona is just a hot desert. You’ve been to the Grand Canyon and saw the big hole in the ground, but have you been to southern Arizona and witnessed the grandeur of the wide open ranges around the Patagonia Mountains and the San Rafael Valley? I got that chance when I was made aware of an Arizona FJ event called the AZFJ Monsoon Border Run. They run it every few years. It’s an all day adventure starting in Tuscon and stretching south to the Arizo-na/Mexico border and back up to Sierra Vista for dinner then completing a huge loop back to Tucson.

For many people CruiserFest once again started with the trail rides. Groups met in Moab, UT; City of Rocks, ID; Grand Junction and Denver, CO, and spent as many as five days overland.

The lengthy distance from the Sydney on the East coast of Australia to Mungo National Park was nothing less than a big commitment. The Landcruiser GX towing the Conqueror UEV440 Camper Trailer was more than capable of tackling the variable conditions that Australian roads are well known for.

We had a long day of driving as we made our way to Ouray, CO. We had spent 3 days at the Grand Canyon South Rim and one night near Monument Valley. Our mini-convoy of three FJs from S. California rounded that final corner off the 550 highway into Ouray and I was excited. We had finally arrived at another FJ Summit, my 4th. We parked the FJs and walked into the vendor area, caught many familiar faces and exchanged greetings. Attendees were lining up for dinner at FJ Summit headquarters, Twin Peaks Lodge while others were browsing vendor booths. You could sense everyone was ready to hit some trails and make memories with new and old friends.