JULY/AUGUST 2009

Expedition Buffalo River

by Chris Tolleson

“So, you want to go on a mini-expedition to northern Arkansas?” asked Greg Thompson. “We can find out if an expedition suits you,” he continued “You can get the feel of it but if you decide to go, you can’t bring what you bring to the Crawl, the Round Up or GSMTR.”

Greg was telling me that my wife Debbie and I couldn’t roll like the Clampetts on this expedition. Granted, we have a reputation for traveling heavy to Land Cruiser events. FJ40 on the trailer? Check. Big tent? Check. 155-quart cooler full of beer? Check. Norcold fridge full of food? Check. Satellite dish and plasma TV? Check. Queen size air mattress? Check. You get the idea—we pull into Katemcy or Gray Rock and look like we’re moving there.

This time we would leave our beloved 1976 FJ40 at home recuperating from the Round Up and take the 1994 FZJ80 with 134k out for a run but first we needed to get it ready to go. I purchased the 80 in 1997 and drove it stock for years. In 2005, my shop, 49 Tire, installed a 2.5" OME lift, an ARB bumper and a snorkel—hey look at me, I’m cool! That’s when I met Greg and the rest of the CottonLand Cruisers crew and began to build up my truck. Sliders from Metal-tech and LT315/75-16 Firestone Destination MTs and a few other mods came pretty quickly.

Using the excuse of an expedition, our 80 received a used Warn M12000 winch, with new half-inch synthetic line from Butch Baker, dual Optima yellow tops with a National Luna dual battery controller from Equipt Expedition Outfitters, a 1,000 watt power inverter and most importantly, a new sound system. Jeff Murrah taught me one thing about Cruisers: “If it ain’t got tunes, it ain’t worth a crap!”

Greg graciously helped me spend my money and assisted with much of the installation work. Another friend built a drawer system for the rear. A check of all the fluids, brakes, belts and hoses and we were ready to go!

A few years ago, Greg did a trip from from Jackson, Mississippi to Fruita, Colorado and ran the Kokopelli Trail down to Moab, Utah, with Bob Devereaux—he learned a lot from that expedition. Since then, he has installed LT315/75-16 BF Goodrich KM2’s from 49 Tire, a Brown Davis 175 liter fuel tank, new side panel and tailgate storage from wagongear.com and replacement synthetic rope for the winch on his built FJ62.

With a detailed itinerary in hand and Greg’s father Mark newly arrived from Zachary, Louisiana, we left Florence, Mississippi for Conway, Arkansas and an overnight stay in a hotel.

What is it about getting in your Cruiser or towing a Cruiser to an event that makes it so exciting? We’ve all felt it—not sleeping the night before, pushing your tow rig just a little too hard into Murphy, North Carolina or buying all the beer in Brady, Texas because you know you’re fixin’ to have a great time. We found ourselves possessed of the same restless anticipation. We couldn’t wait to get on some trails and find out just what was out there.

With the sun going down, we bantered back and forth over the CB to expend some of our nervous energy and pass the time as we rolled through the Louisiana and Arkansas delta and climbed slowly into Little Rock and on to Conway. We found a hotel suitable to everyone’s taste and got some rest before we drove into the Buffalo River National Park the next morning. We then headed up to St. Joe, Arkansas and stopped at Buffalo River Outfitters. Greg got intel on routes, river levels and creek crossings and I bought t-shirts—one guides, the other shops!

Our Cruisers quickly got off asphalt roads and onto unfamiliar county dirt roads that revealed beautiful valleys and blooming dogwoods. We drove along scenic riverbeds and noticed driftwood hanging in the tree limbs 50 ft. above our heads, where the raging river had deposited them in livelier times. Downed limbs everywhere evidenced a recent winter ice storm as scraps of fresh cut trees and debris ominously lined the road.

We witnessed poverty about which many of us have no clue in places long since forgotten: Snowball, Deer and Moccasin Gap, to name a few. Over every hill we came upon the shells of small communities turned into ghost towns like something out of a movie.

Greg had made plans to see the Nars and Skull Bluff area but getting there would require crossing Richland Creek. A gentleman Greg flagged down told us about the county road creek crossing. “I don’t care where you go but that sumbitch is deep,” he offered helpfully. We came up on the creek and true to the stranger’s word, it looked deep. Greg quickly changed into his swimsuit and walked into the creek to make an assessment. After overcoming a brush with hypothermia, Greg joined Debbie, Mark and I in preparing the trucks for the crossing: gaffers tape on the doors, winch controller ready, front and rear lockers on.

Ready, set, go! I finally justified the purchase of my snorkel as the 80’s rear end shifted with the current but all the lights that we hoped would stay off did just that. We came out on the other side dry and running! What a feeling, just like coming up the Waterfall at Katemcy or the Canyon at Gray Rock. You’re so proud of your truck and maybe of yourself as well. Greg then followed in the 62 without problems and has since decided to purchase a snorkel. You couldn’t wipe the grin off his face if you used a Brillo pad...