Expedition Trophy and Rally Pictures and Vids

[kcowyo]

Great pics Chris!!

Hey, has anyone heard from KC? I thought he would have made it back to WY and posted by now.

OK, so the last guy from the Rally to make it home has made it back to the forum! Man, when you go on a 12 day trip, there is a lot that needs tending to when you get back home, so I apologize for taking a while to get back in touch with everyone.

I can only echo the sentiments and gratitude expressed by everyone else here -
Thanks so much to Scott for organizing and hosting the event, and the sponsors who provided the challenge rewards. A first class event run by a top notch guy with an awesome rig. I hope you're making time to enjoy the results of all your hard work. Many thanks Scott!

To Chris, who let me be the tourist and didn't leave me lost out amongst the Saguaros, who gave me a great travel tip through Sedona (although I did misread the sign and kept trying to take Shelby Lane, not Shnelby Lane out of town. I finally got it right though.) and who shared his beautiful corner of the world with enthusiasm and genuine passion, I can't thank you enough. I can only hope to repay the favor someday!

To the Axe Man, Vince - Thank you so much for letting me crawl all over your rig, sharing your music and the interesting talks. With apologies to others, Vince has built an amazing outfit that was my favorite of the trip. What a generous spirit and talented artist, I hope we can hook up again on a trail soon!

The Prince of the ExPo Rally, ie He who wields (all) the mighty Scepter - Chuck. I swear our first meeting was like getting together with a life-long friend. Well, except for the part where you tried to run me over on the sand course! Thanks for sharing your Elk, the laughs, the cacti education and the genuine friendship. I wish we lived closer but until then, Colorado makes for a heck of a meeting ground. Soon, my friend, soon.

I don't want to ramble, but I did want to express my gratitude to a few others - Robb, a fellow T100 enthusiast with an awesome family and 'Cruiser. Al, who visited with me about Death Valley (and who also tried to mow me down on the sand course like he was Gregory Peck and I was a rabid dog), thanks for not killing me. GT, another one who on our first meeting was like hooking up with an old friend. Glad to hear the pooch is recovering Brian. Pasquale & Cristina, who so generously shared their music, local knowledge and enthusiasm. What a cool couple!

Wil, Tim, speedy Jeff, Ed (I covet thy 40), Ross and his beautiful girls, McVick (sick Disco), Aaron, Andrew it was a blast and a real treat for me in the rear of the pack to see everyone's outfits heading down the trail. This was huge trip for me and everyone played a part in it being so memorable. Thank you and bless you all for making me feel so welcome when I was so far from home.

I have a ton of pics that I'll be sorting through and posting over the holiday weekend and I'm going to bug Mr. Brady for some space here, in the Expedition Reports section, to do a full trip report with tons of Utah photos from the trip down and back. Thanks again to everyone!

So where are we going in 2006? :beer:

 

[blupaddler]

KC...Welcome home!!!

We're glad you made it back safely.

:jump:

 

[BajaTaco]

Hey man, we were honored to have such a special guest from so far away. Thanks for taking the time out to come and play with us. It was a great pleasure to finally meet you in person. And a nice T-100!

:beer: :beer: :beer:

 

[Desertdude]

Glad to hear you made it home! Did you get to the top of Schnebly road to camp? :camping:

 

[VikingVince]

KC,

Good to hear from you, dOOd... :jumping: Now I can say I have a friend in Wyoming!! It was really great that you made it to the rally as part of a 12 day solo trip. Geez, thanks for the compliment on my rig...there were some awesome rigs at the rally....maybe part of the reason you resonated with mine is because you could see the family potential...so bring the wife and kids down to southern Cal (are your kids old enough for Disneyland?)...you can stay at my place and show the wife what she's missing :hehe: LOL...you can all sleep in the flippac...your wife will love ya forever :hehe:

 

[kcowyo]

Glad to hear you made it home! Did you get to the top of Schnebly road to camp? :camping:

I did make it to the top of Schnelby road after 2 loops around Shelby Lane. The timing was perfect as I was at the top vista for sunset. The view was spectacular with a setting sun over Sedona, and a full moon rising behind me. Since it was only 5:30pm, I opted to head for the north rim of the Grand Canyon to be there for sunrise. The top would have been a great place to camp but I was too wired to sit still.

I didn't get to GCNP till about 1am, after a stop for awhile in Flagstaff, but I had the full moon lighting up the Vermillion Cliffs all the way in. There was some snow between Jacobs Lake and the north rim so I spent a very cold couple of hours trying to sleep until sunup. However the next night at Escalante State Park was by far the coldest night - 18 degrees!! Brutal, but the payoff was being at Capitol Reef NP all day, what a hidden gem.

Thanks for the tip though Pasquale, I will just have to return for another trip, right?

Vince - I think you're dead on with your reasons. Re SoCal - check your PM.

It was a great trip and it's good to be home. Thanks again to everyone!

 

[Desertdude]

but the payoff was being at Capitol Reef NP all day, what a hidden gem.

We love that area! Glad you could take the time to check it out- vosability well over 180 miles on a good day ( which is most days)

Thanks for the tip though Pasquale, I will just have to return for another trip, right?

Yes, you & yours have an open invite to come back down to Sedona anytime partner :gunt:

Enjoy that "BIG WYOMING SNOW" :archaeolo

 

[datrupr]

Bump!!! I finally got around to my photos after the memory is fading, I am still on that sand course almost everyday in mind though. Here are just a few of the over 80 pics that I took. Sorry, these are not in any particular order.

 

[Pskhaat]

but the payoff was being at Capitol Reef NP all day, what a hidden gem.

I love that park! Did you get the opportunity to drive the loop?

 

[Brian McVickers]

Great Pics Aaron.
Look forward to seeing the others!
The mountain shots came out very clear.

 

[kcowyo]

I love that park! Did you get the opportunity to drive the loop?

I did take the road all the way through the park and back out. I took the side roads to Grand Wash and Capitol Gorge, although due to time constraints and cold, I opted to skip the hikes. The drive into Capitol Gorge was beautiful, if short. I was hoping to take the 4WD road north up to Cathedral Valley, just outside of the park, but it was already 3pm by the time I got there, so I chose to skip that too for another visit in the future.

Nice pics Aaron! Actually everyone has posted great pics. I'm trying to figure out what Jeff is shooting with to get those quick frames from the sand course. I need to get busy with my trip report!

 

[Scott Brady]

I need to get busy with my trip report!

:jumping: :luxhello:

 

[datrupr]

Scott, great write up on the Rally in Off Road!:clapsmile

Too bad there were no good shots of the Trooper though But, if you look closely at the pic of Andy on his BMW you can see the Trooper in the background:victory:

How did the pic come out that you took of me coming the rock just past the windmill? Do you still have it? Can I see it? Just curious. Thanks again Scott.

 

[Scott Brady]

I am working on getting my published articles on the expeditionswest.com site, and have the one from the '05 Expedition Trophy finished.

Bloody Basin