AdventureTaco - turbodb's build and adventures

[turbodb]

IDBDR Pt. 8 - Driving the Lolo Motorway

Rocky Point proved once again to be one of the best camp sites of our trip and we slept well through the night. Wanting to capture sunrise, I was up early with a new idea - video - which also allowed me to catch another 90 minutes of sleep and yet still not miss anything!


Let me tell you, it was quite pleasant to wake up with the sun streaming in through the door at our feet, it's orange morning light illuminating the lookout visible through opposite side of the tent.

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Even with the extra sleep, sunrise was still early enough - and we knew we had a lot of ground to make up - that we were out of the tent and eating a granola bar breakfast by 7:00am. We chatted for another half hour with our gracious host, each wishing each other a safe journey and summer, thankful for the time we'd spent together. And then, we set off again - hopeful that this time we would finally complete the Lolo Motorway.

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The Lolo Motorway is a special road in American history. A route used for hundreds of years by Native American Indians, it was also the route that Lewis and Clark took on their travels west - and every few miles, there is an informative sign explaining their trials and tribulations on the trail. Later, it became a destination for early automobiles, a motorway through the woods. If there'd been Instagram, they'd have been #Overlanders. ?

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Moving right along, this eastern end of the Motorway was in great shape - the road reasonably graded and while not a completely smooth ride, one that still allowed us to travel at a reasonable 20mph or so - this guy hopping out of our way as we passed by.

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The new brake caliper - and brakes in general - seemingly working just as designed, we put a good 30 miles behind us before coming upon our first exploratory stop of the day - a sacred place known as Indian Post Office.

...This trail so old it used from time of creation by Nez Perce people to go to Montana to hunt Buffalo and some other time to war with other tribes of Indians, when Red Bear come to Indians Post Office on this trail, he tell Lewis - Clark and all, stop here, this is very place Indians come to send message - and to get Indian spirit medicine and do Indian worship in Indian custom - Here is where the Monster - the Big Coyote come to make powerful medicine for Indian,...

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Obviously a special place for the Nez Perce, it was clear that this area had been used for several hundred years - and is likely still in use today - it's grand views overlooking the Clearwater National Forest. As we explored, we found several large rock piles - their ritual use unknown to us, but a perfect castle to call home for a little chipmunk.

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We set off again, making our way through the Clearwater National Forest. Traffic on the road - as had been the case for nearly the entirety of our trip was non-existent, allowing us the opportunity to stop here and there for photos without giving a second thought to holding anyone else up.

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Armed with the absolutely beautiful book Backcountry Roads--Idaho, by Lynna Howard, we had a few extra waypoints along the Lolo - in addition to the couple provided by the BDR creators - that we decided to check out. They were of course slight detours off of the route, but even a day behind schedule, we were happy to take the time to experience the area fully.

Our first of these stops was a dramatic fire lookout - the Castle Butte Lookout Tower - perched atop a pile of granite on the top of Castle Butte.

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Quite clearly still in operation, there were apparently two people staffing this lookout (judging from the number of sleeping bags) but they were out exploring for the day when we made our way up to check things out. Like all lookouts, they commanded quite the view of their surroundings.

Sad to have missed a chance to hand out a few more chocolates - and hear the story of the lookout occupants - we wondered if we'd see them on the trail as we continued our trek west along the ridgeline, our elevation now varying between 5600' and 7000'. At these elevations, it was still spring, and boy were we in for a show. Some of the brightest green grass we'd seen so far, wildflowers lighting up the hillsides. Add to that the fact that - for really the first time - the forest was mostly unburned, and it was one of the most beautiful sections of the route so far!

Don't miss the rest of the story, and all the remaining photos that don't fit here (due to max post size). Hopefully that can change in the future, but until then...

Keep reading the rest here
IDBDR Pt. 8 - Driving the Lolo Motorway​

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[turbodb]

IDBDR Pt. 9 - Move Over, Moose!

I wasn't sure how sunrise would be given that we were in a bit of a bowl around Dworshak Reservoir - with no line of sight to the horizon - and no clouds in the sky - it could be a complete dud. And for the most part, that's what it was. Unimpressed, I went back to sleep.

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Having made good time yesterday, we still had a lot of making up to do - given our little brake caliper issue on the Lolo Motorway, and the fact that we'd spent two days completing the second stage of the IDBDR - so we got up reasonably early and ate a quick breakfast of granola bars before getting packed up and on our way just before 8:00am.

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Still in the land of Potlatch Corporation, we enjoyed good roads for an hour or so until we reached the leased/private/public land boundary - where I assume that USFS became responsible for the road, and it quickly went to ********. Until then though, we had mile markers and designated CB channels to call out our position - you know, so we weren't hit by any logging trucks barreling down the road with a full load.

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Of course, we didn't mind the roads-less-traveled, our aired down tires and reasonable suspension absorbing nearly everything that was thrown at them. Still making our way up and out of the bowl, we eventually came up on the Blue Heaven Cabin. A warming hut that's been painted blue (duh!), it's available year round on a first come basis and even on this warm morning, the front door was open and there was a bit of smoke coming out of the chimney - hopefully for cooking breakfast rather than warming the place up!

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Not wanting to disturb the occupants, we didn't linger or look around - opting instead to push forward towards the town of Avery, Idaho - the next waypoint we had on the route, and one with a bit of history to boot.

As we crested the final ridge however, we saw a Jeep Wrangler stopped in the road - one of it's occupants out of the vehicle, looking around on the ground. Naturally we stopped to make sure everything was OK. It was, the driver informed us - they were just a couple rock hounds out hunting for Azurite - a blue crystal - found in the area. So we continued on our way down the hill, eventually passing through a tunnel before finally arriving in the sleepy little town of Avery.

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Avery it turns out was once a bustling hub - a transportation center for the Cicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroads and a logging community for over 100 years. But fires in the early 1900s caused widespread panic - many residents fleeing; those who couldn't, finding refuge in the newly constructed railroad tunnels as the fires burned. Ultimately, fire fighters set back fires to save the town, but the damage was done. Today, 25 permanent residents call Avery home.

Still, it's fun to hear stories from the old days and think just how crazy the times must have been...

Roadside History of Idaho[/b]]I was cookin' the doughnuts and biscuits. Old Baldy Fropes he cooked the bacon and ham and somebody was the coffee cook.

We had to have a cook for each article. We had them Kimmel stoves about 4 ft. long and 3 ft. wide and no bottom except the ground. Paul Resor fired while I cooked doughnuts on top of the stove. It kept him busy pokin wood in all them stoves. I mixed dough in a big container, then slopped flour on the board and put a wad of dough on it and slipped more flower on top and patted it out. Then I rolled it with a candle using both hands. Then I cut the doughnuts square and shoved my thumb through the middle to make a hole and slipped 'em in the fry grease.

In the center of town - at the only intersection - an old dining car still sits on the side of the road, now converted into a museum. I got out and investigated a bit - it must have been quite the experience to ride in one of these trains in their heyday.

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We also took the opportunity to refuel while we were in Avery, though I think we found the local's gas station rather than the normal station that out-of-towners generally use. Completely unstaffed, we saved ourselves over $1/gallon compared to the fuel on the highway, and we were able to shine up the front of the truck a bit as well.

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From Avery, the IDBDR splits. Not for long - the two possible routes are separated only by the St. Joe River that runs between them - but each route has it's highlights. To the west, the road follows the old rail line through several tunnels. To the east, the road follows another rail line over several trestles.

We chose the west - and will forever wonder if we made the right call! ? The tunnels though were cool, and I'm sure either route is equally intriguing.

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Whichever route you choose, after about 7 miles, the two routes join back together and the track continues north towards Wallace - a reasonably large town (as towns on the IDBDR go), nestled under the I-90 freeway. Because of this, the road is obviously well-traveled and meticulously graded - but very dusty. We got stuck behind a dually for the first several miles, and I felt like not only did the truck need a shower, but so did @mrs.turbodb and I.

Eventually we got around into the clean air, and we kept our pace up to ensure that we were at no risk of being passed again - the dust so thick it was blinding.

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At about the same time the gravel road became an oiled gravel road, we happened upon a memorial that we couldn't pass by without stopping. Remembering the great fire of 1910, it tells the story of one Edward C. Pulaski - a Forest Ranger and leader of 45 men fighting the fire. Six of those men died, but Pulaski is credited with saving the lives of the remaining men by leading them into train tunnels until the fire passed.

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And that is where the name of a Pulaski comes from!

Less concerned with traffic in front of us on the road at this point, we made our into and through Wallace - a cute little town that would likely be the bees knees for someone touring around old towns of Idaho.

Don't miss the rest of the story, and all the remaining photos that don't fit here (due to max post size). Hopefully that can change in the future, but until then...

Keep reading the rest here
IDBDR Pt. 9 - Move Over, Moose!​

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[turbodb]

IDBDR Pt. 10 - Where Are the Nice Canadians?

Positioned well above the horizon, sunrise would have been one of the best if just a few clouds had made an appearance in the sky. Without them, an orange glow an hour or so before the sun peaked out was all we got. Shucks, right?

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The mosquitoes were out in full force again, buzzing and gathering around the windows of the tent - our scent like sweet sweet nectar to them. Not that our scent - after 10 days on the road - was anything but a sweet sweet nectar, mind you.

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Not wanting to hang around the swarm any longer than we had to, and the tent already warming up in the hot early morning sun, we donned our long pants and sleeves before exiting our protective enclosure for the outdoors.

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A quick teardown - and no breakfast, even granola bars could wait - and we jumped into our seats, rolled down the windows to get good air movement and pull out all the blood suckers, and took off - the sweeping vistas around us belying the inhospitable reality of this place!

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Down the mountain we went - the more room between us and the mosquitoes the better - until we finally reached the edge of Lake Pend Oreille, and pavement.

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Less than halfway through the final stage, we joked to each other that from here, the IDBDR planners were just ready to be done with their confounded adventure - I mean, it's not really about the dirt, right?

Little did we know... we were closer to right than we would have liked.

We continued on - the track criss-crossing but avoiding the highway for the most part, while at the same time also avoiding several dirt tracks that we could see on the map would have taken us nearer the border. Hrm.

Eventually, after a good 20-30 miles of pavement, hoping that the next windy turn would be dirt, we decided it was time to air up. Plus, we ran into a sign that couldn't be passed by.

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The 3.4l V6 much happier with firm tires on paved ground, we quickly ticked off more miles as we made our run for the border, reasonably convinced at this point that it would be paved the rest of the way. As we crossed a set of railroad tracks that would dump us out on the highway, I happened to glance down the line and see the lights of a train - stopped in the distance.

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Hoping it would start up again, I parked the truck and got out with the camera. Dorking around for a bit, I happened to look the other way on the tracks and saw a second train approaching. "Huh, that's strange." I thought, before realizing that we were about to witness something pretty cool. We were at a crossing loop, where two trains - running in opposite directions on the line - could navigate past each other.

We were definitely waiting to see this. Sure enough, as the northbound train pulled entirely onto the crossing loop, the southbound train started moving and passed along the main line. It was a ballet of steel that I've never seen before.

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We cruised along for the remainder of the stage, eventually hitting a few miles of highway-grade gravel as we skirted the west side of the Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge - the grading so nice that we were still very glad to be aired up and able to travel at a high rate of speed.

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And then, well before lunch and only three hours after breaking camp - we were at the border!

Not wanting to cause any trouble, we pulled over to remove the plate cover before proceeding forward to the Rykerts, BC customs station.

Don't miss the rest of the story, and all the remaining photos that don't fit here (due to max post size). Hopefully that can change in the future, but until then...

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IDBDR Pt. 10 - Where Are the Nice Canadians?​

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[turbodb]

Rig Review: Idaho July 2019 - What worked and what didn't?
July 29, 2019.

In perhaps our most-traveled month to date, July was nearly an entire month in Idaho. In fact, we've had four trips in the last couple of months to this tiny state - after only having visited once before. After our SE Idaho trip to Indian Hot Springs and City of Rocks, our trip to the Highest Roads in Idaho, and running the Idaho Backcountry Discovery route, there are definitely a few things worth mentioning on the rig. So let's get right down to it.

Front Brakes (long term)

TL;DR - One of my 13WL brake calipers seized on the trail and had to be replaced. The issue was that Napa no longer carries a workable caliper, and the 13WL caliper really wants a hard brake line connection, which Tacoma banjo bolts don't offer. I'll be switching out my lines.

I'm a big proponent of the Tundra brake upgrade for a well-built 1st gen Tacoma. Our trucks get heavy, and being able to stop quickly is important. My 13WL Tundra calipers that I sourced from Napa have been working great since I installed them - I thought. But, one failed catastrophically on this trip, seizing up overnight on the trail.

The biggest problem was that Napa no longer carried the Napa Total Eclipse calipers anymore - at least not in-store - having switched to a new, and no-doubt cheaper, vendor (Adaptive One Brake Calipers).

These new calipers are not remanned as cleanly as the Total Eclipse brand, and have the fatal flaw of being powdercoated on the surface where the brake line attaches; the Total Eclipse's being machined there. This powdercoating makes it impossible for the crush washer between the banjo bolt and caliper to seal, and you get brake fluid leaking everywhere.

Just to be crystal clear - the following Napa calipers DO NOT WORK with Tacoma banjo bolts:

• Adaptive One Brake Calipers Front Left 13WL - part: ADC 1766XA
• Adaptive One Brake Calipers Front Right 13WL - part: ADC 1766XB

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Note the orange peel texture (powdercoating) on the donut shaped surface where the brake line connects. This is bad if you're using a banjo bolt.​

The best solution is to spend a bit more money when converting to Tundra brakes, and install the a hard brake line conversion kit, which converts the Tacoma front brake lines to a combo soft+hard line - just like the Tundra (and 4Runner) ships from the factory.

<span class="post-update-label">Note:</span> LCE Performance used to be the only game out there for a hard line conversion kit. I actually bought one from them. However, they charge way too much for what the kit is, and so now the best place to get a kit is from me - I've put together an essentially identical kit for substantially less money - like $60 or so less! Buy one today.)

An alternate solution (that I used to get home from this trip) is to find a 13WL caliper at a different parts store - I used O'Reilly - that is re manufactured well, and not powdercoated on the mating surface. The part number that worked for me was:

• BrakeBest Left 13WL - part: 19-2712
• BrakeBest Right 13WL - part: 19-2713

I've already ordered my hard line kit, and will be installing that when it arrives.

Door mat (long term)

TL;DR - If you don't carry a small 2'x3' door mat for the bottom of your tent ladder, or in front of your tent, you should. Keeps the tent clean and is a great mat to work on when something goes wrong with the truck.

The mat we have is a hand-me-down from a friend who was tossing it. It's just a small mat, made of a plastic-grass material. That's great because even when it gets wet, it doesn't soak in. And, it's much lighter than a traditional mat. Love it.

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Electrical System (new)

TL;DR - the dual battery system is working amazingly great. It was extremely nice to not have to worry about powering the fridge, even when the overnight temps were in the 50°F's.

The dual battery setup worked flawlessly, and the plywood cabinet hasn't rattled apart into a bunch of pieces. The two Northstar 24F batteries, and the Blue Sea Systems ML-ACR were spectacular - all working in tandem and keeping the truck's electrical system in tip-top shape for the entire trip.

I never realized how much time I spent worrying about whether the fridge ran at night (and whether the battery would have enough juice to start the truck in the morning) before I had two batteries. This trip, it was a relief every time I heard the fridge power up, knowing that there was nothing to worry about.

I did have one issue with the initial build-out: the drawer would slide out when bumping down a hill. A simple catch to hold it closed was all I needed and now it stays in place just fine.

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New Bed Rack (update)

TL;DR - The new rack works just fine, but I have no idea if it's preventing bed cracking until I take it off.

I have nothing more to day about this, but you're welcome to read about the new bed rack design and the issue I was having.

Hi-Lift (update)

TL;DR - It's more valuable than I'd given it credit for. Mine is a little "sticky" going up and down - likely a result of how I store it.

I've carried the Hi-Lift since I've started going on these longer trips, but up until now, I've never used it (on my own truck) and others who have used it have noticed that it's a bit sticky in its operation. This trip, I used it 4 times in one day and really got a sense for how it works.

I can't stress enough how important it is for everyone who carries a Hi-Lift to get a sense for how your specific Hi-Lift works.

It's definitely stickier than when I rebuilt it (How-To: Serviceing, Cleaning, and Rebuilding a Hi-Lift), but I think that's due to how I store it - exposed to the elements - on the side of my rack. I've considered getting a cover for the mechanism, but really - a good dousing with WD-40 before and during use seems to be enough to get it working properly again.

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4Runner Wheels (updated)

TL;DR - The wheels are awesome and the bronze is a great color IMO. It does not however hold up to brake fluid that sits on the paint for an extended period of time.

The 4Runner wheels look great painted bronze. The I really couldn't be happier with the Dupli-Color Wheel Paint. It looks great and seems very robust to trail conditions and pressure washing.

On this last trip however, it got abused when brake fluid was leaking on it from the front driver caliper. That wheel now definitely has some paint that's missing, and other paint that is discolored. Basically, the inside of the wheel - which you can't ever really see anyway - needs to be repainted.

That doesn't bother me since I know I'll need to touch these up due to road rash anyway, but it is something to keep in mind when doing a job like this - no spray-on finish is going to stand up the way a powder coat will.

ARB Fridge Cord (long term)

TL;DR - The 12V power cord has a design flaw. ARB is good about standing behind their warranty however, and sent me a new one.

We love our ARB 50qt fridge - it is @mrs.turbdb's favorite "mod." However, after two+ years of regular use - say on the order of 175 nights camping - it's clear to me that there is a design flaw on the 12v ARB fridge power cord. Namely, the injection molding used for the right angle plug that goes into the fridge has a seam that easily cracks, exposing the wiring - a possible short circuit/fire hazard.

Don't miss the rest of the story, and all the remaining photos that don't fit here (due to max post size). Hopefully that can change in the future, but until then...

Keep reading the rest here
Rig Review: Idaho July 2019 - What worked and what didn't?​

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[roving1]

I have never really understood the supposed inadequacy of 1st gen brakes. The performance must exponentially fall off with bigger than 32" tires and an Automatic trans. With 32" and a manual I have had stupid big loads and driven all over the Rockies and Mexico and never once wished for bigger brakes. I mean the brakes are not impressive per se but I have never felt compelled to spend a penny to upgrade them.

 

[turbodb]

I have never really understood the supposed inadequacy of 1st gen brakes. The performance must exponentially fall off with bigger than 32" tires and an Automatic trans. With 32" and a manual I have had stupid big loads and driven all over the Rockies and Mexico and never once wished for bigger brakes. I mean the brakes are not impressive per se but I have never felt compelled to spend a penny to upgrade them.

First off, glad you've been happy with your brakes!

For me, it was less about "more braking power," and more about "less likelihood to overheat the brakes." With a heavy truck - pushing 6000 lbs at times - and lots of downhill on trails, I often find myself on the brakes for extended periods of time (I too have a MT, but I probably do less engine braking than I should). The last thing I want in those situations is to boil my my brake fluid or warp my rotors. So, for me, the big plus of 13WL calipers and the associated rotors are actually the rotors. They are just so much thicker than the stock Taco variants. Here's a photo:

 

[turbodb]

Whipsaw Trail 1 - Finally Four, We Venture North

Most of the trips I do require a full day - or more - of freeway driving just to reach the trailhead, so you can imagine my delight when we decided to do a trip on the west coast. Sort-of. At least, our meeting location was only four hours away - in the tiny little community of Mazama, WA. From there, we'd head north - to British Columbia, Canada - where we planned to run The Whipsaw Trail and then make our way north and west to Molybdenite Peak - before turning south again for the United States.

It was strange to leave the house in the middle of the afternoon on a Monday, and arrive at a camp location that Mike @Digiratus had arranged for us just as the sun was setting. The weather was pleasant, and we enjoyed ourselves chatting and watching 30 deer stroll by, until Dan @drr showed up around 11:00pm.

That left only Monte @Blackdawg absent - but he had a much longer drive, some 12 hours or so - and we all went to bed wondering when we'd see him... because though he'd planned to be in Mazama around the same time as Dan, he'd left 12 hours late - at 9:00pm - and now planned to drive through the night. Fun times.

As the morning sun spilled across our tents, Dan's new dog - echo - poked her head out to see what the new day would bring.

For a while, what it brought was some lounging around and taking it easy - a definite departure from our usual morning greeting and then breakdown of camp. See, I'd gotten a text from Monte, and he predicted an 11:00am arrival, having slept for a solid 90 minutes or so over the entirety of the night. Yuk.

He was right on time* it turned out, and we were ready to go - the strangeness of this trip, just the beginning of what would be a series of surprises! A quick fuel up, and we aired down as we headed north on the backroads of Washington, toward the tiny town of Nighthawk, and the Canadian border.

* his newly revised, 12-hour late time.

The trails we traveled for this first part of our journey were reasonably major Forest Service roads, and we made good time - when we were actually moving - which as usual was sporadic, given our frequent photo stops and the ********-chat that accompanies the start of any reunion of friends.

Now, it should be noted that one of the major topics of conversation was a new addition to Dan's truck - he'd just recently gotten a Go Fast Camper (GFC) and we were all quite interested in how he liked it (and whether we'd admit it or not - wondered if it would be a good addition to our own trucks ? ).

He of course loved it, and it fit great on his 1st gen Tacoma - hugging the top of the cab even closer than it does on later models.

Making our way north, we passed through miles and miles of burned forest. Burned as part of the 175,184 acre Tripod Complex in 2006, these forests are just now starting to see new growth, most of the young trees 5-7 years old, and under 10' high. It's a trade-off of course - the lack of mature trees allowing for distant views, but those same views are of burned forest.

The Spur Creek fire - one of the two that merged into the Tripod Complex started on July 3 and was declared fully contained on July 14, 2006. However, another round of lightning storms and high winds caused the fire to jump the lines on July 27, and eventually merge with the Tripod Fire in August. It wasn't until the first snow in October that the fires were finally extinguished - over 3,000 firefighters and a battalion of 550 Army soldiers helping to fight the blaze.

Eventually, we made our way out of the hills around Loomis - the agriculture of the valley in stark contrast to the landscape we'd traveled through over the course of the last several hours.

Don't miss the rest of the story, and all the remaining photos that don't fit here (due to max post size). Hopefully that can change in the future, but until then...

Keep reading the rest here
Whipsaw Trail 1 - Finally Four, We Venture North​

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[roving1]

First off, glad you've been happy with your brakes!

For me, it was less about "more braking power," and more about "less likelihood to overheat the brakes." With a heavy truck - pushing 6000 lbs at times - and lots of downhill on trails, I often find myself on the brakes for extended periods of time (I too have a MT, but I probably do less engine braking than I should). The last thing I want in those situations is to boil my my brake fluid or warp my rotors. So, for me, the big plus of 13WL calipers and the associated rotors are actually the rotors. They are just so much thicker than the stock Taco variants. Here's a photo:

Interesting. I don't know why I thought you had an AT.

I have been at those weights before and never suffered even mild fade. Driving in Mexico I have had back to back freeway to zero haul downs going downhill and it would it would probably take a 3rd in a row to experience brake fade. I am a pretty aggressive rev matching down shifter from 20 years of driving trucks though so maybe that's part of it. But even in hours long descents my brakes are more or less surface street temps.

I own a 5 lug 2wd and for years lurked on boards and heard the brake complaints about 4wd before buying one and fully planned on upgrading as it seemed the thing to do.

But with 32" tires and 4:56 gears maybe I am just one notch on the good side of thermal loading or something. Better hardware is always better but I just wanted to throw it out there for someone like me that thought a brake upgrade would be 100% needed for heavy overlanding. But it might not be necessarily. Especially if calipers are hard to find. Taco stuff is not hard to find here or in Mexico but T-100/Tundra stuff can be.

 

[Deleted member 9101]

For years I use to pull the calipers off of 1st gen Tundras and Sequioas, clean them up, and sell them on line. Made a pretty decent profit...lol.

 

[turbodb]

Whipsaw Trail 2 - Some Winching Necessary

The day had been hot, but it cooled right down overnight - much nicer for sleeping, we all agreed. And sleep we did - it was 8:30am before the last of us finally climbed down from our tents, having missed the sunrise entirely - a cloudless sky transitioning from deep blue to orange, then to pink and finally blue again.

We all set about making our breakfast - coffee for Mike @Digiratus, cereal for me, an amazing looking breakfast burrito for Dan @drr, and - of course - Donettes for Monte @Blackdawg - as the sun beamed down on us from the east. It was looking to be another beautiful day in British Columbia. :canada:

Still moving a bit slowly, it wasn't until 10:00am that we had everything cleaned up and stowed away in the trucks, ready to go on our first real day of running the Whipsaw Trail. Somehow I found myself in the front of the pack, a position I've rarely been in with this group as we lined up at the edge of camp. It was time for our morning radio check.

Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeetch.

Mike's radio was clearly not working. It'd been acting up the previous day at various times, but leaving it alone for a few minutes always seemed to fix it. Today, that was not the case. Unsure of the problem, our first attempt to remedy the issue was an antenna trade - Dan trading with Mike to see if it made a difference.

It didn't. Neither did disconnecting and reconnecting the microphone - something that had sometimes resolved the problem for me when I was having an issue with my CB. Turns out, Mike's been having an issue with his radio for a while, so he's already got a spare one - at home! Something to fix up before the next trip. For now, he decided that the Ham radio would suffice for outbound communication, and he'd listen to the rest of our chatter on the CB. So, we were back into our trucks and on our way, dust kicking up behind us, me happy to be up front and dust free.

But not for long. It soon became clear that Mike's radio problems weren't over for the day - every time he keyed his Ham radio to speak, Monte and I could hear the keying of the microphone and see the busy signal on our radios, but we couldn't hear him talk at all! We pulled over to evaluate the situation again.

More fiddling ensued - to no avail. Luckily however, Mike and I both have Kenwood radios - me a Kenwood D710G dual-band ham radio and Mike a Kenwood V71A dual-band ham radio. The base units of these are the same, so hoping that perhaps the problem was in Mike's microphone, we swapped mic's and gave it a try again. It worked great! And we were back underway.

In camp that evening, Mike would disassemble his mic to see if he could fix the issue - and everything looked just fine inside (of course). Putting it all back together and trying it out, it worked! Likely just a loose connection that he reseated somewhere.

Our first stop along the trail was at an old mill. Marked as a sawmill on our route, closer inspection seemed to suggest that it was actually some sort of mine mill. Water appeared to be funneled downhill - perhaps to power a stamp mill - through a set of chutes, and a nearby structure quite clearly contained thousands of drilled core samples - perhaps to measure the concentration of certain material in the ground.

The mill thoroughly explored, we were back on the trail - travelling the Whipsaw in a clockwise direction - all of us happy to be off the main logging road at this point and onto something a bit more bumpy, and starting to get a little flexy in places.

Soon, we came on a second set of structures - these in a bit better condition than the mill. One looked like a log cabin, but on inspection was actually a set of stables (that looked to still be in use); the other was a snow mobile warming hut that had seen much better days, courtesy of local 4x4 clubs who'd left their "mark."

Tread Lightly, Canada.

A little disappointed, we didn't spend long at these cabins, opting instead to continue on to the third - and I believe last - cabin we had marked on the route.



Don't miss the rest of the story, and all the remaining photos that don't fit here (due to max post size). Hopefully that can change in the future, but until then...

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Whipsaw Trail 2 - Some Winching Necessary​

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[turbodb]

Whipsaw Trail 3 - Four, Three Wheeling Tacomas
August 29, 2019.

It was 5:00am or so when I awoke after a shockingly chilly - yet pleasant - night’s sleep. I could see Monte @Blackdawg hanging out behind his truck, waiting for the sunrise from my tent door. Figuring I'd let him enjoy the peaceful solitude, I donned my clothes and made my way to a spot 50' or so away to capture the morning, the colors joyfully doubled by the surface of Wells Lake.

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I'd later hear from Monte that I'd been ninja-like in my approach. As he told the story to Dan @drr and Mike @Digiratus, he described completely silent tent zippers, a soundless descent down my ladder, and stealthy steps to my chosen photo location. A few shutter clicks all that betrayed my presence. And then more ninjabilities back into the tent.

I just smiled - no ninja here, but I'm fine with an air of mysteriousness around my movements!

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After the colors of the morning, it was a few more hours before the sun was up and we all climbed out of our tents to greet the day. Even the light breeze of the previous evening was gone - Wells Lake now a glassy surface to be enjoyed in the warming air.

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Having gotten plenty of the lake the night before, you might expect that we were ready to get moving towards the remainder of the Whipsaw Trail - but, you'd be wrong! Rather, we'd decided that this morning - being Dan's last of the trip - was the perfect morning for us to do a group breakfast. We'd each brought something to contribute, and various folks got to cooking up the bacon, potatoes and eggs that we'd enjoy in our own little paradise, happy for the rare solitude that we'd found here.

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It was after 11:00am when we finally pulled out of camp - me somehow in the lead again, and happy to be doing it since it got me out of the dust!

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Near the lake, we found ourselves once again navigating the crossword-puzzle trail system, trying to stay on the main line. At any given time, I'd say we stood about a 50% chance of picking the right trail, what with the 3-5 options that were presented to us. Having come down from the high mountain ridges the previous afternoon, we once again found ourselves in a Lodgepole Pine forest, the midday sunlight filtering through the evergreen canopy.

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Soon enough, we found ourselves stacked up in the road at small unnamed lake, where we also found the remains of an old pickup. Naturally, we had no idea what tragedy had befallen it so many years before, but we took solace in the fact that perhaps the owner - and definitely many compassionate offroaders since - had taken it out of its misery by shooting it in the head (engine block) as well as just about everywhere else.

We humans are nothing if not destructive.

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From there, we carried on in our righty-tighty loop of the Whipsaw, the rough - but not all that difficult - trail mostly dusty except for a few small puddles of water. Unfortunately, the tight corners meant that as we came upon these little gems, our enjoyment of them was limited. And by enjoyment, I mean both speed and splash size.

It was as though our secret had gotten out - we've all become responsible, old, drivers... not wanting to get our trucks muddy. :mudding:

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A little over 30 minutes into the morning, we started to climb back up out of the valley in which we'd camped the night before. Here, the trail got steep - a combination of dirt, sand, and rocks - in spots, interesting to navigate. With inclines close to 35 degrees in some places, we picked our way up - careful to take lines that would afford us the most traction. It was great fun and we all enjoyed it immensely - if the grins on our faces were any indication. ::

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Another half hour or so and we found ourselves at the site of a second pickup! Like the first, this one was trashed - both the the engine block and frame in multiple pieces - as though after flipping it over on it's roof, someone had decided - I think I'll just give this battery powered reciprocating saw a try, in about a dozen places. Classy.

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We'd nearly reached the top of the next ridge by this point, and as we did the landscape changed once again. It's not what I would call the breathtaking glory of the high mountains of the Cascade Range, nor is it the spectacular red rock of Utah - but with the bright blue sky and white clouds, the greens and yellows of the hillsides around us really did seem to sing with joy.

We were lucky to be in such a beautiful place.

Don't miss the rest of the story, and all the remaining photos that don't fit here (due to max post size). Hopefully that can change in the future, but until then...

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Whipsaw Trail 3 - Four, Three Wheeling Tacomas​

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[turbodb]

Whipsaw Trail 4 - My Trip-Ending Discovery

As expected, there wasn't much sunrise to see and we all had a good sleep-in on the edge of Whitehead Reservoir. Turns out it wasn't just the fact that we had a hill to our east, but also the fact that it was reasonably overcast - a few minutes of light rain even falling on our tents about half an hour before 8:00am. Still, I could tell it was going to be a beautiful day.

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In no real rush, but also with no reason to hang around, we ate our breakfasts and packed up our stuff. Oh, and we had a discussion about huckleberries - and whether they were a hoax or not - since Mike @Digiratus and Monte @Blackdawg had never seen any! ? We also grabbed a small portion of the cord of firewood that was still remaining and headed west on the trail.

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Our destination was Molybdenite Peak - a place I've been wanting to visit for more than two years at this point. With beautiful views and a scree field to traverse, it has all the makings of adventure and excitement that I look for in a trail. For now though, we made our way through more of Canada's evergreen farm, the Lodgepole Pines obviously harvested and re-grown over the years.

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The roads here were reasonably well graded - except for a few sections with potholes - and we had a fun time cruising through the corners, dust trailing behind. It did mean a bit wider spacing, but with Ham radios all around, that was no problem at all.

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Even at higher speeds, there were plenty of photo stops - Monte often ending up in his trademark pivot around some turn or at the end of some straightaway. I couldn't help but follow suit, which got the desired laughs from Mike as he pulled up on the two goobs.

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And then, a trip-changing discovery. As we were wrapping up photos in this exact location - and frankly, as Mike was likely wondering how he could get around us so that he didn't have to put up with our shenanigans - I happened to glance down between the spokes of my rear driver-side wheel... and what I saw took the air out of my sails.

<p style="font-size: 1.75em;">I saw fluid on my brake drums.</p>

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Having just dealt with this on the 4Runner the day before leaving on this trip to Canada, I knew what it was immediately - my axle seal had failed, and I was leaking diff oil. It was a no bueno situation.

I keyed up my CB radio and told everyone to hang on a minute while I confirmed what I already knew, and as I stood up from the rear of my truck I raised my hands victoriously above my head for Mike to see. Sarcastically, I boasted, "Guess who get's to install new axle seals again?" which of course he couldn't hear because he was inside his rig with the music pumping away.

I let Monte know as well over the radio, and that was enough to both buds out of their trucks and poking around the rear of mine.

OK - this is where the story morphs a bit, depending on who's telling it. As I recall, I was ready to keep going to Moly Peak - the excursion there adding some 80-100 miles to the length of our trip - with another 300 miles or so to get home. As far as I was concerned, that was probably few enough miles that I wouldn't totally hork the axle bearing, and I could just fix it when I got home. Mike and Monte on the other hand seemed reasonably concerned. Each of them have had axle seals go in the past, and each of them got only a few hundred miles before really starting to tear up their rear end; in Monte's case, requiring a tow by fellow TWers in order to get to a shop where the seals could be changed. Their strong recommendation was that I should head home as soon as possible.

Now, I'm not sure Mike and Monte would say that they really told me that I should go home. To them, it was more like a, "Well, here's what happened to us in the past, you make your own decision."

Whichever way it happened, and perhaps obviously apparent from the title of the post - I did ultimately decide to head home rather than continuing on to Molybdenite Peak. For me, the reasoning was threefold, which I'll capture here just for the sake of posterity:

1. I'm lucky enough to be able to go on lots of trips - so while it's a bummer that this one is cut short, it's probably better for it to be shortened for me rather than someone else who doesn't get out as much
2. I had two more trips coming up in less than 10 days after this trip. If I was going to get parts ordered and the seals replaced, I wanted to make sure I had time for everything to arrive from whatever distant Toyota dealership I ordered the parts from!
3. I had two guys who know more than I do, regaling me with stories of disintegrating axle bearings. And I knew that if there was one thing I didn't want, it was that!

So, we took a look at our maps and found the place where I'd head south - right where our road crossed BC-5 - some 25 miles or so further west. And then, we picked up right where we'd left off - zipping along and having fun in the dirt, stopping frequently for photos and - I'd like to think - to extend the time before we split ways.

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At one of our stops, a low-lying chopper flew almost directly overhead - our cameras clicking away like anti-aircraft artillery as we tried to capture it silhouetted against the bright blue sky.

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It was I think about six miles from BC-5 that we caught our first glimpse of big-rigs making their way up the grade on the paved surface. Still on dirt, we stopped for what I thought was going to be the last time - mostly to chat a bit, but also to decide that we'd stop once more for lunch before parting ways.

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And so, with only a mile or two until the highway, we pulled over in a trailhead staging area where the pavement began and ate a meal that - just three hours before - none of us thought would be our last of the trip together. I offloaded the remainder of my chocolate chip cookies into Mike's cab - to keep them safe(r) - and aired up my tires.

Don't miss the rest of the story, and all the remaining photos that don't fit here (due to max post size). Hopefully that can change in the future, but until then...

Keep reading the rest here
Whipsaw Trail 4 - My Trip-Ending Discovery​

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[turbodb]

Rear Axle Seals - This Time on the Tacoma
When it rains, it pours!

It was only a few weeks ago that I replaced the rear axle seals on the 3rd gen 4Runner. No good deed goes unpunished however, and it was only a couple days after doing the job that the same failure happened on the Tacoma - only this time, I was in Canada.

Luckily for me, I already had a well thought-through step-by-step list of exactly what to do, and the muscle memory of doing it <del>once</del> twice already.

Step-by-Step: Replacing Rear Axle Seal & Bearing on a 1st gen Tacoma w/ABS (or 3rd gen 4Runner)​

And of course, I already had the tools. The most important tool - the Rear Wheel Axle Bearing Puller & Tone Ring Tool/Installer - would once again be worth its weight in gold, helping to remove and install all of the bearings, retainers, and ABS tone rings. Note, this tool works on all types of Toyotas - 1st, 2nd, and 3rd gen 4Runners ('84-02), 1st gen Tacomas ('96-04), older Hilux, T100 ('92-97), and 1st gen Tundras ('00-06). It's also available with a late model adapter, adding 2nd & 3rd gen Tacomas ('05-present), 4th & 5th gen 4Runners ('03-present), 2nd gen Tundras ('07-present), all FJ Cruisers, and all Sequoias.

Also this time, I had an OTC Slide Hammer Puller Set - a tool that I'd foregone when doing the job on the 4Runner, but really wished I'd had when I had to make my own lame stand-in. A little prodding from Jason @jubei was enough to push me over the edge to get my own.

So, as I was on my way home from Canada, I found some free WiFi and ordered all of the parts. On a Friday afternoon at 4:45pm Pacific Time, just before the Labor Day weekend. ?‍♀️

That meant that nothing was going out until Tuesday, but I hoped that shipping would be quick and everything would arrive by Friday so I could do the work on the weekend. So, imagine my surprise when a box with parts showed up on Thursday afternoon!

• (2) Dust Seals (90313-48001) - one for each side of the axle
  • '96-'00 4Runner or Tacoma - P/N: (90313-48001)
  • '01-'02 4Runners or '01-'04 Tacoma use P/N: (90313-54001)
• (2) Axle Bearings - one for each side of the axle; oil washes out grease.
  • '96-'00 4Runner or Tacoma - P/N: 90363-40020-77
  • '01-'02 4Runners or '01-'04 Tacoma use P/N: 90363-40068
• (2) Inner seals for axle housing (90310-50006) - these are the actual axle seals
• (2) Axle Housing Tube O-rings (90301-88077) - one for each side of the axle
• (2) Snap rings for retainers (90520-36045) - Toyota says to replace these when doing the job.

Friday morning, I set to work. It all went pretty much the same way it had on the 4Runner, except several times faster. (So, if you want to see photos of the entire process, check them out here.) The first step - as always - getting the truck up on jack stands.

The hardest part of this job it turned out was removing the brake drums - both sides requiring some M8-1.25 x 70mm bolts to pry the drums away from the shoes. And, inside the driver side was disgusting.

From there, it was really a simple matter of following the step-by-step guide, using the Rear Wheel Axle Bearing Puller & Tone Ring Tool to pull everything off and press the new bits back on. Man, this is a great tool!

With the axles rebuilt, it was time to pull out the old axle seals. This is where the OTC slide hammer really excelled. The three jaw attachment fits right into the seal, and the perfectly directional hammering pulls it right out. Easy peasy.

All-in-all, doing both sides of the Tacoma - even though only one side was leaking - took me about 5 hours from pulling the truck out of the garage to getting all my tools cleaned up and put away.

Quite reasonable if you ask me. Maybe I should start offering my services to others. (Kidding, though I'm happy to if folks are interested in helping or just watching.)

And of course, fingers crossed that these seals last for a couple hundred thousand more miles. As straight forward as the job is, I'd still rather not do it. LOL.

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[turbodb]

How I Got Started with Offroad Adventuring
I don't know how useful this post will be, but it's not uncommon that people ask me some version of how I got comfortable going off into the great outdoors as much as I do. Sometimes it's about how I got started; sometimes it's about how I am able to do so many trips; other times it's about how I developed the ability to feel confident in dealing with anything that comes up on the trail.

So today, I'm going to try to talk about how I got started with all the adventuring that I do, and a few things I think anyone who is interested in camping/off-roading/camping can keep in mind as they get started themselves.

My First Camping Experiences

I got started camping when I was a kid. A small kid - as in, I have memories of camping when I was three or four years old - and I have no idea if that was my first camping experience. But this wasn't the kind of camping I do today - not by a long shot. Rather, it was the same kind of camping that everyone did way back in the old days: car camping, in a campground.

We had an old blue Chevy Malibu station wagon, and we'd load it up with all of our gear - a big old tent with poles that seemed as thick as a child's arm, a Coleman propane stove that you can still buy a variant of today, a white gas Coleman lantern, a big green Coleman cooler (that I think my dad still has!), and of course a charcoal grill and our fishing poles.

We never found ourselves camping on the beach. This was a luckier family than mine.​

We were your typical family of the 80's. I guess. :notsure: I mean, it's not like I had any choice in the matter. In fact, I'm pretty sure there were times I was dragged kicking and screaming - until I got there and had a great time. A lot like @mini.turbodb these days.

So this is how it went for maybe 8-9 years of my life - two or three times a summer we'd head up into the Sierras, to one of two or three campgrounds that my family seemed to like. Sometimes it'd be just the immediate family, and sometimes the extended family would join. We'd always have a - mostly - great time, because what kid doesn't love running around in the dirt and fishing. Plus, there were fires to build and marshmallows to roast - and Junior Ranger Badges to be earned.

Even in these early years, I was quick to pick up - and even master - new skills. I was curious. It's probably why I liked things like Junior Ranger challenges and fishing, which I presume can be frustrating for others. And, though I didn't realize it at the time, that ability and curiosity would continue to serve me well for the rest of my life.

The Middle Years - Me and My Personality

So, when my age hit double digits - or round about there - I got way too cool to go camping with my parents and team sports started to take over my life. It wasn't that I didn't go camping anymore, but now it was as part of the Boy Scouts - which for me was really more about hanging out with my friends (and some of their cool parents) and getting to do all the awesome stuff that came with being a Boy Scout - archery, riflery, wilderness survival, leatherwork - the list goes on.

I don't know if being a Boy Scout is cool anymore, but for me it was - until I was 15 or so - and as I made my way through the ranks, I learned a ton about myself, about what it meant to have really good role models and leaders, and about how to be a good mentor and leader to others.

As I alluded to above, these were also the years where I played team sports like a maniac. Really, unless we were in school or sleeping, my brother and I were out on the field - practicing or playing with our friends. Hoping that we'd make it to the pros.

Surprise - we didn't!

But, like Boy Scouts, I learned the importance of a team - of working with, relying on, and trusting others - and, of the selflessness of doing one's best to ensure that the team is successful.

All this time - like anyone - I continued to pick up new skills, though looking back now it might have been more quickly and easily than it is for the general population. Normal to me, I'm sure that it built my own confidence in myself - a feeling that I could do anything (well, except play in the pros) if I just put my mind to it.

And going off to college was the same way. I didn't go to the most prestigious university, or the coolest party school - but I did go to a place that I really liked - both from an education perspective as well as a place to live. Still curious, I did well - learning not only new skills and the random facts that I was taught in class, but also the importance of how and what to learn. It was during these years that I realized there was a difference between what was important to know, vs. what was important to be successful.

I learned it was important to know who I am and how I learn. To be happy with myself and my actions. And I learned that being successful is being able to please others - essentially, follow their instruction/get to their requested outcome - while maintaining my own identity and integrity.

Also worth mentioning is that it was during this time - right around the beginning of it in fact - that I went on what was probably my first big outdoor "overland" adventure. As I recall, it was just OK. I don't recall all the places we went, but my mom took me and my brother (a couple years younger) to Death Valley, the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park, and I'm sure a few other parks in the southwest United States as part of a multiweek trip. My main memories are of the car overheating in Death Valley, and playing whiffle ball with my brother in camp ?.

From Camping to Offroad Adventures

From the time I went to college until 2016 or so, I didn't do a ton of camping, and I wasn't into offroading at all. I mean, don't get me wrong - I loved the idea of it, and it was always fun to go to my uncles houses (in the woods) and drive their Jeep CJ6's and whatnot - but I wasn't mod-ing the Tacoma in any way.

Rather, I was living life - the important thing to me at the time. I poured myself into my work at a great job, into buying and completely remodeling my first home, and into setting myself up for the future. I was using the truck for truck stuff.

The day I discovered that the Tacoma loved landscaping​

I definitely camped during this time, but it was really camping in order to do something else. Whether it was a hike, rafting down a river, or just getting out for the day, we would sleep in the back of the truck, which was all stock.

It wasn't until 2016 that I realized I really wanted to do something more - I wanted to do some offroading to get to camp spots. By this time, I was also lucky enough to be in a position to be able to afford the ability to make some changes to the Tacoma to better enable that offroading.

I’m a greater believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.

My "big" breakthrough at this point was getting "invited" - really, I just responded to the open invitation - to go on The De-Tour. It would be one of my first big trips where dirt roads were the priority. And, even though I didn't know anything, I knew I would be with people who did... and that - as had been true for my entire life to this point - I'd learn.

Before the trip, I didn't know what I'd learn exactly - I could have discovered that I hated the cold, wet, sometimes tortuous slog of long days driving, and below-freezing temps at night. That trucks covered in mud just weren't my thing.

But that wasn't the case at all - quite the contrary. I discovered that I enjoyed the challenge that offroading presented - the challenge of learning (and hopefully mastering) a whole lot of new things:

• How the Tacoma works (and doesn't) on the trail.
• How to drive on roads that I might initially look at and think, "seriously?"
• How to

Don't miss the rest of the story, and all the remaining photos that don't fit here (due to max post size). Hopefully that can change in the future, but until then...

Keep reading the rest here
How I Got Started with Offroad Adventuring​

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[turbodb]

Exploring Colorado Becomes Redhead Down - Part 1
September 15, 2019.

It was 2:00pm when I parted ways with Pops in eastern California - our relaxing trip into the Sierras just the start of a 3 week journey for me. The next two weeks would be adventuring to - and then through - Wyoming and Colorado with some of the normal folks - Mike @Digiratus and Monte @Blackdawg (and his dad Steve), and also a new face to me - Brett @Squeaky Penguin.

I've been wanting to meet Brett for quite some time now, so I was definitely looking forward to the opportunity. But here I am getting ahead of myself already - first, I needed to make my way east. I'd save myself 18 hours or so by leaving from California vs. going home before heading east - but it was still an 18-hour drive to our rendezvous in Rawlins, WY.

With 24 hours to get there, I figured I would be just fine. Plus, the first leg of the journey would be amazing - I was driving through Yosemite National Park!

My route through Yosemite took me up and over Tioga Pass - one of the most scenic drives in the park if you ask me - and shortly after starting the climb, I was rewarded with a spectacular view. There, in the distance - El Capitan and Half Dome. Wow.

I continued my climb, the speeds slow due to both traffic and park speed limits - but I didn't care. This was the first time I've been through Yosemite in 25-30 years or so, and I was happy to soak it all in!

Eventually I found myself at Olmsted Point and figured that I this must be the pinnacle of the experience - the distant and foreground views of granite so stunning as they unfolded before my eyes.

Little did I know that I was only just starting to see the wonders of Tioga Pass. Here, on the upper plateau, many gems awaited me along the next several dozen miles of road, starting with a rather distant view of Tenaya Lake and the surrounding mountains.

Glad I'm headed that way!

Not knowing that I'd be lucky enough to get to the lake's edge, I was like a kid in a candy store when I discovered that not only did the road skirt much of the lake, but there was almost no one out and about at the lake itself. Well, no one but me that is.

The color of the water - and clarity - was spectacular. Blues and greens. Oh, I could have spent many more hours enjoying this spot - but as it was, I knew that I had a limited time to make my journey...and Google Maps hadn't allocated me much time for sight seeing! ?

I continued on - noting the vehicles parked on the side of the road as granite faces rose around me. These were climbers, and having recently watched the movie Free Solo, I was doubly mesmerized by their daring heights.

From Tenaya Lake, a turn here and a hill crest there spit me out at something I thought I'd missed entirely: Tuolumne Meadows. A stark contrast to the granite and trees I'd experienced so far, the bright yellow of the fall grass was like a magnet, pulling me across the highway for a closer look. A hike here would have been special, and is something I will return for in the future.

By this time, it was already 5:00pm and while my GPS assured me that I'd only lost about 17 minutes on my overall journey, I was starting to feel the pressure - after all, I still had to make it through the rest of Yosemite, Nevada, part of Utah, and a bit of Wyoming before rendezvousing with Monte and his dad.

So as I came upon Dissappearing Meadows, I did the only thing I could - I stopped to soak it in again. Who knows - if this place really is disappearing, and it takes me another 25 years to return...I may never see it again. At least, that was my justification.

From here though, the park boundary wasn't far - Tioga Pass itself marking the beginning of my descent towards the Nevada border. If I've ever seen this place before, I have zero recollection of it - a fact I was thankful for as I got to experience it for the first time (perhaps again).

Out of the park and onto more traditional freeways, my speed increased dramatically. Or at least comparatively. Cruising along at my standard 62mph, I pressed east. My goal for the evening was to make it across Nevada to near the border with Utah, somewhere around the town of West Wendover. From there, I figured it to be around six more hours to Rawlins, WY - something I could accomplish after a few hours sleep.

As the sun set behind me, I pushed on. Stopping only for food and fuel it was between 1:00am and 2:00am when I pulled of I-80 onto a gravel road and wound my way up into the hills.

A few miles from the highway I found what I considered to be a reasonably good spot to stop. A bit of wind break from some junipers, and a barely-there road were enough for me to feel confident that I wasn't going to see any other folks in the few hours that I'd be resting, and I turned the wheel in order to maneuver the truck into a more level position.

Except that I'd missed a rock that was below my line of sight. Within seconds, the front skid plate bounced up the rock and came to a stop on top of it, all four wheels still on the ground, but traction such that I was essentially high centered.

Yeah, go ahead an laugh. I know I wasn't.

I tried a few different things - forward and reverse obviously, but also various combinations of lockers. Nothing was getting me off that rock. Ultimately, I busted out the Hi-Lift and used it to lift the passenger side of the truck via the slider, so I could then roll backwards on three wheels, away from the rock - hoping that the Hi-Lift would fall away from the truck as I came down.

It worked a charm, and with only my ego bruised, I set up the tent and promptly fell asleep.

- - - - -​

September 16, 2019.

I was up just before sunrise, knowing that since I was about an hour shy of West Wendover. With a 2:00pm meet time in Rawlins, I knew that I'd be cutting it close. Luckily, it was a meet time with Monte - so I figured I probably had a couple hour buffer as well!

The miles ticked by as I crossed vast fields of high desert. Windmills, churning around and around broke up the skyline as they generated clean power for thousands of homes.

I think it was around lunch time - at least for me - when I crossed into Wyoming. This was a sign that's become familiar for me the last few years - many of my trips seemingly making their way through this underappreciated state.

As I pulled into Rawlins, it was a little before 3:00pm. The truck needed fuel, I needed a restroom, and soon we'd be on our way to new sights and experiences. I found a nice spot in the shade and set myself up to relax while I waited for Monte and Steve to arrive from the north.

Little did I know that what was shaping up to be a splendiferous trip would turn into something that none of us could have ever expected!

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