New 2014 Xterra Owner- Icedragonmx's trip reports

[icedragonmx]

Part 2

Would not want to be on stuff like this when wet!

Another big dug out ravine where my front bumper would hit the opposite bank before my tires and no good trees farther back to pull on. Some fun little ruts and a few very wet spots too.

Very thankfull for the Mickey Thompson Claws and a rear locker on some of the wet trails…

A busy beaver again this time building right on the trail. The water was still shallow enough to cross at this time. More of this on the return.

Lots and lots of trail grooming too for fallen trees. For the most part the trail was still easy to see…

Needed a bigger saw for this one, guess the guys on the quads cut short… Had to turn around as my folder would not cut this and the ground past here looked way too swampy

Another reminder that now was not the time to stay…

And a few bits of the skid plate to repair that may have caught on stuff trying to back off an obstacle or two… I did not get stuck at all this weekend thanks to a better decision on obstacles and a good set of tires and the rear locker.

Caddy Lake forest fire off the number 1 Hwy. This one did not reach me during my trail riding, Smoke and Ash from the other one did!

That's all till the next adventure...

 

[Ricer_X_01]

Very cool and looks like a lot of fun... other then the nearing fires. All the pin stripping on such a new vehicle would make my stomach turn. But I get it, some people buy their vehicles to actually use them. Keep the posts coming, been following them for a little while now.

 

[snekvasil]

Beautiful pictures. I'm looking forward to seeing your canoe put into action, too!

 

[icedragonmx]

Very cool and looks like a lot of fun... other then the nearing fires. All the pin stripping on such a new vehicle would make my stomach turn. But I get it, some people buy their vehicles to actually use them. Keep the posts coming, been following them for a little while now.

Thanks, I bought this one to be used with the full expectation that the bodywork might suffer for it. It still starts and runs like a new truck! Lol

Beautiful pictures. I'm looking forward to seeing your canoe put into action, too!

Thanks, both fires have grown and may cut off my canoe/back country access for a while. Travel restrictions are growing

 

[icedragonmx]

Was another weekend adventure this time meeting Overlanders from the Kelowna BC area that were dropping in to say Hi and to play on our wonderful Granite rock faces while on the way to the East Coast. I had a rough start with forgetting the food/cooler at home and had to turn back from past Steinbach to Winnipeg when I realized my snacks were still in the fridge. On the way out I also found my refueling spot was a total write off from a recent fire. (Clearwater, Ontario)

On the way out…

Clearwater in bad shape…

I finally made it Jones and after helping carry some gear up for the re-bolting efforts (huge thank's to Ryan and Mike for their efforts), I was on my way to find some rock climbing travellers. Even with the delays I only missed out on one climb and was there in time to try the 5.8 and 5.9 sport routes in the Breakfast Bowl area of Jones. Funny part is that after sitting behind a desk for way too long this stuff is not as easy as I remember. I was going to suffer for being weak today!!! Thanks for the climbs!

5.8 pictured with the 5.9 just to the left

I did help with the top rope of a 5.10b and 5.11b but no way was I ready for that!

Was still worth the drive just to watch the drama and to hear how much our BC guests love the huge black flies, Horse flies and caterpillars and mosquitoes that were thick like the plague (Right, Tess?). Even the dog had enough! A slight 4x4 road trip to Panorama was in order for a better campsite and new rock face for the next day. Dinner was at the top of the cliff with a nice breeze to get rid of most of the bugs for a bit

I really need to make a shelf above the feet for gear while sleeping in the back of the Xterra, what a pile of bags…

Next morning was a total rain storm and Group BC decided to run for better weather. They did have a great truck setup with a stealth camper in the back and gear storage under the bed etc. Not a bad system at all. Wishing them the best on their travels. Hopefully better weather will be in front!

 

[icedragonmx]

That left me to my own devices and I started checking out some trails for future use.

Was not sure if a 2x8 cantilevered about 11” past the 12” square support beam underneath would hold the 5300lb truck so I didn't try this little quad bridge.

Time for some new wet trails to different lake areas…

Lots of these guys hanging around…

And more fun trails

Really liking the map system and Garmin Glo on the IPad Air…

And even though water was running down the trails all day like small streams this was the only spot where I spun the wheels trying to go uphill. Guess the rock ledge hidden in the grass was bigger than it looked…

Back on the main road had this guy acting like a bump stop. I chased him of the road with a picture taking moment.

And finally back in town (Portage and Main). Ready for the next trip, maybe after the legs stop screaming from the Saturday abuse..

 

[Gossemer75]

So I'm gonna bring this thread back to life a bit lol... First off your adventures look awesome... Keep on adventuring and bring on more pics..... So to the meat of my bringing back this thread, how are the Mickey T's holding up? You look like you put a lot of miles on them in all sorts of conditions. You have mentioned how good they are in the snow but how are they in the rain and everyday driving? Thanks and sorry for digging this thread up lol....

 

[icedragonmx]

So I'm gonna bring this thread back to life a bit lol... First off your adventures look awesome... Keep on adventuring and bring on more pics..... So to the meat of my bringing back this thread, how are the Mickey T's holding up? You look like you put a lot of miles on them in all sorts of conditions. You have mentioned how good they are in the snow but how are they in the rain and everyday driving? Thanks and sorry for digging this thread up lol....

Thanks, I had better update this thread soon! I have yet to put too many miles on the tires yet but they have worked great for me in the sand, snow, rain and general use. Only trade off is the MT's are very loud on the pavement. I will trade the noise for the absolute grip on everything else. I have under 30,000km on mine right now so lots of use yet to go. I did get stuck in the snow last weekend but that and a few other days are for when Photobucket is actually able to upload a single picture in less than 10 min. Grrrr...

From some of the last few adventures...

 

[icedragonmx]

Just wanted to update the thread with some pictures from some previous adventures and stuff caught on the camera.

Just a cool Storm cloud look

An example of some of the snow dumps we got this year

And a new NV toy! Gen 3+ I will be finding a few uses for this as I am already planning a night run in the canoe this summer

Corrupting a buddy with a 4x4 trip in his truck, with one whoops as his breakover angle was not enough for the trail he picked

And a cool shot of mine from the same day

Introducing another Bud to the 4x4 and shooting scene. He has a shiny Nissan too!

Adventures in binary explosives, yes Frosty did get a front row seat to this show. Big thanks to Gryphon Energetics, biggest bang for the buck!

Nissans always look better with some cool hardware

 

[icedragonmx]

1260y trip Part 1

I had plans to try for some long distance shooting but was worried the snow was still way too deep. After some crazy mild weather I made the attempt to get in an one of my trails to set up for a weekend of fun. On the highway drive out to the trail head I passed a few of these 6x6 transport trucks. I want one for dropping a camper on the back!

Lots of deep wet snow and lots of wheel spin to keep it moving. Not crazy deep but very slick, dense snow with little traction

For a more hardcore 4x4 trail…

And back to the snow!

A little play time with the NV and then a sleep in the back of the truck!

Day 2 was spent setting up for the 1260 yard shooting complete with a portable bench and chair. Deluxe lake front accommodations and a shooting length few ranges could match!

Funny how a little Ice trap could almost get me stuck. Tires were in a small mud hole with an 4” thick ice layer on both the front and rear edge with the other tires just on top of the ice. I had to use the locker to get out of this spot!

My camping spot next to the trail. I was the only set of tracks for the last few weeks so just pulled off the trail and set up!

Day three, time to make a run for the exit trail and start heading back!

Part 2 - I wanted to inspect the ice falls from a previous trip on the way back so after a short highway drive with the included this truck driver hovering on everyone's bumper within 10' at times I was back in the snow.

After a long fun drive on a partially covered icy secondary road that required the 4 low with lockers at time (still buried in snow) I made it to my spot. Well almost made it! LOL. I got stuck feet from my objective and had to use the maxtrax to get out. They worked perfect and was out in no time!

All in all a great little trip even if I was in before the conditions really allowed for it. Would be way easier now with the snow melting out and no ice under that. Had to work the truck hard for the deep stuff and was very grateful for the extra power and aggressive tires. I would have been stuck so many times if I had a lessor tire on. The Maxtrax's earned their keep again too. I like them more every time I use them!

 

[PetitFrereArmada]

Nice pictures. Love the way you put your Xterra to use.

 

[icedragonmx]

Nice pictures. Love the way you put your Xterra to use.

Thanks so much! Photobucket has just destroyed a few years of trip reports here and on other sites, looks like I will need to do some repairs over the next while to get some of the images re-hosted.

Good luck on your latest adventures! I had a look at some of your trip reports and you should have a great time with all that you have planned for your ongoing road trip!

 

[Winterpeg]

Photobucket has just destroyed a few years of trip reports here and on other sites, looks like I will need to do some repairs over the next while to get some of the images re-hosted.

Yeah, they were some good pics! :drool:
Stay hydrated in this heat :sunny:

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Thanks so much! Photobucket has just destroyed a few years of trip reports here and on other sites, looks like I will need to do some repairs over the next while to get some of the images re-hosted.

I'm having the same problem, but with five years worth of work and trip reports.

 

[icedragonmx]

Yeah, they were some good pics! :drool:
Stay hydrated in this heat :sunny:

Thanks! I am wishing for cooler weather.

I'm having the same problem, but with five years worth of work and trip reports.

Mine go back to 2006. Will be changing over to Imgur, will be a fresh start or complete failure!