Snow in Arkansas! 1/29-31/2010

[Token]

Sounds like a fun scouting trip. Looking forward to the trip. Arkansas definitely has an abundance of beauty... that most folks just don't know about.

Thanks for the writeup. Nice pics.

I grew up sorta in that neck of the woods and had no idea there was stuff like that around.. Of course I grew up in the flat part of the state..

 

[Wes Craiglow]

Rob--

Not going to ask anyone to cross anything crazy. I have checked everything already and nothing's been more than 2', low current, and river rock bed. I have flow data from the USGS from those recon days. In the days prior to the trip, I'll check the flow rates online, and if it's higher than it was for the recon, then I"ll know it's not passable and we'll find alternate routes. Too easy!

There is only one: Google Maps. Yes, I use others, from paper topos to fancy GPS mapsets, but I keep coming back to Google in the end. It's just too user-friendly! (I added the text using Adobe Illustrator.)

Emily is the best. I have found a woman who shares the passion and gets just as excited as I do about these trips. I'm a lucky man. (Yes, she's probably reading this.... hi, dear.)

2-4ft river crossings.. I may need to rethink this..

What map sets you using..??

Also.. I gotta say I'm mighty impressed.. You got a girl to go out camping, in the back of a pickup truck and it's 20 degrees outside..

We came across a couple in Colorado last September that were out camping on Chihuahua Gulch.. They'd gotten stuck crossing a small creek and had just made it across about 10 minutes before we came along. They were just starting to setup camp (not fully unloaded yet) wondering how/if they were gonna make it back across the next morning.. We offered to hang out and help them get back across, but they decided they would just wait until the morning.. Was barely supposed to hit freezing that night up in the mountains, my wife made mention "they had to be outta their ever lovin minds to camp out in that weather".. I figured they were prepared for the weather and can recall camping out in the winter on a creek bank behind my grandmother's place with nothing but some old quilts and some wind breaks we made out of leftover straw and chaff from the soybean field beside the creek..

If she were to wake up and it was within 43 degrees of 20, she wouldn't be all laughing and smiling and it'd take me better than a month to get outta that doghouse..

Guess 20 years of living in Memphis has made us soft..

 

[Token]

Rob--

Not going to ask anyone to cross anything crazy. I have checked everything already and nothing's been more than 2', low current, and river rock bed. I have flow data from the USGS from those recon days. In the days prior to the trip, I'll check the flow rates online, and if it's higher than it was for the recon, then I"ll know it's not passable and we'll find alternate routes. Too easy!

I would have never guessed they kept flow data on those backwoods rivers.. Our taxes at work I guess..

I've dove off into some pretty stupid stuff in the H3 that goes over the 35" tires.. Have had the mildewed carpet to prove it.. Even coming in the back hatch once.. Not to particularly fond of seeing water come over the hood.. I've got the same cold air intake setup that of course draws some at the gap n the front of the hood and grill.. I may cap things back up with the OEM box for the trip.. Just a filter swap and snap the box top back on.. Of course some knuckleheaded engineer at GM decided to make the draw point for that box in the wheel well above the liner.. Last time I had the liner out, it wasn't very pretty up under there..

Soon as it warms up again a bit I was gonna climb under the truck and see if I can figure out where all the vent lines end up and see if they need to be extended a bit higher, at least above the 35" tires..

 

[PJPR01]

Thoroughly enjoyed that trip report and pics, and that shot at the bridge is a keeper.

Nothing better than having the labrador running thru fresh snow...they just seem to love it!

Very nice!

 

[TangoBlue]

Memorable bridge picture - all the pics are great. You are one busy guy in that truck, lending truth to the old saying that, "a rolling Tacoma grows no moss."

 

[Wes Craiglow]

I would have never guessed they kept flow data on those backwoods rivers.. Our taxes at work I guess..

I've dove off into some pretty stupid stuff in the H3 that goes over the 35" tires.. Soon as it warms up again a bit I was gonna climb under the truck and see if I can figure out where all the vent lines end up and see if they need to be extended a bit higher, at least above the 35" tires..

If you're sitting on 35s, then you'll be just fine. I'm on stock 31s right now, and I never drop into anything that MIGHT even get into my engine bay. Not worth the risk. (I kinda/sorta LOVE THE HECK outta my truck.) I will not be leading the group though anything deeper than 18-24".

Can't wait to see your truck! Sounds amazing.

 

[Wes Craiglow]

"a rolling Tacoma grows no moss."

:victory:

 

[Token]

Can't wait to see your truck! Sounds amazing.

It's a work in progress..

I'd been thinking the same thing about yours though.. I've been semi mild with what's been done to it until recently.. Bought out the lease.. After the beating I've put it through over the past 3 years it turned out to be cheaper to buy it out rather than turn it back in and pay to have all the cosmetic stuff fixed..

Prior to that, I'd been considering a 4 door Taco as a replacement as well as a 4 door JK.. Need 4 doors due to the family that typically comes along.. JK can't be beat offroad when compared to other stock or equally modded rigs.. But the Taco has a good rep, plenty of aftermarket and you can't beat a truck bed when it comes to having room to haul stuff.. Even though folks look at the H3 and think BIG, there's really not much gear space.. Typical camping trip will have stuff stacked to the roof in the rear one rear seat folded down and packed full and an ice chest and other stuff on a hitch rack..

Of course the more room I've got to load stuff the more stuff we take.. I used to have a long wheel base Silverado.. Entire bed would be loaded to the rim when going camping in it.

 

[timh]

Great pics. I wouldn't mind trying a snow camping trip but it will have to wait until the little one gets older. She refuses to sleep under a blanket!

 

[Funrover]

Great report!

 

[Cackalak Han]

Nice photos. Looks like good times.