YETIX Build and Adventure Thread aka Travels with Savanna
- Thread starter YetiX
- Start date
YetiX
New member
According to a reverse image search and Wikipedia, it is a Ten-Lined June Beetle. LINK
"The ten-lined June beetle (Polyphylla decemlineata), also known as the watermelon beetle, is a scarab beetle, living in the western United States and Canada. The adults are attracted to light and feed on foliage. They can make a hissing sound when touched or otherwise disturbed, which can resemble the hissing of a bat. This sound is made by their wings pushing down, forcing the air out between their wings and back. They can be an agricultural pest affecting a wide range of crops because their larvae feed on plant roots and can weaken or kill the plants."
YetiX
New member
Big Bear September 14-16, 2018
This was supposed to be another trip with Miles, but family commitments caused him to bail at the last minute. Devin and I couldn't leave until late on Friday as my daughter's volleyball team had a match against they're cross-town rivals. So we left San Diego around 7:30 and headed north to Big Bear. I almost got taken out by a car who decided at the last minute that he/she needed to take the 215 and swept across three lanes and slammed into the car next to me!! :scared:
We got to Hannah Flats Campground around 11:00, set up camp, had a beer and went to sleep relatively early. Backing into the campsite really highlighted the fact that I need better reverse lights.
We headed out early the next morning with Savanna co-piloting. :biggrin1:
Our plans for the day were to take the long way over to Tip Top Mountain for lunch, work our way over to Sugarloaf, and then into town in time for an early dinner at Get The Burger.
An aside about Get the Burger: Get the Burger is amazing, especially the fries and onion rings. Perhaps the best burgers in SoCal. The problem is, they are always understaffed so they're only open until 5 or 5:30 most days. Because of this, we had missed getting our fix the last three trips. We were NOT going to miss out this time. No f'ing way.
So off we went, heading east 3N12 to 3N16 with some detours up some fun trails to explore. We worked our way over to and tehn down Gold Mountain Trail past the mine. Nothing too technical, but incredibly beautiful scenery.
We then headed to Tip Top Mountain via 3N03, Smarty Ranch Trail to the trail head. Smarty Ranch was supposed to be no big deal, but there had been some wash-outs and rock falls that required 4LO and spotting to get past a few obstacles. Fun times!!
It started looking like this:
But quickly devolved into this:
Eventually, we made it to the Tip Top Mountain trailhead. Again, this was supposed to be a Blue Diamond trail. Pro Tip: If a trail is sponsored by a Jeep club, it is not going to be easy. :naughty:
I don't have many pictures because the trail was too narrow to open the door to get out and take pictures! It was also very rocky and the drop to the right was, well, you wouldn't survive if you rolled off. So caution was the word of the day!
Right as we were about to the turn-around area where we planned to have lunch, Devin radioed out that we had a group of Jeeps ahead coming down the trail.
Fortunately, only two of their group were actually one the trail. They were able to back out of the way, sort of, but they were also on the line so we had to make a 90* turn up a shelf to get to the turn around. I think the Jeeps were very impressed we could make it up the shelf.
After lunch we headed back down the trail. You can get an idea of the drop-off in these pictures and see how rocky it was. In the first picture here, you can sort of see the big rock to the right side of the trail. If you put your wheel on that, you'd be in serious danger of tipping sideways, so had to just kiss it with your tire to squeeze through. I was glad to have Devin's wide ass leading the way through.
Once we made it down, we headed over to Sugarloaf for an easy but scenic cruise, 2N93 over to the 38. The trail was very easy but scenic.
We made it to Get the Burger in time and I enjoyed a Duke and fries with tons of their special fry dipping sauce. MENU
Then it was another set of easy trails back to camp for some beers and some whisky. I tried my hand a night photography, but failed miserably. This was the only one that turned out ok:
Sunday, I had to get back for another volleyball game so I bailed early and headed back to San Diego. It was a great weekend with some really fun trails.
Next up, a few more fun mods . . .
This was supposed to be another trip with Miles, but family commitments caused him to bail at the last minute. Devin and I couldn't leave until late on Friday as my daughter's volleyball team had a match against they're cross-town rivals. So we left San Diego around 7:30 and headed north to Big Bear. I almost got taken out by a car who decided at the last minute that he/she needed to take the 215 and swept across three lanes and slammed into the car next to me!! :scared:
We got to Hannah Flats Campground around 11:00, set up camp, had a beer and went to sleep relatively early. Backing into the campsite really highlighted the fact that I need better reverse lights.
We headed out early the next morning with Savanna co-piloting. :biggrin1:
Our plans for the day were to take the long way over to Tip Top Mountain for lunch, work our way over to Sugarloaf, and then into town in time for an early dinner at Get The Burger.
An aside about Get the Burger: Get the Burger is amazing, especially the fries and onion rings. Perhaps the best burgers in SoCal. The problem is, they are always understaffed so they're only open until 5 or 5:30 most days. Because of this, we had missed getting our fix the last three trips. We were NOT going to miss out this time. No f'ing way.
So off we went, heading east 3N12 to 3N16 with some detours up some fun trails to explore. We worked our way over to and tehn down Gold Mountain Trail past the mine. Nothing too technical, but incredibly beautiful scenery.
We then headed to Tip Top Mountain via 3N03, Smarty Ranch Trail to the trail head. Smarty Ranch was supposed to be no big deal, but there had been some wash-outs and rock falls that required 4LO and spotting to get past a few obstacles. Fun times!!
It started looking like this:
But quickly devolved into this:
Eventually, we made it to the Tip Top Mountain trailhead. Again, this was supposed to be a Blue Diamond trail. Pro Tip: If a trail is sponsored by a Jeep club, it is not going to be easy. :naughty:
I don't have many pictures because the trail was too narrow to open the door to get out and take pictures! It was also very rocky and the drop to the right was, well, you wouldn't survive if you rolled off. So caution was the word of the day!
Right as we were about to the turn-around area where we planned to have lunch, Devin radioed out that we had a group of Jeeps ahead coming down the trail.
Fortunately, only two of their group were actually one the trail. They were able to back out of the way, sort of, but they were also on the line so we had to make a 90* turn up a shelf to get to the turn around. I think the Jeeps were very impressed we could make it up the shelf.
After lunch we headed back down the trail. You can get an idea of the drop-off in these pictures and see how rocky it was. In the first picture here, you can sort of see the big rock to the right side of the trail. If you put your wheel on that, you'd be in serious danger of tipping sideways, so had to just kiss it with your tire to squeeze through. I was glad to have Devin's wide ass leading the way through.
Once we made it down, we headed over to Sugarloaf for an easy but scenic cruise, 2N93 over to the 38. The trail was very easy but scenic.
We made it to Get the Burger in time and I enjoyed a Duke and fries with tons of their special fry dipping sauce. MENU
Then it was another set of easy trails back to camp for some beers and some whisky. I tried my hand a night photography, but failed miserably. This was the only one that turned out ok:
Sunday, I had to get back for another volleyball game so I bailed early and headed back to San Diego. It was a great weekend with some really fun trails.
Next up, a few more fun mods . . .
Last edited:
Primetime4370
New member
[MENTION=114745]YetiX[/MENTION] did you ever get around to cutting out the crossbar on your Gobi so the sunroof would pop up? Interested in pics if you did as I will be getting my basket soon and want to be able to pop up the sunroof.
BrianSD_42
New member
Great trip report
YetiX
New member
I assume you mean "Rola" since I've never been lucky enough to have a Gobi rack. No, I never did. I just never used the function anyways.
Now I have a Baja Rack and I think it sits up high enough that I could pop the sunroof if I wanted to. I'll try it today if it isn't raining.
Thanks Brian! :thumb:
Primetime4370
New member
Yes, I meant Rola. Don't know why Gobi popped in my head. I got my Rola extension already, just waiting for the basket to show up. I may try to fab my own lowering mounts.
YetiX
New member
USB Charger and Voltmeter
I installed a Dual USB Charger and Voltmeter in my 4Runner. Here's a quick how-to.
Parts Needed
Toyota OEM Smokers Kit - Part No. 74110-35010-B0
Dual USB Charger and Voltemeter - LINK
Tools Needed
Dremel or similar
Flat blade screwdriver
Beer of choice. I had a Tecate. I know it's not "good" beer, but it's good working beer.
I won't cover installation of the Smokers Kit since there are eleventy billion threads on the topic.
Step one is to punch out the cigarette lighter at the front of the smokers kit. I tried to finesse it out with no success and ended up punching it out using the screwdriver and a small hammer.
Then you need to remove the inner lip which held the lighter in place. I used a Dremel but you could use a sharp blade if you're careful.
The opening should then be nice and smooth and the exact size of the USB charger.
You then insert the USB charger in from the top and screw on the retaining ring from below. Make sure it's straight in the opening.
Now it's time to connect the wiring. You can just splice in the USB charger using Scotchlocks or similar. I knew I would never go back to the cigarette lighter and wanted a more solid connection in hopes it would make the voltmeter more accurate. (I don't know if this is a thing, but whatever.)
So I snipped the wires to the lighter plug and then connected them to the wires from the USB charger using shrink-tubing butt-end connectors. I connected the pink/blue wire from the lighter to the red wire from the USB charger and the black/white wire from the lighter to the black wire from the USB charger.
Before buttoning everything back up I started my 4Runner to make sure everything worked correctly which it did.
And the finished product (take note of my awesome fortune):
All told, I was only able to have a few sips of my beer before I was done. It maybe took 20 minutes for this mod.
The USB chargers work great and the voltmeter seems accurate. I tested it by using a multimeter in the other outlet in the smokers kit and the voltmeter read .1 volts less than the multimeter. Good enough for me.
Next up, LED lights in the rear bumper . . .
I installed a Dual USB Charger and Voltmeter in my 4Runner. Here's a quick how-to.
Parts Needed
Toyota OEM Smokers Kit - Part No. 74110-35010-B0
Dual USB Charger and Voltemeter - LINK
Tools Needed
Dremel or similar
Flat blade screwdriver
Beer of choice. I had a Tecate. I know it's not "good" beer, but it's good working beer.
I won't cover installation of the Smokers Kit since there are eleventy billion threads on the topic.
Step one is to punch out the cigarette lighter at the front of the smokers kit. I tried to finesse it out with no success and ended up punching it out using the screwdriver and a small hammer.
Then you need to remove the inner lip which held the lighter in place. I used a Dremel but you could use a sharp blade if you're careful.
The opening should then be nice and smooth and the exact size of the USB charger.
You then insert the USB charger in from the top and screw on the retaining ring from below. Make sure it's straight in the opening.
Now it's time to connect the wiring. You can just splice in the USB charger using Scotchlocks or similar. I knew I would never go back to the cigarette lighter and wanted a more solid connection in hopes it would make the voltmeter more accurate. (I don't know if this is a thing, but whatever.)
So I snipped the wires to the lighter plug and then connected them to the wires from the USB charger using shrink-tubing butt-end connectors. I connected the pink/blue wire from the lighter to the red wire from the USB charger and the black/white wire from the lighter to the black wire from the USB charger.
Before buttoning everything back up I started my 4Runner to make sure everything worked correctly which it did.
And the finished product (take note of my awesome fortune):
All told, I was only able to have a few sips of my beer before I was done. It maybe took 20 minutes for this mod.
The USB chargers work great and the voltmeter seems accurate. I tested it by using a multimeter in the other outlet in the smokers kit and the voltmeter read .1 volts less than the multimeter. Good enough for me.
Next up, LED lights in the rear bumper . . .
YetiX
New member
Back Up Lights
My last two trips made it clear to me that I desperately needed reverse lights. Although had upgraded my reverse bulbs to higher output LED's, they were not even close to bright enough, especially out in the woods with no moon. (There might be a few scrapes in the Wilco from using it to find trees in the dark.) A friend had installed some cheap LED lights off Amazon in the bumper of his Tacoma and they work great and have lasted for two years so far. I was going to go with Baja Designs lights since they are such high quality lights, but I figured that at $21 I could give te Amazon lights a chance and if they sucked or broke, no big deal.
So I ordered up a set of these lights: LINK
They're Nilight LED Lights.
Specifications:
LED Power: 18W (6 x 3W High Intensity LED)
Beam Pattern: Flood Beam
Input Voltage: 9-30V DC (fits 12V, 24V vehicles)
Working Lifespan: Over 30,000 hours
Working Temperature: -40~85 degrees Celsius
LED Color Temperature: Pure White 6000K-6500K
Material: 6063 Aluminum Profile, High quality Led Chips, PC Lens
Waterproof Rate: IP67; Waterproof, dustproof, quakeproof and anti-corrosive.
Certifications: CE, FCC and RoHS
Note, they do NOT come with a wiring harness or switch, that's on you.
I have my doubts they are actually "quakeproof" but I don't doubt the rest of the specs. They've held up very well, even after being submerged a couple of times. They're not as bright as I had hoped (Baja Designs being the standard) but they are definitely bright enough and cast a wide pattern which is perfect for being able to see when backing up.
So, onto the install . . .
I saw a post on Instagram or Facebook where someone had installed these lights in their 4Runner, so I DM'd him with a few questions and off I went. The area behind the ends of the rear bumper's plastic cover where I mounted the lights is completely empty. (Sorry 03-05 owners, no luck for you) So we marked two squares for where we wanted the lights, carefully checked them again and then cut out holes using a cut-off wheel. Miles at work:
Then I installed the lights using the included hardware:
This is where the project took the inevitable hiccup.
When Miles installed the LED's in his Tacoma, he just wired them into the trailer wiring harness and then put a switch on the trailer relay up in the dash. So we pulled up the wiring diagram on Tech Stream (or whatever the Toyota software is) and Miles started muttering. Not a good sign. Turns out the Tacoma's trailer wiring is different than the 4Runner's so we couldn't wire mine the same as Miles. Time to create an entire wiring harness and run it from the rear up to the dash. It's times like this that having an independent Toyota technician as a good friend is really helpful.
I don't have any pictures of the carnage, but we basically ran wires through a grommet into the compartment where the jack is stored, and then under the trim along the driver's side and up behind the dash. Miles then used an add-a-fuse in a switched slot for power and then we connected the switch I bought from CH4x4.
With everything connected I turned the key on and hit the switch and everything worked the way it's supposed to!
They are brighter than they appear in these pictures and cast a nice wide pattern, perfect for reversing at night.
The only thing I do not like is the switch. I also do not like the ARB switch. Neither looks OEM and they stick out such that I have actually turned on the reverse lights with my knee. I ordered a couple of the OEM-style switches from CH4x4 and will be swapping those in in the near future. As part of that project, I'll be moving the compressor and reverse light switches to the center console and adding switches for my hood scoop light and rear dust lights (once those are installed) and adding my Traction Control off switch next to the center diff lock switch. I'm hoping it'll look a lot cleaner and I'll have all the light switches in one place and functional switches together.
Next up, ham radio install . . .
My last two trips made it clear to me that I desperately needed reverse lights. Although had upgraded my reverse bulbs to higher output LED's, they were not even close to bright enough, especially out in the woods with no moon. (There might be a few scrapes in the Wilco from using it to find trees in the dark.) A friend had installed some cheap LED lights off Amazon in the bumper of his Tacoma and they work great and have lasted for two years so far. I was going to go with Baja Designs lights since they are such high quality lights, but I figured that at $21 I could give te Amazon lights a chance and if they sucked or broke, no big deal.
So I ordered up a set of these lights: LINK
They're Nilight LED Lights.
Specifications:
LED Power: 18W (6 x 3W High Intensity LED)
Beam Pattern: Flood Beam
Input Voltage: 9-30V DC (fits 12V, 24V vehicles)
Working Lifespan: Over 30,000 hours
Working Temperature: -40~85 degrees Celsius
LED Color Temperature: Pure White 6000K-6500K
Material: 6063 Aluminum Profile, High quality Led Chips, PC Lens
Waterproof Rate: IP67; Waterproof, dustproof, quakeproof and anti-corrosive.
Certifications: CE, FCC and RoHS
Note, they do NOT come with a wiring harness or switch, that's on you.
I have my doubts they are actually "quakeproof" but I don't doubt the rest of the specs. They've held up very well, even after being submerged a couple of times. They're not as bright as I had hoped (Baja Designs being the standard) but they are definitely bright enough and cast a wide pattern which is perfect for being able to see when backing up.
So, onto the install . . .
I saw a post on Instagram or Facebook where someone had installed these lights in their 4Runner, so I DM'd him with a few questions and off I went. The area behind the ends of the rear bumper's plastic cover where I mounted the lights is completely empty. (Sorry 03-05 owners, no luck for you) So we marked two squares for where we wanted the lights, carefully checked them again and then cut out holes using a cut-off wheel. Miles at work:
This is where the project took the inevitable hiccup.
When Miles installed the LED's in his Tacoma, he just wired them into the trailer wiring harness and then put a switch on the trailer relay up in the dash. So we pulled up the wiring diagram on Tech Stream (or whatever the Toyota software is) and Miles started muttering. Not a good sign. Turns out the Tacoma's trailer wiring is different than the 4Runner's so we couldn't wire mine the same as Miles. Time to create an entire wiring harness and run it from the rear up to the dash. It's times like this that having an independent Toyota technician as a good friend is really helpful.
I don't have any pictures of the carnage, but we basically ran wires through a grommet into the compartment where the jack is stored, and then under the trim along the driver's side and up behind the dash. Miles then used an add-a-fuse in a switched slot for power and then we connected the switch I bought from CH4x4.
With everything connected I turned the key on and hit the switch and everything worked the way it's supposed to!
They are brighter than they appear in these pictures and cast a nice wide pattern, perfect for reversing at night.
The only thing I do not like is the switch. I also do not like the ARB switch. Neither looks OEM and they stick out such that I have actually turned on the reverse lights with my knee. I ordered a couple of the OEM-style switches from CH4x4 and will be swapping those in in the near future. As part of that project, I'll be moving the compressor and reverse light switches to the center console and adding switches for my hood scoop light and rear dust lights (once those are installed) and adding my Traction Control off switch next to the center diff lock switch. I'm hoping it'll look a lot cleaner and I'll have all the light switches in one place and functional switches together.
Next up, ham radio install . . .
Bluesky 07
Senior Member
I would like this post if there was a button. 
YetiX
New member
I would like this post if there was a button.
Like.
ound:Hoping to go up to the snow to play today.
YetiX
New member
Snow Day at Mount Laguna
The kid and I went up toJulian for lunch and then Mount Laguna to play in the snow yesterday. Saw a ton of 4Runners, mostly 5th Gens and, surprisingly, 3 brand new 2019 TRD Pros, all of them white. Only saw one other 4th Gen.
We timed it perfectly as right after we got to Julian, the Sheriff pretty much closed the town it got so crowded. After an awesome lunch at Miner's Diner, we headed to Mt. Laguna and got the right as it started to snow. We bailed when it started to dump because there were a ton of people on the main road in cars that had zero business being in snow. It was a p00p show! About an hour after we left, they closed Sunrise Highway and the 78.
Oh, and I almost got to pull out a stuck Jeep but he got out with traction boards.
A few fun pictures.
The kid and I went up toJulian for lunch and then Mount Laguna to play in the snow yesterday. Saw a ton of 4Runners, mostly 5th Gens and, surprisingly, 3 brand new 2019 TRD Pros, all of them white. Only saw one other 4th Gen.
We timed it perfectly as right after we got to Julian, the Sheriff pretty much closed the town it got so crowded. After an awesome lunch at Miner's Diner, we headed to Mt. Laguna and got the right as it started to snow. We bailed when it started to dump because there were a ton of people on the main road in cars that had zero business being in snow. It was a p00p show! About an hour after we left, they closed Sunrise Highway and the 78.
Oh, and I almost got to pull out a stuck Jeep but he got out with traction boards.
A few fun pictures.
Hey I was there too and I’m pretty sure I saw you driving by. We had a great time but the drive home was terrible. We left a little too late and got held up for 2hrs cause vehicles were stuck, apparently some kid broke his leg and had to wait for an ambulance to come get him.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
YetiX
New member
Wow!!! I'm really glad we bailed when we did. We got hung up behind the Sheriffs who were kicking everyone out who was parked on the side of the road. For some reason they wouldn't pull off to do it, so they had a long-ass line of cars behind them as they slowly made their way down the hill telling people to bail all while blocking the lane heading down the mountain. Not the best way to win friends . . .
There were a LOT of cars up there that had zero business being there. Idiot lemmings.hinmo24t said:
YetiX
New member
Thanks, appreciate the kind words! San Diego is pretty awesome, just have to pay for the privilege.
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