09-16-2016, 12:38 AM
|
#1
|
|
Senior Member
|
|
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 1,799
|
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 1,799
|
Adventures of Megaweapon!
Here's my thread for Megaweapon's adventures and mods.
Above: Most recent photo of Megaweapon, taken 1/4/17.
History:
I had owned Isuzu Troopers for nearly 30 years before getting the 4Runner. My last Trooper was a 2001, and after 15 years of hard use it was getting pretty old and experiencing increasing failures, complicated by difficulty of getting parts. I donated it to the Salvation Army.
February 5, 2016: Purchased 4Runner Trail w/KDSS, with 1 mile on the odometer!
Build Details:
May 21, 2016: Upgraded the lift hatch struts in anticipation of putting on a Gobi ladder.
July 1, 2016: Added BudBuilt “rock sliders”.
July 8, 2016: Swapped out the stock tires for BFG KO2 all-terrain tires.
July 29, 2016: Removed stock rack and installed Gobi “no-rise” Stealth roof rack and ladder.
January 3, 2017: Added MetalTech front bumper; King coil over shocks; stronger rear springs; about 2” lift.
February 10, 2017: Replaced stock skids with RCI skids, including gas tank.
April 27, 2017: Finally had a filler plate made to fit between the bumper and front skid.
August 2, 2018: Added a 31" LED light bar to the front of the roof rack, and one 7" light bar on each side of the rack.
May 3, 2019: Replaced interior lights, license plate lights, and backup lights with brighter LEDs.
Trip Reports:
March 2016 Anza-Borrego Desert trip:
March 2016 Anza-Borrego Trip
My first off-road trip in the 4Runner -- two days and nights in the desert.
August 2016 Nevada/Mojave ghost town trip:
2016 Nevada-Mojave Trip
These are the places I visited on the 2016 trip:
Jasper Queen Mine, CA
Corona Mine, CA
Minnietta-Keystone Mine, CA
Lookout Mine, NV
Black Butte Mine, NV
Nevada Rand Mine, NV
Nevada Scheelite Mine, NV
Red Top Mine, NV
Nevada Quicksilver Mine, NV
Pershing Mine, NV
Beacon Hill Mine, NV
Boyer Ranch, NV
Chalk Mountain Mines, NV
Westgate Mill, NV
Ellsworth, NV
Vindicator Mine, NV
Ames Camp, NV
Cloverdale, NV
Goldfield, NV
Gold Point, NV
Minnietta, CA
Lead (aka Hughes) Mine, CA
Lookout City, CA
Ballarat, CA
Goler Canyon and Newman's Cabin, CA
Lotus Mine, CA
In addition to all these historic places, I also photographed some wildlife including hawks, antelope, burros, and a Great Basin rattlesnake (got some video of the snake).
Enjoy!
--------------
My July 2017 Nevada and Mojave trip, with pics and video:
2017 Nevada-Mojave Trip
Here's a list of the ghost towns, mines, and scenic places I visited in 2017:
Osdick Road Mines, CA
Osborne Camp, CA
Rainbow Hills, NV
Fish Lake Valley, NV
Sawtooth Ridge, NV
Gabbs, NV
Downeyville, NV
Hess Ranch, NV
Petersons Mill, NV
New Pass Mine and Mill, NV
McCoy Mine - Wild Horse District, NV
Home Station Well, NV
Dome Butte, NV
Stokes Castle - Austin, NV
Ruby Hill, NV
Belmont Mine, NV
Belmont Mill, NV
Hamilton, NV
Nevada Northern Railway Museum - Ely, NV
Taylor Mine, NV
Lake Valley Marsh, NV
Ely Valley Mine, NV
Pioche, NV - Mines
East Belmont, NV
Clayton Valley, NV - Lithium works
Bar Double 9 Ranch, NV
Mill Site Well, CA
Crater Sulfur Mine, CA
Cinder Mines, CA
Boulder Pass, CA
Castle Mine, CA
---------------------------------
Here's my 2018 Nevada and Mojave trip report with photos and videos:
2018 Nevada-Mojave Trip
Sites I visited on this trip include:
Nikolaus-Eureka Mine, CA
Belleville Mine and Mill, NV
Ophir Cabins, NV
Ophir, NV
Croesus Mine, NV
Eureka Tunnel, NV
Lane City, NV
Lucky Star Mine, NV
Ida May Mine, NV
Black Prince Mine, NV
Golden Eagle Mine, NV
Caselton Heights, NV
"Williams Hill" Mine, NV
"Lincoln" Mine, NV
Mendha Mine, NV
Indian Cove, NV
Cimarron Mine, NV
San Antonio Mine, NV
Potomac, NV
Lambertucci Roma Ranch, NV
.
__________________
Ghost towns, mines, and more: www.raydunakin.com
2016 silver Trail Edition w/KDSS; BudBuilt sliders w/full tread plate; upgraded rear hatch lift struts;
BFG KO2 265/70/17; Gobi "no-rise" Stealth rack w/ladder; MetalTech front bumper;
King coil overs, upgraded springs, ~1.5" lift; RCI skid plates.
Megaweapon's build/adventure thread
Last edited by Ray Dunakin; 06-25-2019 at 11:37 PM.
Reason: Edited to add the most recent mods and newer photo
|
|
Reply With Quote
|
09-16-2016, 12:38 PM
|
#2
|
|
Member
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 252
|
|
Member
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 252
|
Cool thread Ray. I took a look at your website. Let me know if you are ever exploring closer to Los Angeles and maybe I'll join you on the trail.
__________________
2015 White Toyota 4Runner Trail w/ KDSS
|
|
Reply With Quote
|
09-16-2016, 12:49 PM
|
#3
|
|
Member
|
|
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Fernley, Nevada
Age: 83
Posts: 973
Real Name: Ron
|
|
Member
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Fernley, Nevada
Age: 83
Posts: 973
Real Name: Ron
|
Thanks for sharing Ray. A very well done website. I've been through it several times now. I've done all of the mine sites that you show in Nevada north of Gold field - Good memories.
__________________
Totally stock 2013 SR5 4WD. Have added Toyo Open Country M/T LT 265/70-R17 (E) tires the first week I owned it. Added second set of Toyo M/Ts at 86900 miles.Added RCI OFF-ROAD Rock Slidersat 84000 miles. Added RCI OFF-ROAD front skid plate at 90,000 miles. Daily driver and so far spending about 30% of time/mileage off-road. Previous truck 2004 Land Rover Discovery that also spent about a third of it's life off-road. I HANG AROUND HERE "THE T4R FASHION FORUM" JUST FOR LAUGHS.
Perfect vehicle as it stands for northern Nevada terrain. Keep it stock - it'll go most anywhere as is.
|
|
Reply With Quote
|
09-16-2016, 11:28 PM
|
#4
|
|
Senior Member
|
|
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 1,799
|
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 1,799
|
Thanks, guys!
I didn't make it to as many sites as I'd hoped this year.
I'd like to spend more time in the Dixie Valley area. There are a lot of abandoned ranches there, especially since the Navy bought out most of the residents back in the '80s so they could do supersonic flights through the valley. (Would have been cool to see some of that action too.) There are also some old mines and stuff in the mountains on either side of the valley.
I did get buzzed by a fighter jet at low altitude when I was in Panamint Valley. Seemed like he was only about 100 feet off the ground, came from behind and went right over my 4Runner as I was going down the road. That was pretty cool.
Another cool thing I saw was near Ellsworth -- there was a hawk chasing a golden eagle through the trees. Wish I could have gotten a photo or video of that!
__________________
Ghost towns, mines, and more: www.raydunakin.com
2016 silver Trail Edition w/KDSS; BudBuilt sliders w/full tread plate; upgraded rear hatch lift struts;
BFG KO2 265/70/17; Gobi "no-rise" Stealth rack w/ladder; MetalTech front bumper;
King coil overs, upgraded springs, ~1.5" lift; RCI skid plates.
Megaweapon's build/adventure thread
Last edited by Ray Dunakin; 09-16-2016 at 11:32 PM.
|
|
Reply With Quote
|
09-17-2016, 01:30 PM
|
#5
|
|
Member
|
|
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Fernley, Nevada
Age: 83
Posts: 973
Real Name: Ron
|
|
Member
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Fernley, Nevada
Age: 83
Posts: 973
Real Name: Ron
|
Yep; most of the ranch houses are still there in Dixie Valley. The Navy has blocked a few of the access roads though.. They practice with armored personnel carriers a bit up there. Almost all of the live bombing practice is done to the south of US50 in Fairview Valley.
The best mine exploring area is in Bernice Canyon - about 20 miles of very bad sandy road north east of the Dixie Valley ranches. There are about 8 different mine site up there. The road up the canyon gets a bit challenging in several spots (my rear bumper on the Land Rover was destroyed there). I haven't tried going back in the Toyota yet. Probably about half of the mines would take a bit of hiking to get to. I was there last about eight years ago.
__________________
Totally stock 2013 SR5 4WD. Have added Toyo Open Country M/T LT 265/70-R17 (E) tires the first week I owned it. Added second set of Toyo M/Ts at 86900 miles.Added RCI OFF-ROAD Rock Slidersat 84000 miles. Added RCI OFF-ROAD front skid plate at 90,000 miles. Daily driver and so far spending about 30% of time/mileage off-road. Previous truck 2004 Land Rover Discovery that also spent about a third of it's life off-road. I HANG AROUND HERE "THE T4R FASHION FORUM" JUST FOR LAUGHS.
Perfect vehicle as it stands for northern Nevada terrain. Keep it stock - it'll go most anywhere as is.
|
|
Reply With Quote
|
09-17-2016, 01:35 PM
|
#6
|
|
Senior Member
|
|
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Beacon NY
Posts: 3,678
Real Name: Patrick
|
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Beacon NY
Posts: 3,678
Real Name: Patrick
|
Nice trip report...thanks for sharing!
__________________
White 2016 TEP .....My ROAM Truck Build....... My ROAM trailer Build
|
|
Reply With Quote
|
11-23-2016, 02:14 AM
|
#7
|
|
Senior Member
|
|
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 1,799
|
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 1,799
|
__________________
Ghost towns, mines, and more: www.raydunakin.com
2016 silver Trail Edition w/KDSS; BudBuilt sliders w/full tread plate; upgraded rear hatch lift struts;
BFG KO2 265/70/17; Gobi "no-rise" Stealth rack w/ladder; MetalTech front bumper;
King coil overs, upgraded springs, ~1.5" lift; RCI skid plates.
Megaweapon's build/adventure thread
|
|
Reply With Quote
|
11-23-2016, 02:21 AM
|
#8
|
|
Senior Member
|
|
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 1,799
|
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 1,799
|
__________________
Ghost towns, mines, and more: www.raydunakin.com
2016 silver Trail Edition w/KDSS; BudBuilt sliders w/full tread plate; upgraded rear hatch lift struts;
BFG KO2 265/70/17; Gobi "no-rise" Stealth rack w/ladder; MetalTech front bumper;
King coil overs, upgraded springs, ~1.5" lift; RCI skid plates.
Megaweapon's build/adventure thread
|
|
Reply With Quote
|
11-23-2016, 02:37 AM
|
#9
|
|
Senior Member
|
|
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 1,799
|
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 1,799
|
Part three…
As we approached the little town of Julian, we spotted this picturesque barn just off the highway:
Julian was originally a mining town but is now mostly a tourist destination and the home of famous apple pies. There are quite a few interesting old buildings here. The "Miner's Diner" was an old-fashioned drug store, complete with soda fountain, until just a few years ago. The pharmacy is gone but the soda fountain and diner are still there:
We had hoped to get pie from the best place in town, Mom's Pies, but unfortunately there were LOTS of people picking up pies for Thanksgiving, with a long line outside the door the entire afternoon. So we just did a little shopping and then had dinner at the Julian Grill, which is a really quaint little restaurant with great food, in a former house:
We had a brief wait for a table, so we enjoyed the foliage outside:
Once inside, we were seated in the front room, with a great view:
Before we left Julian, we stopped in at the historic Julian Hotel, and booked a room for our upcoming anniversary. For years we've talked about staying here someday, but never got around to it until now, so we're really excited about it:
Then we headed home. Here are a few shots I took along the way back on Sunrise Highway:
The setting sun turned this rocky roadside cliff into a blaze of color:
That was our day!
__________________
Ghost towns, mines, and more: www.raydunakin.com
2016 silver Trail Edition w/KDSS; BudBuilt sliders w/full tread plate; upgraded rear hatch lift struts;
BFG KO2 265/70/17; Gobi "no-rise" Stealth rack w/ladder; MetalTech front bumper;
King coil overs, upgraded springs, ~1.5" lift; RCI skid plates.
Megaweapon's build/adventure thread
|
|
Reply With Quote
|
12-08-2016, 01:36 AM
|
#10
|
|
Senior Member
|
|
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 1,799
|
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 1,799
|
__________________
Ghost towns, mines, and more: www.raydunakin.com
2016 silver Trail Edition w/KDSS; BudBuilt sliders w/full tread plate; upgraded rear hatch lift struts;
BFG KO2 265/70/17; Gobi "no-rise" Stealth rack w/ladder; MetalTech front bumper;
King coil overs, upgraded springs, ~1.5" lift; RCI skid plates.
Megaweapon's build/adventure thread
|
|
Reply With Quote
|
12-08-2016, 01:39 AM
|
#11
|
|
Senior Member
|
|
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 1,799
|
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 1,799
|
The parlor/dining room:
An original gas lamp, converted to electric lighting:
Julian's Main Street, as seen from the porch of the hotel:
The hotel at twilight:
Another shot of Main Street after dark:
Tuesday morning started out foggy, then the sun began to shine through for a brief time before it became overcast for the rest of the day:
The hotel served a full breakfast which was awesome! It started with orange juice and some homemade granola, the best I've ever tasted. Next was waffles topped with baked apples, with slices of bananas, melons, and oranges on the side.
There are some interesting old homes and buildings on the back streets of Julian:
Cris was coming down with a bad cold so we headed home a little early, but otherwise we had a very good time.
.
__________________
Ghost towns, mines, and more: www.raydunakin.com
2016 silver Trail Edition w/KDSS; BudBuilt sliders w/full tread plate; upgraded rear hatch lift struts;
BFG KO2 265/70/17; Gobi "no-rise" Stealth rack w/ladder; MetalTech front bumper;
King coil overs, upgraded springs, ~1.5" lift; RCI skid plates.
Megaweapon's build/adventure thread
|
|
Reply With Quote
|
01-03-2017, 11:32 PM
|
#12
|
|
Senior Member
|
|
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 1,799
|
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 1,799
|
Megaweapon has a new face! I finally got my new MetalTech bumper installed today:
Unfortunately my (stock) front skid plate was so smashed up they couldn't get it back on. But I'm going to be
upgrading the skids in a couple months anyway:
And…I also had them beef up the suspension with King coil overs and stronger springs! It's got a mild lift,
roughly 2 inches.
These were the best pics I could get tonight. I'll try to shoot some better photos tomorrow.
.
__________________
Ghost towns, mines, and more: www.raydunakin.com
2016 silver Trail Edition w/KDSS; BudBuilt sliders w/full tread plate; upgraded rear hatch lift struts;
BFG KO2 265/70/17; Gobi "no-rise" Stealth rack w/ladder; MetalTech front bumper;
King coil overs, upgraded springs, ~1.5" lift; RCI skid plates.
Megaweapon's build/adventure thread
|
|
Reply With Quote
|
01-04-2017, 12:24 AM
|
#13
|
Junior Member
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2016
Posts: 2
|
|
Junior Member
Join Date: Apr 2016
Posts: 2
|
Great pics and a nice history of the area attractions. Looks like you guys had an amazing adventure. I'm looking forward to your future journeys.
|
|
Reply With Quote
|
01-04-2017, 12:58 AM
|
#14
|
|
Senior Member
|
|
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Pasadena, CA
Posts: 1,433
Real Name: Dave
|
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Pasadena, CA
Posts: 1,433
Real Name: Dave
|
Julian and desert mine trip
Thanks for all the photos Ray,
I liked your website shots of the mines a lot. Thanks for sharing your adventures in Julian and east San Diego County. We travel through Warner Springs at least once a year to reach Anza Borrego Desert. We'll have to go just a bit farther and see Julian next time we're out there. The hotel looks great. Lucky the teddy bear got to go along too.
__________________
2015 T4R Trail Edition w/KDSS. Baja Rack flat utility rack, Baja Rack ladder, WeatherTech floor mats, Demello rock sliders. RCI skid plates, Falken AT3W LT285/70R17 tires, ICON Stage 7 tubular 2" extended travel lift, ICON Rebound 17x8.5" 0 offset alloy wheels, Baxter Performance remote oil filter adapter. Side exit exhaust, 2nd recovery hook on rear frame corner, DIY wheel well liners with 1/4" neoprene rubber.
|
|
Reply With Quote
|
01-04-2017, 12:43 PM
|
#15
|
|
Senior Member
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: I. E. So. Cal
Posts: 1,162
|
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: I. E. So. Cal
Posts: 1,162
|
There's a mine in Julian that offers tours.
Nice write up, and nice trip.
Curious about your driving around with rockets and gasoline in the back. Did you forget gunpowder?
|
|
Reply With Quote
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is On
|
|
|
|