"Just go man, just go"

Thanks, yeah it is a neat magazine.

That was a great read and I definitely know the feeling of trying to shake, "one of those weeks". I love Northern CA and I need to get up that way more. Nothing better than just throwing a sleeping bag in my rig and drive. I did that for 2 weeks, last year, and it was awesome! Thanks for sharing that story and the publication too.

That was a great article! Well done, and a great way to spend a four day weekend. When I passed ponderosa way I wondered where it went, now it seems like I need to go back! If you write any more be sure to post up about it.

So my target for this challenge was this seriously cool, patina-laden late 60s FJ40 that some old guy around here drives. When I first saw it, it had original wheels on it and was just awesome. At some point in the last year he got this crazy set of what appear to be new chrome wheels that are too small, with street tires that are also too small. I have to assume that someone gave him the wheels / tires and he was just using up the tires or something, beause there is no way any sane person would choose to put these things on a retro-cool truck like that. But... I can't find that dude anywhere, and I've been looking!

So, to keep the game moving, I found this guy.

First off, I just really dislike aftermarket wheels, so any of them look ridiculous to me. Even the TRDP wheels are too "look at me!" for my tastes (full disclosure: I did try a set for a while). But, I appreciate that some people like custom wheels, and there are some tasteful sets but none that I would spend money on. Second, this particular brand (unsure what it is, possibly 'Garbage Vomit Inducing' seem to be the defacto custom wheel around here. I see them on a lot of quasi-off road stuff like Tacos and Jeeps, so there's a glut of them which makes them look not custom but cheap and common. I particularly hate the star in the center. Finally, putting what are essentially low profile mud tires on a lifted Jeep with oversize wheels is an exercise in futility and proves that the owner of this contraption probably hasn't ever even been on a gravel road.

Next up... your Runner with some abandoned machinery.

I have to join the others who have responded to this post and echo their comments. What a great article. You write well and your photos reflect a good eye for shots that will be memorable to you and also enhance your story.

Also, I'd be remiss if I didn't give some kudos for your service. Working in law enforcement has never been easy; in today's world it is even tougher. It's good that you obviously know and do what you need to in order to be in a good place.

Hey thanks!

Mark,

Great article and pictures. It looks like a lot of fun and reminds me of my years in Colorado. Thanks for sharing this... You're a good writer... very entertaining.

Jason

Thanks all.

Here are all the pics from that trip, if you read the article you can kind of figure out I describe a few things that they didn't print the photos of (for example, the mannequin at the Burnt Ranch store with her breasts covered, or old gas pumps)... those missing photos be here:

October 2018 Sierra-Nevada dirt roads trip - MeefZah

Excellent article!

Wow. Great article, well written, and what a neat adventure!
That’s a lot of miles on a lot of dirt roads.
I see what your mean about the clothed mannequin photo. Too bad the editor goofed and included the wrong photo with your caption. It's a hilarious moment!
(PS, that mannequin has kind of a “manly” face).

I like your minimalist planning and packing philosophy. But I’m wondering how you put together your route. Did you have it kind of pre-planned, or was it driven by mapping on the fly?

This is awesome!

Thanks. I just have a DeLorme Gazeteer and I seek out the tiny, squiggly roads. Pretty much at random. If I see a cool looking road branching off the one I'm on, I take it. I do use a GPS to see where I am but I don't use it for routing.

Here's some abandoned machinery and a local landmark. This is Knoxville's Candora Marble Works, which in the early 1900's supplied marble for many government structures nationwide such as the Smithsonian Institution. These old cranes have been setting outside for decades. I wish I had thought to take some pics of the other side of the street. There are stacks of huge blocks of quarried marble that have been laying there for almost 100 years.

Next challenge: Your 4Runner next to a quarry or an abandoned mine, or some other such man-made scar in the earth's surface.

Very cool. Thanks for sharing.

No obvious earth scarring here but this is a working quarry on the banks of the Van Duzen River, Alton, Calif.






Would have tried for an abandoned mine but most mountain roads here are shut due to snow, and that's where dem mines be!

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Next up, your 4R with an arch of some sort, McDonald's arches excluded.

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