BrianSD_42 Photo Journal Build Maintenance Thread

[AZBub]

in response to option 4. Keep in mind Overland Expo runs that weekend so campgrounds are packed and sedona becomes an overland rig mecca. If you want a more remote place check out Lockett Meadow near flagstaff. there is a series of great hikes that all start in the meadow which is also a campsite FCFS.


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[JerkyDrewster]

I really like your paracord wrap on the steering wheel. Mine is starting to deteriorate, so this might be a good route to go.

 

[BrianSD_42]

Joshua Tree March 2018 Trip & Pics Report

I recently went Joshua Tree and we had a great time camping in the backcountry near the mines. You can only get up to this spot with 4WD and some pretty serious clearance. My buddy made it up in 2017 TRD Tacoma just fine.

As you can see, the view from the campsite is pretty nice. The Suburu couldn't make it up road to the mine so they parked and hiked the gear up. Great times!


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in response to option 4. Keep in mind Overland Expo runs that weekend so campgrounds are packed and sedona becomes an overland rig mecca. If you want a more remote place check out Lockett Meadow near flagstaff. there is a series of great hikes that all start in the meadow which is also a campsite FCFS.

---> Thanks for the heads up. I'm leaning towards Escalante.

I really like your paracord wrap on the steering wheel. Mine is starting to deteriorate, so this might be a good route to go.

---> So far its been a few weeks and I'm still very pleased with it.


A couple of other things on 4Runner to discuss:
* Tomorrow is movie night. Going to Redbox the BluRay of IT.
* I ordered a TPS sensor to install myself next week.
* I bought a used ECT button on EBAY for $11 because my dash ECT light no longer works. No idea the source of this.

 

[Unner]

Nice pics man, unfortunately Joshua Tree had to be cut from our trip to California, but I'll make it there eventually. The pics of the water beading off the paint on your black 4Runner make me want to go wax mine right now. I love watching the water bead off waxed paint.

 

[BigFishAllDay]

You'd better be careful out there, Brian. That looks like chupacabra country. That dog knows there is danger, he was so scared he just closed his eyes and thought "there's no place like home, there's no place like home."

Interesting photos, as always, but I must tell you that I'm viewing on a laptop most of the time and your pics always show up HUGE. I have to scroll right to see the landscape oriented shots, and sometimes I find myself going through them faster than I normally would because they are hard to view. Maybe go down a size?

 

[BrianSD_42]

You'd better be careful out there, Brian. That looks like chupacabra country. That dog knows there is danger, he was so scared he just closed his eyes and thought "there's no place like home, there's no place like home."

Interesting photos, as always, but I must tell you that I'm viewing on a laptop most of the time and your pics always show up HUGE. I have to scroll right to see the landscape oriented shots, and sometimes I find myself going through them faster than I normally would because they are hard to view. Maybe go down a size?

Ha. Yes he was blinking in that pic. Doesn't scare easily from what I've seen so far. He's been very brave against rabbits and squirrels.

Re the pics. I totally get it. I have all pics re-resolutioned to 1450 or 1600 long side and if you aren't on an HD screen it probably makes the text super small. I won't promise to change it but I'll refrain from going bigger on the res for sure.

Nice pics man, unfortunately Joshua Tree had to be cut from our trip to California, but I'll make it there eventually. The pics of the water beading off the paint on your black 4Runner make me want to go wax mine right now. I love watching the water bead off waxed paint.

I wouldn't sweat missing JT on your trip. I'm sure you caught other great parks. JT has been insanely crowded of recent years. Instagram has ruined the national parks. That is part of why we stayed so far off the grid. I enjoy the peace and quiet.

Yes my bead game was strong in that pic. That morning when i took the pic the 4runner almost looked clean. I can assure you once the water dried, by the time I got back to town, it looked once again like a dirt covered black truck.

lane:

 

[Kotrin]

Till I went to KOH and we went into Joshua Tree (to fix the tow rig) & seeing the amount of Tourists surprised me. Guess i'm used to PNW where most don't go outside due to this weird thing falling out of the sky in the form of water(sometimes frozen ).

But I've been noticing certain camp's I used to do are growing and becoming super popular. Think this is why I prefer just camping wherever I can find sometimes. I miss/enjoy having people to talk to but occasionally I just want to relax and enjoy the views

I will say that the camps with ZERO service(cell) have the normal amount of people from year to year that I've seen.

Beautiful pictures

 

[BrianSD_42]

Headed to Sierra's Nevada's for an early weekend trip that will involve 4WD, camping and maybe some mud n snow. 395 to Sherman Pass here we go!

 

[octanejunkie]

Headed to Sierra's Nevada's for an early weekend trip that will involve 4WD, camping and maybe some mud n snow. 395 to Sherman Pass here we go!

Have fun!

I'll be up there Saturday, meet at Copper Kettle for lunch? Lol

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[BrianSD_42]

Interesting photos, as always, but I must tell you that I'm viewing on a laptop most of the time and your pics always show up HUGE.

Ok so it seems that the forum has recently introduced auto-resizing of photos for 3rd party hosted pics. This is active for me when viewing on my PC in Chrome browser. I presume that solves this issue? I am not sure how long ago this was introduced but I am only recently seeing it in my own threads.

 

[BrianSD_42]

Monache Meadows trip report part 1.

We spent two nights in the Inyo forest Monache Meadows area. We were the only ones camping in the valley. I didn't see another vehicle driving in the area until we were leaving. Overall it was a great time despite the forest being so dry it was a huge difference from 2017. On a separate note we saw Deadpool 2 last night. I suggest everyone check it out.

When we got to the campsite at the back of Monache area, across the river we had the whole place to ourselves. The site was a bit of a mess, particularly the fire pit. It had some gargbage in it and a few rocks had fallen in. Also there was a big pile of rocks dumped all around it creating a trip hazard. It was almost like someone from the forest service had cleared the road of rocks and dumped them all out of their pickup in our site. We removed them back to nature and left the site in better condition than we found it.

Last year in August had been my first visit to this area. California got over 150% annual snowfall in 2017 and < 30% in 2018. This part of the Sierras in particular (unlike Mammoth or Tahoe) suffered a lack of snowfall in 2018. The whole area was just so much dryer in May vs August.


Pics Pt. 1



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10. Night sky, iPhone 8

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12. The river was about 75 feet from our campsite

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[BrianSD_42]

Monache Meadows trip report part 2

On our 2nd day there we decided to go for a hike up to the valley ridge that overlooks the Golden Trout Wilderness. Last year I was able to park next to the gate but to my surprise this year a tree was blocking the path. No big deal, it just added a bit to the hike. Her iphone tracked the steps that day and we walked 7.8 miles round trip and total elevation gain was 29 floors (this all the iphone would report, not feet) but overall I would say it was a pretty good day.

In the meadow we saw what I believe were bear paw prints of a mother and a cub. The bears in the Sierras are usually harmless. However if you had asked me if I thought Mountain Lions were dangerous to adults I would have said mostly no but on Saturday a Mtn Lion killed a man and wounded another in Washington state.

17. Parking for our day hike up to ridge on the edge of Golden Trout Wilderness

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[BrianSD_42]

On the recent Monache Meadows trip I didn't capture any pictures of the 4WD trail/experience but for anyone curious what to expect check out this video. It is a really cool place and definitely worth a visit.


@ ~ 5:30; this is not my video

<iframe width="640" height="400" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uXAxbYbx10c?start=330" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>



@ ~ 1min; this is not my video

<iframe width="640" height="400" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fCXvVIa_PT0?start=57" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[AZBub]

Nice trip! Nice seeing green forest. Ours here in Az is basically a pile of tinder just waiting for a spark. And now pretty much all the forest is closed under stage 3 fire restrictions :-/.

I learned something about animal tracks. You can tell how fresh they are by lightly pressing the ridge along the side of the track with your index finger. If it is crusty it’s not fresh.


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[JBurt]

Random questions for you:

1) Do you recommend any shops in San Diego for a machine polish and wax? Just bought my wife a 1st gen sequoia and the clear coat isn't too bad, but it needs help.

2) Along the same lines, do you have any experience with 3m ceramic window tint? Any recommendations?

Keep the trip reports coming, they're awesome. I'd like to get to Monache meadows sometime this summer. Last time I was there was in a prius.

 

[BrianSD_42]

[MENTION=122900]AZBub[/MENTION] - thanks! Yes I will keep it coming. My next trip is in a few weeks.

1) Do you recommend any shops in San Diego for a machine polish and wax? Just bought my wife a 1st gen sequoia and the clear coat isn't too bad, but it needs help.

2) Along the same lines, do you have any experience with 3m ceramic window tint? Any recommendations?
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1) Sorry I don't actually. I always detail my truck on my own and since I'm the one who washes it always, well I don't really have any swirl marks. Your best bet is going to be to do it on your own, spend $150 on a polisher and another $50 on materials. Clay, Compound, Polish, Wax will do wonders.

2) No, my truck is tinted but I paid to have it done professionally. I've always heard DIY is a major PIA and possibly not worth it.

Best of luck to. Perhaps you can find a place in inland empire to do this work...

 

[Kotrin]

Nice trip looked quiet and peaceful. Need to upgrade the iphone though /tease

 

[BrianSD_42]

Nice trip looked quiet and peaceful. Need to upgrade the iphone though /tease

Ha. Well it's a Nexus 6p and I just can't justify carrying my Nikon on a hike. I actually brought it on the trip it just didn't get much use this time.

The Joshua Tree pics above are all from my Nikon D7100 w/ 10-24 lens.

:bat:

 

[JBurt]

Thanks for the response. I've always wanted to buy a nice polisher, but I've heard it's easy to burn through the pain and I'm kind of chicken. I do hand wash my cars though. I try not to wax them by hand anymore because I'm starting to get arthritis in my wrist.

I guess I didn't word the tint very well. I wouldn't dream of doing it myself. I'd screw that up way too fast. I live out in the desert about two hours away from SD but I haven't had much good luck with auto work over here, and I'd be happy to drive to SD to get quality work done.

 

[octanejunkie]

Ha. Well it's a Nexus 6p and I just can't justify carrying my Nikon on a hike. I actually brought it on the trip it just didn't get much use this time.

Step up to a Pixel XL, the camera/pics are unbelievable