BrianSD_42 Photo Journal Build Maintenance Thread

[BrianSD_42]

Trip report: Sequoia National Park (Pt. 1)

May 2017

Back in May the lady and I did a 5 night camping trip, part Yosemite and part Sequoia. No off-roading but plenty of access to nature, hiking and good times. It was kind of breakthrough because she told me she really enjoyed the trip and camping was fine since we did have access to showers. It snowed while we were up there, rare for May

// End Pt. 1 //

 

[BrianSD_42]

Trip report: Sequoia National Park (Pt. II)

May 2017

South Gate Brewing Co., Yosemite, CA (I highly recommend you visit)

// End //

:tea:

 

[BrianSD_42]

Trip report: Yosemite National Park

May 2017

:car:


// END //

 

[LittleCaesar]

Always enjoy your great pics Brian. It looks like great fun was had by all.

I may need a good burger for lunch today.....

 

[Road Bull]

Great pics Brian! Holy cow I always enjoy checking out your updates because I know there will be kick ass pics of cool places. And for some reason... Now I want a cheeseburger... :hungry:

 

[smallfry]

Nice photos.

I'll be in Sequoia at the end of the month with my folks.

 

[Jahmiroquai]

Trip report: Sequoia National Park (Pt. II)

May 2017

Whereabouts was this campground, Brian? Looks beautiful, and staying in a place with hot showers means less complaining from the ol' ball & chain.

 

[BrianSD_42]

/*** 08-06 Monache Meadows Trip, Inyo National Forrest, Sierra Nevadas ***/


Last Thursday we left SoCal for Monache Meadows which is in the Sierra Nevadas. I've read a lot about this place and seen plenty of pics in the SoCal section. Here is what it looked like. Pretty amazing. We really liked the fact that it was so remote. There were probably less than 10 trucks in this whole isolated large valley.

The road we took to get there is called Sherman Pass. It usually is only open June - Oct/Nov each year. This place is literally miles of unkempt wilderness, the beauty of the Pacific Crest Trail in its glory. Not to talk it up but I've been a lot of places in the Sierras and although this was my first time here, I left amazed. I will definitely be back.

On a side note I started reading Steven King's IT right before this trip and on the way up. Still working on it but FYI if you haven't read the book, crazy good. The highlights certainly makes for a good campfire story.


Monache PDF
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0BzWSba3crqAkYXA3RkswN29XOEU




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/**** END Pics Pt. 1 ****/

 

[BrianSD_42]

/*** 08-06 Monache Meadows Trip, Inyo National Forrest, Sierra Nevadas ***/

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/**** END of trip ****/

 

[BrianSD_42]

Whereabouts was this campground, Brian? Looks beautiful, and staying in a place with hot showers means less complaining from the ol' ball & chain.

We stayed at Lodgepole campground during the pre-season. The sites weren't reservable at the time and it was pretty primitive. There are showers at the resort up there and at least two of the lodges. They told us it changes each year and depends on the season. I'd like to go back in the Winter (vs. May) but I'll probably stay in a cabin or the resort.

Nice photos.
I'll be in Sequoia at the end of the month with my folks.

I hope you had a great time!

Great pics Brian! Holy cow I always enjoy checking out your updates because I know there will be kick ass pics of cool places. And for some reason... Now I want a cheeseburger... :hungry:

Thanks man!

Always enjoy your great pics Brian. It looks like great fun was had by all.
I may need a good burger for lunch today.....

Thanks! We had a great time.

 

[68whiskey]

I'm impressed by how clean your 4Runner is. I wish my paint was that nice! Even as the mods go, everything looks clean and tasteful, exactly what I'm going for. Nice job.

 

[Dezert4Runner]

Great photos on your trip reports. I was also up in the Sierras this last Thursday thru Saturday with a buddy doing some Trout fishing, but we were in the Little Lakes Valley/ Rock Creek area. I've also noticed that Monache Meadows has been mentioned a lot in the SoCal section this summer, so it's been on my radar as of late.

 

[RAD4Runner]

Thanks for sharing your adventures, Brian.
I just came across this photo. Impeccable truck, and the photo looks almost like an artist's conception / digitally generated

 

[BrianSD_42]

I'm impressed by how clean your 4Runner is. I wish my paint was that nice! Even as the mods go, everything looks clean and tasteful, exactly what I'm going for. Nice job.

Thanks man! I've tried to keep it very clean and mostly stock looking. I wax it several times a year and to date no paint cracking.

Great photos on your trip reports. I was also up in the Sierras this last Thursday thru Saturday with a buddy doing some Trout fishing, but we were in the Little Lakes Valley/ Rock Creek area. I've also noticed that Monache Meadows has been mentioned a lot in the SoCal section this summer, so it's been on my radar as of late.

I hope you caught some trout! We were at 8400 ft and I wasn't very hopeful about catching anything big enough to cook so I didn't even bring a pole. I've never been to Little Lakes Valley. I check it out online.

Thanks for sharing your adventures, Brian.
I just came across this photo. Impeccable truck, and the photo looks almost like an artist's conception / digitally generated

Thanks for the compliment. I like that photo a lot as well.

 

[Unner]

Great pics from your trips Brian. California is on my list of places to explore. Looks like there's lots to see there.

 

[BrianSD_42]

Here are the deets on my upcoming mid September Utah trip. Going to be EPIC if everything goes according to plan. It will be the wife and I plus another couple. My buddy has a pretty capable 2017 stock Tacoma and I'll be in my truck. We won't be doing any hard trails this trip. Tooooo many other great things to experience in Moab.


Upcoming Moab (September) Trip Itinerary
* Timeline: Monday to Tuesday
* Trip distance: 1,200+ miles
* State & National Parks: 6
* Days: 9
* Nights camping: 3
* Nights hotel-ish: 5


Day 1 - San Diego to Moab
* Plan: Drive
* Lodging: simple hotel


Day 2 - Arches
* Plan: Arches national park visit, 2/3 day at least
* Lodging: AirBnB full condo shared w/ friends
* https://www.nps.gov/arch/planyourvisit/index.htm


Day 3 - Mountain Biking, Swimming, Burgers
* Plan: Mountain biking (rented) @ Dead Horse State Park, 3-4pm swimming hole visit, burgers & shakes
* Lodging: AirBnB full condo shared w/ friends
* Biking: https://stateparks.utah.gov/parks/dead-horse/ ; https://chilebikes.com/site/rentals/
* Swimming hole: 38.57248, -109.57595 ; https://goo.gl/maps/Y3SrKpTK55C2
* https://www.outdoorproject.com/adve...holes-cliff-jumping/mill-creek-swimming-holes
* Mill Creek North Fork Canyon swimming hole in Utah ? Running-Water.com
* Eat: Milts Stop & Eat (burgers) https://goo.gl/maps/Ss67EH9PN6t


Day 4 - White water rafting
* Plan: White Water Rafting @ Westwater Canyon, Full Day, $170/person, reserved
* Lodging: AirBnB full condo shared w/ friends
* Westwater Canyon Rafting Trip; NAVTEC Expeditions


Day 5 - White Rim Trail Day 1
* Plan: White Rim Day 1, breakfast in Moab, head out towards White Rim trail @10am, Moab to Potash Rd. to Schaeffer campground then Airport for the night.
* Map: https://goo.gl/maps/TaJaketBpDq
* Pics: see my 2015 trip pics: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-g...2s-2015-3rd-gen-moab-trip-picture-thread.html
* Lodging: overnight permit, camping at Airport on White Rim
* Canyonlands National Park: https://utah.com/canyonlands-national-park , https://www.nps.gov/cany/index.htm


Day 6 - White Rim Day 2
* Plan: whole day on trail, lots of time for exploring at easy pace, finally camping for final night
* Lodging: overnight permit, camping at Labyrinth on White Rim


Day 7 - Moab, Capitol Reef, Escalante
* Plan: early breakfast on trail, pack up and get back to Moab by 10am, shower and change in town, start driving Hyw-12 all way to Capitol Reef then Escalante
* Lodging: overnight permit, camping off Hole in Rock Rd.
* Capitol Reef National Park: https://www.nps.gov/care/index.htm
* Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument: https://utah.com/grand-staircase-escalante , https://www.nps.gov/glca/planyourvisit/escalante.htm


Day 8 - Escalante, Bryce, Duck Creek
* Plan: Early start, 1/2 day hike scenic slot canyons in Escalante, start back on Hyw-12 towards Bryce, see Bryce around late afternoon - sunset, head to Duck Creek Village for dinner & lodging
* Lodging: Duck Creek Village Inn (my 1st time but has great reviews)
* Bryce Canyon National Park: https://www.nps.gov/brca/index.htm


Day 9 - Drive back to San Diego

And finally here's my new favorite GIF, courtesy of someone (can't recall who) on this forum. Toyota Girl!



<iframe width="853" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7uN14yKvjjU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[LittleCaesar]

Looks like real fun Brian. Take many pics, though I know you always do. Bryce is beautiful, enjoy it and everything else.

Rafting is fun but even in September bring the sunscreen. One of the best trips I probably will take in my life was rafting over 100 miles on the Colorado river. Pure enjoyment.

Be wary of those simple hotels. My buddy stayed in one in Flagstaff in June and found a small rattlesnake in his shower.

 

[Unner]

Make sure to take the 4x4 road into Arches instead of waiting in the long line off the main highway. I found out about it when I left the park, or I could have skipped the lines and got right into the action. That will save you the $25 fee or whatever it costs to get into the park as well. If you don't know the road I'm talking about or need more info just let me know!

 

[BrianSD_42]

Although not specifically 4Runner related I just wanted to brag that I scored a guaranteed pre-order of the new $79 Nintendo SNES Classic via Best Buy.

https://www.nintendo.com/super-nes-classic

I was sitting on the couch and my iphone app "The Tracker" popped up a notice that it was now in stock for pre-order at Best Buy (first time anywhere). I acted fast and scored one. That was last night at 10:25pm PST. I ordered one and by 10:40pm it was sold out on Best Buy. Today 08/22 Target, Amazon and Walmart all put it up for pre-order and sold out in minutes.

:fish2:

 

[MattAK]

Although not specifically 4Runner related I just wanted to brag that I scored a guaranteed pre-order of the new $79 Nintendo SNES Classic via Best Buy.

https://www.nintendo.com/super-nes-classic

I was sitting on the couch and my iphone app "The Tracker" popped up a notice that it was now in stock for pre-order at Best Buy (first time anywhere). I acted fast and scored one. That was last night at 10:25pm PST. I ordered one and by 10:40pm it was sold out on Best Buy. Today 08/22 Target, Amazon and Walmart all put it up for pre-order and sold out in minutes.

:fish2:

I got mine from BB too. Got a text from nowinstock.net just as I was pulling into my apt from traveling to see the eclipse. I was one that got in on the false Walmart pre-order last month so I was happy to get this one for sure.