Eric's Build/Adventure Thread
- Thread starter EHNWI
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poncharello
New member
Did you make your drawer system or have them done somewhere? What was the cost? If you made them yourself, did you/can you do a write-up on it? I'd love to do the same thing with mine.
EHNWI
Member
Took a trip up to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan with my gf this weekend for a nice getaway. We stopped the first night at a small campground on the edge of Lake Michigan. When we got up the next morning/afternoon, we headed to Marquette to get lunch and a few supplies before heading towards Crisp Point Lighthouse a few hours away. In Munising, we stopped so I could show her Wagner Falls. A spot I have been to many times and love.
Continuing from there, we eventually reached the gravel county road that takes us to the lighthouse. From that road, it's about an hour drive deep into the forest with gravel, dirt, and sand roads. 4Runner did beautiful, but the terrain wasn't very challenging and could be done in any vehicle with decent clearance, I think. At the last 3/4 mile, there was an unexpected washout that we couldn't pass, so we had to walk the last little bit to get to the lighthouse and set up a couple shots for the night.
After a few hours it got pretty cold, so we headed back to the truck and drove to the parking lot at Tahquamenon Falls to stay for the night. It was around 3am and it worked. Not the most glamorous place to park and sleep for the night, but the sky was sure nice!
When we got up we checked out the falls and moved on to where we planned to camp the following night. This is the spot I was the most excited about because it was super out of the way and right on the edge of Lake Superior. Following some really cool sand and dirt trails, we ended up right on the edge of a cliff looking out over the lake. It was perfect!... until these rednecks decided to come to the same area and set up camp and start cutting down trees and shooting guns. I was completely pissed, but I didn't want to ruin the weekend with my gf so we drove out of there to a different spot. The next spot wasn't quite as out of the way, but we were still able to pull up to the edge of the beach and sleep for the night.
The next day we got up and went to a couple more waterfalls and views of the lake. Overall an awesome trip. It could have gone more to my plan, but things happen.
Continuing from there, we eventually reached the gravel county road that takes us to the lighthouse. From that road, it's about an hour drive deep into the forest with gravel, dirt, and sand roads. 4Runner did beautiful, but the terrain wasn't very challenging and could be done in any vehicle with decent clearance, I think. At the last 3/4 mile, there was an unexpected washout that we couldn't pass, so we had to walk the last little bit to get to the lighthouse and set up a couple shots for the night.
After a few hours it got pretty cold, so we headed back to the truck and drove to the parking lot at Tahquamenon Falls to stay for the night. It was around 3am and it worked. Not the most glamorous place to park and sleep for the night, but the sky was sure nice!
When we got up we checked out the falls and moved on to where we planned to camp the following night. This is the spot I was the most excited about because it was super out of the way and right on the edge of Lake Superior. Following some really cool sand and dirt trails, we ended up right on the edge of a cliff looking out over the lake. It was perfect!... until these rednecks decided to come to the same area and set up camp and start cutting down trees and shooting guns. I was completely pissed, but I didn't want to ruin the weekend with my gf so we drove out of there to a different spot. The next spot wasn't quite as out of the way, but we were still able to pull up to the edge of the beach and sleep for the night.
The next day we got up and went to a couple more waterfalls and views of the lake. Overall an awesome trip. It could have gone more to my plan, but things happen.
bigben1124
New member
I am interested in this also..
EHNWI
Member
No write up. I had a local woodworker make it for me. We based it off the Skyrat Cargo Drawers and had subtle changes made.
Skyrat's Rear Cargo Box and Sleeping Platform - 3rd Gen 4Runner - YotaTech Forums
EHNWI
Member
Hey guys, been a bit. A lot has changed, a lot has stayed the same. Makes me sad to see the above posts as the relationship with the girl I took on that trip to the Upper Peninsula with me ended just a couple months ago. Oh well, I guess.
4Runner is still kicking. Alternator died yesterday on a trip from Tennessee back home to Indiana. Luckily it died in Indianapolis where I had a friend's brother who threw a new one in in under an hour. Probably saved like $500 there. There are a few quirks I am trying to work out with the electrics, but I think I'll manage.
Here's a shot of the truck in infrared. I have been shooting a lot of black and white infrared video with my RED camera lately. Tons of fun!
4Runner is still kicking. Alternator died yesterday on a trip from Tennessee back home to Indiana. Luckily it died in Indianapolis where I had a friend's brother who threw a new one in in under an hour. Probably saved like $500 there. There are a few quirks I am trying to work out with the electrics, but I think I'll manage.
Here's a shot of the truck in infrared. I have been shooting a lot of black and white infrared video with my RED camera lately. Tons of fun!
00_4runner
New member
Nice rig... Never seen your build before. I have a built 4th gen now, got rid of my 3rd last year. Would love to meet you sometime... Maybe go to the cliffs offroad park? Lemme know!
-Konrad
-Konrad
op2:Snacksquatch
New member
Thanks! Yes, they run on rails. Here are a few more pics for you guys!
Hey Eric! Amazing rig and pics!!! Was wondering if you had any info on the builder/designer of this sleeping system? Thanks!
-Ben
EHNWI
Member
Hey Ben, I had a wood worker in my local area build it up for me.
EHNWI
Member
It had been a while since I had taken a proper adventure so from May 7th to June 11th I traveled around 15,000 miles from Indiana to Wyoming, Oregon, Washington, California, Nevada, and Utah. I did two laps up and down the coast, spent a week in the Sierra Nevada's and shot Bristlecones, the sailing stones in Death Valley, Alabama Hills, Mono Lake, and a bunch of other stuff around there. Out of the whole trip I only spent 3 nights in hotels, while my girlfriend flew from Chicago to LA to meet me for a weekend. I have a ton of stories I could tell about the places I went but here are some of the highlights.
The first stop from Indiana was Lusk, Wyoming, where you can get some of the best pizza in Wyoming. From there I stopped at the Tetons, which I was unable to see unfortunately. From the Tetons I drove to the Columbia River Gorge and shot Panther Creek Falls, Multonmah Falls, and then stayed the night at Lost Lake with a nice view of Mt Hood and the Milky Way. I also took my first road shower after hiking back up Panther Creek Falls.
The Tetons (sort of)
Panther Creek Falls
Road Shower Time!
Multonmah Falls
Sunset and the Milky Way at Lost Lake
I got up before sunrise at Lost Lake and hurried to Rowena Crest to catch the morning light. From Rowena, I decided I would go check out Crater Lake, about 6 hours south. Unfortunately I did not realize most of the rim road was still closed, and I was only able to shoot from the southern side, so no Milky Way that night. Stayed the night at this viewpoint.
Sunrise at Rowena Crest over the Columbia River Gorge
Shooting timelapse at Crater Lake
Sunset at Crater Lake
Got up around 8-9 and decided to head to National Creek Falls near Crater Lake. As I was leaving I stopped to get a photo of these crazy snow drifts bigger than my 4Runner! Unfortunately, the forest road to the falls was covered with downed trees and I did not bring a chainsaw, so I turned around to head back to the main road and down to Toketee Falls. The weather was great, but no clouds, so it wasn't the best condition for shooting waterfalls. Still pretty happy with what I got from this place. Heading out from Toketee I headed towards Bandon, Oregon. Though beautiful, I was treated to too much coastal fog and cloud cover for a nice sunset. As darkness started to set in I headed north up to Heceta Lighthouse for a cool view. Ended up staying the night in the parking lot here.
Crater Lake Snow Drifts
Toketee Falls
"Sunset" in Bandon, Oregon
Heceta Lighthouse in the moonlight
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HBY3ekvxSnM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The first stop from Indiana was Lusk, Wyoming, where you can get some of the best pizza in Wyoming. From there I stopped at the Tetons, which I was unable to see unfortunately. From the Tetons I drove to the Columbia River Gorge and shot Panther Creek Falls, Multonmah Falls, and then stayed the night at Lost Lake with a nice view of Mt Hood and the Milky Way. I also took my first road shower after hiking back up Panther Creek Falls.
The Tetons (sort of)
Panther Creek Falls
Road Shower Time!
Multonmah Falls
Sunset and the Milky Way at Lost Lake
I got up before sunrise at Lost Lake and hurried to Rowena Crest to catch the morning light. From Rowena, I decided I would go check out Crater Lake, about 6 hours south. Unfortunately I did not realize most of the rim road was still closed, and I was only able to shoot from the southern side, so no Milky Way that night. Stayed the night at this viewpoint.
Sunrise at Rowena Crest over the Columbia River Gorge
Shooting timelapse at Crater Lake
Sunset at Crater Lake
Got up around 8-9 and decided to head to National Creek Falls near Crater Lake. As I was leaving I stopped to get a photo of these crazy snow drifts bigger than my 4Runner! Unfortunately, the forest road to the falls was covered with downed trees and I did not bring a chainsaw, so I turned around to head back to the main road and down to Toketee Falls. The weather was great, but no clouds, so it wasn't the best condition for shooting waterfalls. Still pretty happy with what I got from this place. Heading out from Toketee I headed towards Bandon, Oregon. Though beautiful, I was treated to too much coastal fog and cloud cover for a nice sunset. As darkness started to set in I headed north up to Heceta Lighthouse for a cool view. Ended up staying the night in the parking lot here.
Crater Lake Snow Drifts
Toketee Falls
"Sunset" in Bandon, Oregon
Heceta Lighthouse in the moonlight
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HBY3ekvxSnM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
EHNWI
Member
The next morning the move was to make my way all the way up to Ruby Beach in the Olympic Peninsula of Washington for sunset. It was a great foggy, rainy drive up the coast which I enjoyed a ton. I arrived a little before sunset but it was cloudy. I shot some stuff anyways and walked around the beach. After sunset here I drove into Forks, got gas, and started the trip up to Hurricane Ridge, hoping to get above the fog. I was able to get some shots above the fog, but the sky was clouded over so the photos didn't turn out that great.
Foggy Drive up the Coast
Ruby Beach
Forks
After making it up Hurricane Ridge, I just went to bed. In the morning I got up and drove down to the trailhead to Sol Duc Falls. The weather was cloudy and misty, so it was perfect for shooting this waterfall. There was a tiny waterfall scene before the big waterfall, so I stopped and shot that too. After Sol Duc Falls I started the drive to the Hoh Rainforest, hoping to grab a few shots before going back to Ruby Beach to attempt another sunset shot there. It was pretty dark in the forest, but the Hall of Mosses was awesome and the shots turned out great. Ruby Beach was again a bust because of the weather and decided to give Hurricane Ridge another go, which turned out to be a good idea because as the moon set the clouds started to disappear and the Milky Way made it's way out from behind them above the mountains.
Small Waterfall Scene on the Sol Duc Trail
Sol Duc Falls
Foggy Forest
Hall of Mosses
Ruby Beach
Milky Way from Hurricane Ridge!
Foggy Drive up the Coast
Ruby Beach
Forks
After making it up Hurricane Ridge, I just went to bed. In the morning I got up and drove down to the trailhead to Sol Duc Falls. The weather was cloudy and misty, so it was perfect for shooting this waterfall. There was a tiny waterfall scene before the big waterfall, so I stopped and shot that too. After Sol Duc Falls I started the drive to the Hoh Rainforest, hoping to grab a few shots before going back to Ruby Beach to attempt another sunset shot there. It was pretty dark in the forest, but the Hall of Mosses was awesome and the shots turned out great. Ruby Beach was again a bust because of the weather and decided to give Hurricane Ridge another go, which turned out to be a good idea because as the moon set the clouds started to disappear and the Milky Way made it's way out from behind them above the mountains.
Small Waterfall Scene on the Sol Duc Trail
Sol Duc Falls
Foggy Forest
Hall of Mosses
Ruby Beach
Milky Way from Hurricane Ridge!
EHNWI
Member
I ended up actually staying up all night at Hurricane Ridge shooting, and caught sunrise. The fog below and partly cloudy skies above made for a nice show of color. I was glad I decided to just stay up and shoot. After sunrise I made my way south down to Kalaloch to shoot this cool tree held up by it's roots. Then headed up to Cape Flattery, the most northwest point in the continental US for sunset. After sunset I drive a couple hours south and found a spot to crash along the ocean for the night.
Hurricane Sunrise
Kalaloch
Sunset at Cape Flattery
Hurricane Sunrise
Kalaloch
Sunset at Cape Flattery
collierunner
New member
Nice shots! Should have hit up some of us locals. There are hundreds of falls and lookouts that would have made great photos.
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