JohnTheLuck's Adventures Thread
- Thread starter JohnTheLuck
- Start date
JohnTheLuck
Member
Day 50:
Start point: Santa Rosa, NM
End point: Searcy, AR
Distance driven: 1242 km
States traveled: NM, TX, OK, AR
What a difference in 24 hours! We did not see any clouds in the sky today, and mostly no snow flakes ... Zero, niet, nada. And that was so good to see the sunshine all day.
Tomorrow we will continue our return marathon with the longest day on the road for this trip to arrive not too late at home Sunday.
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Start point: Santa Rosa, NM
End point: Searcy, AR
Distance driven: 1242 km
States traveled: NM, TX, OK, AR
What a difference in 24 hours! We did not see any clouds in the sky today, and mostly no snow flakes ... Zero, niet, nada. And that was so good to see the sunshine all day.
Tomorrow we will continue our return marathon with the longest day on the road for this trip to arrive not too late at home Sunday.
.
Tuco Ramirez
New member
Fixed that for you.
JohnTheLuck
Member
Yes, you are obviously right. Fixed. Thanks!
JohnTheLuck
Member
Day 51:
Start point: Searcy, AR
End point: Lexington, VA
Distance driven: 1257 km
States traveled: AR, TN, VA
Again today, we had a great cloudless day, except a big system far to the east but we went around. We finally arrived on I-81 heading northeast, in Lexington, Virginia. We still have about 12 hours to drive before arriving home. The weather should remain similar for tomorrow.
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Start point: Searcy, AR
End point: Lexington, VA
Distance driven: 1257 km
States traveled: AR, TN, VA
Again today, we had a great cloudless day, except a big system far to the east but we went around. We finally arrived on I-81 heading northeast, in Lexington, Virginia. We still have about 12 hours to drive before arriving home. The weather should remain similar for tomorrow.
.
JohnTheLuck
Member
Day 52:
Start point: Lexington, VA
End point: Montreal, QC
Distance driven: 1163 km
States traveled: VA, WV, MD, PA, NY, ON, QC
Home, at last!
After checking the weather to verify the vicinity of Syracuse NY and Watertown NY, a place often problematic given the proximity of the great lakes, we continued our route on I-81 North. Apart from a few clouds near the big lakes, it was still very beautiful day.
We really enjoyed this trip, our longest lasting with 52 days, and the second in distance with 22,280 km. I will prepare a post travel report in the next few days.
Thanks everyone who contributed for making this trip a success, and all the readers for your kind words. I has been a blast!!!
.
Start point: Lexington, VA
End point: Montreal, QC
Distance driven: 1163 km
States traveled: VA, WV, MD, PA, NY, ON, QC
Home, at last!
After checking the weather to verify the vicinity of Syracuse NY and Watertown NY, a place often problematic given the proximity of the great lakes, we continued our route on I-81 North. Apart from a few clouds near the big lakes, it was still very beautiful day.
We really enjoyed this trip, our longest lasting with 52 days, and the second in distance with 22,280 km. I will prepare a post travel report in the next few days.
Thanks everyone who contributed for making this trip a success, and all the readers for your kind words. I has been a blast!!!
.
JohnTheLuck
Member
Laundry, cleanup, photo sorting, tax returns, mods on 4Runner, etc...!!!
Seriously, we have something cooking for August to October, another 7 weeks trip in the Southwest. The good next is those weeks are already approved by my wife's company.
We are not decided yet, but we could begin in Idaho, then Utah, to finish in northern Arizona. Maybe Colorado also. So much thing to do there. Utah is high on the list since our last trip there was in October 2016, already three years ago.
We will probably try to do some camping also, question to avoid having go back and forth for hotels. But my wife is not a camping addict... yet...!!!
Ray Dunakin
Senior Member
Congrats on an awesome trip!
JohnTheLuck
Member
Thanks again for your help making it awesome! I was so fun. We will be back again for sure in a few years in SoCal.
MAST4R
New member
Idaho is fine, sure, but UT can be very hot in early Sep and there can also be a lot of road damage from monsoon season. But October is gorgeous!
Northern AZ is same as UT. Definitely don't show up before at least Sep 10.
CO, on the other hand, is probably awesome in September. CO trails are overcrowded so being there when the kids have started school will be a big plus for you. Early October may already be too late for many trails.
So you could do CO-UT-Northern AZ. Don't come south of Flagstaff until after Halloween LOL.
We may do one more day out in the desert for this season and then the Sonoran desert is off radar until November.
Last edited:
grapemilk
Member
He was in office and President when he designated Gold Butte National Monument in 2016, so maybe making him former seems odd? He's former now, but wasn't then? It reads funny to me now.
JohnTheLuck
Member
Yes, this is why I originally wrote President. Re-corrected!
JohnTheLuck
Member
2019-01 Southern California Recap
After a few weeks back home taking care of day to day issues, it is now time for a short recap of this great trip in southern California and Nevada. This trip was well above what we were expecting:
- We traveled a lot of great off-road trails;
- We were blessed with unusual snow in Joshua Tree NP and Mojave NPR;
- The wet winter conditions produced a lot of wildflowers, even if we missed the great bloom by a few weeks;
- Even if my wife was a bit reluctant at first, she enjoyed it very much;
- She wanted so badly to stay longer but she had to go back to work (I am retired but she isn't);
- The best news is this trip made her decide to retire also!!! Next time we will stay as long as WE want, not her boss...
We didn't see or hiked to all the places we had planned, but we keep these points for future trips.
Trip duration: 52 days
States visited: Arizona, California, Nevada
Distance driven (real):
22659 km / 14079 miles
Fuel used:
3281 liters / 867 US gallons
Consumption (displayed):
14.9 l/100 km / 15.4 mi/US gal
Consumption (real):
14.5 l/100 km / 16.3 mi/US gal
Pictures taken (with 3 shots exposure bracketing):
23660 / 101 GB
Off-road trails driven:
Yuma Area: Ferguson Lake Road, Indian Pass Road, Black Mountain Road
Picacho SRA: Picacho Road, Railroad Canyon Overlook Road
Imperial Sand Dunes RA: Sand Highway Road, Oldsmobile Hill Road
Anza-Borrego Desert SP: Canyon Sin Nombre Road, Arroyo Seco del Diablo Road, Diablo Tail Road, Diablo Dropoff Road (partly), Arroyo Tapiado Road, Dos Cabezas Road, Calcite Mine Road (partly), Fonts Point Road, Truckhaven Road, Arroyo Salado Road (partly), Tule Wash Road, Cut Across Road, The Slot Road, Grapevine Canyon Road, Blair Valley Road, Quartz Vein Wash Road, South Coyote Canyon Road, Fish Creek Road, Sandstone Canyon Road
Yuha Desert: De Anza Trail
Ocotillo Area: Painted Gorge-Carrizo Mountain Road, McCain Valley Road
Ocotillo Wells SVRA: Shell Reef Expressway, Cahuilla Trail, Gas Dome Trail, Artesian Trail, Tarantula Wash Trail, Cross Over Trail, Tectonic Gorge Trail, Gettysburg Trail
Mecca Hills Wilderness: Painted Canyon Road, Meccacopia Road, Little Box Canyon Road, Box Canyon Road (was off-road then!!!)
Twentynine Palms Area: Old Dale Road
Joshua Tree NP: Berdoo Canyon Road, Covington Flats Road
Indio Area: Red Canyon Road, Bradshaw Trail BCB
Cibola NWR: Cibola Wildlife Refuge Road
Blythe Area: Blythe Intaglios Road
Vidal Junction Area: Whipple Mountains Road
Kofa NWR: Kofa Queen Canyon Road
Quartzsite Area: Plomosa Mountains Road
Rice Area: Cadiz Road
Mojave Trails NM: Camp Iron Mountains Road, Sunflower Spring Road
Needles Area: Lost Arch Inn Road
Mojave NPr: East Lanfair Valley Road, New York Mountains Road, Cedar Canyon Road, Black Canyon Road, Wild Horse Canyon BCB, Mojave Road (in parts), Vulcan Mine Road, Macedonia Canyon Road, Ivanpah Mountains Road (partly), Cima Dome Road
Barstow Area: Mule Canyon Road, Phillips Loop Road, Tin Can Alley Road
Rainbow Basin Natural Area: Rainbow Basin Loop Road
Barstow Area: Black Canyon Road, Starbright Road, Odessa-Doran Loop (partly)
Ridgecrest Area: Grass Valley Road, Trona Pinnacles Road, Bonanza Gulch Road, Slate Range Road, Mengel Pass Road, Pleasant Canyon Road
Red Rock Canyon SP: Last Chance Canyon Road, Opal Canyon Road, Black Rock Canyon Road
Lone Pine Area: Cerro Gordo Road, Darwin Falls Road
Alabama Hills RA: Movie Road, Hogback Road
Inyo NF: Mazourka Peak Road (partly), Rita's Bench Road
Fish Lake Valley Area: Eureka Valley Road
Death Valley NP: Lake Hill Road, Saline Valley Road (partly), Father Crowley Vista Road, Furnace Creek Wash Road, Hole in the Wall Road, Chloride City Road, Ibex Dunes Road, Ibex Spring Road, Racetrack Valley Road, Lippincott Mine Road
Shoshone Area: Sperry Wash Road, Alexander Hills Road
Moapa Area: Bitter Spring BCB
Lake Mead NRA: Echo Wash Road
Gold Butte NM: Gold Butte BCB, Little Finland Road
Scenic Roads:
Anza-Borrego Desert SP: Erosion Road
Anza-Borrego Desert SP Anza-Borrego Desert SP Road (CA 78)
Twentynine Palms Area: Palms to Pines SB
Death Valley NP: Death Valley SB (CA 190)
Big Pine Area: US 395 Inyo County SSH, Ancient Bristlecone NSB
Red Rock Canyon NCA: Scenic Drive Loop
Valley of Fire SP: White Domes SB
That is for now. Our next adventure with the 4Runner will have to wait a bit since I had committed myself a few years ago when I told my wife that her first trip after she retire would be Australia! Therefore, the 4Runner will see more dirt next winter, probably in southern Arizona and Utah.
.
After a few weeks back home taking care of day to day issues, it is now time for a short recap of this great trip in southern California and Nevada. This trip was well above what we were expecting:
- We traveled a lot of great off-road trails;
- We were blessed with unusual snow in Joshua Tree NP and Mojave NPR;
- The wet winter conditions produced a lot of wildflowers, even if we missed the great bloom by a few weeks;
- Even if my wife was a bit reluctant at first, she enjoyed it very much;
- She wanted so badly to stay longer but she had to go back to work (I am retired but she isn't);
- The best news is this trip made her decide to retire also!!! Next time we will stay as long as WE want, not her boss...
We didn't see or hiked to all the places we had planned, but we keep these points for future trips.
Trip duration: 52 days
States visited: Arizona, California, Nevada
Distance driven (real):
22659 km / 14079 miles
Fuel used:
3281 liters / 867 US gallons
Consumption (displayed):
14.9 l/100 km / 15.4 mi/US gal
Consumption (real):
14.5 l/100 km / 16.3 mi/US gal
Pictures taken (with 3 shots exposure bracketing):
23660 / 101 GB
Off-road trails driven:
Yuma Area: Ferguson Lake Road, Indian Pass Road, Black Mountain Road
Picacho SRA: Picacho Road, Railroad Canyon Overlook Road
Imperial Sand Dunes RA: Sand Highway Road, Oldsmobile Hill Road
Anza-Borrego Desert SP: Canyon Sin Nombre Road, Arroyo Seco del Diablo Road, Diablo Tail Road, Diablo Dropoff Road (partly), Arroyo Tapiado Road, Dos Cabezas Road, Calcite Mine Road (partly), Fonts Point Road, Truckhaven Road, Arroyo Salado Road (partly), Tule Wash Road, Cut Across Road, The Slot Road, Grapevine Canyon Road, Blair Valley Road, Quartz Vein Wash Road, South Coyote Canyon Road, Fish Creek Road, Sandstone Canyon Road
Yuha Desert: De Anza Trail
Ocotillo Area: Painted Gorge-Carrizo Mountain Road, McCain Valley Road
Ocotillo Wells SVRA: Shell Reef Expressway, Cahuilla Trail, Gas Dome Trail, Artesian Trail, Tarantula Wash Trail, Cross Over Trail, Tectonic Gorge Trail, Gettysburg Trail
Mecca Hills Wilderness: Painted Canyon Road, Meccacopia Road, Little Box Canyon Road, Box Canyon Road (was off-road then!!!)
Twentynine Palms Area: Old Dale Road
Joshua Tree NP: Berdoo Canyon Road, Covington Flats Road
Indio Area: Red Canyon Road, Bradshaw Trail BCB
Cibola NWR: Cibola Wildlife Refuge Road
Blythe Area: Blythe Intaglios Road
Vidal Junction Area: Whipple Mountains Road
Kofa NWR: Kofa Queen Canyon Road
Quartzsite Area: Plomosa Mountains Road
Rice Area: Cadiz Road
Mojave Trails NM: Camp Iron Mountains Road, Sunflower Spring Road
Needles Area: Lost Arch Inn Road
Mojave NPr: East Lanfair Valley Road, New York Mountains Road, Cedar Canyon Road, Black Canyon Road, Wild Horse Canyon BCB, Mojave Road (in parts), Vulcan Mine Road, Macedonia Canyon Road, Ivanpah Mountains Road (partly), Cima Dome Road
Barstow Area: Mule Canyon Road, Phillips Loop Road, Tin Can Alley Road
Rainbow Basin Natural Area: Rainbow Basin Loop Road
Barstow Area: Black Canyon Road, Starbright Road, Odessa-Doran Loop (partly)
Ridgecrest Area: Grass Valley Road, Trona Pinnacles Road, Bonanza Gulch Road, Slate Range Road, Mengel Pass Road, Pleasant Canyon Road
Red Rock Canyon SP: Last Chance Canyon Road, Opal Canyon Road, Black Rock Canyon Road
Lone Pine Area: Cerro Gordo Road, Darwin Falls Road
Alabama Hills RA: Movie Road, Hogback Road
Inyo NF: Mazourka Peak Road (partly), Rita's Bench Road
Fish Lake Valley Area: Eureka Valley Road
Death Valley NP: Lake Hill Road, Saline Valley Road (partly), Father Crowley Vista Road, Furnace Creek Wash Road, Hole in the Wall Road, Chloride City Road, Ibex Dunes Road, Ibex Spring Road, Racetrack Valley Road, Lippincott Mine Road
Shoshone Area: Sperry Wash Road, Alexander Hills Road
Moapa Area: Bitter Spring BCB
Lake Mead NRA: Echo Wash Road
Gold Butte NM: Gold Butte BCB, Little Finland Road
Scenic Roads:
Anza-Borrego Desert SP: Erosion Road
Anza-Borrego Desert SP Anza-Borrego Desert SP Road (CA 78)
Twentynine Palms Area: Palms to Pines SB
Death Valley NP: Death Valley SB (CA 190)
Big Pine Area: US 395 Inyo County SSH, Ancient Bristlecone NSB
Red Rock Canyon NCA: Scenic Drive Loop
Valley of Fire SP: White Domes SB
That is for now. Our next adventure with the 4Runner will have to wait a bit since I had committed myself a few years ago when I told my wife that her first trip after she retire would be Australia! Therefore, the 4Runner will see more dirt next winter, probably in southern Arizona and Utah.
.
Ray Dunakin
Senior Member
Awesome! Fifty-two days is ten times longer than I get for my annual Nevada trips!
JohnTheLuck
Member
You are lucky that you can go there for a weekend. I have to drive 4 days to reach Nevada!!!
MAST4R
New member
Ha! Actually, I prefer fewer, longer trips or just day trips. Going camping for 1 night today and I am like, man, why did I bother packing all that for 1 night?
Are you still using your factory shocks and springs?
JohnTheLuck
Member
I upgraded to Toytec BOSS Kit with SPC LCA before my 2017 Solar Eclipse trip. Loving it since it fit my needs and is not too expensive.
MAST4R
New member
Which one is that? With Radflo shocks?
JohnTheLuck
Member
Australia road trip
Last year, I made a promise to my wife that when she would retire we will make a long trip to Australia. Guess what! After having to come back for work after our last trip to Southern California this winter, she decided to retire after this Labor Day!!!
So I am hard at work to prepare this trip. Going to Australia is a first for both of us, and frankly, things are a bit different there. Obviously and sadly, I will not have the 4Runner there. That would be a blast.
Our current plan is to fly to Sydney and spend a few days to recover for the multiple timezone change. Then, we fly to Darwin in the Northern Territory and take possession of a motorhome, a first for us. With that, I should be really visible on the road so if I make some mistakes while driving on the left side (another first for me), other people would have some time to react. I feel a bit scary driving there...
We will then begin crossing Australia from north to south, reaching Melbourne 3 weeks later. There is so much things to see along this long Stuart Highway but unfortunately, driving a motorhome will restrict us a lot.
Then, we will fly to Cairns on the North Eastern shore near the Great Corral Reef. We will take possession of another motorhome for the next two weeks, until we reach Sydney again.
If any of you have some suggestions, you are welcome to PM me. Thanks!
.
Last year, I made a promise to my wife that when she would retire we will make a long trip to Australia. Guess what! After having to come back for work after our last trip to Southern California this winter, she decided to retire after this Labor Day!!!
So I am hard at work to prepare this trip. Going to Australia is a first for both of us, and frankly, things are a bit different there. Obviously and sadly, I will not have the 4Runner there. That would be a blast.
Our current plan is to fly to Sydney and spend a few days to recover for the multiple timezone change. Then, we fly to Darwin in the Northern Territory and take possession of a motorhome, a first for us. With that, I should be really visible on the road so if I make some mistakes while driving on the left side (another first for me), other people would have some time to react. I feel a bit scary driving there...
We will then begin crossing Australia from north to south, reaching Melbourne 3 weeks later. There is so much things to see along this long Stuart Highway but unfortunately, driving a motorhome will restrict us a lot.
Then, we will fly to Cairns on the North Eastern shore near the Great Corral Reef. We will take possession of another motorhome for the next two weeks, until we reach Sydney again.
If any of you have some suggestions, you are welcome to PM me. Thanks!
.
