Rock Rat's Imperial Jade Mica "Next Adventure" Build
- Thread starter Rock_Rat
- Start date
theesotericone
New member
Sounds like a sweet trip man. Looking forward to the rest of the report.
I didn't want to mention anything about your drop in system for two reasons. One it looked great. Two you where proud of it. Now that you've gotten to use it I'll throw in my pennies.
I lived out of my van for 5 years. You need drawers. You also need a drop location or two for daily use items. Small things that end up getting lost. Like a headlamp, wallet, keys. Make sure all that stuff goes in the same spot every time. In the long run it saves you tons of time looking for it. Also plan on going through multiple systems until you find one that is dialed. I changed out the layout 3 times until I was completely happy with it. Don't think so much about modularity. You'll need everything and moving stuff in and out makes it way more likely to forget something important.
I didn't want to mention anything about your drop in system for two reasons. One it looked great. Two you where proud of it. Now that you've gotten to use it I'll throw in my pennies.
I lived out of my van for 5 years. You need drawers. You also need a drop location or two for daily use items. Small things that end up getting lost. Like a headlamp, wallet, keys. Make sure all that stuff goes in the same spot every time. In the long run it saves you tons of time looking for it. Also plan on going through multiple systems until you find one that is dialed. I changed out the layout 3 times until I was completely happy with it. Don't think so much about modularity. You'll need everything and moving stuff in and out makes it way more likely to forget something important.
LittleCaesar
New member
What luck! It doesn't always pay to be pinching pennies.
A friend of mine's aunt and uncle owned a bed and breakfast in Duck Creek Village on 14, to the left off 89 when going north. Kodachrome Basin state park is great for scenery as well. A huge dust storm came up when I was there.
After getting a handle on the grass post some more pics if possible.
A friend of mine's aunt and uncle owned a bed and breakfast in Duck Creek Village on 14, to the left off 89 when going north. Kodachrome Basin state park is great for scenery as well. A huge dust storm came up when I was there.
After getting a handle on the grass post some more pics if possible.
Rock_Rat
Senior Member
Overland Expo Trip Report
Overland EXPO and UTAH Trip - Part One of Many
Sometime back in early fall I was seriously considering going to the Overland Expo West in Flagstaff AZ. At the same time, I was discussing some mountaineering plans for 2018 with a climbing partner of mine who lives in Georgia. We both decided to meet up in Flagstaff along with a couple other friends of ours. We hadn't seen each other since our failed attempt at climbing Mt. Adams a few years back. Suffice it to say, we were pretty pumped.
For me it was a great opportunity to look at all the builds, new products, the various storage systems, and all that goes on at an Expo of this size. More importantly, I couldn't wait to jump into all the classes being taught by the legendary Camel Trophy guys. I mean seriously, how cool is that?
I had a pretty big itinerary for the week and few days I would be there and knew I had to do some meticulous planning with hardly any wiggle room. Our agenda for the next week included the three days at the Overland Expo, Grand Canyon, Zion NP, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Arches NP, and MOAB. Whew!
Time is quickly slipping away as I'm currently planning on doing the OBDR beginning on July 5th with a few forum members and a colleague of mine.
Enjoy this first part of many updates as time permits.
We set up camp at Fort Tuthill Recreation area. I needed to bring a tent because I was going to be using my rig for a lot of the training. The ARB awning was fantastic. The tent is a Vintage Wild Country Hyperspace Mountaineering Tent from the early 90's, before they sold it off to Terra Nova. FWIW Wild Country introduced the first Camming device back in the 70's for climbers called the Friend. We cooked mostly on the skottle but did use our two-burner stove as well.
This was one of the first classes I signed up for. It's called "Braking with the Wrong Foot." This was a two hour course filled with some awesome instruction. The bottom line: be able to stop your rig using your left foot without having the nose dip down at all - ever. The trick for open diffs is to hold down the brake with your left foot and get your rpms up with your right foot until the brakes begin to sing. Then use you left foot to drive (modulate) rather than using your throttle. Very critical when overlanding for minimizing stress on your equipemnt. I had no problem getting through any of the course. I now practice this technique every day.
Here's a pic of Barry, another buddy of mine going through the course using left foot braking techniques. He did a great job, gently rolling over the rocks. One of the great legends of all time marshaling him through the course.
This is the Expedition skills area where I spent most of my time. I looked forward to every event and it was pretty cool to see that disco up there balancing on those logs.
This course was called "Roll Over Prevention and Recovery" This is Candy, the yellow 4Runner and it belongs to Nena Barlow of Barlow Adventures. It took her two tries to roll it but it finally rolled and we were able to begin that portion of our class. Fantastic experience with a wealth of learning.
Here'a a photo of a three point recovery operation. My only concern with this operation which I did mention was if you're going to be rolling your rig on a trail like this you won't have three vehicles placed the way these were. More than likely you might have a tree up top and someone in front and behind on the trail. Your chances of having a rig with an exoskeleton are also going to be pretty slim. Overall, it was still a great experience and great training exercise.
Here Duncan and another colleague go over the ins and outs of creating your own recovery kit. Again, great class and I felt pretty confident about the recovery gear that I own. Dynamic recovery gear isn't used that much up here in the PNW so I don't have any. The big things that should be in everyone's kit which I already had are slings, and soft shackles with at least one or two quality pulleys. I learned quite a bit during this class.
Here's the other driving course that ties everything together. The taco was a lot of fun to drive. You couldn't drive your own vehicle during this training session.
Overland EXPO and UTAH Trip - Part One of Many
Sometime back in early fall I was seriously considering going to the Overland Expo West in Flagstaff AZ. At the same time, I was discussing some mountaineering plans for 2018 with a climbing partner of mine who lives in Georgia. We both decided to meet up in Flagstaff along with a couple other friends of ours. We hadn't seen each other since our failed attempt at climbing Mt. Adams a few years back. Suffice it to say, we were pretty pumped.
For me it was a great opportunity to look at all the builds, new products, the various storage systems, and all that goes on at an Expo of this size. More importantly, I couldn't wait to jump into all the classes being taught by the legendary Camel Trophy guys. I mean seriously, how cool is that?
I had a pretty big itinerary for the week and few days I would be there and knew I had to do some meticulous planning with hardly any wiggle room. Our agenda for the next week included the three days at the Overland Expo, Grand Canyon, Zion NP, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Arches NP, and MOAB. Whew!
Time is quickly slipping away as I'm currently planning on doing the OBDR beginning on July 5th with a few forum members and a colleague of mine.
Enjoy this first part of many updates as time permits.
We set up camp at Fort Tuthill Recreation area. I needed to bring a tent because I was going to be using my rig for a lot of the training. The ARB awning was fantastic. The tent is a Vintage Wild Country Hyperspace Mountaineering Tent from the early 90's, before they sold it off to Terra Nova. FWIW Wild Country introduced the first Camming device back in the 70's for climbers called the Friend. We cooked mostly on the skottle but did use our two-burner stove as well.
This was one of the first classes I signed up for. It's called "Braking with the Wrong Foot." This was a two hour course filled with some awesome instruction. The bottom line: be able to stop your rig using your left foot without having the nose dip down at all - ever. The trick for open diffs is to hold down the brake with your left foot and get your rpms up with your right foot until the brakes begin to sing. Then use you left foot to drive (modulate) rather than using your throttle. Very critical when overlanding for minimizing stress on your equipemnt. I had no problem getting through any of the course. I now practice this technique every day.
Here's a pic of Barry, another buddy of mine going through the course using left foot braking techniques. He did a great job, gently rolling over the rocks. One of the great legends of all time marshaling him through the course.
This is the Expedition skills area where I spent most of my time. I looked forward to every event and it was pretty cool to see that disco up there balancing on those logs.
This course was called "Roll Over Prevention and Recovery" This is Candy, the yellow 4Runner and it belongs to Nena Barlow of Barlow Adventures. It took her two tries to roll it but it finally rolled and we were able to begin that portion of our class. Fantastic experience with a wealth of learning.
Here'a a photo of a three point recovery operation. My only concern with this operation which I did mention was if you're going to be rolling your rig on a trail like this you won't have three vehicles placed the way these were. More than likely you might have a tree up top and someone in front and behind on the trail. Your chances of having a rig with an exoskeleton are also going to be pretty slim. Overall, it was still a great experience and great training exercise.
Here Duncan and another colleague go over the ins and outs of creating your own recovery kit. Again, great class and I felt pretty confident about the recovery gear that I own. Dynamic recovery gear isn't used that much up here in the PNW so I don't have any. The big things that should be in everyone's kit which I already had are slings, and soft shackles with at least one or two quality pulleys. I learned quite a bit during this class.
Here's the other driving course that ties everything together. The taco was a lot of fun to drive. You couldn't drive your own vehicle during this training session.
Attachments
papabeach
Member
Great trip! Did you come up with a solution for full time 12v power? I have been pretty happy with this mod to get that outcome for cheap.
Toyota 4Runner Highlander Electrical Modifications Constant 12v Power
Also, I just picked up a blue sea dual fast charge USB charger switch that I will finish wiring up today for more full time 12V access...I have two kids and gadgets galore to keep everyone happy and occupied.
https://www.bluesea.com/products/1039/Fast_Charge_-_Dual_USB_Charger_Switch_Mount
Toyota 4Runner Highlander Electrical Modifications Constant 12v Power
Also, I just picked up a blue sea dual fast charge USB charger switch that I will finish wiring up today for more full time 12V access...I have two kids and gadgets galore to keep everyone happy and occupied.
https://www.bluesea.com/products/1039/Fast_Charge_-_Dual_USB_Charger_Switch_Mount
Rock_Rat
Senior Member
This is an awesome mod. I'll be doing it this weekend. I replaced my cigarette lighter with a Dual USB charger socket a couple of years ago. I still need to make that "always hot". Thanks!!
Rock_Rat
Senior Member
Overland Expo Trip Report
Overland EXPO and UTAH Trip - Part Two of Many
Outside of the expedition training with the Camel Trophy and 7P guys I signed up for a number of classes I was specifically interested in and a few that were just "gee whiz" "let me see what they have to say." Most were just OK but fell short of my expectations.
The class I was mostly interested in was actually a bit of a disappointment but their truck was great to look at. This was "DIY Cargo Systems, Sleeping Platforms, and Interior Storage" Before I left, I built my own rudimentary storage system on a budget, using hardwood, carpet and four FrontRunner Wolfpack boxes. It worked great. I knew I was going to be upgrading to a more permanent solution soon but really wanted more information.
The other class that was disappointing was "Power Where You Need It: Proper accessory wiring for radios, fridges, and nav systems." The instructor was top notch and an ASE certified technician. Unfortunately, in classroom settings such as this, you need to teach to the lowest denominator of the class. I'm here to tell you; yes there is such aa thing as a dumb question. I'm a witness to that. Anyway, he went over different gauge wire, tools you need for butt splices, different types of heat shrink etc. Participants were frantically writing everything down. "What is that in your hand.?" "A BlueSea Fuse Block.??" "How do you spell it?" "Where can I pick one up.?" Needless to say, I had to excuse myself.
Anyway, I hooked up with [MENTION=124732]LawnDart[/MENTION] as I knew he was representing TC and he's a local PDX Overlander. You can catch his awesome walk around here - Lawndart Walkaround. I also hooked up with [MENTION=68685]Ducmonsta[/MENTION] and [MENTION=78318]RiDE[/MENTION] along with our CVT rep and Warn rep, all PDX Overlanders. Great to see them but dang my schedule with my wife was busy and hard to get "free" time. She wanted to pack in as much as she could over the weekend.
There's some great videos out there on the EXPO so if you want to see more, click on the Overland Expo West website or just google it.
Here's some more pics before I wrap up this part of the trip.
This is Jeff and Monica Yaeger's 97 TRD supercharged LX450 w OEM lockers and 4:88 Nitro gears. This is one nice setup. They are real down to earth folks and ran the DIY Cargo systems class. They pretty much talked about doing what works best for you and how their system works for them but not really the details on "how-to" or where to find the strongest and lightest products etc. Overall it was worth seeing their rig and listening to their story.
Here's a great photo of their rig completely opened up for everyone to explore. They're running an Alu-Cab Expedition tent with a Alu-Cab shadow 270 awning. If anyone wants the details of their rig you can find them on Overland The World Great folks!!
From small to outrageously huge. This and the next photo are examples of what Global Expeditions have to offer. I'm sure a half mil would get your foot in the door. But not worry. "Financing available, on approved credit."
But wait...there's more...Another fine Global Expeditions Vehicle!
Most of the crew from Expedition Overland was here as well showcasing their rigs and fielding questions and answers. Like many of you, I watched the entire central america series and am watching their current series. You can see Clay Croft, expedition leader, in the background on the right. Great guy to talk with. I always liked the CBI bumper on this rig and just had to really take a closer look at it.
Here is Jon Burtt's 2015 Tacoma FipPac rig. I spoke extensively with him about his set up and why he removed his Truck Vault and replaced it with Goose Gear. He personally took the time to walk me through his entire setup. despite the amount of money spent, what really makes his rig stand out for me is his attention to detail. A place for everything and everything in its place. I love it. Here's the video walk around if you guys haven't seen it yet. Tacoma FlipPac Walkaround
Made a quick stop at our Oregon CVT dealer's display just to say hey but could never find them. This was a busy area.
I loved looking at all of the new products that the vendors had to offer and was amazed at how much "stuff" some guys had attached to either their rig or their trailer. Sorry guys, but I've NEVER been easily persuaded that I "need" 90% of most new gadgets and "stuff" to do anything. I think a motto we should stick to is "less is more."
Overland EXPO and UTAH Trip - Part Two of Many
Outside of the expedition training with the Camel Trophy and 7P guys I signed up for a number of classes I was specifically interested in and a few that were just "gee whiz" "let me see what they have to say." Most were just OK but fell short of my expectations.
The class I was mostly interested in was actually a bit of a disappointment but their truck was great to look at. This was "DIY Cargo Systems, Sleeping Platforms, and Interior Storage" Before I left, I built my own rudimentary storage system on a budget, using hardwood, carpet and four FrontRunner Wolfpack boxes. It worked great. I knew I was going to be upgrading to a more permanent solution soon but really wanted more information.
The other class that was disappointing was "Power Where You Need It: Proper accessory wiring for radios, fridges, and nav systems." The instructor was top notch and an ASE certified technician. Unfortunately, in classroom settings such as this, you need to teach to the lowest denominator of the class. I'm here to tell you; yes there is such aa thing as a dumb question. I'm a witness to that. Anyway, he went over different gauge wire, tools you need for butt splices, different types of heat shrink etc. Participants were frantically writing everything down. "What is that in your hand.?" "A BlueSea Fuse Block.??" "How do you spell it?" "Where can I pick one up.?" Needless to say, I had to excuse myself.
Anyway, I hooked up with [MENTION=124732]LawnDart[/MENTION] as I knew he was representing TC and he's a local PDX Overlander. You can catch his awesome walk around here - Lawndart Walkaround. I also hooked up with [MENTION=68685]Ducmonsta[/MENTION] and [MENTION=78318]RiDE[/MENTION] along with our CVT rep and Warn rep, all PDX Overlanders. Great to see them but dang my schedule with my wife was busy and hard to get "free" time. She wanted to pack in as much as she could over the weekend.
There's some great videos out there on the EXPO so if you want to see more, click on the Overland Expo West website or just google it.
Here's some more pics before I wrap up this part of the trip.
This is Jeff and Monica Yaeger's 97 TRD supercharged LX450 w OEM lockers and 4:88 Nitro gears. This is one nice setup. They are real down to earth folks and ran the DIY Cargo systems class. They pretty much talked about doing what works best for you and how their system works for them but not really the details on "how-to" or where to find the strongest and lightest products etc. Overall it was worth seeing their rig and listening to their story.
Here's a great photo of their rig completely opened up for everyone to explore. They're running an Alu-Cab Expedition tent with a Alu-Cab shadow 270 awning. If anyone wants the details of their rig you can find them on Overland The World Great folks!!
From small to outrageously huge. This and the next photo are examples of what Global Expeditions have to offer. I'm sure a half mil would get your foot in the door. But not worry. "Financing available, on approved credit."
But wait...there's more...Another fine Global Expeditions Vehicle!
Most of the crew from Expedition Overland was here as well showcasing their rigs and fielding questions and answers. Like many of you, I watched the entire central america series and am watching their current series. You can see Clay Croft, expedition leader, in the background on the right. Great guy to talk with. I always liked the CBI bumper on this rig and just had to really take a closer look at it.
Here is Jon Burtt's 2015 Tacoma FipPac rig. I spoke extensively with him about his set up and why he removed his Truck Vault and replaced it with Goose Gear. He personally took the time to walk me through his entire setup. despite the amount of money spent, what really makes his rig stand out for me is his attention to detail. A place for everything and everything in its place. I love it. Here's the video walk around if you guys haven't seen it yet. Tacoma FlipPac Walkaround
Made a quick stop at our Oregon CVT dealer's display just to say hey but could never find them. This was a busy area.
I loved looking at all of the new products that the vendors had to offer and was amazed at how much "stuff" some guys had attached to either their rig or their trailer. Sorry guys, but I've NEVER been easily persuaded that I "need" 90% of most new gadgets and "stuff" to do anything. I think a motto we should stick to is "less is more."
Attachments
Last edited:
Rock_Rat
Senior Member
Actually it's not for A/T's only. My bud Barry in the Black Jeep has a manual and did fine. It takes a lot of practice having an extra pedal but it's something they recommend teaching to your entire family. The Camel Trophy expert teaching the course told everyone he could stop his vehicle faster than anyone in the class with left foot braking.
What shocked me the most was how easily I was able to move through what is everyone's nightmare without a locker (opposite wheels on front and back in a hole) by just modulating my brake and maintaining a constant rpm. Again, the trick is to maintain a constant RPM until the brakes start to sing and only use your left foot. It's very tempting to want to use your right foot and adjust your speed but that's incorrect. That's when you begin to stress out your suspension.
It really hit home when he said, those guys usually end up breaking axles or tearing up their front end. Their passengers are getting bumped all over the place. If you're in panama or the middle of Peru you absolutely must take care of your rig as much as possible. I thought back to the WABDR when I carried a spare axle with me.
If you practice enough, you should be able to come to a stop without the front end of your vehicle taking ANY kind of a nose dive. You should also be able to go up and come off any rocks and not even feel it.
Rock_Rat
Senior Member
Overland Expo Trip Report
Overland EXPO and UTAH Trip - Part Three of Many
My son flew in from Seattle today, Sunday, the final day of the Expo. He will join us for our trip to the Grand Canyon and Zion National Park. Due to other commitments, he would be flying out of Las Vegas on Tuesday. Our reunion with our friends would soon come to a close as we all had plans to depart the Expo and head in different directions. Scott's son and his girlfriend would visit us later in the month. Scott and I discussed our upcoming trip to the Himalayas to climb Ama Dablam in October 2018 and decided to postpone that trip for another year. You see, we have some unfinished business to take care of in Ecuador that took on a higher priority on our list. A few years ago, Scott suffered from AMS and was forced to turn back. Since my wife has been to the Himalayas before and neither of our wives has been to Ecuador, the decision was an easy one. Ecuador it is! Back to Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, Cayambe and Los Illinizas.
The Expo was trmendous but Monday morning it was time to pack up and move on toward the rest of our adventure. We packed up and left Flagstaff for the south rim of the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon has been on our bucket list for quite some time. Prior to our departure, I had everything all mapped out and ready to go. I've learned a long time ago that if you properly plan ahead your trip will go a lot smoother. Being seasoned hikers, we realized the limited time we would have to explore most of the South Rim of the Canyon so we opted to enjoy a hike down the Bright Angel Trail to the 3-mile Rest house and return. This is a fantastic hike, frequented by many tourists on a well groomed trail.The hike begins at 6840ft with an change in elevation of 2120ft. It's a 4-6 hour hike depending on your condition.
We departed the Grand Canyon after a short lunch break following the south rim along Highway 64 stopping by as many of the incredible lookouts and "must see" vantage points to get a different view of the Canyon. What a masterful geologic wonder! All the different layers representing the earths storied history. I was blown away. That evening we left the Grand Canyon and headed up 89N to Page Az, our stop for the evening. We chose to spend the night at Page just to catch up on some laundry, sleep in a bed and basically enjoy some creature comforts. It also split the driving time in the morning between the Grand Canyon and Zion National Park, our next destination, in half, from 4 hours to 2.
My wife and I both agree that the Grand Canyon is a wonderful place to behold, however, we're not sure if we feel the desire to return and hike down to the Colorado River or visit the North Rim. If we do, it will probably be over a long weekend where we would catch a flight into Vegas and rent a car or even catch a tourist flight over the canyon. Having seen it just once in our lifetime has satisfied my desire.
Obviously, it goes without saying but as all others have said, words and pictures cannot begin to capture this masterpiece.
As we were entering the park, I saw a vehicle slow down and take a picture from their window. As we drove by the same spot, we parked the 4runner and I followed this female and fawn and patiently waited for the right moment. Patience and persistence paid off.
One of the many splendid views from the Bright Angel Trail.
My wife took an opportunity to catch me and my son on the trail. He was carrying my wife's Osprey Pack and I had my old Karrimor pack from Germany. Perfect for this hike.
One of the two tunnels we encountered on the trail.
Another view from the Bright Angel trail
Of course when you're hiking in the Grand Canyon, what goes down, must go up!
Twenty miles east of the main Grand Canyon Visitors center is the Indian Watchtower at Desert View designed by Mary Jane Colter back in 1932
The interior of the Desert View has many murals and paintings by Fred Kabotie, a Native American from the Hopi tribe.
Overland EXPO and UTAH Trip - Part Three of Many
My son flew in from Seattle today, Sunday, the final day of the Expo. He will join us for our trip to the Grand Canyon and Zion National Park. Due to other commitments, he would be flying out of Las Vegas on Tuesday. Our reunion with our friends would soon come to a close as we all had plans to depart the Expo and head in different directions. Scott's son and his girlfriend would visit us later in the month. Scott and I discussed our upcoming trip to the Himalayas to climb Ama Dablam in October 2018 and decided to postpone that trip for another year. You see, we have some unfinished business to take care of in Ecuador that took on a higher priority on our list. A few years ago, Scott suffered from AMS and was forced to turn back. Since my wife has been to the Himalayas before and neither of our wives has been to Ecuador, the decision was an easy one. Ecuador it is! Back to Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, Cayambe and Los Illinizas.
The Expo was trmendous but Monday morning it was time to pack up and move on toward the rest of our adventure. We packed up and left Flagstaff for the south rim of the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon has been on our bucket list for quite some time. Prior to our departure, I had everything all mapped out and ready to go. I've learned a long time ago that if you properly plan ahead your trip will go a lot smoother. Being seasoned hikers, we realized the limited time we would have to explore most of the South Rim of the Canyon so we opted to enjoy a hike down the Bright Angel Trail to the 3-mile Rest house and return. This is a fantastic hike, frequented by many tourists on a well groomed trail.The hike begins at 6840ft with an change in elevation of 2120ft. It's a 4-6 hour hike depending on your condition.
We departed the Grand Canyon after a short lunch break following the south rim along Highway 64 stopping by as many of the incredible lookouts and "must see" vantage points to get a different view of the Canyon. What a masterful geologic wonder! All the different layers representing the earths storied history. I was blown away. That evening we left the Grand Canyon and headed up 89N to Page Az, our stop for the evening. We chose to spend the night at Page just to catch up on some laundry, sleep in a bed and basically enjoy some creature comforts. It also split the driving time in the morning between the Grand Canyon and Zion National Park, our next destination, in half, from 4 hours to 2.
My wife and I both agree that the Grand Canyon is a wonderful place to behold, however, we're not sure if we feel the desire to return and hike down to the Colorado River or visit the North Rim. If we do, it will probably be over a long weekend where we would catch a flight into Vegas and rent a car or even catch a tourist flight over the canyon. Having seen it just once in our lifetime has satisfied my desire.
Obviously, it goes without saying but as all others have said, words and pictures cannot begin to capture this masterpiece.
As we were entering the park, I saw a vehicle slow down and take a picture from their window. As we drove by the same spot, we parked the 4runner and I followed this female and fawn and patiently waited for the right moment. Patience and persistence paid off.
One of the many splendid views from the Bright Angel Trail.
My wife took an opportunity to catch me and my son on the trail. He was carrying my wife's Osprey Pack and I had my old Karrimor pack from Germany. Perfect for this hike.
One of the two tunnels we encountered on the trail.
Another view from the Bright Angel trail
Of course when you're hiking in the Grand Canyon, what goes down, must go up!
Twenty miles east of the main Grand Canyon Visitors center is the Indian Watchtower at Desert View designed by Mary Jane Colter back in 1932
The interior of the Desert View has many murals and paintings by Fred Kabotie, a Native American from the Hopi tribe.
Attachments
Rock_Rat
Senior Member
More Pictures of the Grand Canyon
No pictures of my 4Runner on this portion of the trip, but getting here speaks for itself. Great rig! Here's few more pics mostly from the Eastern side of the canyon on our way out and over to Page AZ.
Hopefully I can get another update out this week...
No pictures of my 4Runner on this portion of the trip, but getting here speaks for itself. Great rig! Here's few more pics mostly from the Eastern side of the canyon on our way out and over to Page AZ.
Hopefully I can get another update out this week...
Attachments
theesotericone
New member
It's a great technique. Your effectively "locking" the open diff by applying brake pressure. It also robs power from the contact wheels though. That's why it's smooth. I've used it when needed on multiple rigs with open diffs. I'm still getting ARB F/R lockers in this one though. lol
Great job on the write ups for your trip man. You hit some really rad places in the time you had.
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Kiefy4Runner
New member
Such a sick build man! Looks clean!
Rock_Rat
Senior Member
Figured I would poke my head in here for a bit and say hey! This summer has been brutal for me to put it mildly. No time for photos, upgrades, etc...
I'm looking forward to catching up with everyone and starting to do some work on my own rig and finish posting pictures and trip reports etc.
- Lost a good friend and colleague
- Prepped for and then canceled my OBDR trip
- Overload at work due to our loss, one in knee surgery and another with pneumonia
- Renters moving out the same month family coming to town (complete kitchen rebuild, including sub-flooring needed. Joys of being a landlord.
- Family in town for a week (11 of us in my house). My wife is such a miracle worker! Planned out the logistics perfectly!
I'm looking forward to catching up with everyone and starting to do some work on my own rig and finish posting pictures and trip reports etc.
infantry503
New member
Super nice build man. I need lots of money so I can start mine already
Road Bull
Senior Member
Good to hear from you Mike. I know you had a lot on your plate gauging from your previous dispatches here before your break. I am glad that you have found a bit of breathing room and could check in. And I hope you find some time to getting away from it all.
Your post about your Overland EXPO trip got me thinking about doing something similar when the next one rolls around. I liked the bit about left foot braking techniques. Take care man.
Your post about your Overland EXPO trip got me thinking about doing something similar when the next one rolls around. I liked the bit about left foot braking techniques. Take care man.
infamousRNR
Senior Member
Man! Life has a way of throwing curveballs sometimes. It's good to hear from you as this forum is like the family I never had. Definitely wondering where the infamous rock rat had been these days. I hope Everything works out in the end & if it hasn't worked out yet, it's not the end! Loving your adventure pictures. I hope to see more soon!
