StormRunner Build & Adventure Thread

[jdtaylor42]

Coming back through Sedona on the way home had some great views of the red rocks backed by thunderstorms. I tried my best to capture some lightning but never got lucky

And now the clean-up work. I HATE cleaning up mud but with all the rain that unexpectedly hit, I had no way to avoid getting mud everywhere. This was a photo after an initial spray down to get the major mud off

Got to try out my new shampoo gun from Adam's Polish though. Pretty neat little gadget

Back to Clean

 

[Trail Wonka]

Been a while since I went and actually ran some cool trails so on Saturday I decided to hit the road. I ran Greasy Spoon in Sedona and Smiley Rock down by Jerome. Both were awesome

Random photo of my roofliner patch collection. Been to quite a few more national parks than shown but I am working on finding cool patches for them.

Fun little climb into the Smiley Rock Trail

Tight Squeeze. Impossible to avoid those Arizona pin-stripes on this trail

Again I love cool tree's

Such a beautiful trail

And the Smiley Rock

More cool tree's

Rock Garden. This part of the trail was no stinkin' joke. Giant boulders that you had to align perfectly to avoid damage and I had no spotter this day unfortunately. I made it through but did slip a couple of times and hit the wheels

More Boulders

Rock Sliders in action. At least I know my welds hold

Dashboard Light Bright

And then the torrential rains started. I decided on trails south of Flagstaff because they weren't supposed to get rain but it must have followed me. Hail and a downpour of rain made it a real challenge to get out

Hard to show just how much rain was coming down in pictures but it was buckets

Awesome truck and great pics, thanks for sharing. I do patches on my headliner as well, but along the sides in the back [emoji106]


Sent using Tapatalk

 

[blkhwk]

Random photo of my roofliner patch collection. Been to quite a few more national parks than shown but I am working on finding cool patches for them.

I like this. Do the patches have velcro on the back?

 

[jdtaylor42]

Awesome truck and great pics, thanks for sharing. I do patches on my headliner as well, but along the sides in the back [emoji106]

Thanks, I appreciate it

I like this. Do the patches have velcro on the back?

The park patches are iron-on but I just bought a roll of stick on Velcro and converted them from iron-on to Velcro. They hold on very well

 

[CK4RNR]

Like the patches, great idea!

 

[Redbull1435]

I like this. Do the patches have velcro on the back?

just read the whole blog from start to finish.... Lol. Amazing build man, just picked up a white '16 TE and your build gave me some great ideas. PC the exclusive trail rims is great,blacking out the silver accents with paint is also a nice touch. I was personally going to vinyl but after reading I'll just hold off and get them painted. Then killed it with the patches, jumped off the couch and grabbed a couple of my favorites I had laying around . Excited to see where this posts goes and updates on your insta.

 

[jdtaylor42]

So my first BIG trip of the year happened last week. I set out on Thursday afternoon and traveled to see Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks and a couple stops along the route. Was an absolute blast as it was my first time in all three parks. Here are some pics:

I wanted a non-permanent sleeping solution for the trip so I built this platform for the back. I removed the rear seat bottoms to get some extra length since I am 6'4". Usually I like to tent camp since I have a super comfortable cot but for those couple quick transition campsites I didn't want to set up a proper camp so this worked well

And all padded and ready for sleep

I hit Mammoth on the way up to get a few groceries and slept in the forest just north of the town. They happened to have a wildfire that was only 10% contained just a few miles from where I planned to camp so I had to change locations

Heading into Yosemite via the Tioga Pass

View from Lembert Dome of the Tuloumne Meadows

I absolutely love my K9 rack and Raingler Net. Can put SO much stuff up there and so easy to strap down. Worked awesome on this trip and all the others I have taken so far

Granite walls with some climbers in the background

And Half-Dome from the front up Glacier Point Road

Hiked to Artists Point for some sunset pics of the Valley

The Tunnel

Yosemite Falls Trail. The only bummer about going this late in the year is the low water. Not nearly as impressive as when it's really flowing. But I figured it was a good trade-off for not having a bunch of screaming kids on summer break around :bigok:

Vernal Falls. Of all the amazing things in Yosemite, this may have been the most impressive for me. It was really an experience to stand in front of these falls and see and hear the power of that water rushing down and way it played off the rocks. I think this may have actually been better not flowing a ton because it was so cool to see how the streams chose their paths and the way they exploded off the rocks.

So this is El Capitan and it is impossible to really describe how massive this wall is without seeing it in person but let me try to show just a bit. Towards the bottom of the wall just to the left of the shadow there is a crescent moon shape protrusion. See how small that section is on the wall

Now I am zoomed in on that section to show a climber in that tiny section of the wall. Look how small the climber is! This wall is beyond massive. And it is incredible and insane that people free-climb this wall!!!

Valley Overlook repping that Adam's Polish shine

On to King's Canyon! I only camped one night here and did a few hikes before moving on to Sequoia

Driving Out of the Canyon

 

[jdtaylor42]

And into Sequoia! This park was amazing. I mean I love tree's so maybe it impressed me more than most but I loved this park

I look like a micro-machine!

Tight Squeeze headed up to Moro Rock

Me taking a push-up break on a dead and fallen Sequoia. I think the fallen ones may have been even more impressive than the live ones because you could walk down their length and get a real feel for just how massive and tall they are. Insane

Drive-Through Tree

And then there was this. On my final hike, on the final day in Sequoia I was hiking a 4.5 mile trail. Towards the end with no other hikers in sight I rounded a bend to find myself face to face with this guy. It was exhilarating to say the least. I was 15 feet from this guy. Thankfully I think he just woke from a nap and didn't have much interest in eating me for supper

 

[mwray8909]

And into Sequoia! This park was amazing. I mean I love tree's so maybe it impressed me more than most but I loved this park

I look like a micro-machine!

Tight Squeeze headed up to Moro Rock

Me taking a push-up break on a dead and fallen Sequoia. I think the fallen ones may have been even more impressive than the live ones because you could walk down their length and get a real feel for just how massive and tall they are. Insane

Drive-Through Tree

And then there was this. On my final hike, on the final day in Sequoia I was hiking a 4.5 mile trail by myself. Towards the end with no other hikes in sight I rounded a bend to find myself face to face with this guy. It was exhilarating to say the least. I was 15 feet from this guy. Thankfully I think he just woke from a nap and didn't have much interest in eating me for supper

Yosemite is such a beautiful place. My lady and i spent a couple hours just laying in the grass between el capitan and half dome around mid February. Awe inspiring.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

 

[Mark74]

Roof Rack???

Love the roof rack! I like to haul two kayaks at times, but don't have the kayak mounts. Do you ever have an issue with things shifting on the rack? I've looked at the Gobi and others, but the Eezi-Awn looks to be much more versatile.
Love the Stormrunner, that's one awesome build!

 

[jdtaylor42]

Love the roof rack! I like to haul two kayaks at times, but don't have the kayak mounts. Do you ever have an issue with things shifting on the rack? I've looked at the Gobi and others, but the Eezi-Awn looks to be much more versatile.
Love the Stormrunner, that's one awesome build!

I have never had issues with anything moving around but I do use the J-Style Cradles for my kayaks. But when I have the entire roof loaded up for camping trips I just throw my raingler net over top and everything stays just where I put it.

I can't say enough good things about the Eezi-Awn rack. It is pricey for sure but based on my experience so far it is well worth the cost. I have been nothing but pleased.

 

[jdtaylor42]

Finally my Yellowstone vacation arrived! I put on over 2,250 miles for this trip and it was amazing!

Day 1 I drove from Flagstaff up to Idaho Falls, ID. Again used my awesome roof rack and threw a ton of gear up there.

Waterfalls

Boardwalks

Buffalo Everywhere!

I spotted a Red Fox and got to sit and watch him hunting for him a while. Here he was leaping in for the kill

Mammoth Hot Springs

Off-Road in Yellowstone

Roosevelt Arch

Got some snow while I was camping. It was very cold but it made for some awesome scenery

Old Faithful Erupting

Frosty Buffalo

The Grand Prismatic Spring - Amazing

The Grand Tetons are insanely amazing

It's A Moose!

Cascade Canyon

 

[jdtaylor42]

Little Bear Buddy I saw

Sunset Behind the Tetons

Me photographing the sunset

Driving Home

 

[1ffej]

very nicely done.

 

[jdtaylor42]

I didn't take the Runner on this trip but I figured I would share just a few photos from last week's trip to the Buffalo National River in Arkansas. Beautiful area

View from our cabin deck

Whitaker Point

The Goat Trail along Big Bluff

Bathhouse Row in Hot Springs National Park

Hot Springs

 

[JohnTheLuck]

Your pictures are so beautiful. You surely enjoy your 4Runner fully!

I have a few questions. The first is about Cinder Hills OHV. I am guessing that the following picture was taken on the Double Crater loop.
Did you air down or the soil is packed enough for a 4Runner?
Did you start on the northern side or the western side? There seems to be contradictory information about trail closure. I am planning to do this trail in late November.

The second question is your Eezy Awn rack. You did a lot of trips since its installation.
Do you still love it?
Did you notice any impact on the fuel consumption and wind noise on the highway?

 

[jdtaylor42]

Your pictures are so beautiful. You surely enjoy your 4Runner fully!

I have a few questions. The first is about Cinder Hills OHV. I am guessing that the following picture was taken on the Double Crater loop.
Did you air down or the soil is packed enough for a 4Runner?
Did you start on the northern side or the western side? There seems to be contradictory information about trail closure. I am planning to do this trail in late November.

Thanks! That picture was at the top of the double crater. I always air down for off-road so yeah I was down to like 18psi here I believe. The cinders are best after rain as they pack down better but if you stay on established routes you shouldn't have any problems getting stuck. You will know really quickly if you have gotten off of packed trail though.

As far as access are you talking about the entire Cinder Hills area or specifically the double crater? For the entire area you need to come in on Fire Road 776 as the access from the north off of Sunset Crater Loop has been gated. It is definitely possible to easily get around the gate but not recommended. For the double crater you want to take the road on the south up to the top. There are other "roads" but they are way too steep to do in a 4Runner or just about anything imo

The second question is your Eezy Awn rack. You did a lot of trips since its installation.
Do you still love it?
Did you notice any impact on the fuel consumption and wind noise on the highway?

For the rack, I couldn't be happier. It was costly when compared to other racks but I love the fact that it is aluminum so I don't have to worry about scratching the powdercoating and getting rust issues. It is also very strong. I climb up there all the time to load kayaks and take pictures and such and it is super sturdy.

I did the lift, tires, and rack all very quickly after buying the truck so it's hard to say how each one affected gas mileage. I am getting about 15.5mpg with everything I have done. The noise is not bad at all with the rack. In high winds you can hear it but in normal driving I don't even notice anything. Although the tiny little wind fairing that it comes with makes a huge difference. When I first installed the rack I left it off because it doesn't look like it would do anything at all. But in truth it made a huge difference!

 

[JasonKoko]

Thanks! That picture was at the top of the double crater. I always air down for off-road so yeah I was down to like 18psi here I believe. The cinders are best after rain as they pack down better but if you stay on established routes you shouldn't have any problems getting stuck. You will know really quickly if you have gotten off of packed trail though.



As far as access are you talking about the entire Cinder Hills area or specifically the double crater? For the entire area you need to come in on Fire Road 776 as the access from the north off of Sunset Crater Loop has been gated. It is definitely possible to easily get around the gate but not recommended. For the double crater you want to take the road on the south up to the top. There are other "roads" but they are way too steep to do in a 4Runner or just about anything imo







For the rack, I couldn't be happier. It was costly when compared to other racks but I love the fact that it is aluminum so I don't have to worry about scratching the powdercoating and getting rust issues. It is also very strong. I climb up there all the time to load kayaks and take pictures and such and it is super sturdy.



I did the lift, tires, and rack all very quickly after buying the truck so it's hard to say how each one affected gas mileage. I am getting about 15.5mpg with everything I have done. The noise is not bad at all with the rack. In high winds you can hear it but in normal driving I don't even notice anything. Although the tiny little wind fairing that it comes with makes a huge difference. When I first installed the rack I left it off because it doesn't look like it would do anything at all. But in truth it made a huge difference!

I second that. Love the rack and had the exact same experience with the wind fairing.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JohnTheLuck]

As far as access are you talking about the entire Cinder Hills area or specifically the double crater? For the entire area you need to come in on Fire Road 776 as the access from the north off of Sunset Crater Loop has been gated.

Thanks for the answers. My question for access was effectively related to the whole area from the north. I found out on NF web site that effectively the road is closed.

The Eezy Awn is on the top of my list for my build. since I want a RTT, I am a bit concern about the height since the 4Runner sleeps in the garage and I have a standard 7x9 ft door. The feet are adjustable so I would mount it as low as possible.

Since I will be around Flagstaff in late November, I am a bit concern about road closure because of the winter. Many trails are indicated to be opened until October or November. The Coconino NF website will be helpful.

 

[jdtaylor42]

Thanks for the answers. My question for access was effectively related to the whole area from the north. I found out on NF web site that effectively the road is closed.

The Eezy Awn is on the top of my list for my build. since I want a RTT, I am a bit concern about the height since the 4Runner sleeps in the garage and I have a standard 7x9 ft door. The feet are adjustable so I would mount it as low as possible.

Since I will be around Flagstaff in late November, I am a bit concern about road closure because of the winter. Many trails are indicated to be opened until October or November. The Coconino NF website will be helpful.

Is your rig lifted? Even stock height I am thinking you probably would not be able to fit in a standard garage with any rack and a RTT. With my 3" lift and rack I just squeeze in but I cannot have anything on the rack at all. The feet are definitely adjustable but I would say you only have about 2" of play at the max.

The forest service definitely closes a LOT of forest roads as soon as we start getting snow to avoid the roads being torn up. For some of it there are ways around using forest roads that can't be closed but it's very limited. Late November you may see a lot of closures as we usually get our first snows around that time but they are very good at updating the website on current road closures.