Mojave Road Expedition: March 30 - April 1, 2012

[Seanz0rz]

Dates are set. Friday March 30, 2012 through Sunday April 1, 2012.

ALL 6 SPOTS ARE FULL. IF ANYONE DROPS OUT, THEIR SPOT WILL REOPEN, ALL THE WAY UP TO THE EVENT

If you can't make it the whole weekend, come out and join us for a day trip, or skip Friday's jaunt and join us at our campsite for the other days. Camps will be clearly indicated as the even approaches.

See Second Post for Itinerary, Maps, Camp Locations, and Other Related Information

you have approximately 4 months to make these dates work. please put in for vacation ASAP!


The first two posts will be continually updated with more information, locations, suggestions, etc.

Information:

East to West - Beginning on Needles Highway (near Avi Casino) and ending at Afton Canyon Camp Ground.


6 Vehicle/14 Person Max (NPS regulations - otherwise we must apply for a permit(im sure there could be some wiggle room here))

Attendees:
1. Seanz0rz - Sean & Alexus
2. Troy, Marie (will know better when closer)
3. JD + Fam. (Maybe)
4. Kafene + fam (90%)
5. Kevin +1
6. Kevin's Friend in the Tundra



Important Information:

CB Channel 16

Vehicle Requirements:

Vehicle in Good Working Condition, with No Known Faults
Working 4wd
1 Spare within 2" of Other Tires
Working, Suitable Jack
CB Radio or Ham Radio in Good Working Order

Note: Stock Vehicles are welcome on this trip. There are only a couple of small, difficult spots, and they are easily bypassed. The vast majority of the road will be a single track thorough the desert. Some areas present unrelenting configurations, and others have undulations that can catch you off guard and swallow your vehicle. This is not a technically challenging run, but a scenic drive over some of the most beautiful desert areas found in California. The long distances and rough road are the challenge.

Required Equipment and Supplies:

Enough fuel to travel 200 miles in 4wd
Minimum 1 Gallon Water per Person, per Day
Well stocked, Current First Aid Kit
Tow Strap & Shackel
Method to Refill Tires, if you choose to air down (recommended, especially on the western edge)
Basic Tools
Spare Parts (up to you!)
Sanitation Supplies - anywhere from a shovel and TP to a PETT toilet and privy, your choice.


Recommended Items:

Rear Locker
Full Size Spare
Spares for Common Items (axles, etc)
Still/Video Camera with spare batteries and extra memory
Binoculars
Fire Wood
Wide-Brimmed Hat


This is by no means a complete list, but merely the high points of what should be considered for this trip.

For those uninitiated to expedition style desert travel: travel light but do not forget comfort items. Three days on the road without good sleep can spell disaster!

Sanitation: At some point during this trip, you will have to use the bathroom. There are no toilets where we are camping, and none along the road. #1 is fairly easily handled, #2 is up to your comfort level. I personally have a bucket with seat, double doodie bags, and a privacy shelter. What you bring is up to you.

Firewood:
We will be camping 3 nights. If everyone brings 1-2 bundles of firewood, we should have plenty for 3 nights of camping with a small fire.

Weather:
Weather can be very unpredictable in the deserts. This event is a rain or shine event, meaning we will be traversing the desert even if it is raining. Temperature can vary wildly. Higher elevations can see significant snowfall during the winter, and lower elevations frequently break 120F in the summer. Temperatures are expected to be between 65 and 90 in the day, and 40-65 at night. Layers are suggested.

More Information:

Dennis Casebier's "Mojave Road Guide" is HIGHLY recommended. It can be purchased here: http://www.desertusa.com/web_cart/db/pages/5094.html
I also have a previous edition for sale if anyone wants it. PM me for details.

Other guide books have information on the trail but the best is the one mentioned above.

Google is a great resource for research about the Mojave road.

Dirtopia has a bit of information and quite a few waypoints here: http://www.dirtopia.com/wiki/Mojave_Road

[Seanz0rz]

Attached at the end of this post is the Google Earth .kml file of the route, as well as a .gpx file, including our 3 possible campsites.

This could be updated at any time, if it is I will update this post.

Alexus and I have decided to stay at the Avi Casino on Thursday night. Rooms are less than $40/night. Fuel is available here and is (i think), fairly inexpensive. The prospect of one last shower is too good to pass up!

the .kml and .gpx have been updated as of 3/16/12. this should be the final update.

[troyboy162]

what time would you be getting to the trail head? aprox. first camp site? reason being is I might have to leave after work friday and catch up. I think i would bypass the water crossing right outside of barstow if I have to drive at night. Anyone in the group have ham?

[Seanz0rz]

i think the plan is to leave trail head (just west of needles highway) at 9-10AM friday. im going to be seeing about camp sites and such. goal is to make camp close to the beginning thursday night, then maybe near govt holes for friday night, and somewhere around the lava fields and cinder cones for saturday night. still planning, but i did want to post the dates so people could get the time off and plan accordingly.

beauty is you can come any day and wheel with us just for the day or finish out the weekend.

i MIGHT have my ham in, not sure.

the western water crossings should be no big deal for us. ill go first if you want me too!

[troyboy162]

I see traveling west bound then? Gov holes looks like its a little jaunt off the highway but the cima road comes out of stateline and is paved. looks very doable to catch up friday night. If some one has ham then I bet we could find a repeter out there to check in on in. Cell dosnt work right?

[Seanz0rz]

so my next questions is, do you want to run this in 3 days, or in two.

two:
we found an awesome camp site just west-northwest of marl springs. not sure it would be available on the day we want it, but its worth a try. that campsite is about halfway on the road. so if we started saturday morning from approximately piute creek, we could make that camp by nightfall, and make afton canyon by the end of the day sunday. it's a hard push to do 60 miles a day out here, especially with more than 2 vehicles.

three:
camp between needles highway and piute creek thursday night. start on friday morning and make it to govt holes friday evening. saturday make it to the lava fields and cinder cones, and camp near there. sunday would let us finish the trail in relative comfort.

my vote is for three days, and if we can, we would try to make it as far as the campground mentioned above at marl springs, giving us more time to explore the lava tube at the end of day two (saturday).

please give me input on what y'all would like to do. i know having that friday off is a big deal for some people.





troy, yes, east to west. govt holes makes a great camp spot and is pretty cool to visit. cell coverage is spotty at best. i will have my spot with me, so you can track us via that.

[troyboy162]

I cant vote...This is long term forcasting for me and my deployments love to ruin wheeling plans. I should be able to make this one, but will not know for certain until I'm packing the truck.

The three day route looks like the last two days have the most attractions. I'm not apposed to either of them but regardless I will probably be leaving Ontario at ~8pm. ETA to trail head or camp site for us would be ~2am haha

[Seanz0rz]

i dont think a 2 day trip is a viable option.

let me play with the maps and ask some people some questions, and well go from there.

if you want/can go, post up. id like to keep it about 6 vehicles, no more than 8

[troyboy162]

Attendees:
1. Seanz0rz - Sean & Alexus
2. Troy, Marie (will know better when closer)
3.
4.
5.
6.

[Crinale]

Is there any possibility of running this saturday to Monday instead of Friday to Sunday? I am definitely going, but my friend who wants to come with me said its a lot easier for her to get mondays off than fridays..

[Seanz0rz]

no way i could do that. i actually have friday off for Cesar Chavez day, thats the only reason i can even think about doing it on friday.

[Seanz0rz]

First 2 posts updated with a bunch of information.

got my new mojave road guide book and map yesterday. the additional gps coordinates make me feel a bit better about going, as well as having improved maps and good gps system on my android.

.gpx and .kml files are up to date as of this post.

[troyboy162]

love it! I have the courds for a large mine along the route I wouldn't mind scouting if you are interested. it is close to the first night camping spot. I promise not to go in or I would be there all day :)

fuel... I talked to a prerunner friend and he said he needed 10 gallons extra. Is that about what you heard?

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/199/501160081_704bff6024.jpg

[Seanz0rz]

love it! I have the courds for a large mine along the route I wouldn't mind scouting if you are interested. it is close to the first night camping spot. I promise not to go in or I would be there all day :)

fuel... I talked to a prerunner friend and he said he needed 10 gallons extra. Is that about what you heard?



awesome! id be interested in checking out some of the mines as well! also the lava tubes just before camp 3 are high on my list.

for fuel, when we did this in '08 i took 10 extra gallons of fuel with me and that was plenty. i refueled at camp 3, and i think i was able to make it home on that. im going to have to figure out how to carry an extra 5 gallons since i dont think i can fit 2 jerry cans on the back of the 4runner.

[DHC6twinotter]

I'm seriously thinking about driving out for this. We'll see how the job search pans out. :D

[slosurfer]

My last trip with my 4runner, with all our side trips, I needed every bit of 10 extra gallons to make it. That was prior to regearing and we did a lot of side trips

[Seanz0rz]

Chris, im curious, how big is the tank on your 2nd gen? my 3rd gen is 18.5

im considering carrying 15 gallons extra, just to be safe. may have to go where the spare tire used to go with a custom holder.

i dont plan on going down to hole in the wall, as cool as it is. its just a pretty big detour, and i think there are better sights to see. thats a fair bit of savings there.

i remember our actual mileage was somewhere around 168 miles. that includes getting stuck on the wrong side of the tracks and nearly going over that waterfall at the cinder cones.

[DHC6twinotter]

bummer, I just realized I have a wedding to go to that weekend in VA. You all have fun....maybe I can still make it out that way sometime though....

[slosurfer]

I want to say that the 2nd gen is close to 18, but I could be wrong, it's been awhile since I drove it. :( Yeah, the combo of the automatic, 33's not regeared, and all the extra miles were the killer. The first trip I did, we did it in two days with no side trips and I made it with 5 gallons extra. The trip you did with me, we did a ton of side trip miles, waterfalls, extra low bridges, etc... adding to that LOL

[Seanz0rz]

somehow in all the prep work i forgot to mention that it is very easy to join us at a later time, on one of the cross roads, or meet us at one of the predetermined camps. come out for one of the days, or join us part way through or leave early.

on feb 15, i will cross post this to ExPo if we dont have enough people.

[Crinale]

To those of you that have done this road before, do you think a stock 2wd v6 03 Tundra can make the road? I'm thinking about inviting my friend along who I know would enjoy it if his truck can do it. He is a good driver and knows his truck very well so the truck would be limiting factor more than driver.

[Seanz0rz]

kevin, most likely a 2wd 03 tundra would be fine. depending on conditions, he may have to skip soda lake and the mojave river portions.

can you give us a bit more info about the vehicle? specifically tires, size, model, etc. i think if we air him down pretty low he should be ok, and maybe tug him in a few spots if its an issue. as i remember, i did 90% of the road in 2wd anyway.

another concern is weight, camper shell, lots of stuff, etc.

[troyboy162]

talking to my friend it sounds pretty crappy for a showroom stock 2wd. his group was all modded prerunners and found they could not stop in the deep sand washes and had to use speed alot to keep from getting stuck.
I do not know if they were on the same exact trail we would be taking

[Seanz0rz]

on the western side, there is much deep, loose sand. that is the issue i think a 2wd will have (as well as the lake)

http://www.ultimateyota.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=26&topic=9931.0

we also ran the central part (kelbaker rd to lanfair rd) and it was pretty chill dirt road.



as an update, got a few more items we needed for the trip, including a second gas can. i thought i had designed my carrier to handle 2, but i guess not! ill have to make some modifications. ohwell!

[troyboy162]

Oh I forgot the obvious question...We will call this an expedition right? :)
I'm pumped for this one!

[Seanz0rz]

absolutely!


actually on the drive to school today i was thinking i want to come up with another word that describes it a bit better. something shorter than an expedition, but longer than a trip, day run, etc. ill come up with something eventually.

added weather info to first post, and changed the title to make Troy happy!

[Seanz0rz]

Anyone else interested? 5 weeks and i throw it to the expo crowd to fight over.

I will be doing a demo of the pullpal while on the trip, probably in soft sand.

also added to first post, the need for sanitation methods.

[kafene]

Damn, I may actually be able to make this one. Will check my schedule and let you know. Might bring the family along.

[Seanz0rz]

we would love to have you! and absolutely bring the family!

[Jaydee914]

Hey guys, this sounds like a lot of fun! I'm considering making the weekend portion of the trip (maybe even showing up Friday night). The only tough part would be bringing along extra fuel. Although if it's only 2 days, with a 20 gallon tank I might be able to make it without?

[Seanz0rz]

you should be fine but I would really try to bring another 5 gal. plastic cans are inexpensive and will fit on the roof rack or in the back. be careful storing inside vehicle if you do.

[troyboy162]

Hells yeah JD! This is the primo overland/expo/camping/ run in socal.

http://www.scepterconsumer.com/auto/carb_cans/
I cant complain about these that I have had. Cheap, easy to find and the no spill CARB crap really has been no spill amazingly. You probably already have better cans from moto. I have never carried on inside of the truck though. I am planning on bringing more fuel then I need just for DVNP practice. When we get closer to go time maybe I figure to can carry some spare fuel with your name on it JD.

My plan with extra fuel is to strap it to my spare or maybe on the roof if I can get that situated in time. Either way I will put the fuel in the truck ASAP so what ever ghetto setup I use is no longer a factor haha

Work is gonna try to F with this one on my but I'm going to do everything I can to make it.

[Jaydee914]

Right on. The containers aren't the issue, it's the location. I definitely don't want to store it inside, I don't have a roof rack (although I might be able to fashion one) or any sort of custom rear rack. No problem though, I'll get it figured out.

And I'll have sliders by then, too!

[Seanz0rz]

JD, the big thing you need for the trip is a CB or HAM!

you better make it Troy! just tell them you have bird flu or something.

I am going to experiment storing one of my metal cans in the vehicle, they seem rock solid.

JD, let me know if you are in or not, or if you are a maybe.

id like at least 3 trucks.

[Jaydee914]

At this point, I'm a maybe. It sounds like a great time, so unless something comes up at work, I'm planning on making the Saturday/Sunday portion of the trip. And it needs some fiddling, but I have my CB installed finally.

[Seanz0rz]

sounds good, ill put you on the list as a maybe. bringing the family?

kafene, hear back from work, maybe, no, definitely yes? just let me know when you can. if i get what seems like a decent group, i wont through it over to expo, because i rather wheel with you guys!

[kafene]

sounds good, ill put you on the list as a maybe. bringing the family?

kafene, hear back from work, maybe, no, definitely yes? just let me know when you can. if i get what seems like a decent group, i wont through it over to expo, because i rather wheel with you guys!


I'm a maybe at this point but a 90% maybe :) I'm almost sure I'll be going, but I'll confirm schedules w/ family tonight and post back today.

[Seanz0rz]

awesome! Kafene, i dont know (or remember) your real name! if you dont want to share it with everyone that is fine as well. ill put you down as a 90% maybe.

[kafene]

Okay, I hit a glitch for the trip. No prob Sat & Sunday, but not sure about Friday because of kids school. If I can't make the Friday, is there a way I can meet up either Friday night after I pick my kid up from school or meet up Saturday and stay for the rest? I'd really like to take the family, but scheduling seems like such a pain. My younger daughter is in high school and my older daughter goes to college, BUT she won't know her class schedule that far ahead.

1. I can take off Friday night and meet up
2. I can meet up Sat morning
3. Family won't be able to make the schedule and I'll just end up going on my own & make the whole trip

Mark (kafene)

[Seanz0rz]

you can most certainly come for saturday and sunday! come to the camp on friday night or saturday morning, or meet us at the next available cross road on saturday morning.

for the college kid, she might have friday off, which is cesar chavez day. i have it off at Cal Poly. I imagine other state colleges do as well. not sure about private school. but it is something to look into.


on a side note, i might try to adjust the campsite location a bit for friday night, so it is more near a main cross road.

[kafene]

Very cool! I think GPS coordinates would be good... That & radio. Haha, it's good to know you have Friday off because my kid goes to Cal Poly. :)

Mark

[Seanz0rz]

HAHA, ok then! yes, gps coords will be posted, and we will try to stick to them as best as possible.

i wanted to have a SPOT for this trip, but they are just too expensive for us right now. If i can get some more welding work in between now and then i will reconsider.

[troyboy162]

I'm tempted to test a SPOT out on this trip...not sure If I can justify it either. That Cereber thingy is avalible for rent now I think, but I havnt heard a word good or bad about them.

[Crinale]

put me down as a yes, possibly +1 passenger. I'm definitely going barring major unforseen circumstances. Also, put my friend with the Tundra down as a maybe, he is interested, but wont know if he'll make it for sure til close to the trip.

[Seanz0rz]

ok, that rounds out a 6 vehicle limit!

[Jaydee914]

Right on. I'm stoked for this trip!

[Seanz0rz]

me too!

still have a bunch of work to do to be ready. just discovered both valve covers are leaking. try to get those fixed in march.

also have some fab work to take care of. hopefully that will be done this weekend.

[Obi..]

CombatChuck (Sam), and I've been talking about this off and on recently along with maybe doing Death Valley for the flowers. It all depends on WTH's up with our weather patterns this year. I do want to go, if nothing more than I know what work's projections are for the April-Sept timeframe and I'll need a quick break before my head gets spun off fighting the business load. :D

[Crinale]

im with you Sean, ive got some stuff i need to take care of before this trip.. for me its suspension work mostly.. my front springs are worn, shocks are trashed, my rear leafs are W shaped and my rear shocks are shot. haha..

[Obi..]

^It finishes it's chit in spite of school or it gets the hose. :D

IMHO, It'd be nice to just have a bunch of us just going out like I used to do with people around here.

[Seanz0rz]

a bit over 6 weeks left!

i will be updating the campsite info when i get a spare weekend (maybe next weekend?)

[some_odd_girl]

I might get to tag along on this trip. Yay!!

[Jaydee914]

My sliders are going on in about 10 days. I'm getting pumped for the Mohave Road!

[Seanz0rz]

SWEET!

we are both looking forward to this so much, just haven't had a chance to think about it much lately, maybe next weekend ill get around to reviewing the campsites.

[troyboy162]

Its gonna be great! I am preping the truck with some maintainance this weekend

[Seanz0rz]

i booked our hotel room for thurs night at the Avi. less than 55 dollars for a 3 star, river front room! not bad...

checked gas there, it's about 1 dollar less than in redlands, 3.50 a gallon.

[Seanz0rz]

less than 4 weeks!

Everyone still going?

Troy, JD, Kevin, Mark, you guys still in? and who is expected to start the trail friday morning? who is joining on friday night/sat morning?

[troyboy162]

I am still in. If your positive where your staying friday nigh then I will meet you there around 12-2am. If your flexible on where your staying I will try to part down stream from you on the side of the trail to catch you in the morning.

[Seanz0rz]

im going to try to nail down camp sites this week some time. im aiming for them to be close to major roads (at least friday night.

[kafene]

less than 4 weeks!

Everyone still going?

Troy, JD, Kevin, Mark, you guys still in? and who is expected to start the trail friday morning? who is joining on friday night/sat morning?


Still a go! I downloaded the GPS coordinates and saw that it was 6 separate tracks. Do they go in order? Give us a heads up if you change the GPS info so I can download the latest one. I'm planning on meeting up with you guys Friday night.

Mark.

[troyboy162]

just checked the old trasharoo for the trip and I had to order a new one. 2 years of sun damage rotted the straps. I think I will just put it on when I need it from now on. That should extend its life beyond that of mt truck lol.

I figure where ever you are on the first night that I can punch in from state line and find your camping site.

[Seanz0rz]

Mine only comes out for trips. Someone would steal it if it was left on all the time.

[Jaydee914]

I'm still in, as long as work doesn't screw things up for me. I'm hoping to meet up with you guys Friday night, sometime between 9 and midnight.
The CB is finally functioning properly (thanks Troy!), my sliders were installed yesterday, and this weekend I'll be prepping the rest of the truck.

[troyboy162]

... my sliders were installed yesterday...

pics or it didnt happen :P

[Seanz0rz]

less than 4 weeks!

Everyone still going?

Troy, JD, Kevin, Mark, you guys still in? and who is expected to start the trail friday morning? who is joining on friday night/sat morning?


Still a go! I downloaded the GPS coordinates and saw that it was 6 separate tracks. Do they go in order? Give us a heads up if you change the GPS info so I can download the latest one. I'm planning on meeting up with you guys Friday night.

Mark.


not sure about this, i have the gps tracks on google earth and they are one big string, same with my phone (android) ill take a look at it when i have some free time (finals, as you know...)

looked into it on google earth, there are 5 tracks, A-E. those are in order A, B, C, D, E.

[Seanz0rz]

so, lets discuss the camping spot for night two.

instead of camping at government holes, lets camp up in Caruther's Canyon.

here is some info:
http://www.mojave-road.com/camping/camp-phallus.htm
http://www.mojave-road.com/caruthers-canyon.htm

Caruther's canyon road is a few miles west from Ivanpah/Lanfair Rd, which is accessible from I40 and I15 (I40 recommended)

main camp site is about 10 miles north of the road. if that one is taken, there are others along that road that can be had, not as nice but doable.

since lexi and i will be the first there (or with one or two others of the group), we will indicate the turn off for caruther's canyon road, and any turns for the campsite will be marked in a specified way (ill PM that info when i have it)

Saturday morning we will meet up at the campsite OR at the intersection of Caruthers and Old Govt/Mojave Road.

[kafene]

so, lets discuss the camping spot for night two.

instead of camping at government holes, lets camp up in Caruther's Canyon.

here is some info:
http://www.mojave-road.com/camping/camp-phallus.htm
http://www.mojave-road.com/caruthers-canyon.htm



Cool. I'm not familiar with Mojave at all, but the link you gave has the coordinates to the site. Let me know what CB channel or HAM frequency we can use when we get close just in case. :)

Mark.

[Seanz0rz]

http://maps.google.com/?ll=35.240134,-115.299368&spn=0.012934,0.02326&t=h&z=16

ill have my CB for sure, not sure about my ham, but probably not.

it is worth checking out the route on google earth. there are a few mines around caruther's we can check out on sat morning.

[troyboy162]

I40 is the best way to that spot? The route from the 15 down looks shorter, so it alot rougher?

[Seanz0rz]

from google maps:

I40:
http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Victorville,+CA&daddr=Old+Government+Rd&hl=en&sll=35.402484,-116.856079&sspn=3.304163,5.95459&geocode=Fav6DgIda0cC-Sl50t1jWmTDgDF2NPQlWRGVDQ%3BFWQsGAId8GIi-Q&oq=victorville&mra=ls&t=h&z=9

I15:
http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Victorville,+CA&daddr=35.00947,-116.53502+to:Old+Government+Rd&hl=en&sll=34.837115,-116.18423&sspn=1.663687,2.977295&geocode=Fav6DgIda0cC-Sl50t1jWmTDgDF2NPQlWRGVDQ%3BFb4zFgIdFNEN-SmNsMTA11bEgDFgmSdAu5ru6A%3BFWQsGAId8GIi-Q&oq=victorville&mra=dpe&mrsp=1&sz=9&via=1&t=h&z=9

there is less than 1 mile difference between the two routes, but google is assuming the way from I15 takes longer through the NY mountains.

i have only been that way from just south of the Mojave Road (took a wrong turn) to I40. most of it was paved, and the dirt road is graded and washboard, so speed is encouraged.

either way, the time difference is less than 30 minutes.

I15 might have more services since it's "the way to vegas" and going through mountain pass is pretty cool. Nipton might have some stuff as well. There was only 1 gas station / restaurant on the exit from I40

[Jaydee914]

... my sliders were installed yesterday...

pics or it didnt happen :P


Pics here:
http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-gen-t4rs/100615-jds-lift-2.html#post1009445

[Seanz0rz]

looks great JD! will be even better when you scrape the paint off!

[troyboy162]

lookin sick! lift, tires, sliders and you're gonna sail through 99% of these cali trails

[Jaydee914]

Thanks. I'm pretty stoked on it, and can't wait to get out and beat on those sliders!

[Crinale]

sorry i havent been around much.. been rather busy lately. I am still a go, not sure if any of my friends will be joining anymore though

[Seanz0rz]

cool Kevin. I do worry about getting a 2wd through the soft sand.

[Seanz0rz]

so here we go! less than 2 weeks until we roll out, and this time 14 days from now we will be chilling in Caruthers Canyon! (and I do mean chillin!)

in a few hours, post 2 will be updated with the new camp site two. I will also be PM'ing you specific instructions for meeting up on Friday night/ Saturday morning. Please respond acknowledging you received and understand the instructions.

The plan is to save the majority of the road for you guys, so the daily itinerary for Saturday and Sunday will be a bit busy, but we should make pretty good time with a good 10 hours of drivable daylight.

I highly suggest you open the .kml file in post 2 in google earth and look around at the route and the way up to Caruthers canyon, etc. It helps give you a sense of what we are doing and where we will be. Saturday night camp site (camp 3) has limited cell coverage IIRC. My parents will have a full map, with all the details, and specific check-in times for us. It's a large group, we shouldn't have any problems.

it sounds like no one will be camping on thursday night. i will remove the camp locations from the GPS file.

[Seanz0rz]

did brakes, rear diff and tcase fluid, installed my front swaybar and did an oil change. almost there!

[troyboy162]

I am squared away other then a not exactly ideal alignment and a PS belt that needs a bit of tightening. I did a test run the other day and things are back to 100%
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/485497_391418950871144_100000091288230_1550362_120 8940496_n.jpg

[Jaydee914]

I got my sleeping situation figured out and fitted my extended breather last weekend (for all the water crossings I'm sure we'll be hitting in the DESERT). Need to fit some gas cans and pack the truck and I'll be all set!
What else should I bring along? Will we have community cooking facilities? Need logs for campfires? Sorry if I sound like the new guy... I'll make up for it by bringing some extra beverages, I promise.

[kafene]

Sorry if I sound like the new guy... I'll make up for it by bringing some extra beverages, I promise.


New guy bringing extra beverages? Hmmmm.... fine. I'll bring extra, too. :) Haha. What are you guys bringing for sleep? You think sleeping bags and a tent are enough?

Mark.

[Seanz0rz]

ill post up in the morning.

[Seanz0rz]

our plan is to camp in a 4 person tent with an air mattress, sleeping bags (cold weather) and maybe some extra blankets. the camp at caruthers canyon should be pretty chilly as its nearly 6k feet. camping at the lava fields should be significantly warmer.

for cooking, we are bringing a one burner propane stove, a pot, a pan, and that's it. traveling super light in this dept, trying to keep weight and volume to a minimum. JD, maybe talk to troy or mark and figure out some arrangement for cooking.

attached is part of our packing list for Mojave. i have one of these for pismo, big bear, 2 day camping, 3 day camping, day trips, etc. This one isn't complete just yet, but most of it is there.

on the topic of alcohol, drink to your heart's content, but no sympathy if you wake up with a hangover. We do have much to see, and many miles to cover in 2 days, so the schedule is a bit unforgiving. if you get drunk and belligerent, I have no problem asking you to camp elsewhere. I really don't see that being an issue.

firewood: if everyone could bring a bundle or two, that would make for some perfect campfires for Friday and Saturday night!

i think that about covers it. any other question, even silly ones, just ask. Re read the first post, there is a ton of info i have added over the last few months.

[troyboy162]

I havnt figured out food yet, but I'm leaning towards things that dont need to be cooked. Its only 6 meals. I can eat cold soup for 4 without an issue lol, but I will class it up a bit for Marie

[Seanz0rz]

yall are welcome to our stove, but bring your own 16.4 ounce propane canister and cookware.

[Crinale]

i plan to bring my 2 burner camp stove and my standard camping cookware.. when i actually start packing the truck I'll see how much I end up actually bringing. I do have a passenger coming along, and possibly a furry companion; as long as I can spare the room for him.

Oh and my buddy in the Tundra is a definite no. He had family things come up for that weekend.

[Seanz0rz]

cool thanks for the update Kevin.

[Jaydee914]

By the way, I'll be solo.

More room in the rig for beer!

Just kidding, Sean.

But I will have a small single burner and a coffee percolator, if anybody wants (needs) coffee in the morning.

[troyboy162]

no kiddos JD? I figured they would be all over it

[Jaydee914]

That's a bit of a long trip for them.

[Seanz0rz]

Less than a week away!

Weather is looking good, mid 60's to mid 70's for highs, lows in the 40-50 range. pretty much perfect weather!

truck is mostly packed, got some welding to do today so i can fit 2 fuel cans.


http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/USCA0220:1:US
http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/CANPMO:13:US

[troyboy162]

Hells yeah! Marie isnt going to make it but that means I can do the whole three days with you guys. I will camp near the start of the trail if you guys are still getting a hotel in needles.

[Seanz0rz]

bummer about Marie, but cool you get to see the whole thing.

for Friday's stretch, look for something cool.to check out. Friday should be a short day.

[Crinale]

i have to install my cb tomorrow XP i should have done it earlier this week, hopefully i have a chance to test it before the trip to make sure it actually works. lol

Ill pack the truck Tuesday and Wednesday, right now ive been gathering stuff in my garage cuz my taco is my DD. Wednesday is gonna be a take the toy to work day though so I can pack tuesday evening and not have to worry bout the stuff in the bed while at work Wednesday.

[Seanz0rz]

http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae38/hamiltonfabrication/Mojave%20Road%202012/IMG_3885.jpg

ready to go!

[slosurfer]

Sean, if you haven't already, you should make a table that hangs off the side or back of your trailer with that wire shelving stuff.

[Seanz0rz]

i will definitely make something similar for the trailer. probably much more heavy duty. these are really light weight, but perfect for making lunch!

[Jaydee914]

Wow, talk about not waiting until the last minute, Sean. Looks like you could leave tomorrow morning if you wanted!
Anyway, packing is about all I have left to do. I've figured out the extra fuel situation. I've crafted a little shelf for the rear, supported by the bumper and hitch, which will hold the weight of 2 gas cans lashed to the tailgate. Unpainted pictures tomorrow.

[Seanz0rz]

we're leaving thurs morning and I have school Monday and Wednesday and I'm busy Tuesday. this way we load up food and luggage and go!

[Jaydee914]

Nice. That just makes the trip seem that much closer.

[troyboy162]

throw up some pics! Im interested to see what you made to carry the fuel.

[Jaydee914]

Here you go. It's a 20" wide piece of 1/2" ply that slips underneath the tailgate, and then is supported by a piece of 2x4 that rests on the shackle bar in the hitch receiver. The shelf supports the weight of the fuel cans, and then some simple straps attached to the sides of the tailgate keep them in place. And yes, it's being painted now, with plasti-dip to keep the cans a little more stable.

[troyboy162]

are they pressing into your tailgate? are you gonna but some snowboard stomp pads to protect the paint or something? looks like a nice simple and sturdy solution though

[Seanz0rz]

yeah the cans will probably rub through the sheet metal! a small blanket or big towel might help.

[4x4mike]

You might want to also move the license plate. The hidden plate and fuel strapped to your bumper in non CARB cans are more than enough reason to get pulled over.

I've run around with non CARB before with no problem but have read about guys having trouble. One person personally who was borrowing my trailer and had 3 dump cans like you have. They were for his shifter kart that was in his pick up bed and he was allowed to proceed because they were for the OHV and he was in route to a competition.

This was all I found with a quick Google search: http://www.binderplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=105980

It's been an issue before and comes up every year with out of state guys traveling to events like KOH.

[Jaydee914]

Yeah, I'm planning on using an old towel or something to protect the paint, relocating my plate and at least removing the filler tube from the non-carb can. It's a simple, ultra cheap (basically free) solution for now. I looked for hitch mounted gas can racks and couldn't find anything inexpensive or that didn't seriously eat up my departure angle but came up with bupkis. This should serve me perfectly for this trip.

[Crinale]

looks like a good design.. you could easily craft something similar from metal to serve you for many more trips..

[Jaydee914]

looks like a good design.. you could easily craft something similar from metal to serve you for many more trips..


I could, but metal = $ Existing stuff laying around my garage = free.

Actually, I did think about metal, and if I find myself on many more of these trips, I'll probably have somebody throw one together for me. Besides, I enjoy building stupid little stuff like this, and I'm not a welder.
And as for relocating my plate, I'm going to add a couple of angle brackets below the shelf to hang it. Problem solved!

[troyboy162]

good deal! looks like everyone is ready to rock! I cant friggen wait for this one. Its gonna be great!

[Jaydee914]

Yeah Troy, this should be a great trip. I can't wait, but of course my boss scheduled an 11am meeting on Friday so it looks like no early start for me! See you guys at the camp site.
Sean, what time do you guys see yourselves hitting camp?

[Seanz0rz]

i think if we blasted straight through, we would probably hit by 1 or 2. the plan is to stop and see some sights, maybe take a few detours to see some interesting stuff. goal is to be in camp by 5pm. if you happen to get there before us, find a good camp site.


ill update the first post with this info:
CB channel 16!
weather looks a bit warm, 70-85 is likely for highs, lows from 40-50 ish.

[Good Times]

have fun guys and stay safe... wish I can join ya but work and a down truck takes the fun out it sometimes.

:) pix of everything and videos too so we can all drool at all of the fun guys had.

thanks!

[Seanz0rz]

will do lance! you will be missed! hopefully next time!

gopro is charged up and ready to go!

troy, do you have a ham freq. in mind so i can post it on the front page?

[troyboy162]

No ham freqs this time. I might play around with repeters when I get out there but no one else will have one right?

[Jaydee914]

No ham freqs this time. I might play around with repeters when I get out there but no one else will have one right?

Ham??? Hey, I'm just thankful to finally have a CB!

[troyboy162]

Bah your not missing much now as far as coms on runs goes. I have only had one run in the last year with another ham in thr group. I hope someday CB is dead, but it still rules 4X4 groups

[Seanz0rz]

all checked into our room at avi casino. pretty nice! now time for gambling and food!

see yall at the trail head at 9 am!

[Jaydee914]

all checked into our room at avi casino. pretty nice! now time for gambling and food!


Now THAT'S the way to start an expedition!
Have fun. See you tomorrow evening.

[troyboy162]

I'm near the trail head now. Having issues with verison coverage...see ya at 9!

[Seanz0rz]

http://i955.photobucket.com/albums/ae38/hamiltonfabrication/IMAG0246.jpg

looking NE from the avi beach tower
going to be a nice day!

[Marc P]

Have fun guys...say hello to the frogs and gnomes for me.

[Seanz0rz]

home. missed the gnomes, not sure how!

full report tomorrow.

[Jaydee914]

That was an amazing weekend! Thanks for doing all the planning Sean. Pics as soon as I can get them up...

[kafene]

Finally getting around to weeding through the photos. Here's the link to the album. ;)

http://www.ohmark.com/blogalbums/blog/2012%20March%20Mojave%20Desert/index.html

[Seanz0rz]

Good memories!

Mark, please take down picture 150. Can't let the secret out!

[kafene]

Good memories!

Mark, please take down picture 150. Can't let the secret out!


It's a SECRET?! hahaha... Man, you're fast. I'll take it out now.

kafene.

[Seanz0rz]

;) I am recovering from the last few days working my butt off. way too tired to work again today. I didn't get to sleep until 3am.

generally, the plaque is a secret. Mojave Road Guide asks that you keep it a secret. Kind of one of those things you need to see in person to appreciate it.

great pictures! I really need a better camera!

[kafene]

;) I am recovering from the last few days working my butt off. way too tired to work again today. I didn't get to sleep until 3am.

generally, the plaque is a secret. Mojave Road Guide asks that you keep it a secret. Kind of one of those things you need to see in person to appreciate it.

great pictures! I really need a better camera!


Aahh.. Got it.. makes sense now. I'll continue the secret. ;) It's not the camera, really. I post-process most photos I upload to the net. 8)