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Thread: 3rd Annual UY Mojave Road Expedition - March 14-16, 2014

  1. #1

    3rd Annual UY Mojave Road Expedition - March 14-16, 2014


    WELCOME TO THE THIRD ANNUAL ULTIMATE YOTA MOJAVE ROAD EXPEDITION!

    The dates are set. Friday March 14, 2013 through Sunday March 16, 2014.

    If you can't make it the whole weekend, come out and join us for a day trip, come a day late or leave a day early! This trip is very similar to the previous years. If you have done those, you may want to sit this one out, as it will be much the same. I'd also like to get some new people out there!




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








    General Information:

    Our direction of travel will be East to West - Beginning on Needles Highway (near the Avi Casino) and ending at Afton Canyon Camp Ground.


    6 Vehicle/14 Person Max (NPS regulations - otherwise we must apply for a permit) If there are more than 6, we will reach out to NPS for a permit or we will split the group into two smaller groups for camping and driving, whichever is more convenient.

    Attendees:
    1. Seanz0rz - Sean +1
    2. Paddlenbike - Ken +1
    3. 4x4mike - Mike +3
    4. Stuart +1
    5. Scottiac (Scott and Molly)
    6. Troy +1 (maybe)
    7. JD
    8. Bill

    Capped at 8.

    Itinerary:

    Thursday:
    20:00 - Camp 1 or Avi Casino

    Friday
    09:00 - Start Mojave Road at Needles Highway
    Fort Piute
    12:00 - Piute Gorge - Lunch
    School Bus
    Indian Wells
    Penny Can Tree
    16:00 - Caruthers Canyon
    Watson Wash and Rock Spring
    Government Holes
    Camp 2

    Saturday
    08:30 - On the road again!
    Death Valley Mine
    Mojave Cross
    12:00 - Marl Springs
    Mailbox
    Lava Tubes
    Aiken Mine
    17:00 - Camp 3

    Sunday
    09:00 - Almost done!
    Green Rock Mill
    Traveler's Monument
    12:00 - Mojave River Sands - Lunch
    Buried Rail Cars
    Afton Canyon
    Mojave River Crossing
    15:00 - Homeward Bound


    Important Information:

    Communication:

    Ham only run. If you don't have a ham, I have 1 extra hand held, but I highly encourage you to buy one and get your license. Contact me if you have any questions about this.

    UY simplex primary 146.430MHZ (2m Ham)

    Vehicle Requirements:
    • Vehicle in good working condition, with no known faults
    • Working 4WD
    • 1 spare within 2" of other tires
    • Working, suitable jack
    • Front and rear recovery points
    • Ham Radio in good working order

    Note: Stock Vehicles are welcome on this trip. There are only a couple of short, difficult spots, and they are easily bypassed if necessary. The vast majority of the road will be a single track thorough the desert. Some areas present unrelenting corrugations, 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. Terrain will vary from rocky desert pavement, extremely soft sand, off camber sections, deep ruts and washes, and Soda (somewhat) Dry Lake. There will also be some water crossings that are easily crossed. 2wd vehicles could make it, but I am requesting that all vehicles are 4wd.

    Required Equipment and Supplies:
    • Enough fuel to travel 200 miles in 4wd
    • Minimum 1/2 gallon water per person, per day
    • Food
    • Well stocked, current first aid kit
    • Tow strap & shackle
    • Method to refill tires, if you choose to air down (recommended, especially on the western edge)
    • Basic tools
    • Sanitation Supplies - anywhere from a shovel and TP to a PETT toilet and privy, your choice.
    • Emergency Info Sheet


    I will not be doing vehicle inspections, but I expect you to have all of these things in your vehicle.

    Recommended Items:
    • Rear locker
    • Full size spare
    • Spares for common items
    • 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: The best way to travel is to travel light but do not forget comfort items. Three days on the road without a good night's 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. Pack in - Pack out is HIGHLY ENCOURAGED.

    Firewood:
    We will be camping 2-3 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 50 and 70 in the day, and 30-50 at night. Layers are suggested, as well as extra socks and gloves. Saturday night, we will be camping between 4000ft and 5000ft. It can get quite cold.

    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

    Probably the best resource is looking at the past trip reports.
    MRE 2013
    Mojave Road day trip
    MRE 2012
    Mojave Road West

    Route:

    Final Distance: ~160 from start to finish.

    About 30 miles of that is pavement, but speed will be limited to 40 mph to save the tires from overheating.

    Distance from Fort Mojave, AZ gas station to Trail Start is 7.5 miles and Distance from Trail End to Barstow gas station is 47 miles, most of which is on I-15. There are probably other gas stations, but this is the one I always aim for. We have also taken some backroads to get to Barstow to avoid Vegas return traffic.


    Escape routes:
    If you just can't take one more minute of the desert, good news! There are several roads that cross the Mojave road that will take you back to the highways.

    US95 - After just 11 miles on the road, if you figure out this is not for you, US95 will take you south towards Needles, or North towards Searchlight, NV.

    Lanfair Road - Lanfair Road will come up around 40 miles in. North will take you towards the I-15, and south will take you to the I-40. The distances from the Mojave Road to the interstates are 32 miles to I-15 (road can be difficult), and 27 miles to I-40.

    Cima Road - This will take you to I-15, 12 miles from the Mojave Cross.

    Kelbaker Road - This will take you to Baker on the I-15.


    There are other roads. If you think this is important information for you to have, you may want to research these roads further. We will have multiple maps and GPS devices to aid in navigation, even unexpected and emergency navigation.


    Important Files:

    MRE 2014 Safety Brief.pdf - Safety tips
    MRE 2014.gpx - GPX file for loading track and POIs into a gps system
    MRE 2014.kml - Google Earth KML file
    MRE 2014.kmz - Google Earth KMZ file
    Last edited by Seanz0rz; 02-01-2014 at 04:10 PM.
    2005 Lexus LX470 - Stock for now...

    1998 Toyota 4Runner SR5 V6 4x4 + a bunch of goodies. Lifted, Locked, Illuminated and Armored. Winner,"Best Offroad Truck" - 2010 Pismo Jamboree. It's been upside down and still drives me to work.

  2. #2
    March 15th is Hanna's birthday, but she thinks the trip sounds pretty fun. We're a definite maybe at this point. A night at the Cancun Resort in Vegas may sway her.

  3. #3
    We'll make sure she has a good birthday! My youngest step daughter's is on the 23 and I was on this trip last year and missed her b-day, can't miss it again this year.

    It's definitely a family event. I'll be bringing my dad and maybe mom, possibly my uncle. Lexi will sit this one out again I think.

    Dates should be far enough away to make appropriate arrangements for work, etc. I will add the GPS tracks soon, I'm thinking about making a couple of changes.
    2005 Lexus LX470 - Stock for now...

    1998 Toyota 4Runner SR5 V6 4x4 + a bunch of goodies. Lifted, Locked, Illuminated and Armored. Winner,"Best Offroad Truck" - 2010 Pismo Jamboree. It's been upside down and still drives me to work.

  4. #4
    Couple of you have given me the go ahead to stuff your names on the list, thanks!

    Added to first post:

    Final Distance: ~160 from start to finish.

    About 30 miles of that is pavement, but speed will be limited to 40 mph to save the tires from overheating.

    Distance from Fort Mojave, AZ gas station to Trail Start is 7.5 miles and Distance from Trail End to Barstow gas station is 47 miles, most of which is on I-15. There are probably others, but this is the one I always aim for. We have also taken some backroads to get to Barstow to avoid Vegas return traffic.

    Escape routes:
    If you just can't take one more minute of the desert, good news! There are several roads that cross the Mojave road that will take you back to the highways.

    US95 - After just 11 miles on the road, if you figure out this is not for you, US95 will take you south towards Needles, or North towards Searchlight, NV.

    Lanfair Road - Lanfair Road will come up around 40 miles in. North will take you towards the I-15, and south will take you to the I-40. The distances from the Mojave Road to the interstates are 32 miles to I-15 (road can be difficult), and 27 miles to I-40.

    Cima Road - This will take you to I-15, 12 miles from the Mojave Cross.

    Kelbaker Road - This will take you to Baker on the I-15.


    There are other roads. If you think this is important information for you to have, you may want to research these roads further. We will have multiple maps and GPS devices to aid in navigation, even unexpected and emergency navigation.





    Looks like we will have some kids along, so I will post up some kid-desert-specific info for you Mike, but pretty obvious stuff.

    I am also not going to worry too much about the person or vehicle limit. We've come across a 14 vehicle convoy, each with 4 or 6 people.

    EDIT: .kml and .kmz Google Earth files are attached, as well as the .gpx file for your GPS system. More items will be attached as we go, but there will always be a post about it.
    Last edited by Seanz0rz; 01-06-2014 at 06:25 PM.
    2005 Lexus LX470 - Stock for now...

    1998 Toyota 4Runner SR5 V6 4x4 + a bunch of goodies. Lifted, Locked, Illuminated and Armored. Winner,"Best Offroad Truck" - 2010 Pismo Jamboree. It's been upside down and still drives me to work.

  5. #5
    My wife is due a few weeks after that so I will be on lock down for a few months.
    1985 FJ-60, 3FE, Hell Creek lift, 2009 H3 sold

  6. #6
    Congrats Frank! next time for sure, right?!
    2005 Lexus LX470 - Stock for now...

    1998 Toyota 4Runner SR5 V6 4x4 + a bunch of goodies. Lifted, Locked, Illuminated and Armored. Winner,"Best Offroad Truck" - 2010 Pismo Jamboree. It's been upside down and still drives me to work.

  7. #7
    Yeah, hopefully later in the year something will pop up.
    1985 FJ-60, 3FE, Hell Creek lift, 2009 H3 sold

  8. #8
    First Post has been updated with an Itinerary as well as all new files including the 3 GPS file types, as well as an updated safety brief.

    I am working on a form for everyone to fill out. More on that soon.
    2005 Lexus LX470 - Stock for now...

    1998 Toyota 4Runner SR5 V6 4x4 + a bunch of goodies. Lifted, Locked, Illuminated and Armored. Winner,"Best Offroad Truck" - 2010 Pismo Jamboree. It's been upside down and still drives me to work.

  9. #9
    My only fuel options are to carry it inside, which I really don't want to do. What has been your experience with the need for additional fuel?

  10. #10
    Discussed this with Mike earlier. On Saturday night, if you have to have fuel, Baker is a few miles up the road.

    See if this link works:
    https://www.google.com/maps/preview/...56!2d35.259773

    It is about 17 miles from our camp to the Arco in Baker.

    I add 5 gallons each night Friday and Saturday, and have enough to make it to Barstow with a bit extra. It is my feeling you should carry some, but if you didn't, this trip could be necessary.

    I think on the exit, we will avoid the I-15. Vegas return traffic is a NIGHTMARE on Sunday afternoon, and it is much easier to take the 40 back towards Barstow. After that the traffic is manageable.
    Last edited by Seanz0rz; 01-24-2014 at 07:00 PM.
    2005 Lexus LX470 - Stock for now...

    1998 Toyota 4Runner SR5 V6 4x4 + a bunch of goodies. Lifted, Locked, Illuminated and Armored. Winner,"Best Offroad Truck" - 2010 Pismo Jamboree. It's been upside down and still drives me to work.

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