Death Valley with Toyota120

[TacoXpo]

I am very busy this week and I will plagerize here a bit. I will put up my own story but for now this should hold you over....

Schuyler - Thanks for setting this up! I've never been to death valley before, and this was a great way to check it out for the first time. It was nice having someone who knows all the good places to see. The trip was well organized, there was some great stops with plenty of time to check out the sites, and best of all a great bunch of people to hang out with. I can't wait to go again!

Chip - Thanks for the Friday run, and the awesome BBQ :chowtime:. And the great hospitality again. Ohh.. and also the the entertainment on Friday morning!

Here's some of the pics I took (sorry, just iPhone pics). There's a link at the bottom if you want to see all the pics I took. Videos will be up later this week or weekend.

Friday

- Chip led us to a great spot

Saturday Morning

- This is what you wake up to out in the destert..

Saturday Afternoon

- 4Runner getting a rest for lunch

- Everyone checking out an old mine

- Moving on to the next destination

- The next destination, Lost Burro Mine (if I remember correctly)

- Top of the mountain at Lost Burro Mine (those clouds look menacing)

- 360 at the top

- Thought those clouds looked menacing... just starting to spit

Saturday Evening

- Blair, Jeremy, Paul and myself doing some additional exploring after we reached camp for the night

- Getting a little tippy at the top

- Self explanatory

- Blair following

Sunday Morning

- It was cold in the morning

Sunday Afternoon

- in the lead

- Descending Lippincott

- Now I have Mark following..

- Nice view at the base of Lippincott

Sunday Evening

- Heading Home

Death Valley - Nov 2010 Pictures

 

[TacoXpo]

Well I had a great time in DV as well. I agree with what Chip said, having so many guys with HAM setups felt like it really helped, I believe everyone but two or three guys had one.

It was a fun trip and we got to see a lot of great scenery/mines etc… I wish I had made it out for Friday as well, but it was just too hard to get away from work that early, especially with three other coworkers. Also, on that same note- four big guys in a truck with full camping gear and food is quite the adventure to pack, I am shocked I didn’t hit my rear bump stops much at all!

The weather was sure interesting, Jon and I were a tad bit nervous as we watched lightning storms and darkness approach as we explored one last trail, didn’t help that our trucks are covered in metal antennas. We got an interesting and very cold rain/hail storm that lasted most the night. Thankfully I beat it by about one minute when I was setting my tent up

Anyway, here are some of my pictures. I had 300 on my camera alone and two of the other guys in my truck had their own so there will be many to post. I tried to limit it to 80 or so for this though.

Sunrise waking up at our hotel in Lone Pine after the long drive out from work Friday night

Cool turn out that we ended up revisiting with the entire group as we headed out

Meeting up with the group

The same turnout

I spy Mark

Here are shots of everyone’s rigs so people can get an idea of what was on the trip

 

[TacoXpo]

Will I get an F on my paper for doing this?

Ice after our rain/hail/lightning storm

Teakettle Junction

Fun little offshoot that Paul, Woody, Jeremy and I did. Great view and great parking spot for Paul

Woody giving it some perspective

On the way down

Woody and I ran out of places to park at the grandstands and didn’t want to block traffic (and wanted to pose a little…)

Here are a bunch of photos heading down Lippencott.

 

[AlienXtx]

nice pics, the one with the rocks is now my backfround....

 

[Mauzer]

That is so sweet, pics get an A+

 

[TacoXpo]

I have got to say... Every time I wheel with those guys, I end up hitting the side of my head and saying, "I could of had a V8!!!" That Lexus was SAAAAAweet!!!

 

[CalgaryRider]

Wow, that looks like a great trip. You guys are really lucky to have such amazing scenery down there!

 

[TacoXpo]

Wow, that looks like a great trip. You guys are really lucky to have such amazing scenery down there!

Yeah, you guys don't do that bad either!!!

 

[Silverback]

Looks like a great time Paul! The fact you guys have that much land to wheel on is awesome... of course I know the tree hugger's are trying to take it all away. But those pics are awesome, nice rigs too! How was the RTT?

 

[CalgaryRider]

I actually would love to wheel in the desert, it is such a different climate and perspective, and I really want to check out the old mines.

I guess we are always after locations that we don't have. I guess I will have to make a trek down there again and go wheeling with you guys, and who knows maybe one day some of you guys can make it up here and check out the rockies.

 

[AlienXtx]

I actually would love to wheel in the desert, it is such a different climate and perspective, and I really want to check out the old mines.

I guess we are always after locations that we don't have. I guess I will have to make a trek down there again and go wheeling with you guys, and who knows maybe one day some of you guys can make it up here and check out the rockies.

X2....I think thats what get people into wheeling in the first place, going to diffrent parts of the country and actually being able to get to were the good stuff is located.

 

[TacoXpo]

Looks like a great time Paul! The fact you guys have that much land to wheel on is awesome... of course I know the tree hugger's are trying to take it all away. But those pics are awesome, nice rigs too! How was the RTT?

It was a great trip! - I feel like I have an old ranch truck compared to those guys rigs!!! That 80 Series was outfitted and owned by the owner of Dirty Parts in Redondo Beach. That thing is AMAZING!!! Some Dr. bought it from Larry and this guy we wheeled with (F18 jock) picked it up for $12k.

It's funny you mentioned the tree huggers - A few of the guys had their kids with them. At one time I was thinking, by the time they get old enough to do this, it will probably be outlawed!!!

The RTT preformed flawlessly. I did bump my head on it and the front window awning had to be tied to my bumper (too low to use the bars that usually prop em out. The whole trip I was noodleing on how to make it better. I want a system that will keep it up while camping and down while wheeling. I am thinking of using a desert jack (see below) on top of my spare in the bed (bolted down). While wheeling have the tent held up by some bedbars level with the top of the bed. Then put 4 'receptacles' (for some 1.5" tubing) on the bed (right above the frame rails) and 4 receptacles on the bottom of the tent. Then when I pull over to camp. Remove the two straps that I would hold the tent down with. Jack up the jack. Put 4 tubes into the receptacles and lower the jack.

That idea actually stemmed from the that you posted with the scissor jack.

Here's another alternative...

I actually would love to wheel in the desert, it is such a different climate and perspective, and I really want to check out the old mines.

I guess we are always after locations that we don't have. I guess I will have to make a trek down there again and go wheeling with you guys, and who knows maybe one day some of you guys can make it up here and check out the rockies.

Too bad the earth wasn't smaller - When I finally get the Gates to adopt me, I'm going to hire a couple of transport drivers to drive 10 of my friends trucks around so that so every weekend, I just dispatch jets to pick you guys up and we go wheeling in different corners of the earth!!!

Should I do that before I do the 10 trophy truck contingent to Baja?

 

[TacoXpo]

pics of his rig....and again I was driving...so no pics of me either...

Jeremy heading down ...

Derek heading down ...

Paul's Turn...

And Jon...

All the rock crawling done...resting at a great overlook Chip took us to. 360 degree views of the Red Rock Canyon area.

[/QUOTE]

Couple of quick pix for now...

That's me advertising one of my favorite pushers!

 

[drew02a]

Cool pics

Gotta plug ECGS, they rock!

 

[SamSter0077]

Great Pictures!