4WDTrips.net Forums http://www.4wdtrips.net/forum/ 4WD 4x4 4WDTrip 4WDTrips (4 Wheel Drive Trips) 4WD Trips. The purpose for this website is to provide friends with a common place to plan trips, share information and pictures, and to keep in touch. en Fri, 18 May 2012 13:19:37 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.4wdtrips.net/forum/images/misc/rss.png 4WDTrips.net Forums http://www.4wdtrips.net/forum/ Upcoming Sun Events http://www.4wdtrips.net/forum/showthread.php?6396-Upcoming-Sun-Events&goto=newpost Thu, 17 May 2012 01:09:57 GMT A couple of weeks ago we were camping in Joshua Tree NP. At the visitor center a guy had some telescopes set up to view the sun. Now I've seen plenty of hi-res pics of the sun and all, but to look through a telescope and see sun spots and protuberances/prominences (almost) live is somehow still cool. He also had a spectrometer setup and was "walking" a prism over some absorption lines. Cool stuff!

So here are a couple sun events coming up (at least for those of us in the southwest US). I've included a couple of links, but there is all kinds of information to be googled on both events:


]]> General Chat WhiteThaiGer http://www.4wdtrips.net/forum/showthread.php?6396-Upcoming-Sun-Events <![CDATA[Fun in the Southern Sierra's]]> http://www.4wdtrips.net/forum/showthread.php?6389-Fun-in-the-Southern-Sierra-s&goto=newpost Tue, 15 May 2012 04:36:31 GMT Took a 3 day trip visiting the Southern Sierra's thinking we would enjoy some early summer weather.

Ended up with 8 vehicles and a good group of guys exploring and taking in some new territory for me.

We traveled up Hwy 14 through Palmdale and Lancaster exiting west at Jawbone Canyon. We traveled through some easy roads up to just over 6000 feet where we made our base camp. Even though the weather forecast was for clear skys the Sierra's sometimes can "make" its own weather. When we arrived early Friday morning our camp was socked in with fog, drizzle and low temps. Out came the sweaters and coats as we set up tents and emptied our vehicles of the camping gear.






Shortly we were off exploring and as we desended off came the sweaters and coats as the temps soon reached the low 80's.

Most of the guys wanted some kind of a challange so we took the Nightmare Gulch overview trail in the back way over to Last Chance Canyon.


Most had fun along with a couple of guys doing the "V" notch in the Canyon.



We enjoyed the usual sights like Burro Smidt's tunnel and then took another way up to the base camp through Dove Springs arriving later than we would have like at camp.

That night it continued to blow with cold drizzle and some temps in the low 30's (so much for summer weather) but in the morning it had blown out and we had a clear cool refreshing day to greet us.



Day 2 was a trip driving various mountian trails over to Lake Isabella and then taking on the challanging Freeway Ridge Loop. A difficult trail with lots of challanges and beauty.




Seems we weren't the first to be here!







Chuck hit a rather large boulder and sheared off the bolts that held his steering together, It was a two hours trail fix but the guys in this group came prepared.



Chuck made it down the mountain and had to call the trip short but still had a great time. I think he was just glad that he didn't have to leave his rig on the trail and come back another day to try and fix it!




We made it back to camp late that evening and on the way we got a great view of the bigger than usually appearence of the moon:



The final day was spent packing up and then having a little fun in the Dove Springs OHV before we hit pavement:





I was tired than afternoon when I got home, but it was a good kind of tired........if you know what I mean.

Thanks,
Fred
Explorer 1 ]]> Previous Trips Explorer 1 http://www.4wdtrips.net/forum/showthread.php?6389-Fun-in-the-Southern-Sierra-s Death Valley Trip - Eureka Dunes, Steel Pass and Saline http://www.4wdtrips.net/forum/showthread.php?6388-Death-Valley-Trip-Eureka-Dunes-Steel-Pass-and-Saline&goto=newpost Sat, 12 May 2012 20:50:46 GMT

Finally getting caught up on some adventures we've taken. The scary part about this all, is that i can't remember for the life of me when we took this trip! Yikes! Think it was back in January around Super Bowl..

Anyhow, we camped out at Eureka Dunes, hiked to the top, drove over Steel (steele) Pass and visited the Warm springs in Saline. Death Valley is always a pleasure.

Enjoy everyone, thanks again for reading and see you all at Overland Expo '12!

http://www.adventureduo.com/2012/05/...m-springs.html ]]> Previous Trips adventureduo http://www.4wdtrips.net/forum/showthread.php?6388-Death-Valley-Trip-Eureka-Dunes-Steel-Pass-and-Saline Yaesu FT-2900R TX Mod (MARS MOD) http://www.4wdtrips.net/forum/showthread.php?6387-Yaesu-FT-2900R-TX-Mod-(MARS-MOD)&goto=newpost Sat, 12 May 2012 00:53:47 GMT To make a long story short, I decided to use the Yeasu FT-7900R in the Jeep. It's compact, and will work fine for what we do with Miss Rubi.

So, I needed a radio for Cactus Red. Decided to go back to a basic 2M. I don't use 70C at all since the local IRLP node disappeared. I'd had a FT-2800 in the past, and found it to be a rugged radio. It was also easily modified for out of band transmission, a feature I require for use as a Best in the Desert volunteer. I did some reading AFTER buying the new radio :blush:, and found out it was different than the older model. The new radio requires that a solder bead be removed to open up the transmitter.

http://www.worldwidedx.com/yaesu/441...-mars-mod.html

This shows the location of the bead and what is required. I was a little nervous about sticking a soldering iron in a new radio, especially when you need a magnifying glass to even see the bead! I stuck the hot iron on it, and the bead went away...

Figured I'd go ahead and reassemble the rig and test it, and all is well. :smilewinkgrin:

So, I'm back on the air with a new rig and a 1/2 wave Larsen 150 trimmed to the 146.46 range. SWR is 1.5, so I should be good to go.

Mark
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]]> Mods crawler#976 http://www.4wdtrips.net/forum/showthread.php?6387-Yaesu-FT-2900R-TX-Mod-(MARS-MOD) Touring the Mid-South...From Mountains to Shore to Mountains once again. http://www.4wdtrips.net/forum/showthread.php?6384-Touring-the-Mid-South-From-Mountains-to-Shore-to-Mountains-once-again&goto=newpost Tue, 08 May 2012 15:20:22 GMT Here in unfolds the tale of how Mr. and Mrs. Haggis abandoned their everyday responsibilities, dumped their teenage offspring off at Grandma’s house... Here in unfolds the tale of how Mr. and Mrs. Haggis abandoned their everyday responsibilities, dumped their teenage offspring off at Grandma’s house and became itinerant vagabonds if only for a week all in the name of celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary. So please get comfortable as a tale unfolds with a passage from Mountains to Shore to Mountains once again all the while two happy campers celebrate their wedded bliss.

From when first we met Michelle and I have had the urge to explore the next valley together. Almost all of our travels have involved seeking new sights beyond those outside our own everyday world and those travels have been the source of many happy memories together. But it’s lately been a bit frantic around the hold since my lovely wife Michelle started back to college to further her nursing career. With Michelle working full time while doing the online college thing, time for travel and even just getting away has been limited. I don’t feel right trekking out on my own and leaving my best travel buddy behind so I haven’t been out much myself even. Being home bound drags us both down somewhat, but you gotta do what you gotta do. So when we were deciding on how to mark our 20th we decided to do some travelling like we have done so many times together…with a loaded truck, lots of food, a barely conceived plan and our sights set on what’s over the next hill.

With an upcoming break between classes the start of May we decide to head south in search of warmer weather. So on the last Friday of April, with the snow blowing around the clan hold, we went chasing the greening foliage of places south. Our plan was to head straight down to Cape Lookout on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, spend a few days getting sand in our shorts and then head over to the highlands of western North Carolina. We ain’t ever been in them mountains before, so we were rearin’ to go. The plan got modified when Michelle got her current course done early and we had an extra day free to run. With two days instead of one to get to the Ferry in Davis, NC I suggested another route to replace the cannonball run we had planned. We gathered the gear, loaded up some new kit and dumped them teenagers off at Grandmas and pointed our Tundra Fafhrd South.
What I had proposed was to detour to Skyline Drive in Virginia as it was a trip Michelle and I had done 21 years ago. Yeah, it’s a slow driving blacktop, but there are some great views and some nice hiking trails along its path and for us it would be a traverse down memory lane. Michelle started off driving while she was bright eyed and bushytailed as the wooded foothills of Pennsylvania rolled by.



A few hours later we were climbing the foothills of Front Royal Virginia as we started up Skyline Drive. My memories of this route were one of overwhelming cars but that last trip so many years ago took place in the midst of summer, this time it was pretty empty of folks and many of the areas were still closed up for the season. We drove the twisting tarmac, pulling over at any overlook that drew our attention. On occasion we would step out in the chilly brisk winds and hike a trail or tow that seemed to head somewhere. We love the Appalachians and the rolling hills always beckon us forward to see more…





]]> Previous Trips Haggis http://www.4wdtrips.net/forum/showthread.php?6384-Touring-the-Mid-South-From-Mountains-to-Shore-to-Mountains-once-again Dam Goats http://www.4wdtrips.net/forum/showthread.php?6383-Dam-Goats&goto=newpost Mon, 07 May 2012 23:22:09 GMT This is one of those stories that made me wonder if it's a hoax, but some googleing seemed to confirm it:

Dam-Goats ]]> Wild Things and PhotoTalk WhiteThaiGer http://www.4wdtrips.net/forum/showthread.php?6383-Dam-Goats Succor Creek / Leslie Gulch spring 2012 http://www.4wdtrips.net/forum/showthread.php?6382-Succor-Creek-Leslie-Gulch-spring-2012&goto=newpost Mon, 07 May 2012 00:13:51 GMT Trip Report: Plans always change. As usual half of those that plan to attend actually do so. The day started with a light rains shower. The... Trip Report:
Plans always change. As usual half of those that plan to attend actually do so.

The day started with a light rains shower. The previous week had been unsettled and rather wet, but partly cloudy was the forecast. As the day progressed the sun pushed out the clouds and warmed the air.



The light rain was just enough to settle the dust and make for a very nice road on the way into the canyon. Half of the road traveled appeared to have been graded this spring. We even saw a grader working the barrow pits and shoulders along the way.



Every drainage was running a little water. Some holes in the road still held water. I expected the area to look much greener and perhaps some wild flowers blooming? The cheat grass from the first growth this spring had already turned. Perhaps we were too early for the wild flowers. Still the area holds great beauty.
Arriving to the rock that holds the cave. A nice area across the road and above the creek will be our home for the next few days.



Succor Creek looked a bit more like a "coffee river" with lots of creamer. It ran strong, full and fast.
We made camp and stacked the wood for a nice fire in the pit later. Bikes all unloaded and ready for adventure.



With camp set time for a quick exploration of the cave across the way. It goes in less than 100' The tallest point under 8' and the lowest just about 4'. Half way in it makes a 90 degree turn to the end chamber. There was some straw and burnt straw on the floor. Someone had built a fire in there. Perhaps to smoke out the occupants? We saw two small "nests" made from the straw. They looked almost as if small chickens had made them. On the ceiling , to the right in the main chamber a spider with a leg span the size of a quarter and having a shiny brown body similar to a Black Widow , crawled into a crack above us.

]]> Previous Trips HenryJ http://www.4wdtrips.net/forum/showthread.php?6382-Succor-Creek-Leslie-Gulch-spring-2012 CalZona Expedition - Desert to the Sea http://www.4wdtrips.net/forum/showthread.php?6380-CalZona-Expedition-Desert-to-the-Sea&goto=newpost Wed, 02 May 2012 20:49:18 GMT *CalZona 2011* *Overland Expedition journey from Mexico to Pismo* Image: http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/4826/img5032w.jpg Starting... CalZona 2011

Overland Expedition journey from Mexico to Pismo



Starting near the Mexican/Arizona border south of Ajo, we link various overland routes and back country trails to the Pacific Ocean. The route was approx 1,000 miles one-way and consisted of 95-98% dirt.

Vehicles were two 80 series, one petrol, one diesel. We both pulled trailers. One older South African trailer with an RTT and a So-Cal Teardrop Krawler 459. We also were equipped with two dogs and two truly adventurous females.

This southwest journey combined many overland routes/trails linked together such as:

East to West

* El Camino Del Diablo
* Picacho Rd./Indian Pass
* Bradshaw Overland Route
* Joshua Tree
* Old Dale Rd.
* Mojave Road
* Calico/Yermo Area
* High Desert Barstow
* Black Mtn Wilderness
* Carrizo Plains
* Pozo Rd.
* Hi-Mountain Rd.
* Oceano Dunes
* Pismo

Ended on the sand at the Pacific Ocean.

Route:


The trip was made back in December 2011 and ended just after New Years. It took us 10 days. We just now finished the final installment of our 3 Part Series of trip reports.

Enjoy!

Part 1 - http://www.adventureduo.com/2012/02/...rt-to-sea.html



Part 2 - http://www.adventureduo.com/2012/04/...rt-to-sea.html



Part 3 - http://www.adventureduo.com/2012/04/...rt-to-sea.html



We also want to post the DVD Teaser trailer we hope to produce for late Summer 2012.
CalZona Overland Expedition - Desert to the Sea on Vimeo


Thanks everyone for reading. We appreciate it! ]]> Previous Trips adventureduo http://www.4wdtrips.net/forum/showthread.php?6380-CalZona-Expedition-Desert-to-the-Sea Report SPAM Please http://www.4wdtrips.net/forum/showthread.php?6375-Report-SPAM-Please&goto=newpost Tue, 24 Apr 2012 15:36:20 GMT Hello, Thanks for reporting the recent SPAMs. We clean them up as soon as feasible. Lets keep our Forum as clean as possible. Thank you!... Hello,

Thanks for reporting the recent SPAMs.
We clean them up as soon as feasible.

Lets keep our Forum as clean as possible.

Thank you!
-JACK:sign_goodluck: ]]> Announcements JackSilb http://www.4wdtrips.net/forum/showthread.php?6375-Report-SPAM-Please New Wheels.... http://www.4wdtrips.net/forum/showthread.php?6369-New-Wheels&goto=newpost Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:50:33 GMT and tires, and vehicle.......

Found this on CL, '96 CTD that the PO had started to actually restore:


Then a friend found some wheels on CL about the same time that I concluded that it needed a taller final drive, so on the recommendation of a friend who works in a dealership in the oil patch I went with 315 Goodyear DuraTracs:


Then months of combing CL for something like this (long before having the truck) paid off:


Temporary ratchet straps have been replaced at the front, waiting on some bits for the rear. Truck needed a steering box and a trac-bar, something this vintage is famous for, and while I was under there I added a steering box brace to take some of the load off of the pitman shaft bearings. Then another friend found a Power-Lock (of the right ratio series) for the rear axle on CL, but it uses 35 spline axle shafts instead of the existing 32 spline shafts. That isn't looking like it will happen before it's maiden voyage to Utah next week.
Mods with no pictures include a RAM netbook mount that I've added a 2M radio riser mount to the base of (& mag based external speaker), and attaching the Streamlight's charging holder also to the RAM's base structure. A set of Bilstein 5160's is due in tomorrow. Spent the weekend sorting out the battery cables (original as best as I can tell) and setting up the fusible links so that they're easy to replace in the field should that need to happen. One of them fatigue failed on our first trip in the truck. Stranded us on the CA/NV border west of Jean, NV for about 20 mins until I figured out what had happened. Nearly have 6 ga. charge & ground wire to the camper. I didn't want any voltage drop there and guessing max amperage likely over the measured distance put me at 6 ga. in the consulted table. Highly doubt that it will ever go to that high of a charge rate, but now it's covered if it should. Am using a 120A Anderson connector for the camper disconnect and will be mounting the BEP VSR next to the battery box in the camper.

Some future plans include adding a 12 ga. wired weatherpak power connector for the 2M inside the camper and devising a simple method for mounting the J-Pole plumbing project antenna on a mast. Also plan to add speakers and a small amp to the camper, but we'll drive the amp with an iPod or smart phone. The camper also needs a few more power points. ]]> General Chat ntsqd http://www.4wdtrips.net/forum/showthread.php?6369-New-Wheels