New Year's Eve Trails

We started the year with new friends on a trail, it seemed fitting to end the year with the same amazing people.

The end of year crew was smaller: Pete and Mandy in the FJ, Liz and dogs in the Tundra, Jeremy in SeanRubiconnery, and Dave and Charlie in the TRD 4Runner.  We met up at their campsite off Table Mesa Road and caught up after our extended disappearance from off roading.

Then onto trails!  SeanRubiconnery lead us around for the day.  While the start of the year was wet and cold, today proved to be sunny and dusty.  Couldn't have asked for better weather.

We made our way to an old fort and explored before lunch.  Hope wasn't much of a fan of climbing rocks.  Elly needs to teach her the ropes.  (We left Elly and Rommel at the house.  Old age sucks)

After a fort-side lunch, we made our way along a ravine towards an old mine site.  We explored and chatted for a while before turning back.

After meeting up one last time, we all said our goodbyes.  Half the crew was camping again, while our teardrop is trapped behind car parts.  On our way out, we met up with Brett who had to work today, but was on his way in for an afternoon of trails and camping.

This was an amazing way to end the year.  I very much needed a day on the trail.  The fresh air, great scenery and good friends is just the reset button my brain needed.

Happy New Year!!! May your 2018 be filled with adventures great and small!

Full photo gallery found on SmugMug

Day 9/10: The Journey Home

We got an early start and made our way to pavement.  After 8 days off roading, the Jeep and FJ needed to be aired up.

At this point, Elly was over camping.  Rommel was beat.

On our way south, as tradition would dictate, we stopped at Honeyville for wine and goodies.

Since we forwent breakfast, we only made it as far as Durango before stopping to make lunch.  And then the drive started.

It is a boring trek back to AZ.  Once out of Dolores, CO, the countryside is desolate.  After 8 days in the pines, snoozing next to a rumbling creek, it is downright depressing to once again traverse desolate desert.

We made it as far as Flagstaff where we pitched up camp for the evening.

No one set up awnings, to avoid a long morning.  And then it rained.  All night.

The morning was soggy.  We didn't even make coffee.  We pushed down towards Camp Verde were we found a small eatery north of there: Nikki's.  It is right off I-17.  Small town food, affordable and tasty.  Just what the doctor ordered.

After topping off the tanks, we all pushed homewards.

As usual, I'm less than thrilled to be back.  Work has already interrupted my vacation bliss.  Back to reality.

Day 6: Mine Museum

Our friend @seanrubiconnery has a skillet for his large campfire.  It was a game changer on our February camp trip.  Pete crafted a smaller version for their Campfire in a Can.  We used the heck out of that thing this trip.  Much more even cooking than a grill and more food can be cooked than a skillet.  Mike needs to make me one....hint hint.

After a hearty breakfast, we parted ways for the day.  We've driven by the Silverton Museum many times.  Today proved to be gloomy and rainy most of the day, so it was perfect fit for a museum.  Silverton has an interesting history, rich in mining.

The diminutive museum took most of our day up, showing off it's jail and mine wares.  We also learned that our campsite sat alongside the original road between valleys.  Lime Creek Road was ultimately replaced by Highway 550, but until recent history was the route between Durango and Silverton.  It was ravaged by fire and only recuperated after human intervention replanted pines 36 years after being barren.

On our way back to camp, we detoured down to the now dead end of Lime Creek Road.  There we saw the remains of a Chevrolet C10 and a 57 Chevy that appears to have met its demise after falling from 550.

We proceeded back to camp where Mike aided Pete in some campsite mechanicals.  The FJ had a horrendously annoying squeak.  A bit of grease and all was well.

On this episode of Campsite Garage, the boys diagnose a noisy front end. Little grease and the FJ is back to stealth mode. #toyota #fj #roadsideassistance #silverton #offroad #mountains #trailsidefix #whatsthatnoise #tepui #mrfixit

A post shared by Amanda (@the_adventure_wife) on Jul 22, 2017 at 11:21am PDT

This week's rain allowed us to test out the rain blocks Mandy made for the teardrop.  As the interior is wood, moisture is the enemy, which means during rains, we'd have to close the rear hatch.  The remains of a ruined Foxwing made for a good start.  Some crafting by Mandy and we were in business.  They worked like a charm.

After dinner and in between rain drops, I snuck down to the creek for low light, long exposure camera time.

It is amazing to travel and camp with friends who are not afraid to part ways once in a blue moon.  We all had things we wanted to do the last two days and were not afraid to say farewell until meeting again at camp for dinner and beer.

Day 4: Poughkeepie Gulch to Hurricane and Pain

Once down the gulch, the signs for Poughkeepsie Gulch.  This is a no joke trail and stock rigs should not attempt it.

The start was deceiving.  Winding you up through a wildflower laden valley.

The road turned to shale, complete with a creek running down it.

I was sitting on the window here.  And almost fell out of it.  BUMPY!

Climb on!

Marmot Alert!

Handsome Dog Alert!

We hit an intersection.  Go right and test yourself.  Go left and proceed to easy street.  Right it was!

Just after the turn, we met a Texan couple in a UTV who wanted to watch us attempt the wall.

At the wall, there was a DGAF deer munching away, also enjoying the carnage to come.

Let the learning begin....

Mike made the Wall attempt first.  He and Pete decided that they'd only attempt the wall twice before unwinding the winch cable.  It was already a long day and we still had many thousand feet to climb.

Mike teetered, I screamed "DON'T ROLL MY JEEP!" and he rolled back down for attempt two.

At attempt two, the JK became high centered and the winch was used to pull Mike up the rest of the way.

My Rubi has a nice long scar along her skid plates to mark the journey.

The FJ, having more ground clearance, made two solid attempts and was able to un-highcenter itself for a successful no-winch attempt.

Then the UTV showed us all how's its done.

We followed our new UTV friends up the mountain.

FLEX!

By this point, altitude sickness was kicking in pretty bad for me.  Mike hopped out to snap the pictures of the lake.

At Hurricane Pass we were at 12,500 feet and I wanted to die.  Looking at the photos, it was amazing.

Thankfully, after cresting the pass, it was all downhill from there.

I snapped a few more pictures before burying my head in my hands and waiting until we hit camp.

I had consumed more than the recommended amount of Excedrin, ate dinner and dove into bed.  It was a long and adventurous day.