d.shaw 2012 DCSB build

Awesome, looks like a GREAT trip! I have to ask how this setup works with you and @prof.jones. You each have a rig, and you take them both out at the same time? I wish I could convince @mrs.turbodb to do the same sometimes! Is it kids in one and adults in the others? (sorry, I don't know the relationship, and I don't mean to pry too much, hahaha.)

Oh, also - it's Nadeau.

Did you notice how freely the cooling fan on this beast still spun? That bearing is still in fabulous shape!

And I see you made it a bit further north than your text might suggest . This was a fun little section of trail - did you also make it to the end of this segment (either fork)? Both are worth a return visit, if not.

 

me and my terrible spelling...... also clearly not as good at writing as you are, i burned out pretty quickly

when we met we both had tacoma's, and as covid went on last year we tried to find another GFC, fate would have us getting the vagabond drifter second hand (im so stoked on it) - my kid 14 lives in NYC and Sally's (almost 9) lives here in socal, so when my son is out its def more comfy to travel in two trucks, provides some security in case of breakdowns etc of course - but its me and my kid in my truck, Sally and her kid in her's. if there is just three of us we just take one truck.

We did make it to the end of the road past the Minnietta mine, and now wished we had continued up to Lookout City, it was getting a bit late in the day as we got there so we started looking for a campsite

that fan was actually blowing in the breeze, pretty nuts. we later switched to the eastern side of the valley and up Pleasant Canyon at the 'world beater mine' was a huge 'wheel' that still spun (not as freely as that fan) bottom left of this photo -

 

Well, that's a pretty cool story, and seems like a great way to travel. I also consider you extremely lucky to have (a) found someone with a Tacoma and (b) with a GFC. Gotta be nice to be able to compare the GFC and Drifter side by side.

I've never made it over to Pleasant Canyon, but it's on the list!

 

Next we headed north and had lunch up by the Panamint Butte. We were lucky whilst we were there for a 'low-ish' flyby from a F-18 (I'm guessing)



From here we were curious enough to go check out the Wildrose Charcoal Kilns, charcoal from there was used to fuel the Modoc Mine



As we returned down into Panamint Valley (and after the spotting of many burro's) we found an interesting camp spot - one littered with junk, and flat concrete pads. Its not lost on me that one reason some of these roads exist is because of these mines, but the straight up trash they leave behind is interesting to me -

 

A quick cruise into Ballarat, touted as a 'ghost town' we decided to push up Pleasant canyon. picking the 'lower' road on the way up we were surprised by the stream we were driving up, and the lush green fauna. As we got higher the burro spotting stepped up a couple gears and we were treated to quite a few 'families'


As Oscar was driving my truck, we were treated to his first known 'wheel lift' albeit brief, up on the top of 'Rogers Pass', where we stopped for lunch with a view looking east and south towards Striped Butte.


more burros - although the best was yet to come, we stopped to check out the World Beater mine.

 

we took the high road out of the canyon, which had quite the drop down to the lower road, the views thou - out over Panamint Valley were quite spectacular.




as we got back into the valley and headed north towards a possible area to find camp, we came across this dude. he basically walked right up to the truck, which I'm guessing is not his first time doing this....this was high on the kids list since she had seen the pics of us with burro's in Saline Valley a couple years earlier



as we went to leave he walked and stood behind my truck, like he was waiting for me to open 'the drifter' so he could come along, actually to the point where he wouldn't move and @prof.jones had to straddle the berm to get around him - to find a camp site we went, and found this one, a pull off for a grader of sort's - slight attempt to level the trucks and we were good to go.




a quick run up Surprise Canyon before we headed home

 

my bro Jesse and i cruised to the dunes to camp for a couple nights and fly. we drove his new 'fozzy'

https://youtu.be/KCseyocfVZY

 

was a good weekend to sit by the fire, read a book and drink coffee



@prof.jones sitting in the back cooking dinner......

 

Man I envy a fire and a relaxing book read right now in my life. lol

 

mate we were in the same boat. even just for the night - felt so good to get away

 

Last week I did just that! Only I went to DV for two nights. It was great.

 

stoked you were able to get out and about mate, its so good to get away - we have been 'snowed under' with travel for work and work and some other life stuff recently, it was just so good to get away.

 

h o m e

can fit at least 4 tacoma's up this driveway.......

 

got married and then went camping (for a night)

 

Congratulations Sir!!

I wish you & your family the best!

Here’s to many more adventures for all you guys

 

thank you very much mate - we really appreciate it

 

Congrats!

 

cheers mate, very stoked, now just need to camp more....

 

What great news...happy wedded wanderings