Wisconsin Tacomas and bad financial advice

Well, I was just minding my own in Death Valley, testing skid plates and trying to keep the wife and myself alive (wasn't planning the test...) and happened upon a group of bikers. One lost control and went over the side with his bike. Fortunately he was off quick and the saddlebags got hung up on a rock ~60ft down. Would've been a few hundred feet to the bottom. They were happy to see me make it up and we used the winch to recover the bike and it still ran. Funny that moments before I had been telling the wife how we've made use of all the mall crawler gear but the winch!

 

Wow! Glad the biker was OK. What an exciting trail ride!

 

Nicely done man! Sometimes it's just about the right time, right place, right gear.

 

Really glad the biker was OK! When I saw the bike and realized the guy I was talking to had been on it was kind of astounding. Cut into our time in the park a bit but absolutely worth it. Nice to be a part of the outdoors community that is always helping out someone that needs it.
We had stopped to take some pictures on our way to sequoia and people stopped to make sure we were okay, so nice to be on the other end

 

Gives you a good feeling knowing that you helped someone. Job well done

 

Making some changes as I get ready for my upcoming Arkansas (end of March)/Kansas/Colorado trips. I have not mounted the swing away tire carrier since building and installing the new rear bumper. I had to make it shorter from the bar to the receiver so the tailgate would open fully. Additionally I added a rack to hold three 2 gallon Rotopax water containers. In the past I have carried seven gallon plastic containers strapped in the bed; but, last summer in the Big Horms they bounced around enough that three of the four got holed, and leaked the whole trip. Although significantly less volume, I am hoping for durability and out of the way. I will also make mounts for the bed rail to carry a couple more-just need to leave sleeping room for two back there. the spinner lock I made is too long as it appears here-I will shorten it up, because it hits and blocks carrying a 20 lbs propane tank, although my little 10 lbs fits fine.

Today I also put my rack back on (without dropping it on the truck like last year, creating some significant body work to repair,,,) Next up is a hard mount in the right rear corner of the bed for my winch plate. Yes, I know most people just mount it to the truck. I am not ready to do my front suspension yet and those damn things are heavy! Also, I go on long trips alone, and when forward progress ceases I generally retreat making a rear winch mount nice. Next week if the weather calms down I will get my sleeping platform out of storage and modify it top fit around the winch. From there it is just about time to load and go!

 

Okay... ready for something other than winter! 3/8 inch ice then 4 more in snow last night. Think spring, please.

 

We had rain and lots of it. Now their calling for snow tonight. Saw the first Sandhill Cranes and Robins today.

 

Saw Robins almost 3 weeks ago, thought it awful early. Then, Wed. morning, I saw 4 Sandhills and another 4 on Thur. morning.

No ice or snow but nice thunder and light show.

 

They got nowhere to go up here as the lakes are all still frozen, we still have over three feet on the ground yet... Heard a cardinal singing its heart out this morning, but they tend to stay over. Haven't seen to many transients, although I did hear that the hot pond had some trumpeters visit last week. Nothing but the big water for them yet.

 

Well uh.... South of the jet streem it hit 80 this week....

Balmy 54ish right now

 

Teaser shot - mapping out storage and a sleeping platform in the 80:

 

Up here it went from 50s to thunderstorms and tornados to snow yesterday..

 

Nice!

 

No that's my kind of weather

 

So are you just showing off your retirement fund to us scrubs?

You going to have it finished for April?