Let's see your Tacos in scenic places!

Up in the Inyo Mountains overlooking a couple well-known valleys.

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This was during the trout opener in Virginia Lakes up in the Eastern Sierras.

 

Awesome pics! Too bad I can't play along. 4Runners are not allowed here lol.

 

Awwww... You're allowed: Post something.

 

They absolutely are allowed here.

 

Ok, here are a few. I have to dig up some more.

 

The Teton Dam, located northeast of Rexburg, ID, was a major earth-fill dam constructed by the US Bureau of Reclamation that failed catastrophically upon its initial filling 48 years ago, on June 5, 1976. The failure unleashed ~240 feet of impounded water, killing 20 people (officially, 11) and some twenty thousand head of cattle, and causing a couple billion dollars in economic damage. The progression of the failure allowed a few hours' advance warning, which is why the death toll is comparatively low for a failure of this scale. Nonetheless, this disaster was likely the single greatest factor in ending the era of ambitious dam construction in the US. Here is an areal photo (from Wikipedia) taken during the failure:



To the left you can see the upper end of the spillway structure, which is 72 feet wide, about 2000 feet long, and has a structural height of ~340 feet. It was never used, although the 6' auxiliary outlet coaligned beneath it was. In the prior photo, I was parked near the bottom of the spillway. To the right is the remaining portion of the earthen embankment, some of which remains today:


Pickup truck for scale

During the resulting investigation, portions of the dam were excavated, including a massive cross-section cut through the embankment at the end opposite that which failed, cleanly showing the composition of the embankment to this day. The excavated key trench and grout curtain cap are also visible.



Interestingly (or perhaps embarrassingly), although the investigation revealed serious problems with the dam's grouting and site geology in general, it was concluded that the "zone 1" fill material -- the central core of the dam seen as the lighter-colored pyramid in my photos -- was prone to hydraulic fracturing under the hydrostatic pressures that would be present when the reservoir was full. So while the poor geology and improper grouting likely completed the flow path to allow piping to take root, I'll oversimplify it to say they built the whole entire dam using a material that wasn't waterproof. This seems like a pretty fundamental fuck-up for an agency that once built the Hoover Dam.



It is a fascinating site to explore today, unlike the St Francis dam site near Los Angeles, the ruins of which that city shamefully dynamited to dust (plus they buried their other dam of identical construction in dirt, to hide it from the public eye!)

Be advised this area is absolutely crawling with ticks, so be weary of that if you're going to go bushwhacking along the shores trying to catch the fish that supposedly live in this river. May your luck be better than mine was.

 

Well, if we are opening the door to 4Runners:

 

Matagorda, Texas on the Gulf of Mexico in 2021:

 

It's all good! Nothing wrong with the Open Door policy. We're not threatened. lol To me, 4Runners' are a specialty limited edition item that the dregs/unwashed masses wish they could afford but cannot. (i.e. Me) They are like your rich cousin who's Dad buys them everything. "We're basically the same underneath, but I have nicer clothes and sneakers than you.

But: 4R 2023 sales: +- 110,000 according to a sketchy chart on the web I found. 2023 Tacoma figures: 216, 000.

 

Mt Rainier, last weekend:

 

I was just there this past weekend as well, but I was renting a vintage VW Vanagon so I didn't post any pics
I was in Longmire/Paradise mostly. Great ride and where was that bridge?

 

sure like your topper

 

Lol, unfortunately that bridge is literally right there in Longmire, so you missed it by --> <-- this much. You just have to know it's there! Perhaps we even crossed paths? I was the ass-hole swerving over the centerline, holding his camera out the window. I was also the guy refilling his gas tank with Jerry cans on the road up to Paradise.



Officially called the Nisqually Historic Suspension Bridge, it was built in the early days of the national park, then renovated in the 50s. There is an expansive but seemingly long-disused campground on the opposite side of the river. As well as various other park infrastructure, all appearing to be disused today, plus some plots of land posted for exclusive use by certain native peoples. Overall, nothing for the average tourist like me to explore beyond the bridge itself, and I kind of regret driving any further. Nonetheless, it is a spectacular and noteworthy historical bridge, so I'm glad I saw it, despite having blundered around needlessly (and potentially irritating the folks that live there) as I tried to loop back rather than backtracking upon reaching the former campground's road network. This effort was futile -- all forks were eventually blocked by treefall or orange cones, and I repeatedly crashed my truck into countless obstacles at each dead-end before I finally gave up and simply backtracked to the bridge.



While I generally don't watch TV, I absolutely devoured the "Longmire" series as it came out... now probably almost decade ago. Of course this was a fictional storyline, set in Wyoming, filmed in New Mexico, and starring an Australian actor as an aging sheriff in rural America. Yet there I was in Washington State, wearing my Sheriff Longmire cowboy hat, on the Longmire bridge, in the town of Longmire... suddenly looking for clues of a crime I could solve before the end of the episode. And despite all odds, I broke the case wide-open: Some fucking idiot, wearing a cowboy hat, had parked his pickup truck illegally on the bridge. Now he was stumbling around taking pictures. Cue the confession and roll the credits.

Thanks! This is an original Softopper and is probably at least 10 years old. I acquired it with the truck -- both well-used -- in 2016. I dropped a few hundred dollars on repairs in 2018, at an upholstery shop, to keep it functional... replacing the vinyl windows, worn-out zippers, and broken buttons. It's now due for another overhaul at the upholsterer, due to a few more buttons wearing out, plus a few spots I accidentally punctured the canvas. But it's held up admirably to years of abuse and neglect, and I have nothing but positive things to say about the Softopper product line and whatever corporate lineage can claim it today. I am from Colorado, and last time I checked, they were still making this product there. With numerous improvements over my older model.

Edit -- forgot to include a truck photo! Here's my attempt at a land speed record, later that week:



Got up to 102. But might have blown the head gasket. :-/

 

I miss my third gen

 

A little bit of "all over the place" A few different grille treatments too!

 

Fantastic first post... Welcome to TW!

 

Globe Mallow superbloom on the western edge of Death Valley NP

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Incredible shots!

 

Enjoyed an awesome couple days out in the mountains this weekend.

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