AZ BS Thread 4²0

Hopefully only 2 months!

 

Happy new year!!

 

I picked up a new tent today for real cheap.
For years ive always just slept in the back of the truck under a tarp or in a bivvy

Gonna see how this works out
https://www.sportsmans.com/camping-...-al-1-person-backpacking-tent-green/p/1516335

 

Work is in the middle of inventory so I took the last 2 days off and drove out to the Mojave. I will hopefully have some good drone footage of me running the Nelson rollercoaster trail.

Was a fun trail definitely! Lots of off camber, and its all up and down a bunch of ridges. Having the drone to spot made the trail so much easier, it would have been really bad without it. Crunched a little on the skids here and there with stock tire size so pretty sure anyone with a lifted Taco and 33s or bigger could chew it right up.
The lead in had some fun scenery too!


Then from there I went up to a weather station.



I'll put together more pictures once I'm home.

 

Am I an overlander yet?

 

Went out looking for coyotes but found this instead

 

I need some advice from you guys...
A couple days ago the wife and I decided to go explore a bit.... I mapped out a trail to start at Bloody Basin road and the 17 and heads east until I hit Cave Creek Rd (FR 24), then back home. I considered detouring to Sheeps Bridge then back to FR 24 and heading home but wasn't sure if I'd be up for it by the time I got there.
Bloody Basin trail was really pretty, stopped plenty of times to enjoy the views and the weather. Once I made it to the fork in the road, I said "fuck it" and decided up toward Sheeps Bridge. A couple miles in the road turned to basically just pure river rock. Thankfully not jagged tire puncturing boulders like other places I've been to, but it was a slow uncomfortable crawl. I rounded a corner hoping maybe it would go back to mostly dirt, but nope, river rock as far as I could see, and I still had 10 or so miles left to get to the bridge.

It being just me and the lady, and I had already been driving for a long time, I decided to turn around and head back to FR 24 and on my way out.

But now, I REALLY want to go back, starting from Cave Creek this time, and take the road to Sheeps Bridge.

I only aired down to about 25psi as I honestly don't have much experience with this and didn't want to over-do it and end up in a shitty situation like un-seated tires.

Any tips would be appreciated because I AM going back.

Currently about 2.5" lift, 33" tires (255x85xr16), engine skid. I had no bottoming out, but it was just an uncomfortable slow bouncy crawl that I'm not sure I'd want to put up with for 10 miles, assuming the road continues in that condition.

Maybe I just need to air down more to dampen the bounce? I have no idea.

 

Smart to turn around when you arent sure of it. Airing down to 12-15 would help a ton but that road is rough no matter what. Make sure you have a full size spare. And a way to contact help, there is zero cell service at the bridge and for miles leading to it.

That being said, the road into sheeps bridge from that side stays rough the entire way to the river. It gets really old. Ive been 5 or 6 times and dont care to go anymore because of it. Its really badass once you get there, you can drive all the way to the water, camp on the shore, soak in the hidden hot spring etc. but you should definitely be prepared because Ive seen a lot of people broken down on that road. Maybe go with another rig next time. Or if you like researching and planning, its much quicker/easier to come from the other side of the river.

 

That road just sucks. The road back to Cave Creek/ seven springs hasn't been maintained in at least 6 years now and is marginally better. The last 10 miles to the bridge is easily do able in stock tacoma there is no real technical challenge it's just slow and annoying.

Backway to Sheep's bridge is the shortest route but involves crossing the Verde and IIRC they are currently releasing water from horseshoe so that's prob not a wise route right now

 

Damn, not much good video out of the drone, not really cinematic, got some good stills though.


With that said, holy shit guys get yourself a cheap(er) drone and teach a friend to fly it, it will pay dividends spotting on blind features, scouting "just up the trail" etc. without having to have someone jump in and out.
It's hard to grasp now with just a top down still frame, but this is a blind crest that immediately juked passenger side. Because otherwise all I saw was sky as I came up, having that call as I started the climb was great.


Also could tell before I got there I was gonna take the left path:

(This is where I scraped still, again the top down drone perspective doesn't do justice to the steep)

 

I made it to that downhill switchbacks about 20 miles from I-17. I was tired enough from the 20 miles I was not fond at all of the idea of navigating past that "small ditch to the left", and now I know that 10 miles at the end was so rocky. I was not fond of the middle-rocky section of Schnebly Hill which was scrape-y enough I am glad I invested in RCI steel-skids.

I will post photos after I remove transmission and engine skid nthe upcoming oil change for inspection and most likely cleaning off the top of the plates ... might be quite the shit-show on the bottom surface of the skids from Schnebly.

I also have a Garmin InReach Mini 2. Some do not like the new subscription plans and Apple claims to have good SOS service using satellites in their newest iPhones instead of cellular service. Still my InReach is worth the basic "gawd help me" capability fee each month until their subscription plans piss me off.

 

Thanks for the responses. Yeah I wasn't too worried about a blowout or getting stuck, but after 4 hours or so of driving I wasn't prepared to do a 10 mile slow bouncy crawl. Next time I'll take the shorter path from Cave Creek.

I noticed that every Youtube video of the drive to Sheeps Bridge, they all completely skip over this portion. You'd think it was just a graded dirt road....

 

Just wanted to hop on the Fuck Sheeps Bridge train.

 

I will say I don't mind Bloody Basin to Cave Creek. Super scenic back there IMO. If 17 is stopped ill take that way back home. I've even taken that route to get to prescott when snowing back there.

If you want a real adventure just east of the bloody basin cave creek junction there's a road north that eventually connects to dugas rd. It's got some nasty sections

 

myself and wife, @prise and our other buddy did that a few years ago for new years actually.. lol

 

Bloody Basin to Cave Creek was nice, I enjoyed every second of it. It became a headache once you pass FR24 and head towards Sheeps Bridge. On the route somehow someone managed to get a little Audi sedan back in there and flipped it. It was new, the bullet holes weren't rusted yet and the tires (minus the shredded one) looked brand new. I have no clue how someone got this little car back there. When I get home later today I'll post some pictures.

 

I have one of these.. keep it mind that it is not a free standing tent. Might be tough to get taut in the bed of the truck

 

Anyone have any camping spots pinned around Bisbee? Making my way down there for the first time. Any advice welcome