AdventureTaco - turbodb's build and adventures

For what it's worth, motorcycle batteries have no issues charging. The ones I've had have balancing plugs and again, those batteries benefit from balanced charging.

 

Since Ive just welded my inner fender back together that is being torn apart by my giant group 31 AGM battery, Im now on the search for LiFePO4 battery options to lighten the load.
Interested in Turbos inquires about the alternator charging profiles as well. Im also am running the GM cs144 140amp alternator and worried that the Li batteries won't be happy.

 

Certainly, glad to be of help!

1. No, I did nothing special to my OEM 3rd gens alternator charging profile. In my research I found a .2v difference between SLA and LFP charging voltages, an amount I (naively maybe, I am no electrical expert) believed to be insignificant. The internal BMS in the Dakota 'takes' what it wants from the alternator. The Dakota has its own BMS, self-heating, Bluetooth module, etc. It's charging voltage is identical between the alternator, and the 10A AC charging brick (a thing that I carry with me, as a sort of backup starter battery 'jump' pack (I also carry a

$92 NOCO GB40 : 1000A UltraSafe Jump Starter – 12V Lithium Battery Booster Pack, Portable Jump Box, Power Bank & Jumper Cables - for 6.0L Gas and 3.0L Diesel Engines

NOCO GB40 as well)) I used to top it off while I was gathering engine bay temperature data. The Dakota states it will self charge at 75A from the alternator, but it has never exceeded 41A, and is most often down at ~10A (likely due to the fact that it is simply being topped off, not deeply charged, as the battery has no external loads on it at the moment). I cannot determine how much of the 135ah is used each time the truck is started, but I have started it 5 or 6 times in a row, with less than 30 seconds of driving between starts, and the SOC stays at 100%, so I don't know any more about this at this time.

2. I have 4AWG running from the front drivers corner back to the head wall of the camper behind the back of the cab. A bit of explanation may help:
I run a 50A Renogy DC-DC with built in MPPT Charge Controller. This single device handles all solar, to both the battery bank and the starter battery (only when house is at 100% SOC), and also links the starter to the house via the alternator. With my old SLA this setup functioned exactly as Renogy intended. With the Dakota, a problem arose. SLA sits at ~12.8V while the engine is off. The Dakota sits at 13.22V while the engine is off. One problem, the Renogy is programmed (non-modifiable) to assume the engine is running when the starter battery is at 13.2V. Uh oh.

So, I found a temporary solution, which was the addition of a BlueSea 50A (max supposed draw from alternator through Renogy to house batteries, though in reality I have never seen more than 31.5A to the house batteries from the alternator) circuit breaker installed inline on the 4AWG wire. Open the breaker when I don't want the house batteries charged from the alternator (it has been like this for 98% of the time since I installed the Dakota due to longer summer days), and close it when I want the house batteries charged from the Dakota, whether the engine is running or not. The Dakota can support my entire night time full load energy draw on its own (draws it down to 40% SOC), while still easily possessing enough gusto to start the truck in the morning.

So I use the Renogy CC to limit the current flow between both ends. I will say, I have seen one of my Renogy batteries stay fully charged, while the other two die down a bit (25A each), and when I apply a load to the system it kind of 'wakes' it up, and the setup realizes there is an imbalance (only happens with small loads over long periods of time, think ~2a for 24 hours, this does not occur when I have ~7a running all night, in that case all three batteries draw down basically equally) and the fully charged battery starts to balance out the other two. But it only does it at maybe 4A max (2A to each battery), so I am personally inexperienced with massive loads being sent between individual batteries. This is a phenomena I have witnessed a lot of times fyi.

To resolve the charging while not driving issue I will be swapping to a Victron DC-DC charger and a Victron Solar CC, which will be installed when I will be spending enough time at someones house to swap all of these devices. The Victron will allow me to use their 'Expert' mode in their app to set custom parameters for linking the alternator to the house batteries (13.6V for example, instead of 13.2V like the Renogy. It also allows you to limit current between starter and house in the same way. I will likely set that option to 15 or 20A and never change that parameter again).

I have a build thread, but my upgrades or device installs are not of the same caliber as ours. Haha

Using Renogy currently, but will be swapping to Victron due to their customization options as mentioned above. Went with Renogy originally mainly due to Dan Grec and Will Prowse forum, due to Renogys ease of use, but Victron is 100% the way to go now that I have ~4 years of vehicle based electrical system experience. Bus Bars are beefy Amazon brands, with 5/16" studs. Everything else is BlueSea. Solid copper wire, no CCA.

Hope that helps!

 

In case you needed an example of the LiPo use....

https://youtu.be/81T7uZluhWc

 

Helps a lot, thank you. Very interesting to hear about the nominal balancing currents between banks, that's nice. Devices/brands reinforce what I'm currently planning, which is below. I was going with Victron already as I've had the MPPT SmartSolar Charger for about 5 years now and it's been fabulous.

​

 

On The Way
Part of the On The Way (Apr 2025) trip.

There are always places that get missed or left behind. Sometimes it's due to a lack of time; sometimes because of a lack of knowledge. Whatever the reason, and despite the fact that it's both normal and unavoidable, I almost always feel like I've failed in some way.

Of course, it's not a failure at all; there is so much more than we can ever see. Sometimes - the best times - there's so much in a given area that it's easy to plan an entire trip. Other times, there's not quite enough. In those cases, it's always nice when a few of those places can be enjoyed On The Way to another destination or trip.

Such was the case as I headed for a meetup with the guys who'd introduced me to this whole exploring thing in the first place. We've tried to get together at least once a year since the original De-Tour, but usually - due to schedules - that's in the fall, so this spring trip was a real treat!

For this particular adventure, we'd be exploring bits of Utah around Capitol Reef National Park, so I had a day of driving to make my way from Las Vegas to the meet up point on some BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land just outside of the Park.


The First Stop

My first stop was not at any notable natural wonder. I was hungry and on my way through St. George, so there was no question that filling my belly was the most important thing I could do. I rolled into Tacos Plaza just as they opened, and soon I was wolfing down three servings of nachos (which they sell as a single serving) to power me through the rest of my day.

My fifth - or maybe sixth - plate of nachos from Tacos Plaza in the last few months. Life has been good.​

South Ash Creek Petroglyphs

I wasn't sure I'd be able to make it to the first site I wanted to see. When I'd scoped it out on Google Earth, I'd noticed a faint line across the access road, a reasonable indication that there could be a gate.

This suspicion was confirmed as I pulled up to the start of the trail, but to my surprise, the gate on an adjacent road was actually open! Hoping it'd remain so for the next half hour while I sought out the rock art, I headed up the road without giving it too much thought.

Perhaps, not enough thought.

I didn't have far to go - less than a mile - and soon I was out of the truck and bushwhacking my way through thickets of manzanita, some sort of brush oak, and prickly pear cactus. I quickly ripped my pants as they got caught on some sharp protrusion. Awesome.

Cursing myself under my breath - I'd considered changing out of my "good" camo cargo pants and into my "looks like an NPS employee" olive green hiking pants, but figured that my quarter mile trek would be uneventful, and the camo cargos would be more comfortable when I was back in the cab.

At least it was spring though, and soon I was focused on the colorful groundcover instead of the pants that no longer completely covered my legs.

I don't think I've ever seen a new "ear" on a cactus growing. The little spikes were so rubbery! (Prickly Pear)​

This was the first blooming Beaver Tail I've seen this year.​

Always the best. This Claret Cup took the prize for "wowest."​

With only a data point and a note that I'd found online stating that the petroglyphs were "on a basalt out crop on the north side of the creek," I continued to push my way through the shrubbery, eventually catching sight of a large pile of well-varnished lava rocks. Hoping I was in the right place, I worked out the last of the maze and soon found myself hopping from boulder to boulder in search of the prize.

Found the Bullseye!​

Small sun.​

This was a really cool deer with a large rack that I was looking forward to finding.​

Another deer.​

Vibrant sheep.​

No legs.​

Motorcycle madness.​

Soon enough, I'd explored the extent of the site and picked my way - easier this time, since I could follow my own footsteps - back to the Tacoma where I promptly changed my pants.

Looking like a forest ranger didn't do anything to alleviate the problem I ran into as I returned to the beginning of the trail. There - mostly to my disbelief, but also a should have realized - the gate was closed. And locked.

As I contemplated my situation, a splash of sun illuminated the orange cliffs in the near distance.​

I won't bore you with the details of my escape, beyond acknowledging my luck in finding a lock - in the series of locks securing the chain - that wasn't properly closed. This allowed me to extract myself from what could have been a rather bad situation with relative ease, and without resorting to any forcible breaching of the gate or chain.

A good reminder that - for emergencies - it would likely be a good idea to add some cutters and a padlock to my OSK.


Black Point Petroglyphs

Having escaped through little but luck, I continued north to the next site I'd marked on my map. This one - situated on the side of a butte visible for miles around - was ungated and so much less risky from a get-myself-in-trouble perspective. Soon enough I was parked at the base of the butte and working my way up through the boulders in search of whatever treasure I'd find chipped into the rocks above.

Now to find the proverbial needle.​

The terrain here was much easier to tackle than the previous, and in a few minutes I'd found the first series of boulders where those who'd stood exactly where I was standing, only a thousand years earlier, had decided to leave their mark.

So much going on.


Siamese sheep.​

Long-horned sheep. (top left) | Rubber legs. (bottom left) | Triangle dancer. (right)​

Big panel.​

Near the first site, a second collection of petroglyphs decorated the rocks. Some of the figures appeared significantly newer - and perhaps less "authentic" - than the first, but they were still intriguing enough that I didn't hesitate to snap a few shots.

Around the spiral.​

Joker.​

A perhaps slightly more modern depiction of a man and a woman.​

Having found two reasonably large concentrations of glyphs, I figured I'd probably seen all there was to see, but I kept my head on a swivel as I wandered around the haystack, just in case I stumbled on another needle. And, stumble I nearly did! As I was hopping from - or otherwise dodging - rock to rock, I glanced downhill and spotted an entire panel staring back up at me!

It's not unheard of - but also not all that common - to find horizontal surfaces covered in rock art. The reason for this is two-fold: first, weather - sun, rain, etc. - is much more impactful and destructive to horizonal surfaces than vertical. Second - and perhaps more importantly - it's a lot harder for others to find you rock art messages if they have to inspect the tops of rocks, rather than the faces, which are usually visible from the washes below.

The most notable example of petroglyphs on such a surface - that I know of - is Sky Rock.

Black Point Sky Rock.​

Little Salt Lake Petroglyphs

Whereas I'd driven a couple hours between the first two sites, my last search - and hopefully success - would take place only a few miles away. This was a site that'd been a lucky find for Randy and his buddy as they'd explored a well-known site in the same vicinity, and while they hadn't mentioned exactly where they were, I'd marked a few possibilities to check out whenever I happed to be in the area.

Rolling slowly down the road, I stopped frequently to pull out our binoculars and glass the orange cliffs above. They sky was spitting a bit at this point, so at each blank outcropping, I was a little relieved to know that I had a few more minutes in the Tacoma, rather than being caught out in a downpour.

And then, I spotted it!

Little Salt Lake Panel.​

A closer look.​

This reminded me of the Zipper Glyph, not too far from this spot.​

Losing his head.​

Only expecting to find a single panel in this location, I was ready to head back to the Tacoma when I happened to glance up a little higher on the hillside. It was a good reminder for me to fight the tendency to have tunnel vision when searching for a bit of rock art or other oddity on an adventure; there's almost always more to see if you just look around!

I really liked this unusual spiral - almost a maze - on a nearby surface.​

So many circles.​

Triangular canvas. (left) | Lone spiral. (top right) | An intriguing abstract. (bottom right)​

More Lives than a Dozen Cats

Having found all three sites I'd set out to discover - an accomplishment that felt unreal given my propensity to return time and again as I look in all the wrong places for something I know exists - I assumed that the remainder of my day would be spent driving to the meet up spot with my buddies so we could start our Roaming Around the Reef. For the most part, it was, though I did find my way off the road as a sign indicated a point of interest.

As I continued east, the stormy skies gave way to cotton balls in the sky.​

An historic cabin.​

The place I'd stopped stood unassumingly on the side of the road. It was only the signage - on the highway and in the parking lot itself - that alerted me to its existence.

Butch Cassidy Childhood Home
Robert Leroy Parker, A.K.A. Butch Cassidy, lived here with his family from 1880 to around 1884.

He was 14 when his family moved here and about 18 when he left. Research about Parker's life here is ongoing. Information uncovered so far shows he was a fun big brother, loved dancing and racing horses, liked to read, was a hard worker and was kind to animals.

​

$2,000 reward.​

More Lives than a Dozen Cats

Butch Cassiday [sic] has more lives than a dozen cats, and his ubiquitousness is more than a match for his multitudinous lives. He has been killed time and again within the past five years, and he has also taken part in every notorious robbery during that time. Butch Cassiday [sic] evidently is not a mere man; he is a criminal syndicate.

site signage​

Let the Drama Begin

If there's one thing about Utah's landscapes, it is that they are full of drama. As I passed the last few hours between myself and my buddies, I was reminded that even the highways here are more wonderful than elsewhere.

Lucky me, this would be home for the next five nights!

An orange wall near Kingston.​

Storm brewing just outside Capitol Reef.​

 

If you are interested in seeing how one of the motorcycle guys handles power distribution, you can have a look through this thread. It's fairly long but he goes over his decisions in good detail.

 

That proverbial needle is one I thought of the last time you visited the P Gap.

I'm glad you found your way back there but it's an absolute shame someone had added a few bullet holes to the panel at some point.

Here's a picture or two from 10 years ago that may look awfully familiar now

 

Two Days Late | Capitol Reef #1
Part of the Roaming Around the Reef (Apr 2025) trip.

I was two days late - at least according to Ben @m3bassman - when I rolled into the camp site they'd found just outside Capitol Reef National Park. As usual, the first order of business was a round of hellos with Mike @Digiratus and Zane @Speedytech7, followed by some good-natured ribbing. It was Zane, as I recall, that predicted my arrival time most correctly - at least according to The Price is Right rules that we all seemed to disagree on - and it was Mike who grinned a big I told you so, when I moved my truck into the exact spot he'd told the rest of the guys that I would park for the night.

That one was obvious though, it was the only "edge-of-the-cliff" spot around.

Of course, I had to meet Ben's new girlfriend - ***** - and the three doggos they'd brought along, all while getting peppered with questions along the lines of, "How many avocados did you bring?" and "What time do you think Monte will show up?"

It was as if we'd never parted ways at the end of our last trip, and it was fabulous.

Zane with Ben's newest addition, Bardie.​

Slow down buddy...

I'm already way ahead of myself. Technically, I was two days late, at least based on when these three buddies had started the trip. They'd met up on the edge of the San Rafael Swell and putzed around waiting for Monte @Blackdawg and I to show up. No one was quite sure who would arrive last, but Monte had work, and my 9-hour drive - after landing in Las Vegas to pick up the Tacoma - was made longer by my desire to see a few things On the Way.

After having visited a few petroglyph sites and having consumed a brunch that left me full for the remainder of the day, I still wasn't in any rush to get to camp. It was 6:00pm as I entered Capitol Reef National Park.

This had to be one of the more dramatic entrances to a park that I've experienced.​

The official boundary, with the Henry Mountains snowcapped in the distance.​

That I was in no rush was a good thing because - as I neared the turn from UT-24 to Notom Rd. - I noticed a sign indicating the existence of more petroglyphs not far away! Pulling into the parking area, I grabbed my camera and binoculars and wandered along the boardwalks that keep pesky tourists - more interested in their instagram feeds than in Leave No Trace - from getting too close to the ancient graffiti.

The light - streaming in under the clouds - was really putting on a show.​

Two dudes and their sheep.​

I liked how the water and light seemed to fade out the rear half of this sheep.​

My Southern Paiute ancestors were roaming and hunting the canyons south of here when white settlers arrived in the 1880s. Long before the Mormon Pioneer, or any tribal memory, other Native American peoples came to know the canyons and cliffs of the Waterpocket Fold. We call them the Fremont Culture, because we don't know what they called themselves. Unlike my own ancestors, the Fremont people did not move with the changing seasons. They took root in these watered canyons and became farmers as well as hunter-gatherers. They left few signs, even though they lived here longer than the five centuries between the voyage of Columbus and the present day.

​

High on the wall, the old and new, side by side.​

James A. Cook, Apr. 9, 1911
Maxie Cook, Nov 1945​

Other people like them lived over the large portion of what is today called Utah. For the most part, the story of the Fremont people can be told only in questions, not answers. How closely these people are related to the better-known pueblo-building Anasazi, no one knows. There are striking differences, as well as similarities. Many archeologists think that Fremont people may be descended directly from ancient nomads called the Desert Archaic. We know a little about the Fremont people's daily lives from collections of precious artifacts, and something about their hearts and minds from their petroglyphs. We know less, almost nothing, about where they came from or why they left suddenly in the 13th century.

For park visitors, some Fremont Culture petroglyphs can be viewed easily. Caution must always rule in the interpretation of petroglyphs. With few exceptions, we cannot really be sure what the ancient maker of the petroglyphs had in mind. Among serious students, there are some who consider almost all petroglyphs a form of writing, while others consider most of them to be art, not writing. The large trapezoid-shaped human figures excite interest. Many have headgear and horns. Figures are commonly see with necklaces, earrings and sashes. Animals, especially bighorn sheep, appear in many petroglyphs, and indications are that they were once often hunted and perhaps revered.

​

Procession of sheep.​

Following the disappearance of the Fremont people in the 13th century, no one resided in the Waterpocket Fold country for 500 years. During this time, however, Ute and Southern Paiute hunters and gatherers roamed the region, lived in close harmony with the natural environment, and left little evidence of their presence. Here in the Fremont River Valley, archeologists first identified the Fremont Culture. As you walk these paths and hidden places, do not touch the petroglyphs. Protect their legacy, even as I respect it.

Rick Pickyavit (information sign)​

Fruita panel.​

An hour later - now nearly 7:00pm and only 45 minutes before sunset, I headed south. I'd expected the road here to be dirt, but finding it to be pavement I made good time toward the location Ben had texted earlier in the day.

Newly surfaced.​

South through the Waterpocket Fold.​

I finally turned east, the Henry Mountains a reminder that winter wasn't completely ready to let spring take over.​

So here we are...

Our greetings complete, it was time to enjoy the already burning campfire and sample some of the salsa Mike had made - as usual - for us to enjoy over the course of the next week. There was also - unexpectedly - a few chipfulls of guacamole left that I quickly scarfed down, wondering aloud how everyone could have been so rude as to not leave more. We were off to a great start!

The gang.​

"What do you mean, 'are you eating dirt gain'?"​

As I alluded to earlier, talk quickly turned to the dire avocado situation, which I was - unfortunately - going to be of little help with until later in the week. I'd picked up seven of the tasty orbs, but they were still rock hard and very green. Luckily, Mike still had two avocados remaining, but after that - I was informed - salsa alone would have to suffice. The horror.

Just before hitting the horizon, the sun illuminated the wall of a nearby mesa and I knew where to put the Tacoma for the evening.​

As the light dimmed in the sky, we all wondered to the whereabouts of Monte. Eventually, realizing that he had cell service, Ben fired off a text. Expecting that it'd be only an hour or so before our group was complete, we were all surprised to hear that Monte was still in Salt Lake City - some 3-5 hours, depending on who was behind the wheel - from our location! He'd certainly be arriving after we were all asleep, and the only question that remained was whether we'd get out of bed when he arrived or just wait until morning to say hello.

The following morning...

"Quiet Birdie!" Monte yelled, as he pounded on the cab of his Tacoma, hoping that the newest doggo edition to his family had somehow learned English during the night. And with that, it was time to start the day.

The Redhead in camp mode.​

Even with the K9-alarm, we wouldn't get an early start. Monte had pulled in between 1:00 - 2:00am, and if anyone got up to say hi, it wasn't me. (Ben might have, but after waking up for a minute, I quickly fell back asleep, so I'm not totally sure.) At any rate, greetings and ribbings consumed a good 45 minutes, but eventually we all settled into our morning routines. By 10:00am, we were rolling out of camp; south, toward the Burr Trail. Well, Ben was off - the rest of us gave him a bit of a head start, knowing that there wasn't enough time in the day for his lumbering van to get too far ahead of the Tacomas.

Off we go.​

Winding south through the heart of Capitol Reef.​

The landscape here reminded me of Butler Wash and Comb Ridge.​

​

A deja-view. ​

Swap Canyon mesa.​

Mike and Zane - less interested in taking photos every few hundred feet - had reigned in Ben's Van within moments of hitting the trail. Monte and I - preferring to stay out of the dust, and willing to stop for just about any reason to snap a few shots and shoot the shit - eventually caught up, just as the group was staging to climb the infamous switchbacks of the Burr Trail.

A familiar lineup.​

Double rainbow of rocks and Tacomas.​

It may seem an impossibility, but there's a reasonably chill road up through that kalediscope.​

Soon enough it was time to climb, but before we'd even covered a quarter mile, the two green trucks were stopped again. It was a large, vertical wall that caused the slowdown this time; drawing us like moths toward the reflected light. It also seemed like the perfect spot for a bit of rock art, and sure enough there were a few small pictographs inconspicuously hanging a dozen feet up on the wall.

Towering shade.​

Easy to miss.​

By they time we were back in our trucks, everyone else was already at the top. After radioing that we were finally on our way, we climbed the switchbacks slowly, enjoying the expanding view as we gained elevation.

Green Tacomas always have lots of fans. (Pebbles)​

An easy climb.​

Into the passageway.​

Headed up.​

Henry Mountain view.​

Rendevousing at the top of the switchbacks, we had a decision to make. A few minutes before noon, wherever we ended up, several of us had stomachs ready for sustinence. Rolling the dice, we first chose a road leading south along Capital Reef's upper plateau, only to discover that a few hundred feet ahead, the road was gone; reclaimed by nature. That only left the northern route, and soon we were working our way under a series of arches and double-arches on our way toward the Strike Valley Overlook.

Twinsies.​

Sandstone anticline.​

I wasn't able to discover the name of this arch at the entrance to Upper Muley Twist Canyon.​

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Cheerios Double Arch was hard to see, and we had to get right up under it to see two bits of peek-a-blue.
​

After a leisurely lunch - made so much better by the shade provided by the 10x10-foot canopy that Monte popped up for us in the parking area - it was time for the only hike of the trip. At a little under a mile roundtrip, it'd take us to an overlook of Strike Valley, allowing majestic views of the backbone that runs through Capitol Reef.

The trail was easy enough to follow across the orange Wingate and white Navajo Sandstone, but also easy enough to lose if we didn't pay attention as we crossed the slickrock.
​

Strike Valley is not named because of a mining boom that struck the valley. It is, instead, named for the geological feature where a valley runs parallel to the strike of underlying rocks in the region. From the overlook, we admired the nearly 100-mile long valley, each side lined by cliffs - Waterpocket Fold to the west and rugged cliffs that make up the badlands to the east - a an impressive backbone running down the center.

An amazing view north.​

And "is this even real?" to the south.​

Sorry Ben, wore that top better.​

After spending a few minutes admiring the view, those with pups waiting for them at the trailhead were antsy to get going, so we hightailed it back to find the pups just fine and Mike definitely not napping. Then, it was back into the trucks as we retraced our path to the Burr Trail, and ultimately, to camp.

Wingate wall.​

Getting the shot.​

The shot.​

I loved how from this spot on the trail, we could see Wingate Sandstone, Navajo Sandstone, Badlands, and the Henry Mountains, all in one place!​

Of course, getting to camp at 3:30pm was foriegn to say the least. It was this group of guys that taught me to push on into the darkness, covering as much ground as possible, photographing everything along the way. That mentality has surely changed over the years - to different extents for each of us - but with four hours of daylight left, half the group decided to do a little wheeled-exploration, hoping to find our way to an overlook or two before returning to camp.

Unfortunately, the routes we'd planned to said overlooks were no longer. Or at least, they were no longer drivable, carsonite BLM posts notifying us that no motor vehicles were allowed while site restoration was in progress. And, from the looks of things, that site restoration began decades ago!

We had no choice but to head back and setup camp. Not that we were complaining about the guacamole to come!

​

Privacy parking.​

An nice old dugout from the Hope Uranium Prospect.
​

Despite the sun still being high in the sky and the solar panel pumping out plenty of Ah to keep the fridge humming along in the afternoon heat, it wasn't long before we had the ring-less camp fire going and several packages of hot dogs were deployed over the flames.

It was quite the effort to get a shot of Mike. (left) | Zane's hotdogs were much less shy of the camera. (right)
​

I'm not sure exactly how long we stayed up, but with a million bundles of wood and a fire that - ring-less - put off more heat that usual, it was reasonably late when we all wandered back to our tents to call it a night. We hadn't traveled far - less than 40 miles - but the weather had cooperated and it'd been a fantastic time on the trail. Plus, we'd more than make up for the lack of distance tomorrow!


.

 

I'm a fast reader.....

 

Depriving the camera of a clear view would only be doing the world a disservice.

 

Horse Canyon | Capitol Reef #2
Part of the Roaming Around the Reef (Apr 2025) trip.

We awoke amongst the Pinyon Pine to the barking of pups, ready for breakfast. Given that we were nearly outnumbered by the furry beasts, this wasn't surprising; in fact, they would be our alarm clock every day. Monte @Blackdawg quickly climbed down from his tent - letting them out for a bathroom break and a quick meal - before loading them back up and heading back to bed for another hour.

Apparently this is their routine at home, as well!

It was closer to 8:15am when the smell of coffee permeated camp, an indicator that Mike @Digiratus was up and about. That pulled the rest of us out of bed, Ben @m3bassman and Maria tending to their K9s as Zane @Speedytech7 got his own coffee going and tossed a ball for the tireless balls of energy that Monte had released for the second time.

A couple hours later - just around 10:00am - we were off, with a plan to run a clockwise loop around Wolverine Loop, mostly so we could ride our rigs through Horse Canyon, the a place Monte described as, "the thing I'm most excited about."

A morning of mesas and buttes.​

Working toward Big Brown Bench.​

The tip of Little Brown Bench.​

As had been the case the previous day, Ben was in the lead. This would ensure that he wasn't left behind - what with the Tacomas being a smidge quicker than the van - and it gave those of us who wanted to stop and take photos, plenty of time to do so.

This was a fantastic Claret Cup that Monte and I saw along the way.​

While our destination was Horse Canyon, about halfway through the loop, we came upon the trailhead for Wolverine Canyon and the Wolverine Petrified Wood Area. Wolverine Canyon can be hiked - usually as an overnight - as a loop with Horse Canyon, but we hoped that we could hop out of the trucks for a quick look at some of the petrified wood. Unfortunately, even that was a 2-mile roundtrip, a distance that we wouldn't be able to compensate for with our skinny pedals. Another time, perhaps!

Passing the Wolverine Petrified Wood Area trailhead. There are always things "left for next time!"​

Our late-morning departure from camp meant that it was nearly noon when we veered left into Horse Canyon. Our buddies - already a good way down the road - were just barely in radio range at this point, but we figured that they'd stop for lunch whenever and wherever they were hungry, so we continued our stop-and-go-and-stop-again strategy as the canyon walls grew taller and more dramatic around us.

Entering Horse Canyon, the white Navajo and Orange Wingate Sandstone contrasted nicely.​

Clearly there's been a lot of mineral surveying in the area, with assessments marked throughout the canyon.​

A couple miles in, the walls began to creep toward us.​

Monte momentarily racing along the well-graded road.​

Working our way through the narrows of Horse Canyon, I'm not sure that things technically got slower, but we certainly weren't gaining ground on Ben, Mike, and Zane as we gazed up at the vertical sandstone walls. Surely there were ruins and rock art here, we discussed over the radios. Yet, even as we slowed at each panel - and as I glassed the walls with binoculars - we found nothing. Separately - unknown to each other, as the distance between us ebbed and flowed - we hopped out of our trucks to investigate two of the alcoves that looked especially enticing. Still, nothing!

Sometimes, we could see the sky. (left) | Sometimes, not so much. (right)


I really liked the brightness of this Cottonwood's spring green against the sandstone.​

An hour after entering the canyon, we finally caught up to - ok, technically they'd stopped - the rest of the gang. There, at the end of the drivable road, a little line cabin was tucked up against the canyon wall, its small overgrown corral having fallen into disrepair over the years.

I've never seen "authorized BLM structure" signs on cabins, gates, and fencing, but I saw several of them on this trip. A new thing, perhaps?​

Naturally, some ribbing - about how the van was obviously faster than it needed to be, given our delayed arrival - ensued, and surely we each concluded that whichever testosterone-driven side we were on was "right."

At least we could all agree that it was time for lunch!

Because everything is a competition in this group, it was a race to see whether Ben could deploy his awning before Monte could setup his canopy.
The Winners: Mike, Zane, and me - who got to sit in their shade!​

Lunch was a lazy affair, with several baloney sandwiches, a turkey sandwich, some cereal, and and apple serving as the main course. In quick succession, Monte, Mike, and Zane all pulled out the same enormous bags of Salt and Vinegar Kettle Chips, while Ben and Maria brought out the largest - dare I say gallon-size - container of goldfish crackers I've ever seen. All of it was topped off with a few homemade chocolate chip cookies that I warmed in the sun on my tailgate before passing the bag around for desert.

When you can't eat your goldfish because both hands are full holding them.
(This was 100% Ben's fault.)​

Having left camp late, we were in no rush to finish lunch, and only started moving to stow chairs and awnings after an hour or so of shady relaxation. And then - as was becomming a theme - the throaty cough of a desiel chugged away up the canyon.

Seeya in a bit, Ben!​

During lunch, Monte and I mentioned a desire to investigate the confluence of Horse and Wolverine Canyons by walking a little way into what looked like a narrow section of Wolverine where it met Horse. We'd hoped that Mike and Zane would join us, but alas, hiking in the hot sun wasn't on their list of "sounds fun," as as they headed out to catch up with Ben, we poked around a bit at the end of the trail to give everyone enough time to clear the road ahead of us.

This Western Whiptail Lizard rustled through last year's dry leaves as it kept a close eye on us.​

Cottonwood jewels.​

It was less than a mile to the mouth of Wolverine Canyon, and soon we'd parked - in what little shade we could find - and set off on foot. I'm not sure exactly what we expected - though we both knew that the canyon continued all the way to the loop road we'd been driving earlier in the morning - but what we got was a slightly narrower version of Horse Canyon. Dramatic, but not dramatically more dramatic than we'd already seen.

Layers of orange.​

Sweeping giants.


I noticed an alcove of tafoni as we returned to the mouth of the canyon.​

If we'd searched a hiked a little further or searched a little longer, I think Wolverine Canyon would have narrowed down quite a bit, and I know now that there are some petroglyphs to be found a little further upstream Still, it was nice to wander the layered landscape on foot, wondering what we'd find around each corner, pointing out one outcropping or another.

It was equally fun to be back in the trucks, blasting up the road at speeds the others would rarely experience on this trip. That's not to say we didn't stop for a photo or two, but at 35mph, we weren't far behind - even with our hike - as we reached the head of the canyon and rejoined Wolverine Loop Road.

The clouds are coming.​

Rain on the horizon.​

Weathered ancient.​

Together again. Minus one.​

By now it wasn't late, but being that it was after lunch, it was time to start looking for camp. Ben had an idea for a spot on BLM that overlooked Capitol Reef - there's no dispersed camping, especially with the doggos in the National Park - so a few minutes later we were headed toward the turn off and through some of the most stunning ranchland imaginable.

Off pavement.​

Coming our way.​

These cows have it good.​

Eventually, the reasonably graded ranch road gave way to a bit rougher terrain. These were mining roads - if my experience was any indicator - and rarely travelled ones at that. Monte - followed by Mike - was in the lead as we woked our way toward the edge of a mesa, with Ben in the middle and Zane and me bringing up the rear.

About as tough as it got.​

Zane's white truck always looks fantastic in the Utah dirt.​

Reaching the end of the road, the news over the radio from Mike - Monte was out of his truck investigating - was not promising. Where we'd usually find a nice camp site, the road ended in a bramble of brush, the ground uneven and sloped. It was time for plan B.

The view over the edge was an interesting perspective on the juniper and pinion pine that sparsely covered the plateau.​

Backtracking a bit along the road, we soon found a spot that offered the requisite parking and a nice spot for the evening's campfire. Orienting our trucks - some of us closer to the edge than others - we soo discovered that we were camped at the top of an old mining spur that clung to the side of the mesa; not something to explore now, but perhaps, later!

Pre-dinner snack with a view.​

This looks deceptively flat. There's a 50-foot drop where those boulders are crumbling at the edge of the mesa!​

Ready for rain.​

The weather we'd seen on our way in mostly passed by to our north, only a few drops raining down on us as we got the campfire going to counter their moisture with heat as we settled in for several hours of chit and chat.

Where there's rain, there's a rainbow.​

As the sun dropped in the sky, long rays streamed under the clouds, illuminating the ridge to our east.​

I think it was right around 10:30pm when we started peeling off for bed. We were starting to establish a pattern here too, with Ben and Maria the bravest, followed shortly by yours truly and Mike not long after. We all knew that Monte would be the night-owl, but somehow Zane was holding his own in that regard. On this night however, mere moments after they were left alone at the fire the rain began to fall in earnest, prodding even them towards their tents.

The gentle pitter patter was all we needed to lull us to sleep.

 

Thanks for another update. These helped remind me why I love the outdoors & exploring so much.

 

I need to make a new plate cover, mine got mangled in a tragic accident

 

Reef-ing on Cam Bolts | Capitol Reef #3
Part of the Roaming Around the Reef (Apr 2025) trip.

The pitter patter of rain continued on and off throughout the night as we slept along the edge of a mesa overlooking Capitol Reef and the Henry Mountains. We'd found this spot - a wide area that was once an old mining road clinging to the rocky slopes - the previous afternoon, but after a long day of driving, we hadn't investigated the road at all.

Perched on the eastern edge of the site - as opposed to being nestled into the trees - sun hit my tent as soon as it crested the horizon. Knowing that I'd still have at least half an hour before the rest of my buddies were up and about, I pulled on my clothes and set off down the washed-out trail, wondering just how far it would take me.

The warm glow of morning quickly erased all evidence of the rain that'd passed through overnight.​

I wasn't the only one who'd come this way. Apparently, the BLM was keeping loose tabs on this area.​

After half a mile, I'd made it a little more than halfway down the side of the mesa when I came to a few boards. Arranged in a pattern that suggested this was once some sort of platform or deck, closer inspection revealed a portal - now mostly-collapsed - in the sandstone cliff as well.

What makes a prospector think, "I'll dig here."?​

At this point - having not seen any large waste rock piles, or spilled ore on my trek down the old road - I still had no idea what this prospector was after. Given the area, I figured that Uranium was the most likely candidate, and since I have no idea how to identify little bits of Uranium - not that I'd be racing to pick them up should I find any - I supposed that the mineralization would remain a mystery until I returned home to look up the location online.

But then, I found something that caught me completely off guard.

What have we here?!​

The more I looked around, the more malachite I discovered. Most of it was a drab green - but there was a bit of brightly colored material, similar to what we've found elsewhere - and there was no doubt that copper was, at least to an extent, part of what this guy was after!

It turns out that this was the site of a series of old claims under the name "Midas No. 4." Originally oh the hunt for Uranium, the prospects were worked in the 1960s - 70s, many yielding copper as well!

Pocketing a few pieces to show the guys, I headed back to camp.

By the time I got back, breakfast was in full swing. And, by full swing, I mean that Ben @m3bassman and Maria may have eaten something they'd prepped in the van, Zane @Speedytech7 was sipping on coffee, Monte @Blackdawg was downing a couple of Costco cupcakes, and Mike @Digiratus was the only one eating food - a few hard-boiled eggs - under the watchful eye of Pebbles, our self-designated royal supervisor for the duration of this trip.

"Pretty sure that as royalty, I should give that a try." -Pebbles​

As with every morning, putting away camp was an unrushed affair, and like clockwork we got underway two minutes before 10:00am, retracing the same path we'd taken to camp the previous afternoon, through a patchwork of BLM, pasture, and National Park lands.

Looks like another glorious day.​

Soon enough we were back on the Burr Trail - pavement at this point - and headed west.​

The Redhead (Mike) under a sandstone gunsight.​

I've only travelled the Burr Trail once before - back in 2018 as part of the F.U. Rain trip where we'd worked our way along the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and Lake Powell, before jumping up to Bears Ears and Capitol Reef - but I always remembered the towering walls of Long Canyon, the sandstone seeming to glow with reflected light.

And, apparently, I wasn't the only one for whom this was a memorable spot. Mike - who I'm sure has been several times - called out over the radio, "This is what I think of when I hear Burr Trail." A couple miles back, I couldn't have agreed more, and soon I was out of the truck as reached the saddle that would dive down into the canyon. I could already tell it'd be that I'd be making slow progress for the next hour or two.

Let the magic begin.​

Turns out, I wasn't the only one stopping frequently along the way. I caught up to Monte at one particularly photogenic turn.​

Nearly twin trucks.​

This is what I think of when I think of the Burr Trail.​

When we'd been along the Burr in 2018, we'd stopped for a few photos, but we'd never really gotten out to wander around. This time - perhaps because we've begun to slow down as we've matured - I was surprised to find Ben, Mike, and Zane, returning from a short hiked into Singing Canyon when Monte and I finally rolled up.

"You guys should totally check that out," Ben smiled as he climbed into the van to continue on his way, a suggestion that met no resistance from the two of us always willing to stop for something cool along the way!

Known variously as Singing Canyon, Long Canyon Slot or Burr Trail Slot, the easily accessible mouth is only 50-feet from the road, and forms the entrance to a narrow, 700-foot-long passageway. At the end, an unclimbable - without gear - dryfall snakes several hundred feet up into the Wingate sandstone, a dramatic view for most and a mecca for climbers.

This is a popular place, and with good reason. The combination of high walls and a Cottonwood entrance make entering the slot a magical experience, and with Monte's musical acumen, it quickly became clear how - and why - Singing Canyon got its name.

A grand entrance, the soft, filtered light of the Cottonwoods adding a reverence to the cathedral of sand.​

Acoustic dream.​

Into the chamber.​

We entered the canyon a few minutes behind a German couple, and after obliging them in taking a few photos - which they dutifully showed us how, exactly, to take by pressing the on-screen button on their iPhones - we had the whole place to ourselves. Ben was right, we were glad we'd checked it out!

Best seat in the house.​

If I had to venture a guess, I'd bet that Monte and I spent significantly longer in Singing Canyon than our compatriots, but that didn't seem to light any sort of fire under our skinny pedals as we worked our way through the remainder of Long Canyon, and to the eastern end of the Burr Trail climbs toward Boulder, UT.

We knew we'd find the rest of the crew at a gas station in town, probably chatting about how slow we were!

A parting shot.​

After fueling up in Boulder - which, as is often the case, also included ice cream for Monte - we climbed back into the trucks and set out in search of somewhere to eat lunch. Given that it was almost noon, I figured we'd find something quickly, but as we climbed out of boulder, we quickly gained elevation - through 7-, 8-, and eventually 9,606 feet - and snow began to fall as we crested Boulder Mountain Pass.

It was a little chilly for lunch.

Searching for warmer temps, we descended the north side of the pass toward Lower Bowns Reservoir.​

Lower Bowns Reservoir was just what the doctor ordered as far as a perfect spot for lunch was concerned. At least, it was once we got away from the horsefly-sized mosquitoes on the edge of the lake! Soon, Monte had his canopy out and we engaged campfire mode as we enjoyed the views of cool blue water and the distant Henry Mountains.

Seriously, what sort of mutant mosquitoes were these things?​

As usual, part of our lunch conversation turned to what the remainder of our day would entail. We didn't want to get to camp too late, but we also wanted to make it far enough that we'd be able to explore re-enter Capitol Reef National Park in order to explore Cathedral Valley the next day. Plus, Ben - or Monte, I'm not exactly sure which - had added a track through Pleasant Creek and South Draw that the Park had labeled as "Extreme Offroad," and that had us curious, to say the least!

On our way to "extreme."​

Back into the park.​

A sign - posted alongside the road at the park boundary - was our first hint that something might be amiss. It's not that we've never seen a ROAD CLOSED sign before, but this one was a little concerning. Apparently there was roadwork - to repair a series of washouts - underway between our current location and UT-24, rendering the highway that'd shuttle us to Cathedral Valley inaccessible unless we turned around and retraced most of the ground we'd run from Boulder.

We'd planned our next couple of days of adventure under the assumption that we could get through this road, and washouts wouldn't generally be a problem for us; heavy equipment blocking the road though, that would be another story.

We decided to push on.

"If this is all we have to worry about, I think we'll be OK." -Mike​

Traffic jam on the way to Laurel and Hardy Arch.​

Further away than we expected.​

The true entrance to South Draw Road was marked by several warning signs - all working hard to keep Honda Civic's from attempting such a treacherous route - only increasing our desire to see what this place was all about.

This was as far as the van would go.​

Unfortunately - or perhaps just the opposite - the initial climb onto the trail was a bit of a gatekeeper for Ben, Maria, and the van. Steep, off camber and full of ledges and potholes, I can only imagine how uncomfortable it would be in the top-heavy beast, and it didn't take long for Ben to realize the same thing. Backing down the hill, he piped up over the radio that he and Maria would find a nice spot for a nap, and wait for the rest of us to return after we ran into the roadblock.

It sounded like as good a plan as any - though with a little more thought, we might have realized its fatal flaw - and we bid him farewell as the Tacomas ate up the terrain with no trouble at all.

Ultimately, the trail was a little technical in spots - and it was good that Ben stayed behind - but mostly, it was full of beautiful scenery.​

Pleasant Creek drive.​

It was only as a startled-sounding-Monte called out "oncoming," followed by a rather surprised, "stock 5th gen 4Runner," over the radio that we realized we'd made a mistake with Ben. If there was a stock vehicle approaching from the opposite direction, we weren't going to have any trouble making it the rest of the way to UT-24. But, making it through to the highway wouldn't do us any good if our buddy was stuck at the trailhead, unable to follow us even if we sent someone back to retrieve him.

There was another problem, too - with my truck - but we didn't realize it at the time.

Unexpected, and pretty much the end of the road for this 4Runner, given what we'd just been through.​

Climbing out of the trucks, we brainstormed a few solutions. The easiest of them - radioing back to Ben and telling him to drive around and meet us at the other end - was quickly tried, unsuccessfully. We talked about sending one person back - to relay the message and caravan around - either the way we'd come or once we reached the highway. And then, I remembered that both Ben and I had Garmin inReach Mini Satellite Communicators.

This should - in theory - allow me to send him a message, so I looked up the phone number that he'd used to send me a message from his inReach a couple days earlier and fired off some snarky note that we'd made it through and needed him to meet us in a nearby town.

Almost immediately, I got a reply: "Message could not be delivered. Use the Garmin @ID of the person you'd like to message"

I quickly realized the problem: with an inReach, the device sends the message to a satellite, and then Garmin relays that message to the designated text (SMS) recipient using a "random" Garmin-owned phone number as the sender. They then allow the designated recipient to text back, but only from the number that originally received the inReach message, so I couldn't text Ben from my inReach, I had to text him from the phone he'd texted me at originally.

In a stroke of luck, it turned out that I'd just purchased an iPhone 16, and one of the features it comes with is the ability to send text messages via satellite when there's no cell service available. I'd never used - or even set up - that functionality, and had a hard time believing that it would be free, but I turned it on and after turning in the direction that the phone told me would offer the best reception, I fired off the same snarky note with a request for confirmation.

And then we waited.

Twiddling our thumbs while we wondered if this would work.​

Just as we were about to give up and go back for Ben, I got a reply! Not only had he received the message, but he also proposed a better location to regroup. It was a miracle! Perhaps not one worth the entire price of a new iPhone, but pretty darn cool.

Soon, we were all on our respective way.

Climbing out of Pleasant Creek.​

Layers of rock.​

Approaching Capitol Gorge.​

Ten minutes later - and surely well before Ben was very far on his way - we'd reached pavement at Capitol Gorge. Sure that we had at least an hour or two before we'd all be a single group again, we decided to check out the serpentine road, expecting a significantly-more crowded version of what we'd experienced in Horse Canyon the previous day.

We were pretty much spot on, with a few cool bits of rock art from the settlers who once travelled this area on their way west.

B.T. Platt. 1887.
Julia N. Butt​

A more modern - but still circa 1890 - pictograph.​

HB Owens Jr. | June 14, 1882​

Capitol Gorge light.​

An hour after entering Capitol Gorge, we were back on pavement and on our way out. Not knowing exactly where Ben was at this point, Mike had shot ahead, so it was only Monte and Zane who were lucky enough to hear me when I transmitted, "Guys, I think I've got a problem," as we picked up speed on the blacktop.

First things first. Gotta capture the scenery, even when there's something wrong with the truck!​

Yeah, bucktooth Tacoma has an alignment problem.​

Somehow, I'd royally screwed up my alignment over the course of the last few hours. We had no idea what the root cause was at this point - a bent spindle, loose alignment cams, shot control arm bushings - but we knew we'd need to figure it out before I drove home, because as it was, I'd gone only a few miles and I'd easily worn about $50 worth of rubber off the front two tires!

For now, though, we had a rendezvous and camp site that needed our attention, so as my tires squealed away under the truck, I listed to dollar bills wearing off as we worked our way toward Cainville.

The late afternoon sun made for a scenic race toward our rendezvous.​

I wonder why they call these "The Gray Ones." ​

From Cainville it was only a few miles - thankfully all on dirt - before we found a nice spot to call home for the night. Perched on the edge of a shallow drainage, we had fantastic views of our surroundings and plenty of room to spread out on the slickrock.

Naturally, none of that was top of mind for me. Instead, I looked for a flat spot so we could set about diagnosing the front end of my Tacoma. And by "we," I mean Monte and Zane, who are the two most knowledgeable dudes I know when it comes to Tacomas. What I know, I've largely learned with their help, and I'm always lucky that they continue to teach.

The double hi-lift maneuver.​

Inspecting their work.​

I wasn't completely useless. Within minutes, I had the skid plate off allowing Zane to inspect the alignment cams that secure the lower control arms to the frame. His suspcion was that either the cams had come loose or that the bushings surrounding them were destroyed. The former would be an easy fix, while the later might mean a new set of tires once I got home.

Music to my ears - the driver rear alignment cam turned out to be loose!​

After an in-the-field adjustment of the cam, we got the alignment to a place where I wouldn't be losing quite so much rubber on the road, and Monte snugged everything down with enough torque that there was no concern they might loosen again. "I feel sorry for the guys at Firestone who have to loosen that for an alignment next time." he chuckled.

And then, it was time to relax.

The erosion on the distant mesas was dramatic in the evening light.​

Bardie (Ben's) looking all puppy-eyed.​

Everyone else had already picked out their spots for the night, so after finding a flat spot - that seemed to be positioned upwind of the campfire, but was actually perfectly in the path less than an hour later - I quickly got myself situated so I could join them around the fire.

Home.​

It was our second-to-last campfire of the trip, and for that reason we chatted late into the night. Dinners were made - eventually - with the help of headlamps, new moon making for a voluminous number of stars in the sky.

Monte grilled up a steak and some veggies.​

Keeping with the theme, Mike had a couple of steak burritos for dinner.​

Of the things we discussed throughout the evening, the most important was breakfast for the following morning. It'd be our traditional group affair with a twist: breakfast sausage, tortillas, and some spicy green chillis would supplement our usual bacon, eggs, and potatoes. These things would be consumed in such quantity that for many, it was likely to be the only meal of the day!

One thing is for sure as we parted ways for the night - we were all looking forward to our feast!

 

Cathedral Valley | Capitol Reef #4
Part of the Roaming Around the Reef (Apr 2025) trip.

Even with a big breakfast to make, no one was up early to get started on their contribution to the group breakfast. I'm not complaining at all - I hadn't brought anything to contribute except my growling stomach - simply noting the anomaly. Perhaps on this trip - one where we spent more time in camp than ever before - it was to be expected that we would get a slow start on our last morning together. Whatever the reason, I took a few minutes to backup the photos I'd take so far onto my laptop, and snap a few more of the glorious morning.

The van definitely looks like a luxurious place to spend the night.​

Not that this was too shabby, either!​

While everyone else was catching the last of their Zzz's, packed up the tent and headed down to the main road. I wasn't leaving - I'd never do such a thing with breakfast on the way - rather, I wanted to verify that the in-camp camber adjustment that we'd done the previous evening looked good when the truck was on a reasonably smooth, level surface. Relieved to find it looking great, I returned to camp a few minutes later to the smell of Mike's @Digiratus famous cast iron potatoes.

It was the onions I was actually smelling at this point, but it didn't matter; it was divine.​

Pretty soon, the crackle of Monte @Blackdawg cooking bacon filled the air.​

Ultimately, we were so excited when everything was ready - Zane @Speedytech7 having cooked up some breakfast sausage, and Ben @m3bassman whipping together some "I bet you think these are eggs" from a carton along with spicy green chilis - that we completely forgot to take a photo when everything was laid out in front of us.

Ben and Maria had also brought along some locally-to-them-made tortillas that Ben had been raving about for the week leading up to the trip, as well as the trip itself. Unfortunately, he hadn't realized that freshly-made tortillas lack the preservatives of those purchased at a supermarket, and as we pulled them out of the bag, fuzzy greenish-blue spots indicated the absence of refrigeration!

This photo from one of our first group breakfasts - back in 2019 - will have to suffice; only the hashbrowns are different than we enjoyed this time!​

We always leave camp late after breakfast, which is really also lunch, if not also most of dinner, and today was no exception. It was a little after noon when Ben finally rolled over the slickrock toward Cathedral Road, the rest of us not far behind.

Getting a head start.​

In hot pursuit.​

Caught.​

The plan for the day - which was really just an afternoon at this point - was to head northwest into Cathedral Valley. I've wanted to visit this place for years - ever since we mostly skipped it on the F.U. Rain trip back in 2018 - so I was full of anticipation as we worked our way along the nicely graded road.

A common sight.​

Entering through Lower Cathedral Valley, we were immediately treated to exquisite views of sculptured monoliths with intriguing names such as the Walls of Jericho and the Temples of the Sun, Moon, and Stars. Composed of earthy, buff-pink Entrada Sandstone - deposited 160 million years ago in the Jurassic period - this fine-grained material crumbles easily and is rapidly removed by water; therefore, talus (debris) slopes do not form and Entrada cliffs tend to rise sheer from their base. Above the Entrada, the grayish-green sandstone and siltstone of the Curtis Sandstone forms a hard cap rock on some of the monoliths and higher cliffs and buttes, protecting them from erosion. Above the Curtis is the thinly-bedded, reddish-brown siltstone of the Summerville Formation.

Cathedral in development.​

I just thought this was a cool formation, and didn't even realize this was a cathedral until we got closer.
​

Here in the Lower Valley, there was no two-ways about it, Temple of the Sun was far and away the largest and most impressive of the monoliths. Dwarfing even the nearby Temple of the Moon, it towers over 400 feet above its surrounding terrain.

Monte racing toward the temple.​

Almost there.​

With a few folks already wandering around the base of the temples, Ben called an audible and continued along the dead-end road - toward something labeled "Glass Mountain" on the map.

More of a mound than a mountain.
​

Glass Mountain is a large, exposed mound of selenite crystals. Selenite is a variety of gypsum - a common mineral found in the sedimentary rocks of this area - in the form of glassy crystals. The crystals of glass mountain are somewhat unusual in size and in the massiveness of the deposit. Formed as a result of groundwater flowing through the Entrada Sandstone, this water carried dissolved gypsum, which started to crystallize, forming what has been called a "gypsum plug." This plug is now being exposed as the soft Entrada Sandstone erodes away.

Facets.​

Temple of the Sun (near) and Temple of the Moon (far) from Glass Mountain.​

Keeping with the theme of visiting progressively larger attractions, we skipped Temple of the Sun for the time being, passing it a second time as we drove toward the base of Temple of the Moon. It turned out that Temple of the Moon was the more visually appealing monolith anyway, so we weren't missing much as we hopped out of our trucks to get a closer look.

Around the moon.​

Three amigos.​

A Western Side-blotched Lizard (Uta Stansburiana Elegans) that's a little perturbed with all the folks invading his home.​

Soaking it in.​

Soon enough we were back in the trucks and on our way. Radio chatter confirmed that we were happy to skip an official stop at Temple of the Sun - we'd seen it from several different angles already - instead carrying on towards Upper Cathedral Valley and the Gypsum Sinkhole. As usual, two of us lagged behind the bunch, every bend in the road seeming to offer something worth capturing on camera.

Even if we didn't stop at Temple of the Sun, we caught plenty of views.​

The perfect angle always requires a bit of a trek.​

Dwarfed.​

Returning.​

Wall Street.​

I had no idea at the time - which was turning into a theme for this trip - but Ben, Maria, Mike, and Zane had already visited the sinkhole - and maybe even all the temples - during their first two days of the trip, while they'd waited for Monte and me to make an appearance. It was no surprise then, that when we finally rolled into the parking area, they let us know that we were welcome to continue along through the valley, but they were going to get to the east in search of camp, somewhere along the southern end of the San Rafael Swell.

Guarded by goblins.​

The Gypsum Sinkhole is what's left when a buried gypsum plug - the same formation responsible for Glass Mountain - is dissolved by groundwater. The cavity left behind eventually collapsed under the weight of overlying rock layers, creating a large sinkhole nearly 50 feet in diameter and 200 feet deep.

Watch your step.​

Leaving Monte and me to explore the remainder of the valley on our own was either going to prove pure genius or a complete disaster. On the one hand, we could move a lot faster in a band of two trucks than as a much larger caravan. On the other, there was no telling how many times we'd be distracted, putting us further and further behind as the afternoon wore on.

Sandstone caps.​

Several dikes and sills were created 3-6 million years ago, as molten lava flowed into vertical joints in the sandstone and then solidified. More resistant to erosion than the surrounding layers, these backbones are slowly emerging as the sandstone around them washes away.​

Don't forget to look down! (Lupine)​

Our ultimate destination - if we could ever get there - was the Upper Cathedral Valley Overlook. Racing toward the switchbacks that would climb the near-vertical wall of the plateau surrounding the valley, Monte called out over the radio that there was a cool little cabin off the side of the road. I'm always down to check out a cabin, but a few seconds later, he reported a change of plans. A half-mile roundtrip, he'd have to leave the dogs in the truck, a hot proposition in the afternoon sun. Still, I couldn't resist checking it out myself!

Intriguing. ​

This cabin, built in the 1920s, originally stood at Paul Christensen's summer logging camp on Thousand Lake Mountain, several miles west of here. There it sheltered the Christensen family of eight during the work season. In 1932, cattleman Lesley Morrell bought the cabin for use in his livestock operation. He numbered each log, then dismantled the cabin, hauled the pieces down the mountainside in a horse-drawn wagon, and rebuilt the cabin on this site. For the next 40 years, the cabin was used by cowboys when they moved livestock each summer to mountain pasture and each winter to valley rangeland. Returning to the shelter after a day's work, the cowboys would let their horses into the nearby pole corral, wash up, and fix dinner before bunking down.

​

Morrell Line Cabin​

Western hospitality dictated that the cabin be kept furnished and stocked with food, open to all who needed shelter or a meal. "Les's cabin," as it was locally known, was for years a landmark and meeting place for all who worked in the vicinity. Use of the building ended by 1970 as grazing allotments in the area were restructured. The cabin still serves as a reminder of the area's Old West heritage.

NPS Info Sign​

Solo, I made reasonably good time out and back to the cabin, and soon I was chasing Monte up the switchbacks, picking up Mike as he broadcast over the radio.

"Ben's got a flat."

We knew we were too far away to help immediately, but as the radio chatter continued, it turned out that Mike and Zane had taken the lead from Ben, so they were in no better position than Monte and me to help. Still, after a quick conversation, Monte and I figured that Ben was doing just fine, this small setback a blessing in disguise, allowing him to show off his amazing save-the-day-tire-changing skills to Maria.

And with that, we continued on to the overlook.

Cathedral Valley view.​

Cathedral Mountain (left summit) and Needle Mountain (right summit).​

It was 4:00pm by the time we were done gazing out over the valley, and though we could have continued on to another viewpoint a little further to the south, we decided we'd better start our race east to see if Ben had cached in on being a hero... or turned out to be a zero. It was a race that would usher us out of Capitol Reef and along the edge of the Last Chance Wilderness, eventually depositing us at the best camp site of the entire trip, a view of the entire San Rafael Swell rising - and falling again - in the distance.

For now, though, it was a matter of getting there. Hopefully - unlike Ben - with tires full of air.

Goodbye Cathedral Valley!


.​

 

Favorite place. Sun & Moon make a great backdrop for astro.

 

A Swell Ending | Capitol Reef #5
Part of the Roaming Around the Reef (Apr 2025) trip.

Racing east at speeds that'd rival those we'd hit on the highway, Monte @Blackdawg and I left Capitol Reef in our rear-view mirrors as we set our sights on the San Rafael Swell. We were pretty sure that by now - nearly an hour after we'd heard that Ben @m3bassman had a flat on the van - there wouldn't be any need for our help, but we kept our eyes peeled for the big silver beast as we covered the wide-open ground.

Cedar Mountain filled our view as we wound our way through the badlands.​

Climbing out of a wash, the GMRS radio came to life. "Looks like this is where Ben fixed his tire!" Monte exclaimed, a reasonably flat, wide section of the road covered with footprints and signs of a struggle. Turns out - on describing the spot to Ben once we got to camp - we'd read the terrain correctly, and the good news was that Ben was easily on his way without waiting for us!

As we chatted back and forth, we finally got close enough to Mike @Digiratus and Zane @Speedytech7 - already at the designated camp site - that Mike was able to let us know they were "heading over the edge," to "a great spot on a shelf," and "we won't have line of sight, so we may not be able to communicate from here on out."

"Roger that," we replied, also confirming the track we should follow and the name of the overlook where we'd find our buddies sipping their first - or second - beverages of the evening.

Knowing everything was fine - both with Ben and regrouping at camp - took a bit of pressure off of our speedy push to catch up, and soon we were back to our usual pace, stopping here and there for photos, wondering over the radio about various things we noticed along the way.

​

Winding around in a narrow wash, the mineralization of the walls was like nothing we'd seen before.
(Well, except for the last time I was here. )​

Band of green.​

At this point - having driven some of these edge-of-the-Swell roads when @mrs.turbodb and I had attempted to reach the Hondu Arch from the west - I knew we were getting close. Sure enough, in just under ten minutes we were pulling our trucks to the edge of the plateau at ****** Point, the entirety of the San Rafael Swell rising and falling in front of our eyes.

What a view.​

At the edge.​

https://www.youtube.com/embed/xtKDaSk2PGI

A rising Swell.
​

This seemed like a pretty decent spot to camp, so we assumed that the spot the guys had found below us was even better! Not that it mattered - the tents were already deployed and relaxation was in full swing; that is the spot we were camping this evening, and it was glorious!

Hey down there!​

A few minutes later, we were pulled into the positions that'd been designated for us as the rest of the crew had taken their own. As the two guys who like to be "on the edge," that's exactly where we ended up!

Camp on the point.​

Shady side.​

Adding our chairs to those already positioned under Ben's awning, we related stories of the day, needled Ben about being a Maria's hero when he changed the tire, and savored the final few hours of daylight on a trip that'd we'd all enjoyed immensely. At some point, Mike gathered up the last avocado and the final bit of salsa - which I should note, is not something we've ever run out of before, and I hope to never run out of again - and whipped up the final bowl of guacamole.

It lasted about 2 minutes, licked clean, as usual.

Gazing out over the Swell, we pointed to landmarks we'd driven around, hiked to, or hoped to visit on some future adventure.

"Remember when we were right over there?"​

The distant La Sals through the dust.​

​

With the sun below the horizon, we were treated to a spectacular display of the Belt of Venus (wikipedia).​

This being the last night, we proceeded to set up around the campfire and with no need to save wood, we chatted late - well, late for us - into the evening. There was almost no wind - a blessing given that we were perched out on the edge - making for a pleasantly warm evening to cap off our adventure. We'd all be heading home in the morning - each at our own pace given distances that would take between 8 hours and 2 days of driving - but all leaving right around sunrise.

Eventually - when that was only a few hours away - we called it a night. It wasn't yet time to say goodbye.

The following morning...

We'd all set our alarms for 6:30am - about an hour before sunrise - but as is often the case, my internal clock fired a few minutes early. It was 6:27am.

My first order of business was to go admire the light just starting on the horizon.​

Being as quiet as I could, I set about putting things away in the truck before turning my attention to the tent. By that time, Monte and Zane were up to the same thing, with Ben and Maria savoring the last few minutes of sleep, their pack-up routine significantly easier than those of us with manually-stowed sleeping arrangements.

I'd setup my camera to take a timelapse as the sun spilled over the Swell while we got ready to go.​

Mike's impeccable timing was on display as he climbed down the tent just as Monte, Zane, and I were saying goodbye to Ben and Maria. He wouldn't be far behind us - in fact, he'd pass me, twice, as we headed north - but given that he'd allotted two days for the 20-hour trek to the Pacific Northwest, he wasn't in any rush to be off at sunrise.

So, in the end - and as it should be - it was hugs all around!

And then there were three.​

Dust trails.​

The mesa at Mussentuchit was looking fantastic in the morning light.​

We reached pavement - where we'd air up and part ways - at 8:00am sharp. As always, we drug out the process of putting air in our tires, joking that the process would go so much more quickly if we were just to fill the bottom halves where they were bulging.

End of trip ritual.​

With that, it was more hugs and desires to do it again soon, and we were off!

 

How-to: Building a Lithium House Electrical System | Component Selection

This guide is a little different than most. Since lithium batteries are still relatively new, less well-known technology, I'll cover break the guide into two parts:

1. Background on LiFePo4, and an overview of the components that I decided on - which work with any battery technology - in order to build out a kick-ass 12v house electrical system.
2. Installation of the components, and important considerations when assembling a 12v house electrical system.

​

Six years ago, when I initially installed my house battery, it allowed me an entirely new sense of calm when I was in camp at night. No longer did I need to worry about my fridge - or the other small electronics I might turn on or charge - draining my starting battery overnight, thus leaving me stranded.

Plus, the whole system of linking the two Northstar AGM 24F using a Blue Sea Systems ML-ACR (automatic charging relay) meant that I could easily - either manually or automatically - link my two batteries for charging or more power, and unlink them to protect the starting battery in camp.

It was fantastic. Mostly. For the vast majority of my trips - where I'm driving around most of the day - the whole situation worked perfectly. Only when I was camped in a warm place for longer than 24 hours did I still worry that I would completely drain the house battery, unless I fired up the Tacoma for a few hours of charging. And that only happened rarely, mostly when out camping with my Dad.

But batteries don't last forever, and several months ago, I noticed that - when I'd pick up the Tacoma from storage in Las Vegas - the starting battery was having trouble starting the Tacoma. Northstars are no longer sold as such, though they are still available from BatteriesPlus as X2 Power AGM 24F (their house brand), so that would have been the simple solution. However, I think we're all aware that battery technology has improved dramatically over the last six years. It would be crazy for me to ignore those improvements, especially in the Lithium - largely LiFePo4 for this sort of application - space.


Background: Pros and Cons of LiFePo4 (LFP)

With any "new" technology, there are obviously tradeoffs, so I first set about learning just enough about LiFePo4 to feel like I could trade off the major pros and cons of switching over. The biggest drivers - in my mind - seemed to be:

Pros

• Weight and Capacity - LFP batteries pack energy much more densely than AGM batteries. I don't know all the science behind this, but my 24F AGM battery was rated as 76 Ah (Amp-hours) and weighed in at 59 lbs. An LFP battery of the same weight packs in 280-314 usable Ah, a 3.5-4x improvement, or a huge weight savings, if one should decide to go with a lower Ah LFP battery.
• Longevity - Where an AGM battery can support several hundred (in the range of 500) charge-discharge cycles, an LFP battery can maintain healthy after 5,000-15,000 cycles. That's an order of magnitude more; if an AGM lasted me 6 years, a LFP might last 60-180 years.
• Modern Battery Monitoring System (BMS) - All LFP batteries have a built-in (or require an external) BMS. Essentially a computer, it monitors the voltage of the individual cells that make up the logical battery, ensuring that they charge/discharge efficiently, that the current moving through the system is safe for the hardware, and that various parameters are taken into account in order to ensure longevity of the battery. Many BMS also have Bluetooth connectivity so you can monitor everything using an iOS or Android app.
• Fun and Learning - this isn't really a pro of LFP per-se, but switching over to a new house system would allow me to learn about the new technology and build out a system to support it, improving aspects of my current house electrical system that I knew could use a little love.

Cons

• Starting Ability - For the most part, today's budget-friendly LFP batteries are not suitable for starting a vehicle. While some (much) higher priced cranking battery options exist, LFP largely excels at providing current in the 100-200A range, not the 800-1000 CCA (Cold Cranking Amps) provided by AGM or traditional automotive batteries.
• Operating Temperature - LFP is more temperamental when it comes to charging. Charging below 32°F, or discharging below -4°F can harm the battery. While batteries with built-in heaters can help to keep the battery healthy in cold conditions, those heaters draw power, making them a time-limited solution.

Differences / Difficulties

I initially listed these as cons because in today's world - where the starting battery continues to be lead-acid/AGM - these definitely make LFP more of a pain in the butt. However, as LFP becomes more prevalent and is used for the starting battery as well, these differences will go away, hence my breaking them into a different category.

• Charging - Each battery chemistry (lead-acid, AGM, LFP, etc.) charges most efficiently/completely with a different charging profile. That is to say, at any point in the charge cycle, a different amount of voltage and current are required for optimal charging. Alternators in most vehicles (today) are designed to charge AGM/lead-acid batteries, not LFP. As such, a dedicated DC-DC charger - that takes the output of the alternator and modifies it slightly to accommodate the charging profile of LFP - is needed in order to achieve efficient and optimal charging.
  Note: This isn't new. Many alternators in older vehicles were optimized for lead-acid batteries only, so even installing an AGM-based house battery would benefit from a DC-DC charger, in order to accommodate the slightly different charging profile of AGM vs. lead-acid.
• Battery Linking - Similarly to charging, it's not a great idea to combine - connect directly - batteries of different chemistries. This is because they charge/discharge/rest at different rates and with slightly different voltages. By connecting them, there is risk that these imbalances will cause strain on one or both batteries, significantly reducing their lifespan; in extreme cases, doing so could even cause one battery to explode. Thus, unlike an all-AGM system where two batteries can be combined for more power when winching, for other high-current operations, or even just for charging, using an LFP battery for the house system really means that the two electrical systems must be isolated from each other, with the exception of a common ground.

My Thoughts (aka Why LiFePo4 and not AGM?)
As I mentioned, the easiest thing I could have done would be to just drop a couple new AGM batteries into the Tacoma and call it a day. Plus, the "Cons" + "Differences / Difficulties" lists are longer than the "Pros," so why would I ever choose LFP?

In the end, the only difference that had me seriously considering AGM was the ability to link batteries - via a switch in the cab - and fully combine them into a single battery bank connected via thick, 1/0 copper cable. I've used this ability a few times to jump start my starting battery with the house battery, and it's extremely reassuring to know that I'm unlikely to get stuck in the middle of nowhere with a truck that won't start due to a dead battery.

My solution to that problem is twofold:

1. I purchased a highly rated - and reviewed by Project Farm - lithium jump pack. While not as convenient as flipping a switch, it should allow me to jump myself quickly if my starting battery dies.
2. It is possible to reverse the wiring on a DC-DC charger so that I can use the house battery to recharge the starting battery. Again, not as convenient as flipping a switch, but essentially like plugging in a battery charger to a receptacle in the garage in order to keep the starting battery charged up.

Otherwise, the ability to have a lighter weight, higher capacity battery that will last longer than I have left on this earth seems like a pretty cool idea. Plus, I love learning new stuff like this.

House Electrical System Components
Note: While this isn't the only system that would work with any individual battery chemistry - AGM, lead-acid, LFP, etc. - it does work perfectly well with any battery chemistry by simply replacing the battery.

Putting together a house electrical system for the first time can be intimidating. Besides identifying all of the functional bits that enable various features, there are the mundane questions like what wire size to use, where to add fuses and breakers, and how to mount everything robustly in order to survive thousands of bumpy trails.

What I'm describing.​

I'll list what I chose below and a brief reason for each. In many cases, there are certainly other good choices out there, so feel free to ask questions or suggest alternatives if you think I'm missing something. Below, I'll cover the following:

1. Battery and BMS
2. Master On-Off Switch
3. Battery Shunt
4. Master Distributor / Fused Bus Bar
5. DC-DC Charger
6. Solar Charger
7. Constant-Power 12v Accessory Fuse Block
8. Ignition-Switched 12v Accessory Fuse Block
9. 120v Inverter

Before getting into details on the components, I also want to touch on the following important aspects of the overall system:

• Brand Considerations
• Wire and Connector/Lug Considerations
• Fuses and Breakers

The diagram above, installed.​

Brand Considerations
I want to say a few things about the importance of component brands.

First, it is important to purchase quality components when building a house electrical system. Spending a little more money to ensure that a component works both well and correctly, has been subjected to the appropriate certifications, and has a reputation for reliability is worth it. Having to replace a component that has failed, or having the failure cause a vehicle fire are not worth saving a few dollars here and there.

• Top tier brands: RedArc, Victron, Blue Sea Systems, Bussmann
• Mid-tier brands: Renogy
• Lower-tier brands: Ever-changing list of names that are found on Amazon.

Second, if there are quality products from a single brand, they likely work well together and provide a more cohesive ecosystem. For example, components from Victron - a reputable brand that I chose to use - all communicate via Bluetooth to a single VictronConnect app, so the entire system can be monitored in one place, and critical information for every component is available at a glance, rather than having to open - and dig through - several different apps.

Everything in one place; the Victron Connect app ecosystem.​

Wire and Connector/Lug Considerations
The wire and connectors used in an electrical system are often an afterthought, but are critical to proper functioning of the system. I (almost) always like to overbuild - use larger wire than necessary - from this perspective, since running wire through the confines of a vehicle is difficult. I only want to do it once, even if I want to increase the size of the system later.

Obviously, larger wire can carry higher amperages over longer distances. The trade-off is ease of installation and weight. Always use a reputable wire sizing guide to determine minimum / recommended / overkill wire sizes.

Be sure to only use pure copper wire (aka oxygen free copper). I learned this the hard way, and now recommend the following reputable wire options. I've limited myself to the following sizes, just so I don't have so many different wire sizes hanging around:

• 1/0 gauge welding cable (10 feet red+black) (20 feet red+black)
• 4 gauge welding cable (10 feet red+black) (20 feet red+black)
• 6 gauge welding cable (10 feet red+black) (20 feet red+black)
• 12 gauge wire (25 feet red+black) (100 feet red+black)
• 16 gauge wire (assorted colors)

I rarely use the following sizes, opting instead for an adjacent size in the list above, but I'll provide links to reputable options for completeness:

• 8 gauge cable (10 feet red+black) (20 feet red+black)
• 10 gauge wire (25 feet red+black) (50 feet red+black)
• 14 gauge wire (assorted colors)
• 18 gauge wire (assorted colors)

For lugs and connectors, be sure to go with pure copper or tinned copper, sized appropriately for the wire. I like to crimp+heatshrink anything 8 gauge or larger, and crimp+solder+heatshrink anything 10 gauge or smaller.

• Tinned Pure Copper Lug Assortment 8 6 4 2 1/0 Gauge AWG for 5/16, 3/8 Post
• Non-Insulated Wire Connectors 22-10 Gauge AWG for #10, 5/16, 3/8 Post

The most important thing when picking wire and terminals is that they are pure copper. Optionally tinned for corrosion resistance.​

And while we're talking about wire and connectors, there are a few tools and supplies for cutting, crimping, and protecting the connectors from their surroundings.

• Wire cutters - get a good quality plier.
• Wire Strippers - if you can afford the Knipex version of these, they are amazing; otherwise, these no-name ones work almost as well.
• 16 ton hydraulic crimper - for crimping lugs to 8 gauge and larger cable.
• Replaceable Jaw Ratcheting Crimping Tool - for Heat Shrink, Insulated Nylon, Non-Insulated, Ferrule Wire End, Open Barrel Terminals, and Solar Connectors.
• Adhesive-lined Heat Shrink Tubing - always get the adhesive-lined, since it will seal in addition to protecting.
• A heat gun for shrinking the tubing.
• Braided Wire Loom (1/4" dia for wire, 1/2" dia for cable) - to protect the wire as from sharp objects in the environment as it's bumping down the road.

Useful tools.​

Fuses and Breakers
Every positive wire in the system should be protected by a fuse or circuit breaker that will blow (fuse) or trip (breaker) before the wire can get so hot that it melts and/or catches on fire. The fuse/breaker should be mounted as close to the power source as possible so that if it should blow, any wire between the power source and fuse/breaker is minimized (since it will remain energized).

If the fuse/breaker is far from the power source (battery), and a short circuit occurs between the power source and the fuse/breaker, the fuse/breaker will not trip, and you are at serious risk of fire.

I like to use several classes of fuses and circuit breakers:

• Blue Sea Terminal Fuse - (holder) (fuses) - connected to the battery terminal to cut all power if a critical short circuit occurs in the system.
• MEGA Fuse - (60A) (100A) (125A) (200A) (250A) (300A) - used on the primary positive bus bar to provide protection of circuits in the 60-300A range. Be sure to only purchase official Victron/Littelfuse branded fuses; other brands do not blow reliably, subjecting the system to both false alarms and risk of fire.
• Blade-type fuses - (assortment) - Used in fuse blocks for 12v accessories.
• Bussman Circuit Breakers - (30A) (50A) (60A) (80A) (100A) - used in places where the ability to quickly switch the breaker on/off in order to isolate a part of the system (e.g. the DC-DC charger or the entire 12v accessory fuse block) is beneficial.

And with that, it's into the "fun" stuff.


Battery and BMS
Product: Wattcycle 280Ah Smart Mini LiFePo4 Battery

This is a no-name brand, meaning it is relatively inexpensive, but received good reviews on build quality, customer service, and performance from Will Prowse who knows this stuff like the back of his hand. I also liked that it was half the size (7.64"D x 15.12"W x 10.04"H) of other similar-capacity LFP batteries, weighed the same amount (57 lbs) as my Northstar AGM, and that it included a Bluetooth-accessible BMS.

"More power than I'll ever need."​

The app doesn't do much, but it does work.​

Battery technology is always improving - and quickly - so look around for the best battery that fits your needs. Wattcycle has already replaced the 280Ah battery I purchased with the 314Ah Smart Mini LiFePo4 Battery, and it's cheaper than what I paid. More battery for less cost!

If you don't need quite as much capacity, the 100Ah version of the battery is a great choice. The fact that it is "almost free" and "tiny" (5.4"D x 9"W x 8.2"H) make it incredible. Seriously, I probably should have gotten this battery.

Master On-Off Switch
Product: Blue Sea Systems 6006 m-Series Battery Switch (ON-OFF)
How is it connected: Connected to the positive bus bar of the Lynx Distributor and the via 2 feet of 1/0 cable to the Terminal Fuse on the positive terminal of the LFP battery.

Although the Wattcycle BMS allowed me to connect to it with Bluetooth in order to turn it off and remove power from the rest of the house electrical system, I still liked the idea of having a physical switch in place in order to de-energize and physically isolate the battery from everything else when I'm messing with the system. I think of it like a main breaker in a household panel.

I needed a switch that could handle high currents - at least the 210A that the BMS would allow - and that would be reliable over time. The Blue Sea Systems 6006 Battery On-Off Switch fit the bill perfectly in that it was from a reputable company and was rated for a continuous 300A.

Master On-Off.​

I also discovered that this switch could be bolted directly to the positive bus bar of the main distributor, eliminating the need for a small cable running between the two components, and allowing for a very compact installation.

Battery Shunt
Product: Victron SmartShunt IP65 500A
How is it connected: Connected to the negative bus bar of the Lynx Distributor and the via 2 feet of 1/0 cable to the negative terminal of the LFP battery.

A shunt allows a high-level view of system status.​

As with the Master On-Off Switch, the Victron SmartShunt isn't entirely necessary since the Wattcycle BMS technically allows me to check the system's state of charge (SOC) as well as the current rate at which the battery was being charged/discharged. However, the SmartShunt enables three additional features which I find valuable:

1. It exposes the system SOC and current rates in the Victron app, alongside data from all other Victron devices installed in the system. Having everything in one central hub - rather than a separate app for every device - is a huge convenience.
2. In addition to monitoring the SOC and current rates for the hosue electrical system, it also monitors the voltage of the starter battery, exposing it in the Victron hub.
3. It monitors the entire battery bank. With only one battery, this is duplicative as mentioned above, but if another battery is ever added to the system, the SOC and other parameters can be monitored in a single place instead of checking each battery separately.

Just like the Master On-Off Switch, the SmartShunt can be directly connected to the main distributor, eliminating the need for a small cable running between the two components, and allowing for a very compact installation.

Main Distributor / Fused Bus Bar
Product: Victron 1000A Lynx Distributor
How is it connected: Positive bus bar connected to Master On-Off Switch. Negative Bus bar connected to Victron SmartShunt and vehicle ground via 15-foot 1/0 cable.

There are a couple of routes to go for a main distributor / fused bus bar. The first is to build positive and negative bus bars yourself from individual components. The second is to purchase a Victron Lynx Distributor, which combines everything into a single device.

Seems large. Is large. Turns out to be very space-efficient.​

The Lynx Distributor may initially seem like an expensive luxury, but it turns out to have a couple big benefits over a component-built system:

1. It is extremely compact. While it's still the largest component of my build, it contains two 1000A bus bars, four MEGA fuses along with LEDs that show the condition of each fuse, a system ground post, and a cable-routing system to keep everything tidy. Likely, it is half the size of a home-brew fused bus bar.
2. It is reasonably priced. When compared to the cost of bus bars, fuse holders, nuts, bolts, and the cables necessary to build an equivalent power distribution system, the Lynx Distributor is actually cheaper than the individual components.

When assembled with the Master On-Off Switch and Battery Shunt, the result is a lot of functionality with zero cables.​

DC-DC Charger
Product: Victron Orion XS Smart DC-DC Battery Charger 12 | 12 50A
How is it connected: Input from the positive battery terminal in the engine bay via 15-foot 1/0 cable, with a 60A circuit breaker to allow isolation. Output to the Lynx Distributor with 1 foot of 4-gauge cable.

The last time I'd looked at DC-DC chargers was several years ago when I ended up deciding on a Victron Solar Charge Controller (see below). At the time, RedArc was the leading name in the space, and all things being equal, I'd probably have gone with RedArc even today if I hadn't experienced the Victron ecosystem since using their solar charger.

Appreciating what I'd seen from Victron, I set about researching their DC-DC chargers. For years, they've offered several options - all with Bluetooth and ranging in charging speed from 5A to 30A - all under the Orion Tr Smart line of chargers. Recently (in January 2025), Victron released the first of a new line of Orion XS Smart DC-DC chargers which completely redefined the bar in terms of:

• Size - smaller than half the size of an Orion Tr
• Efficiency - up to 98% vs. the more standard 80%
• Cooler operating temperature - 110°F vs. 155°F
• Charging ability - 50A vs. 30A

These improvements - and the fact that it integrates with the same Victron app - made my decision on a DC-DC charger easy.

One of the best chargers currently on the market.​

The older Orion Tr (left) next to the new Orion XS (right).​

Solar Charger
Product: Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/20 Solar Charge Controller
How is it connected: Connected to the Lynx Distributor with 1 foot of 12-gauge wire, with a 30A circuit breaker on the positive wire to allow isolation.

I picked up the Victron SmartSolar MPPT Solar Chage Controller several years ago when I added Infinite Free Power to the Tacoma. While "infinite" has been a bit of a stretch - in total it has generated a total of only 859Ah, enough to charge my new 280Ah LFP battery a whopping 3 times - it introduced me to the Victron ecosystem, and enabled me to see firsthand how reliable and polished their products behave.

At the time, I was trying to decide between a RedArc, a Renogy, and the Victron, and ended up choosing the Victron because it sat between Renogy (at the lower end) and RedArc (at the higher end). Plus, in my research, I discovered that there were two types of solar charge controllers:

1. Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) - in essence a switch that connects a solar array to a battery. The controller sends out a series of short charging pulses to the battery - a very rapid “on-off” switch. Between pulses, the controller constantly checks the state of the battery to determine how fast, and how long the pulses will be. This is a proven technology, but one that requires the panel to be matched to the battery, and does not optimize the current/voltage for the most efficient charging.
2. Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) - more sophisticated than PWM, the controller will run the solar panel at a voltage/current combination that generates the optimal power, and then convert that to the optimal power/current combination to charge a battery. This optimization can result in 10-40% more efficient charging, and also allows the controller to change the power sent to the battery at different times - in essence, allowing for fast charging when necessary before switching to trickle charging once the batteries are near capacity.

Clearly, I wanted an MPPT controller. The Redarc fit that bill nicely, except for the price, so I set out to find other brands. Ultimately, two brands kept popping up - Renogy and Victron. Both seemed to have their followers, but reading between the lines on reviews, it became clear that Renogy was a leader due to (low) cost, and Victron was a leader due to (high) quality. Not only that, but the Victron SmartSolar line allowed for configuration and monitoring of the controller via Bluetooth from a smartphone - a very nice touch. And, since the Victron focused on being a solar controller only, its price was significantly less than the Redarc.

So, while I stumbled into the Victron SmartSolar MPPT charge controller a few years ago, doing so made my decision selecting components now, much easier!

My introduction to an amazing product line.​

Constant-Power 12v Accessory Fuse Block
Product: Blue Sea 12-Circuit Fuse Block
How is it connected: Connected to the Lynx Distributor with 1 foot of 6-gauge cable, with an 80A circuit breaker on the positive cable to allow isolation.

There's nothing all that sexy about a fuse block. The idea is to go with a trusted brand so that the positive and negative bus bars in the block can handle the loads placed on them, and in that regard Blue Sea Systems is a reputable supplier of high-quality fuse blocks.

Tried and true.​

I'm reusing the circuit block from my first house electrical system, which supports 100A across 12 circuits. While I might be able to overload it by turning on all eight accessory circuits I currently have wired in, it's rare that I use all eight at the same time, and unheard of to be using them all at full power.

I've also installed an 80A Bussman Circuit breaker so I can easily isolate the Accessory Fuse Block from the rest of the system when I am performing maintenance on the circuits connected to it.

Currently, the following accessories run off of the constant-power fuse block:

• Kenwood D710G dual-band ham radio [15W fuse]
• Midland MicroMobile MXT275 GMRS Radio [15W]
• Uniden Pro 520XL CB Radio [15W]
• (2) 65W USB Chargers [15W]
• (2) 12v power receptacles installed in the bed of the truck [20W]
• 175W inverter [20W]
• Viofo A119 v3 Dashcam [5W]
• Power lead for Victron SmartShunt to monitor house electrical system voltage [3W]

gnition-Switched 12v Accessory Fuse Block
Product: Blue Sea 6-Circuit Fuse Box powered via a quality 4-pin 12v 40A relay (ARB 180905SP, Viair 93944, Bosch, etc.)
How is it connected: 40A relay input is connected to the constant power accessory fuse block with 1 foot of 10-gauge wire; switched via ignition power. 6-circuit fuse block is connected to relay output with 6-inches of 10-gauge wire.

I chose this Blue Sea Fuse Block for the same reasons as the constant-power version: a reputation of reliability.

This fuse block powers the following accessories, ensuring that they are only drawing power from the house battery when the key is in the ACC or ON positions; alleviating the risk of inadvertently draining the battery when the engine is not running.

• scheel-mann driver seat heater [15W]
• scheel-mann passenger seat heater [15W]

By installing a relay, anything powered by this fuse block will only work when the key is un the ACC/ON positions.​

120v Inverter
Product: Cheap, no-name, 175W Inverter
How is it connected: Connected to the constant power accessory fuse block with 1 foot of 12-gauge wire.

I decided on a different inverter setup that will be common for most people. Most house electrical systems will wire a powerful (1000-3000W) pure sine wave inverter directly to the Lynx Distributor, with a dedicated circuit breaker on the positive line. However, I've found that I don't use much A/C power when I'm on trips, so a low-power, fanless inverter is the perfect solution. 175W is plenty to charge batteries for various electronics (camera, laptop, toothbrush, handheld radios, etc.) and being fanless means that it is also noiseless if we happen to be sitting in the cab at 4:00pm on a winter afternoon, waiting to go to bed.

Note: Some higher power inverters can experience problems from ground loops, such as interference. It is good to have a single, good ground for all of your onboard systems. In the case of this system, that single ground connection can be seen as 1/0 coming off the Lynx Distributor.


Putting it All Together
With all the components selected, it was time to get started putting it all together. I'd base my new LFP House Electrical system on the AGM system I'd built several years earlier, taking into account a few optimizations and improvements that I'd realized in that time.

This was going to be a fun project.

 

How-to: Building a Lithium House Electrical System | Component Installation

In the first part of this series, I outlined the components necessary for adding a 12v house electrical system to a Tacoma (or any other vehicle). This time, we'll walk through the specifics on how to do the actual installation of those components in a way that will stand up to the abuse of truck used for adventure.
​

Just a Bit of Background
This is my second take at a house electrical battery system installation in the Tacoma. My first system was based around a 12v AGM battery and worked well for more than 6 years. In fact, it worked so well that I'm mostly copying the overall design for this system, with a few minor improvements that I've realized since I put the first setup together.

Before we get into the actual build-out, here's a refresher of the system itself:

Everything getting squeezed into the Tacoma.​

Safety Glasses
I'm not generally one to get up on a soapbox about safety, instead allowing folks to take whatever safety precautions they feel are appropriate. This likely comes from years of being a woodworker - I started when I was in my single-digits years old, working with my dad's tools and under his supervision - where there were scant tool guards, definitely no SawStop's, and plenty of attention paid to "learning how to do things in a way that felt safe." Following that, years of building and remodeling homes helped to introduce me to working with high voltage/current circuits, natural gas lines, and a broad range of power tools.

Still, in this case - since LiFePo4 battery tech is still relatively new to most - I think it's important to mention the raw unbridled power that sits inside that little box of energy. Unlike the battery technologies we're used to using in vehicles, LiFePo4 batteries have very low internal resistance. Any short and the entire 280 Ah (or whatever capacity you've chosen to use) will flow through it. A wrench or screwdriver or wedding ring will vaporize, sending shrapnel in all directions.

One of those directions may be toward your eyes. And so, in the immortal words my favorite woodworker Norm Abram

There is no more important safety rule than to wear these, safety glasses.

Norm Abram​

For more safety considerations, Will Prowse has put together a nice video that I recommend for those new to working with electricity.

Where to Put Everything (and Installation Considerations)
The first time I went through this process, I considered three places to put the house battery:

1. Under the bed, where the spare tire was originally mounted.
2. My next attempt was above the frame just in front of the rear wheels.
3. In the cab, behind the passenger seat

I should note that in some trucks, a fourth option is clearly the best - in the bed. If the bed is protected from the elements by a shell, or GFC-style camper, I highly recommend putting the battery - and all the house components - along the front wall of the bed. The battery can sit on the floor of the bed, and the components can be cleanly mounted - and easily accessible - to a piece of plywood above the battery.
​

I ended going with option #3, and the cabinet that I built worked well to hold the battery as well as add some additional organization to the interior of the extended cab for gear that we regularly use on trips. As such, there was no question where the battery would go this time, though I did have some tweaks and improvements I wanted to make since building the first version.

A great first attempt, but after six years, I can do better.​

Things I really liked from the first cabinet included:

• The storage area on the top of the cabinet was a great place to store a box of things we use throughout almost every day that we're out on the trail. Binoculars, paper towels, plastic plates, chip clips, toilet paper, etc. These small items can easily get lost in a sea of stuff behind the seats, so it was nice for them to have a spot to live.
• The storage area at the bottom of the cabinet is the perfect size for a Dewalt T-stack case that holds everything I need to air up my tires, as well as a basic set of recovery gear for winching or cutting a small-to-medium sized tree out of the road.
• The small shelf above the battery - empty in the photo above - just happened to fit my camera bag perfectly. Like the items on top of the cabinet, having the camera easily accessible is critical to me, so I'd definitely include a similar spot in the new cabinet.

There were, of course, a few things that I thought could be better.

• To the driver side of the cabinet, we didn't have a great organization system. A couple cardboard boxes helped to keep things "contained," but it was always hard to find what we needed, as stuff would get buried under a pile of stuff that would inevitably get stacked on top of the boxes.I wanted the new version of the cabinet to provide an extra level of storage, and allow easier access to a few things - like my foldable solar panels and the DJI Air 3 drone - that otherwise get lost.
• The electrical shelf itself. I'd mounted as many components as I could to a drawer that slid in/out of the cabinet, thinking that I would have easier access to service things if they weren't buried in a little cubby. Servicing was easier, but it came at the cost of organization and durability. Since everything needed to slide with the drawer, the wires connecting everything had to be long enough to accommodate the entire range of motion. When the drawer was closed (most of the time), those wires were then just a messy tangle pushed into the rear of the cabinet, and when it was open, they were in the way of servicing the components I wanted easy access to.In the new version of the cabinet, I wanted most of the components to be mounted to the sides of the cabinet itself, so they were fixed in relation to each other, allowing for short, clean wire runs that I didn't have to worry about getting tangled up in each other. Plus, that would open up room on the shelf for only those items that I'm accessing regularly, like battery chargers and USB ports (which I'd inset from the front edge of the drawer so that cables were less likely to get tweaked as other gear was moved around in the cab).

Building a Cabinet

Embarrassing, after-the-fact, "pro tip" of the day: Just because you build something that you <span style="text-decoration: underline;">want</span> to fit in the cab, doesn't mean that it <span style="text-decoration: underline;">will</span> fit in the cab.​

Having figured out where to put everything, it was time to build the cabinet itself. Luckily, I'd done this before, making me aware of some of the larger issues. The largest of those is that there are essentially no 90° angles in the extended cab portion of a 1st gen Tacoma, so building a cabinet is largely a bit of cut-one-piece-at-a-time affair in order to get a perfect fit.

I smiled to myself when I realized that I could disassemble the old cabinet and use the angles on it as a basis for the new setup. That, and I could start from a copy of the original Sketchup diagram to model out my new masterpiece.

One last hurrah!​

I struggled more than I should have building this diagram; I've forgotten how to use Sketchup in the last six years.​

Another benefit of using the same general design was that it would allow me to secure the cabinet into the rear seat area of the Xtracab using the same mounting locations. These had proven themselves to be strong and secure - a necessity when the roads are rocky and bumpiness is the name of the game.

There aren't many mounting locations in the Xtracab area, but there are some year-2000-era seatbelts back there, so I worked out a way to attach an aluminum bracket to one of the lower mounts. A carriage bolt fit into the opposite end would secure the back of the cabinet.

Just need to figure out a way to get that bar sandwiched in there.​

I probably didn't need the heat at all when forming the aluminum.​

After a bit of finessing, I had the right curve.​

How to drill a square hole.​

The second attachment point was easy and obvious. Behind the passenger seat, a small fold-out cup holder - and in the year-2000-timeframe, an acceptable child seat platform - was secured with a couple of M8 bolts. Removing it would allow me to use the holes to secure the cabinet.

Baby-seat anchor points (foreground). And, a custom aluminum bracket with carriage bolt attached to the seat belt anchor (background).​

With those details sorted, I set about construction of the actual cabinet. I happened to have a couple nice pieces of ½" and ¾" prefinished A1 grade maple plywood hanging around from some previous projects, so I broke out the Makita track saw and started breaking down the pieces.

Raw material.​

A convenient way to get crisp, custom angles.​

Reinforcing all the joints by using dados and rabbets, in addition to screws, makes for a cabinet that won't rattle apart.​

After a bit of trim work - to cover the exposed edges of plywood with something strips of solid maple in order add a little refinement - everything was really starting to come together. I still had a bit more work to do on retaining blocks and the slide-out drawer/platform, but it was time to make sure that the main cabinet was going to fit.

I should have been test fitting this as I went.​

I lucked out when I discovered that the cabinet fit with less than 1/4" to spare in the Xtracab. Even so, both seats and the center console had to be removed to maneuver it into position.

In goes the battery - at least temporarily - as well as the C-channel that would keep it from flopping around.​

At this point, the cabinet was definitely starting to come together. The battery fit well in a compartment on the right and I was ready to get started wiring in the components that would funnel the electrons to various gadgets that I wanted to use when I was out on the trail. I decided to remove the cabinet from the cab - and work on it in the shop - for this part of the operation, knowing that I'd have easier access and better lighting by doing the work outside of the truck.


Component Installation

All the components I talk about below are covered in the first part of this series. See Upgrading the House Battery to Lithium | Component Selection for more information on why I went with these choices.​

Most of what I needed to stuff into a tiny area.​

I started by prepping and placing the largest component of the system - the Victron Lynx Distributor. This would get mounted to the rear of the cabinet, along with the main battery switch on the positive bus bar and the Victron SmartShunt IP65 on the negative bus bar.

Before I could connect the main switch and SmartShunt, I needed to enlarge the holes of the bus bar slightly.​

Next, I placed the Victron Orion XS DC-DC charger and the Victron SmartSolar charger. Unlike my first cabinet - where the controllers were on the pullout shelf - this time, they would be mounted to the side of the cabinet so that the wiring could be cleanly fixed in place.

I was having trouble getting the 4-gauge cable to fit into the Orion XS, so I picked up some pin terminals so everything went together like butter.​

Like the Victron components, I also wanted to mount my 12v Fuse Blocks - one always-on, the other ignition-switched - to the cabinet, so over the course of a few hours, I played a game of Tetris, eventually finding the position of each component that would work best.

When the table saw is transformed into cable assembly table.​

Done! Everything in its place.​

The only thing left to do at this point was to finalize the pull-out shelf. This would be where the inverter - along with the battery charger for my camera - sat, and also where I'd mount two 65W USB chargers to keep my laptop (any number of USB devices) full of energy as I needed them on the trail.

I mounted the USB chargers a couple inches back from the front edge in order to protect the connectors from getting whacked by anything moving around in front of the cabinet. Now, only the more-flexible cables stick out past the end of the shelf.​

With everything installed, it was time to squeeze the whole shebang back into the cab - hopefully for the last time. Then, all that was left to do was reinstall the seats and center console, before stowing our gear into the various cubbies and shelves that I hoped would provide a bit more organization than we'd had previously.

The final product.​

Ready to go camping.

Obviously, the installation of a house electrical system will vary from truck to truck and with different components, but hopefully the overall process and some tips from my experience will help to make the build go more smoothly.