@turbodb's 1997 4Runner Build and Adventures

I've been procrastinating this on my 2nd gen...mostly because of the intimidation of having not done it before.

 

Into the Forest

Any other year, a trip to Icicle Creek near Leavenworth, WA in early June would be our second or third visit of the season. But with everything going on this year, the Forest Service delayed opening of the road - generally used to access campgrounds and trailheads until after Memorial Day weekend. In fact, even as we visited, all of the developed campgrounds and several of the trailhead parking lots were still closed to encourage social distancing and prevent the spread of the virus.

Still, as we drove up Icicle Creek Road, we found ourselves happy to be able to get out. We had our fingers crossed - hoping that the site where we usually camp would be open and available, its status of "developed" or "undeveloped" in a grey area as far as we were concerned.

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The first site we checked - closer to the river and where we'd previously done some safety maintenance, with a nice beach right next to camp - was occupied. More than a bit surprised given that it was a Monday afternoon, a quick look at the site (as we turned around) provided a bit of relief - at this particular time, it wasn't an ideal spot to camp - large puddles of water filled much of the camp area, and the entire beach was submerged under a river bursting at its banks.

Even with the first site occupied, we were reasonably sure that we'd have our second - and what has become our primary over the years - site all to ourselves. Especially early in the season, access to this site is limited to those willing to cross a relatively deep water body - but one that we've had enough experience with to know that what lies beyond is worth it!

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Into camp - and by the looks of it, as the first visitors of the season - I hadn't even turned the engine off before @mini.turbodb flung open her door and bolted out into the forest!

After months of seclusion at home, it was time to explore, and great to be out!

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@mrs.turbodb and I pulled a few things out of the 4Runner and then set off in search of the small one. We knew we'd find her down by the river, and sure enough that's just where she was - just sitting there on a log, as happy as could be.

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As she heard the click of the camera, she turned, a huge smile on her face. "I'm so glad we could come here, it's so nice to go camping!" Funny how it's often such a struggle to get her into the truck to go - the couple-hour ride, so horrible - and yet once we're out, @mini.turbodb has the time of her life.

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The river - as we'd noted at the first camp site - was bursting. Perhaps the highest we've ever seen it, none of the gravel bars that we often spend hours reading on while skipping rocks and playing in the shallow water, were above the water line. Interestingly, this also resulted in a much quieter experience - turbulence and rapids now completely submerged under the flow.

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Eager to explore some of her favorite places, @mini.turbodb informed us that we needed to go check out the waterfall. "Want to run with me?" she asked?

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There was much running on this trip - likely a combination of the freedom and desire to take advantage of every minute possible.

We arrived at the waterfall to find it nearly non-existent. There was - to be sure - an indication that some anomaly existed in this part of the river, but a fall of water, there was not.

No matter, this was still a spot to soak in the sweet spring air and listen to the crashing water.

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We explored several areas around camp over the next hour or so - some of them together, and some of them solo excursions by @mini.turbodb while we got camp and the tent setup on the 4Runner. This situation really does work well - adults upstairs in the tent, and the kiddo downstairs on the storage area sleeping platform (shameless plug - also available for 5th gen (2010+) 4Runners here).

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With a few more hours of daylight, @mrs.turbodb suggested that we go for a bit of a walk - back along Icicle Road - to a bridge affording a splendtacular-but-usually-too-crowded view of the creek. Her hope was - today - that things would be different with generally fewer people around - a side effect of our weekday visit and the lack of open campgrounds.

Along the way, more play for smalls.

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The bridge wasn't all that far away, and even with several distractions on the way, we arrived in less than half an hour, with zero complaints about distance from @mini.turbodb. That - looking back on it - was a missed opportunity, we should have capitalized on that situation and continued our hike!

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Just as we'd hoped, the usually-crawling-with-people rapids and swimming hole were devoid of other humans, and after watching the water rush by for a few minutes from atop the bridge, @mini.turbodb scooted herself down near the water and perched herself on yet another overlook.

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Water really is one of @mini's favorite things - it's one of the reasons I think we keep coming back to this spot - and no matter the time of year, she's always playing in or around the creek, still young enough to enjoy getting wet and dirty, not at all worried what her clothes might look like when she's done.

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Fashioning a clay-but-mostly-sand-donut-bowl-thingy.

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More playing ensued and after we got shoes and socks back on the small one, we headed back to camp. Early evening, @mrs.turbodb and I broke out our TODO(link)Kindle's and read for an hour or so while @mini perfected her bowl and got it ready for "firing" on the edge of the camp fire ring.

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Eventually of course, we realized that if we didn't eat dinner, it'd be bedtime before we'd filled our stomachs; plus, we needed a camp fire! So, while @mrs.turbodb whipped up the little food we'd brought on the trip - homegrown lettuces, pre-grilled chicken, and some tomatoes and cumber - into a fresh-and-delicious, chicken salad, @mini.turbodb and I got the camp fire started.

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After gathering dry pine needles, lichen, cones, branches, and a few rounds from a downed tree, we built up our base and flicked a single match into it. Within seconds, the fire was roaring and @mini let me know that she was in charge of the fire this time.

Fine. By. Me.

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And thus began one of the most enjoyable camp fires I've ever experienced. See, in the past, @mini has definitely enjoyed fires, but she's never really been old enough to feel safe - or for us to feel safe - with her getting close enough to tend, or play with, the fire. I mean sure, she'll roast a marshmallow or throw in a stick from a distance, but on this trip she was just enough older, and had had just enough more experience, to feel like she could really do it. So we just got to sit back and watch - it was great!

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Look at me fire fun, "melting" lichen.

The only downside to the fire was that we'd completely forgotten - despite a reminder from the small one - to bring any marshmallows, but that fact was happily replaced with an hour of collecting various things from around camp to burn. And then, it was time for sleep.

Well, not really sleep, but for reading in our respective levels of the 4Runner for an hour or so before nodding off to the babbling of the river and whispering of breeze through the trees.

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The first one up and dressed, it was 8:30am when I climbed down the ladder to find smalls still sound asleep in the lower level. We'd all slept "just OK" through the night, a state that commonly leads to sleeping in a little later in the morning, the body finally happy to fall asleep.

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How I found her the next morning.

Soon enough we were all up and dressed; breakfast was made. Bowls of Cheerios in hand, we headed to a favorite spot along the river to eat and watch the water rush by. The beginning of another nice day!

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We spent the morning much as we'd spent the previous afternoon - exploring around camp, playing in mud, reading, and enjoying ourselves in this special place as the sun warmed the chilly morning air.

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As lunch time rolled around, we decided it was time to start heading home. For a moment we considered trying to wait until we reached a reasonably-good-Mexican restaurant, but ultimately our stomachs won out and we stopped not far from camp to eat the PB&J that we'd brought along for the occasion.

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Then, a bit reluctantly, we retreated out of the mountains and back towards home. It had been - as always seems to be the case - a fabulous trip. This one was even - perhaps - a little better than others given our lack of getting out with @mini over the preceding months.

And that's great, because you know that when we suggest going camping again next time, she's sure to tell us how horrible the drive will be - but in the back of her mind, she'll be excited to get out there and explore!

 

We've Arrived in Paradise - Escape to the Sierras #1

Prologue
This was a trip I'd been waiting for. Well, not this trip exactly, but a trip to this location - ************* - in the Sierra National Forest. See, after our last trip there, Pops and I regularly chatted about our next chance to visit this special place - we'd planned for it to happen in early July, but we'd both been keeping an eye on snow levels and road-and-forest status since January.

At that time, COVID-19 wasn't something we were concerned about at all, but as winter turned to spring... and as the snow levels dropped, the closed status of the forest became our bigger concern. April turned to May, and all indications were that the forest would remain closed for the foreseeable future. But then - as May turned to June - a partial opening. Campgrounds and developed sites were still closed, and no USFS employees (except Rangers) would be out in the woods, but dispersed camping and trailheads were opened up for recreation.

Woohoo!​

I immediately penciled in a trip that started less than a week in the future.

Unsure if Pops would even be able to make it on such short notice, I wondered if this would be my first "Pops-less" trip. I wouldn't be solo - I was looking forward to showing @mrs.turbodb around on her first visit - but I figured if Pops didn't come, it would be a good opportunity to clear the road and clean up the camp site a bit before he and I would come back together in early July.

I shouldn't have wondered however - the lure of this place is too great for Pops, and a couple days before we were set to leave, he let me know that he'd bought sandwiches for every meal , and was packing the Jeep to go.

Note: Several places in this story are redacted. If you recognize any of the places shown in the photos, please help to keep them special by not mentioning their names or locations.

Day 1
We'd told Pops we'd be showing up sometime on Thursday after lunch, and it was right around 2:00pm when we turned onto ************ and headed east. This being @mrs.turbodb's first trip, we took it slow getting to the camp site - stopping at several locations along the way that were of particular interest.

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Our first stop was at **********. This was a place that I knew @mrs.turbodb - a geologist at heart - would love, the formation so unique that it begs the question - "how?" Well, it turns out, it's quite simple actually - the round rock is a corestone that was formed in place by spheroidal weathering and later exposed by the erosion of the saprolite that once enclosed it.

See, I told you it was simple. Oh, and I've redacted the identifiable photo. So, yeah.

As you can imagine, a place like this was special not just to present day travelers. For hundreds or thousands of years, Native Americans lived here, the surrounding bedrock dotted with Morteros where they ground various grains using granite pestles.

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Enjoying the nice weather, we were in no rush, but we eventually piled back into the 4Runner and continued on towards our next destination. We'd brought the 4Runner for a few reasons - the CVT Mt. Shasta RTT was already on it from our recent family trip to the Cascades, and there were some in-progress improvements happening to the Tacoma.

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Our next stop - **************** - was one I'd passed by previously but that afforded a splendid view (which I forgot to capture) and a little creek rushing down the face of the granite.

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Just a pull-out in the road, we didn't spend long this time before moving along. It was our next stop - another new one for me - that ended up capturing our senses for an extended period of time. Intrigued by the name - ************** - we turned right and followed a short road about a quarter mile until the forest fell away and the bright green grass of spring unfolded before us.

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It reminded me of Tuolumne Meadows, in Yosemite National Park, but better - because we were the only ones around! With all manner of wildflowers in bloom, @mrs.turbodb was out of the truck inspecting the flora as we continued to soak in the view.

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While we weren't planning to go any further on this short side road, I couldn't help but notice that there was a good 8-10 inches of water over the road - for a good hundred feet or so - just in front of us. Knowing that we were in a this-could-be-a-lot-of-fun situation, I asked @mrs.turbodb to take a few shots while I "turned around" a little further up.

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It turns out, the shot back the way we'd come, from "a little further up," was equally dramatic to the view we'd had entering the meadow, so I was forced to make a few trips through the water in order to get the right shot. Shucks.

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A rock formation known as "*********."​

With our last side-stop completed, it was finally time to get on with getting to camp. To say we were excited would be an understatement. What would we find as the final miles fell behind us? Surely there would be views - for miles. But would the road be clear - or would downed trees from winter slow our pace as we cleared them? We know it could be smooth sailing or similar to our first trip on the Oregon Backcountry Discovery Route where speed was measured in feet per hour. Either way, it'd be no problem, as I'd brought the Stihl MS-261 chain saw chainsaw, which it turns out would only be necessary once on this trip!

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So, the going into camp was reasonably easy, slowed only by our desire to get out and soak in the views and fresh air. On the one hand, it was all so familiar, while at the same time so fun to have this great new place for @mrs.turbodb.

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It was right around 5:00pm when we pulled into camp, relieved to find it empty - and with us the first visitors of the year from the look of things. We set about getting ourselves situated - unloading the cooler and kitchen stuff in camp, cleaning up various detritus that had fallen over the winter, that kind of thing.

Pops - naturally - had claimed his usual sleeping spot right up near the camp area. Not that you can blame him - it is a beautiful location.

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And it was just fine with us that the near-camp location was claimed, because that meant we'd also be camped in my usual spot - the one that overlooks the valley and ************.

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This is the life.​

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This formation looks more like Bears Ears than the National Monument. At least, IMO.​

All settled in, our first order of business - before the sun went down and things started to cool off - was to head down to the swimming hole for a quick dip. Well, really more of a hop-in, think-better-of-it, and hop-out - given the cold water temps from spring snow melt! Still, the creek was as alluring as ever, the noise it makes over the granite so mesmerizing!

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Our quick rinse - and clean socks-and-undies change - complete, the three of us headed back to camp. Slowly. See, the light was amazing, and it was still spring here - which meant there were wildflowers everywhere, and there was no way we were not going to admire them in the evening sun!

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Though it seemed like mere minutes, it was an hour later when we finally found ourselves back in camp - the sun now behind the hillside and trees, the slight breeze soon to change direction and start flowing down-canyon.

The views, as nice as ever.

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The only downside - as we all retired to our camp chairs and contemplated dinner - was the cloud of mosquitoes that swarmed around us as we ate. Luckily, knowing we might run into this situation early in the season, @mrs.turbodb and I had brought along our Bug Jackets, which kept us mostly bite-free.

As happens when evening wears on, temps drop a bit, and the fire gets going, the mosquitoes eventually went on their way - back to their little vampire holes - and we all sat around the fire, enjoying the first of several nights in this special place - the entire landscape lit by a full moon rising in the east.

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I'm not sure what it was that we talked about around the fire that night, but it was after midnight when we finally said our goodnights, Pops continuing to add "one last log" to the fire several times before retiring for the evening.

What the next days would bring, we weren't sure - but how could it be anything but splendtacular in a place like this?!

 

It was then at [REDACTED] that I met [REDACTED]. This made it so we could [Stricken1].

1 Persuant to NDA, Subsection C, Paragraph 2

 

Don't think that no one noticed the picture of you with a chainsaw is from a previous trip.

...unless you put a steel bumper on the 4Runner for that one photo and promptly removed it afterward...

 

as for mosquitos...

I've tried clothing made with permethrin. I haven't had a true mosquito encounter when wearing them, so maybe they work? But I have had other flying insects land on me, so maybe they dont?

I've watched several of the Lifestyle Overland family on YouTube and they seem to swear by the Thermacell technique.

 

Perhaps my favorite comment ever. You sir are what we need more of in this world.

Well no one noticed until you mentioned it, hahahaha.

Good eye!

Interesting, will need to check that out. Not a fan of the little vampires.

Laugh all you want, but I know you wish those things weren't redacted .

 

We Discover Tip of the Spear - Escape to the Sierras #2
Note: Several places in this story are redacted. If you recognize any of the places shown in the photos, please help to keep them special by not mentioning their names or locations.

The next couple of days flew by faster than I think any of us expected - or wanted. We shouldn't have been surprised, really, because that always seems to happen when you're somewhere fun and surrounded by people whose company is enjoyable.

And while the weather got a little more overcast - and a little cooler - they were still pleasant and went a little something like this...

I'd set my alarm for right around sunrise. Actually no, it was well before sunrise - maybe 45 minutes or so - when I'd climb out of bed, grab the camera and capture the light as it danced across the sky for the first time since the previous evening. We never get to see the light on the horizon of sunrises here, but who cares when the splashes of color are over a valley like this?!

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Without fail, I would quickly climb back into bed each morning for another couple hours of sleep. Unlike most trips where we've got many miles to travel each day, this trip is about relaxation and savoring the moment - we had nowhere to be but here. And that meant sleeping late (and napping) was high on the list of must-do's.

Pops would get up reasonably early - just after sunrise, in most cases, I believe - but for a different reason altogether. That guy has birds on his brain, and could probably spend every waking minute looking around for those little feathered fliers if he didn't have to eat and sleep. And morning is a great time to catch the ravenous beasts as they flit from tree to tree, his scope and binoculars moving with the speed and deftness one usually only sees from a cheetah.

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The fact that I was able to snap a few photos just goes to show how late in the morning he'd still be at it, since it was probably close to 9:00am by the time @mrs.turbodb and I were finally out of our tent and wondering what was for breakfast.

Even though we knew - we only brought cereal for breakfast.

Anyway, after my morning nap and Pops survey of the land, we usually just hung out around camp for a while - reading books, chatting in our chairs, and enjoying the breeze as it sifted through the pine, fir, and juniper that surrounded us.

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Now and then, Pops would perk up and point into the air before asking if we'd "heard that" before rattling off some latin name like Flewus Overheadus, except real.

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And now and then, I'd spot a lizard running over some nearby rock. And anyone who knows me, knows that I love catching lizards. So I'd mosey over to the rock and fiddle around for a while until I either got bored, or had a mini-dinosaur was squirming between my fingers. It's a fun game, and even netted me a new variety this time - the coloring not blue, but rather orange on the sides.

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Sagebrush Lizard.​

We could have done this all day - and I'm sure that on one occasion, we did - but eventually @mrs.turbodb and I decided it would be good to pull together a lunch and go for a hike. There are tons of places to explore in the area, but I figured that with this being her first time to *************, a visit to Lost Knife Knoll would be hard to beat.

We set off from camp the same way we'd gotten to the swimming hole the day before. This was slightly confusing for @mrs.turbodb, since she'd seen no way to cross the creek the last time we'd been down this way. Knowing that the water had been too cold for either of us to get all the way in, I may have mentioned that I "hoped she was ready to swim quickly across."

I had her going for a minute, but soon enough the bridge appeared ahead of us and the look of relief on her face was real. This was a much more pleasant way to cross the creek for both of us!

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As always, the hike - roughly following the creek while remaining 50-100 feet above it - was terrific. This area - like many in the *************** Forest - is so pleasant. Ginormous trees climb into the sky, underbrush is reasonably sparse, sunlight filtering down and allowing us to see great distances through the woods. And wildflowers - they were everywhere. It was quite clearly spring in this neck of the woods.

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If this tree were measured in houses, it might be more than one.​

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Pussypaws (Cistanthe monosperma).​

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Snow Plant. This plant has no chlorophyll; it derives nutrition from fungi underneath the soil, and for this reason the plant is called "mycotrophic". These fungi are the mycorrhizae ("fungus-roots") of conifers, an interesting topic by itself. Many conifers (among other plants) require these fungi to live normally. Mycorrhizae are composed of strands of cells (mycelia) that grow about in the soil; these strands are quite numerous and extensive, and the conifer uses them to bring water and minerals to itself. In return, the conifer provides the fungus with some of the products of its photosynthesis. Snow plant takes advantage of this felicitous arrangement by parasitizing the mycorrhizae of the photosynthate provided it by the conifer, which makes sense, given that it is a plant without chlorophyll, and therefore a plant that cannot photosynthesize. In this indirect way, Sarcodes is a parasite of conifers; this is why they are always seen beneath (or very close to) them. (fs.fed.us)​

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The spring show continued all the way up the western slope of Lost Knife Knoll, and we took full advantage - stopping every now and then to catch our breath and admire the splatter of color covering the eroding granite hillside. Even so, we reached the top of the knoll by a little after noon, and while I knew what to expect when we got there, the views of the *********** Watershed were appropriately dramatic for @mrs.turbodb.

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Of course, the reason one makes the trek to Lost Knife Knoll is not for the dramatic views. No, the reason is to see if the lost knife itself still remains hidden along the ridge, an Easter egg for the inquisitive explorer.

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No need to worry, the lost knife is still easily found if you know where to look.​

Having made good time - and having had a reasonably late breakfast - we weren't yet hungry enough for lunch and so did what we do when we've got nowhere to be but where we are - we sat down and soaked in the view.

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From here, we'd planned to head back down - off of Lost Knife Knoll and to the ******* Trail - where we'd hike another mile or so to an overlook of ************, but as we were standing there looking into the valley, it seemed that if we just followed the ridge down, we'd end up on a really nice point with perhaps an even better view!

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As we made our way down the ridge, ************ peeked out to our south, framed by hanging sugarpine cones.

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With less than a half mile to the point we'd seen from above, it didn't take long for us to reach the rocky outcropping at the end of the ridge. It was steeper than it looked, so I made @mrs.turbodb go first - you know, in case someone was going to fall.

No, I'm kidding, I'm kidding. I went first to scout the route and then hopped back down to get a few shots of @mrs.turbodb on the way up - the route more of a fun/easy bouldering challenge than anything really dangerous.

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Soon we were at the top, where we found a pointed obelisk carefully placed at the highest point - a nice balance to ************ in the background. I knew we had to name it, and so it was that this place will be forever known as Tip of the Spear Point.

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It was the perfect spot to eat lunch - well, except for the wind that was starting to pick up - so we broke out our rations (PB&J for me, and a quiche for @mrs.turbodb) and had lunch with a view.

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If it hadn't been for the wind, we probably would have stayed at Tip of the Spear for another half hour at least, but instead we made the call to head back down towards the trail, and to see if we could find our way out onto the big granite pillow across the creek from our camp site. Like most of our hike for the day, this part was cross country - to me, one of the most enjoyable types of hiking - the experience unique by definition.

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A different perspective of camp.​

Having reached all of our destinations for the day - and after a few "whoop, whoop's" to Pops who was still back at camp watching us with his birding scope - we figured the excitement was over as we headed back to camp. Little did we know, it was not!

You see, as @mrs.turbodb was walking along, she noticed the ground move - literally - next to her foot. Curious, she stopped and looked down. Following about 15 feet behind, I stopped as well and noticed the same movement she did - and then a head popped up! It was a mole, its eyes closed as it sniffed the air to see who could have possibly disturbed its tunneling through the silty soil.

We were at a standoff - none of us moving - until I reached down with a small stick and poked the location where I thought the rest of the mole's body should be. Well, you can imagine how that might make you feel if you were blind and someone poked your back side - the mole lept out of his tunnel and scurried to a nearby hiding spot as best he could. Which really wasn't all that good, since he was basically blind.

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Not so good at the seeing. OK when you live in dirt I guess.​

When we got back to camp, there was only one thing to do: take a nap. There's nothing better than a light breeze blowing through the tent on a sunny day, and within minutes of turning on our Kindles, we were both nodding off.

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Refreshed, we found ourselves back in our camp chairs, chatting with Pops about this and that - as one does in a situation like this. I also took a few minutes to prep the firewood we'd be using for the camp fire - a nice break in an otherwise relaxing day!

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Eventually - as always happens - the sun got lower and lower on the horizon, then went behind the hill to the west of our camp. As in the morning, light plays across the valley and sky at the extremes of the day, and I'll never tire of the view from this place.

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Once again, we chatted into the night, this one a bit cooler than the last - the fire providing plenty of heat to keep us warm. The next day would be Pop's last, and we'd have only one more after that. Never enough if you ask me!

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Epilogue

Our routine the following morning was much the same as it'd been the previous few. Sleeping and birding, breakfasting and sitting around. We could get used to this.

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But Pops was antsy - I could tell. Antsy because he didn't want to leave - not yet. With a planned departure of 11:00am, it was 1:00pm when I noticed him looking out from camp, over to Lost Knife Knoll...

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It was nearly 2:00pm when he finally stowed the last of his things in the back of his limo for slow - yet comfy - the drive out of camp; a four hour drive to get home, assuming he didn't stop to bird along the way. (Of course he stopped to bird, duh.)

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The rest of the day passed much like the previous - @mrs.turbodb and I happy to be here, the sky clearing as the afternoon wore on. With an early departure the next morning - we planned to leave around 4:00am to make it all the way home in a single day - we pulled the 4Runner closer to camp so we could load everything up prior to hitting the sack.

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An early dinner - Ramen - hit the spot and we were soon climbing up into the tent before the light of day had left the sky. It had been another amazing trip, one we wouldn't soon forget. And now, I'm not the only one in the house who can't wait to go back!

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wow..incredible views! I've lived in the wonderful great state of California all my 66 years and I grew up in the Sierra Foothills north of here and I have absolutely no idea where this redacted location is. thats my bad. Glad you were able to go there!

 

Thanks Ruhd, glad you enjoyed the pics. For all the crap it gets, I am still of fan of the state I grew up in - might be expensive to live in certain areas, but man - so much variety and beauty to be had!

 

(posted this in the Taco adventures thread by accident, so if you've read it there, no need to read here)
Olympic-Sized Views to Obstruction Point

Summer is a great time in the state of Washington. While much of the rest of the year might be dreary and gray, the long days and clear air between mid-July and September are nothing short of perfection for getting out to enjoy the mountainous terrain in the western part of the state.

And this time, we were headed as far west as we could go - all the way to the Olympic Peninsula, for an epic hike along one of the highest ridges around.

Keen to get the trip off to a good start, we made a quick stop at Family Donut - a new shop we'd recently found - for some of the best donuts I've ever eaten. It's a good thing too, because about 15 minutes later we were parked - the engine off - waiting for a ferry to take us across the Puget Sound.

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It turns out that someone the-opposite-of-smarter than me had made the decision to reduce the number of ferries running on the weekends in the middle of summer. We ended up waiting over three hours for our ferry to arrive.

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One can't complain too much on a ferry however - the views are always so nice as you glide across the water.

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Oh look, there are the other two ferries that run this route. Still operational on the less-crowded weekdays, it turns out. (What?!?)​

Hungry again, we made a quick stop for lunch before heading up Deer Park Road towards the campground and trailhead that we'd call home for the next couple of days. Already, things were looking up - literally - as the mountains we'd be exploring rose in the distance!

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Now, one of the reasons we'd made an early start was that the campground we were going to - Deer Park - is a no reservation location with only about 20 spots. With amazing views, it fills up quickly, even on a Sunday night. And, perhaps predictably as we pulled in just before 5:00pm, everything was full.

Dang.

Bummed, we pulled into an overflow parking spot and weighed our options: we could head back down the eight mile dirt road and find a wide spot in the road to set up (a dusty) camp; we could head home and try again some other time; or we could see if someone with a spot would let us share.

A bit awkwardly, and with my face covered in a mask, I approached the folks staying in what is arguably the best spot in the campground. A quick look at their reservation ticket showed that they'd been there for a couple nights, and this was going to be their final night before heading home.

Well, it turns out that Carol and Rick (of Edmonds, WA) couldn't have been nicer. After a brief chat, they were happy to let us park in front of their car and open up the tent on our 4Runner. They even invited us to join them around their camp fire (we didn't, since we didn't want to intrude), and to put a tag on the site marker reserving it beyond the end of the their stay!

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As @mini.turbodb scampered off to explore, @mrs.turbodb and I unfolded our chairs in the shade and pulled out our Kindles for a couple hours of relaxation, with a pretty nice view.

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If you find yourself reading a good book here, savor it.​

Having eaten a very late lunch just before heading up to camp, we all decided that dinner wasn't really necessary, and as the sun started to get lower on the horizon, we figured we should gain a little elevation to take it all in. The road behind camp wound up Blue Mountain - a perfect place to enjoy the display.

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This looks amazing. What you can't see are the gnats! Luckily, they were concentrated at this rock outcropping.​

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With the sun below the horizon we made our way back to camp just as a heavy rain shower started! We'd checked the weather prior to the trip and there was no precipitation predicted, but hey, at least we hadn't deployed the tent yet!

The rain didn't last long at all - perhaps 5 minutes - and in the end, it significantly reduced the dust, which was perfect. We just hung out in the 4Runner, @mini.turbodb already in her cozy little bed.

With hugs goodnight, we climbed out of the truck to set up the CVT, and were immediately distracted by the main storm, a distant several miles to the north. Lightning - and plenty of it - illuminating the sky as the storm tracked eastward.

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The dozen or so other folks around us also noticed, and it was a bit humorous to see all of them packing up and talking in hushed tones about the safety of being "out in the open" when the storm was so far away. We chuckled as we unfolded the tent on the roof of the 4Runner and confidently climbed in, as other campers considered the "safest" place to go in these dangerous times.

We knew, the safest place to go was "to sleep."

The Hike

The next morning we were up bright and early - our alarm set for 5:50am, so we could pack up and roll out of camp by 6:15am. We did this as quietly as possible so as not to wake Carol and Rick, and we left a couple chairs and our kitchen box to hold camp while we completed our trek.

The trailhead was less than a mile away, and after a quick breakfast, lunch making, and setting up of todo(link)the solar panel to keep the fridge running through the day, it was time to set off for Obstruction Point.

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This is no short hike. At a little over 15 miles round trip, it was going to be a trek for all of us, and I'd warned the small one about this several times in the preceding week.

"I'm going to need you to do your best complaining," I told her. "I'll be sure to point out the most difficult sections as we come to them, so that you can strive for overachievement in those sections. Don't disappoint me!"

Of course, we'd also promised amazing sights, and even as we started down through the forest, the morning moisture in the air made for great views.

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"Hey kiddo," I called as she ran ahead, "I just want to point out to you that this part is downhill now, but when we're all tired and ready to be done, this last section is going to be uphill and steep! I need you to whine as much as possible at that point, OK?"

That got a good laugh.

The first mile and a half of the trail makes its way along a forested ridge, and in the cool morning air we found plenty to keep ourselves entertained. A toad, hopping along, found its way from my hands to those of the child, squeals of joy escaping her lips as it sat for a moment before hopping off into the brush.

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A rock, embedded in a tree by an explorer before us, now claimed to be "thrown" into position by hers truly.

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And a rabbit - just the right size for a dinner and a half - clearly used to hikers that posed little threat as it continued to much away even as we were within a few feet.

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These are the things that keep a 10-year old entertained, any desire to complain or ask, "How much longer do we have?" forgotten for a moment in the excitement!

As we reached the two-mile mark, we began to break out of the trees. There was still much "up" to go, but now it'd be with views that extended as far as the eye could see.

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At this point, the only way to tell the story of the hike is to continually repeat myself as to the splendiferousness of the views, and the grandeur of this special place. It was enough to keep us all going and entertained for another couple hours and several more miles, stopping now and again (and again, and again) for photos along the way.

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A beckoning trail.​

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The Straight of Juan de Fuca, and Victoria, Canada.​

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This world is a beautiful place.​

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Winding along a ridge.​

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Giantess.​

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Perspective is everything.​

<p id="videoContainer1" class="full-width-container">https://www.youtube.com/embed/a2rQegdr3SM</p>

As it neared 11:00am, and right around 4 hours and 5 miles of hiking, we decided it was time for lunch. We'd reached the apex of the trail at, and therefore the best views. With no one else in sight, we climbed to the top of the ridge, the wind strong enough to instill a bit of fear in the ladies as they looked over the edge.

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Up, up, up...​

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...and a long way down.​

Lunch was delicious. Turkey with avocado on sourdough, with a side of chips and plenty of water - we all counted ourselves lucky for the meal @mrs.turbodb had put together for us before we set out on the excursion!

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Our bellies full, it was my turn for a ridge-line shot. The trail - winding off into the distance along the ridge - the path we'd travelled, and would travel again on our way back to camp.

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Seriously man, just be normal for once.​

And with that, we headed back. Sure, we'd only made it five-and-change of the 7.6 miles to the end of the trail (which is itself another trailhead for the same excursion in the opposite direction), but we'd done it with almost no complaints from the kiddo.

Pushing on the last couple miles, and the risk that would entail - well, as any parent knows - there was no righter decision than to turn around here.

With a few reminders to @mini.turbodb that I was, "Disappointed in the lack of whining so far," and expected her to, "Make up for it on the way back." we set off once again, most of the trail downhill for our return trip.

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It was late afternoon when we found ourselves back in camp. Through the day the solar system had kept the fridge cool (though, there was some drama in this regard, which I'll share in a later story) and we now found ourselves the sole, lucky, residents of the best camp site in Deer Park. @mrs.turbodb promptly laid down for a nap while @mini.turbodb and I read our books.

Dinner of taco-rittos with loads of guacamole were ravenously eaten, and soon we were seated around the fire ring with marshmallows and chocolate. It was - to say the least - a great way to end what had been our most ambitious family hike to date!

We Were Not Ready to Head Home

Having woken up quite early on the previous morning, we had no reason to climb out of bed before 8:00am when we woke up the next day. Fog had rolled in to the valleys overnight, but there was no lack of sun up here in the heavens.

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A leisurely breakfast, and packing up of camp ensued. Even at that, it was probably only an hour or so before we were ready to go... except that we weren't. None of us - @mini.turbodb included - really wanted to leave this fantastically serene place, especially now that the campground had cleared out and we nearly had the place to ourselves.

So, we decided that one more - short - hike was in order. We'd head up the same road behind camp that we'd witnessed the sunset from a couple days before, and hike to the top of Blue Mountain, taking in the 360° views one last time.

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Parking of the gods.​

The sun wasn't in the best position to capture much of what we saw, but it was as though we were surrounded by a fluffy comforter of puff. Tentacles of the stuff reached in amongst the fingers of the mountains, their high ridges and peaks towering majestically above the cover.

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Even taking the hike slow and savoring the views, it was still before 10:00am when we pointed ourselves downhill and headed for home. As what might be the last family outing of the summer - school is starting soon - it was definitely one of our most fun. And that bodes well for the memory of small children, and their desire to get out when spring turns to summer once again, and the opportunity to get out and camp presents itself!

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Adding Electrical to the 4Runner Storage Area

The plan with the 4Runner was always to keep it a little bit more tame than the Tacoma. After all, it's our family adventure vehicle - used mostly for home-base-style camping, and less for prolonged driving adventures. But, some systems need to work in both vehicles - and the fridge is a great example.

The Backstory

Up until this summer, when we ventured over to Washington's Olympic Peninsula, I'd always just nursed the fridge along - running it as we drove to camp, and then turning it off once we reached our destination. There were a few reasons for that - we'd generally only go for a single night, we generally park in the shade, and I knew that the battery in the 4Runner was on its last legs.

But - visiting the Peninsula for three days and two nights to hike to Obstruction Point - we needed the fridge to work. It didn't - but not for the reasons I would have thought. See, knowing that I'd need the fridge to work, I'd gone out and purchased a new Northstar 24F AGM battery. I'd also spent some time extending the 12V power cord for the ARB 50qt fridge so it could reach the only 12V receptacle in the 4Runner - the cigarette lighter at the front of the vehicle.

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As we drove to the peninsula, everything was fine - the fridge keeping everything nice and cool. As we got to camp, I setup the solar panel to keep everything in tip-top shape - and proceeded to forget about it. A couple hours later, I looked in to check on everything and the battery was doing great, but the fridge was in error mode - low voltage!

Not sure what could be going on, I thought that perhaps my extension cable was losing voltage over its length. That shouldn't have been the case - the fridge uses less than 90W and I'd used 12ga wire - but I cut the extension and plugged the fridge back into the cigarette lighter. No dice!

Could I have gotten a bum battery? I hoped not, but I suppose I could have...was my next thought.

Needing to keep our food cool, my ultimate solution for the night was to run the truck for 30 minutes, letting the alternator charge the battery and run the fridge - because, as had been the case when we'd been driving over - when the truck was on, the fridge worked just fine!

The next morning, I had an idea, since I couldn't believe a brand new battery would have failed: what if I was seeing voltage drop, but not because of my cable? What if the voltage drop was due to the OEM wiring to the cigarette lighter?

I hooked the extended fridge cable directly to the battery and - BOOM - everything worked just fine! Sure enough, the wiring to the 12v cigarette lighter was the culprit. No blown fuses, just a voltage drop that sent the fridge into error mode.

And, something I'd need to address.

Present Day

Moving with the swiftness of a sloth, it's been three months since our trip to the Peninsula. I'd ordered the parts for this modification upon our return, but of course, they'd sat in the living room for a while. Some might call that procrastination; I call it a virtue - because remember, good things come to those who wait.

In designing the solution, I decided I wanted to run power to the rear of the 4Runner that would solve the issue with the fridge, give me a convenient place to connect the solar setup in order to charge the battery while in camp, and also provide me anything I'd need in the future. I figured the following would be a reasonable solution:

• A 6-circuit fuse block from Blue Sea Systems - to provide fused power to several devices simultaneously.
• An 80A circuit breaker from Bussmann - placed between the battery and fuse block, to protect the cable run to the front of the 4Runner.
• 20' of 4ga welding cable - to provide a reasonably-large, but still manageable conduit for power to the fuse block and accessories. Additionally, this would reduce the voltage drop when the solar charger was sending power back to the battery.
• Some 4 gauge wire lugs - to connect the cable to the battery and fuse block.
• Two (2), 12V power receptacles - one of these would be used for the fridge, the other for future use.
• Miscellaneous 12ga wire, shrink tubing, 1/4 inch braided wire sleeve, and wire connectors to make connections.

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With some sunny days in the forecast - good things come to those who wait - I figured that my "patience" had paid off, and it was time to get this project banged out!

I started by using a piece of cardboard to make a template where I planned to mount a piece of plywood in the rear storage area, in order to secure all of the components. Positioned on the driver side, right next to the fridge, this would be convenient and protected from all the other gear in the rear area.

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It was easy enough to take that cardboard to a piece of ½" plywood and trace it, before cutting it out and rounding the corners a bit for a nicer look. A mock-up of two of the major components was also in order at this point.

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Mock-up, with two slots in the panel for wiring to pass through - I figured keeping the wiring on the back side was both clean and good to protect it from getting caught on gear.​

Next, was the part of the project that I'd been procrastinating - removing the various bits of the interior in order to run the 4 gauge cable from the engine bay to the rear compartment. My plan was to run it through a firewall grommet on the driver side, then through the door sills, and up through the rear panel of the storage area.

It turned out that removal of these panels was much easier than removing the interior of a Tacoma, and I had everything looking like the Tasmanian Devil had been there, in just a few minutes!

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The entire interior removal required only a #2 Philips screwdriver!​

Panels removed, I ran the cable, securing it along the way with zip ties or existing OEM straps to keep it away from sharp edges and clip-points for the interior panels that would need to be reattached as everything was put back together.

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Reassembly was easy, and the final step was to attach the plywood panel to the 4Runner and wire everything up.

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3" stainless steel machine screws used for mounting, also make it easy to mark locations to drill in the plastic.​

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Rivnuts secured in the plastic will receive the screws that serve as stand-offs.​

I mounted all of the components to the panel - the circuit breaker, fuse block, and two 12v sockets - on my workbench, where it was easy to crimp, solder and heat shrink the various connections. All that was left to do in the 4Runner was crimp on the 4ga lugs using a 16 ton hydraulic crimper, and attach them to the fuse block and circuit breaker.

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Now, I've got plenty of power to the fridge, a great place to mount the Victron SmartSolar MPPT Solar Charge Controller when we're in the 4Runner, and plenty of room for future expansion. I'd call that success!

 

FWIW, I have been running my fridge through a Jackery Explorer when on trips. I set it on the front floorboard this last time so that I could "monitor" things. One thing I observed was that the Jackery showed around 80W of input any time the truck was running, but that would drop down to 30W when only given ACC power. My fridge pulls 55W when the compressor is running.

 

Nice. I think if I were to do my dual battery setup again, I'd likely go with a LiIon pack and move it between the Taco and 4Runner. As it is, the goal here was simplicity - get the solar working in the 4Runner, and be able to run the fridge, so just adding a fuse block got that job done.

Nice to hear that 80W goes in. How long does it take to charge from 50% to full, or empty to full?

 

About 10 hours to increase 50% while also running the fridge. Obviously, it would be much less if someone were to get one of the smaller units.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ble-solar-power-station.689050/#post-24366450

I had a dual battery in our 4Runner back when we had that. The family outgrew it and we went to an Expedition by way of an Odyssey....I do NOT recommend a minivan. At least not a Honda one, but that's another story (it tried to kill my kids). Anyway, there are no good kits or mounting options that I could find for the Expedition and the more I looked into it, the more I didn't really want a secondary battery in the Tacoma (at least not in the OEM location). Don't want to crack or tear the sheet metal under there with the added weight of a second battery. So I settled on the Jackery as a portable unit that is easily transferred between vehicles.

 

the 4Runner has a new happy home as of today. Was a fun truck, but we weren't using it as much as we planned, so it was time for it to go. Still pretty clean, so it went fast.

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In the current market, I hope you made money on that deal.