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AdventureTaco - turbodb's build and adventures

Discussion in '1st Gen. Builds (1995-2004)' started by turbodb, Apr 4, 2017.

  1. Jun 8, 2025 at 10:11 AM
    #5521
    ian408

    ian408 Well-Known Member

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    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.
     
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  2. Jun 8, 2025 at 2:09 PM
    #5522
    mtnkid85

    mtnkid85 Well-Known Member

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    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.
     
  3. Jun 8, 2025 at 6:15 PM
    #5523
    MR E30

    MR E30 Well-Known Member

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    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 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!
     
    turbodb[QUOTED][OP] likes this.
  4. Jun 8, 2025 at 7:52 PM
    #5524
    ian408

    ian408 Well-Known Member

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  5. Jun 8, 2025 at 8:55 PM
    #5525
    turbodb

    turbodb [OP] AdventureTaco

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    AdventureTaco
    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.

    [​IMG]
     
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  6. Jun 8, 2025 at 9:00 PM
    #5526
    turbodb

    turbodb [OP] AdventureTaco

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    AdventureTaco
    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.

    [​IMG]
    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.

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

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

    [​IMG]
    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.

    [​IMG]
    Found the Bullseye!

    [​IMG]
    Small sun.

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

    [​IMG]
    Another deer.

    [​IMG]
    Vibrant sheep.

    [​IMG]
    No legs.

    [​IMG]
    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.

    [​IMG]
    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.

    [​IMG]
    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.

    upload_2025-6-8_20-59-28.png
    So much going on.

    [​IMG]
    Siamese sheep.


    upload_2025-6-8_20-59-51.png
    Long-horned sheep. (top left) | Rubber legs. (bottom left) | Triangle dancer. (right)

    [​IMG]
    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.

    [​IMG]
    Around the spiral.

    [​IMG]
    Joker.

    [​IMG]
    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.

    [​IMG]
    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!

    [​IMG]
    Little Salt Lake Panel.

    upload_2025-6-8_21-0-16.png
    A closer look.

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

    [​IMG]
    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!

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

    [​IMG]
    So many circles.


    upload_2025-6-8_21-0-39.png
    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.

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

    [​IMG]
    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.

    [​IMG]

    $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!

    [​IMG]
    An orange wall near Kingston.

    [​IMG]
    Storm brewing just outside Capitol Reef.
     
    Last edited: Jun 9, 2025 at 11:05 AM
  7. Jun 8, 2025 at 9:11 PM
    #5527
    ian408

    ian408 Well-Known Member

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    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.
     
  8. Jun 8, 2025 at 11:18 PM
    #5528
    unstpible

    unstpible Well-Known Member

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    CX Racing Turbo kit. TransGo shift kit. All Pro Apex bumper and skids. Smittybilt XRC 9.5 winch. All Pro Upper control arm's. Bilstein 6112's with 600lb coils. Eimkeith's lower control arm reinforcement plates. Perry Parts bump stops. All Pro spindle gussets and alignment cam tabs. All Pro standard 3" leaf springs. Bilstein 5125's rear. Extended rear brake lines. Rear diff breather relocation. MagnaFlow catback with resonator. Bluetooth stereo. Memphis 6x9 door speakers. Diode Dynamics SS3 Pro Amber fog lights. Single piece headlights. aftermarket grille. Anzo taillights. LED 3rd brake light. 4runner sunglass holder and dome lights. Master Tailgaters rear view mirror with 3 directional cameras, G shock sensors, and anti theft system. Honda windshield washer nozzles. Stubby antenna. Scan Guage II. 2nd Gen Snowflake wheels powder coated black. Cooper Discoverer ST Maxx 235-75/16 Denso 210-0461 105 amp alternator. Speedytech7's big wire harness upgrade. Aeromotive 340 fuel pump. Haltech Elite 2500. Tacomaworld sticker. Tundra brakes with Adventure Taco's hardline kit
    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
    20150527_132407.jpg
    20150527_133705.jpg
     
    Last edited: Jun 8, 2025 at 11:27 PM
    d.shaw, Rezkid, turbodb[OP] and 5 others like this.
  9. Jun 13, 2025 at 8:17 PM
    #5529
    turbodb

    turbodb [OP] AdventureTaco

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    AdventureTaco
    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. :rofl:

    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.

    [​IMG]
    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.

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

    [​IMG]
    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.

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

    [​IMG]
    Two dudes and their sheep.

    [​IMG]
    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.

    [​IMG]

    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.

    [​IMG]

    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)

    [​IMG]
    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.

    [​IMG]
    Newly surfaced.

    [​IMG]
    South through the Waterpocket Fold.

    [​IMG]
    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!

    [​IMG]
    The gang.

    [​IMG]
    "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.

    [​IMG]
    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.

    [​IMG]
    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.

    [​IMG]
    Off we go.

    [​IMG]
    Winding south through the heart of Capitol Reef.

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

    [​IMG]

    A deja-view. :wink:

    [​IMG]
    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.

    [​IMG]
    A familiar lineup.

    [​IMG]
    Double rainbow of rocks and Tacomas.

    [​IMG]
    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.

    [​IMG]
    Towering shade.

    [​IMG]
    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.

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

    [​IMG]
    An easy climb.

    [​IMG]
    Into the passageway.

    [​IMG]
    Headed up.

    [​IMG]
    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.

    [​IMG]
    Twinsies.

    [​IMG]
    Sandstone anticline.

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

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    upload_2025-6-13_20-15-55.png
    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.

    upload_2025-6-13_20-16-17.png
    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.

    [​IMG]
    An amazing view north.

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

    [​IMG]
    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.

    [​IMG]
    Wingate wall.

    [​IMG]
    Getting the shot.

    [​IMG]
    The shot.

    [​IMG]
    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!
    :hungry:

    [​IMG]
    Privacy parking.

    [​IMG]
    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.

    upload_2025-6-13_20-17-0.png
    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!


    .
     
  10. Jun 13, 2025 at 8:21 PM
    #5530
    BKinzey

    BKinzey Well-Known Member

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    I'm a fast reader.....
     
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  11. Jun 13, 2025 at 8:33 PM
    #5531
    Speedytech7

    Speedytech7 Toyota Cult Ombudsman

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    It's less Tacoma and more mod
    Depriving the camera of a clear view would only be doing the world a disservice.
     
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