blueberry.taco build and adventures

these are the famous "Marble head steps" obstacle we had no issues going down or up.
did kiss some rocks with the front bumper and rock rails a smidge but that's what they are there for!











and I'm really just getting used to scratching up my nice method wheels. next set needs rock rings for sure

 

not sure what you're referring to

but back to storytime.
dog enjoyed all the sightseeing


played with the drone



relaxed with our inflatable raft



got some nibbles but zero fish



and had ice cream on the drive home



probably the first time I've ever been to Drummond and not used any recovery gear. usually a winch is a requirement, but so far super impressed with the capabilities of this rig!

 

I was talking about the blue/black tape on the floor under your truck:

 

I cannot help but notice the ball mount is in the backside of the receiver. Looks like an out of the way storage spot when working on the truck.

 

starting to post pictures from my latest trip down to the SouthWest.

Spent a couple days on the road heading towards Utah from Michigan, so of course we'll come across a sunrise that looks pretty


we're starting to rack on the miles


our dog survived his first time zone change


and both the truck and dog saw their first 11k ft of elevation. both had no issues.


first camp in Moab, canyon rim side on the Green river.
had the place all to ourselves


the stripes and colors of Utah are breathtaking. this is a top down shot from our drone. you can see the blue spot. that's our truck.






noone in the area plus being remote makes for great star and milkyway gazing

 

next day we headed further southwest.
Started with a nice lunch spot away from the crowds.


and then kept driving.
saw this sign, and then kept driving again, excited to see fewer people.


and arrived at the most. epic. camp spot I have ever been to.

 

pictures do not do this place justice on how magestic the scenery is





flying the drone from this kind of exposure was a new experience

 

at sunrise, our camper was the first thing the sunlight hit

 

Amazing build and trips. Most impressive. But I have to ask, would it have been easier just building you own truck from scratch? Clearly you have the skills.

 

Thanks, unfortunately as much as I'd love to build from scratch, that is a giant time commitment and would detract (most likely) years from the traveling side of it.
Wife and I agreed we were going to buy whatever we need to get us out the door to take these big trips, and I can make modifications as I want in the downtimes.
So far I haven't regretted the decisions, although every trip we take I come home with a mile long list of changes I'd like to make to our setup.

Having this clear project scope has really helped keep me on track with not having major lengths of down time, hence decisions like staying on leafs rather than linking it, keeping it stock front travel (at least for now) instead of going to LT from the get go, etc

 

That's great. Your methods would probably help a bunch of Taco builders on this site.

 

Headed towards Page AZ to pick up some backpacking permits



Thanks to a very dog friendly hostess at the bbq restaurant, Tig got his very own bowl of brisket.
Tig says 5/5 stars would recommend, would like to come back next time he’s in the area.



and then decided to make camp early to do some chores

"boring" campground still has some good background



made good use of full sun and low humidity and high temps to do a load of laundry


light dinner


This is looking down at the Colorado River


We got to enjoy a rare campfire for the area. The fire bans were only recently lifted.

 

Day before we started backpacking, so we wanted an easy day so a nice leisurely walk to an arch


went to a remote slot canyon which isn't well known or advertised so we didn't have a great idea what we were getting into.
Turns out it was a bit much for a dog so we started by just carrying him which got exhausting pretty quick, but he loved it.

 

eventually we figured it out, he was happy to sit on my legs and enjoy the ride up and down through the slots




and yes he walked himself on flat areas


and wondered what takes us so long sometimes

 

Then for the next 4 days we backpacked down the Paria River.
absolutely beautiful views, but i think it was a bit too much for our poor 10 year old short legged dog so after 20 miles with a bunch of swimming and padding across the river crossings and sloshing through various kinds of mud, he was spent, so he spent the 3rd day in my backpack. Plus we watched a flash flood roll through and turn the calm clear water into a raging torrent of brown which was exciting and terrifying.

lots more pics and videos on the instagram page but here's some of the highlight photos.










and this is how dirty a dog gets after the last day when the water was still just mud and rushing and we had to cross it countless times.

 

after we made it out we all took a nice long hot shower and found a quiet spot to camp for the night.
we got a bonus of watching some thunderstorms roll by around sunset which was the perfect way to relax.

 

Next day we drove around looking for a new spot to hang out on Lake Powell but the water levels are so low currently that even though all our maps said we should be underwater, we couldn't even see the lake without sending the drone up to scout for us.

we did get to drive by some interesting walls while we wandered


but in the end we returned to Alstrom point but from a different overlook down at the lake


as usual i try to park as close to the views as safely possible. sometimes big views screw with scale. see the truck at the bottom of this shot


and sunset



sunrise was a little early for our tired dog


but we enjoyed our kitchen with a view to make some blueberry pancakes for breakfast

 

moar pics

 

burr switchbacks


another epic camp