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In and out of the trucks, we ultimately covered some 27 miles in just under two hours. All on reasonably graded gravel roads, we eventually saw Eagles Nest and Mt. Powell in the distance before we decided at about 6:00pm that we'd found a reasonable camp site and were going to call it a day, Brett - ever looking for the poser shot as evidenced by the #overlanding stickers on his #GFC - flexing his way the last few feet into camp.

Read the full story and get the low-down on 'the Gram at:

Redhead Down #4: Follow Me on the Trail, Not on the 'Gram








catch up on the whole story
[part 1] [part 2] [part 3] [part 4]​

 

September 20, 2019.

...Eventually, we found ourselves at the top of Cottonwood Peak. -ish. There are a couple caveats here worth mentioning. First, no road actually went to the top. Second, even the highest point of the road wasn't technically the top of the peak - it skirted along the southwest side by a few hundred feet - both horizontally and vertically.

And that was just fine with Brett - more than fine in fact! He jumped out of his truck and immediately challenged Monte to a race to the top. Of course, Monte being only slightly competitive meant that we really had to twist his arm to get him to accept the challenge.
Right. And on the count of three, they were off.

Find out who wins in Redhead Down #5: The Race









catch up on the whole story
[part 1] [part 2] [part 3] [part 4] [part 5]​

 

September 21, 2019.

...Of course, we all made it - Monte declaring that this was even narrower than the back side of Webster Pass - but not without a casualty. Brett had been hugging the uphill side of the trail so tightly that he'd punctured his front, driver-side tire on a rock. It wasn't severe enough that he had to change it right there on the switchbacks, but he scooted his truck up to the top while the rest of us paused for a moment to snap an #instafabulous photo or two at a top-of-the-world sort of overlook, Red Cone in the distance.

Redhead Down #6: Chihuahua, Webster, Red Cone and Radical!​

catch up on the whole story
[part 1] [part 2] [part 3] [part 4] [part 5] [part 6]

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September 22, 2019.

...As we all set about our normal evening activities - prepping our tents and getting the fire pit ready - Brett had something else in mind entirely. This was a site worthy of a custom bench. However, unlike many of the locations we'd been, there was relatively little beetle kill here, and so he headed off with his truck to find - and drag back - the trunk of a dead tree. And then, he set to work with the chainsaw.

It's all covered in Redhead Down #7: The Day We Made a Bench​

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September 23, 2019.

Just as the trail had some gatekeepers obstacles near the bottom, so too were there some larger gatekeepers before we could proceed much further towards the top. Several of these offered easier and harder lines, our approach summarized nicely by this meme...

All the photos and the whole story in: Redhead Down #8: Exploring the Champion Mill









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catch up on the whole story
[part 1] [part 2] [part 3] [part 4] [part 5] [part 6] [part 7] [part 8]​

 

September 24, 2019.

...That last hour had been a rough one. And it's repercussions would be immediate and long lasting. They'd start the next morning as we started trying to clean up the mess and figure out what we were going to do next.

Read the whole story in Redhead Down #9: The Last Hour








catch up on the whole story
[part 1] [part 2] [part 3] [part 4] [part 5] [part 6] [part 7] [part 8] [part 9]
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This is the camping set up. ARB awning, and awning room. Quick and easy set up, but not great when it’s raining.

 

WOW....the pro can take pictures....

Here is one from a Non Pro for pics.




So we do things without giving a Chit about where we disperse camping.

Here is our picture.....

Take it or leave it.

EDIT: This thread seems to be a self promotion. UN SUBBED

 

Joshua Tree, CA
Freespirit Recreation High Country 55" Tri-layer sitting on top of Victory4x4 10" bed rack system.

 

A couple from my recent Death Valley trip

 

Padre Island

 

How’s the awning room working out? I’m in the process of building out my truck in a similar fashion and have been looking at the awning room for additional bug free living space.

 

The awning room is essential IMHO. It kept me dry one day during light rains and kept me bug free this past summer on several days. If you get one also get several cheap tarps. Wish I had done this from the start. After the five trips I did last summer I now have some small holes in the floor of the awning room. Two tarps underneath and one tarp inside on the floor. The inside one not only offers protection but also makes cleaning up easier.

 

This trip is going to be EPIC. In fact, once we complete our 8 days in the Mojave National Preserve, we'll probably be done exploring the area - we'll hit all the important bits, and will have no reason to go back - except to show of the coolest areas to our friends.

Famous last words! [smile id="rofl"] Spoiler: I need to go back.

To see and read about the first part of this crazy adventure, check out
Mojave Redemption #1 - Off to an Ominous Start​

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Now, as I previously mentioned, our first destination was the Colosseum Mine - high in the Clark Mountains - where we'd have lunch before dropping down the other side into Alaska Hills. However, as we neared the mountains, we were pretty sure that those plans were about to change.

Read all about it in Mojave Redemption - #2 - Should We Turn Around and Go Home?

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...We had three stops planned here, but our first stop along this route was not for a cinder cone at all - rather, it was for a lava tube that's been made accessible for exploration with the installation of a metal ladder that ushers curious hikers down into the depths of the earth...

Read the whole story, and see all the photos in Mojave Redemption #3 - Cinder Cones and Sand Dunes





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...While on the Ring Loop hike, we'd spotted an ideal spot for camping just to the south of Hole in the Wall, and we made our way that direction so we could get setup and start dinner before the sun set completely. It was perfect timing as it turned out, a break in the clouds along the horizon providing an amazing show for us as the sun lit the sky from below. Combined with the snow-capped mountains, and tasty grilled hot dogs, it was a great way to...

Well, you'll see... in Mojave Redemption #4 - Hidden Mines and Highway Robbery

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...As you might expect, turning off the main drag onto New York Mountain Road resulted in the snow level got significantly deeper. Traffic had gone before us, but it had been light - two, or perhaps three vehicles over the last several days. We pressed on...

We'd encounter the deepest snow so far, and you can read all about it in
Mojave Redemption #5 - Into the New York Mountains

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...The sun now below the horizon, it was time to find camp. We considered for a moment the possibility of camping here at the Evening Star Mine, but the snow on the ground, and the mountains to the east - which would result in a shady morning - quickly had us searching for lower ground as the orange horizon gleamed before us...

Oh, and there was a bit of an issue with our rear bumper that we dealt with, and an RV that we winched out of a wash. Fun day!

The full story and tons of photos are in: Mojave Redemption #6 - Blue Rocks and a Dozen Cabins





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