Where Have You Off-Roaded Today? 3rd Gen

Thanks! I obviously didn’t read the manual fully yet! But I guess I would have figured that one out eventually had I ever gotten a flat! I wouldn’t have thought that was a jack point. Ok I’ll read the manual now.

So you know that road too? Believe it or not, the only other time I was on it, I was a senior in high school (class of ‘79) and my friend and I took his dad’s Vista Cruiser station wagon on a spring break desert campout trip and we drove Old Dale all the way through from the south to Gold Crown and Hwy 62 - I don’t think the road was in nearly as rugged shape as it is now on the rocky parts, although we did have to gun it through the sand crossings and lay down a lot of rocks to get over some of the ruts On the rocky grade sections near the mines. I also remember more structures at the mines, it’s too bad the large wooden headframes over some of the mines next to the road are gone. That’s a very nice road and a beautiful area, too!

Yeah, we drove in from the south, but I have an annual pass so going into the park through the check stands is already paid for, I also like driving in from the south on Birdoo Canyon road off of Dillon, have you tried that?

I’ll PM about mines- have not been underground there but I used to do a lot of work in the mines in Death Valley for the park, so we can trade some info on that- thanks!

 

Nice! I dented my crappy skid plate too. Upgrade in the near future!!!

 

Ran this beautiful loop trail in the Sierras. Fun and challenging little trail. Even got to use my locker for the first time in a real situation and sure enough it just turned the truck into a mountain goat when I needed it too. Found an epic back country camping spot too. Set my chair and cooler out and took a nap. All is right with the world today.

 

Corral Ridge trail near Bear Valley?

 

Definitely invest in some aftermarket skid plates. I completely smashed the stock skid plate a few weeks after I bought the truck on something stupid. It’s slightly better than a piece of tin foil.

 

Yeah, good advice. I’m tired of mall crawling with the first new Toyota I ever bought (I’ve only bought low mileage used ones until now), and the stock skids on this one are much thinner than the ones on my Gen 1.

 

Now I gotta check this out when I get back! I'm new so obviously don't want to get anywhere insane yet but that looks decent and worth the trip

 

hit up Anza Borrego and Painted Canyons this quick for some hiking and exploring miles
(Painted Canyons)

(Anza Borrego National Park)

 

This might be my favorite post on TW. That's gorgeous. What, if any mods, were needed for that run?

 

Awesome photos! What top is that?

 

If you like those photos (which are awesome, by the way), check out the Expedition Overland youtube series. One of their "North America" series episodes was on the Morrison Jeep Trail. They took a BMW F650GS, 2013 Tacoma DCSB, and a Landcruiser towing a trailer. The trailer on those switchbacks was intense to watch. They used a winch a couple times, but I think that was mostly due to the trailer. If I remember right the Tacoma did just fine on it's own.

 

time for some new tires. I don't want you to puncture those way up there

 

Was that their first season. Now that you mention it, I think I remember seeing that.

 

That's actually a loaded question. Hahaha. And I only know the answer because I've been binge-watching them.

The "North America" Season they call their "first season" throughout the show...but on YouTube, the official "Season 1" is their trip to Alaska and the Yukon. Season 2 is Central America, and Season 3 is South America. But that actually leaves out the two "missing" (and much shorter seasons). "North America", which is BC, Idaho, Montana, and Moab, was shot first, but never officially given a season label. And then after Central America and before South America, they did a mini-season called "Return to the Mackenzie", which also didn't get it's own season label.

There you have it...more than you ever wanted to know about Expedition Overland. Haha. I just heard about them a few weeks ago and have been eating them up. My wife and daughter enjoy them too. What's ironic, is that I've only ever been to Overland Expo once, and it was in 2013, which is actually the year they were there with their new Tacoma and Landcruiser. I vaguely remember seeing them there. I know there is a lot of hate for Expedition Overland here, just like there was a lot of hate for Charley Boorman and Ewan McGregor on the motorcycle forums, because they are too much of a sales pitch. But to be honest I think it's pure jealousy. If I had the chance to quit my job and go exploring the world with my best buddies and a bunch of free Gucci gear, I'd do it in a heartbeat. So what if they sound like a Toyota advertisement...if Toyota gave me two free tricked out 4Runners and a tricked out 3rd Gen Tacoma, I'd sound like an ad for them too.

 

Yeah, I love XO. I think my favorite is Return to the Mackenzie. I felt like it had the most off roading. I'm watching the new season for sure.

 

that's just a jack point. I don't think the stock jack will lift it up due to the IFS. You put the jack under the LCA.

I didn't know there were many head frames near the road. There are some mills and processing facilities still left out there from the 70s and 80s. I haven't seen an ore bin left out there yet. I know of 3 mines you can enter and explore in that area. There are some impressive concrete mill foundations left in that area.

I've done Berdoo going down. It was dark and with a Jeep club so I really don't know what it looked like haha.

Were you gating and capping adits and shafts in the park?

 

For sure- who was it here that got a BOGO deal (Bungle one, get another one) on the same road on the same day with his Goodyear Wranglers? Dang smart to be carrying two spares on that trip, too. That’s what make me switch to KO2s last weekend before doing anything too remote or technical.

 

It's a Softopper. Been amazing for us. You can get more info on it at softopper.com. Would totally recommend it. Been using to camp in all summer long and it retracts in about a minute when you need to use the open air to carry tall items.

Totally agree. Actually ironic you mentioned it because I have been shopping for a tougher ply replacements for the last week or two now. Although these Wrangler with Kevlar have been amazing for me, I have read others have not had as good of luck as myself.

 

I’ll PM you about mines- but definitely go through Birdoo [why is my iPhone spelling it this way?] Berdoo Cyn during the daytime, it has interesting geology as it goes across the San Andreas fault- sort of like Painted Canyon and Box Canyon north of Mecca. Those two are my favorites down there.

 

Nice pics! Hey - just pointed tow-coma over to painted canyon, near Mecca. The one down in Anza Borrego State Park is pretty nice, hu?