The Ultimate Adventure Report

So I've had a few projects since Montana, but nothing very exciting. Charlotte turned out to be one of those project where I work, eat and sleep with some commuting back and forth to the hotel thrown in. Houston was pretty much the same. After that I spent a week in Atlanta and hung out around the house a bit. But now it's back to work...if you call this work:

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I flew into John Wayne airport on the 31st and waited patiently for a 4x4 vehicle to present itself in the National Rental Car Executive section. Some guy ran around me to grab a Jeep Cherokee that showed up so I got stuck with this Jeep Renegade. Brand new, only 6 miles on the odometer when I pulled out of the rental car area. Let me just tell you now, don't buy one of these. Pros: Polite road manners, quiet and I suppose it has a fair amount on interior room for something so small. Cons: No power, computer controlled EVERYTHING, and it broke with 248 miles on the odometer. We'll get to that later.

The trip up to Big Bear on that Sunday was eventful. Snow was falling, the temps were dropping and the state patrol was checking for snow chains at the bottom of the mountain. This has to be a California thing as I lived in Vermont for several years not far from the Canadian border and you only use snow chains when you're driving through several feet of snow down a trail that never gets plowed in order to reach a snowmobile trail. Anyway, I pulled up to the State Patrol checkpoint and rolled down the window. The officer asked if I had 4 wheel drive, I said I did. He asked if I knew how to engage it, I said I did. He asked if I had ever driven in snow, I said I had lived in Northern Vermont. He laughed and waved me on. Nice guy. It then took me 3 hours to go 10 miles due to drivers who had no business being in the snow.

I settled into my hotel and began my work project which has been plagued by delays due to weather and road conditions and now seismic inspections and permitting. I have found some time to go exploring though. A co-worker came up two days ago to help me finish off the project and she brought something better than a rental vehicle:

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Angela is from Arizona so her Jeep didn't care much for hills, much less mountains and snow was a new thing too although she's from Wisconsin originally.

We had some time Monday to go exploring and headed down to the 7 Oaks area where we picked up 1N09 and drove almost all the way to Redlands. Beautiful area out there.

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I got to stand on a dangerous rock.

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I really wanted to go down this road but my nemisis "Locked Gate" showed up and ruined the day.

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We were out until long past dark.

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You Californiains can put on a show at sunset.

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Today was filled with phone calls, permit questions, drilling new anchors into the floor for shelving, rescheduling deliveries, more permit questions and phone calls, massive emails and grey hair. That was all before 11am. Once we were sure no inspectors were showing up until tomorrow and that all the new seismic anchoring was done we hit the trails once more, this time in search of a bucket list item for both of us: The Pacific Crest Trail.

Found it.

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We took a few roads on the North shore of Big Bear Lake that according to my topographical map crossed the PCT and we got lucky with gate closures.

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Back east we have signs for when the pavement ends. You Californians are odd.

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Great views up here too.

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We hiked out the PCT a little ways and climbed some hills for the views, I even climbed a tree in the name of cell phone photography.

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Ended the day with another sunset.

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I mentioned before that the Jeep Renegade broke at 248 miles on the odometer. Let me explain. While up on the northern shore we had the Renegade in 4 wheel drive and were heading up some slick roads with no problems. We exited the snow onto gravel and as I was about to switch back to 2 wheel drive the instrument cluster lit up. ABS needs service, Hill start assist needs service, ESC needs service, Power Torque Steering Assist needs service. The traction control was disabled and 4 wheel drive would not engage. We headed back down to the hotel in 2wd at that point and did a little parking lot diagnostic on the rental Jeep. EVERYTHING is computer controlled so we started with electrical. Nothing was unplugged, nothing was wet or full of dirt/mud save for one connector on the rear differential. This connector was sealed so well, however, that we couldn't get it apart to check for water/dirt penetration. All of the fuses for the applicable system errors were fine as well. Pulled the battery connections to reset everything and still had the same errors after reconnecting.

After some parking lot google searching we found that many people are having similar problems with their brand new Renegades and that the most common fixes were multiple software upgrades and/or replacement of the module that controls the ABS. I've sworn that I will not buy a newer vehicle than my Tacoma, and I'm not real happy with how many computer controlled systems it has. This Renegade is even worse. Probably fine for the average person who wants to venture down a dirt road every now and again, but this particular Renegade Trailhawk should be stripped of its Trail Ready badge. I could go on a rant here about how I just traded in my 2015 Wrangler after 8 months because of electrical and transmission problems but I'll just stop and say that Chrylser has ruined Jeep.

After our parking lot diagnostic session I attempted to get National to bring me another 4 wheel drive vehicle. They preferred that I drive 2 1/2 hours back to John Wayne airport to swap the Jeep. While driving to dinner and contemplating a 5 hour drive vs hours of convincing a National manager to bring me a new car all of the errors in the Jeep simply cleared themselves. Makes me long for the good ol' days of carburetors and points. I've opted to keep the Jeep for the drive to and from work and we'll just use Angela's REAL Jeep for the fun stuff.
 
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Gallowbraid said:
I'm here! Actually I've been here a week, but seismic permits are kicking my butt. This project is going to be a scramble to the finish, but I might have some free time come Sunday if you're around? Otherwise it'll probably be Wednesday or Thursday of next week. Just let me know.
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Work has gotten crazy. I know I am working at least one day this weekend but not sure which one. I will let you know when I figure it out
 
Finished up my stay in Big Bear and now I'm back at home until beginning my San Diego project on Tuesday. Now let's see...where were we:

So we had a semi-broken Jeep Renegade and lots of exploring left to do. After an itinerary change I had to turn in the Renegade and get another rental vehicle to be dropped off at my new airport of departure in San Diego. I decided to go big.

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Now I'll state for the record that I've never been a Dodge fan. This Ram Big Horn Edition did win me over somewhat though. Very comfortable and even with street tires it was capable off road.

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The views around Big Bear are worth the trip there.

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A few deer came out to say hello on the trip back up.

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Got to see some really cool rocks.

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There was even a topless woman running around.

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I was pretty disappointed at the lack of respect the target shooters in the area had for the land though. Lots of clean up needs to be done out here.

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Anyone know what this R is for?

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So now I'm on to San Diego. Any recommendations on what to do, where to go and what to see? Hit the Cabrillo National Monument the other day while I was in town. Cleveland National Forest and Anza-Borrego Desert State Park are two areas I'm definitely going to hit.
 
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So today started out like any other remodel: I sat in a parking lot waiting on delivery drivers to, well, deliver things. It is nice when things come in the correct order though and today worked out well with my storage container showing up first. Everything else showed up in order after that and I was done with work by noon. I headed back to the hotel to knock out some paperwork and grab some food and then I hit the road. It wasn't long into my drive that traffic came to a complete stop and I could tell someone had a very bad day.

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From the looks of things the Silverado had plowed into the rear of an old Ford Ecoline van at high speed. The inside of the Silverado was covered in items that had been loose in the cab, including an ingloo cooler that looked like it had attempted to go through the windshield. The bed contained rolls of chainlink fence, but as best I could tell none of it had been thrown from the vehicle or gone through the rear window. Certainly a grim reminder to secure any cargo that's loose inside your vehicle. The van had run off the side of the road and was fully engulfed in flames. Hopefully everyone is ok and makes a speedy recovery.

After that traffic cleared up and in no time I was at my destination.

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Anza-Borrego is the largest state park in California, and the second largest in the lower 48. There were quite a few folks in RV's and huge toy haulers hanging out and enjoying the off road opportunities in the area. I stopped to take in the sights.

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While hiking around I tried to avoid touching anything sharp.

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Just for some scale, and based completely off measurements on Google maps, you can see roughly 40 miles to the horizon here.

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The people that live here probably appreciate this view, but for a country boy from the south eastern US this is the coolest stuff ever!

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I even managed to do some more rental vehicle off road travel.

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I limited myself however as I'm deathly afraid of sand. I have visions of vehicles sunk to the frame in those soft granules of traction-less devil's powder. I would have been more adventurous had it been my own vehicle and if I didn't have work obligations tomorrow. One day I'll get over my fear of sand...probably with Maxtrax in hand.

I'm here in San Diego for 33 days during this trip, and in an odd move my construction crew isn't running 7 days a week. This means I get Fridays and Saturdays off! Suggestions for things to see?
 
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Thanks to a brief break in my schedule here in San Diego I had a chance to go out and visit Joshua Tree National Park today. The more I go the more I fall in love with the desert. Nothing like it back on the east coast.

On the drive out I took the opportunity to tour the March Airfield Museum. Some very cool history there and a lot of displays to look at. As someone who was once planning on an airforce career this was very cool!

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They even had things that don't fly!

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It wasn't long before I hit Joshua Tree and started taking in the awesome views.

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After exploring about 3/4's of the drive through the park and stopping to take some short hikes I opted to take an unimproved road out of the park and back down to Dillon Rd. I turned off on Geology Tour Road and kept pushing through to Berdoo Canyon. A 4wd vehicle with just a 3" lift would have no problems making it through. My stock 4x4 F150 rental was a bit oversized and I had to be very careful with the lines I took. Pictures are mostly from the beginning to middle of the route. After that things got technical in spots and I had to concentrate on driving.

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Friday brought the end of another week of project management and a brief break for some exploration of southern California. I briefly debated a hiking trip to Horse Thief Trail, but decided against it after reading some strongly worded warning about illegal activities in the area.

I opted instead to drive up into the San Bernardino mountains on Friday morning with no real destination in mind. On the way up some of the snow melt was filling up a road side creek and I stopped to take a look.

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It seems there are some endangered frogs here in the mountains. Even though the notice was out of date and it's probably too cold for any frog spawning I kept my distance from the creek. The frogs were reintroduced to this area after being bred at the San Diego zoo. The tadpoles must have undisturbed access to water for two years while they develop. The species decline has been attributed to drought, pesticides and the introduction of trout into their native streams that feed on the tadpoles.

I perched on some rocks and logs above the water to make sure I didn't disturb their environment.

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If I were a frog this is where I'd want to live.

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I then went higher into the mountains enjoying the cool temperatures and the show the clouds were putting on.

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Near the top of one ridge I found a service road that cut back down the mountain. Some very nice areas to camp out here.

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Flowers were in bloom everywhere at this lower elevation.

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Soon I was back into range of civilization and wishing I had rented a sports car for some of these mountain roads.

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After heading back down the mountain I pointed the Jeep toward San Diego and called it a day.
 
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Saturday (3/12/16) I was up bright and early and had decided to go to Valley of Fire state park in Nevada. I hit the road headed up interstate 15 toward Las Vegas. It wasn't long before I was enjoying wide open desert views.

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On the way I stopped by Zzyzx, an odd little town in the borders of the Mojave National Preserve.

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The area was used by prehistoric man with stone tools and art having been found in the area. It's been the site of several military garrisons and the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad also passed across the evaporated lake bed. Today it's home to California State University's Desert Studies Center. There were plenty of students there when I visited.

Zzyzx is probably most famous though because of Curtis Springer who gave the area it's name in 1944. Springer was a con-artist who had run schemes all over the country, claiming to be the dean of many made up colleges, a doctor and the holder of several fake degrees. He claimed to have the cure to baldness, cancer and several other ailments. Most of his cures ended up being carrot or celery juice. He opened a health spa at the Zzyzx location in 1944 and charged travelers for their stay and his remedies there. Springer didn't believe in paying taxes however, and in 1974 the federal government reclaimed the land.

The dry lake bed of Soda Springs and the surrounding mountains are quite a sight.

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Many of Springer's buildings still remain and are used as classrooms and offices by the California State University. There's a short trail with markers about the historical activities in the area. The students seemed busy with what they were doing and I didn't stick around to explore too much.

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I did take the opportunity to walk out onto the lake bed and check out the rail road grade.

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I got back on the road and headed for Valley of Fire. Photos don't do this area justice and if you've never been you need to put it on your list. It's the oldest state park in Nevada being dedicated in 1935. It covers almost 42,000 acres and features Aztec Sandstone formations that were created from shifting sand dunes when dinosaurs called the area home. The colors here are just brilliant.

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The rock formations take on many different shapes, and there's plenty of hiking in the area. Some of the easily accessible areas near roadside stops are covered up by people, but like most State and National Parks if you get off the beaten path and explore a little you'll find hidden things most visitors never see.

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While not as brilliant as the super bloom going on in Death Valley the recent rains here had brought out the wildflowers.

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Further into the park the landscape changes with the Aztec Sandstone butting up against volcanic rock and sandstone making for some brilliant transitions in color. Even today geologists don't fully understand how some of this landscape was formed.

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There was plenty of breccia around. Resembling concrete, breccia is rock made up of broken fragments of mineral and rock cemented together by other fine elements.

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The canyons in this area are stunning.

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Watch out for the prickly stuff as you hike here.

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More canyon porn.

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Further into the park I was able to stop and see some mountain goats chowing down.

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Part of me wishes the park still allowed visitors to stay in the cabins, but another part of me realizes they'd be filled with families and their screaming children that were visiting while I was there.

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With screaming children and frazzled parents darting around I hit the road again and headed out of the part toward the Lake Mead Recreation Area.

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After scouting some camp sites down on the edge of Lake Mead I went a little further and found Bittersprings Rd leading out into the wilderness.

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I settled in for the night and waited for sunset to put on a show.

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Had a friend help over Easter weekend and got the CVT mounted up on my trailer. My daughter requested to go camping and fishing for spring break (what a kid!) so we took it out for a shakedown run on the Tallulah River.

We headed up through Clayton GA and out Persimmon Road toward Tallulah River Road. Tallulah River Road runs past three Forestry Service run campgrounds: Tallulah River, Tate Branch and Sandy Bottom. Dispersed camping is also allowed as long as you're 150' off the river. Ultimately the road continues through Tate City, a small community with a population of 32 give or take a few. After passing through Tate City you cross the NC state line and the road dead ends at a trailhead for a network of hiking paths into the NC wilderness.

To keep things easy we opted to stay in the Tallulah River campground. Setup of the RTT was as easy as all the youtube videos show! :D

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This area is home to some of the best trout fishing in NE Georgia and we took full advantage.

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Nothing beats some time around a campfire!

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After a restful night in our new tent we struck out on day 2 to do a little exploring.

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It takes some serious water to move logs like that and jam them in odd places along the rocks.

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How many years does it take for water to drill a perfect hole through a rock?

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This dirt track is part of Charlie Creek Rd that runs from Tallulah River road up toward Hiawassee GA. There's a fairly extensive water crossing at the beginning and the road can be washed out at times. If you venture out into the wilderness here there are several established wilderness camp sites along Charlie Creek that will get you away from weekend and holiday crowds in the lower three campgrounds. Of course by crowds I mean 10 to 12 other campers. :p

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After checking the conditions of some of the wilderness campsites we headed back down Charlie Creek road and did some more fishing. I've come up with several "upgrades" that need to be done to the trailer and tent, but I'll save those for my build thread.
 
We used to camp at Tallulah at least once a year. The river was one of my favorite places to fish. Great to see you guys having a good time out there.

-Andy
 
Grumps said:
We used to camp at Tallulah at least once a year. The river was one of my favorite places to fish. Great to see you guys having a good time out there.

-Andy
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One of my favorite places to camp. Luckily it's only about 20 minutes from my front door.
 
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