Mojave Road trip - March 2017

[VCeXpedition]

Well I am back at work now, we added a Death Valley tour to the end, what an epic adventure that was going through Mojave with all you guys. Thanks for everything, I was really grateful to join you and meet you all

Joel, it was such a pleasure seeing you stretch out the capabilities of that awesome SportsMobile.
Thanks for coming, and especially for supporting the 'off-schedule' activities that happened early on.

If I'm honest, I've been trolling the webs for a SMB, waiting to catch that killer deal on one. The wife would kill me!
And a little jealous that you tripped up to DV, good time of year to go for sure.

Dan.

 

[Tom K]

I could support that idea, although I don't know what the temperatures are like in September, could still be blazing hot!

We could arrange some different trail runs, Easter Jeep Safari style to different locations, depending on peoples interests.
I think the gathering might be best on the BLM land around there though, getting permits for overnight for a lot of people is grueling. Ask me how I know (paging @pabloquiros !)

You know I love the desert!



Dan

Maybe not for September, we're forgetting just how blessed we were this weekend weather-wise...

The "normal" high for September in Laughlin, NV is 104F. The record is 120F. I love the desert too but I've felt 115F and it's like sticking your head in the oven.

 

[BigTuna117]

I could support that idea, although I don't know what the temperatures are like in September, could still be blazing hot!

We could arrange some different trail runs, Easter Jeep Safari style to different locations, depending on peoples interests.
I think the gathering might be best on the BLM land around there though, getting permits for overnight for a lot of people is grueling. Ask me how I know (paging @pabloquiros !)

You know I love the desert!



Dan

Still pretty hot here in September usually. That being said, given how unpredictable the weather has been, who knows? haha
The usual recommended time of year to run it is October- March, but people do still traverse it in April and September.

 

[pabloquiros]

I could support that idea, although I don't know what the temperatures are like in September, could still be blazing hot!

We could arrange some different trail runs, Easter Jeep Safari style to different locations, depending on peoples interests.
I think the gathering might be best on the BLM land around there though, getting permits for overnight for a lot of people is grueling. Ask me how I know (paging @pabloquiros !)

You know I love the desert!



Dan

Hahaha we'd need to start with the permits now if we wanted OTG to do Mojave again. Hahaha.

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[DaveL]

I've attached my track and waypoints for our run. Several waypoints are ones I set (especially the campsites), but the others (lots) are from the gpx file I had downloaded from Mojave-Road.com I used their track to confirm our position when we had questions of where to turn. It, however, does not have the detour. If you are interested in that track, go to Mojave-Road.com to download and convert. Anyway, the track I've uploading is what we actually ran. I exported gpx (for gps units and software) as well as kmz and kml files (one of them works in Google Earth - can't remember which). FYI, I use BackCountry Navigator PRO on an Android tablet and/or phone.

 

[Ron Schmidt]

For those that did the water crossing, did anyone end up getting water inside the cab through the firewalls or seals? Not sure if my rig would have sprung a leak somewhere under the seat or not. I was one of the few that had to bug out early.

Matt

The sliding side door on The Van Elenora had some dampness in the lower step area. None in the cabin area.

 

[TOMB]

Just received a call from a technician about the extremely high winds in the last couple of days in the area we just went through last weekend. We were lucky to have the beautiful weather.


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[Crispy]

Just received a call from a technician about the extremely high winds in the last couple of days in the area we just went through last weekend. We were lucky to have the beautiful weather.


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Sunday night at Afton Campground started getting pretty windy after sunset.

 

[Crispy]

When you all share your awesome photos on Instagram, let's hashtag #mojavebound to group our pictures together. It will also make it easier us to follow each others IG accounts that were on the trip.

 

[Cavo]

Well, we just got back (went to Joshua Tree NP, LA, San Simeon SP, Death Valley NP, Zion NP after) and I wanted to say how much I enjoyed the Mojave Road trip! Along with the wonderful scenery, the great people that make up this community is remarkable. Dan did an amazing job of putting this together and organizing before and during the trip. Great meeting the founders of this community, Michael and Corrie as well as John Snow......(that almost peed on my leg!!! LMAO).

Scott and Family, Baz, Dave, Mason, Jason, Joel and Renee, Pablo, and a special New Mexico friend and family, Ryan are just a few of the people that were just amazing and we made a special connection with. In all honesty, everyone we met embodied that family overland bound community we were hoping for and were not disappointed.

We hope to see you out there again in the not too distant future.

Cheers, and thanks again for a remarkable journey!!!!!

 

[Scott]

Well, we just got back (went to Joshua Tree NP, LA, San Simeon SP, Death Valley NP, Zion NP after) and I wanted to say how much I enjoyed the Mojave Road trip! Along with the wonderful scenery, the great people that make up this community is remarkable. Dan did an amazing job of putting this together and organizing before and during the trip. Great meeting the founders of this community, Michael and Corrie as well as John Snow......(that almost peed on my leg!!! LMAO).

Scott and Family, Baz, Dave, Mason, Jason, Joel and Renee, Pablo, and a special New Mexico friend and family, Ryan are just a few of the people that were just amazing and we made a special connection with. In all honesty, everyone we met embodied that family overland bound community we were hoping for and were not disappointed.

We hope to see you out there again in the not too distant future.

Cheers, and thanks again for a remarkable journey!!!!!

Colin, it was such a pleasure to camp with you and Esperanza for the duration of the trip. I am glad to have made friends with you and her. Sounds like you guys had an awesome trip after the Mojave road portion!
Scott

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[Michael]

Hey all!

I just uploaded a bunch of Water Crossing shots provided by @BazzaJ to the Google Drive set up by @Tom K ! There are some GREAT shots there - cause Baz! Feel free to download and use, just credit our good friend and Staffer, Barry J. Holmes when re-posting. If on instagram, he is @overlandbaz !

Thanks again all! We have a great time and can't wait to get out on the trail and see you again soon!

M

 

[TacoZim]

Just turned on my AC for the first time since the trip and was hit with all the Mojave Moon Dust coming from the vents.. lol


Matt

 

[Crispy]

Hey all!

I just uploaded a bunch of Water Crossing shots provided by @BazzaJ to the Google Drive set up by @Tom K ! There are some GREAT shots there - cause Baz! Feel free to download and use, just credit our good friend and Staffer, Barry J. Holmes when re-posting. If on instagram, he is @overlandbaz !

Thanks again all! We have a great time and can't wait to get out on the trail and see you again soon!

M

So awesome! Nice wake @Michael

 

[DaveL]

Hey all!

I just uploaded a bunch of Water Crossing shots provided by @BazzaJ to the Google Drive set up by @Tom K ! There are some GREAT shots there - cause Baz! Feel free to download and use, just credit our good friend and Staffer, Barry J. Holmes when re-posting. If on instagram, he is @overlandbaz !

Thanks again all! We have a great time and can't wait to get out on the trail and see you again soon!

M

Thanks for posting @Michael! @BazzaJ those are awesome! Thank you again!!

Dave

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[Mark2Mister2]

This looks like it was a fantastic trip!

I plan on traveling Mojave Road with a couple of other rigs next week. We plan on taking 5 days or so to travel the trail East to West on a slow pace. Could any of you provide some insight to trail conditions and things we might need to be aware of? Reading through the thread, it seems that a stock 4x4s and even prerunners can handle the trail. I'm particularly concerned about the water crossing, how the more stock vehicles handled this feature, and whether or not diff breathers are a hard requirement. I saw that you could bypass this by hopping onto the highway, but haven't been able to confirm this.

For reference, the vehicles on the trip will be:
1997 FZJ80 - Locked, but stock (even the tires) - Novice Driver
1996 Taco 4x4 - Stock with heavy duty leaf springs - Novice Driver
1996? FZJ80 - Center lock only, 33 inch BFG AT, w/camper trailer - Experienced Driver

Any insight or information that you guys would be willing to share would be greatly appreciated.

 

[MVO]

This looks like it was a fantastic trip!

I plan on traveling Mojave Road with a couple of other rigs next week. We plan on taking 5 days or so to travel the trail East to West on a slow pace. Could any of you provide some insight to trail conditions and things we might need to be aware of? Reading through the thread, it seems that a stock 4x4s and even prerunners can handle the trail. I'm particularly concerned about the water crossing, how the more stock vehicles handled this feature, and whether or not diff breathers are a hard requirement. I saw that you could bypass this by hopping onto the highway, but haven't been able to confirm this.

For reference, the vehicles on the trip will be:
1997 FZJ80 - Locked, but stock (even the tires) - Novice Driver
1996 Taco 4x4 - Stock with heavy duty leaf springs - Novice Driver
1996? FZJ80 - Center lock only, 33 inch BFG AT, w/camper trailer - Experienced Driver

Any insight or information that you guys would be willing to share would be greatly appreciated.

Feel free to pm me. I wasn't with the group but I did the Mojave road and some intersecting roads as well . I was running a few days in advance of the group. But all of those rides should be fine on the main road. As always watch the weather though because some places can get tougher when wet!
Malcolm


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[dghcruising]

I drove an fj80 with a 3 " lift and had no problems. I did install diff breathers and feel it was a good idea. There were a lot of stockish trucks that did fine. I haven't heard if anyone without diff breathers has checked there fluids and found milky oil.

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[Michael]

Hey all!

I see a TON of awesome video and footage on the google drive. Let me know if you would like to share a photo you took on the Overland Bound Instagram page with a shout out to you! You can PM me here (start a conversation)with the subject "Post on Instagram" and let me know!

Awesome photos everyone!

M

 

[DaveL]

Hey all!

I see a TON of awesome video and footage on the google drive. Let me know if you would like to share a photo you took on the Overland Bound Instagram page with a shout out to you! You can PM me here (start a conversation)with the subject "Post on Instagram" and let me know!

Awesome photos everyone!

M

Good for me

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