What Did You Do With Your Rig Today?

I spent 5 days exploring Death Valley with friends of Overland Bound. While driving through Trona to topoff with fuel I noticed a dead kitten in the road and then another one on the side of the road an 1/8th mile away. After fueling up and buying drinks I decided to go back and check on that second kitten. Something was eating at me. It just didn't seem positioned the way a dead animal usual is. So I drove back and checked the area of the first kitten for any live littermates. Finding none I drove up to the second kitten and it hadn't moved in the last 20min despite the sun beating down on it on the hot pavement. As I walked up to it I saw its head jiggle trying to awkwardly get a look at me. It was alive!!!

I picked it up and placed it on my passenger seat and it immediately scurried down into the footweel between all of those 50lb sandbags I stuck there. I hurriedly rejoined the group so I wouldn't keep the large caravan waiting. I purchased some baby shampoo and a few cans of wet cat food and off we went. One of our members is a paramedic and diagnosed her as very dehydrated. Over the course of the day I got her to drink water and eventually eat some cat food. She, it's a girl, perked right up and started acting like a normal kitten. I tucked her in my shirt for portions of the trail drives and even while sitting around the campfire. On the drive home she alternated roaming the truck exploring and sleeping in my lap. I had intentions of bringing her to the kitten rescue organization near my house but after the last 4 days with her I'm kinda attached. :love:

Campsite in Trona Pinnacles
0aEC8p3.jpg


Mengel Pass Trail
RoqNMKe.jpg



hfJSxK8.jpg


So now I have matching adventure pals with her and Ellie dog. lol
JUAcxF4.jpg
 
I spent 5 days exploring Death Valley with friends of Overland Bound. While driving through Trona to topoff with fuel I noticed a dead kitten in the road and then another one on the side of the road an 1/8th mile away. After fueling up and buying drinks I decided to go back and check on that second kitten. Something was eating at me. It just didn't seem positioned the way a dead animal usual is. So I drove back and checked the area of the first kitten for any live littermates. Finding none I drove up to the second kitten and it hadn't moved in the last 20min despite the sun beating down on it on the hot pavement. As I walked up to it I saw its head jiggle trying to awkwardly get a look at me. It was alive!!!

I picked it up and placed it on my passenger seat and it immediately scurried down into the footweel between all of those 50lb sandbags I stuck there. I hurriedly rejoined the group so I wouldn't keep the large caravan waiting. I purchased some baby shampoo and a few cans of wet cat food and off we went. One of our members is a paramedic and diagnosed her as very dehydrated. Over the course of the day I got her to drink water and eventually eat some cat food. She, it's a girl, perked right up and started acting like a normal kitten. I tucked her in my shirt for portions of the trail drives and even while sitting around the campfire. On the drive home she alternated roaming the truck exploring and sleeping in my lap. I had intentions of bringing her to the kitten rescue organization near my house but after the last 4 days with her I'm kinda attached. :love:

Campsite in Trona Pinnacles
0aEC8p3.jpg


Mengel Pass Trail
RoqNMKe.jpg



hfJSxK8.jpg


So now I have matching adventure pals with her and Ellie dog. lol
JUAcxF4.jpg

Your hooked !
 
I spent 5 days exploring Death Valley with friends of Overland Bound. While driving through Trona to topoff with fuel I noticed a dead kitten in the road and then another one on the side of the road an 1/8th mile away. After fueling up and buying drinks I decided to go back and check on that second kitten. Something was eating at me. It just didn't seem positioned the way a dead animal usual is. So I drove back and checked the area of the first kitten for any live littermates. Finding none I drove up to the second kitten and it hadn't moved in the last 20min despite the sun beating down on it on the hot pavement. As I walked up to it I saw its head jiggle trying to awkwardly get a look at me. It was alive!!!

I picked it up and placed it on my passenger seat and it immediately scurried down into the footweel between all of those 50lb sandbags I stuck there. I hurriedly rejoined the group so I wouldn't keep the large caravan waiting. I purchased some baby shampoo and a few cans of wet cat food and off we went. One of our members is a paramedic and diagnosed her as very dehydrated. Over the course of the day I got her to drink water and eventually eat some cat food. She, it's a girl, perked right up and started acting like a normal kitten. I tucked her in my shirt for portions of the trail drives and even while sitting around the campfire. On the drive home she alternated roaming the truck exploring and sleeping in my lap. I had intentions of bringing her to the kitten rescue organization near my house but after the last 4 days with her I'm kinda attached. :love:

Campsite in Trona Pinnacles
0aEC8p3.jpg


Mengel Pass Trail
RoqNMKe.jpg



hfJSxK8.jpg


So now I have matching adventure pals with her and Ellie dog. lol
JUAcxF4.jpg
That is a great story. It’s good to see people who care.
 
I spent 5 days exploring Death Valley with friends of Overland Bound. While driving through Trona to topoff with fuel I noticed a dead kitten in the road and then another one on the side of the road an 1/8th mile away. After fueling up and buying drinks I decided to go back and check on that second kitten. Something was eating at me. It just didn't seem positioned the way a dead animal usual is. So I drove back and checked the area of the first kitten for any live littermates. Finding none I drove up to the second kitten and it hadn't moved in the last 20min despite the sun beating down on it on the hot pavement. As I walked up to it I saw its head jiggle trying to awkwardly get a look at me. It was alive!!!

I picked it up and placed it on my passenger seat and it immediately scurried down into the footweel between all of those 50lb sandbags I stuck there. I hurriedly rejoined the group so I wouldn't keep the large caravan waiting. I purchased some baby shampoo and a few cans of wet cat food and off we went. One of our members is a paramedic and diagnosed her as very dehydrated. Over the course of the day I got her to drink water and eventually eat some cat food. She, it's a girl, perked right up and started acting like a normal kitten. I tucked her in my shirt for portions of the trail drives and even while sitting around the campfire. On the drive home she alternated roaming the truck exploring and sleeping in my lap. I had intentions of bringing her to the kitten rescue organization near my house but after the last 4 days with her I'm kinda attached. :love:

Campsite in Trona Pinnacles
0aEC8p3.jpg


Mengel Pass Trail
RoqNMKe.jpg



hfJSxK8.jpg


So now I have matching adventure pals with her and Ellie dog. lol
JUAcxF4.jpg

Man, that looks like a great trip - I have to join you on some of these next year. And good on ya for saving the cat. I'm not a cat person, but that will always be a very special cat for you.

-TJ
 
Man, that looks like a great trip - I have to join you on some of these next year. And good on ya for saving the cat. I'm not a cat person, but that will always be a very special cat for you.

-TJ
You most definitely do brother. :)
 
Thank you kindly! I've done some welding here and there, but this is my first time fabbing a more involved, more "serious" project, so I'm pretty happy with how it's turning out.
I'll be building a HD rear bumper for my truck in the (hopefully) near future. I plan to add one, or two swing outs. Not going to decide how many until the bumper it done.