I can safely say that trips to with Pops have now become a tradition. I suppose I could have said that after the second trip to this special place, but with a third in as many years, I hope it continues for many more. This time, for the first time, @mrs.turbodb came along - and she, like everyone else who discovers this magical place, enjoyed herself thoroughly.
Leave a CommentTrip State: California
Death Valley, Sierra's, Anza Borrego, Mojave Desert, ...
Death Valley is always full of wonderful surprises. Experienced where they are never expected, they make for memorable trips and are one of the reasons I keep going back. This time, I was going solo; sort of. Sure, there were a couple spots - Hidden Dunes being the most prominent - that I planned to keep to myself, but I also hoped that this would be a trip of new beginnings and old friendships. See, I planned to meet - for the first time - a fellow adventurer that I'd been trying to cross paths with for the last two…
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After visiting the Mojave National Preserve in December 2018 to run the historic Mojave Road, and test out the new rear shocks I'd installed, we ended up having remove the shocks after less than a mile and the run the entire trip with no shocks on the rear of the Tacoma. We needed to redeem ourselves. Plus, I knew I needed to get back to explore this vast wonderland more than a single road could ever allow. With nearly two weeks over Christmas and New Years reserved on the calendar, our initial goal was to explore everything. Like as in…
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Death Valley is not nearby, and yet - it continues to call time after time, urging us to make the 20 hour journey south to explore its wonders. It's hard to say no. That's how - on a Wednesday morning - we found ourselves packed up in the truck and heading towards southern California, excited for the three-and-a-half days we'd have to explore. With too much planned for the time we had allotted (as always), we had an amazing time (again, as always), even as we confined ourselves to a small corner of the park - Eureka and Saline Valleys.…
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Well, it's not every day that I get to go camping with my dad, and it's not that often that I camp in the same spot for more than one night. I mean, I guess we camped in the same spot two nights in a row on the Idaho BDR when a brake caliper seized up, but that was clearly an exceptional situation! Plus, after last year's adventure - my first time experiencing one of Pops favorite spots in the Sierras - I knew this was a place that I wanted to return. Likely, for years to come. It really…
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Oh man, was this going to be fun. A trip like no other (so far). A trip with a twist. A trip that was actually two. Over the course of two weeks, we spent eight days in the park, split in half by a 10-day break where we headed back home via airplane. With so much time to explore, we covered as much of the park and surrounding area as we could, highlights including: Fonts Point - overlooking the badlands. Pumpkin Patch and the nearby Palm Oasis - outstanding for their contrast to the desert in which they're found. Calcite…
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The plan for this trip to Death Valley was to do something completely different than normal - spend the vast majority of our time out of the trucks, hiking some of the beautiful canyons that the desert has to offer. Looking back now, a little over a year since the trip took place, it was just the first of such trips - and it opened up an entirely new perspective for me when visiting the park. The best stuff is found only on foot. Sit back and enjoy as we explore Kaleidoscope Canyon, Room Canyon, the Smoke Tree Slot Canyons,…
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Having never visited the Mojave National Preserve, and being down in the area already to do some work on the Tacoma, the Mojave Road seemed like the perfect place to test out the recent modifications (to the suspension) while seeing some new terrain at the same time. It was quickly apparent that the suspension modifications weren't going to work out, but the new terrain was just the opposite - not only did it work out, but it opened up a whole new world that I knew I'd need to return to explore in more depth. Our trip along the Mojave…
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...this wasn't just any trip - this was a trip to Pop's favorite, secret camp spot - a place that he and his buddies have been going for more than 25 years, and which has remained largely unchanged in that time. This year, it'd be only him and one of his friends (the "old fogies"), and me; sworn to secrecy for all time...
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If our first trip to Death Valley taught us anything, it was that our adventures there were far from complete. The three days of exploration had just scratched the surface of the vast wilderness before us. So, when I found out that @mrs.turbodb was headed out of town for a week, I was quick to make plans for a return trip. Going solo, my route did include a few of our favorite spots (Butte Valley and Goler Wash), but focused on several new areas as well - most outside of Death Valley proper (West Side Road, Charcoal Kilns, Saline Valley + Warm Springs, Steel…
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Death Valley always seemed so far away. Nearly 20 hours by truck, that's what kept us from visiting to this point. That, and the fact that I always thought there wasn't much there. Boy, was I wrong. Looking back now (in 2020), this trip really kicked off a new love of an awesome place for both @mrs.turbodb and me. Our first journey took us to some amazing places - Titus Canyon, Obehebe Crater, The Racetrack, Goler Wash and Butte Valley (not to mention the tourist destinations we hit as well) - but little did we know that there was so…
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