Owner: Steve Bisig URL:http://www.pnwadventures.com Join Date: Thu, 23 Aug 2007 23:57:21 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Vehicle Dependent Overland Touring, Backroad Explorations and Outdoor Adventures. Trip Reports, Forums and more.
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Washington Cascades Overland Tour 2007 - Final Thoughts 2007-08-20 20:00:23
Over four days, I completed a 671 mile adventure (not counting the additional 465 miles to get to the starting point and back home again) following an overland route through the Cascade Mountains of Washington
state, stretching from the Columbia River near Carson, Washington to Chopaka at the border crossing with British Columbia. From my records, about 63% of the overland route was on forest roads.
Over these four days, my Toyota FJ80 Land Cruiser was driven hard, physically traveling roughly the same mileage that it would take to get to Los Angeles from Seattle via I-5 without leaving Washington state (is this what is considered “severe service” by the manufacturer?). Near the British Columbia border, the odometer on my Land Cruiser also achieved the 190,000 mark.
(more…) Read more:Final
, Overland
Trip Report: Nor Cal and Oregon Coast 2007-08-20 10:24:42 Here is a short trip report with photos from expeditionportal of a recent trip from Salt Lake City, through Susanville, to the Northern California and Oregon
coast and finally through Pendleton and back home. (I’ll count Nor Cal as Pacific Northwest for our purposes).
You can read the trip report at http://expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7419 Read more:Coast
Trip Report: Washington Cascades Overland Tour 2007 - Day Four (08.13.07) 2007-08-18 13:41:18 Day Four
: August 13, 2007.
Daily Goal: To Drive from Cooper Mountain Lookout (near Chelan, Washington
) to Chopaka (border with British Columbia)
Map Reference:
Okanogan National Forest Map
Since this going to be the last day of the trip and I had no idea how long it would actually take to complete my goal of reaching the British Columbia border at Chopaka. So I set my alarm to get up and be on the road by daybreak.
(more…) Read more:Overland
Salmon-Challis National Forest Seeks Comments on Motorized Routes 2007-08-16 12:24:28 The Salmon-Challis NationalForest
is formulating a new travel plan that will limit ALL vehicle use to designated roads, trails and areas. The Forest Service (FS) will be hosting a series of public meetings on the travel planning process during the month of August 2007.
See http://orc.off-road.com/offroad/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=449295&ref=25 for more details about the travel plan and a meeting schedule.
The official Salmon-Challis National Forest Travel Management Plan is located at http://www.fs.fed.us/r4/sc/recreation/Travel%20Plan/index.shtml Read more:Comments
Assembling a Wilderness Survival Kit 2007-08-16 12:00:59 Here is an article of interest from survivaltopics.com on assembling a wilderness survival kit.
How to Make a Survival Kit to Save Your Life
For those of us who travel in the wilderness on a regular basis, the idea of equipping oneself with a survival kit seems trivial. Survivalists are sure to have a survival kit on hand at all times and are prepared to use it. This is because the experienced survivor knows the unexpected can happen without a moments notice.
Help or rescue may not always be immediately available so you need to be able to take care of yourself come what may. Making your own survival kit from a judicious selection of gear is the first step towards getting out alive.
Below is a discussion on how to make your own survival kit. Of necessity it is a bit wordy, as I believe it is important to know something about why certain items should be included in a survival kit, rather than just blindly following instructions for creating a kit without understanding why pieces of gear Read more:Wilderness
Photos: Washington Cascade Mountains Overland Tour 2007 - Day Four 2007-08-15 18:47:41
Here is the final batch of photos from my four day cross state overland tour of the Cascade Mountains of Washington
state.
These photos were taken between Cooper Mountain Lookout (near Chelan, Washington), through Winthrop, Conconully to Chopaka (the border with British Columbia).
See the photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/locked4low/sets/72157601460669424/ Read more:Day Four
, Overland
Photos: Washington Cascade Mountains Overland Tour 2007 - Day Three 2007-08-15 10:15:07
Overnight, I uploaded the photos from day three (08.12.07) of my overland tour of the Washington
Cascades.
These photos were taken between Blewett Pass (near Cle Elum, Washington) and the third day’s campsite at Cooper Mountain Lookout near Chelan, Washington.
You can view the photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/locked4low/sets/72157601459368387/ Read more:Overland
, Three
Photos: Washington Cascade Mountains Overland Tour 2007 - Day Two 2007-08-15 01:58:02
I now have day two photos of my overland tour of the Cascade Mountains of Washington
state uploaded and available for viewing at http://www.flickr.com/photos/locked4low/sets/72157601454528591/
The photos were taken between Mt. Adams, Washington and the second day’s campsite near Blewett Pass (near Cle Elum, WA). Read more:Overland
Trip Report: Washington Cascades Overland Tour 2007 - Day One (08.10.07) 2007-08-15 01:42:10 Day One
: August 10, 2007.
Daily Goal: To Drive from Carson, Washington
(Highway 14 off the Columbia River near the Oregon border) to Packwood, Washington (Highway 12).
Map Reference:
Gifford Pinchot National Forest Map
Gifford Pinchot National Forest Adventure Routes - SUV and Dualsport Motorcycle Routes
(more…) Read more:Overland
Washington Cascades Overland Tour 2007: Intro 2007-08-14 21:32:06 For the past year, I’ve had the desire to map out and drive an overland route through the Cascade Mountains of Washington
state from the Columbia River near Oregon all the way to northern border with British Columbia.
Last year (August 2006), my son and I completed a portion of this route from Cle Elum to Mt. Adams (see Cascade Overland
Adventure - August 2006) but did not go any further South because of time constraints. At the time, I knew little of any possible routes from I-90 North to British Columbia.
Shortly after that trip last August, I sold my Jeep YJ Wrangler and purchased my Toyota FJ80 Land Cruiser with the goal in mind to make it into an overland expedition vehicle.
Winter and Spring came and finally the snow thawed in the high country. With vacation scheduled for August, I started getting serious about mapping out a route through the Washington Cascades.
(more…)
Photos: Washington Cascade Mountains Overland Tour 2007 - Day One 2007-08-14 19:54:24
I just uploaded photos from day one (08.10.07) of my cross state overland tour of the Cascade Mountains of Washington
state.
These photos were taken between Carson, Washington and the first day’s campsite near Mt. Adams.
See all of the photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/locked4low/ Read more:Day One
, Overland
Preview: 1992 Toyota FJ80 Land Cruiser Dual Battery Installation 2007-08-09 11:52:06
These are photos of my installation of a second battery in my 1992 Toyota
FJ80 Land Cruiser.
Because the installation of a second battery isn’t as simple as adding an additional battery tray (like it is on the 93-97 80-series), I decided to install a sealed battery in my newly built cargo box.
For the isolator, I chose a WranglerNW system that consists of a switch, harness and relay.
From the engine compartment, I ran 1/0 welding cable to the rear cargo area.
Within the box, I installed a Blue Ray marine fuse block and installed 5 12 volt outlets (2 in the rear and 3 on the console). I also hard wires the power cord for an ARB Fridge and my CB.
While working on the wiring under the hood, I also replaced the cable from the main battery to the starter and all fusible links to the battery.
I’m not happy with the off-the-shelf marine terminals on the main battery and will be replacing those in the near future.
I’ll post specific details of the installation in the near fu Read more:Installation
, Preview
Preview: Toyota FJ80 Land Cruiser Cargo Box Build 2007-08-09 11:04:50
Here is a photo preview of an upcoming article about my Land Cruiser Cargo Box/Drawer System Build
.
I finally got around to start building the cargo box/drawers for my Toyota
FJ80 Land Cruiser.
My goal was to have have a place for my dog to ride as well as having quick access to tools and equipment without unpacking everything I had strapped down. I also needed a place to house an auxiliary battery since its not an easy task to locate a spare battery under the hood of an FJ80 powered by the 3FE engine.
Future photos will include the drawers and wings between the box and interior panels.
See additional photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/locked4low/ Read more:Preview
SPOT – The World’s First Satellite Messenger 2007-08-09 01:57:36 “Revolutionary Emergency Messenger
and Personal Tracker Allows Users to Summon Help from Virtually Anywhere on the Planet”
“The SPOT messenger gives consumers a vital line of communication, independently of cellular coverage, with emergency services, friends, and family. SPOT is a revolutionary product that is designed to raise the safety factor for hundreds of millions of people around the world.”
If this device works as well as it sounds, it could potentially save a lot of lives as well as making trips into the backcountry safer and less worrisome for family members.
Read the entire press release at http://home.businesswire.com/ Read more:First
, Satellite
, World
North Cascades, Washington 2007-08-06 23:29:34 Here is another recent (August 3-5, 2007) Pacific North
west trip report I found on Expedition Portal. It’s a trip that was taken by “teotwaki”. Great pictures of the dams and of some of the hikes in the area.
You can view the trip report at Ambling in the North Cascades, Washington
Toyota FJ80 Land Cruiser Rear Door Window Regulator Repair 2007-08-04 09:39:44 When I purchased my Toyota
FJ80 Land Cruiser, I knew there were issues with the power windows. Except for the drivers door, all the windows rolled up and down, not perfect but they worked. Then one rainey day last Fall, I rolled down the rear door window and pop, the window would not roll up any more. Luckily, I wasn’t too far from home.
As a temporary fix, I wedged a door shim between the glass and door panel. There it stayed until I had a dry day to diagnose and fix the problem. Here are the steps I took to disassemble, diagnose and repair the problem.
After reading a few threads on ih8mud.com and with my factory service manual in hand, I was ready to tackle the problem.
(more…) Read more:Regulator
, Repair
, Window
Quilomene Wildlife Area Overland Tour 07.22.07 2007-07-29 19:35:40
After a nice peaceful night in a hotel in Ellensburg, Washington, we loaded up the Land Cruiser and headed out for a day trip to the Quilomene Wildlife Area. After topping off the fuel tank, we met up with the Northwest Backroads Drivers group for breakfast. Today, in addition to the participants from the previous days trip to the Whiskey Dick Wildlife Area (see Whiskey Dick Overland
Tour), we were joined for breakfast by Bill and Ed, both of Ellensburg.
(more…)
Whiskey Dick Wildlife Area Overland Tour 07.21.07 2007-07-25 02:09:11
After a night of camping along the Yakima River, my daughter and I got up early, broke camp and headed to Ellensburg, Washington to meet up with the Northwest Backroad Drivers group to explore the Whiskey
Dick Wildlife Area just east of Ellensburg.
After a stop for a quad iced americano and to top off the gas tank, we pulled into the Bar 14 Restaurant for the morning meet up. We were running a little late by time we arrived. Already eating breakfast were Rich (driving a Jeep Grand Cherokee), Jan and their 4 year old granddaughter Tara and Jerry our tour leader for the weekend (driving his Ford Bronco II).
(more…) Read more:Overland
Camping in the Yakima River Canyon - 07.20.07 2007-07-24 23:27:41
My daughter and I planned a weekend of camping in between the two day trip to the Quilomene area with the Northwest Backroad Drivers group. As luck would have it, the camping trip did not pan out as I would have hoped for. But we still had fun.
After a late start getting out of town, we finally made Ellensburg, Washington around 8:00 PM on Friday night. Not a lot of time to find a camping site, especially on Friday night. I spotted some campgrounds on the Yakima River
in the Washington Road & Recreation Atlas south of Ellensburg in the canyon, so we headed that direction.
(more…) Read more:Camping
, Canyon
Quilomene Wildlife Area Photos 07.22.07 2007-07-24 20:23:19
Photos of an overland day trip on 07.22.07 to explore the Quilomene Wildlife Area near Ellensburg, Washington have been posted at http://www.flickr.com/photos/locked4low.
A full trip report will be posted soon.
Whiskey Dick Wildlife Area Photos 07.21.07 2007-07-24 11:45:36
Photos of an overland day trip on 07.21.07 to explore the Whiskey
Dick Wildlife Area near Ellensburg, Washington have been posted at http://www.flickr.com/photos/locked4low.
Photos from Sundays overland trip to the Quilomene and Colockum Wildlife Areas as well as a full trip report will be posted soon.
Clover Springs Trail Run - 07.14.07 2007-07-16 09:56:21
This year was the third year attending the annual PNW4WDA annual jamboree. As in years past, I volunteered to help ARB serve their annual Friday dinner for the event. This is always a lot of fun and a great group of people to work with. They do a great job on putting on the dinner.
Since the event was a sellout, all the trail runs on Saturday were quickly filled. This was also the first time I was actually going to wheel my FJ-80 Land Cruiser, so I decided to sit in and attend (and assist where needed) the 4-wheel Drive 101 class presented by Chris Wood of ARB. This is a great class and you will pick up tips whether you are brand new to wheeling or a seasoned veteran. A great emphasis is placed on personal safety and preparedness. There were also some excellent discussion and demonstration on vehicle recovery techniques including a demonstration on how to winch you vehicle backwards with a front mounted winch.
After the presentation, the rest of the day was spent on the CloverSprings Read more:Trail
Have a Safe Holiday Weekend 2007-08-29 11:30:55 Everyone have a safe and enjoyable Labor Day holiday weekend. I’ll be working all three days so no fun for me. Read more:Holiday
, Weekend
How to Make a Solar Water Survival Still 2007-08-28 22:10:24 You’ve seen them on the survival shows on TV, but do you really know how to make a solar still in a survival situation?
Well the folks at survivaltopics.com kindly posted up a step-by-step procedure to set up and utilize a solar still in case of an emergency. You won’t get a lot of water, but some is better than none in survival situations.
Read more at How to Make a Solar
Water Survival Still
Sportsmen United for Sensible Mining 2007-09-22 20:10:09 American hunters and anglers were some of our nation’s first conservationists. Led by Theodore Roosevelt, sportsmen called for laws regulating sustainable fish and wildlife populations and set the stage for foundation of the North American wildlife conservation model, an enduring legacy. On Saturday, Sept. 22, sportsmen will celebrate National Hunting and Fishing Day, honoring the history that unites us and planning for the future of the activities we love.
National Hunting and Fishing Day is an appropriate occasion for considering a legacy of a different kind - an unfortunate legacy that continues to negatively impact American hunting and fishing and that calls the future of our sport into question. More than a century of hard rock mining on America’s public lands has left its mark on fish and wildlife populations. The TRCP is working to correct the problem, and we urge sportsmen to join in an effort to reform the 1872 Mining
Law.
(more…) Read more:Sensible
, United
Exploring the Forest Roads Above Wilkeson, Washington - 09.17.07 2007-09-18 11:12:10
Since most of what I needed to do at home required me to have dry weather to work on, I decided to take a ride to the forest lands above Wilkeson, Washington
. Luckily for me, from my front door to the gravel forest roads of the Wilkeson Tree Farm (owned by Plum Creek) is exactly 20 miles. The drive time, depending on traffic will vary from 30-60 minutes. My goal was to explore Forest
Service (FS) Road 7720. It had been a few years since my last visit to the area.
(more…) Read more:Exploring
, Roads
Deception Pass to Cape Flattery, Washington - Sept 8-9, 2007 2007-09-16 12:12:54
Initially, the family was only going to make a day trip to Oak harbor, Washington
to visit friends for the day. However, since the forecast was for nice weather over the weekend, I suggested that we stay over night in a hotel and take the Keystone-Port Townsend ferry over to the Olympic Peninsula the next the morning and do some sight seeing. I suggested Cape Flattery
as one possible destination.
(more…) Read more:Deception
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