Aw, shucks. BTW, your wildlife photography continues to get better; very much so, in fact. I've always said hunters have a distinct advantage with that: They know how find and track critters without giving themselves away. Even flowers sometimes move too fast for me.

 

In case you missed it, I have a new video of still shots from 2020 that haven't been shared before. These include adventures to Big Bend, TX; El Camino del Diablo, AZ; TransAmerica Trail -- OK and the Oklahoma Adventure Trail. A variety of rigs on these trips, from Jeeps to Toyotas to Pinzgauers. I drove my Gladiator during two, and the JK in the other two. Video ends with a short studio chat ...

 

In 2013 some friends and I ran an ambitious route from Gateway, CO, across Utah, ending at the north rim of Grand Canyon National Park. The five part video series has been online since those days. However, it was early in my YouTubing "career" and I'd never created a teaser. Well, I now have one for it. It's not really anything you haven't seen in the original series, if you've watched that. But it's short and gives me a better way to recommend the series to someone if they are asking questions related to that area of the country ...

 

A trip that is on my to do list

 

Recently ran the southern part of the Nevada Backcountry Discovery Route in March with friends from California, Colorado and Nevada. The teaser video is now online. More will be released over the next few weeks ...

You Tube

 

Going to watch it with my morning coffee!!!!!

 

Truer words were never spoken. My 11 was built to what I needed and it ran perfect. I am going to mimick that build with my 2014. 19/60 springs, teraflex leveling, airbags in rear some monotube shock, maybe reflex again as they worked awesome last time, and teraflex lower control arms. That setup worked AWESOME for my last rig and we went everywhere. for the rest of it, I am adding the max3 grill guard with winch mount, vdp high clearance corners, paramount roof rack, wheel spacers or new wheels, morryde hinges, mbrp tailgate re inforcement, some type of cb antenna mount, and a few other odds and ends. Pretty well exactly like my 11. I missed that jeep so much I had to buy another and build it exactly the same way.

 

The full playlist for the Nevada Backcountry Discovery Route is now online. Note that Google has changed their terms of service to permit ads on non-monetized channels. If you are served one, don't feel guilty about hitting the "Skip" button when it pops up. I make no money off my channel ...

 

Managed to shunt aside some of the "gear" to make enough room to sleep.
I'm lucky enough to live in a part of the world where it's very easy to get back country (foothills east of Seattle). I'm in search and rescue (ground pounder, JK is just my transport), mountaineering, backpacking, hunting. I didn't want to put any mods on my Jeep unless I really need it. I'm reluctantly going to put in a Mopar 2" lift, but otherwise pretty happy with it. Gonna replace the stock Rubi MT/Rs with Duratracs (stock size) when the time comes (our 4*4 unit swears by them as the best anything/everywhere tyre -- by everything, PNW rain, ice, snowy roads, deep snow, sand, and the occasional 4WD-low former logging road - but also lots of freeway miles). Warn M8000 on the front (not decoration, I'll just say), and the back has a highlift (doesn't see much use, but makes a great carrier for the Rotopax & Maxtrax). Inside, apart from looking like an explosion in an REI store, literally first thing I did was protect all that nice Rubi leather with Bartact covers. As well as the ubiquitous CB, I have a VHF (SAR + Ham), and always carry a Garmin Inreach satellite messenger. Highlift is mounted to the Rubi tyre carrier with a Terraflex mount; Terraflex Rotopax-Highlift mount, and I repurposed two more of those by drilling some holes to mount the Maxtrax (with Maxtrax mounting pins) to it, too - ratchet strap is just extra safety.



A few hours after the first time in 2 years I actually washed it.

 

I ran the 315 load range E Duratracs for a few years. I really did like them. I had one flat tire with them, on White Rim Road in Canyonlands National Park, caused by a rock penetrating the sidewall. Not reparable. My friend Ray has traveled a lot with me across North America, had Duratracs which were a 33" equivalent, load range D. He has had several flats, including one north of the Arctic Circle on the Dempster Highway and another north of the Arctic Circle on the Dalton Highway. One was caused by a metal rod. The other by a piece of blunt rock, which literally fell apart as we extracted it. We've both switched to BFG KO IIs for the stronger resistance to punctures. My chief complaint with the KO IIs is common for aggressive ATs and all MTs: On wet pavement, they are pretty slippery. I'm not trying to talk you into or out of any decision, just offering up a couple data points.

My friend James helping me to change my tire on White Rim Road by Gooseberry Campsite (skip to 8:30. Please feel free to skip ads, too, channel is not monetized) ...

Ray having his tire repaired in Northwest Territory Dempster Highway (skip to 13:49 if not forwarded.) ...

Ray, a couple weeks later, having a flat tire right as we were descending Atigun Pass on the Dalton Highway (skip to 8:27) ...