Gavin Heffernan of Sunchaser Pictures has shot many amazing time-lapse videos. However, it’s his series he calls Joshua Tree Journey that’s really generated a stir lately. This video shows a storm over Joshua Tree National Park.
“Joshua Tree Journey – Storm” courtesy of Gavin Heffernan, Sunchaser Pictures
Death Valley: Gavin Heffernan of Sunchaser Pictures has been awing viewers with his inspired time-lapse photography from some time now. His incredible short films, though they seem to be from other planets, show the scenic wonders of many places in the US Southwest, a region near and dear to our hearts. This film of Death Valley is a case in point – it seems out of this world!
Courtesy of Gavin Heffernan, Sunchaser Pictures
Here at TAP we’re lucky to have two very prepared and well built rigs. Usually we travel as a team because we both want to drive, and we want to have the security of back up, should anything go wrong. This year, unfortunately, threw us a curve ball which put me out on the trails this summer exploring on my own (Accompanied by BlueDog, but he’s not a good driver despite what he claims!). I ended up in some pretty remote and interesting places. The photos contained in this article were taken by me on the trails written about and are not indicative of the challenging portions of these trails. I was too busy driving to think about taking pictures on the dicey sections…and no apologies are offered here.
I admit I am a worrier, definitely an over preparer, but luckily I don’t panic in a crisis, so solo travel although not preferable, seemed okay. As I said, both rigs are extremely capable, well maintained and I’m fairly experienced off road. This year we both also made sure we were qualified in wilderness first aid.
-First, I always get a qualified mechanic to give the rigs a once over before any trip where we’ll be in the backcountry. That means, tightening down bolts that inevitably come loose, checking all fluids and basically looking bumper to bumper for any potential issues. It’s not fool proof of course, as things can break on the trail, but it does give a certain peace of mind.
-Second, I really think through what I pack. A basic tool kit for simple trail repairs and self recovery gear (snatch straps, winch gear, tire plug kit, sand ladders and shovel (more on the shovel later!).
-Third, I never travel without my Delorme In-Reach personal beacon. It’s satellite driven and is a great and essential last resort device, if safety or medical concerns occur. It’s not cheap and has a monthly fee, but I wouldn’t travel without it.
-Last but not least, I always travel with a well thought out first aid kit (we’ll be doing an article specifically on first aid kits next month), extra fuel, water, some food, warm clothes (even in the summer), a space blanket and sleeping bag. Basically, enough gear to be able to spend a few days hunkered down waiting for help to arrive.
Okay, packed and ready for the zombie apocalypse, I am ready to hit the trails. This summer I’ve tried to explore the Sierra’s as much as possible and have traveled up the I-395 to as far as Tahoe. In general, being solo I’ve kept my exploration focused on easy to moderate overlanding trails, where primitive camping under the stars is as much the adventure as the driving. Despite this mind set, I have also raised my pulse a few times.
The first time was on the Wyman Trail which frankly, is pretty easy in the summer with a lot of simple stream crossings. I would imagine this would change significantly after snow melt. So, what set my heart racing? It was an area 10 miles into the trail, where the stream had washed away the path leaving a boulder ridden drop into the stream bed. In all reality, something my Taco handled easily but in the solo moment and being in a remote area, something that made me take pause in case I got stuck. I did pause, actually, got out, chose my line and got through just fine.
The second time was on the same trip and was on the short but very steep Silver Canyon Trail that takes you off the White Mountains and down to Bishop. It wasn’t the technicality of the trail, it was the steep descent. My Taco is heavy with gear and armor and half way down, the front brakes were smoking and very spongy! This was extremely nerve wracking and once again, my fears were heightened by being solo.
The last time was this week on the Wheeler Ridge Trail, just northwest of Bishop. You ascend on the beautiful and easy Sandstone Canyon Trail and can either continue to its end or join the Wheeler Ridge Trail. This trip I was in the Jeep Rubicon, so my trail confidence was raised. As I joined the trail, I read the posting indicating, “Most Difficult”. I am in the Rubi, so what could go wrong? The trail up is technically difficult and I ended up using front and rear lockers on more than one occasion. The trail was made harder by not having a spotter. Something I’d neglected to think about. Half way up the trail, I hit one spot that had the Jeep feeling like it was going to tip. A pucker moment for sure, which had me breathing hard and slowing down my headway, making sure I got out to scout the line.
At the top of the trail, the technical terrain mellows and you find yourself heading across a high altitude meadow and lake bed. This time of year the lake was dry. After crossing the meadow you come to an off camber shelf road, with a significant and potentially life threatening drop. Once on it you’re committed and there’s no turning back. This was my BIG mistake! As I said, the trail is off camber, leaning toward the drop off, and very narrow, so your outside wheels are basically on the edge. It is also loose sand. I was struggling and had a death grip on the wheel. Half way along I came across an area where the camber was so severe I didn’t think I could make it past without going over the edge. As you can imagine, this was no longer fun. So, remember the shovel I mentioned earlier? I spent 20 minutes shoveling the trail flat-ish so I could pass safely. Without it, I truly don’t know what I would have done, as I couldn’t reverse and I couldn’t safely go on.
Thoughts of being alone stuck at 10,500ft in the Sierra’s were racing through my head. Well, obviously it all worked out as here I am telling my tale, but it was a good example of how when traveling solo, you can easily get in over your head. Traveling with another person/rig may have stopped us traversing the shelf road. Maybe not, but two heads are generally better than one.
Okay, so what does all this mean? I’m not saying that solo travel shouldn’t happen, but whenever possible it’s definitely more sensible to go with at least one other rig and frankly more enjoyable to share the adventure and story (Nobody believes my “I could have died” stories!). We strongly encourage you to take seriously your trip preparation, get trained in your driving skills and first aid. It’s very important to be prepared and ready to tackle any challenge put in front of you.
Author and photographer: Andy Palmer
Editor: Lori Palmer
Laurel Lakes: Last July 4th we decided to celebrate this amazing country by going into the Sierra Mountains. We’d just spent 2 days primitive camping and exploring east of Independence, at hot and dusty high plains Badger and Papoose Flats and needed some different terrain and water. Breaking camp and driving the windy way back to the I-395 took a long 2 hrs and we were happy to eventually be on the highway and heading north. The journey up from Independence was certainly more scenic than the previous trip up from Ridgecrest and we were looking forward to some high altitude exploration. When we arrived in Mammoth the town was preparing for their parade and the roads would soon be closed down. We lucked out and managed to easily find Old Mammoth road (0.8 miles south of town) and head out before we’d be locked down for a few hours. As much as it would have been fun to see the parade, we also knew that the trails would be somewhat empty. Taking Sherwin Creek Road we headed to the trailhead at the intersection of 4S08 and 4S86 a few miles up the road.
The trail itself is only 4.5 miles in length and has an elevation range of 7,300-10,000ft. It is an incredibly scenic trail with long sections of loose shelf road, ending at stunning Laurel Lakes. It is rated as a difficulty rating 4 and as you can see the sign says High Clearance Vehicles Only. However, we were in 4 high the whole way and in our experience the trail is rough, loose and rocky and slow going and it took us 1.5 hrs to drive the short distance. We did not air down (but it would have been less bumpy if we had) and certainly we never felt we needed 4 low. The trail is certainly within the capability of stock SUV’s, but inexperienced drivers may be intimidated by the rough and loose terrain. TIP: Your stock high clearance 4×4 SUV will be fine, so gut out the bumps, relax your grip of death on the steering wheel, as the end result is well worth it.
We followed a series of easygoing switchbacks to the crest before Laurel Canyon. The view up the canyon is stunning and even in this low snow year and being July, we could still see areas of snow. I imagine in some years much more snow will be present and hang on throughout the summer. Laurel Canyon runs high along the wall, with most of it’s length being a single lane shelf road. There are very few passing places (especially in the upper section), although it is easy to spot on coming traffic. TIP: Don’t be afraid to pull over where you can even if it’s a long wait for the rig coming towards you. Have patience, relax and simply enjoy the scenery.
On the way up the trail we passed a couple of fantastic camp site opportunities. They were tucked in amongst the trees next to the stream that runs down from the lake. We pulled over on one of them to walk the stream and reconnoiter future camping. Blue Dog also spent some quality time hunting for Brown Trout, although he doesn’t have his fishing license! The stream was truly beautiful with flowers lining it’s banks and butterflies fluttering everywhere. It is definitely now on our list of places to stay!
Continuing on from the campsite we eventually crested the trail at well above 10,000 ft. The view down to the lake is stunning as is the view back down Laurel Canyon. It was tempting to get down to the lake as quickly as possible as that was the end goal, but we stopped for 10 minutes to survey the scene, take in some clean air and smile!
After jumping back in our rigs we started to tackle the final descent. It involved a very tight switchback and the Taco needed to back up a few times to complete it. The Rubi with it’s shorter wheelbase had an easier time and according to Lori, a better driver also helped in the execution…;) The trail down to the lake was very loose. Again, nothing to worry about but it may intimidate inexperienced drivers. The trail ended at the banks of the lake and there were plenty of places to pull over. All in all, there were 4 other rigs parked but we still felt alone. The scenery was simply amazing and we stayed at the lake watching people fish for trout and taking a well earned nap. There are plenty of areas to car camp by the lake and we will certainly do this on another trip. TIP: At this altitude, you’ll want sunscreen during the day and warm clothes and sleeping bags at night, even in summer.
What an amazing way to spend the 4th of July!
This is by no means supposed to be a technical review, more a personal opinion based on driving both vehicles on and off road over an initial 9 months. The two vehicles have similar lifts and tire sizes, front and rear bumpers, roof racks, 4×4 components etc. I also tried to write the review with an open mind without pre-determined emotions..honest!
Our very capable Tacoma is 4.5 years old and has 65K miles on the clock. Synthetic oil changed every 5K and all fluids regularly changed. This truck has been used but not beaten.
– Rear locker, Traction Control, Hill descent control.
– OME 2.75″ heavy-duty lift with Dakar extra leaf in rear. CS047R in rear and OME 60091 Nitrocharger rear sport shock (N182)
– Timbren Rear Suspension Enhancement System
– Tires: BF Goodrich AT 285x70Rx16
– Aluminess front bumper
– Pefreybilt rear swing out bumper
– All-Pro – Rock Guards/T-Case Skid Plate/Rock sliders
– Ricochet Heavy Duty Front Bash and Engine skid plate and Lower control arm skid plates
– Airflow America snorkel
– TJM Stealth 9000 winch, synthetic rope
– National Luna Dual Battery and Intelligent Split Charging kit with 2x PC1400/G25: Odyssey
batteries
– Tempo Tusk slide
– Engel Fridge 45L
– Yakima mega warrior rear basket and Load Warrior front basket on Yakima racks.
– Snug top Sport Topper
The test Jeep Wrangler Rubicon is 9 months old and has 10K miles on the clock. So far only pinstripes!
– Rear locker and front sway bar disconnect.
– AEV 2.5″ Dualsport lift
– AEV Snorkel
– AEV Front and Rear bumpers
– Jeep tow hitch and electrics
– AEV Roof Rack
– AEV Fuel Caddy
– Tires: BF Goodrich MT 255x75Rx17
– Warn 9000 winch.
(1) Performance on road:
Overall: In general, if I had to drive on a long freeway road trip I’d choose the Taco. Of course though, both are not built as commuters. If this is why you’re buying a car, get a sedan.
Taco: 3 out of 5
Rubi: 2 out of 5.
(2) Performance off-road:
Overall: The Rubi is simply built for the job and is a joy to drive off-road. On many occasions we’ve looked at certain obstacles with trepidation, only to overcome them with ease. Regarding the Taco, don’t get me wrong, this truck is very capable off-road and can certainly go all the places we want to go. The simple fact though, is that the Rubi does it better.
Rubi: 4 out of 5
Taco: 3 out of 5
(3) Towing a 1500lb off-road trailer:
We have towed our Turtleback Trailer fully loaded with both vehicles on and off-road. Both vehicles have handled the task in most situations. There is no real winner for freeway use. Both trucks cruise fairly easily at 70 miles per hour on the flat and both suffer with lack of power going up steep hills, especially at altitude. This is the main time I wish I had a V8, however 95% of the time I don’t want a bigger rig, so it’s a compromise I can handle. Off-road, again both rigs handle the trailer well. The Rubi wins out simply because she has a shorter wheelbase and better off-road traction in general.
Overall: The winner (just) is the Rubi and we always tow the Turtleback with her when we’re taking two rigs on a trip.
Rubi: 4 out of 5
Taco: 3 out of 5
(4) Glamping practicality:
Obviously the Taco offers greater practicality with much more useable space due to the pick-up bed, something that’s all-important when camping backcountry. The Rubi without a trailer would be too small for us on a camping mission on it’s own (we’re three and a dog), but with the trailer it works fine. The Taco, on the other hand, can accommodate all our “glamping” needs without using the trailer. We also tend to overpack!
Overall: The winner is the Taco.
Taco: 4 out of 5
Rubi: 3 out of 5
(5) “Nice Rig Dude”……..
Both rigs turn heads and definitely get comments all the time. However, overall the Taco wins out here. It seems to give more “wow” factor, probably because it’s more unusual and truly looks like an expedition truck. People are fairly used to built-up Jeeps, however Tacomas are less commonplace.
Overall: So, apologies Jeepsters, the Taco wins on the looks and wide-eyed truck-porn lust….:)
Taco: 4 out of 5
Rubi: 3 out of 5
(6) Miscellaneous:
Overall: No real winner on this one as it’s too early to really compare.
Rubi: 3 out of 5
Taco: 3 out of 5
I love our Taco, however I have to admit when we first bought the Rubi, I wanted to drive it all the time. I even considered selling the Taco and having a family of Jeeps instead. Now 9 months on and several trips later, the honeymoon period is over and I’m back enjoying the Taco and Jeep equally. Both are highly capable vehicles and have their own pros and cons. IMHO the Rubi wins for pure off-road experience, but for our “glamping” needs overall, the TACO takes the WIN….just! TAP Update 2015: The Rubi now has an AEV 4.5″ Dual Sport SC lift with 315 tires and is even more capable off-road. The Taco has a new stage 5 Icon Dynamics suspension system and PelfreyBilt armor front, back and belly. We’ll update this review in the coming months.
TACO: 20 POINTS OUT OF 30
RUBI: 19 POINTS OUT OF 30.
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