Vintage

Earnhardt's Toyota is the place for us!

Earnhardt’s Toyota of Mesa is supporting us in a huge way.  I called service consultant Jay McHone on Thursday to say that my sway bar link had broken and took out the CV boot in a shakedown run. He got me in for a look within an hour, got the parts ordered from Los Angles and then introduced me to another service consultant named Mark who would help me on Sat (today). Jay had weekend vacation plans but wanted to make sure the Continental Divide Expedition got on the road as soon as possible.

In line and eager to start

As I mentioned in my previous post, Earnhardts was amazingly cool to get me out of town very quickly, thanks to all the folks there. Of course as I was heading out of town all the comments about my BlueJ being the 10 ton beast of the AZFJ clan were starting to ring in my head. So a quick side shot off the freeway got me on a semi-truck scale and at least next to all those rigs I felt slim & svelt. But at least I knew the Hoover Dam could handle the weight, and the 702FJcrew had no problem accepted another Voodoo Blue into their group.

The morning started off nicely with a relaxing breakfast then off to the airport to drop off Veronica my wife. Fast dash out of town found me and Martín looking over some promising desert we need to return to. North of Vegas to the Arizona strip has some great landscape and we will come back here before too long.

Speaking of cool desert stuff, we spotted a dirt road that led off to this cool structure. It was a nice chance to explain to Martín about the pre-GPS days. And that is you only clue to what it is other that the sign says "human life could be lost if this device is tampered with"....email us if you need more clues!

Name this device? We know but do you?

This was to be our long & ugly highway day. But at least we got to visit with the Tread Lightly folks, and feed a few hundred mosquitos.

What a day to have as the actual first day of the Continental Divide Expedition, it was all real now! Border crossing, Glaciers, dirt roads, and hiking to hidden lakes.

Ice cream stop at Seely Lake

What a day of adventure, from the majesty of Glacier to roadside tire changes to mine ruins still very much intact. Not to mention an excellent lunch beside a rustic wood bridge and babbling broke, an ice cream break at Seely Lake which of course always taste better on a long trek, and lastly to a remote camp on Priest Pass. Long miles and long lasting memories.

Look at all those crazy folks, abled & disbled alike

What a crazy hard running day! We knew it would be interesting when we pulled out of camp to the sight a couple hiking with lawn chairs on their backs, both smoking pipes and carrying a cat on a leash. Only on an adventure like this could you see that sort of thing! But by the end of the day we had meet up with more folks to add to the trek and even swarms of mosquitoes couldn't dampen our spirits.

Watch the multitude watch the geyser

What a crazy day, bagged a number of Continental Divide Crossing, got into Yellowstone after a quick wash of the rigs, and then got out of Yellowstone after battling the crowds. Yep that is why we prefer back country overland travel, being in remote areas with those you choose to travel with vs packed masses of people all vie for the same view.

South Pass City Fireworks

What a crazy long day full of variety and great sites. We left some friends, got our first 4wd test and watched some amazing fireworks to finish the day.

Wide open country out there

We got some gas from Wild Bill, got stuck in traffic then stuck on a side trail, passed some Continental Divide travelers, a walker, a dualsport rider and a couple on bikes with trailers. We found a strange oil drum in the middle of nowhere, we chased antelope across Wyoming and ended the day with showers, swimming and net access at RV World.

Mike almost got through the mud

A day of 2 recoveries, first all of us getting through Adams Reservoir and then getting Mike out of a 4x4 eating mud puddle, 2 Continental Divide Bicyclist, the first walking his bike southbound uphill and the other northbound riding from France. Of course this is normal for overlanding and part of the adventure. And as a reward we saw 3 Forks ranch where either Gandalf or Ted Turner lives, along with enough support structures to handle a small town (Turner's place we later discovered).

Look at the silly people on top of the mountain

This was a day of full and complete adventure. Many folks would have been happy to enjoy just this 1 day as plenty for them, but as overlanders we know each day is just part of the greater adventure of life. The day brought us water crossings, blocked trails at 12,600 ft that we thought would hold us on the mountain all day, nighttime running through creeks and finally camping in cow pastures.

Not wheelchair friendly but that is why we Overland

Our group would split up for the day, split even more then rejoin to start the 2nd Annual FJ Summit. Along the Martin would bag his own Continental Divide Crossing behind the wheel, 2 amputees got to hike part of the Continental Divide Trail and even get our names in a Continental Divide Geocache.

Feeling on top of the world

Watch for a full report in our Special Events Section all about the FJ Summit. We have some great stories of rain on the trails at 12, 000 feet (slippery is interesting), 2 of our vehicles having suspension breakage and the amazing support All Pro gave to get us back in action. There guys even helped install parts during the final nights Raffle, that is over the top service! And all the old saw and new friends we made while there. It was also great to meet Sergio from BajaRack in person since it was the rack from his very own FJ Cruiser that went on Mike's rig. Many of our supporters from AZFJ.org were of course at the event, and our title Sponsor Overland Journal sent Chris M. with the ARB FJ Cruiser to hand out magazines and show off the rig. And I won't lie and say it wasn't nice to refresh in a hotel for a few days as the 1/2 way point in our Journey.

Mountain reflected in the lake and hood

This was a day of transitions, from mountains to high desert scrub, from now to back in time, from natural arches to nature reflected, and from one state to another and a states of mind.

This was our first day post-FJ Summit, from here on there was less concern about the schedule and more willingness to be adventure. For me I could relax a bit more since any mishaps or breakage would not mean missing an event the size of the Summit. Not to mention getting closer to home helped with the tension also.

Trail repair to get us through

This was a day of little towns and big trail problems, light rain and heavy shovels, and proving grounds for skills and gear. I let boredom get the best of me and risk our expedition for the sake of a little more challenge.

Image credit Mike McCambridge

After the previous days recovery adventure we thought the tough stuff was behind us. What should have been an easy jaunt from EL Rito to Grants, with the hope of a campground, internet access and even a shower became something else entirely. Little did we know that this day would bring, a ranchers warning, lots of rain and another night stuck in the wild looking for a way forward.

Yes amputees can pull winch cable!

This was our day to test our recovery gear to it's limits, and to find out just how well a land anchor would work. But we were rewarded for our efforts when we crossed through Pie-Town along with more of natures beauty as we drew closer to our goal and the final days of the expedition.

We made it to the border

Our last day going south, this would see us part ways with one of our group and see the Mexican border before the sun set. Home was calling and we were all caught between that desire to see friends and family and the endless miles of trail yet traveled.

That is going to be a problem

Sure we had made it to the Mexican border the day before but that didn’t mean the adventure was over yet. A huge tree wanted in on our fun and the wildlife even followed us into town.