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06-11-09, 03:44 PM
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 #1 (permalink)
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Forum Lifer
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Northern VA
Posts: 2,966
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Cross Country Trip Report
This last week I returned from my cross country trip so I guess a mild trip report is in order.
I graduated from school on the 2nd week of May and was given a 1 month leave from work to do this trip. June 15th I'll be returning to work and growing up, I guess.
The trip consisted of a direct shot to Colorado, then to Moab, Las Vegas, San Fransisco (Redwood N.P.), Crater Lake, Glacier N.P., South Dakota, North Carolina, and back home to VA.
Overall the trip was fantastic and now that I've seen a lot of different stuff, I know where I want to go back. The San Juan's in Colorado and Northern Montana were my favorites.
I drove my fairly stock LX450. It's got 145k miles, ome Medium, 295 terra grapplers, and dual batts. We clocked 9500 miles pulling my small trailer with RTT and other gear. The only things I did on the trip were an oil change and I had to swap in a new set of rear pads. I average 12.5 mpg with a low of 11.5 and a high of 14.5 ( flat ground, 65 degrees, 55 mph.)
I took 1700 pics and would love to post them all but the file sizes are all huge. Below are a few select pics.
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Brandon L. Downs
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06-11-09, 03:50 PM
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#2 (permalink)
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Forum Lifer
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Northern VA
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I came across this bad boy at crate lake N.P.
I searched and searched but couldnt find the owners. It was a real treat to look at something like this up close as it seems pretty rare in the US
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Brandon L. Downs
'97 LX
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06-11-09, 03:51 PM
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#3 (permalink)
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Forum Lifer
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Colorado
Posts: 3,099
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Awesome - I love that pics of the redwoods. The San Juans are awesome.
Moving West as soon as possible are we  ?
(a born and raised NOVA native living in Colorado and not coming back)
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1995 FZJ80 - F.O.R. Gen II 3.5" lift - 37" Trxus MT - 5.29's - Custom SROR Tube Bumpers - De-plasticized - Dented - Dieted - Durabak'd
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06-11-09, 03:51 PM
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#4 (permalink)
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Site Addict
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: JSC
Posts: 2,450
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What an experience! Sounds like a great trip. Thanks for sharing and the pics. Wish i could manage to pull off a trip like that someday. 
How funny too, Im about 60miles from Crate Lk.
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06-11-09, 04:10 PM
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#5 (permalink)
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Forum Lifer
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Northern VA
Posts: 2,966
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Fins N Things with a few jeepers. My sliders are still in the mail so I couldn't do a ton but still made it through without a hitch.
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Brandon L. Downs
'97 LX
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06-11-09, 04:12 PM
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#6 (permalink)
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Forum Lifer
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Woodland Hills, CA
Posts: 4,947
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I'm about to embark on my trip coming up. Cool to see the bad ass places you went.
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84 FJ60, 256k (Rumpleshank)- suckiest day of my life, WagonGear'd, cleaned, fixed, carb'd, OME lift'd, U-bolts flip'd, Remflex'd and now waiting for a new motor
86 FJ60, 180k (Rizzabella)- just bought it
97 LX450, 227k, non-locked. Expedition vehicle in progress. Auto-up mod, Coolant mod, Garage door mod, Jumper Cables, Dual batteries, Power Distribution 1, 2, 3, 4, Switch mod, Slee harness, Coolant/windshield sensor mod, CDL & 7-pin mod, Dog mod, Drillbit mod, IPOR'd, Yellowbox'd, Scion'd, Trans gauge mod, MAF'd, JDM fan'd, kid seat mod, Factory rack removed 
Mark's Off-Road for all 40,45,60 parts
ふざけんなよ！
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06-11-09, 04:18 PM
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#7 (permalink)
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Forum Regular
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Cross Plains, WI
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What an awsome trip, you don't know how lucky you were. I can only give you one word of advise, don't go back to work, you'll be sucked in, never to enjoy a trip like that again. Babies, house, work, taxes, more babies, no trips.
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"Bring out your dead"
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06-11-09, 04:20 PM
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#8 (permalink)
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OHV Trail Patrol
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Newberg, OR
Posts: 3,308
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I figure that I will be able to do a trip like this in a couple years. I need to get my house sold and the divorce finalized, then I can start saving!
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Chad - Cascade Cruisers
KE7VSA - MetalTech
FZJ80 - 37's, lifted, locked, geared, cut and dented. 
Quote:
Originally Posted by bugsnbikes
Dewd- You would bend those spindles if I tucked them into the passenger seat  You are a candidate for a bobbed 80----not a high clearance bumper. |
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06-11-09, 04:25 PM
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#9 (permalink)
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Forum Lifer
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Northern VA
Posts: 2,966
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Thanks for the kind words. I do hope to do another trip of this kind. I was amazed at how fast we were able to do things. Now i need to go back and do it slowly, seeing the things I missed.
90% of my cost was fuel and campgrounds. We lived off PB&J, Pasta, and cereal.
Crater Lake:
The Shoe Tree, in Oregon, or perhaps it was Washington. I dont remember
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Brandon L. Downs
'97 LX
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06-11-09, 04:39 PM
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#10 (permalink)
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Site Addict
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: JSC
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Damn you caught the lake on a a nice day. Still cracks me up when i meet people that live in Oregon or Cali and even locals who have never seen the crater. Glad you took the time. Its a blast to ski and snow shoe around in the winter.
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06-11-09, 08:21 PM
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#11 (permalink)
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tlcwagons.org
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 3,745
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cruiserhead05
I came across this bad boy at crate lake N.P.
I searched and searched but couldnt find the owners. It was a real treat to look at something like this up close as it seems pretty rare in the US
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that looks like the same one we came across in the Grand Canyon back in January
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06-11-09, 08:32 PM
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#12 (permalink)
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Site Addict
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Redwood City, Ca.
Posts: 1,202
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Amazing pics Brandon, keep them coming....
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Robert Muniz
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1993 Toyota Land Cruiser 217K
3x locked+4.88's+315 BFG AT&MT+SAFARI SNORKEL+SLEE 4"LIFT+TACO FR DC DS+ARB FR+WARN M12000+HANNA RR+SLEE SLIDERS+SLEE SKID+AO DRAWERS+ARB FRIDGE+DUAL OPTIMAS+GARVIN RACK+IPF'S+OKOLE COVERS+HUSKY MATS+POLY REARS+
-LONG INNERS+NF BIRFS
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06-11-09, 08:58 PM
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#13 (permalink)
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Forum Regular
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: somewhere in Iraq
Posts: 32
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Good job bruddah!
Awesome pics of the Redwoods.
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'94 Factory Locked (aka "Elsie")/Stock/PHH silicone/ProComp9000/Skyjacker8000
'95 4Runner 2WD SR5 stock (Wife's rig)
Future projects: Land Tank MAF sensor Front and Rear bumper (MetalTech)/2.5-3" lift/33" BFG M/T's/Powder coat rims (Black)
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06-11-09, 09:03 PM
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#14 (permalink)
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Forum Lifer
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Northern VA
Posts: 2,966
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I'll try and post up more pics when I get a better internet connection. I took all the pics at 12mp full resolution so they need to be resized or hosted online somewhere and my internet connection right now is meh.
Thanks for the kind words and I'll be back with some other stuff.
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Brandon L. Downs
'97 LX
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06-11-09, 09:25 PM
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#15 (permalink)
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Forum Lifer
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Northern VA
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For Glacier N.P. we took a helicopter tour. It was 1/2 hour but very cool. All the PB&J helped pay for this I guess....
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Brandon L. Downs
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06-11-09, 09:30 PM
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#16 (permalink)
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Forum Lifer
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Northern VA
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Other then the San Juan's in Colorado, Flathead Lake outside Whitefish was my favorite. The scenery is wild.
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Brandon L. Downs
'97 LX
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06-11-09, 09:35 PM
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#17 (permalink)
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Forum Lifer
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Northern VA
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One more of the Redwoods.
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Brandon L. Downs
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06-11-09, 09:44 PM
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#18 (permalink)
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Forum Lifer
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Northern VA
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The bugs got so much worse....
And St. Louis Arch
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Brandon L. Downs
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06-11-09, 09:46 PM
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#19 (permalink)
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Forum Lifer
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Northern VA
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Golden Gate. (I was suprised how cold it got in Northern Cali.) It had to have been 40 degrees and 50 mph winds when we took shit.
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Brandon L. Downs
'97 LX
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06-11-09, 09:56 PM
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#20 (permalink)
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Forum Regular
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Longwood, FL
Posts: 213
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Man, that's awesome!!! I have been thinking about a trip like this with mine, ATL to Utah, Cali and back... It would actually be for work, so cost will be in my favor...
Glad to see your rig didn't give you any issues...
Give me hope for mine..
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TLCA, FLCA, F4WDA Member
Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward.
-Kurt Vonnegut
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06-11-09, 09:57 PM
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#21 (permalink)
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Forum Lifer
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Northern VA
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Oddly enough, this is my personal favorite from the whole trip. In full Res on a TV screen it's just very cool.
Somewhere in Kansas....
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Brandon L. Downs
'97 LX
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06-12-09, 05:55 AM
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#22 (permalink)
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250+ Club
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Cincinnati, OH
Posts: 445
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Brandon,
Looks like an awesome trip. Great pictures!
Do you have a write-up on your trailer in the Trailer section of Mud?
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Pete
97' FZJ80 40th Anniversary Edition No. 4647 - 200K - No Lockers -CDL Switch/7-pin mod - Landtank MAF - ScanGauge II - Bilstein F/R & OME SS - 265/70R17 Michelin LTX AT2 on 17" FJ Cruiser Steel
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01' Kona Caldera
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06-12-09, 07:38 AM
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#23 (permalink)
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250+ Club
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Central PA
Posts: 450
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Great trip Brandon - now that you have that experience you'll be back for more. Somehow I've managed to do a 3-6 week trip every couple years since I was 17. Great way to see the country, living out of a car (or motorcycle) and free to go (or stay) anywhere you want. The roadtrip bug never really goes away... it just gets harder to prioritize it in life.
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1996 FZJ80 not-locked, Emu 861/862, ARB, Slee sliders and skids, 285 Nitto TGs, hopefully exploring somewhere in North America.
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06-12-09, 10:26 AM
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#24 (permalink)
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Carnivore
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Ashland, OR
Posts: 1,797
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FirstToy
that looks like the same one we came across in the Grand Canyon back in January
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Is that the Swedish womans truck?
Great trip summary.
Thanks!
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06-12-09, 11:02 AM
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#25 (permalink)
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Forum Regular
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Vancouver, WA
Posts: 220
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Wow, I am super jealous! I plan on going to Montana and stopping at Yellowstone this Summer. You have taken the road trip to the next level though!
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91 FJ80 - completely stock (for now) working on getting all the PM done
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06-12-09, 11:09 AM
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#26 (permalink)
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Currently Cruiser-less...
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Honolulu, HI (Soon to be San Diego via VA and RI)
Posts: 706
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Nice picts! I'm doing a similar trip but from CA to VA. Unfortunately it won't be in a Cruiser either.
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Cruiserhead05
FirstToy
Ingrid
