BIg Bend MLK January 2016

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And the most heard quote of the trip, "Where the hell is Patrick, has anyone seen Patrick?"
 
Yep. Lift kit and shocks will be ordered as soon as I figure out what the heck is up with Heather's transmission in the Camry.
Cool- sounds like CT needs to send you some foam
 
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Pig missed me more than my wife.

@Fireman wheeled the piss out of it. We were more concerned about 2 ply tires, running boards and their butts.

My truck is remarkably smooth now that I have it dialed in. These tires are just amazing. I aired down to 25 and didn't air down again until Marfa

@ntsaint will have to give the full mileage.

Roughly we did 60 miles off road day 1. On road 145.

Day 2 was 70 miles off road and 10 on.

Day 3 was 100 on road to the dirt turnout to Big Bend State Park.

We did 115 miles off road in the State Park and just scratched the surface.
 
Agree. Fireman drove that truck like he stole it. He could've easily made that trail, just didn't want to risk it.

I will post up some detailed mileage info later tonight, but it was a lot and the vast majority was dirt.
 
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he next morning we hiked the Santa Elena Canyon and took the Ross Maxwell paved loop out to Terlungua for lunch.



We missed a few key things like Hot Springs and some good short hikes but we really did good.



The park has 150 miles of off road and we did most all of that.
 
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Night 2 was Terlingua Abajo. You can see Santa Elena Canyon in the background.

This site legally allowed us to be in the same site.

There are only a few backcountry sites that allow more than 2 vehicles and if there is a 1/2 they are uaually pretty far apart.
 
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That looks like a really sweet place. Can't wait to dig through all of the pics.

What kind of temps did you have this time of year?
 
And the most heard quote of the trip, "Where the hell is Patrick, has anyone seen Patrick?"

I'm around. Been playing with my knife. Did you know I bought one off a Mexican in Terlinguas?

In all seriousness, I haven't had much to say because I'm still processing what just happened; Part of that is simply all that we took in in a short amount of time (keeping up with Nolen is like trying to lasso a spider monkey on crack). I'll have more to say in the way of trip report in the coming days and some pics to share as well.

For now, I'll leave you guys with a few anecdotes and observations:

1. @Fireman has an incredible family (haven't met the oldest daughter). Bailey is great kid with adventurer's spirit. If I didn't have my own family, I would petition for them to adopt me.

2. My other travel companions were awesome. Although I am sure they got weary of me wandering off and disappearing, we never got "group fatigue." I truly enjoyed every minute I spent with these people.

3. Nolen's expedition ladder is the real deal overland-certified piece of equipment. We used it from everything from taking self-timer pictures, tent deployment, make shift bar, etc... I see a market here.

4. Skottle grease is not something to f**k around with. I have a ruined CLC hoody and 2nd degree burns on my shin to prove it.

5. The pictures and words don't do this place justice. As much as I hope everyone enjoys the pictures, this area is not something you can fully appreciate until you go.

6. Nolen has a remarkable ability to multi-task. He can wheel, read from a guide book, talk on the radio, snap pictures, upload pictures and drink all at the same time. It is truly impressive.

7. Andy makes a remarkable latte.

8. It gets cold in the desert at night, especially without a camp fire.

9. This place is a long way from nowhere. If you go; go prepared.

10. The $35.00 radios were worth every penny. Truly enhanced our ability to communicate and get around; can't imagine trying to pull off a trip like this without those.

11. I have fallen even more in love with the 100 series land cruiser. Not many 17 year old cars can drive you safely 1000 miles in comfort, allow you to beat the hell out of them for 5 days, and then drive you home 1000 miles as smooth as a cadillac with no rattles. Truly a remarkable vehicle. We did everything from baja speed runs to crawling in 4 low and all the trucks performed miraculously.
 
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Thank you for the kind words @pmccraney. The girls were a little leery of crashing a guys trip but they had a blast! Bailey made up a song about the trip if I can get her to sing it to me again I'll print it up. It goes to the tune of Rawhide and mentions Picture Taking Nolen, Where's Patrick, Coffee Making Andy and I've got a knife. The parks are awesome and I truly believe that trips like this help kids out as well as parents. There is so much to see and learn just by exploring.
 
man. so wish id made the trip.....

thanks to all of you for sharing the pictures and experiences with all of us who were unable to go. i look forward to nolen's (non cliff notes) full-tilt write up...
 
man. so wish id made the trip.....

thanks to all of you for sharing the pictures and experiences with all of us who were unable to go. i look forward to nolen's (non cliff notes) full-tilt write up...

You know it.
 
Echo everything that Patrick said...had a great time with awesome folks. People were great, trails were great, food was great, everything. Truly awesome trip. Can't wait to do another one.

I'm still sorting through pics, i have about 500 that have made the cut so far, gonna pull a couple dozen out of that and post up here later. Was gonna post a couple now but apparently the MUD engine is sputtering. Will try again tomorrow.
 

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