Green LX470 building for adventure

[white_lx]

Really enjoying this thread. Thanks for taking the time to post all this.

My wife has complained about the passenger foot well being cold in the winter.

Read somewhere that the A/C drain can be a source of cold air into the foot well. Did a search, but I can not find the post. You may want to look at extending the drain, so it is not pointed forward and takes in cold air when driving.

 

[neilsen100]

HIH 9 Avalanche Damage

The amount of avalanche damage was truly awesome. Incredible how much force Nature has.

Avalanche slide all the way down this gully, a couple thousand feet in elevation. Wish I knew the story of that little cabin on the left that narrowly missed destruction. The whole area smelled like a Christmas tree farm.

Here the avalanche came down from the right hand side, across the valley and up the other slop hundreds of feet.

Clean line of aspen trees

 

[neilsen100]

Read somewhere that the A/C drain can be a source of cold air into the foot well. Did a search, but I can not find the post. You may want to look at extending the drain, so it is not pointed forward and takes in cold air when driving.

Thanks for the encouragement @white_lx. Good to know that folks are finding value in this.

As for the AC line, it is on the to do list. I've read the same thing. Others suggest it is a lack of seal around the blower fan. You can read more here: Cold air on Passenger Side Floor - Has anyone figured it out?

 

[neilsen100]

HIH 9 Day 3 - Ophir to Telluride and Mountain Biking

Ophir is a super mellow pass that gets regular traffic by locals all summer. It is the fastest route between Silverton and Telluride, saving almost an hour over the paved route. The Silverton side is a beautiful drive with plenty of trees and views. The avalanche damage photo above showing the tree damage on the opposite side of the valley is from the Silverton side of Ophir.

Still plenty of snow on the top.

The other side into the town of Ophir starts as a shelf road. Nothing technical, just a little rocky.

The crew ready to head out for a day of riding bikes. We eventually got rained out. Special thanks to @woody for asking about a lift pass refund since lightning cut our day short. Telluride Mountain was cool and gave all of us our money back.

On the way back over Ophir summit we came up on a new 4Runner TRD Pro that had backed into the ditch. These ladies were off roading for the first time and drove up to catch the sunset. Backing up to let some oncoming traffic through, the driver misjudged the edge and slid down pretty far. A good reminder for us all that even the most capable vehicle still requires paying attention to our surroundings.

With the help of @DJCloz we were able lock the diffs in the 4 runner, lower the tire pressure, and winch them out. Glad I got the winch installed before this trip!

 

[neilsen100]

HIH 9 - Raffle

The raffle this year was fantastic, just like the years past. Always incredible the commitment this event gets from fantastic vendors, both large and small. When buying product I always look to spend my money with these vendors who support HIH and the 100 series trucks.

Drivers anxiously awaiting to hear their raffle number called.

For me it was extra special since I got to attend as a supporting vendor representing Diamondback Bicycles. We gave away a Release 4c full suspension mountain bike. The winner, Marla, was the most ecstatic winner of the night. It felt like Price is Right as she ran down the aisle to collect here prize.

 

[neilsen100]

HIH Day 4 - Imogene Pass from Ouray

Typically we would drive Imogene over to Telluride but the pass was closed just past the summit on the Telluride side. We still got to head up to the top and make a quick stop at the infamous Pride Rock.

The climb up includes a number of optional lines over rock. They look a bit intimidating but really are nothing for a 100 series.

There is one particular river crossing with three options; across a bridge, across a shallow part and a third option which is deep. It was extra deep and the water was fast with so much snow still in the mountains. Not recommended for most of our trucks but Chris with his big 35" tires made quick work of it.

Pride Rock is named in reference to the Lion King. I think it must be the most photographed spot with a Toyota in the whole country. Open any 4x4 magazine and have a shot of whisky for every add that uses a photo of Pride Rock. You'll be drunk quick. I chose to skip the truck photo this year and instead give Holden a new perspective on heights.

At 13,114' Imogene is the third highest pass in Colorado. Many report getting headaches from the lack of oxygen. Holden got real tired quick up there.

The top of Imogene also has a well known mailbox adorned with bullet holes and stickers. Each year Chris and Stan put an HIH sticker on it. HIH 8 sticker is just above the new HIH 9 sticker.

 

[phatdragon]

Nice trip report for HIH. We were up there the week before and the avalanche damage was awe inspiring for sure.

 

[FNCY VW]

Awesome thread! Just read through the whole thing.

 

[CBeckFJ]

I like the Rhino rack attatchment pieces. I have a FJC Front runner rack and was looking to see if I could fine any mounts for it. Hopefully the Rhino rack parts fit. If they do I'll try them out

 

[neilsen100]

HIH 9 - Final Thoughts

Another fantastic year. Holden did great, no issues with an infant at this event. People are still the best part. Trail runs, sponsor support, gear, raffle, breakfast burritos from Coffee Bear (these are no joke), mountain biking in Telluride, Avalanche pizza and beer, late night laughs, early morning wake ups, lightning storms, and sunrises also made the week fantastic.

And incase anyone thinks I forgot how this trip started, came back with a fridge full of Colorado beer.

 

[neilsen100]

YotaMD Key Shell Upgrade

Broken Toyota/Lexus keys are well established here. My wife's GX keys were both cracking so I ordered up some replacements for her. At the same time I figured might as well do some preventative maintenance on mine. @suprarx7nut makes an amazing solution for us, offers a wide variety of colors and supports HIH. For my LX I went with the HIH 9 special in orange.

Included with the Key Fob Shell is front and back case, two piece titanium frame, mounting hardware, tool, key ring, ring clip and instructions. Instructions were very straight forward.

Disassemble the existing key by removing the one Philips head screw. This key is not broken or even cracking, that is why this mod is preventative maintenance.

New shell with small titanium frame, key and remote in place.

Large titanium frame comes next. This is the strength of the design. The key is sandwiched by a full titanium frame held together with four stainless screws ensuring the shell doesn't take any of the twisting force.

Fully assembled and bag of extra bits ready for the storage bin. I don't attach anything to my driving key so the ring and clip will stay in the bag.