Well, I hate to admit it we but ended up only doing the first leg of Mojave Road, bailing out at Watson Wash (mile 49.5). I had a great time, but the 100 series was feeling top heavy loaded down with two adults and six kids, and all our gear. The fact that we were going solo on our first trip off pavement in a vehicle with the suspension installed by her desk jockey husband understandably bothered my wife. She actually had her own Toyota 4x4 when she was single (19 years ago) and had done plenty of trail riding, but it was always part of a group and without kids along for the ride. At the end of day one, we decided to call it a good dry run and plan to come back as part of a bigger group.
The stretch over the Piute Range was a little more technical than I had described to my wife. Not that it was some major obstacle, but for our experience level it took a bit of effort to chose the right line. The drop off on the driver's side was also steeper than expected. The kids were screaming in mock (I think mock) terror. By the time we reached the summit her nerves were shot.
When we stopped a little later at the schoolbus, I noticed that there was a slight drip of oil from the steering rack, which had been replaced just a few days before. I wasn't too concerned, and figured it could wait until we got home, but it began nagging at the back of my mind.
As we drove through the Lanfair Valley, an intermittent rut developed on the south side of the road. Straddling the rut exposed the driver's side to heavy pin striping from the Joshua Trees, Yucca and cacti which I was reluctant to do. Driving off camber with the heavy load on the roof rack made all occupants convinced we would tip over. I tried to strike a balanced approach, but by the time we reached Watson's Wash my wife's unease at taking this trip solo was beginning to prevail.
Watson's Wash itself looked a lot worse and more eroded than I had seen in any posted video. So, instead of heading down and camping at rock springs, we took Cedar Canyon road to Black Canyon and camped at Midhills Campground for the night. We threw some steaks on the fire for Thanksgiving Dinner and hung out. In the morning, we called it good and headed for the freeway. It was a fun, memorable trip, and I'll definitely head back soon.
