Tighe's LX570 - general thread (1 Viewer)

[Tighe]

Nice weekend spent in Idyllwild. Didn’t get off the pavement much but the camping was superb. It was 100 degrees when I was driving through Anza, and it was 78 at Marion Mountain Campground where we stayed. On Sat we drove up to Boulder Basin Campground- the road leading to it’s quite rough but no problem. I imagine it gets hairy during snowmelt when there’s runoff/wet conditions. Any good OHV trails in the area, or recommendations for dispersed camping?

 

[Tighe]

Couple more pics.

 

[Tighe]

I liked Idyllwild so much last weekend I dragged my kids there again this weekend. Took the 2 and 3yo this time, and they loved it ofc. We stayed at Boulder Basin Campground and it was among the coolest spots I’ve ever made camp. I can’t wait to go back. Got lots of new pinstripes too but hopefully they buff out! The upper part of Black Mtn Truck Trail is spectacular. I imagine the pucker factor would be pretty high with any kind of weather!

 

[Tighe]

More pics.

 

[Tighe]

This past weekend I dragged a couple of my kids back to Idyllwild again, as it's the last reservable weekend at Boulder Basin before the campground 'closes' for the season. At least online it's closed as of this week, although the ranger said there are no plans to close. So I don't know what that means. We explored Little Thomas Mountain as well, which I've wanted to do for a long time. Spent probably 1.5 hours driving it. I much prefer the higher altitude and large trees/boulders of Boulder Basin over the lower scrub/brush found throughout much of LTM. No issues with the truck but it'll definitely need some TLC after a season of camping!

My 2yo at one point came running to me in tears and it took me a minute to realize there was a wasp...inside her shirt. That was a disaster with 6 stings but ultimately she was fine. PSA to pack Benadryl in your med kit! Also I made chocolate fondue with some small disposable aluminum baking pans. Very easy and it was a great way to sorta eat s'mores, despite a fire ban!

 

[TeCKis300]

O man, that's a scare for you little one! Glad to hear she's okay.

I almost went to Idyllwild this weekend too. Would have been a great spot to beat the heat but we wound up in Valley of hte Moon.

Do you have any specifics for camping spots and trails? Looks like a great spot.

 

[Tighe]

Hey Paul! Yes it nearly spelled the end of the trip, but the swelling went down so quickly and she bounced right back. I was very eagle eyed for the rest of the day and night!

Yes, I have some insights on camping in Idy. By far the best campground I've been to there is Boulder Basin, but as I said above it's basically the end of the season now. It was cold at night up there! The road leading up is 4S01 and is no problem for a stock LC/LX. I saw a Prius up there a few months ago, albeit with a pretty mangled front bumper and some cladding hanging off the underside. But it made it up! No sweat in your rig obviously but probably not if you're towing anything other than a small trailer. Tight turns, very tight passing clearances if there's traffic, steep dropoffs, etc. The rangers said the road closes with the first major snowfall, and then reopens in the spring. They are available by phone to confirm any road closures at 909-382-2922. Sometimes they answer, usually not. I also look at the fantastic San Jacinto Trail Report website for updates. Once up to Boulder Basin, I recommend sites 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28, 30. Of these, 18-21 are first come first served. Boulder Basin website. Fire bans have been present about half the time this summer. If you continue past the campground, 4S01 leads to 6 or 7 Yellow Post Sites, as well as the Black Mountain Group Campsite. These ALL look awesome, but I have not camped at any of them, only driven by. The group campsite is reservable here, the YPS cannot be reserved. 4S01 is an out and back road and I have not driven the full extent, but it's pretty breathtaking and I definitely recommend checking it out. I turned around at the Fuller Ridge Trailhead (33.84025, -116.73524) so I'm not sure what's beyond that point. I did get a fire permit which is free and only takes a minute. Not sure if the YPS have a fire ring.

I've also camped at Marion Mountain. It's nice and there are some great hikes nearby. Paved all the way to the campsites, but pretty twisty roads. Fern Basin also looks nice but I haven't stayed there, only driven through. I would pass on Stone Creek Campground, unless you're looking for a crowd.

Lmk what other info I can provide!

 

[TeCKis300]

Thanks for the details! After looking into it a bit more, I realized I've put a toe on Little Thomas Mountain a couple of times but never went too far due to time limitations. Also have camped at Lake Hemet and Hurkey Creek too many times to remember. Boulder Basin however really really intrigues me and is my type of camping. I'll have to put this one on the list. Thanks for sharing!!

 

[Tighe]

Just got back from a surf trip to Costa Rica. Whoa, the cruisers there are awesome, and plentiful! I was filled with envy, as I love the whole 70 series lineup…

 

[Tighe]

Nice weekend in Anza Borrego. We initially drove up toward Coyote Cyn but the lower portion is closed and padlocked. Ranger said a monsoon totally destroyed the road up to Sheep Campground- no timeframe for repairs. Anyway we went to Fish Creek as a backup and picked a site nearish Sandstone Cyn and had fun. The Go Fast Superlite RTT is fun, but it’s not without effort. It def beats a ground tent for kids though, it’s so fun for them.

 

[Tighe]

I did chew up my running board on a pretty minor obstacle…perhaps sliders are in the future.

The crunch was pretty sickening, and I was VERY happy to see just some local damage to the plastic and no damage to the doors.

 

[Tighe]

Hey all, just wanted to update this to say that I successfully programmed two additional key fobs for my truck recently. I bought OEM Denso fobs from Tom's Key Company, and they included a programmer and a USB connector, which you return once the programming is finished. Basically you buy the key, and then rent the programmer from them. They also cut the new key just using some photos of the old key which you send in. It definitely took some effort on my part but it came out to be about 1/2 the price that was quoted by my Lexus dealer.

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