November ROTM w/camping option - FR393 to Bartlett Lake/Log Corral to Bartlett Lake (1 Viewer)

[Mattman]

Just had a couple interesting looking shots of Dutch oven 101 and coffee/sunrise. Also my crazy dog and her treasure.

 

[rctoyota]

We had such a great time thanks everyone. Here are some photos of camp and FR393

View attachment 1355126

 

[rctoyota]

More photos

View attachment 1355132

 

[sjpitts]

I really wish I could have gone on this trip. When I was kid I my dad took me deer hunting down the 393 road. We managed to put a hole in the gas tank of his 69 Wagoneer. As I recall, we stopped the leak using a bar of soap. Who knew you could do that?

And I don't know if it has been pointed out, but at least part of this road is currently on the list of roads to be closed under Tonto's latest version of Travel Management. Because one small corner of the road goes into the wilderness area (as result of poor boundary maps when they made the wilderness area). The 203 road is under the same threat.

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

I really wish I could have gone on this trip. When I was kid I my dad took me deer hunting down the 393 road. We managed to put a hole in the gas tank of his 69 Wagoneer. As I recall, we stopped the leak using a bar of soap. Who knew you could do that?

And I don't know if it has been pointed out, but at least part of this road is currently on the list of roads to be closed under Tonto's latest version of Travel Management. Because one small corner of the road goes into the wilderness area (as result of poor boundary maps when they made the wilderness area). The 203 road is under the same threat.

Sounds like good memories for you sorry you missed it. Just about ever time I boat on Bartlett I see vehicles at the beach.

The status was a concern as one of many CSC goals is to a rule players and respect our land. With that said even though I did not go on the run having the time I contacted both Mesa and Cave Creek Ranger Distric about the status of FR393, they both said we were free to travel. I also mentioned a concern about crossing wilderness area and after being put on hold Mesa Ranger Distric I was told they had no knowledge. The Mesa ranger (IIRC named John) I spoke to did tell me the road would be slow going, rough, and high clearance would be required.

 

[-Spike-]

Due to the delays in implementing Travel Management, FR393 is not currently closed, although AFAIK FR203 (AKA Cherry Creek Road) is 'temporarily' closed due to the recent fire and erosion issues related to it. However, it will require a literal Act of Congress to keep them open after Travel Management is finalized. We believe mapping inaccuracies are to blame, and that those roads were never intended to be included in the Wilderness areas. Fortunately there are several lawmakers working on correcting the mistake, including Senator Bob Worsley and Senator John McCain. If you have concerns, sharing them with those two gentlemen might not be a bad idea, as well as any other lawmakers you might want to speak with.

 

[LongDuck]

Downloaded my pictures a bit ago and figured I'd post a few shots that others may not have captured. Many thanks to both @Abigail and @Saddletramp for hosting this run of Log Corral Canyon and 393 which was a novel way to split the routes for those who were looking for a round-about run vs. out-and-back. At nearly the last minute, I changed my mind to Log Corral and only suffered a few minor scratches on my sliders to show for it - but came away with new memories and a renewed respect for what our trucks can do so well. My ODO showed 52mi from Baja Gas-up, through Log Corral Canyon to the campsite, and then out -393, and back to pavement; a bit of that was just getting to dirt at the turnoff on the way out, though.

I especially liked our LeMan's start on Sunday morning as we all headed out -393, with everyone running to their trucks to get rolling!

So, here are my pictures with a few narrations along the way;

Entrance point to Log Corral Canyon - officially 'adopted', per the signage. Four trucks headed in (3x80's, 1x100):

Having never run Log Corral before, I would call it a long, soft, sandy approach to 3 difficult sections, each of which about 40-50yds of rocks - BIG ROCKS. There was a 4th difficult section early on if you wanted to rock climb and make things harder for yourself (*there was a sandy bypass right next to the obstacle):

I was glad to be in the company of such experienced 'wheelers and spotters.

 

[LongDuck]

Once past the obstacles, it was back to undulating sandy, soft dirt which kept our speed up with only occasional rocks to avoid;

Everybody already covered the camping photos, so I'll jump straight to the drive out on -393. I had @Verruckt behind me and managed to catch him hanging it out there in a few shots. This road out has a few inclines, some off-camber shelf roads, and more than a few washouts to be avoided. Here's Pete on one of the washouts with a tight turn;

Another one of Pete straddling a serious chasm, and would have made an emergency oil-change an easy task;

And lastly, Pete showing his mettle on the final treacherous section of an off-camber shelf combined with a washout that bumped up the excitement (for me, anyway);

All in all, a great run enjoyed by all! I always look forward to these runs for the collection of people it brings together who share a common passion for the outdoors and LandCruisers! Thanks to you all for sharing in the Potluck and cleaning out the Dutch Oven Cobbler so I didn't have much left to clean up! Looking forward to the next one, and Happy Thanksgiving,

 

[Saddletramp]

Some people thought we might need to go back and get bigger tires others were like "no biggie"

Some cactus flourish after the hair cuts and others perished. No apparent reason.

 

[Saddletramp]

Our favorite camper was asked, "what face does a dead fish make" We were not disappointed.

 

[Cruzrmama]

Does this make anyone else nervous? Haha!

 

[brices123]

View attachment 1356620 Does this make anyone else nervous? Haha!

I always wondered how they made Fireball!

 

[Dimples]

Is that why it is illegal in the U.K.?

 

[brices123]

Is that why it is illegal in the U.K.?

No, Otis illegal in the U.K. because they are concerned it will rot their teeth.

 

[Dimples]

I've seen Austin Powers. Fireball is the least of their worries.

 

[Saddletramp]

Trip Report

Author: @Abigail

Date: November 19, 2016

Destination: FR393/Log Corral to Bartlett Lake

Trip Leader: @Abigail & @Saddletramp

Trail Rating: FR393 is stocker friendly, although there are 3-4 areas where spotting was required to get the 100s through safely; Log Corral requires lockers, 35" tires at least, sliders, and the willingness to take body damage, even with a spotter.

Attendees: We had 17 trucks on this run, with 4 of them taking the Log Corral route. 5 of the group were day-trippers only, so there were 12 trucks camping. We had 4 100 series, 1 GX, 1 FJ Cruiser, 1 newer 4Runner, and the rest of the trucks were 80s.

Log Corral: @Saddletramp, @BoxYourEars, @LongDuck, @jclarke450 + @Cruzrmama

FR393: @Cruddz, @Abigail + @Shwing, @brices123, @Dimples, @Chrismanjs, @verruckt1, @Dissent, @Mattman, @re_guderian, @rctoyota, @1Louder, @John Morgan, @Fuge

Happy campers: @Saddletramp, @LongDuck, @jclarke450 + @Cruzrmama, @Cruddz, @Abigail + @Shwing, @brices123, @Dimples, @Chrismanjs, @verruckt1, @Mattman, @rctoyota, @John Morgan

Camp dogs: Roxy, Millie and Oreo

We met at 8:00am at the Baja gas station on the Beeline Highway, and sent the day trip FR393 folks on ahead first (led by @verruckt1, with @Dimples, @re_guderian, @1Louder, @Dissent, and @Fuge) so that the rest of us could wait for someone who decided he needed some extra sleep. Finally, we had to leave without sleeping beauty, although he caught up just fine as the second group was halfway through FR393. @Saddletramp led the group on Log Corral, joined by @BoxYourEars, @LongDuck, @jclarke450 + @Cruzrmama. @Chrismanjs took the lead for the second FR393 group, kindly testing the trail out with the lowest clearance vehicle of the group Nobody suffered any major carnage in any of the groups, although @brices123 is convinced the minor scratches to his bumper are a good enough excuse reason to buy new.

The Log Corral group beat everyone else to the lake by at least an hour, although 393 group #1 did have to change a popped tire, and even stopped for lunch along the way. The day-trippers hung around on the beach until about 2 or 2:30pm, then headed back out FR393 to get home before dark. The rest of us set up camp and a few decided to try their luck at fishing. One small bass was caught, but the dogs and kids found plenty of dead fish to drag around camp. @brices123 brought out his drone and kept us all entertained with skillful piloting and photo/videographing.

This camping trip featured another successful potlock! @Dimples carried the day with his fancy sausages simmered low n slow in a glorious concoction of onions, maple syrup, and other things I don't remember; they were amazing. He followed that up with an even fancier Dutch oven mac n cheese, containing no fewer than 67 different cheeses. @verruckt1provided a delicious caesar salad, which was the perfect accompaniment to the main dishes. @Saddletramp and @Cruddzmade some authentic fried rice to go along with everything else, which was a big hit with the kids of the group (and everyone else). To tide us over while we waited on dinner, @rctoyota's wife Cleo provided us with her famous 5-layer dip and chips, and @brices123 shared summer sausage, cheese, and crackers. Dessert was another hit with a homemade pumpkin pie made by @Chrismanjs, and Dutch oven peach cobbler made by @LongDuck; @John Morgan even brought the whipped cream! @LongDuck provided the group with a thorough and educational tutorial on the proper way to make a Dutch oven peach cobbler (@Abigail took many notes). Last, but not least, @Mattman made all this gorging possible by making sure we had plenty of plates, bowls, and cutlery.

After dinner was served and we were all stuffed, @John Morgan brought out the single malt and @brices123 made available a large box of Fireball. Cleo convinced one of the campfire groups to play her favorite game called Catch Phrase, and that occupied a (loud) number of us for a long time, while the more sensible folks kept their distance around their more sensible fire.

In the morning, the potluck continued with biscuits and gravy made by @Abigail (made possible by @Dimples and the use of one of his Dutch ovens). After breakfast, we packed up and all headed out on the FR393 route under an overcast sky around 9:45am. We had another tire mishap on the way out, and unfortunately it was the same truck, so @jclarke450 & @Cruzrmama were kind enough to lend their spare. The run back out 393 was a lot faster, and we made it to pavement in just over 2 hours with no spotting needed. We got a little spit on as we were airing up, but luckily didn't catch any of the rain that was making its way through the valley that day. We also didn't get too slowed down with Ironman AZ traffic, as we had thought might happen on Sunday.

Overall, it was an excellent trip and hopefully everyone enjoyed themselves as much as I did.

Thanks to everyone who made it out for this run, even if it was just for the day. Also thanks to everyone who contributed to the potluck, making this one tasty trip!

 

[Saddletramp]

The trip report above, written by Abigail, left out the fact that the bass was good sized and bigger than the one caught by Alvis at Sheeps Bridge.

 

[Dimples]

Thanks again to @jclarke450 and @Cruzrmama for the loan of their spare. Saved my hide. New shoes go on today.

 

[Abigail]

The trip report above, written by Abigail, left out the fact that the bass was good sized and bigger than the one caught by Alvis at Sheeps Bridge.

Sorry, I don't claim to be a bass measurement expert, I only have limited experience in the area.

 

[murf]