Official Camping Trip Report Thread

[HoneyBear]

Got breakfast going and headed to the Windsor Ruins.

Breakfast of champions saturday morning

• HoneyBear
• Dec 6, 2016

Windor Ruins

• HoneyBear
• Dec 6, 2016

Then headed over to Rodney

Rodney Church 1

• HoneyBear
• Dec 6, 2016

Church 1 interior piano

• HoneyBear
• Dec 6, 2016

Church 2 interior 1

• HoneyBear
• Dec 6, 2016

Church 2 interior 2

• HoneyBear
• Dec 6, 2016

Church 2

• HoneyBear
• Dec 6, 2016

After heading south out of Rodney and finding out between a soybean farm and a hunting club there was no other way out, we back tracked and started looking for lunch. Lukcily Lorman was only 30 minutes away. When we got there I noticed a familiar sticker in the Men's bathroom.

Someone tagged the mens room mirror at the Country Store in Lorman

• HoneyBear
• Dec 6, 2016

Country Store

• HoneyBear
• Dec 6, 2016

Country Store 2

• HoneyBear
• Dec 6, 2016

We consulted with Mr D on where to find Prospect Hill. He initially told us he didn't know, but then changed his story and said it wasn't a good day to go, the roads were rough given the weather. I told him I'd be able to make it fine, so he gave us some directions. We still missed it, finally found cell service and got some better directions from an old facebook post.

When we got there the gate was closed. We had seen the power line cut further up the road and thought about walking in, but wtih a quick look we saw a wire fence at the power line cut so we turned around and drove past the gate again. This time there was a Nissan Pro pickup sitting there. We rolled down the window to ask if we could follow in and to our surprise there was a very nice woman in the truck. Further to our surprise she let us follow her in and look around. I guess being young somewhat respectful men in a new 4runner didn't make her too nervous.

Prospect Hill 1

• HoneyBear
• Dec 6, 2016

Prospect Hill 2

• HoneyBear
• Dec 6, 2016

Prospect Hill 3

• HoneyBear
• Dec 6, 2016

Prospect Hill 4

• HoneyBear
• Dec 6, 2016

We headed to Natchez for dinner. Had some beer at Under the Hill and then dinner at the Magnolia Grill before heading back to camp.

 

[HoneyBear]

With more rain coming we did a quick pack job. The tent was absolutely terrible in the rain, leaked everywhere after a few hours, Saturday night was cold a damp. We had dug a trench around the tent, but the fly collected water which started to seep through, the windows apparently had lost their DWR treatment, etc. We retreated to the pavilion near the office to have breakfast with a nice view.

Quick Pack Job

• HoneyBear
• Dec 6, 2016

Rained A Lot

• HoneyBear
• Dec 6, 2016

Breakfast Sunday

• HoneyBear
• Dec 6, 2016

Retreated from impending rain

• HoneyBear
• Dec 6, 2016

Nice breakfast view

• HoneyBear
• Dec 6, 2016

As a word of warning if you see this bridge south of Clinton on the trace, do not go underneath it. its not safe any more.

If you see this bridge...

• HoneyBear
• Dec 6, 2016

Don't go underneath it...

• HoneyBear
• Dec 6, 2016

 

[wngrog]

Hahaha.....was the lady Jessica? Good looking blond? Likely so. She's in charge of the preservation. She is an archaeologist and a bad ass.

 

[HoneyBear]

Hahaha.....was the lady Jessica? Good looking blond? Likely so. She's in charge of the preservation. She is an archaeologist and a bad ass.

Sounds like her. She didn't seem bothered at all, was very nice, and let us go around where ever we felt like.

 

[wngrog]

Her?

 

[HoneyBear]

Hard to tell with the big sun glasses, but yeah that could be her. She looked like a blond Paula Malcomson to me.

Paula Malcomson - IMDb

 

[FJ60Cam]

Yesterday, me an' the family set out for a quick day trip to do the Winona Auto Tour in Arkansas and swing by the Bomar's on the way home.

http://www.exploretheozarksonline.c...ouachita/jessieville/brochures/WinonaTour.pdf

Just like Gilligan's fateful trip, this was only supposed to be a three hour tour.

... a three hour tour...

 

[FJ60Cam]

We debated about going since it was a grey and foggy day. We almost didn't, but said WTH and peeled out of Memphis around 9:00.

By noon, we had hit the trail, or at least what we thought was the trail. We were actually on Lake Winona Road which runs parallel to the 'tour, but a mile or so to the south. It didn't really matter since the visibility was so bad due to the light fog, and it was similar scenery, minus the vistas.

We tooled around for a while until we got hungry and then stopped at the next campsite. We built a small fire in the fire ring and pulled out all of the lunch gear.

We set up some apps on the toilet to get us by while I worked on lunch.

Lunch was some gangsta ass grilled tri-cheese sammies w/ tomato soup, followed up with some strawberries and then some artisanal coffee for the complete experience.

 

[OGBeno]

Solid Kuhl action. Fag.

 

[FJ60Cam]

Solid Kuhl action. Fag.

Colombia brah. Budget-conscious faggedry.

 

[FJ60Cam]

We didn't realize we weren't on the proper trail until right before lunch. We saw plenty of opportunities to head north, though, so after we got moving, we took the next "major" artery (faint white line on google maps) north.

As soon as we did, we started climbing. Big time. And with the climb came an increase in fog density. We had to drive pretty slow since we couldn't see very far.

Pics don't do it any justice, of course, so imagine it three or four times thicker.

We reached the main trail in no time. I wanted to study the FS map and compare with google to see if I could figure out exactly where we were.

I backed up and repositioned on level ground. No sooner had I put in in park, then I heard the dreadful noise of my heater tee exploding. Within a hundredth of a second, steam was pouring out from under the hood, right in front of our eyes.

FAWK.

 

[FJ60Cam]

I knew what had happened the instant I saw the steam. I had actually bought new tees from beno right after buying the truck. I had heard all of the horror stories and planned to put them in when I was doing some other items. I just never got around to wrenching on this truck.

Anyhow, I shut it down immediately. At least I didn't add seized motor to our predicament.

 

[FJ60Cam]

So here we were, in the middle of the woods in Arkansas, busted truck, lightly clothed (kids can't grasp concept of needing to plan for emergencies), with no tools or parts.

We did at least have food and water, two beers, and enough coffee to make two more cups, so we were able to hold out for a little while if need be.

I took stock of the situation and determined that we were sh!t out of luck. I needed some backup.

So I called Uncle Marcellus to send in the Calvary. He said to go back to the truck, chill them n*qqas out, and wait for The Wolf, who should be coming directly.



By "The Wolf", he meant JTTMF'nBomar.

Bomar said to sit tight, give him a minute to load up the troops, and he'd grab some parts and head our way. ETA two hours.

 

[ntsaint]

Outstanding.

 

[FJ60Cam]

Luckily, I was on the edge of cell coverage. I did my best to navigate the clusterfawk that is 100 series tech to see what size the tee was. The answer was not clear, but Bomar found a 5/8 x 3 tee at the parts place. We had to make it work.

Two hours on the mutha fuggin DOT, we hear tires chewing up gravel. A few minutes later, spaceship de Bomar comes crashing through the fog, the new LED headlights and light bar being all we can see in this thick mess until he's right up on us.

Everybody jumps out and we have a family reunion.

Bomar pulls out the new tee and some tools so we can swap this out.

Overall, it was fairly painless, though time consuming. It did require several swear words. And some chapstick, to help slide the tee into the small hose. But it went back together nicely.

We poured every drop of water among us into the radiator, and fired it up to test for leaks. She seemed to be holding, so we loaded up and peeled out into the abyss.

 

[OGBeno]

I love it when SLJackson look at the phone. Classic. Nice Cam.

 

[OGBeno]

Great work @Bomar

 

[offr0adlim0]

For future #EAF reference, the heater hoses can be connected together with the remaining t-that is not completely broken with the remaining rear hose pinched off with vice grips or depending on the year of the 100 the passenger side hose should reach to the driver side nipple. Cooling system can then be filled with water from a creek, roof rack coffee water or worst case pee in it.

 

[HoneyBear]

The Winona Auto tour is cool, did that earlier this year. Did you do the side spur to the crystal mountain? Easily the roughest road on the tour. My favorite road is the one that goes up to flat side pinnacle. Really cool road and a short hike to a nice lookout.

 

[FJ60Cam]

No, we actually never set foot on the Auto Tour itself until after the repair. It was now pitch black and thick fog. And we still had half of the tour to complete.

We'll be back to check it out on a clear day to further explore.

To close out the trip report, we followed Bomar out to pavement and to Hot Springs Village. Instead of stopping to eat, we opted for Hot Cheetos and Takis from the gas station. (First time Takis eater here. I'm addicted.)

We fueled up and mashed the motor to Memphis, getting home around 10:30.

HUGE thanks to the Bomars for dropping everything and coming to save our bacon. We owe them big time!