Now that I'm sitting at my computer, I can type out a little more of my experiences without a ton of misspellings.
Special thanks to
@Saddletramp for organizing, leading, and permitting this run for us all. Everybody had a great time and the camp spots picked were perfect for the # of trucks and the ability to spread out a bit. The fact that we ran into the Park Ranger at Kelso Depot made me feel like it was worth Steve's effort to get the permits and talk to them about where we'd be - representing CSC in the best possible light.
Our Colorado River crossing to see Fort Mojave was interesting as the group go split up and I ended up leading a pack of 5-6 of us via radio direction finding (2meter) to find the rest of the group. Once across the river, we could see into California and where we'd be headed. Overall, the route was sandy, very fine silt, and lots of Joshua Trees and cactus all around us. From Kelso Depot to the Cinder Cone area was what I'd call the Ocean Road, as the gentle undulating from mounds spaced about truck width apart for miles upon miles made for a very boat-like driving experience. Sunday took us to the Frog Exhibit in the middle of nowhere and eventually the Soda Lake crossing.
With the wind picking up steadily and forcefully throughout Sunday, 3 of us headed back home late that night and all 3 of us barely missed a coyote who kept running out in the middle of the road after some roadkill. I pulled into my driveway at 2am Monday morning, and read above that you guys had just setup camp outside Kingman at 1:30am, so I guess I made the right decision though I missed seeing the snow the following morning.
I did get to hear about it on Ham as the hardcore campers made their way across Hwy 74 (Carefree) to I-17 Southbound near my house mid-morning on Monday, and we had a quick conversation over to catch up. I had a lot of fun talking on 146.460 and even opening some Repeaters in the area to talk to a few other stations. This really added a lot to the trip being able to communicate over long distances and seemed like the contact made the drive over distance go by just a little faster.
This was an amazing trip, and one which taught me that I really get the most out of Overlanding. I enjoy day trips and trail runs, but they always seem rushed when I really get a kick out of driving big loops over multiple days and not having to retrace a route to get back home. This track served up that agenda beautifully, and the scenery along the way was simply incredible as seen in all the photos posted.
For everyone that drove and camped throughout this trip, thank you all for your hospitality, cooking, and friendship on the trail. You're a great group of people who I really look forward to spending time with in our LandCruisers as we explore the country looking for adventure. I can't imagine a better group of people to do that with!
