Builds wiseinvestor's budget build of "Big Slick" (2 Viewers)

[wiseinvestor]

GMRS antenna.
I have a midland MXT275 in the truck but almost never use it. I'm usually listening to the frequencies on my Ham radio.
I do think it's nice to have for road trips with other drivers who are not licensed, and have even considered upgrading to the 50 watt MXT575.

The slee bumper came with an antenna mount so I thought what the heck and bought a MXAT01VP 7.5 DB thinking of my primary use case on flat ground with max separation from other vehicles. I liked how the the mount came with an NMO nut that allowed me to remove the antenna and keep the mount in place. Good for taking off at carwash or when not needed (which for me is always.)

I was pretty disappointed with the interference in the city (expected) and more importantly didn't like having to take it off to pull in the garage.
I swapped it out for a MXAT05 which will perform better in the city or in the mountains and can fit into the garage without issue.
My only complaint is that the base is hardwired. I can remove the antenna without issue but if I want to remove the base, I will have to pull the entire cable.
This is not ideal for an on off setup. The 3dB gain will work better on trails in the mountain and in the city. It is just not a full time priority so we will see if it stays or goes.

Looks cool though.

Edit: By the way, there is a an access point (grommet) in the jack compartment as well as under the 2nd row rear passenger door sill plate. Both are easy places to run a cable for radio.

 

[linuxgod]

Obvious solution is to never remove it

 

[wiseinvestor]

LCDC X
Loaded up with just the essentials... I headed out.

Met up with @tincan45 and got stuck behind his trailer from Tulsa OK to the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado.

We ran Medano trail and enjoyed the views.

 

[wiseinvestor]

We then drove west and spent two days at a primitive site near a stream south of South Fork CO. The lack of light pollution brought out the stars and the milky way when the sun went down. It was amazing.

We drove up to Creede and did the Bachelor Loop Trail checking out the mines.

We rolled into Ouray just in time for the opening event.

 

[wiseinvestor]

Graduation day. I had to put on my big boy pants for Black Bear Pass on day 1.

One in our group found themselves in a situation off the trail. Lucky to have a pine tree up the hill. I stayed out of the way as the real men in our group organized the recovery.

The ledges above the steps were one of the areas I was most anxious about. Good spotting by Ben and we were through without drama.

 

[wiseinvestor]

Here are my thoughts after doing this trail for the first time:

Going into it I had 4 areas of concern.
1. The ledges.
2. The steps
3. The shelf road from the waterfall to the first switchback
4. The first switchback

My Experience
1. Ledges - I would say that going in, this was my biggest area of concern. I made sure my trail leader knew that I would either need a spot or need to follow someone who was comfortable over that area of the trail. He spotted me and it was a non issue, but I'm glad I didn't have to do that section alone.
2. Steps - While it was steep and narrow, I didn't find this section as difficult as I had expected in my mind.
3. Area past the waterfall to the first switchback. I chose to straddle the pointing rock past the waterfall and it worked out. The ledge was as narrow as I had expected and I did kiss the driver slider into a low rock as I came to a stop above the first switchback. I would say this area was neither easier nor more difficult than I expected.
4. The switchback - This was easier than I expected with good spotting.

Overall I feel this trail deserves the level of attention and concern that I had going into it. It wasn't extremely difficult, but I would be equally cautious if I had to do it again tomorrow. It is a high consequence drive. Beautiful Trail!

 

[wiseinvestor]

Day Two - Imogene and I hit 150K on the odometer.

After doing Black Bear Pass the day before, the shelf roads on Imogene felt like two lane highways.

Imogene is my favorite trail in the area. It has a little something for everyone.

 

[wiseinvestor]

I got to run both trails with Ben from Dissent. I will say that while his 250 is EXTREAMELY modified, I was impressed with how well it performed.
We bombed down last dollar road on the way home from Black Bear Pass on day 1.
Something to think about.

*stolen pics included in this post. lol

 

[wiseinvestor]

One last public shout out to @codyaustin5, @indycole and their wives for letting a fun run 10 years ago turn into such an amazing community. I have been extremely blessed to have been a part of it over the last 5 years. Thank you!

 

[indycole]

That is an excellent synopsis of running BB for folks in the 200. Those ledges definitely needed careful lines this year. It’s no joke to safely and efficiently get a large group down that trail while still making it a fun day.

And thanks for the kudos I’m glad you were in attendance this year and it’s cool to see you and Jim doing some exploration on the way out.

 

[jmw101]

Awesome set of posts. Thanks for sharing the thoughts and the pics.

 

[wiseinvestor]

Detailer fit me in for some paint love after my shenanigans in Colorado.

 

[gasman4u]

You can almost see your shoelaces in the paint. They did a GREAT job.

 

[wiseinvestor]

I just returned from the 4th annual Cruisers on the rocks (COTR) event at Windrock TN. It was a fun group and a well planned 4 days. East coast wheeling is definitely a little different but a lot of fun. I didn't take any pictures of the difficult stuff as I was too busy trying not to break anything. They do a summer trip in the Rockies, so we'll see.

Some LCDC alumni made for an awesome 3 days of wheeling and enjoying the amazing fall weather.
@prharper , @linuxgod , @PhuckItImDone , @laserturbo91 .

Good times!

 

[linuxgod]

That was a fun trip. I’m glad you asked if I was planning to go - I wouldn’t have done it otherwise. A couple shots of your trail booty…

 

[prharper]

 

[wiseinvestor]

Happy Holidays!

 

[04UZJ100]

Happy Holidays!

View attachment 3799996

Merry Christmas

 

[wiseinvestor]

Not much to update on the truck. 2 of my homemade wheel caps finally failed after 5 yrs and I am in the process of making new ones. Additionally, one of my bp-51 shocks is leaking after 18K miles and 18 months. It is still under warranty so we will see how ARB handles that. 3000K miles round trip to Moab next week. Can't wait!

 

[wiseinvestor]

ARB was great and sent out a replacement for my leaking shock right away.
@Eric Sarjeant did a little magic and got me sorted within 24 hours for my trip to Utah.
I'm lucky to have a Landcruiser guy with tech support so close to home.