Toyota Yaris Forums - Ultimate Yaris Enthusiast Site
 

 


 
Go Back   Toyota Yaris Forums - Ultimate Yaris Enthusiast Site > Second Generation Toyota Yaris Main Rooms > Photo-Video-Media Gallery
  The Tire Rack

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 04-07-2017, 05:47 PM   #1
scratchpaddy
Hubcap Enthusiast
 
scratchpaddy's Avatar
 
Drives: '09 3-door 5-speed
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Phoenix
Posts: 272
Mojave detour



I finally delivered the new-to-them Yaris to my parents last week. The thread where I bought it and stuff is here.

Google says to just take I-10 over and I-5 up, but I would die of boredom if I tried that. Every trip is an opportunity to see new things, so I stay away from the interstates whenever possible.



Way away from the interstates.



Hopefully I went to a few places justanotherdrunk hasn't been to yet, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if he has.

I had to take I-10 out of town, but I went over to SR-72 as soon as I could, which goes through Parker and turns into California SR-62 at the border. Then, north on US-95 and left just past I-40. I beat the trains to Goffs (second picture), and turned north again on a 50-mile long road which cuts through the Mojave National Preserve. The first few miles are deteriorating pavement, overflowing with sand and with weeds growing in the potholes. The rest is dirt. I just have to say, fender gap is great.



Rough pavement starts again just before it reaches the road that goes through Nipton in a great big valley. The bright spots across the valley are the Ivanpah solar station, the largest in the world. Anyone who's played the game Fallout: New Vegas should be a little familiar with this area. It's the southwest region of the game's map. The real version isn't much more hospitable.



As I joined I-15, the wind picked up, and so did the dust.



About 30 miles down the interstate, I came to a place I've been wanting to visit for years. What's left of it, at least.



Lake Dolores started as a private resort in the 1950's. It was opened to the public a few years later, and attractions were gradually added until popularity fell. The park closed in the 1980's.



A new company picked it up in 1990, and re-branded it with a 1950's kitsch theme, calling it the "Rock-a-Hoola Waterpark".



They went bankrupt ten years later.



It's an eerie place to walk around in, in spite of the relentless sun. The wind kept banging the remaining doors open and shut.



All the buildings were in tatters on the inside, ripped apart by copper thieves.





Back on the interstate, the wind picked up some more.



...or borrow your parent's, right? I got off in Barstow and had lunch in Kramer Junction, which is just the intersection of 395 and 58. I ate my burger and shared my fries with the dogs in the car, listening to the sand hiss against the windows, and watching the RV parked next to me sway like a boat at anchor.

I took 395 north from there. The wind got so bad that the CHP shut the roads down to high-proflie vehicles. Anything taller than a pickup truck had to park and wait it out.



As the highway climbed into the mountains, the blowing sand turned to snow.



It was nearly a blizzard at Conway Summit, the highest point on the highway at 8,138 feet. It's hard to believe this was all the same day. I still had some tumbleweed stuck in the bumper.

scratchpaddy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-07-2017, 05:52 PM   #2
ern-diz
 
ern-diz's Avatar
 
Drives: 2007 Liftback
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: CA all day
Posts: 3,794
Mmm, fries...

Mmm, pics, too. Killer shots; and you're not kidding about all in the same day. Desert dust and mountain snow storm. So cool.

That is the cool thing about my beloved home state. The politics, business regulations, Hollywood, etc. might all suck, but the weather is second to none and you can go snowboarding in the morning and surfing at night.
__________________
On Instagram

On Wheelwell
ern-diz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-07-2017, 07:18 PM   #3
Dabuu
Radical Dreamer
 
Drives: spiritedly.
Join Date: May 2016
Location: No Bueno Park, CA
Posts: 219
damn, now that sounds like an exciting trip.

i love the picture of the mountains <3
__________________
Enjoy Family Car Sports
Dabuu is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-07-2017, 10:13 PM   #4
scratchpaddy
Hubcap Enthusiast
 
scratchpaddy's Avatar
 
Drives: '09 3-door 5-speed
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Phoenix
Posts: 272
Quote:
Originally Posted by ern-diz View Post
Mmm, fries...

Mmm, pics, too. Killer shots; and you're not kidding about all in the same day. Desert dust and mountain snow storm. So cool.

That is the cool thing about my beloved home state. The politics, business regulations, Hollywood, etc. might all suck, but the weather is second to none and you can go snowboarding in the morning and surfing at night.
There's a reason so many people live there, and I'm sure it's not the tax code.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dabuu View Post
damn, now that sounds like an exciting trip.

i love the picture of the mountains <3
Everything lined up just right for that picture. Just a little bit of sun came through to light up the road ahead and give contrast to the gloomy mountains. I keep the camera on the passenger seat for when those moments pop up.
scratchpaddy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-07-2017, 10:27 PM   #5
scratchpaddy
Hubcap Enthusiast
 
scratchpaddy's Avatar
 
Drives: '09 3-door 5-speed
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Phoenix
Posts: 272
I had to clean up the car one more time after I arrived in Oregon. I couldn't stand to give them their "new" car all covered in dust and dog hair. Unlike me, they have a driveway and a garage, so cleaning cars is real easy there.



I got their old Chevrolet to drive back. It's actually a cargo van, with a stripped-out interior, rubber floors, and a single jumpseat in the back.



I came across an old hitchhiker outside Battle Mountain. I couldn't stand to leave all that space unused, so we traveled together all the way down to Tonopah, where he split for Utah. He was a nice guy, but Skippy was happier after he left.



I somehow averaged 30mpg driving home in that 3.4L pushrod behemoth. I couldn't believe it. It's got a 25 gallon tank!
scratchpaddy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-08-2017, 02:16 PM   #6
justanotherdrunk
 
justanotherdrunk's Avatar
 
Drives: 2016 SE
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Silicon Valley
Posts: 1,136
sweeeeeeet !!!!!

awesome trip

never been on that short section of old 66 between 40 and 95 where goffs is

i was just thru mojave, chambless, amboy and cadiz a few months ago

stayed in boron at a really small nice little mom/ pop hotel ... the old indian lady actually turned down my bed for me

yep years ago i saw mile after mile of stopped trucks near kramer junction after a few got blown over

never actually stopped at that old water park thanks for the pics

i went thru nipton sometime in the 90s before digital cameras

i was never much into photography before megapixel cameras debuted

sadly i have very little record of all my trips prior to 2001

and in the 80s i was drunk

didnt do many roadtrips in those years

Last edited by justanotherdrunk; 04-08-2017 at 02:26 PM.
justanotherdrunk is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-08-2017, 07:56 PM   #7
zoidberg444
 
zoidberg444's Avatar
 
Drives: Yaris 06 - 5dr hatchback
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Birmingham, UK
Posts: 390
Nice road trip dude. Looks like some pretty rough dirt roads out there, i love the desert.

I was on a tour which crossed some of California and Arizona a few years ago. All i could think was how much i wanted to come back on a road trip and go off the beaten track.

Your dog is adorable. haha
__________________
- Yaris 2006, 1.0, 5 door hatchback "Betty" - 240,000 miles
UK to Nordkapp in a Yaris
zoidberg444 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-08-2017, 11:55 PM   #8
scratchpaddy
Hubcap Enthusiast
 
scratchpaddy's Avatar
 
Drives: '09 3-door 5-speed
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Phoenix
Posts: 272
Quote:
Originally Posted by justanotherdrunk View Post
sweeeeeeet !!!!!

awesome trip

never been on that short section of old 66 between 40 and 95 where goffs is

i was just thru mojave, chambless, amboy and cadiz a few months ago

stayed in boron at a really small nice little mom/ pop hotel ... the old indian lady actually turned down my bed for me

yep years ago i saw mile after mile of stopped trucks near kramer junction after a few got blown over

never actually stopped at that old water park thanks for the pics

i went thru nipton sometime in the 90s before digital cameras

i was never much into photography before megapixel cameras debuted

sadly i have very little record of all my trips prior to 2001

and in the 80s i was drunk

didnt do many roadtrips in those years
You had some good pictures from the last trip you took out there.

I figured you at least knew about that waterpark, though I half expected you to reply with a picture of your wife next to one of the broken waterslides.

Quote:
Originally Posted by zoidberg444 View Post
Nice road trip dude. Looks like some pretty rough dirt roads out there, i love the desert.

I was on a tour which crossed some of California and Arizona a few years ago. All i could think was how much i wanted to come back on a road trip and go off the beaten track.

Your dog is adorable. haha
I don't think they were quite as rough as those Norwegian roads you were on. There was only one worrisome stretch through a wide wash, with lots of loose sand and huge rocks. I was afraid I'd hit a rock, or get stuck if I stopped, but I made it through.

If you ever get back to this part of the world and have some time to explore, we should hook up. There's so much to see here, and I've only scratched the surface, even though I live here.

The dogs love road trips. I have two: Tasi the husky mix, who always keeps an eye on me when I get out to take pictures, and Skippy the hound, who's always calm and sleeps most of the way. We've been all over the place together.



scratchpaddy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-09-2017, 01:29 AM   #9
zoidberg444
 
zoidberg444's Avatar
 
Drives: Yaris 06 - 5dr hatchback
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Birmingham, UK
Posts: 390
Quote:
Originally Posted by scratchpaddy View Post
I don't think they were quite as rough as those Norwegian roads you were on. There was only one worrisome stretch through a wide wash, with lots of loose sand and huge rocks. I was afraid I'd hit a rock, or get stuck if I stopped, but I made it through.

If you ever get back to this part of the world and have some time to explore, we should hook up. There's so much to see here, and I've only scratched the surface, even though I live here.

The dogs love road trips. I have two: Tasi the husky mix, who always keeps an eye on me when I get out to take pictures, and Skippy the hound, who's always calm and sleeps most of the way. We've been all over the place together.
I couldn't do much more than 10mph because of the escort vehicles on those stretches. What was the maximum speed you were managing? Did you just have normal road tyres? I've always found the Yaris very good for not getting stuck. I kicked myself for never getting a picture, but back in 2012 i had to tow my friend in his BMW 320D several miles down country lanes to a main road after it snowed. His RWD German speed machine couldn't hack it. These small FWD vehicles have some crazy traction.

My dream US road trip would be to start probably at LA (ugh i hate the place) and make my way across the mountains to Arizona and maybe even venture into New Mexico then up through Nevada then into Oregon which looks really impressive from what I've seen maybe dip into some of the off the beaten track parts of California. I love all this crazy shit you see out in the desert. Nothing would just get left like that in Europe. Do you ever camp out in the desert?

I hear pure huskies are crazy, that if you let them off the lead they will just run and run and run for hours. The mix must have calmed yours down. I wish i had a dog, but my shifts and living situation don't make it practical.
__________________
- Yaris 2006, 1.0, 5 door hatchback "Betty" - 240,000 miles
UK to Nordkapp in a Yaris
zoidberg444 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-09-2017, 04:30 PM   #10
scratchpaddy
Hubcap Enthusiast
 
scratchpaddy's Avatar
 
Drives: '09 3-door 5-speed
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Phoenix
Posts: 272
The tires are just cheap all-seasons. I kept it around 20-30mph, up to 40 at times.



I actually got a rental Yaris stuck in about 3" of snow beside the road, but it was late-winter snow, all icy and crusty. I got my Metro stuck once, too, when a freak June rainstorm turned a dirt road into a quagmire.



I'll sleep in the car on long trips, but I've never gone out and camped. Just day hikes.

I'm not sure if Tasi is really a mix or not. She came from the pound, so who knows? She could run for days. She ran off once on at the summit of a hike. I found her again, waiting for me at the car, three miles away. She's almost 3 now, and only just beginning to calm down into adulthood.

scratchpaddy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-10-2017, 01:03 PM   #11
justanotherdrunk
 
justanotherdrunk's Avatar
 
Drives: 2016 SE
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Silicon Valley
Posts: 1,136
you need a jeep

i always wanted one but theyre so damn expensive
justanotherdrunk is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-10-2017, 02:37 PM   #12
scratchpaddy
Hubcap Enthusiast
 
scratchpaddy's Avatar
 
Drives: '09 3-door 5-speed
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Phoenix
Posts: 272
Hell no! I wouldn't touch anything Chrysler with a ten foot pole, and that's even before we even start talking MPG. I just need to stay away from deep mud or snow. If I ever got something for off-road, it would be a little Tracker/Sidekick.

My uncle in Wickenburg had a CJ5 for a while (from way before the Chrysler days). It was cool, but after a little while he went back to a Samurai for bouncing around the desert. He buys and sells gold claims around the Vulture Mine. He knows all the hermits out there in the desert.





scratchpaddy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-10-2017, 03:03 PM   #13
zoidberg444
 
zoidberg444's Avatar
 
Drives: Yaris 06 - 5dr hatchback
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Birmingham, UK
Posts: 390
If i was going off road i think the only thing i would take is an old 90's Subaru. Difficult to beat them for off road ability. Second choice would probably be a landrover defender.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk
__________________
- Yaris 2006, 1.0, 5 door hatchback "Betty" - 240,000 miles
UK to Nordkapp in a Yaris
zoidberg444 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-10-2017, 05:15 PM   #14
scratchpaddy
Hubcap Enthusiast
 
scratchpaddy's Avatar
 
Drives: '09 3-door 5-speed
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Phoenix
Posts: 272
No offense to your country, but I wouldn't touch any of the Land Rovers they sell here, either. The Defender isn't one of the ones we get, though.

I'm partial to the Suzuki Sidekick/Geo Tracker since they're basically an offroad Geo Metro. They share many of the same parts, and were built at the same Canadian factory. Cheap and easy to work on.
scratchpaddy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-10-2017, 05:50 PM   #15
zoidberg444
 
zoidberg444's Avatar
 
Drives: Yaris 06 - 5dr hatchback
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Birmingham, UK
Posts: 390
Quote:
Originally Posted by scratchpaddy View Post
No offense to your country, but I wouldn't touch any of the Land Rovers they sell here, either. The Defender isn't one of the ones we get, though.
You would be right actually. Most of the newer stuff is pretty shit. The defender is old school, they were pretty simple back in the day. After some upkeep there wasn't a massive amount to go wrong with them besides rust and wear and tear and they are pretty unbeatable off road.
__________________
- Yaris 2006, 1.0, 5 door hatchback "Betty" - 240,000 miles
UK to Nordkapp in a Yaris
zoidberg444 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-10-2017, 08:55 PM   #16
justanotherdrunk
 
justanotherdrunk's Avatar
 
Drives: 2016 SE
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Silicon Valley
Posts: 1,136
i love wickenburg area

me thinks this in near wikieup and north of nothing coming back from apache junction last year


justanotherdrunk is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-11-2017, 05:43 PM   #17
MadMax
 
MadMax's Avatar
 
Drives: 2008 Yaris Liftback (Sprocket)
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: San Antonio, Texas!
Posts: 2,799
Quote:
Originally Posted by scratchpaddy View Post
My uncle in Wickenburg had a CJ5 for a while (from way before the Chrysler days). It was cool, but after a little while he went back to a Samurai for bouncing around the desert. He buys and sells gold claims around the Vulture Mine. He knows all the hermits out there in the desert.

Sorry, but a Tracker/Sidekick doesn't come anywhere near the coolness of that Jeep!

By the way, I am pretty sure that's a CJ-3A like the one below; not a CJ-5!

__________________

Last edited by MadMax; 04-11-2017 at 07:27 PM.
MadMax is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-11-2017, 05:44 PM   #18
MadMax
 
MadMax's Avatar
 
Drives: 2008 Yaris Liftback (Sprocket)
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: San Antonio, Texas!
Posts: 2,799
Quote:
Originally Posted by justanotherdrunk View Post
you need a jeep

i always wanted one but theyre so damn expensive
Yep, I could sell the 2005 Unlimited I bought in 2007 today for nearly as much as I paid for it ten years ago. Finding a deal on a Jeep is a challenge indeed!
__________________
MadMax is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 09:22 AM.




YarisWorld
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.