Desert Expedition IV trip Report: Mojave Road

[spressomon]

Nice write up Martin! Your post rekindled the memories of when a few of us explored Mojave Road in mid-June of '09. It was so wet and muddy in central and northern Nevada that year and even though Mojave Road wasn't apart of our original trip plan...the extremely wet conditions we experienced on our Explore Nevada 2009...pushed us that far south and onto the Mojave Road. As luck would have it...we even got sprinkled on down there!

 

[Martinjmpr]

Nice write up Martin! Your post rekindled the memories of when a few of us explored Mojave Road in mid-June of '09. It was so wet and muddy in central and northern Nevada that year and even though Mojave Road wasn't apart of our original trip plan...the extremely wet conditions we experienced on our Explore Nevada 2009...pushed us that far south and onto the Mojave Road. As luck would have it...we even got sprinkled on down there!

Interesting - I was in Northern Nevada just a few weeks before you, I think, and it was bone dry!

We were there over Memorial Day of '09. Started at Spencer Hot Springs near Austin and worked our way North, stayed in the Black Rock Desert at Double Hot Springs, then up through High Rock Canyon, then to Bog Hot Springs, and finally ended up at Willow Creek Hot Springs in Oregon. Good times!

 

[4x4x4doors]

Final thoughts/Notes/Lessons learned:

<snip>

My Sleeping platform worked great, and the "deck chair" mattress worked very well. However, there was not much headroom - it was kind of like a bunk in a submarine! OK for sleeping but not much room to sit up.

<snip>

My Masterflow MV-1050 compressor was only used once, at the end of the trip. It made a few odd "coughing" noises while trying to fill up my tires, and filling up took longer than usual. I made a mental note to check the compressor out when I got home, thinking maybe a seal was going bad or it had some other problem, and then made that check unneccessary when the compressor fell out of my truck at the motel in Escalante and broke. So now it will just be replaced with a ViAir 90P.

<snip>

Was wondering about the deck chair mattress. Thinking I'm due for a replacement cushion for the Little Guy.

I don't like to think how much stuff I've replaced due to the "fell out of the truck" or otherwise not suitable to try to repair.

 

[Ace Brown]

Excellent report Martin. Factual and entertaining as usual. But it was difficult seeing those pictures of Kyla just now. I stole the one of her curled up in her vest though. I probably won't do a report like yours on the remaining DV portion as I already did on the trip planning thread. Mostly photos though as it takes forever to be a wordsmith on my iPhone.

Anyone looking for really good camp mattress should check out the Exped Megamat 10. I have tried literally dozens of camp pads and this one puts all the rest to shame. It should not be called a pad; rather a bed. It's almost as good as my bed at home.

Ace


2008 FJ Cruiser expedition ready and off-road trailer with RTT.

 

[Ace Brown]

I had comm issues on the DV portion of the trip and want to let you know all is good now. The CB "fixed" itself. It worked fine the last two days running with Gary and the next four days running with our club in the Swell. Also I replaced the HAM antenna and it's reaching out just fine.


2008 FJ Cruiser expedition ready and off-road trailer with RTT.

 

[Ace Brown]

When we ran over Mengel Pass all three of us wondered how you all succeeded in 2011. Frenchie had done it beforehand and stated that it was a lot harder than his last time. I think I have done it before but don't recall anything except the monument at the top. I think Gary had not done it before. He has the lowest rig and made it but banged on the rocks pretty hard. I too hit hard on a couple of the bigger boulders and with a 3" lift and 35" tires. We concluded the trail must have washed out pretty badly since 2011. In fact one very tippy spot on the east side was quite high on the pucker meter. Wish we had taken photos there to compare with what was posted from 2011.


2008 FJ Cruiser expedition ready and off-road trailer with RTT.

 

[mjmcdowell]

2011.. Mengal pass........

Must have washed out some since we went over.... my ranger is basically stock w/good tires I only scraped once...... I had a good spotter tho, (Scott take a bow) or just that I have some mad skill's in driving. :sombrero: Michael

 

[SIZZLE]

Well done! Thanks for sharing!

 

[gwittman]

Michael, I have to say, you could not have made it through there with out some serious damage to the bottom of your Ranger even with the most skilled spotter. I was very careful going over those big rocks and got a few scrapes on the transfer case skid plate. The torsion bar guards also got some scrapes and one small dent. All minor damage. That was with 32" tires, 1.5" torsion bar lift and pumped up bags (~2") in the rear. Since you have been through there before to enjoy the trip, you may want to consider bypassing next fall, if it is still as rough.

The tippy spot that Ace referred to was not that bad but a bad line with some poor judgment though there could result in a bad day for someone.

I had not gone though Mengel Pass before but very much enjoyed it. Starting at Ballarat with the interesting character and history there, up through Goler wash (spectacular), the view at Mengel's grave and then down the east side was all worth the minor scuffs to the bottom side. The side trip to Barker Ranch was a nice bonus. I could almost feel a lingering presence there.

I have not had time to put a few pictures together of the Death Valley portion of Desert Expedition IV but I will.

 

[mjmcdowell]

Mengal pass DE IV

Was not trying to be a wise a**, I was just kidding, was not there so I really don't know the conditions this time and will surly take your word on this, but would not hesitate to stack rock or deploy the shovel, ramps .... no mention of this being done. But I will say that Scott really is a good and clear spotter who got me thru (with clean pant's) and will say that our trip over the pass was not a piece of cake like I might have inferred. Don't know if it is in the trip plan for DE part II but will say I am past trying to drive where a lot of damage could be done to my truck..... past that stuff, never mind that it's a long way home for me at trips end. So we shall see what the trip route is that has/will be planned. In the end I am glad no one suffered any serious problems/damage and at the end of the day all made it home safe and sound.... Great adventure, great stories I bet! Michael

 

[Martinjmpr]

When we ran over Mengel Pass all three of us wondered how you all succeeded in 2011. Frenchie had done it beforehand and stated that it was a lot harder than his last time. I think I have done it before but don't recall anything except the monument at the top. I think Gary had not done it before. He has the lowest rig and made it but banged on the rocks pretty hard. I too hit hard on a couple of the bigger boulders and with a 3" lift and 35" tires. We concluded the trail must have washed out pretty badly since 2011. In fact one very tippy spot on the east side was quite high on the pucker meter. Wish we had taken photos there to compare with what was posted from 2011.


2008 FJ Cruiser expedition ready and off-road trailer with RTT.

Michael, I have to say, you could not have made it through there with out some serious damage to the bottom of your Ranger even with the most skilled spotter. I was very careful going over those big rocks and got a few scrapes on the transfer case skid plate. The torsion bar guards also got some scrapes and one small dent. All minor damage. That was with 32" tires, 1.5" torsion bar lift and pumped up bags (~2") in the rear. Since you have been through there before to enjoy the trip, you may want to consider bypassing next fall, if it is still as rough.

The tippy spot that Ace referred to was not that bad but a bad line with some poor judgment though there could result in a bad day for someone.

I had not gone though Mengel Pass before but very much enjoyed it. Starting at Ballarat with the interesting character and history there, up through Goler wash (spectacular), the view at Mengel's grave and then down the east side was all worth the minor scuffs to the bottom side. The side trip to Barker Ranch was a nice bonus. I could almost feel a lingering presence there.

I have not had time to put a few pictures together of the Death Valley portion of Desert Expedition IV but I will.

So where was the difficult part for you guys? Was it in Goler Wash?

The reason I ask is that it sounds like you ran from Ballarat towards Warm Springs Canyon, i.e. West to East. In 2011, we ran it East to West. The difference, I think, is that we were going down the rock ledges in Goler Canyon, not up them. I even remember seeing those ledges and saying "I sure am glad we're going down and not up." By contrast, the only really rocky uphill part we had was at the very beginning of Mengel Pass and it wasn't that bad.

Do you think it would have been as difficult if you had run it in the other direction?

 

[Longrange308]

I'm jealous. I drove the road this past weekend and the weather was miserable. Serious wind gusts, rain, sleet and the New York mountains even got a bunch of snow!

 

[gwittman]

Martin, Goler Wash was not a problem. It was going east down hill after Mengel Pass that was difficult. It was not so much the incline or decline, it was the many large rocks that we had to climb over. I am sure there had been a fairly recent wash out of that trail that made it difficult in certain areas. It just required good ground clearance, 4wd, good tires and some patience. Frenchie had to disconnect his sway bar at one point to get enough wheel travel to maintain traction. I don't know why I was able to get through without disconnecting my sway bar. Just lucky I guess and I was not pulling a trailer. Ace's big tires and lift got him through.

I don't think it would have been any easier going the other way. If fact, it probably would have been more difficult having to climb while going over those big rocks. I remember making note to myself that I was glad we were not going the other way after we met someone else on the trail going the other way.

 

[libarata]

Amazing trip! It look like I have another reason to head back west!

 

[Ace Brown]

Agree fully with Gary's assessment of Mengel Pass. Glad we were going West to East. Met a Rubicon on the west side who called it very difficult. I was disappointed with Goler Wash; smooth from recent grading.


2008 FJ Cruiser expedition ready and off-road trailer with RTT.