Instead of staying home passing out candy to the 2 kids that "might" come by, we decided to head out to the local high desert. We sat in traffic on a Friday night (not our best move) because we couldn't wait another night. Usually i can contain myself until the morning of to head out, but it's been nearly 2 months since we were last out so it felt like an eternity for me. This would mean that we would arrive well after dark since the new time change had taken effect.
Stopping off in Barstow to top off the fuel tanks, we arrived in Yermo and the Mule Canyon Rd cut off around 8pm. From that point we would disconnect our TJ and head on our way up the canyon to our secret camp site near Kramer Arch. There was no way i was flat towing the jeep up some of the climbs. Plus it gave Yosh good practice on how to drive at night. After making our way to camp after a slow ride up the trail in the dark. We started a camp fire and had a few drinks and then realized just how tired we were from working all day. So we decided to hit the sack.
Next morning would prove to be a beautiful one.
Ultra-lite's thought so too.
Our trusty plastic pumpkin that we found in the middle of the street 4 years ago on Halloween. He's with us to stay!
Inland Empire 4 Wheelers had a Halloween Run that drove right by our camp. It was a "treat" to see them come by. Probably 20-30 Jeeps came by all decked out with decorations for the holiday. They passed through our camp and headed right through Kramers Arch. They were very polite and courteous.
After a few more friends arrived and setup their gear, we headed out on the trail. We explored back through Mule Canyon, Tin Can Alley and up above Odessa Canyon. The weather wasn't that great so we weren't out that long. The heavy dark clouds rolled in very fast and after a couple hours of driving we headed back to camp.
This was Yosh's second time driving her Jeep off road. She drove so well and had a blast doing it. Im so proud.
Yosh leading the boys for part of the trail.
Dixie didn't seem to mind who drove, as long as she got to go.
Pelle coming down a rock section with ease. The JK didn't even notice it was going down a shelf. I think the 37" tires have something to do with it.
James in his WJ coming down slowly around the ledge.
Yosh walking down the side of the ledge also in her TJ. She did a great job listening to her spotter and taking her time.
Bryan looking at the hill and thinking to himself "where's the obstacle guys?" In his big F150.
Once back at camp you could really see the clouds coming in. So we made sure everything was prepared for what was to come. The clouds were really dark and we knew it was only a matter of time before all hell was going to break loose.
At about 4pm it started to down pour. We didn't really want this. I snapped this pic out the penthouse of the Sportsmobile. For Yosh, Dixie and I it wasn't so bad. We had a place to stay.. but for the guys they had to stare at their dashboards for a good 45 mins before the rain let up. We were all happy that it stopped. The last thing we wanted to do was to stay inside our rigs all night.
One of the reasons why we didn't want the rain and we were happy it stopped is because we were going to have our own Iron Chef Competition. It was for tri tip and both James and I took a lot of time to create our meats and get them ready. We didn't want to take them home and have nothing to show for it. So after the rain settled down, we agreed to go for it, come hell or high water.
My tri tip sitting over Mesquite Charcoal and Jack Daniels wood chips. It was injected with Garlic and Herb and marinaded for nearly a week.
James Bourbon and Peppercorn marinated Tri Tip. He grilled his on his BBQ. He even had the sauce on the side as like a dip. It was killer, no doubt about it.
Everyone was a winner this night. Yosh was shooting the photo.
James calls his done first. Pulls it at 135 and its perfect inside. Medium Rare to Rare.
Im praying that i get more heat. All the rain drops turned my charcoal into a slow cooker. My tri tip ended up taking 3 hours to cook , but was well worth it.
After all was said and done , i won.. but in reality we all won. It was great. The tri tips were two very different types of meat, James being the more traditional tri tip and mine being more the roast. We celebrated with shaking up a bottle of champagne for the winner like a cheap nascar race and continued to drink the night away. It was a fun night for sure and the rain stayed away for us to have it.
The next morning we woke up to heavy winds and a skillet breakfast cooking in the distance. It was time to head out and arrive back in reality zip code us. We aired up at the end of Mule Canyon, stopped off at Calico Ghost Town for lunch and then headed back to civilization.
Thanks to James for putting on the Tri Tip competition and making the hilarious poster. Thanks to Bryan and Pelle for coming out and making the whole weekend that much better. Thanks to Yosh for letting me drag the Jeep behind the Sportsmobile and putting up with all us guys for the weekend.
See everyone in Arizona for the next trip!