June Xcursion - Discussion

The website says June 21st @ New River Canyon (Eastside of the 17 from Table Mesa).

I just wanted to get some discussion going as to what what the majority want to run. I am definately cool with hitting that trail (never done it) or something else.

I have been looking around on maps and the internet at Red Creek/Sheeps Bridge/East Verde River area. I'm thinkin' that would be cooler and we could play in the water or possibly camp. I have wanted to run around the East Verde River for a while, accorrding to PHXX it is pretty fun and very scenic.

Let's get some chatter going on June's outing.

Is it diff frendly

Looks like it. But then again, the streets of Scottsdale weren't so friendly to ya. :p

Some info on Sheeps Bridge
http://www.myjeeprocks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9018
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1944

New River Canyon
http://www.yotatech.com/f100/new-river-c...54-pics-109830/
http://www.blue-fish.biz/page_FR41_New_River_Canyon.htm

Actually it appears that we could run New River to Seven Springs to Sheep Bridge, unless I am looking at things wrong.

New River Canyon is supposedly v.tame / not much of a challenge. So should be Diff friendly from what I hear - although if I tag along I'll be sporting a 20 year old Toyota rear diff which seems to be holding up fine! That is if you don't mind the old Yota tagging along on this one?

Yep you can run it that way. You could also run Seven Springs to Bloody Basin to Dugas Orme and access the Verde there near Fossil Creek, but that would be a long trip.

If you're asking about Red Creek, we ran it at the end of April and it really was a nice trail. Still plenty green. We camped at the beginning, but you could camp at the end- right on the river. The water was still a little chilly with a breeze blowing, but well worth it in the middle of the day. I'd compare the trail to Sunflower without elevation change. More of a flat creek drive onto dirt trails back into creek, etc. Not too much travel but we did see a couple trucks on the way out.



More on Red Creek April 26-27 2008 trip

Sweet! Thanks for the info Skatchkins.

Of course you can bring that 'ol Toy along, Rog.

Daughters birthday is 16th - depends on when wife is planning to hold the birthday celebration. 5 years old - crazy. Just after she was born I got my 2000 Xterra.

If you are running FR41 to go from Table Mesa Rd (east side of I-17) to FR24 which takes you to Seven Springs, you'll need a state land permit.

You won't need a permit to run FR24 from Cave Creek, through Seven Springs to Sheeps Bridge. After hanging out at Sheeps Bridge, you can take Bloody Basin Road (FR269) back to I-17.

This run is very easy. That being said, it is quite scenic.

There are a some of trails off of Bloody Basin Road that are more challenging.

hello ted you up and running yet.good to see on the board.
Onix

There are still some big parts of that area are still under restriction from the Cave Creek Complex fire in 05. Just a heads up.

Tonto national forest page
Closed areas

Yeah, there are a lot of closed trails off of FR24.

The truck should be done by the 28th. I can hardly wait! The rental has been OK, but I miss my X.

Is your diff fixed yet?

Yesterday my wife and I went to sheep bridge by way of Table Mesa Rd. to test my new tires out.

I'm not sure what you guys call technical or difficult but for this noob it was probably the most technical stretch of road I and the xterra have ever done, up until you reach NF-24 its slow as you go.

I probably shouldn't have gone out alone, but it just so happens a really cool guy in a beater Yota was heading thru ahead of me, and he knew the trail well. He waited a few times to spot me at some tough spots such as where the road washed out a few days ago at the river.

Some of your trucks will probably take it like a cakewalk but for my stock xterra(except the new tires and my custom sliders) it was a bit of a challenge.

I will have pics in the pictures section as soon as I get access to my website back. For some reason everyone in the world but me can access my website.

We started at 11:30am with a full tank of gas, came back home via Bloody Basin Rd. which is very easy driving and made it back home by 9:30pm with just under half a tank of gas.

I am going to be buying some lights soon, driving at night with only the headlights was kind of a drag.
I would also feel better if I had a lift and some under armour protecting my vitals.

Well the Yota is out for this one - My kids birthday on 16th and the Party is on 21st

I am definately up for this run once you decide which way you all want to go, I do have some limitations as to how early and late I can be out.
So it might turn out I have to catch up with you as I cant leave the house before 7am and I have to get back by 9:30pm. I know the way I went will take everyone some time to get through. I am not sure about any of the other availiable routes.

Here are my images of my trip to the bridge on Sunday.
http://www.xterraownersclub.com/cgi-local/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=36;t=003182

I was over in that area a few days ago. I was messing around with my friend and headed over towards sheep's bridge but decided against it. The river was really high from the rain and we only had one vehicle. So i would love to make it all the way there.

I'm also up to going anywhere. I'm taking my son to Texas to stay with his dad, so it will just be me for the next couple of runs this summer. See ya'll at the meeting.

If you get to where you need some kids running around you, drop by. We'd be glad to have ya.

Man I can't imagine being away from my kids that long, but funny enough they were gone for a Month to Texas. They change so much when you don't see them.

You can take one of mine. I won't miss just one. LOL!!

Hmm, tempting guys.....uh....no thanks. I guess I'll just have to fill my free time with something else, like......adopting a male pet. Volunteers?...Anyone?... Bueller....Bueller? :rolleyes:

I am a giver.

So, it has been decided. We will be going to Sheep's Bridge via Table Mesa Road (FR41) east to FR24. Please remember your state land permit, as this is necessary for FR41.

FR41 is not too bad. There are a few washes to cross which may be easy or difficult depending on recent weather. Once on FR24, it is very easy to get to the bridge.

I have never crossed the river near Sheep's Bridge, and I am not sure if I will on this trip, but I'll definitely go to the bridge.

I plan on returning to Phoenix via Bloody Basin Road to I-17 South.

Do we have a tentative date for this?

No tentative date...but a firm date of June 21st. Probably meet at 8:00am at the Chevron at I-17/Carefree.

I would rate this trail as a 2. A stock vehicle with 4wd and some driver knowledge should be able to make it without issue.

I believe Tim is talking about a 5-point scale. Please note that some books use a 10-point scale, so the 2 rating on a 5-point scale would be a 4 on a 10-point scale.

There are two dry wash crossings on FR41 that can be difficult depending on how recently the area was flooded. At these points, it is nice to have skids and sliders, but probably not necessary now (it hasn't rained in awhile).

The more traffic that goes through the area, the easier the crossings become because people will move some of the large rocks out of the way. Once the next rainstorm hits, the wash crossings fill with rocks again.

Don't forget to purchase a state land permit, as you'll need this for FR41 (Table Mesa - east of I-17). Hope to see you all there.

Honey's out of town, I'm in.

i cant make it its my sisters birthday on the 21st i have two dates on that day and its another day i wont be rideing my new YZ...
Happy Trails
Onix

Im in.

Hey, this is this weekend! Guess I better dust off the X and load up the gear.

It will be nice to get out and dirty.

Looks like we will have a good showing of trucks on Saturday.

Even better - the strong drivetrains will outnumber the weak. Even though this is a REALLY mild trail and could probably be done in 2wd with a good driver from what I've heard.

Plan on bringing water, lunch, water, and swim gear since we will encounter water which may need to be splashed around in. Also, don't forget to bring plenty of water.

Meet at the Chevron on Carefree Hwy & I-17 @ 8:00am to leave by 8:15am for Table Mesa Rd.

480-251-7976 for info or questions. If anyone wants to ride along and leave the driving to someone else, post up. I know there will be room.

Roster:
T-Ray
Conundrum
fangars
AZ-Ted
SoldierX (?)
DBAX (?)
Xtasy

fangars: We will definately be back home by 9:30pm. Hope to see ya there!

Any SWANKy guys gonna come out and show us how to properly "body surf" the Verde River while not spilling your ummm... "diet-caffeine free cola"? I'm not sure I can perform that delicate ballet as well as DR or Mud.

I could bring the YZ

Lucky has the ECU water mod he can pull all of you out

and i still wouldnt trust it, well yet anyway.
after alot of waterproofing i plan to try that again... just been too hot to work on it. well that and working like crazy!

p.s. on call this week. :C

Just have one more skid to put on and I should be good to go. I have to drill and tap the bottom of the driver's side frame rail for one of the gas tank skid mounting holes.

I'll see you all on Saturday!!!

Which chevron on Carefree?

Just east of I-17 on the North Side. You can't miss it. We usually congregate on the west side of it near the carwash exit.

Cool, cya in the morning.

Thanks for the great day!

Thanks for posting the pictures AZBUMBLEBEE.

Yes, it was a good time - hot (115F), but good. It's a bummer that Conundrum had to turn back because of high coolant temps. T-Ray did a mod to the plastic on his front bumper, and Pluvo got a leaky tire. Other than that it was a damage free day.

SoldierX gets the Good Karma Award for rescuing a heat exhaustion victim near the bridge.

Here are a few pictures from today. I am sure that Fangars has much better shots...





EDIT: Edited to fix broken links.

Well, I found out I have a single core radiator. So I removed/cleaned thoroughly both the condensor and it, put back together and seems to stay cool, at least this morning. Too hot to work on it now.

Glad you all had a good trip!

It was a hot one alright!

Nobody mentioned our stranded campers? We stopped at the ranger station at the Bartlett lake turnoff & verified that they sent help after the woman. I took over for Georgie & took the guy home. The plan was to take him to Banner Health, but he was coherent & wanted to drive himself to the hospital so he wouldn't have to walk home afterward.

I didn't take many pics, but here goes.

The obligitory group shot:


Tim & Lindsay (with Georgie on the far left):


Ted & Georgie:


Fangars & AZBumblebee:


The bridge:



Sorry, I had to include this one :

I love that tank top, how to you get your whites so white?

Now I've got to figure out what I'm going to do tire wise.

Thanks for a great trip! It was definately HOT, but a great area with a lot of side trails to explore on a future trip in cooler weather.

Thanks to Ted for doing a great job leading and Georgie for hauling that guy back in to town.

Apparently, after 3 years living in the desert, I have not figured out the whole sunscreen situation. The water at the bridge was quite nice though. A lot of good areas out that way to camp (cooler weather of course).

I have one word for you. Solarcaine. Good stuff.

If I had this to do over again I would position the trucks at the water line in the foreground to get the reflections.
This is a quick and dirty panorama I stitched together from the basic jpg's and not the raw files so there is less detail and a bit more noise but its good enough for the web I think.
If I tried to do this from the raw files it would take a month of sundays.

For the larger image .

Nice job fangars!

Awesome pic Fangers - my new desktop background I think - If you don't mind it's usage in that way of course.

I do not mind at all, as long as you don't use it for commercial purposes without my permission.
Here is the creative commons license terms.

Its a fairly liberal license, I am not one of those people who think my every image is solid gold. I see some people put the most stringent license on what have to be some of the worst or just terribly mundane images. I prefer people enjoy my work if at all possible.
I have more shots, I just don't have anytime as yet to go through them.
I will upload more soon, just not real soon.

Deflation

it looks like a blast next time i will surely go.

You betta get out with us again...sucka! Fat Tire???

Gotta be cooler/muddy though next time east of Table Mesa, there are a multitude of side trails that mya/may not present some challenges.

fangars, nice pix. What kinda camera do you use?

Pluvo, what happened. How did you get over there?

OR-X-Man, I use a nikon D70s with a 24mm prime for most of these shots. I also have a cheapo nikkor 70-300mm that does ok for what it cost.

defibvt, after lifting the truck we got a strap behind the rock and pulled it out.

Zigged when I should've zagged?

Actually, I was backing up to take the bypass & got the frame hung up on a big ass rock.

Need new shoes.

This was right after the "river" crossing.
It seemed to go straight up as you approach it.
Only one of the trucks in the group took this shortcut.

go t-ray.... its your birthday....

yeah ill quit while im behind...

Below we are all grouped together as a flat is changed.

^^ macro lens? (very cool )

Sweet picture. I was waiting for you to put one up of the hornets on the water.

wow ...