astateofmike

^^This... seems adequate : -). Ok... back to work for me - 10AM tea time was a bit extended today...

I had a 1995 LWB and a 2001 D2 in my tenure.
I have a complaint now about the forums that needs addressing... or maybe just some clarification....
WHICH font do I use to convey sarcasm?  

I had a 1995 LWB and a 2001 D2 in my tenure.
I have a complaint now about the forums that needs addressing... or maybe just some clarification....
WHICH font do I use to convey sarcasm?  

@Mr.BlueSky and @SLOHybrid....
 
What's ABS?  My 1988 has like less bleed screws than 11 for sure

Holy crud....how long has it been?  Long time no see @drafdog

The take-home with HAM for off-roading is the ability to communicate over long distances... In the old days with CB you could be stuck in a creek bed somewhere and not be able to reach another CB to due the relatively weak wave propagation. With a HAM set, and the skills to program it, you can (in most cases using repeaters) reach hundreds if not thousands of miles to communicate. I took a one-day "HAM-Cram" course at a local sheriff office. With my experience in marine radio (I had a FCC license) it was a breeze.
--Paul

Nice. I’m working through the hamstudy.org flashcards now and hope to have a Kenwood or Baofeng in time for Shaver. It’s definitely an overwhelming amount of technical stuff to learn.

Schedule a test sooner than later. Appointments fill up quickly and it’s all virtual. The sample questions are the same as the test questions. 
Baofeng handhelds are a cheap way to get going. 

Seen in Golden Gate Park today.   Anyone here?  

Well @erinw.rrc, think of it as a fresh start...how many of THOSE do we get?

Seen in Golden Gate Park today.   Anyone here?  

I am volunteering to be on the committee. Reasons: 1) I dig the desert, 2) I am more of an "overlander" (we used to just call it "camping" than a crawler, 3) I love Land-Rovers. Logistics will be challenged by the whole Spring Break issue, but since I don't have kids, not an issue for me.
Kudos to the Board for launching this concept...!
--Paul
 

The newer style foam vent seals are part #JAE000030
You can get them from most part suppliers... I got mine from RovahFarm. About $36 for the pair.
--Paul

What are you building?  Garage space, storage....very interesting.

Anytime.  Pets are welcome and the bar is in the back behind the pool table.

I think I'll be couch surfing at your place!

Trip Brief:
What: Scouting Trip for the Eastern Mojave Heritage Trail (EMHT)
When: Saturday, November 19th to Sunday, November 28th
Where: Eastern Mojave, Starting Point: Needles, CA Train Station
Why: I have been trying to get a scouting trip scheduled for the past two years in order to hopefully get a solid itinerary put together. The hope being that the Eastern Mojave Heritage Trail could be run as a club week-long overlanding trip. If the fishing goes well, the goal is to setup a week long club led event next year in the Spring or Fall.
____
What is the EMHT? (The Long History)
One cannot tell the story of the EMHT without invoking the name of Dennis Casebier. Dennis Casebier grew up in Topeka, Kansas eventually joining the U.S. Marin Corp in the Summer of 1953. He was stationed at Twentynine Palms, CA Marine Base and got his first real does of the desert. One could say this was the beginning of his addiction.
Casebier earned a BS in Mathematics and Physics and took a post with the Navy in Corona, CA working on guided missiles. During his time in Corona he stumbled across mention of the "Old Government Road" (now called the Mojave Road), however, he found few written recordings detailing the road, its route, or history. 
In the 1960s Casebier began spending a significant amount of time in Washington DC on business. While there, he spent time in the National Archives looking up anything he could find regarding the "Old Government Road." In 1975, Casebier hiked the entirety of the now called, Mojave Road.
Casebier had hoped to make the Mojave road a cross country hiking trail, but soon realized that the 130 mile trek through the desert was not all that appealing to the masses. Later in 1980, he was approached by a member of the "Associated Blazers of California 4x4 Club. The member proposed that Casebier guide them on the Mojave Road to share the histroy and re-establish the route. Initially Casebier declined, unwilling to take  vehicles onto the road for fear of environmental damage.
As he later puts it
"I should have known better. After all, these are established roads. If vehicles drive on them, they'll look more like roads, more like they looked in the old days. Also, a certain amount of use will prevent roads from disappearing altogether, as was happening in a few places with the Mojave Road.
"They [Associated Blazers of California] wanted me to show them over the Mojave Road; I cautiously consented. I rode in one of their vehicles. They were all equipped with CB radios. Beginning at the Colorado River, and continuing on for two days, 100 miles west to Soda Lake, I lectured on history, flora, fauna management, and other subjects almost continuously."
It was like magic. A classroom on wheels! No damage was done to the desert. No one was testing their machine. They were there to experience the wonders of the desert and to learn about it. I was thrilled by the experience and determined to try it again.

Soon after the "Friends of the Mojave Road" was formed and entered into a volunteer agreement with the BLM to develop and maintain the trail. In following years they published the "GUIDE TO THE MOJAVE ROAD" laid out in a format very much styled to his first trip providing information to the traveler about their surroundings as they traversed the road.
What is the EMHT? (The Short History)
Over time, and after the completion of the Mojave Road, there was concern that the usage of the Road may become unsustainable. Alternate routes needed to be found to provide travelers with additional options and to potentially lesson the environmental burden on the Mojave Road. Enter, Eastern Mojave Heritage Trail.
The EMHT, was Casebier's vision to enable a traveler to traverse North, South, East, and West in a massive loop about the Eastern Mojave. To provide the traveler with a rolling lecture hall. Enabling history lessons in the people that lived and worked in the Mojave from the Native Americans, to Military, to the settlers and miners. To share with the traveler the incredibly unique and diverse ecology and geology that can be found. But above all else to share a place that was as expansive as it is captive to wonder.
Two years of extensive desert exploration and research began. The Friends quickly realized that a massive undertaking (an estimated 650 mile loop) could not be completed and guide books written at once without more resources. So they split the route into four segments.
Segment 1 - Needles to Old Ivanpah - Guide book published on October 10th, 1987 - 0-171.6 mile
Segment 2 - Ivanpah to Rocky Ridge - Guide book published on October 8th 1988 - 171.6 - 350.3 mile
Segment 3 - Rocky Ridge to Fenner - Guide book published October 1989 - 350.3 - 508.3 mile
Segment 4 - Fenner to Needles - Guide book published November 1990 - 508.3 to 650
Of course, during this time, the politics machine was grinding away. Mention of a coming Wilderness Act was passed around but initial analysis of the entire proposed route was deemed to not qualify for any future Wilderness protections. But alas, in 1994 the California Desert Protection Act was signed into law by Bill Clinton splitting the route at least 13 places.
At this point, the Friends had raised, and spent the necessary funds to have each book published (Around $20,000 per book) and changes could not be made. Therefore, another expedition was held in order to re-route the trail around these protected areas. This expedition was led by Billy Creech in 2019.
In the end, the 650 mile loop was extended to roughly 724 miles in totality.
 

Dennis Casebier, passed away on February 11, 2021.

Super last minute, but I needed to be sure that I could take the time off before posting. 
Trip Planning & Rough Itinerary:
Friday, November 19th - Depart at 12:00 noon, the goal is to make it to Needles, but dispersed camping near Barstow may suffice. If a Rover fails Tehachapi is the destination, where Bob will host us and let us fix our junk until he talks our ear off about Dodge Challengers ; ).   Saturday, November 20th - Depart from Needles train station no later than 10:00 AM Monday - Saturday... traverse the trail, check out the highlights to build an itenerary, tag notable camp sites, record re-supply points. Sunday - head back up to the Bay Area Vehicle Capability
Rover must be in (as best it can be) top mechanical condition. A pre-inspection should be performed and any issues corrected before the trip. At least one locker or traction aide is recommended. Late model rovers are welcome, though body damage is possible. I haven't run the trail, I only have what I can get from the internet and some 30 year old books ; ). So anything can happen and should be expected. But again, this is meant to be an overland trip, not a rock crawling trip. And as Casebier said, nobody is out here to test machines!
Amenities
None Gear
5 gallons of spare fuel Full Size Spare Recovery gear Tool Kit Camping Gear (check the weather, looks like highs of 80 and lows of 50) Food (there will be some re-supply stops, but plan ahead) Resources:
Mojave Desert Heritage and Cultural Association https://mdhca.org/
 
If anyone is interested please let me know and I can share any additional details.

This has been on my radar for years...! I would LOVE to go, but just too close to the family/Thanksgiving thing... Ugh...! Great concept Miles...! I have a cool spot to camp just Wast of Needles, before you crest the grade and drop down into town, take the off-ramp at "Mountain Springs Road" and turn Left (North). Go just under a mile to 34.841158, -115.054082 and turn right. Follow trail to 34.847187, -115.041189... There is a fire ring there and great views to the West. I have lunched there a few times. Have fun...! With you in spirit...!
 
Here is a pic of the spot...
Cheers,
Paul

Paul,
That site looks perfect! If we can make good time Friday we just might aim to land there!
Thank you for the tip.
 
I have a few last minute preparations and we should be good to go.
Debating on if I should quick install the Harbor freight (locally available) light bar...
On the one hand, 1990 headlights are rather dim, and on the other, I really don't want to spend money on a lightbar that is "meh", but even a "meh" lightbar may be better than no lightbar at all....
Today's preparatory run - replacing the 2020 Rubicon special glass pak.

More Info:
Getting to Tehachapi, you can either bomb up HWY 58 at Bako or, as I prefer, continue on I-5 to HWY 223 and go East to Arvin. Cheap gas there. Then up a cool 2-lane road to meet the 58 into Tehachapi. Truck stops there (Love's etc.) have cheap gas.
On the leg from Goffs North to Ivanpah, you'll be on the trail that takes you up to the Leiser-Ray mine. Nice, clean concrete pad to camp there, or, you can continue about 2 miles to 35.051367, -115.047820 -- turn right. It's a great camping spot with a fire ring.
Have fun...!
 
--Paul

Making good time so far.
Made it to Primm, NV for fuel. We will be completing Segment 1 and on to Segment 2 today.
So far it has been an awesome trip, will do a full report when we get back.
 
 


 

We have been making fairly good time. Found a few good group sized camp sites right around Fort Piute that were not far off the route.
Today we are headed towards Ivanpah 

There are salavge yards in the Sacramento area that sell parts and complete engine.
 
Tim Scully with Scully off-road had some discovery he was parting out too.
 
Best options I know.
 
 
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