COMPLETED Arizona, North of Florence, Hewitt Valley Rd.

[Harry Moto]

Ok, I'm the new guy, so be easy on me. Traded in my Dakota bike hauler for a 2008 Trailblazer with comfort-ride suspension and very comfy electric seat. I've had the TB since 10-10-2010, this was our first off-roading exploring trip with it. The title will get you there, the trails were mostly 1.5, a lot of 2.0, and just a bit of 2.5 nearing 3.0. We were laughing and playing 'kick the can' on the hard parts! Clang, clang! First mod will be removing the can and doing a side exhaust.
I did Scouts back in the day, my favorite was an Orange '76 with track-locks in both ends, Rancho suspension, 8K winch etc. I didn't consider the TB as a real off-roading vehicle, but after our adventure I'm making a list... Very happy to find this site! Anyways, blah, blah, blah. Pictures! The filename starts with the time, hour-minute.

It was all 1 and 1.5 up to here. Cool looking rocky pass. The TB is bone stock, complete with dragging can.

This is by where we stopped for lunch. I forgot the name of the peak already...

Karen noticed this dust storm, about 40 miles out, east of Florence I think.

[Harry Moto]

Continued:

Ain't she pretty? Ok, well, you have to start somewhere.

The trail ridgelines for a while, then drops off the far side of the mountain steep. I had to back up to make one of the switchbacks, and you have to watch for the 3 foot deep erosion in spots. Thankfully the deep stuff was on the inside of the sharp turns, then petered out where it crossed the trail.

Scenic. The cool thing is the awesome views of the sunset. The payback is crawling down the mountain in the dark.

[Harry Moto]

Final;

Here we are, an hour and a half from pavement. Nice city lights, some interesting driving ahead. About 45 minutes from here was the 2.5 part, and one wash crossing had me sitting in the trail running possible paths for a minute. Found a way, only scratched up the can a bit. Well, and the front pan thing... and touched in the middle a little...

I hope this was appropriate, looks like a reasonable post by comparison. Thanks for a cool site, I'll contribute when I can.

The TB is slated for a stock locker in back, 255/75x17, 2.5 front and bag overloads in back, overhead console for Garage door and switches, Scangauge II, 7" indash GPS/DVD/etc, Radiator skid plate, gas tank skid plate, rear anti-sway bar removal. But otherwise it's staying pretty much bone stock. 8^)

[Trail X]

Nice Post! I hope to see many more of that scenery, wow!

[Harry Moto]

Thanks for the kind words, James! We were lucky with the light and the weather, made for some good photo ops. When Karen pointed out the dust storm in the distance I jacked the brakes, rolled the passenger window down, told her to lean back, and took that shot through the window. In less than a minute the light was gone and the whole scene was nothing much to look at.

An hour before a red hawk flew up from behind us on my side, not 50 feet from the truck. It circled around in front of us and sailed off into a valley on that side, never to be seen again. It was amazingly beautiful, the sun on it's feathers was breathtaking... and my camera was on the floor in the back. Another mod on my list: a dashmat with some kind of velcro or something so I can keep the DSLR on the dash, in sight and ready to hand.

[Trail X]

Another mod on my list: a dashmat with some kind of velcro or something so I can keep the DSLR on the dash, in sight and ready to hand.

Bird shots are really hard to get... for that matter, almost any animal seems hard to shoot.

I really like that idea of a camera holster... hmmmmm.

[bgwolfpack]

More pics for my screen saver!

I miss these the first time I looked?

Please more pictures such as these. You have a great eye.

[fishsticks]

Bird shots are really hard to get... for that matter, almost any animal seems hard to shoot.

Either wait for the target to stop moving or learn to lead it a little. Exhale before you fire... and remember to squeeze (not pull) the trigger.

[Trail X]

Either wait for the target to stop moving or learn to lead it a little. Exhale before you fire... and remember to squeeze (not pull) the trigger.

What ISO setting do you use for shooting them? They move so much!

[Blackout]

12ga Buckshot

[fishsticks]

Either wait for the target to stop moving or learn to lead it a little. Exhale before you fire... and remember to squeeze (not pull) the trigger.

What ISO setting do you use for shooting them? They move so much!

.270 Winchester.

[Harry Moto]

:excited: More pics for my screen saver!

I miss these the first time I looked?

Please more pictures such as these. You have a great eye.

Great... Now I have to get a bigger helmet... AGAIN!!
(You're giving me a big head, in other words. Like trying to put out a fire with gasoline! LOL)

But seriously, thanks a million. I really like shooting; 12 gauge, 5.56, .22LR, or usually ISO 200.

I've attached a recent picture of my lovely and delightful wife, Karen. It's a favorite shot of mine, under a full moon with some nice dramatic clouds.

One of my favorite 'shots'... ;^)

Who would have thought that M855 would spit so much fire out of a 4 1/2" Flash Hider???

[bgwolfpack]

Cool pic. The more acclimated to the picture one gets the you'll see!


This not taken with a camera phone! Nice!

[Harry Moto]

Thanks for the compliments! I've been meaning to get back here, but things have been a bit hectic.

Camera: Pentax *ist D, most shots with the standard 18-55 zoom, some with other lens'.

I've gone back several times now, sometimes just for shooting guns, sometimes for exploring and shooting with the camera. Here are some pix from one of the later type of trip. I drove out, then hiked the slopes.

[Harry Moto]

Onwards and upwards:

[Harry Moto]

Finally...

[Harry Moto]

The attachment Karen shoots at night.jpg is no longer available

Who would have thought that M855 would spit so much fire out of a 4 1/2" Flash Hider???

I was rather disappointed with so much fire showing out of the flash hider, but when I mentioned that to Karen she said "Yea, but it's kinda Cool!". Hmmm... Since she likes the fire, I took the flash hider off and replaced it with the original equipment muzzle brake. She thinks it's VERY cool, and it makes the picture a lot easier to see. It was 39º out when the picture was taken, very cold for us Zonies, hence the heavy coat! You can see our campfire in the background.