COMPLETED: Poland Junction run

[KE7WOX]

So last weekend me and my friends (after some useless planning) decided to take ORTB's smallest TB on the Senator Highway, with the hope of making at least to Venezia (or, where in a 1900 map, you would find Venezia), and hopefully, all the way to Crown King. However, at the Poland Junction Rd junction (where the road beggins off the Senator Hwy), we found out that the Senator was closed, after unsuccessful phone calls to the USFS, Sheriff's etc, someone on the 2M repeater told us that search & rescue was down there every day pulling people out of the snow. Taking that as enough warning, we re-planned. I knew that the Poland Junction Rd would take us to SR-69, where we could then take the Crown King front way, maps verified, we moved on.

However, we did not know that pard of Poland Rd is classified as an "unimproved road", so it was good, and after getting to the top of the mountains (~7600ft ASL), the road started to get bad as we traveled down, but, as we moved on, we realized that the easiest way out was to continue going down on the bad road instead of ascending on the bad road. On the debriefing, Google Earth showed that we traveled approximately 4.07 miles in roughtly 3 1/2 hours, this was between Senator Hwy and Big Bug Mesa Rd. After the Big Bug Mesa Rd junction the road is much better (still a little bit bad) and then the "sign classification" goes from Limited Use Road to Primitive Road, and we saw some houses, and then careful observation revealed that there was an Envoy XL in a driveway, so, if the weiner dog made it there, there was no doubt we could get out of that place. And sure enough, not too long after, we made it to SR-69, but then we turned back to Prescott, at 9PM there was no way we were heading up to Crown King. I was originally planning 1.5 hours max to get from the Senator to 69, which should have been less than going back down the Senator, then cross Prescott and Prc Valley and continue all the way to Mayer and then take the Crown King Rd.


I must say that in this trip I developed a new respect for this awesome vehicle, and made me even more desperate to get the improvements needed (lift, tyres)

And the guy in blue is my roommate / spotter / communications guy when needed/available







Me


Full collection
http://www.flickr.com/photos/43033468@N ... 770661273/

[HARDTRAILZ]

Glad you got to cruise on backroads.

[The Roadie]

Thanks for the pics. Delorme maps rule!

[Trail X]

Thanks for sharing... seems like some really cool trails in your area... this one seems the best so far!

[HARDTRAILZ]

I used to party alot. It happened down many roads like those.

[Trail X]

You of all people should know that pictures never do things justice. I'm sure it's much trickier than the picture even shows. For a stock TB, it looks like a decent challenge.

[bgwolfpack]

There are backroads in Indiana that are that rough and we take my fiances G6 on them.

I dont mean any offense, but we seriously take minivans and farm roads like that to party. Been doing it since High School.

Your attitude speaks to the amount of partying you've done.

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KE7WOX

I see a spotter

I see a map

Took pics

Did you have another rig along?

Did you walk/scout the trail far enough ahead to make sure you weren't going down into a problem?

Looks fun! What an area. People in the mid west can only dream.

[HARDTRAILZ]

You of all people should know that pictures never do things justice. I'm sure it's much trickier than the picture even shows. For a stock TB, it looks like a decent challenge.

I do. It looks a like a nice road.

[KE7WOX]

I take no offense. People here take their Escalades mudding, and their sedans down snowed in backroads. So far I've pulled out 2 sedans that got stuck in remote backroads, and one time I ended up carrying some parts of the Accord in my trunk.
For the most part, any offroad I did before coming here was in the Panamanian rainforest, and the idea of even taking a stock Frontier was to be laughed at. The first time we went up there one of the guys in our trip (school trip, it was the teacher's husband who had the idea) asked someone if he could take his car (VW Gol) up to the farm. I'm surprised he wasn't dragged to the psych ward on the spot.

My group of 3 passengers acted as spotter, moral support and photographer and for when needed, extra spotters (watch clearance in the back, the other side, etc). Before I get scolded, I shall make it clear that I only had a main spotter, but if we needed to check something else (backside, driveshaft, etc), one of the spare people would check and communicate with the main spotter.

No other rig along . Most of the kids here who have decent vehicles I just wouldn't trust them on the trails, or they (are assholes) and have their awesome Jeeps that will take them anywhere and won't even think about offroading with the guy in the "city suv".

Probably the reason why it took us so long was because we did a bit walking before going further down, just to make sure we weren't going into a field full of rocks that required sliders or anything like that. Then we advanced, and repeated the process.

I'm glad pictures don't do justice, otherwise I would have had a long talk with my mom regarding my decisions and lack of judgement.

Interesting thing (Roadie surely knows what I'm talking about), in the USGS quad (1974), the Mt. Union lookout road is considered better than this road. I was under the impression that that road was supposed to be much worse than the main roads.

Oh yeah, there was plenty of 3 wheel action, but the photographer was looking at that so impressed that couldn't even take pictures.

[HARDTRAILZ]

I take no offense. People here take their Escalades mudding, and their sedans down snowed in backroads. So far I've pulled out 2 sedans that got stuck in remote backroads, and one time I ended up carrying some parts of the Accord in my trunk.
For the most part, any offroad I did before coming here was in the Panamanian rainforest, and the idea of even taking a stock Frontier was to be laughed at. The first time we went up there one of the guys in our trip (school trip, it was the teacher's husband who had the idea) asked someone if he could take his car (VW Gol) up to the farm. I'm surprised he wasn't dragged to the psych ward on the spot.

My group of 3 passengers acted as spotter, moral support and photographer and for when needed, extra spotters (watch clearance in the back, the other side, etc). Before I get scolded, I shall make it clear that I only had a main spotter, but if we needed to check something else (backside, driveshaft, etc), one of the spare people would check and communicate with the main spotter.

No other rig along . Most of the kids here who have decent vehicles I just wouldn't trust them on the trails, or they (are assholes) and have their awesome Jeeps that will take them anywhere and won't even think about offroading with the guy in the "city suv".

Probably the reason why it took us so long was because we did a bit walking before going further down, just to make sure we weren't going into a field full of rocks that required sliders or anything like that. Then we advanced, and repeated the process.

I'm glad pictures don't do justice, otherwise I would have had a long talk with my mom regarding my decisions and lack of judgement.

Interesting thing (Roadie surely knows what I'm talking about), in the USGS quad (1974), the Mt. Union lookout road is considered better than this road. I was under the impression that that road was supposed to be much worse than the main roads.

Oh yeah, there was plenty of 3 wheel action, but the photographer was looking at that so impressed that couldn't even take pictures.

Sweet action. If you had a good time then you got the point of what we do.

[djthumper]

Remember you aren't the only stock ride height TB on here. But I am starting to think we are the only 2...

Looks like you had a great trip regardless of the ride height.