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This was week 3 of owning this truck. After work one day I decided to go up into the hills. This was my first "off-road" adventure.
Here's the turn off:
It's a nice, clear day, about 102* outside. See that road up on the hillside on the right? That goes to Cucamonga Canyon Day Use Area, which I've mountain biked to. I have to ask the ranger for that park if there's anyway to get a permit to drive back there, it would be a lot of fun.
Up, up we go. I wish I could remember the name of that mountain. The road goes on like this for a coule miles. I'll take some "action" shots on the way back down...
Now here we are almost at the end, and this idiot has parked RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TRAIL! This road ends at a path down to a swimming hole, and there's plenty of places to park off the trail. I'm half tempted to tip his truck down into the canyon, but it's too hot and I'm feeling nice, so I park and get out to walk the rest. It could use some scouting, any ways.
Hmm, I bet I can straddle this. It's narrow, but I don't know if I have the clearance to drop one tire down on the left.
Here's the end. You could try to drive around this, but the last place to turn around is right behind where I'm taking this picture, and there's no way in hell I could back up around this when you consider...
...the drop if you mess up. That's the bottom of Cucamonga canyon, and the swimming hole I was talking about. I can see the dude down there that's parked in the middle of the trail. He's under the big waterfall at the top.
I do some hiking around for a while and that guy comes up and leaves, the trail's all clear! I drive up to the straddle point, and proceed slowly. The skid plate scrapes at one point. I get out and look to make sure it's ok to keep going, and proceed. Rear bumps lightly at the same spot. Mental note: reason to justify a lift.
I go up to the turn around and head back. I must have had a slightly different line the way back because the front rubs like the entire length of the skid plate. I correct part way through and the rear doesn't hit at all. That's going to leave a mark!
Now for the action shots (well, action back then):
Here we come:
This photo doesn't do this hill climb justice. There's no way I'd attempt it yet. You'd need a lot more experience than I had then.
Here's the view from the top.
My first obligatory "put your tire up on some rock" picture.
I'll have to come back after a rain, there's a few of these would-be water crossings. Weeeee...
My first ding on my skid plate, yay.
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