My Journey

ITTOG

Well-known member
I had a dog that would climb the stairs on a slide then go speeding down but I never saw her go down a ladder. That’s pretty cool that Tanner could go down that one with only 2x4 treads.

Were you joking about those fancy cars being the same price as your Jeep? Don’t seem right.


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Same as the renegade RV, not the Jeep.

My grandparents had a dog that would go up and down ladders and climb chain link fence. He was a master escape artist.

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Ace.....it never occurred to me that someone would think Jeep Renegade (which mine is not).....

ITTOG.....Tanner was probably one hundred feet ahead of me when he came to that obstacle, he looked back at me and then turned back, and up that ladder he went.....and then right back down. I was really surprised and really impressed to say the least.....




The lady I purchased Tanner from sent me pictures of another litter she has available (5 weeks old in the picture).....I said no thanks.....Yukon doesn't need that right now.....let me know if anyone wants a Golden.....a litter of 5 with 3 males remaining.....

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We pulled out of Phoenix late afternoon with a daytime high of 94 degrees, and upper 90s in the forecast. The goal for this day was simple.....drive north and get up high into the mountains where temperatures would be significantly cooler, and of course, to get out of that big city. We tried multiple exits off the interstate looking for a free spot in the national forest before we finally found one. The scenery was changing and I was loving the new landscape that we were now entering.....

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On one of our attempts to find a spot off the interstate we passed this older couple that was out camping in their VW bus.....you've got to love it I think.....

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On our third try we found a nice spot along a forest service road on top of a knoll in the Tonto National Forest approximately two miles east of Interstate 17 and just south of Camp Verde, Arizona.....

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It was quite here.....we hiked a bit in the mountains.....our sleep improved significantly in the wilderness.....

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In the early morning we had a visit from three wild pigs. I was really amazed at how well these guys blended into the landscape. I swear their color was a perfect match for the volcanic rock that lay nearby, and also a perfect match for the shrubs that covered the nearby landscape. Maybe you can see at least one of the wild pigs in this picture (look at the lower left hand corner).....

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Now then if you can't see them I'm posting a picture of a bronze one that was displayed at the forest service visitors center which we visited later that day.....

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We departed the interstate and took Highway 179 north towards Sedona, Arizona. A brief stop at that forest service visitors center would make me aware that camping in the national forest around Sedona was forbidden. Now I had been looking forward to visiting this town.....Sedona.....to me the name makes me think of words like tranquil, peaceful, or even magical.....

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The drive into town was so beautiful but honestly the road was packed with cars. Every trailhead parking lot was jam packed as well. It was bumper to bumper traffic into a town that looked like it was governed by a monstrous HOA. I was not feeling good about this town.....it was too perfect for me, so after only ten minutes there I found myself leaving and pushing further north.....

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Highway 179 is such a beautiful drive and out of Sedona the road rose high into the mountains. Unfortunately all of the forest service roads between Sedona and Flagstaff, Arizona are closed until April 15th so we were forced to continue all the way to Flagstaff.....

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GregSplett

Adventurer
Mountain biking around Sedona is on my bucket list, or was anyways?LOL

"It was bumper to bumper traffic into a town that looked like it was governed by a monstrous HOA. " That made me giggle, well worth the price of admission.

I married into a family of dedicated jeep nuts. The amount of money they spend on jeeps is CRAZY. I giggled when Ace was worried you paid too much for your jeep.
 
Greg.....regarding Sedona, I only gave it ten minutes and passed judgement (maybe I'm way off base here). I just felt that the town really catered to the upper middle class and upwards. Like I said, it just appeared too perfect for me.....



Just to the west of Flagstaff we found an open area in the Coconino National Forest to spend the night. This place was packed with RVs.....I'm assuming that was due to its close proximity to town and the fact that so many other areas were closed.....

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I pretty much hated this spot.....it was obvious that many people were living here and lots of trash was being dumped here.....but the good news was that we found this lost dog while we were wandering in the forest and I was able to return him to his owner (now there's a good deed that we can all agree on).....

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The following day was the last good weather day so we didn't hang around Flagstaff for long. In the morning I filled the propane tanks, filled the truck with diesel, filled the water jugs, and bought a weeks worth of groceries and we drove north seeking solitude. I was loving the big mountains and the green forests.....

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Once again, most of the forest service roads north of Flagstaff were closed as well, and access was blocked by gates. We pulled into the first open forest service road that we found.....

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It was a phenomenal place to hang out.....

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.....and you just couldn't beat the views.....a morning sunrise.....

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A cold front moved in and brought freezing temperatures, high winds, snow, sleet and lots of hail.....

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Tanner and I went out for an afternoon walk in a hail storm.....

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.....which turned into a nine mile hike and a summit of Slate Mountain (8,215'). We crossed paths with several mule deer and on the descent met up with a small herd of elk.....I'd guess maybe twenty at most.....

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This turned out to be a real nice spot to spend a few nights.....with daytime temperatures in the 30's and nighttime temperatures dropping to the mid 20's.....

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Ace Brown

Retired Ol’ Fart
Greg.....regarding Sedona, I only gave it ten minutes and passed judgement (maybe I'm way off base here). I just felt that the town really catered to the upper middle class and upwards. Like I said, it just appeared too perfect for me.....



Just to the west of Flagstaff we found an open area in the Coconino National Forest to spend the night. This place was packed with RVs.....I'm assuming that was due to its close proximity to town and the fact that so many other areas were closed.....

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I pretty much hated this spot.....it was obvious that many people were living here and lots of trash was being dumped here.....but the good news was that we found this lost dog while we were wandering in the forest and I was able to return him to his owner (now there's a good deed that we can all agree on).....

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The following day was the last good weather day so we didn't hang around Flagstaff for long. In the morning I filled the propane tanks, filled the truck with diesel, filled the water jugs, and bought a weeks worth of groceries and we drove north seeking solitude. I was loving the big mountains and the green forests.....

View attachment 510606

Once again, most of the forest service roads north of Flagstaff were closed as well, and access was blocked by gates. We pulled into the first open forest service road that we found.....

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It was a phenomenal place to hang out.....

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.....and you just couldn't beat the views.....a morning sunrise.....

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A cold front moved in and brought freezing temperatures, high winds, snow, sleet and lots of hail.....

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Tanner and I went out for an afternoon walk in a hail storm.....

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.....which turned into a nine mile hike and a summit of Slate Mountain (8,215'). We crossed paths with several mule deer and on the descent met up with a small herd of elk.....I'd guess maybe twenty at most.....

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This turned out to be a real nice spot to spend a few nights.....with daytime temperatures in the 30's and nighttime temperatures dropping to the mid 20's.....

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That shot of the elk is cool. Cool too that you got a lost dog home.

Got to comment about the giggle mentioned above. I didn’t realize Jerry’s RV was a Renegade. I do know what Jeeps cost and how much can be dumped into one. I also know the other end of that spectrum as my first vehicle, while still in high school, was a 1946 CJ-2A that I bought for $300.


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Azken.....that very well may apply but I can't stress enough the fact that I was there such a short time so my comment should have little consideration. Actually you probably know much better than I. And thank you for the well wishes.....

Ace.....here's a picture (taken from the internet so it's not actually mine.....color correct) of my first four wheel drive that I purchased new in the 70s.....

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I eventually sold it, signed up for the Peace Corps (still in the 70s) and moved to Ecuador. I know I've mentioned this before but have never posted a picture so.....my assignment was in the jungle so of course I had no vehicle but my fellow volunteers that were foresters and worked in the Andes Mountains out of Cuenca had one of these (taken from the internet as well.....color correct) which we traveled in whenever I came for a visit.....and yes, I miss my youth.....but I'm going down fighting.....

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We continued to push north after a few days of "rest" and made a slight detour to attempt another summit of another smallish mountain.....Red Mountain (7,960'). It was along the trail to Red Mountain that we encountered the ladder which Tanner climbed so easily.....

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The easy part of the trail ended abruptly in an "amphitheater" which is surrounded by ancient hoodoos (estimated to be 740,000 years old).....and from this point on we tried to navigate our way to the summit through the ancient hoodoos but it was a no go for poor old Yukon.....

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The ladder was also a no go for poor old Yukon so we tried an alternative route up the mountain which was also a no go due to its steepness and the loose volcanic rock. You can see a semblance of a trail on the right side of the picture.....

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As we headed back to the rig I noticed a third option which was a much longer route along a northwest ridgeline which was not near so steep.....

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We eventually made the summit and found a summit register which I signed.....at the south end of the mountain ridge.....

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The dogs pose for their summit shot.....

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Looking to the north maybe fifty miles lies Grand Canyon National Park.....

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We returned to the rig after our successful summit and approximately eight miles of hiking & climbing with well over a thousand feet of elevation gain, then drove maybe thirty miles north.....camped once again in the Kaibab National Forest.....

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Pacific Northwest yetti

Expedition Medic
Thank you for sharing! If you ever felt like it, we would not complain to hear about adventures in the Peace Corps or, any past life for that matter. Yukon, is still loving every minute out with you though, and would probably not have it any other way. Happy Trails & Safe Travels
 
PNWY & Arjan.....I do plan to post about that stuff one day when I have a house again and all of my possessions are out of storage and I can access my pictures and slides. I've got some pictures and slides (which will need to be scanned ?) from decades ago where I'm cruising down Amazon jungle rivers in wooden dug out canoes and I'm accompanied by jungle Indians with single shot rifles and blow guns. Pretty cool pictures to share one day.....

Sierra Valley.....if you ever do that hike hopefully you'll go up through the hoodoos and you can tell us about it. I really wished I could have made that climb through the hoodoos.....



The next day while we were hanging around our campsite relaxing I started gazing at this butte that was a few miles to the east. A Google search told me that this was Red Butte (7,326') so I decided that Tanner and I needed to climb it.....

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Now it was only a 2.5 mile roundtrip hike with about 900' of elevation gain so we started from our campsite and added three miles to the hike.....

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On the summit we found a fire tower which was originally built in the 1930's, later destroyed in a fire, and then rebuilt in 1980.....

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The views were fantastic up there.....we shared them with these guys.....

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The mother let me know when I was getting too close.....when she lowered that head I put it in reverse.....

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Tanner and I headed back to the campsite.....

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It had been quite sometime since I'd cleaned up any national forest land so I felt it was time to pay for all those free nights.....

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A mini van with three European kids, 20 to 25 I'd guess, camped nearby. They were setting up camp right next to me when I said let me show you a nice spot with some privacy. I happened to walk by that site the next day after they had left and I couldn't believe my eyes. They had ******** all over the campsite and left trash as well. It's sooooo disheartening to see young people behave in this way. How many other sites had they treated this way as well ? They said that they had been traveling for two months here in the U.S......they ruined a beautiful campsite.....

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One more ******** story for you.....after leaving our campsite near Red Butte, I dropped by a Starbucks store as I was passing through Tusayan, Arizona (this is the last town before entering Grand Canyon National Park from the south). In the bathroom I saw this sign and it made me think.....have we really become so stupid as a society that we need to be told not to drink the water or wash our hands in the the water in the toilet bowl since it's recycled water ?

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Sometimes I just don't know what to think about this world.....
 
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dwh

Tail-End Charlie
It's not that we've become that stupid as a society...it's that we've become so weak and wimpy and litigious that if even one person is that stupid and then sues, we then have to take all possible measures, no matter the cost, to CYA just in case one other person happens to be as stupid as that first one.
 

Ace Brown

Retired Ol’ Fart
That sign is mild. The bathrooms at Island in the Sky cater to all the many nationalities that pass through there. They have signs telling how to use the commodes. Do not stand on the seat. Do not crap on the floor. And on and on. I was flabbergasted that these signs were even necessary.


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ITTOG

Well-known member
It's not that we've become that stupid as a society...it's that we've become so weak and wimpy and litigious that if even one person is that stupid and then sues, we then have to take all possible measures, no matter the cost, to CYA just in case one other person happens to be as stupid as that first one.
... And stupid. No way around it. If you don't believe it spend five minutes talking to someone under 35.

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Pacific Northwest yetti

Expedition Medic
" It's not that we've become that stupid as a society...it's that we've become so weak and wimpy and litigious that if even one person is that stupid and then sues, we then have to take all possible measures, no matter the cost, to CYA just in case one other person happens to be as stupid as that first one. " Quote

... And stupid. No way around it. If you don't believe it spend five minutes talking to someone under 35.

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My entire job, as a Risk Manager is pretty much this ^ I will say not all are that bad, ( im 29) but most in my generation and after.....not the same story Last year i had to place signs up that read " microwaves are to be used for food items only" as we had an employee ( 55 yrs young ) who had placed his gloves in the microwave...... and went to take a smoke break. He set it to 6 mins..... Subsequently the gloves in side caught fire, and so did the microwave and wall... When questioned he stated " that they were wet and he wanted them dry" Our break room has a glove dryer, + a company policy we will just switch out your gloves.... if wet, unusable, or damaged. HE even knew about this policy...

I have unfortunately many more of those stories
 

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