E63
Full Access Member
RPG will be leading a group of Raptor owners on a caravan following the SEMA show in Las Vegas to Barstow off road. Going to be a pretty casual event completely separate from the OE Land Rush event that precedes Sema.
This event will not be sponsored, each person goes at their own risk and own pace, although some trail support will be provided.
They will be leaving from the Shell station at the junction of Route 161/Goodsprings Road and I-15 – little place called Jean half way between Stateline and Vegas.
I was asked if I wanted to help them pre-run it. We were going to do it over two days but ended up doing it all in one day, and then to avoid the traffic leaving Vegas on Sunday, we drove the majority back at high speed down the Powerline road. Made for a very full day. Started at 4:30am leaving SD, returned home at 9:30pm. Almost 16 hours in the saddle. Decent gas mileage too!
We pre-ran the trail backwards starting off Afton Road – Afton Canyon, cross the Mojave River (creek)
These pic are from Google Earth:
Followed the Mojave Trail, came across an old railroad crossing. I was blown away be the craftsmanship of the dry stacked stone walls.
Black Raptor belongs to Brian Stoner
And a Geo-Cash
Jarrett and Brian decide that the cold mud of the dry lake bed was the perfect spot to remove Brian’s after market exhaust that had ripped free of its hanger. Perfect time for a beer… It looks like snow but it is salt they are laying on.
Its going to take some convincing, but we hope folks will stay out of the mud!
This is the famous rock pile, some pretty funny monuments with inscriptions et al. Don’t forget to bring a rock and add to the pile!
At Bun Boy in Baker for lunch – flippin fantastic burger – bring your cash, that’s all they take in this place. Mud flaps and Sliders did a good job keeping mud and rocks off the windows
A pic thru the windshield while going up the powerline road out of Baker
One of the power line roads we pre-ran turned into a dead end here. Pretty scary backing up down this narrow trail with 200 foot sheer drop on the side.
Another wrong turn we were accosted by some crazy lady waving a big ass pistol screaming I am going to blow your F’n head off as we first tried to go by her house and had to turn around because of a locked gate, so we detoured around and she caught up with us as we were passing on the other side. We continued on, but road became unsuitable for travel so we turned back. Here is the crazy lady’s ranch.
We finished at what will be the start at around 3:00 and topped off with fuel, aired up and began the freeway trip home. After getting caught in the Sunday traffic we decided to bail at Cima road and headed north for the power line road we had pre-run earlier. We blasted down that at high speed, and then we had to do some more “pre-running” of the trail to mark cautions in case we ever wish to use this alternate freeway again. There are places you can easily do 70 MPH or more and then get ready to crawl pass some places where the trail has been washed away. To do it fast you need a second pair of eyes on the nav to call out upcoming warnings.
Here is a short vid of Brian making it up the grade on one hill.
We were going to get back on the freeway at Minneola Road, when Brian, flashes his brights, we pull over, roll the window down and he rages by – no muffler or exhaust mind you at full throttle to show off a beautiful little shortcut past the inspection station that was causing the big back up.
To say that the sound of his truck was startling is quite an under statement
Couple interesting highlights from the trip. Was on the freeway for about 5 minutes in the afternoon as we attempted the drive back at 3:30, get a call or text from Brian, your front and rear off road lights are on – Opps!
Then later at night driving back from Barstow, Jarrett is driving in heavy traffic, reaches for his pack of gum near the Aux switches, accidently turns on Aux 1 – my 17,000 lumen LED lights in the bumper, lights up this little Min-Cooper, looked like “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”, lmao, it was unreal! Luckily no cops around.
All told, it was only 6 hours from just outside Vegas to SD doing a huge chunk off road – roughly about 100 miles – Normal trip with no traffic is 5 to 5 1/2 hours, and with heavy traffic can easily exceed 8 hours. Not me baby! I got a map now with marked cautions, but won’t run it alone until I get a spot.
Many folks say "the best thing to come out of Vegas is the road", good thing there are lots of choices, "Choose well, my friends"
This event will not be sponsored, each person goes at their own risk and own pace, although some trail support will be provided.
They will be leaving from the Shell station at the junction of Route 161/Goodsprings Road and I-15 – little place called Jean half way between Stateline and Vegas.
I was asked if I wanted to help them pre-run it. We were going to do it over two days but ended up doing it all in one day, and then to avoid the traffic leaving Vegas on Sunday, we drove the majority back at high speed down the Powerline road. Made for a very full day. Started at 4:30am leaving SD, returned home at 9:30pm. Almost 16 hours in the saddle. Decent gas mileage too!
We pre-ran the trail backwards starting off Afton Road – Afton Canyon, cross the Mojave River (creek)
These pic are from Google Earth:
Followed the Mojave Trail, came across an old railroad crossing. I was blown away be the craftsmanship of the dry stacked stone walls.
Black Raptor belongs to Brian Stoner
And a Geo-Cash
Jarrett and Brian decide that the cold mud of the dry lake bed was the perfect spot to remove Brian’s after market exhaust that had ripped free of its hanger. Perfect time for a beer… It looks like snow but it is salt they are laying on.
Its going to take some convincing, but we hope folks will stay out of the mud!
This is the famous rock pile, some pretty funny monuments with inscriptions et al. Don’t forget to bring a rock and add to the pile!
At Bun Boy in Baker for lunch – flippin fantastic burger – bring your cash, that’s all they take in this place. Mud flaps and Sliders did a good job keeping mud and rocks off the windows
A pic thru the windshield while going up the powerline road out of Baker
One of the power line roads we pre-ran turned into a dead end here. Pretty scary backing up down this narrow trail with 200 foot sheer drop on the side.
Another wrong turn we were accosted by some crazy lady waving a big ass pistol screaming I am going to blow your F’n head off as we first tried to go by her house and had to turn around because of a locked gate, so we detoured around and she caught up with us as we were passing on the other side. We continued on, but road became unsuitable for travel so we turned back. Here is the crazy lady’s ranch.
We finished at what will be the start at around 3:00 and topped off with fuel, aired up and began the freeway trip home. After getting caught in the Sunday traffic we decided to bail at Cima road and headed north for the power line road we had pre-run earlier. We blasted down that at high speed, and then we had to do some more “pre-running” of the trail to mark cautions in case we ever wish to use this alternate freeway again. There are places you can easily do 70 MPH or more and then get ready to crawl pass some places where the trail has been washed away. To do it fast you need a second pair of eyes on the nav to call out upcoming warnings.
Here is a short vid of Brian making it up the grade on one hill.
We were going to get back on the freeway at Minneola Road, when Brian, flashes his brights, we pull over, roll the window down and he rages by – no muffler or exhaust mind you at full throttle to show off a beautiful little shortcut past the inspection station that was causing the big back up.
To say that the sound of his truck was startling is quite an under statement
Couple interesting highlights from the trip. Was on the freeway for about 5 minutes in the afternoon as we attempted the drive back at 3:30, get a call or text from Brian, your front and rear off road lights are on – Opps!
Then later at night driving back from Barstow, Jarrett is driving in heavy traffic, reaches for his pack of gum near the Aux switches, accidently turns on Aux 1 – my 17,000 lumen LED lights in the bumper, lights up this little Min-Cooper, looked like “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”, lmao, it was unreal! Luckily no cops around.
All told, it was only 6 hours from just outside Vegas to SD doing a huge chunk off road – roughly about 100 miles – Normal trip with no traffic is 5 to 5 1/2 hours, and with heavy traffic can easily exceed 8 hours. Not me baby! I got a map now with marked cautions, but won’t run it alone until I get a spot.
Many folks say "the best thing to come out of Vegas is the road", good thing there are lots of choices, "Choose well, my friends"
