Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 11-30-2008, 12:16 PM   #21
Site Team
 
BroncoHauler's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Southern New Mexico
Posts: 10,204
Beautiful. Reminds me of the topography around Superior, AZ.


Herb

__________________
SMB-less as of 02/04/2012. Our savings account is richer, but our adventures are poorer.
BroncoHauler is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-30-2008, 12:48 PM   #22
Senior Member
 
Greg In Austin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Austin, Texas
Posts: 1,543
Send a message via AIM to Greg In Austin Send a message via Yahoo to Greg In Austin
The road quality went down hill quickly when we left Guale Mesa Road for the Rancherias Loop.







As we worked our way down into the bottoms, the vegitation got taller and the road narrower. We did have quite a bit of Big Bend Ranch pinstripping before we were all done. It was not too far down this road that we ran into the first spot that had me worried.
__________________
Greg in Austin
2008 Ford 6.0PSD EB/E-PH SMB 4X4 Aluminess f/r bumpers (13.5mpg avg, 15mpg hwy) 52k miles [Texas McBeast]
2006 Toyota Prius (48 to 68 mpg) 120k miles [Penelope]
2013 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon (15 to 18 mpg) [Johnnie]
2012 Mitsubishi MiEV (no gas required) ($.50/day in electricity) [Evie]
https://badge.facebook.com/badge/1232...3.32047100.png
Greg In Austin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-30-2008, 01:07 PM   #23
Senior Member
 
Greg In Austin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Austin, Texas
Posts: 1,543
Send a message via AIM to Greg In Austin Send a message via Yahoo to Greg In Austin
Here was the worry....
I had to get out and scout out what I was really seeing and determine a route through it. There was a deep and steep dropoff on the driver side. The road was narrow to beging with, and as it exited the wash this was going down into, it got even narrower. OH... and the wash on the driver side got even deeper on the driver's side just off the road...

Michele decided that after she had white-knuckled an earlier descent that she would watch and photograph this little one.



BUT while I was worrying, she found a bug that was more interesting !










Yes, these next two photos show the front passenger tire off the ground.






BUT McBeast worked through this with no problems.

One worry we had at a number of places during this trip was whether the side steps would cause a ground clearance issue. I kept watching, and I don't think we ever got within 6 inches of hitting them.
__________________
Greg in Austin
2008 Ford 6.0PSD EB/E-PH SMB 4X4 Aluminess f/r bumpers (13.5mpg avg, 15mpg hwy) 52k miles [Texas McBeast]
2006 Toyota Prius (48 to 68 mpg) 120k miles [Penelope]
2013 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon (15 to 18 mpg) [Johnnie]
2012 Mitsubishi MiEV (no gas required) ($.50/day in electricity) [Evie]
https://badge.facebook.com/badge/1232...3.32047100.png
Greg In Austin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-30-2008, 01:25 PM   #24
Senior Member
 
Greg In Austin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Austin, Texas
Posts: 1,543
Send a message via AIM to Greg In Austin Send a message via Yahoo to Greg In Austin
Yes, this unmaintained road was narrow and overgrown.





At this spot (below) the road did not look bad, it was a little wider, with far less volvanic rock, and just some mild swells alternating down the road.
It was seconds after this photo was taken that McBeast was up on two wheels Front Passenger and Rear Driver), teetering back and forth. Although it would have been nice to have a photo, I did not want to leave it in that position long enough for either of us to jump out and get a shot.

__________________
Greg in Austin
2008 Ford 6.0PSD EB/E-PH SMB 4X4 Aluminess f/r bumpers (13.5mpg avg, 15mpg hwy) 52k miles [Texas McBeast]
2006 Toyota Prius (48 to 68 mpg) 120k miles [Penelope]
2013 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon (15 to 18 mpg) [Johnnie]
2012 Mitsubishi MiEV (no gas required) ($.50/day in electricity) [Evie]
https://badge.facebook.com/badge/1232...3.32047100.png
Greg In Austin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-30-2008, 01:55 PM   #25
Senior Member
 
surfgeek33's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Long Beach, Ca
Posts: 985
Send a message via AIM to surfgeek33
Wow Greg, awesome report and pics. Thanks for sharing your great adventure with us. Mcbeast looked like a champ on those trails! The fairing looks great as well.

Ray
__________________
???

"I do, cellularSTEVE" :o)
surfgeek33 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-30-2008, 03:07 PM   #26
Senior Member
 
Greg In Austin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Austin, Texas
Posts: 1,543
Send a message via AIM to Greg In Austin Send a message via Yahoo to Greg In Austin
This was an interesting area, with different terrain from the National Park, but one thing that is similar in some areas is that there are no trees unless there is water. So where do all those birds live with no trees for their nests?

The look for the tallest place they can find...


...or just about anywhere...


There are signs everywhere that water is the key. Lots of tanks have been built to allow water to accumulate and be held for stock to have water.
__________________
Greg in Austin
2008 Ford 6.0PSD EB/E-PH SMB 4X4 Aluminess f/r bumpers (13.5mpg avg, 15mpg hwy) 52k miles [Texas McBeast]
2006 Toyota Prius (48 to 68 mpg) 120k miles [Penelope]
2013 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon (15 to 18 mpg) [Johnnie]
2012 Mitsubishi MiEV (no gas required) ($.50/day in electricity) [Evie]
https://badge.facebook.com/badge/1232...3.32047100.png
Greg In Austin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-30-2008, 03:17 PM   #27
Senior Member
 
Greg In Austin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Austin, Texas
Posts: 1,543
Send a message via AIM to Greg In Austin Send a message via Yahoo to Greg In Austin
We did finally make it to the other end of the loop, and it had been slow going in some places...



...but that did mean the going was really that much easier...



Even after passing this sign on our way out of this area, there were still spots where I could not imagine going through in 2WD. There were a couple of soft sandy areas the Rangers had warned us about where they had been stuck. We went through with no problem, but in 4WD.
__________________
Greg in Austin
2008 Ford 6.0PSD EB/E-PH SMB 4X4 Aluminess f/r bumpers (13.5mpg avg, 15mpg hwy) 52k miles [Texas McBeast]
2006 Toyota Prius (48 to 68 mpg) 120k miles [Penelope]
2013 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon (15 to 18 mpg) [Johnnie]
2012 Mitsubishi MiEV (no gas required) ($.50/day in electricity) [Evie]
https://badge.facebook.com/badge/1232...3.32047100.png
Greg In Austin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-30-2008, 03:29 PM   #28
Senior Member
 
Greg In Austin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Austin, Texas
Posts: 1,543
Send a message via AIM to Greg In Austin Send a message via Yahoo to Greg In Austin
In the past BBRSP and the ranch that was made into this park was actually a number of different ranches. The owners in the last 100 years had beentrying to consolidate the smaller ranches into one large ranch.

Now the Texas Parks and Wildlife are trying to do the same thing. In the Austin paper the day that we left on our trip there was a story about an additional 7000 acreas being added to the park. At Saucedo I saw a map that shows the private holdings that are still within the park boundaries.

Here is one of the old homesteads; there are supposed to be a lot of these throughout the park.









Water was obviously an issue here. There was this pump still in place under the windmill, and there were two other discarded and spent pumps sitting not far off in the scrub brush.


This little shelter looked like it was in shape to still be used. In fact I wold probably use this shelter before I would use the house itself !
There are two camp sites close by, with one being an equestrian drop off spot.
__________________
Greg in Austin
2008 Ford 6.0PSD EB/E-PH SMB 4X4 Aluminess f/r bumpers (13.5mpg avg, 15mpg hwy) 52k miles [Texas McBeast]
2006 Toyota Prius (48 to 68 mpg) 120k miles [Penelope]
2013 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon (15 to 18 mpg) [Johnnie]
2012 Mitsubishi MiEV (no gas required) ($.50/day in electricity) [Evie]
https://badge.facebook.com/badge/1232...3.32047100.png
Greg In Austin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-30-2008, 03:56 PM   #29
Senior Member
 
Greg In Austin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Austin, Texas
Posts: 1,543
Send a message via AIM to Greg In Austin Send a message via Yahoo to Greg In Austin
...And then it was back on the road heading for Chorro Vista; we were probably a little over half way there from Guale #2.






And like we said, there were Hawks everywhere, even in some precarious looking spots.




And the State Park has not lost site of its Big Brother next door...literally...

With a campsite named for a view of the National Park's Chisos Mountains
__________________
Greg in Austin
2008 Ford 6.0PSD EB/E-PH SMB 4X4 Aluminess f/r bumpers (13.5mpg avg, 15mpg hwy) 52k miles [Texas McBeast]
2006 Toyota Prius (48 to 68 mpg) 120k miles [Penelope]
2013 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon (15 to 18 mpg) [Johnnie]
2012 Mitsubishi MiEV (no gas required) ($.50/day in electricity) [Evie]
https://badge.facebook.com/badge/1232...3.32047100.png
Greg In Austin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-30-2008, 05:52 PM   #30
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Carmel Valley, CA
Posts: 634
Send a message via AIM to Skywagon
Neat pictures!
Unfortunately, most of them I could only see about one quarter to one half. The other part was gray. Is that an issue with my computer or do others have the same problem?
Bill
__________________
2008 RB 50 Pueblo gold, Diesel, 4X4, Aluminess
NO2B
Skywagon is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Sportsmobile SIP or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 12:34 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.