I just uploaded a new page to my website, based upon a trip I took Memorial Day weekend, 2007:
Trip 2007G - Red Rocks, No Sleep, Glass, Adobe, Still No Sleep, Wild Horses, and All Those %$#@&!!! Rocks - Red Rock, Glass Mountain, Adobe Meadows, Pizona, Truman Meadows; Mono County, California and Mineral County, Nevada
This particular trip took place during the Memorial Day weekend, 2007. The trip started in the middle afternoon of Friday, May 25, and ended in the late afternoon of Sunday, May 27. My oft traveling buddy, Graham C., now living in Big Pine, came along with his dog, Toby, and his 2000 Toyota Tacoma TRD 4WD pickup. As is usual, my ever faithful 2002 Toyota Tacoma TRD 4WD pickup accompanied me.
I have a 4-day work schedule, with three days off. However, my days off are not consecutive, so in effect, I had only a 2-day weekend. The short time frame, high gas prices, and low finances required that I kept it close to home.
You know how you see trails near your home that you think "someday I'm going to take that road and see where it goes"? Fortunately, there are many places close by my home that I had not yet taken the time to explore, including this particular route. It seemed like the logical time to explore my own backyard.
For a week prior to our trip, I studied a route that would take Graham and I over routes not traveled by either of us and would likely be devoid of people. Studying the map and Roger Mitchell's SUV Trails guides 1, I deciphered from the maze of trails and dirt roads a route that would take Graham and I north up the spine of Glass Mountain, dropping over to its northern side, lower us into Adobe Valley; east over into lonely country past Pizona Springs and the mysterious Pizona community marked on the maps; out into Nevada and through Truman Meadows; and then dump us out on US6 south of Montgomery Pass.
After I decided upon my route, I plotted a course through the maze of roads on the northern slope of heavily timbered Glass Mountain; programming waypoints and a route into my Garmin eTrex GPS unit, which I had bought earlier in the year.
Friday, May 25th started off as any other work day. Except this day I drove my car instead of my truck to work, as my truck was loaded with my camping gear. Because as soon as I completed my work rounds, I was looking forward to tossing a few fresh food items, ice, beer and wine into the ice chest, and taking off on a reconnoiter.
Our route was ultimately to be a tight oblong loop north extending northward a bit more than 60 miles out from my home that would include some interesting territory of high mountains and relatively high sagebrush and piñon pine forested territory that would straddle the California and Nevada state line. These trails and roads included would be those that are in the backyard of Graham C. and myself, yet these roads were new to us; ones that we always thought would lead to interesting sights to see and explore, yet we never had to date taken the time to go out and see them for ourselves.
The route that Graham and I took can be duplicated by most any stock 4x4 or truck based SUV. I would not recommend the route from Pizona, through Truman Meadows and down to US6 if your vehicle is low slung, unprotected underneath, does not have LT rated tires or you value your paint job.
Enjoy the ride with Graham, Toby and I!
The trip report is found at http://www.gbr.4wdtrips.net/trips/t2007-g.html
(Message edited by David_A_Wright on
05/31/2008 10:42 PM)
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David A. Wright
Reconnoitering in the Eastern Sierra & The Great Basin by 4x4
