First Desert Trip

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Aug 26, 2024
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Newport Beach, CA
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2024 Land Cruiser
Took the LC out to Anza Borrego for its first off road/camp trip. Still running the stock Michelin 265 LTX. Went with a Luno inflatable mattress, which I highly recommend. I had originally contemplated one of the drawer set ups for storage, but ultimately decided to just go with the inflatable by itself. Fit is perfect and I slept like a baby (although it's possible that the exceptional bourbon floating around the site may have had something to do with that). Added a Kelty shelter to the back, mostly to keep gear out of the elements if a storm came through. Also highly recommend that set up. Good quality tent/tarp with strong aluminum poles. Although we had perfect weather conditions, wind can become heavy pretty quickly in that area, so a good quality setup that can withstand winds is important.

Trails we ran were generally pretty easy, with some moderate rock and stream crossings. Lots of sand, with some areas deeper than others. The Michelins generally handled everything surprisingly well. Still considering moving to the Nitro Terra Grappler G3's just to get a little more clearance and piece of mind around the sidewalls. Overall great experience getting her off the pavement for the first time. And, of course, there are few things better than a nice campfire paella!
 

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Get ride of the Michelins asap. I also thought they were handling everything well until two of them punctured within a day of each other. Of course ended up spending a whole beautiful Sunday pacing around in a dealership.
 
Get ride of the Michelins asap. I also thought they were handling everything well until two of them punctured within a day of each other. Of course ended up spending a whole beautiful Sunday pacing around in a dealership.
Not good. What kind of roads were you on? The Nitto Terra Grappler G3's are a sooner or later thing for me. May make it sooner.
 
What trails did you take?
Did Coyote Canyon, Rock House and Fonts Point. Liked Coyote Canyon quite a bit. Great variety. Unfortunately the back of the trail, which is supposedly the pretty special part of the trail, is now closed due to some major storms that repositioned too much debris. Rock house is a nice trail, but not as much variety. Fonts point is a pretty wide and very fun run that terminates at one of the prettiest views I've seen in the desert. Just a spectacular view.
 
Thanks, I did Font Point last month. It was fun, but not real challenging. I'm a newbie to off-roading and I liked the fact that its a wide open trail and there is no risk of running through brush that could scratch up the paint. How do Coyote Canyon and Rock House compare?
 
Thanks, I did Font Point last month. It was fun, but not real challenging. I'm a newbie to off-roading and I liked the fact that its a wide open trail and there is no risk of running through brush that could scratch up the paint. How do Coyote Canyon and Rock House compare?
Very different. Fonts Point is all about the destination, although I love the fact that you can blast through those wide slot canyons. The other two are narrower with more variety. Coyote Canyon is a fun trail. Definitely narrower. Nice stream crossing. Couple of more moderate but certainly doable segments.

Love that part of the desert. Heading out to Palm Springs for a few days around the holidays. Mostly golf, so not camping, but I'll probably hit a couple of trails in that part of the desert.
 
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