5th gen 4Runners in scenic locations

Next year we need to do a trip to some of these types of places, my 9yr old daughter is ALL about dinosaurs and fossils so we are going to hit some places like these next year with some planning @Bodie the Dog, we are looking at a big trip through death valley etc

 

Does this count? Barnwell Mtn off road park during Toyota Jamboree

 

This is a great trip for kids that age. The canyon bottom is a sand slog and it's a bit steep coming out, but neither of them is very long and there are several points of interest along the way to stop for breaks.

 

We might flat tow our 71 CJ5 on the highway miles and disconnect for all the fun stuff so my wife and I can both drive and have fun! Gas prices be damned! At least we will have self recovery options! Haha

 

My 'home turf' for hiking etc. Hope you enjoy it! Weather doesn't appear to be on your side...

 

Weather is warming in Michigan and the boating season is here. New 2023 ORP tow rig vs old 2008 Highlander. Both rated at 5000 lbs, but the highlander drove smoother on the highway and got 23mpg. I kept it for 15 years and it still retained 25% of the MSRP - sold to the first buyer on Craigslist. Hope my 4 runner does as good after 15 yrs.

 

So far so good although up top MW was 25F and 10' visibility

 

Be aware that you are NOT going to drive to those pictographs. It is approximately a 7 mile hike (round trip). A steep drop of ~750 feet to the canyon floor and then you have to hike back up that to the trailhead. Take plenty of water - it gets pretty darn hot down inside those canyon walls if you go during the summer months.

 

We are planning on rock climbing as well haha!

 

Not the most scenic shots I ever took but what the hell...

First two are in Maine - Success Pond Rd, just across the border from NH, still in the White Mountains.

About 5-6 culverts were washed out over about two miles. I encouraged my wife to survey and pick a line and then drive the less technical parts like this one to get used to 4lo and how to use the rear locker prior to that "oh fuck" moment. The harder ones we were stacking logs and I wasn't taking pictures!





Coming out of the mountains we grabbed an early camp at a cool little place near Newry, ME.

 

Cadillac Mtn overlooking Bar Harbor, ME, Acadia National Park

 

Got myself a nice little cabin out in the woods for the dogs and I

 

One of my favorite spots to sit and relax when on an outing in the CA Sierras.

 

Office with a view. I'm jealous.

 

just off the devils post pile ranger entrance?

 

Can't see much of the 4Runner, but got this on Friday and you can see a little bit of the hood haha

 

Went to what we call the horse pasture between South and North Carolina. Part of an entrance for the foothills trail. It's not what it used to be - mostly graded down now with gravel like a lot of other trails on the east coast. Still a fun trip with great views. Had a water crossing that was deeper than I expected.

 

W Quoddy Light, easternmost point in the conUS

 

Thanks for sharing the lighthouse. I always enjoy seeing or learning anything lighthouse.
Your truck is a standout!

 

Maiden camp voyage with hot springs and Aurora B encore.

 

What a perfect first outing!

 

So if you like lighthouses, you may find some interest in a lighthouse in Biloxi, MS. Admittedly, when people think of Mississippi, a lighthouse doesn't come to mind. But it's on the Gulf Coast. The beach on the MS gulf coast is one of the LARGEST man made beaches.

The Gulf waters used to run up near the current highway area. Beach was put in recreational purposes and hurricane protection.

 

Oh man, I love lighthouses and covered bridges and all those vestigial remnants of life as it was. Here's the full lighthouse:





Also this is full nerd but since you started it here's a fast loop of a bunch of Michigan lighthouses I "accidentally " did last year.. Caution: no 4Runner content:

https://meefzah.smugmug.com/July-2023-Michigan-UP-trip

 

Some good reading about rock art:

https://www.desertusa.com/desert-activity/ancient-rock-art.html

“While the meaning of some petroglyph images is obvious -- a hunter spearing a deer, for example -- the meaning of many others remain elusive. John Kantner, author of the Sipapu website states, "There are many theories. Some scholars believe that they convey important information regarding village boundaries, farming field ownership, and other basic messages... Other scholars argue that they are symbols that were pecked or carved into rock faces during important rituals. And still other archaeologists believe that they are just 'doodles.'"

Many symbols have been determined to be clan or tribal symbols and are, therefore associated with territory. Others indicate the presence of game, shelter and water, but the more esoteric symbols such as zigzags, spirals, dots, concentric circles and others are less easy to define and have most often been relegated to the category of religious symbols. Archeoastronomers have also found that a number of the rock images are celestial in nature, indicating solstices and planetary movements, and certain sites have been found to be astronomical observatories similar in function to Stonehenge.

Erik Von Daniken, author of Chariots of the Gods, speculated that certain images are pictures of extraterrestrial visitors. Other images appear to represent elephants, dinosaurs and ibex -- creatures that seem out of place in time and location. There is also speculation that the images of the petroglyphs are related to other images visible only from the air -- the giant effigies of the American Southwest known as Intaglios.”

 

Great photos. A Lake Michigan circle tour is on my list too. Since you like Covered Bridges and you're in Ohio, I assume you've done the Indiana Covered Bridges tour

https://www.google.com/maps/search/covered+bridge/@39.6802222,-87.1095778,11z?entry=ttu

I did it back in '09 for a day.




Sorry to hijack the thread...

 

I actually haven't. I've seen a bunch of those on various trips but never looped them together on a tour.

 

I learned it's not a day trip if you want to see most of them. Getting to them is not easy since most of the roads are back roads and sometimes dicey gravel/dirt roads. Your bike would be fine. My heavy cruiser at the time was not the right bike and I gave up after about 5 bridges. I was not really that into the bridges plus I lived in Evansville, IN at the time so it took a couple of hours each way to get there. It was a check on my bucket list.....

 

It beats that NYC view.

 

Hey you got an orange one now! Nice!

I went to Bah Hahbah a few years back and went up to that park with that overview. It’s a touristy spot, but with the killer views it’s no wonder. We found plenty of places around the area with secluded rock/stone monolith beaches where you could just sit alone, and contemplate the power of the ocean, as well as contemplate lobstah and buttah.




Just found the pic above. Not a few years ago…it was 6 lol. I’m starting to feel old