Outdoor Adventure USA

It was a great day. John decided he wanted to explore Sandstone Canyon and I am sure glad I was able to make the run. Eric and Steve in their 80's showed us their capabilities. It is amazing what those big rigs can do. We had a newcomer,(I am bad with names, so correct me if I am wrong) Tyler who gave us a show in his frontier. He made it over some tough spots. We made it further up Sandstone then anyone had gone before and ran out of trail. It was a challenge. I will post some pictures, but all the pics can be seen here https://picasaweb.google.com/fjcssc/San ... sZKhhpO6DA#

It was a steep rocky climb to the end of sandstone and we had lunch and turned around. John gets the prize for the gutsiest line taken and I think Steve-thats a lexus- has the pictures. He took his jeep through a ravine that I would not have wanted to take a rhino. A very nice and challenging day with great company.

Cheers, Steve

A few pictures:

Great pics. Looks like you guys had a great day. Hoping to get the girls out there in a couple of weeks after I'm back from being a road warrior.

Great pics... Looking forward to more. Did the Frontier make it through the rock garden on the last stretch of the canyon?

Ollie,
The frontier did not make it quite that far, but it is only a lift away.

It was a nice, if somewhat windy, day out in the desert. Thanks to Steve (Lexus), Eric and son, Steve and his wife, and Tyler for coming out. Even though I froze on the way out there (and back) and had no sleep the night before, it was still a great time.

You are in the Split Mountain Fault Zone.
Split Mountain was formed by erosion along this fault line. Flood waters cut down through the layered rock, forming Fish Creek. During flash floods thousands of tons of debris tumble through Split Mountain, scouring out the deep gorge.

The gorge you see before you provides an exit for much of the rock that was formed in the Split Mountain Fault Zone over the past 20 million years. More than 40,000 acres of watershed is funneled through this canyon. From here the flood waters flow more than 20 miles towards the Salton Sea.

Note the countless layers of rocks. They have much to tell about the history of Split Mountain.


Split Mountain.


Fossilized reef.




The canyon is closing in on THATSALEXUS? - Steve.


One of the canyon collapses from the earthquake.


ssc




SD07NISMO


sdnative






Steve getting up and over the boulders that defeated him back in 2007.


Success!


Now Eric's turn.


Well done!


Winding our way through...




The S-turn.




Steve did a great job of spotting.




Dodging rocks.


This may be a problem...




Tyler parked his truck and caught a ride with me from here.




The farthest we've ever been...


End of the line.


Even from here I can tell its gonna be cold on the way home.




Heading back to Tyler's truck, we have a bit of an Austin Powers moment getting it turned around...




I decide to take the extra credit line back through the collapse.


Couldn't see much but sky.




We then ran into about 20 Jeeps coming through.










As Tyler was coming through I heard a CRUNCH!


Oops!


Airing up after a stop at the campground.


All of my pics can be viewed here.

John - nice write-up, and great pics. Looks like another fantastic time in Anza-Borrego....

John, thanks for putting this run together. We all had a great time! I felt really bad for you having to drive home with no doors

sdnative wrote:John, thanks for putting this run together. We all had a great time! I felt really bad for you having to drive home with no doors

No problem, Eric.

I actually can't remember ever being that cold! It was a miserable ride home but the hot shower almost made it worth it!

Hi John-

Sorry we missed you guys, looks like you guys had a great time. Awesome pics, Sandstone has new look doesn't it ! I went up to the Fish Creek Primitive site and a group of kids were there and they said they never saw you so I figured you must have had your group and forged ahead. I was monitoring 2m and CB and never heard a thing but it was just as well as I got to see several places I've never been before like the Elephant Trees hike, what a great layout, super informative really pretty and we got to see a tree I've never seen in my life. Saturday morning we got up early and we were going to do "the squeeze" and get to Fish Creek early but came upon a "small group" of 18 jeeps running it and of course the drop off so we turned around and drove all the way around. You must have been cold because when I woke up it was 33 degrees on Pinyon, ice all over the cooler top. A morning fire never felt so good. Glad you guys had a great time and no severe carnage.