Gold Rush Adventure

I consider everything I do with Gold Rush to be an Adventure,
from adding accessories to modifying systems, and all the places we will travel.
Follow along here by reading my Adventure Blolg.

Midland MXT275 Mobile GMRS Radio

When exploring off-road with your buddies, there is lots to see and watch out for. That beautiful lake off in the distance, the water crossing up ahead, or the group of dear that just ran across the trail. Or there's the deep ruts, the large rock in the center of the trail, or the tree that has fallen across your path. Being able to communicate in these situations, whether you're sharing experiences or warning of trouble, increases the enjoyment of your off-road adventure.

Tozalazz Portable Air Compressor

Driving off road can be a hard and bumpy ride. One way to ease that is to reduce the air pressure in your vehicle's tires. This also widens your tires footprint on the ground providing increased traction. So, a standard procedure for many off roading enthusiasts is to "air down" once they are on dirt before starting a trail, and to "air up" at the end of the trail before hitting pavement again.

Miolle Recovery Gear

So, you're excited about getting together with a buddy and heading out into the wilderness and explore in your off road rids. While no one wants to get their vehicles stuck in soft sand or mud, this could happen depending on just how adventurous you and your buddy are.

If you are the very adventurous type who like to venture into challenging terrain (or even if you're not) it's a good idea to have recovery gear with you. In addition to tractions boards mentioned in the previous article, you should be carrying Recovery Ropes. Tow Straps, and associated gear. This can include a Kinetic Recovery Rope, Static Tow Strap, Bridle Rope, Soft Shackles,

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ActionTrax Traction Boards

One item every person venturing off road should have in their vehicle are Traction Boards. Traction Boards can aid in self-recovery in the event that your vehicle gets stuck in soft sand, mud, or snow. There are many companies marketing a variety of traction boards. I did some research and purchased what I felt was a good product.

If you plan on doing any off road traveling at all, I highly recommend a set of traction boards. Even if only an inexpensive set. But if you are at all serious about going off road, go with a high quality set of boards, maybe even two sets.

Leveling Kit

Most every modification I will do to Gold Rush will be for a specific purpose. One beneficial modification for any vehicle destined for off road travel is higher ground clearance. This is primarily accomplished by adding a suspension lift to raise the frame of the vehicle, and adding larger tires to raise the axles.

Three Simple Mods

Hey, I live in Las Vegas, Nevada, and if you've ever been here in the summer you know it gets HOT! And that heat can reck havoc on a vehicles dash. So I purchased a Dash Mat off of Amazon. The color very closely matches the interior color of my truck? It looks really nice.

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White Rock / La Madre Springs Loop

If you travel approximately 18 miles west of the Las Vegas Strip on Charleston Avenue, you will come to the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. This beautiful area offers a nice visitors center at the beginning of a 14 mile one-way scenic loop. Along this loop you will find a number of pull-outs for viewing the beauty of the desert or exploring its many trails and rock formations.

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DC Cooler Box

My plan from the beginning was to remove the rear seat and build a platform in the extended cab portion of the truck that would allow lots of room for equipment, supplies, and a DC operated cooler. After building and installing the platform, and placing the cooler on it, I decided I would benefit from being able to store items on top of the cooler. So I built a box with a sliding tray.

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Extended Cab Platform

For the 20 years I owned my Ford Explorer I seldom had passengers in the back seat. So when I purchased my extended cab Silverado I did so having a plan to remove the rear seat and better utilize that space by building a platform in its place.

Removing the rear seat
I removed the rear seat by taking off. All the nuts that were holding it down. there were quite a few. The seat back folded forward making it a large one piece unit. Removing it from the truck by myself was a bit of a challenge but I managed to get it out. After that I removed all of the seatbelt hardware. With a large cleared out area it was now time to build the platform.

Tread Lightly

Supporters of Tread Lightly! practice responsible outdoor recreation and demonstrate their conviction with steadfast adherence to the Tread Lightly! Principles. The Tread Lightly! Principles are a philosophy which provides suggestions and standards of responsible recreation.

Complete the Tread Lightly online course and become a more educated and responsible user of the great outdoors.

Mint 400 Desert Clean-Up

Held on March 4th was the annual Mint 400 Desert Clean-Up. A volunteer event held in preparation of the Mint 400 off-road race being held the following weekend.

The event was held a short distance north of Jean Nevada, east of Las Vegas Blvd. on Liteweight Road. At the staging area were seven very large blue Republic Services commercial trash receptacles, and two large rear-load trash trucks. To my surprise, they were all needed for this event. Also on the site were tents set up representing the Mint 400, and a few other local organization that promote the enjoyment and upkeep of the outdoor areas.

SNORR Recovery 101 Class

I recently took the Recovery 101 class offered by SNORR (Southern Nevada Off Road Recovery. SNORR is an all-volunteer non-profit organization located in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The class location sometimes changes, this class was held at the Apex/Nellis Dunes Area, a short distance north east of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. We met at a predetermined location next to the Gas line road. There we aired down our vehicle tires, and together drove about one mile out into the dunes.

Garmin Mini 2 Dash Cam

For years I have thought about how valuable it would be to have a dash cam in my automobile. I've heard the stories, I've seen the YouTube videos showing the evidence when a traffic incident was not the drivers fault. I've seen how it can turn the officer's attention to the real cause of the mishap, and possibly preventing you from receiving a ticket. And, how it can direct the insurance company to put blame for the claim where it truly lies, saving you a raise in rates.

Black Velvet Canyon

My first off-road drive with Gold Rush was not a long one, but I was anxious to get off-road and this was a place I know of not too far from my home. A short drive west of Las Vegas on Blue Diamond road toward Pahrump, Nevada is a well-known turn off named "Late Night Trailhead". This is a part of the Cottonwood Valley Trail System, and is a well-used starting point for hiking and mountain bike riding. The area includes a paved parking lot and rest rooms (with pit toilets).

An Example of How God Works

I had been searching for well over a year for what I thought would be the best used truck for me.

I knew just what I wanted, a 03-06 Silverado 2500HD extended cab short bed 4x4. Truck prices across the board were running high. Trucks meeting this description were hard to find and usually had high miles on them. I would often think of other types of vehicles, but always came back to this one.

My New Truck

I enjoy camping, exploring, hiking, and being out in the wilderness. Now that I have retired from my steady full time job after 30 years, I want to do more of it. For the last five years I have been pulling my 10x6 CTC (Cargo Trailer Conversion) with my 1999 Ford Explorer. It has worked fairly well, but the six-cylinder engine has some difficulty pulling the trailer, as small and light as it is, up hills. It was time for a newer, more powerful vehicle.