Elvota

Good run today.

Had a lot of pics, so I'll break up this post a bit.

Axle Alley is a tough trail even if it is very short. There are two good sized waterfall obstacles in the middle, with a few more thrown in here and there for good measure. Westy, Schaefer, Kent and I all headed out to see what we could get away with.

Can you see the trail smiling... waiting to give us all a hard time:



Schaefer already being effected by the propane fumes:



The buggy then went on to get wedged pretty good in some brutal boulder field. Westy was undeterred, and decided to give it a shot with a slightly different line.

The approach (big rocks):



Wow... right up and on line :



Now a little turn to the passenger side... little more.... little more...



Uhmmmm, to much!!



My girlfriend's face has the reaction we all had :



"Hey guys... does my wheel look like it's off the ground? Sure feels off the ground....?":



Amazingly, it didn't go over and he drove through clean. Very nice.

Random shot of me on a random rock:



On to the waterfalls....

__________________

1990 4Runner | V6 3.4 | 5spd | 240 someoddthousand miles | SR5 | SAS | RLS | 35's | ARB | TJM | 217 to 1 | W8000

- four wheels | three sticks | two hands | one trail -

Elvota

So, now we are at the beginning of the first waterfall section. I walked up ahead and kinda thought it didn't look that bad... until I saw the next one around the corner!!

The buggy heads in... no problem:



Westy rolls through and out... this is going to be so simple:





Elvota steps up, and has plenty of room:



Well, I might have needed a little help :



Kent went through so fast I didn't even get a pic.

But now it was time for the main attraction....

__________________

1990 4Runner | V6 3.4 | 5spd | 240 someoddthousand miles | SR5 | SAS | RLS | 35's | ARB | TJM | 217 to 1 | W8000

- four wheels | three sticks | two hands | one trail -

Bighead

Nice pics...

__________________
Lance
2001 4Runner Limited 4X4 -- Stock Sonoran Steel
2004 Land Cruiser -- OME Medium Lift | Nitto Terra Grapplers

Elvota

I think we all were a bit intimidated by this obstacle... so we sent the buggy up first. Good thing Schaefer is a certified stunt pilot.

That's more like a wall than a trail... don't ya think?



Once the winch cleared, it was straight up:



Very straight up...:



All smiles:



Cresting the top:



After grinding a bit here and there and searching for traction, the magnificent BBQ cleared it proper... no assist.

That was good for us, cause now we had a winch point.

Westy was next:



A bit of effort to clear the winch as well:



So close now....



Even closer....



But after a good deal of rubber wear and some metal scrapes... Westy was denied. Cable pulled, and he zipped right up. Only fatality was one LED tail light.

Now the Mighty Tacoma was up to bat (that's me in the background wondering what the heck am I doing here ):



Kent just went right up:



Almost like it was nothing:



Front axle over... and then...



DENIED!! So very, very close. The line was pulled, and winch number two got a workout.

Now "little" Elvota had to make it.

__________________

1990 4Runner | V6 3.4 | 5spd | 240 someoddthousand miles | SR5 | SAS | RLS | 35's | ARB | TJM | 217 to 1 | W8000

- four wheels | three sticks | two hands | one trail -

Elvota

Wait... there's more!! (Probably to many )

__________________

1990 4Runner | V6 3.4 | 5spd | 240 someoddthousand miles | SR5 | SAS | RLS | 35's | ARB | TJM | 217 to 1 | W8000

- four wheels | three sticks | two hands | one trail -

Elvota

I don't usually feel small being 6'4" with a SAS 4Runner on 35's... but this was an exception. Seeing all three bigger rigs in front of me struggle and drag and bump up this obstacle, I guessed myself to be surely doomed.

But, what the heck... didn't have much else to do today.

Out of the first waterfall. Much easier than expected:



Setting up:



Schaefer says, "Hey man... don't look at me. I drive a dang BBQ!!"



Now tell me that doesn't look steep...



Of course... I was happy to use the winch at this point :



Over and out:



Now that the "hard part" was over, it was just a matter of lunch and an easy drive home.

__________________

1990 4Runner | V6 3.4 | 5spd | 240 someoddthousand miles | SR5 | SAS | RLS | 35's | ARB | TJM | 217 to 1 | W8000

- four wheels | three sticks | two hands | one trail -

Elvota

First "easy part" after the waterfalls:



"Buns of Steel" Schaefer pulls me through... even with my brakes on!! :



Finally, after a few more technical sections we had a steep climb out to the ridge line and then back down to the start.

Follow the leader:



As flat as the Tilt-O-Meter got all day:



Scenic view:



Doesn't my GF just glow?



Then Schaefer decided we might as well throw in a little Lower Woodpecker... since we were in the area and all. He was leading, so no pics for him. I had the camera, so no pics for me.

But, Westy gave it a valiant try:



And then another:



Then it was time for the Tacoma to lay down the law. :





That thing seems monsterous sometimes....





And that was that. 2WD dirt back out to the air up spot.

All in all a great day on a hard trail. I got a little scuff on the front bumper, we lost a tail light and Schaefer made it home before dark.

Thanks for the good run guys. Until next time.

__________________

1990 4Runner | V6 3.4 | 5spd | 240 someoddthousand miles | SR5 | SAS | RLS | 35's | ARB | TJM | 217 to 1 | W8000

- four wheels | three sticks | two hands | one trail -

dirtyXplorer

That last picture is awesome! I grew up in AZ and have never been to Axle ally...

__________________
93 4runner SR5, V6 3.0 Auto, Pro Comp ES9000s, 14" Magnaflow, Aisin manual hubs

93 Ford Explorer, lifted, 35"s

sdstud212001

Very nice pictures, I wish my 4runner could handle all that fun.

__________________
1987 DLX 4X4 5 Speed: Electric Flex-a-Lite,SR5 guages,Yokohama Geolander A/T+ II,Pro Comp AAL, KC Slimlites, Bull Bar, Aux fuse box, Limo Tint, Marlin Crawler Bumper, painted shell, Sirius
Wish List: Safari Rack,Bigger tires, SDORI BJ Spacers,

2001 Limited 4X4 Auto:Tundra 231mm brake upgrade, Brembo Rotors, Akebono Pads, 17" 2007 4Runner wheels, Yokohama Geolander AT-S,Sirius & Limo tint
Wish List: TJM Front Bumper, KC Hilites, Safari Roof Rack, Thule Cargo Box, Rock sliders, Limo Tint

SOAZtim

Damn nice pictures and trip report. Danica and I felt like we just did that trail reading along. Woohoo! NO body damage either! We rock!

__________________
Yotatech.com Oval Stickers FOR SALE HERE


2001 4runner. 255/85/16 Cooper ST's, DR coilovers, PP rear spring wit billies, 4.88's with Special magic front and rear.
www.soaztim.com

111db

Great pics! I guess I wasn't paying attention... I wanted to ride along for this one but didn't realize it was today. Maybe next time.

__________________
Jon
97 4Runner 3.4 * 4.88's * ARB Lockers F/R * ARB compressor * Sonoran Steel numba 1 * 285 BFG AT/KO * TJM 17 * BudBuilt Skids * Stubbs Sliders & BBQ sauce * Irbis out back * Various Electronic Gadgets

CC_yota

I need to get out to AZ if not to hit up a few trails but just to see the scenery!!!

Great pics!!

__________________
95 4Runner- 3vze- A/T- 4.88's

Currently
LC Coils
BJ Spacers
SAW T-Bars
32x11.50 BFG A/T's
15x8 black Rockcrawlers
Marlin Crawler rear bumper

wormhole

Nice wrtie up Steve. Those are some nice photo's. That second waterfall looked a little crazy.

I need to get myself over there and ride along with you guys for one of those trails.

__________________
2000 Toyota 4runner auto, 4x4, elocker, budbuilt skid, Sonoran Steel 7.2, 265/75/16 Yokohoma Geolanders AT-S

Just call me "T"

Sold: 1996 Toyota 4runner, auto, 4x4, Bud Built front skid, Stubb Welding Sliders, SS #3, hella 500's and elocked rear axle

nick_8787

Those last few Tacoma pictures definitely seem calendar quality.

__________________
95 Limited 4runner, OME springs and shocks, SDORI Ball Joint Spacers, 33"x10.5" Bfg Mud Terrains, Sony Xplod deck, 2 12" Premier Pioneer Subs powered by Power Acoustik's Plasma Sphere 1440W amp.

i_love_tacos

hey i didnt know Kent drove a taco. what happend to the 4runner? did i miss something??? very nice lookin taco though. and the pics are great. wish i was there.

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98 V6 toyota taco. 1 inch lift performance products springs. 2 inch daystar spacer. pro comp shocks front. daystar shackles. rancho shocks rear. K&N FIPK 2. poweraid throttle body spacer. jardine cat back exhaust. stubbs sliders. TJM front bumper.

Elvota

You missed a few things.

1. The 4Runner got sold to some guy in Texas.
2. The Tacoma is his main trail rig now.
3. The Tacoma does very, very well.

Check out the upcoming runs listed here:
http://www.yotatech.com/f66/spring-2...hedule-134303/

Plus AZRocks:
http://www.yotatech.com/f66/azrocks-...l-runs-134883/

Hopefully you can make it down for some of those.

__________________

1990 4Runner | V6 3.4 | 5spd | 240 someoddthousand miles | SR5 | SAS | RLS | 35's | ARB | TJM | 217 to 1 | W8000

- four wheels | three sticks | two hands | one trail -

i_love_tacos

ohhhhhh ok. geez. did he buy that taco like that from someone or did he start from scratch? it looks very familiar.

__________________
98 V6 toyota taco. 1 inch lift performance products springs. 2 inch daystar spacer. pro comp shocks front. daystar shackles. rancho shocks rear. K&N FIPK 2. poweraid throttle body spacer. jardine cat back exhaust. stubbs sliders. TJM front bumper.

Elvota

Kent might chime in here... but I believe he bought it built from someone in Vegas.

However, Schaefer really went through it and refined the suspension as well as various gussets. It's a sweet ride now. Even has a factory installed supercharger on the 4CYL.

__________________

1990 4Runner | V6 3.4 | 5spd | 240 someoddthousand miles | SR5 | SAS | RLS | 35's | ARB | TJM | 217 to 1 | W8000

- four wheels | three sticks | two hands | one trail -