I don't normally read this forum but thought you all might be interested in a weblog about my 5-week solo camping trip across the USA in a Toyota 4Runner. The intro page explains the trip and some minor vehicle mods with pictures.

http://www.earoil.com/west03/

In all it was over 9,000 miles and I made it a point to go through as rough and remote places as possible. The Black Rock Desert of Nevada was a real jaw breaker, as were the LoLo Trail in Idaho and various places in Oregon like Mt.Hood. The 4Runner currently has 90,000 miles on it and has had no (zero ziltch) mechanical failures other than a single flat tire, which I got on this trip in the Ozark Mountains. I've taken this same vehicle to San Pedro Mts of Colorado, and it is almost entirely stock it has never failed to get through any existing trails there. Jeepers were amazed I could take a stock street vehicle through the same trails they had their specialized rock crawlers on.

4Runners are the best and as this trip proved are suitable for living out of in an extended expedition trip. Normally one thinks of Land Rover for expeditions.

 

Great story, great pics, what a great journey. thank you for sharing. I was glued to my screen in awww. thanks, Ben

 

Great site! You share my enthusiasm for vehicle dependent travel. What did you think of Idaho? I spent 4 years there and loved it...

Look me up if you decide to make another run west (further south though)

 

awsome!!!! i wanna just drive around and camp for a week this sept. in my 4Runner. just don't know where to go.

 

Stephen, thanks for taking the time to register and linking your report. It is layed out nicely and was quite the trip. Another good 4Runner story. Very sorry to hear you lost a good amount of pictures, though. Be sure to visit here every now and again.

We don't have any San Pedro Mountains here in CO, so perhaps you meant NM? We have a San Pedro Mesa, but I really doubt there's any substantial roads on it.

I think 4WDTrips.net is a forum you, and many others here, might really enjoy. It caters more towards the expedition and adventure-based trips. There's a lot of great folks there with a good amount of knowledge.

 

Very cool. I still haven't made it all the way through your travelogue, but have enjoyed probably half of it so far. Great write-up!

Here's to many more adventures