I’ve documented an off-road jaunt through the Diablo Dropoff and Fish Creek already but this time I got more video. I started this trail about an hour before sunset so I actually have some video going all the way to the Wind Caves now. The first mile and a half after the Diablo Dropoff is tight and rocky with everything after that being pretty tame. Enjoy the videos!
The Wind Caves are in the eastern end of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park along Fish Creek. The closest paved road is Split Mountain Road just a few miles to the east. For detailed directions and trail descriptions look to my page on the Diablo Dropoff and Fish Creek. Most any vehicle should be able to reach the Wind Caves from the eastern end, provided you drive slowly and carefully. The geological formations in this area are simply mesmerizing. I’ll have to take some more photos of the area in the future but for now look for them on this page. Enjoy!
EC 119 (also known as Dos Cabezas Road) is one of the many trails winding through Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. I-8 or CA-78 can be used to reach S-2 which is the nearest paved road. The junction between I-8 and S-2 is about four miles to the southeast of where this trail begins. The San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railway runs along this trail and there’s even an abandoned rail station along the route. EC 158 branches off of EC 119 and heads back east to S-2. The views of the desert, mountains, and gorges are simply stunning. Be wary of illegal immigrants and smugglers; do not go hiking along the tracks.
EC 119
West Mortero Wash
Find the rest of the photos and video footage here. Enjoy!
Note: Sometimes, the truck doesn’t come out unscathed.
Vallecito Creek is just one of the many washes that pass through Anza-Borrego. It can be reached from the west via S-2 and is about 20 miles north of I-8. It can also reached from the east via the many trails that connect to it. Vallecito Creek heads east and reaches Arroyo Tapaido. Arroyo Tapaido either heads north to a dead end or loops back around south to reach Arroyo Seco del Diablo. The Diablo Dropoff and Fish Creek jut off to the east and eventually lead you towards Split Mountain Road and Ocotillo Wells. I didn’t take any separate photos of some of these trails but rather just took screenshots of the video to give you an quick idea of the environment. Look for all of the corresponding videos and pictures in the links below. Enjoy!
The Diablo Dropoff and Fish Creek
I’ll be posting up some video from trails I went through on the same day I took this video, but for now I’ll just post up about the Mud Caves. In Anza-Borrego Desert State Park there are a large network of caves that you can walk and crawl through. Obviously, they can get dark so don’t forget your flashlight. There’s also a lot of seismic activity in the area so the cliff sides and caves are not a good place to camp out. I traversed a single cave with a small group of friends for about an hour; it would take quite a long time to explore the cave system in detail.
The closest paved road to the Mud Caves is S-2 (reached from the south via I-8 and the north via CA-78), then take Vallecito Creek east, and then head north a few miles along Arroyo Tapaido. During the cooler months of the year there will be a lot of tourists so it’s pretty hard to miss.
If you’re not into four-wheeling like I am this is another fun activity you can enjoy in the desert. There really is a lot of beauty (and life in some spots) in the desert. Enjoy the photos and video footage; find the rest of it here!
Rodriguez Canyon is an easy trail southeast of Julian, CA. Rodriguez Canyon can be accessed from the northern end from CA-78 at the end of Banner Grade or from the south along S-2 (north of mile post 27). Rodriguez Canyon runs to the parallel and to the eastern side of Oriflamme Canyon. This trail is of slightly moderate difficulty; any good truck or 4×4 with some ground clearance will make it through with no problem. At the time I went through there was no snow though it is possible for some to accumulate. There are a number of private roads and land around the area so be careful not to trespass. Enjoy the photos and video footage and look for the rest of them here! I’ve also started a build page for the Toyota Tundra that I recently purchased for any who are curious.
Stag Point is in the Foothills of Northern California northeast of Yuba City off of F.S. Highway 120. The actual trail leading to Stag Point is only a few miles long. To reach this trail: head left following signs for the Little Grass Valley Reservoir, continue north, drive over the dam, turn left onto F.S. 94, stay on F.S. 94 until a right turn appears for 22N72, and stay left until the trailhead is reached. The trail quickly gets steep as it descends about 3,000 feet with tight and narrow switchbacks.
I didn’t take any photos along the trail to Stag Point and forgot to save the video (from my dashboard camera) in time to prevent it from being over-written by proceeding loops. There are a couple of footpaths leading to the river both to the right and left of the campsite. It would be wise to bring insect repellent. Enjoy the photos! Click here to find the rest of them.
The Table Mountain area doesn’t have any hardcore rock-crawling. As long as your truck has decent ground clearance and you can pick a good line you will make it through the area. My nearly stock Tacoma made it through. A locking rear differential or a little lift in the front would have helped out greatly though. The Table Mountain network of trails in of themselves don’t extend to other roads unless you count some footpaths. The network of trails lead to some amazing views, though it can be hard to tell if you’re on a legitimate trail or not. A lot of the paths in the area are closed but aren’t marked very well. There’s not really any way to get lost in the Table Mountain area, just drive back the way you came once you hit a dead end or random fork with a camping spot. The trail was pretty empty the day I went, the only vehicle I passed was a first-generation Tundra. No one on dirt bikes or ATV’s to get into close calls with here.
To reach the Table Mountain area: drive along I-8 and exit at the In-Ko-Pah Road exit, head west along U.S.-80 and turn right onto a dirt road near the brake-check station. Enjoy the photos and find the rest of them here!
I recently read an article on Yahoo! Autos about the Ram Rebel that’s coming out soon. It’s pretty much just a Ram 1500 with some more expensive trim pieces, a one-inch lift, and 33″ Toyo A/T’s. The cheapest 4×4 version of this truck goes for $45,915 and this is for the V6 version. Stepping up to the V8 jacks the price up to $55,375. I simply don’t see how this truck can cost so much. I suppose that it looks nice on the inside and is slightly taller than a stock Ram 1500, but this much? It doesn’t come with a locking differential, the front CV axles are stock 1500 shafts, and any sticks that hit those stupid air bags will leave you sagging on the trail. I guess FCA is charging a lot for things like the kick-ass tread pattern in the seats, it certainly didn’t go towards using properly designed electronic control systems…
I looked up how much a 2014 Ford F-150 Raptor cost new and the price turned out to be $44,995. The Raptor shows up with things like a bigger rear axle (Ford 9.75 vs. ZF 9.25), a locking rear differential, 3″ Fox coilovers, a LSD in the front, 35″ tires, longer axleshafts in the front, a V8, and doesn’t have air bags ready to be popped by any sharp sticks or brush. I can at least see where the money on a Raptor goes towards and it still looks good inside and out. If you wanted to, you could build up a used truck to be like the Raptor for less cash, but at least the price of a new Raptor makes some sense and the upgrades really add to the off-road ability of the truck. The Rebel just looks like a sticker and trim package to me.
I suppose that the Rebel isn’t a Raptor competitor though, it’s closer to the FX4 trim. But even then, some stickers, trim pieces, and tread pattern seats aren’t worth $10,000. The FX4 also comes with that locking rear differential, which the guys over at Ram trucks don’t seem to offer (unless you want to pay for a Power Wagon). The price that trucks have been going for lately seems to be going up rapidly. Good luck trying to find a Power Wagon that doesn’t have thousands in extra options. The cheapest new F-150 in San Diego county goes for $31,560. The cheapest Colorado (a mid-size truck) goes for over $30,000. With new vehicle prices being jacked up due to extra accessories, about a quarter of new auto loans have 73-84 month terms. I simply can’t imagine having an auto loan for that long.
What do you think? Is there some value in the Ram Rebel that I’m simply missing? Am I being to judgmental? Let me know what you think in the comments below.
Yahoo! Autos-Ram Reveals Pricing For 2015 1500 Rebel and Laramie Limited
Motor Authority-2015 Ram 1500 Rebel Rumbles Its Way Into Detroit
For anyone who’s interested in the Ram Rebel, watch it own some dirt roads and do some donuts.
One of the reasons I haven’t posted as much lately (aside from laziness) is dealing with the Totally Integrated Power Module (TIPM) that’s installed in my Jeep. In less than two years ownership of my 2012 Wrangler I’ve had to replace this device twice. The first time the TIPM failed was in the desert. My dashboard turned into a Christmas tree, the speedometer went to zero, the engine oil temperature meter pegged, and when I plugged the OBDII reader in I pulled numerous faults that amounted to a loss of communication with numerous components. In vain hope I decided to disconnect the battery. I was also an idiot and shorted the terminals together. The dealer noticed this on the battery terminal and claimed that I “cross-jumpered” the battery; as if some current flowing through just the battery terminals should damage the TIPM (without blowing fuses by the way). I was out for about $650 on the part and $300 on labor. It also took two weeks for the part to show up. This happened about six months ago. Here’s the work order for the first TIPM replacement:
Last month, I received several fault codes from the ABS Module (C1246 & C1082), TCM (U0414), and fuel level instrumentation (P0643). These codes are obviously not related and I thought that the TIPM might have failed again. I dropped the Jeep off at the dealership (Midway in San Diego). I got a call the next day asking to drop the fuel tank to check a couple of test points. After showing up in person to explain that they should troubleshoot indications that don’t involve so much time and effort. I also explained how it made little sense for numerous sensors to all fail at the same time. The dealer tech relented and the next day I received a phone call stating that the TIPM failed again. The new TIPM has still not show up and I bought a new-to-me truck, a 2011 Tacoma. The dealer did not offer a courtesy vehicle. I’ll post up what the work order says for this next replacement as soon as my Jeep is fixed. (Update: The work order is posted below. I got a whole 4761 miles out of the second TIPM.) After dealing with rather long wait times to receive this part I decided to look into that matter some more…
The TIPM might just look like a fuse and relay box, but the positive terminal of the battery is connected directly to it and the TIPM is a power switching and control device that controls many settings and supplies power to all peripheral components and systems. The TIPM has a case on the outside (duh), has fuses and automotive relays near the top, then has seven decks of buswork (wires), has a board with several relays and Integrated Circuits (IC’s) that perform the logic operations, and then some sockets near the bottom. The TIPM even controls pulse width modulation for the headlights. And when overcurrent conditions are detected by the circuitry, the TIPM will often just shut off the offending system with no warning. But hey, this device allows the radio to stay on after pulling the key out of the ignition. Just a few photos to get a better idea of what’s in there:
Interestingly enough I couldn’t find this part on Mopar’s website. I was able to find the part on another website as a slightly newer revision. But if Chrysler hasn’t bought this from a vendor who could properly assemble and/or design the TIPM I really don’t want to try this again. It really doesn’t help that any one of the relays on the board (the white boxes) going bad can cause a loss of functionality with no warning. The only thing that can be done if one of the relays or IC’s fail on the board fail is to replace the whole TIPM.
Complaints about the TIPM that’s been supplied in most Chrysler vehicles since around 2006/7 are nothing new. The 2007 Wrangler and Dodge Nitro had to have the TIPM reporgrammed to prevent the fuel pump from turning off during operation. 2011-2013 Jeep Grand Cherokee’s and Dodge Durango’s had to be recalled due to fuel pump relay failures in the TIPM, affecting almost half a million vehicles. A search of National Highway Transportation Safety Administration complaints show numerous instances of 2006 Dodge Power Wagon’s having failing/failed TIPM’s that sometimes cause loss of functionality such as trailer brake lights going out while towing, or windshield wipers turning off in the rain. There are several instances of Dodge/Ram truck owners going through multiple failed TIPM’s. The Center for Automotive Safety also has plenty of documentation relating to these failures for anyone who’s interested. It really is too easy for the TIPM too fail.
A number of people seem to be getting upset with Chrysler and a class action lawsuit is pending against Fiat-Chrysler. I think that it’s about time I added my name to this lawsuit, especially since Chrysler’s motion to dismiss failed. I ended up buying a 2011 Toyota Tacoma and am thoroughly finished with Chrysler. At least as soon as the part shows up and I can finally sell my Jeep anyway. For anyone who’s interested in a Chrysler vehicle, be very careful.
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