No image, just a question...

[Doug P]

I will be down in Zion for a workshop the end of October. Of course I will extend the time on front and back, and I am looking for suggestions on must see locations in that area from those of you that know it. All comments appreciated.

I know I will head to Bryce (not sure where in Bryce to go) and thinking north rim. Bear's Ears? Escalante?

Also I will be heading out from CA. Thinking Alabama Hills, Death Valley, Valley of Fire. Will be 4WD and camping my way out with my rooftop tent.

 

[JimFox]

That is quite the nice setup you have Doug. How long does it take to setup and take down?

For sure I would recommend Valley of Fire, if you haven’t been there that place is awesome. Not just the Fire Wave, but that whole area around the Wave looks so much like South Coyote Buttes.

If you are thinking on Death Valley and the lower Eastern Sierra, why not go down to Trona Pinnacles? It’s not that far and of course it’s quite unique.

I have been meaning to get back to Zion in the fall, so maybe I can meet up with you there depending on timing.

 

[Ben Egbert]

That looks to me like the ultimate off road rig, but how hard is it to climb down at night for a pee?

 

[AlanLichty]

Bryce can be seriously cool by the end of October. Great photo opportunities with a strong chance fresh snow if you get the right breaks. You will be camping at a minimum of 7800' inside of the park. Your other Utah destinations (Escalante and Bears Ears) don't have that kind of elevation but cold nights will be common. Bears Ears is higher elevation than Escalante.

I have seen some shots of the Comb Wash area in the fall where the Cottonwoods were changing - that could be an interesting target.

 

[Doug P]

That is quite the nice setup you have Doug. How long does it take to setup and take down?

For sure I would recommend Valley of Fire, if you haven’t been there that place is awesome. Not just the Fire Wave, but that whole area around the Wave looks so much like South Coyote Buttes.

If you are thinking on Death Valley and the lower Eastern Sierra, why not go down to Trona Pinnacles? It’s not that far and of course it’s quite unique.

I have been meaning to get back to Zion in the fall, so maybe I can meet up with you there depending on timing.

I will be there from 10/29 through 11/1 on a workshop led by Justin Reznik. Thanks for the reminder of the Trona Pinnacles! I have never been and it makes sense.

As for the tent. Minutes to set up and take down. A video can be seen at

 

[MonikaC]

That looks to me like the ultimate off road rig, but how hard is it to climb down at night for a pee?

Pee bottles..... Or he could just aim out the door & hope to not dribble down the side....
I sleep in the back of my FJ, but I'm short.

 

[Doug P]

That looks to me like the ultimate off road rig, but how hard is it to climb down at night for a pee?

Let just say not too much wine should be consumed at dinner time ;-)

 

[Doug P]

Pee bottles..... Or he could just aim out the door & hope to not dribble down the side....
I sleep in the back of my FJ, but I'm short.

I was going to build a platform for my FJ but decided I did not want to sacrifice the storage for camera gear ;-)

I have the plans and materials list somewhere and can send them along if you want them.

D

 

[MonikaC]

Doug, you won't be far from Coyote Buttes.
You could take the back road in DV that ends up at the road to the bristlecones. Stop at the Eureka dunes on the way. There's also a nice Joshua Tree forest just as the road starts to climb.

 

[Doug P]

Bryce can be seriously cool by the end of October. Great photo opportunities with a strong chance fresh snow if you get the right breaks. You will be camping at a minimum of 7800' inside of the park. Your other Utah destinations (Escalante and Bears Ears) don't have that kind of elevation but cold nights will be common. Bears Ears is higher elevation than Escalante.

I have seen some shots of the Comb Wash area in the fall where the Cottonwoods were changing - that could be an interesting target.

I have not heard of Comb Wash so I will give that a view.

Thank goodness for a zero degree bag to get me through the cold nights.

Now if anyone has info on where I should be and at what time for Bryce it would be appreciated.

BIG THANKS TO ALL!

 

[MonikaC]

I was going to build a platform for my FJ but decided I did not want to sacrifice the storage for camera gear ;-)

I have the plans and materials list somewhere and can send them along if you want them.

D

Thanks, Doug. I have a locking drawer system in place already. I generally travel with my dog, so have decided against a RTT. Seems like it's be horrendous in high winds & would amplify an uneven parking/camping spot. I had been thinking along the lines of a Maggiolina, but have decided against any RTT. Also don't have anywhere to store it when not in use.

 

[Doug P]

Doug, you won't be far from Coyote Buttes.
You could take the back road in DV that ends up at the road to the bristlecones. Stop at the Eureka dunes on the way. There's also a nice Joshua Tree forest just as the road starts to climb.

Coolness! Forgot about the bristlecones and those Joshua trees. Thanks!

 

[Doug P]

Thanks, Doug. I have a locking drawer system in place already. I generally travel with my dog, so have decided against a RTT. Seems like it's be horrendous in high winds & would amplify an uneven parking/camping spot. I had been thinking along the lines of a Maggiolina, but have decided against any RTT. Also don't have anywhere to store it when not in use.

Normally I pull a RPOD trailer when the dog and wife are along. But they have had their fill of rocks and trees this year, so this is my solo getaway rig.

 

[JimFox]

That's a nice little trailer Doug!

 

[JimFox]

I have not heard of Comb Wash so I will give that a view.

Thank goodness for a zero degree bag to get me through the cold nights.

Now if anyone has info on where I should be and at what time for Bryce it would be appreciated.

BIG THANKS TO ALL!

Hey Doug,

For Bryce, any time is good at Bryce. As to where you should be, start with this:

Shoot Sunrise at Sunset Point
Shoot Sunset at Sunrise Point

Whoever named those points in my mind and in the mind of many other photographers we have found them to be backwards. But they are on the same Rim, and it's not a long trail that connects both, so you can easily start at one and work your way to the other.

 

[rfkiii]

Toroweap. My gal insisted on Zion (for the umpteenth time) next April so I am going to take a side trip to Toroweap so I can at least get something new to shoot. It's about 3.5 hours south of Zion.

By the way, I've looked into those types of tents for my FJ over the years and sort of procrastinated about it. My 2009 FJ doesn't have a roof rack on it and when I got serious about the tent about 9 months ago, the dealership told me the roof racks are no longer available. Jeez. There's a sort of an aftermarket flat platform available that could be used like Ansel Adams' rooftop photography setup when not using the tent but I don't want to install it myself.

What the videos never show you is how the tent gets hoisted up on the rack in the first place. Can a single person do it?

 

[MonikaC]

Toroweap. My gal insisted on Zion (for the umpteenth time) next April so I am going to take a side trip to Toroweap so I can at least get something new to shoot. It's about 3.5 hours south of Zion.

By the way, I've looked into those types of tents for my FJ over the years and sort of procrastinated about it. My 2009 FJ doesn't have a roof rack on it and when I got serious about the tent about 9 months ago, the dealership told me the roof racks are no longer available. Jeez. There's a sort of an aftermarket flat platform available that could be used like Ansel Adams' rooftop photography setup when not using the tent but I don't want to install it myself.

What the videos never show you is how the tent gets hoisted up on the rack in the first place. Can a single person do it?

Doug, what I've seen is lifts that are installed in the garage so you just drive under it & lower it to your rack. I would think they would be way too ungainly for a single person to install. 90+ pounds & they fit a queen-sized mattress.... No thanks!

I have a Rhino Rack (had a different model that I'm quite sure when I bought it it said it was good for RTT, but when I replaced it, the RhinoRack guy said it wasn't) that has all flat crosspieces that are easy to walk around on. My neighbor & I wrestled with removing the former for about 9 hours (over 2 days) & I ended up having the guys who installed it take out the feet & install the new one.

Do you pull that trailer with your FJ? I pulled a trailer w/1 1/2 boats on it to the Grand Canyon in 2014 for a river trip & decided I don't like pulling a trailer. It had a short tongue so was really twitchy, and driving back to Boulder from Las Vegas took 50% longer than sans trailer. I still look at 4WD trailers & wonder....

 

[Doug P]

Toroweap. My gal insisted on Zion (for the umpteenth time) next April so I am going to take a side trip to Toroweap so I can at least get something new to shoot. It's about 3.5 hours south of Zion.

By the way, I've looked into those types of tents for my FJ over the years and sort of procrastinated about it. My 2009 FJ doesn't have a roof rack on it and when I got serious about the tent about 9 months ago, the dealership told me the roof racks are no longer available. Jeez. There's a sort of an aftermarket flat platform available that could be used like Ansel Adams' rooftop photography setup when not using the tent but I don't want to install it myself.

What the videos never show you is how the tent gets hoisted up on the rack in the first place. Can a single person do it?

No, it is about 115 pounds so it takes two. On the FJ it is high, so having a third around just in case is a good idea as well.

 

[Doug P]

Doug, what I've seen is lifts that are installed in the garage so you just drive under it & lower it to your rack. I would think they would be way too ungainly for a single person to install. 90+ pounds & they fit a queen-sized mattress.... No thanks!

I have a Rhino Rack (had a different model that I'm quite sure when I bought it it said it was good for RTT, but when I replaced it, the RhinoRack guy said it wasn't) that has all flat crosspieces that are easy to walk around on. My neighbor & I wrestled with removing the former for about 9 hours (over 2 days) & I ended up having the guys who installed it take out the feet & install the new one.

Do you pull that trailer with your FJ? I pulled a trailer w/1 1/2 boats on it to the Grand Canyon in 2014 for a river trip & decided I don't like pulling a trailer. It had a short tongue so was really twitchy, and driving back to Boulder from Las Vegas took 50% longer than sans trailer. I still look at 4WD trailers & wonder....

I do pull it with the FJ. Tow rating is 5000 pounds and the Rpod is about 2800 pounds unloaded. Never an issue. BUT a V8 would be nice. However this has taken it up and down the coast here in CA and as far as Yellowstone/Tetons with no issues. I do have a stabilizer bar on it but really it tows like a dream.

My garage opening is to short to put the FJ and the tent through. So it is loaded outside. Once it is on it usually stays on for a fairly long period of time. My neighbor is quite accommodating to help me load it on!

I am thinking of putting a hook on the outside of the door with a hoist but have not needed to investigate that as of yet. As my bones get older probably. But when the FJ leaves, I will probably just put crossbars on a pickup so it is lower to the ground and more manageable.