< more recent | July 2015 | older >
13 JULY 2015: Returned to the famed Rubicon Trail today to begin a three-day journey with Barlow Adventures that combines the ultimate in Jeep challenges with the most amazing other-worldly landscapes. We entered the trail at Loon Lake and quickly found ourselves in the middle of a bowl of granite. A series of increasingly complex obstacles lie ahead…
12 JULY 2015: Picked up the route of the old Lincoln Highway, which here goes along Historic Route 40 via the Donner Pass through the heights of the Sierra Nevada mountains. The road goes right up in between the rock walls and offers a preview of the terrain we will be driving on the Rubicon…
11 JULY 2015: Took the scenic route via Mount Rose and south, circling around Lake Tahoe. This roundabout loop offered plenty of stopovers including some great hiking trails at Galena Creek where the landscape was markedly different from the Nevada desert…
10 JULY 2015: Starting the roadtrip from Reno, NV, and making a loop around Tahoe to get to the famed Rubicon trail. A quick exit from the city and into the surrounding hills with a familiar desert feel…
THIS MONTH:
Returning to the Rubicon Trail, quite possibly the most famous Jeep trail on the planet, is an iconic challenge of endurance and skill through breathtaking granite mountains. The twelve miles journey takes three days and puts us to the ultimate test.
COMING UP SOON:
Will be heading out to Rausch Creek this August for the 7th annual Topless for Tatas Charity Wheeling Event. TFT brings together off-roaders from all over to raise awareness about Breast Cancer and raise funds for the American Cancer Society. This year over 700 vehicles are expected to participate, in hopes of raising over $26,000 for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation …
ABOUT THE RUBICON TRAIL
The Rubicon Trail is a 22-mile-long route, part road and part 4×4 trail, located in the Sierra Nevada of the western United States, due west of Lake Tahoe and about 80 miles (130 km) east of Sacramento. The trail portion of the route is about 12 miles (19 km) long and passes in part through the El Dorado National Forest as well as the Tahoe National Forest and the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. The eastern maintained portion of the trail is called the McKinney Rubicon Springs Road, and leads to Lake Tahoe.
ABOUT BARLOW ADVENTURES
Barlow Adventures provides professional 4×4 driving instruction and training in Sedona, AZ, as well as fully outfitted multi-day trips in Moab and on California’s famous Rubicon Trail. In Moab, the undisputed Jeeping capitol of the world, the Barlow team guides drivers over iconic trails, and helps build 4-wheeling skills in the context of a fun adventure through the rugged high desert landscape.
THE SIERRA NEVADA MOUNTAINS
The Sierra Nevadas, a massive block of granite, form a natural barrier along California’s eastern border that forced most early emigrants to swing north into Oregon or south through Utah and Arizona. Two national parks and 20 Wilderness areas protect the most pristine portions of the range from human development. The Sierra Nevada runs nearly 400 miles along the eastern edge of Calironia, varying in width from about 50 miles to 80 miles at its widest. The northern portion of the range is heavily forested with lower elevations – the significant peaks are few and just manage to poke up from the surrounding forests. Starting at the northern end of Lake Tahoe, the peaks begin to rise above 9,000ft and the drama of the Sierra begins to unfold.
CURRENT WEATHER
Nesconset | Reno | Georgetown | Belgrade | Paris
MORE NOTES FROM THE ROAD:
June – Bantam Jeep Fest, PA roadtrip
May – Overland Expo, AZ roadtrip
April – Paris, Rausch Creek
March – Uwharrie
February – Back Home
January – Mauritania
15-31 December – Roadtrip
1-14 December – Southwest deserts
November – Paris and planning
October – Overland Expo and Workshops
September – Moab and more
August – Topless For Tatas
July – Summer Fun
The Gazelle Rally Recap
Archive
SPECIAL REPORT
SCOUTING THE SAHARA IN MAURITANIA: WAYPOINT NOUAKCHOTT
The first in a series of reports from our scouting trip in Mauritania takes and indepth look at the capital city of Nouakchott, and its fishing port… [read]
MORE INFO:
About Team 171 US Nomads
Team Training
Practical Matters
In Our Words
Team News
Contact Us
SPECIAL REPORT
ON BECOMING A GAZELLE: THE DESERT’S FIRST CHALLENGE
The second installment in a series of personal reflections on our experience in the Rallye Aiche des Gazelles–Putting our skills to the test in Morocco on the first day out in the desert, known as the “Prologue,” there are a few surprises… [read]
