This was me over the weekend. Installed a new battery charger, washed and checked out all systems. I'm ready go as soon as they allow us back on pubic land!

Nice. I've had the milkshake and done Steens, but never made it to Alvord. It's on the list for sure.

Scott and Nathan, Thanks for taking the time to share the details of your trip. We camped up the Selway River last fall, and its area we want to explore more. Your info and tracks are really helpful. Really appreciate the effort to post your report. Craig

Welcome to the group.

I haven't tried a glass mount. I mount my 2M antenna on the lip of my hood with this: https://www.hamradio.com/detail.cfm?pid=H0-006519 It has held up perfectly for over a year, both at 90mph highway, and the Mojave Road, etc. With the NMO base I can swap antennas easily (I have a short one for around town, and longer for road trips), or just to remove the antenna for the car wash. No drilling, and easy install. Just run the cord through the firewall.

We are all signed up too. Booked an extra space for the trailer, etc. This was us at the Rally in 2017: We look more like this now:

Anyone with welding and fabricating skills is more than welcome here!

There was a thread on this topic on the old forum that didn't make it over to here. I use an iPad, RAM mount and variety of software. Lately I've been using Gaia (Premium). The premium version has some really good maps. In particular all of the NatGeo trail maps. Once you download your area for offline use, it's pretty slick. You can get a discount code for Gaia Premium here: https://www.gaiagps.com/lifestyleoverland/

Welcome back to the PNW. Beautiful areas down there in OR. Our daughter’s family moved to Hood River last year and we have enjoyed exploring around there. I think you will like it!

Nice looking 4Runner! I’ve always been interested in the Wena area. Maybe when the snow melts you can lead a trip up there 👍

Thanks for the video. It's one of the sections I haven't been on. I love that part of the state. Craig

We plan to be there. No travel details yet. Hopefully get there mid afternoon on Thursday.

A beauty for sure - but if I was going to drop almost six figures in 2020, I might tilt towards the new Defender. I love Toyotas, but the LC is almost too pretty.

@Aaron Kravik Sweet. I'm in Seattle. If I recall you are south? I can meet you half way somewhere this weekend.

If you still have those tire chains I'll take them and give you a $40 discount...

Welcome aboard!

@Team För There's still one cupholder - that my wife and I fight over on road trips😎

This is how my 710 is mounted. I used a RAM cupholder mount and the dash mount that comes with the radio. It was supposed to be temporary until I came up with my "real" solution, but after a year it's still working for me. I really like my mic placement since I try to keep the dash clutter free and limit cords and such. It's also easy to remove the head unit - keeping "smash and grab" temptation to a minimum.

+1 on the Kenwood 710. One additional thing to consider is how/where to mount it. Some of the smaller radios are a single unit, which limits installation options. The nice thing about the Kenwood 710, the Yaesu FTM-400 and some of the ICOM radios is that they have separate remote head units. Putting the main unit under a seat, and just mounting the head unit gives you the ability to use RAM mounts, or a bunch of other options.

If you're trying to stay out of the snow, then I'd look at the coast, or east of the mountains. There are a string of BLM campgrounds on the Yakima River south of Ellensburg - and I think at least one of them, Big Pines, is open all year. They still get snow over there, but it's usually not that much. It will be cold if that's what you're looking for!