For years I have relied on a simple, old-school solar shower for my warm or hot water needs. They work fine as long as you have sun and it is warm and calm enough outside to heat the bag’s contents. Those variable conditions mean you might end up, at best, with barely warm water even …
Category: Tacoma

I started this mobile adventure with a base Yakima roof rack and eventually added the Load Warrior Basket and it’s extension. It has worked well but there were a few issues that slightly annoyed me. First, it is made of steel which is heavy. That added weight causes a couple of less-than-desirable traits, namely lessened …

My old ARB awning worked well for what it was for many years and I am glad I had it. I finally decided to upgrade to something bigger and better and to that end decided on the Alu-Cab 270 Shadow Awning. Numerous companies make 270 degree awnings at various price points but only two that …
My old tried and true ARB awning has worked and held up fairly well over the six years I’ve owned it. Apparently I’ve never taken a ground level picture of mine deployed so grabbed this one off it’s page at Amazon to give you an idea of what it looks like in action. When I …

Just kidding. A snorkel (a.k.a. a “Dorkel” by some with a sense of humor) is actually a useful addition to a vehicle when used like we use our Tacoma. Granted, if you are (or know someone who is) a “Mall Crawler” than this addition is truly a waste of time, effort and money…unless all you …

I don’t remember exactly when I first realized I was regularly heading into and back out of situations when a substantially lower tire pressure greatly improved either traction or comfort (or both). I assume that newsflash hit me during one of those excursions where I ended up deflating and then reinflating my tires at least …
My last dog, Kuma, was a Northern Breed (predominantly Karelian Bear Dog). When he was in his prime we played and camped in snowy conditions regularly. With Willow being a shorter-haired sun and heat enthusiast I have substantially cut back on my normal winter camping schedule. To keep both of us on our toes we …
While in the general area quenching our thirst to find out about the Corona Satellite Calibration Targets we had seen signs mentioning the Sonoran Desert National Monument and wanted to go explore. Sitting about 60 miles southwest of Phoenix it comprises 496,600 acres of cactus forests among untrammeled plains and rugged mountain ranges. It was …
Arriving in the area just in time for the annual chili cook-off sponsored by the Whiskey Runners Motorcycle Club we decided to find a different spot from our normal place near the base of Saddle Mountain. Turning off of West Courthouse Rd onto West Salome Highway right under the Highline power lines we saw some …
Heading up through Sonoma county to our destination for the Memorial Day weekend we found ourselves in crap Petaluma traffic which is so often the norm. We had been dancing around with a very nicely put together 2nd gen Tacoma on the highway and had offered up a reciprocated “Hey man, nice truck” in the …