2015 WAYALIFE New Year Kick Off Run Photo Highlights

wayoflife

wayoflife

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With a convoy of 60 Jeeps that stretched about a half a mile long when parked end on end and well over 2 miles long when moving across the trail, the 2015 WAYALIFE New Year Kick-Off Run was by far the biggest runs we've done to date and maybe because of it, one of the most fun ones we've done as well. Certainly, having a starting point so close to Primm, Nevada didn't hurt as it allowed more than half of our group to meet up the night before and party with new friends and old.

For those of you who weren't able to join us, we started our run from the north east corner of the Mojave National Preserve, made our way to the Cinder Cone National Natural Landmark where we explored a lava tube there, cut through the Old Dad Mountains, drove over a section of plank road, visited an old ranch called Sands, climbed up to the mysterious Mojave Megaphone, examined the petroglyphs at Mesquite Springs, climbed our way up Spooky Canyon, forded two deep water crossings and 75 miles later, worked our way out of Afton Canyon and back on to pavement again. Unfortunately, with a group this big, it was all that Cindy and I could do to keep everything organized and moving and so it was next to impossible to take as many photos as we would have preferred but, here are a few shots of what we were able to take as well as shots that others were able to take. We hope you enjoy.

Before heading out, we made sure to pick up some well needed supplies.
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New Years Eve - All packed up and ready to head down to the start of the 2015 Kick-Off Run.
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Crossing the wide open Nevada Desert.
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Where else would we stop to gas up :D
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Making a stop to enjoy the setting sun one last time in 2014.
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HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Celebrating the coming of 2015 with family.
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Getting ready to do a little bit of last minute pre-running to scope out potential stops.
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Making a stop at the old Rock Tank ranch.
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Checking out an old broken power line along the way.
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The Aiken Mine was one of several potential stops we had hoped to make but due to the size of our group and time constraints, decided against it. Maybe next time.
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Working our way across the Devils Playground and driving over a short length of plank road.
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Meeting up with a good part of our group over at Buffalo Bills in Primm, NV.
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Let the good times flow!
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A BIG CHEERS to 2015 and Michelle's Birthday!!
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But wait - there's more!
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And the party moves up to Jeff's suite - CHEERS!!
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More pics below...
 
2015 WAYALIFE Kick-Off Run

Rise-n-shine!!
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On the morning of the run, Cindy and I made sure to get out to the starting point about 2 hours before the run and was surprised to see that there were about a half dozen people already there and ready to roll.
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Lining them up... All 60 of them!!
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Drivers meeting before heading out.
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Our first destination of the day was over at a lava tube located in the Cinder Cone National Natural Landmark. Here's a shot of half our group.
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Here's what you can see of the other half.
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Hiking up to the lava tube entrance.
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7.6 million years ago, little volcanos or "cinder cones" began erupting in this part of the Mojave Desert and kept on erupting until as recently as 10,000 years ago - essentially yesterday or at least in terms of geological time. As the crust cooled in areas like this, the lava underneath continued to flow creating tunnels or "tubes". Over time, the roofs of these tubes can collapse as has happened here and that allows access into them. Here's a shot of us climbing down a ladder to enter the lava tube.
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Down the rabbit hole we go.
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Susan conquered her fears of small spaces to get here!
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Leaving the Old Dad Mountains and cutting across a wash.
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Driving across a short length of plank road laid down in the sands of the Devils Playground.
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Stopping for lunch at the old Sands Ranch.
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Jeeps as far as the eye can see.
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Pulling into our next destination of the day - the Mojave Megaphone and Mesquite Springs.
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Climbing up to get a better view of the Mojave Megaphone.
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Looking back at all 60 Jeeps below.
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Moving on out again.
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And pulling into our final destination of the day - Spooky Canyon.
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And finally, here are a few shots of us fording the Mojave River which was pretty deep this time around.
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Airing up after a great day on the trail.
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I hope you enjoyed our photo highlights.

I'd like to thank everyone who joined us over the weekend for helping us to kick off the new year with this epic run across the Mojave Desert. I'd like to give a BIG SHOUT OUT to Tony and Stephanie, Moochie, Doug, Et and Michelle, Ray, Don and Lori, Jeff, Chris and Jen for all your help. Getting 60 Jeeps across 75 miles of trail and back on pavement at a reasonable hour would have been impossible without you guys so thank you.

Until the next time... :cool:
 
Such a great trip, thank you so much Eddie and the whole crew who helped keep us all together throughout the day. So great meeting so many of you, and so many I didnt meet. Can't wait for the next adventure!
 
Nice pic's. What was the megaphone used for? And is the plank road a historical thing or just something they do to prevent getting stuck?
 
How did you get from the Cinder Cones to the Megaphone? I could never find a good way across the train tracks without going way out of the way.
 
Stegertime said:
Such a great trip, thank you so much Eddie and the whole crew who helped keep us all together throughout the day. So great meeting so many of you, and so many I didnt meet. Can't wait for the next adventure!
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Glad you were able to make it and it was a pleasure to meet you in person. Thank you again for bringing out the Aquahydrate waters too :thumb:

hydrohut said:
Nice pic's. What was the megaphone used for? And is the plank road a historical thing or just something they do to prevent getting stuck?
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I've researched this extensively and the bottom line is.... nobody knows for sure. Most accounts point to the fact that it was built in the 70's and was more likely a drum than a megaphone. The plank road is made out of old railroad ties and was placed in a sandy section of road. At one time, asphalt covered it and it is assumed that other sections of this old road were made the same way. Most of the development in this area dates back to the 1920-30's.

travisk said:
How did you get from the Cinder Cones to the Megaphone? I could never find a good way across the train tracks without going way out of the way.
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There are several crossings if you know where to find them.
 
Really looking forward to joining you guys on one of these sometime. Great pics, thanks for sharing!
 
H8ROADS said:
Really looking forward to joining you guys on one of these sometime. Great pics, thanks for sharing!
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That would be awesome if you could join us - it'd be like old times :yup:

Discount Tire said:
Looked like a blast. Thanks for sharing the photos.
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Glad you enjoyed the pics, the trip was a blast for sure :cool:

JaySC said:
Enjoyed the great pictures. What's the story with Spooky Canyon? Cool name.
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The name of the canyon was given by an old desert rat named Bill Mann. Or, at least, that's who I heard it from first and I believe it was in reference to the fact that it's tight, narrow, dark and kind of scary for those you don't like being in spaces like that :D
 
My wife always said my jeep was a money pit. While I sometimes agree she completely flipped after this meet up. She was totally amazed at the sight of all the jeeps and the comradery. The whole family had an amazing time. This was our first of many trips with Wayalife and everybody was super nice to welcome us. She even said she wants a jeep now! Thank you For this awesome experience.
 
Thanks for sharing the pictures and for a great time Eddie and Cindy! My boys had such a great time and according to his teacher, my oldest was telling all of his friends at school today about the "Jeepin Trip!"
 
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