It launched ten Iridium satellites into polar (north/south) orbits. Which is why we had such a good view of it here in San Diego – it came south from Vandenburg.
I’m happy that they got more Iridiums up there. I always rent an Iridium satellite phone when I take my annual Nevada trips, and sometimes on shorter trips too. So the more satellites, the less time I spend waiting to get a signal when I want to make a call, and the less likely my call will get cut short.
It’s early January in the former mining town of Julian, CA. A light rain is beginning to fall as my Mavic Pro drone flies over this peaceful mountain village. Later that night there’s a lull in the weather, as we drift above deserted streets. By morning the town is hit with high winds and heavy rain.
If the video doesn’t show up, use this link: https://youtu.be/odT-M4n6QOE
Music: “Lonesome Star” by Unicorn Heads, YouTube Audio Library
Comments and constructive criticism are welcome!
Enjoy!
Ray, when you take Megaweapon into the desert, do you reduce tire pressure?
On my many trips to the Anza-Borrego, I was always a passenger, because my 65 Mustang is just not suited for off road travel. We would leave “the paved road,” and reduce the pressure on the 3/4 ton, 4WD Suburban to 40 lbs, from 60. We never got stuck, but we didn’t press our luck, either. What pressure do you use?
Steve, I only ever reduce the pressure if I’m going to be getting into a lot of deep sand or something like that. It’s just too much hassle, especially having to reinflate all the tires afterwards.
(https://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)If you a a serious off-roader like my youngest, you have on-board air and quick deflation/inflation tools. He runs difficult mountain trails. Last time I went out with him we aired down on about 5 minutes and aired back up in less than 15. He also runs red-light and siren on and off-road as a state certified emergency vehicle as part of a Search and Rescue Support Team. Check out Colorado 4x4 Rescue & Recovery
Thanks, Ray, I’ve always wondered if it was necessary every time…
Funny, I had a 3/4 ton GMC 4wd suburban (454) and 38" tires, and did not ever air down, but the tires were so large I got good flotation in the sand… many trips to Anza Borrego… but lots of them are jeep trails and some of the “watercourse” cuts were so narrow could not fit width wise…
Was somewhat concerned airing down would spin the tires on the rims with that torquey 454, looked into bead locks, but lots of $$. Did have air adjustable suspension and about 6" lift.
Sure is a fun place to to mess around.
Greg
random thread post:
Awesome 4Runner, you’d get along great with a friend of mine-Justin
My sons were flipping back through old GR mags and were very fond of your figure building articles
Greg Elmassian said:
Was somewhat concerned airing down would spin the tires on the rims with that torquey 454…
Yeah, that’s a potential issue with airing down.
Cale Nelson said:
random thread post:
Awesome 4Runner, you’d get along great with a friend of mine-Justin
My sons were flipping back through old GR mags and were very fond of your figure building articles
Thanks Cale!
BTW, I just got some lights I’ll be adding to the 4Runner soon. A 31" LED light bar for the front of the roof rack; and two 7" light bars, one for each side to light up the area around me.
Ray Dunakin said:
Cale Nelson said:
random thread post:
Awesome 4Runner, you’d get along great with a friend of mine-Justin
My sons were flipping back through old GR mags and were very fond of your figure building articles
Thanks Cale!
BTW, I just got some lights I’ll be adding to the 4Runner soon. A 31" LED light bar for the front of the roof rack; and two 7" light bars, one for each side to light up the area around me.
Rock lights… (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
Rock on dude!
Last week I took another trip out to the Carrizo Gorge. This time my brother-in-law Matt was with me, which was great. We’ve wanted to do a trip together for years, but he lives in CO so it’s never worked out until now. Anyway, we spent the night at the end of the trail, got up just before sunrise, and started hiking at 6:45 a.m. We didn’t get back until 5:45 p.m.
Here’s a shot of Matt hiking the tracks:
I had more camera gear I wanted to bring this time, so I bought a luggage cart and hauled some of it on that:
This worked ok, but the tiny wheels were far from ideal and made for slow going. The round trip to the big trestle and back took eleven hours – two hours longer than on my previous trip.
The weather was perfect, both for hiking and for flying/photography. It was warm but not overly hot, with winds variable from zero to five mph. During much of the day there was a thin, hazy overcast that not only kept the heat down, but also provided a fantastic diffused light for shooting photos and video.
Here are just a few stills from the many videos I shot:
I have so much video that it’s going to take me a while to get it edited into something I can upload. Once I do, you can be sure I’ll post it here.
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Great photos Ray, looking forward to the videos, love our Western history. You need some Mtn. Bike wheels for your luggage, thanks for sharing.
Sean, that actually looks like just the ticket! Though I suspect the harness may not expand sufficiently to fit someone outside their “target demographic”. 
I took a pair of my earlier videos, and added a little narration to them. Please let me know what you think, and whether you’d like to have some narration on my future videos:
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Ray
Very professional looking video!
Is that your voice?
It must be cool watching this and seeing your vehicle then your smiling face …your the only one there for miles…
I love it !
