Lake Arrowhead trip in the Taco

Last weekend before New Years my wife wanted the family to go to the mountains so the kids can see snow... WELL first of all she told me it was Big Bear so we prepared for colder temps.

Look at how much we packed for a single overnight stay. It took me a while to pack it and get it to fit everything. Having 3 kids and a wife in the Taco is a little tight but fortunately I'm the only tall one for now.

After doing my wonderful pack job. I asked my wife for the Big Bear address...Well it was Lake Arrowhead instead!

Also going up at 9am it was sunny and 70 degrees! 😆

Well I dropped her off and Joanna (the baby) and took my boys to some adventures.  It was a little sketchy but for a noob offroader like myself but I handled it.

Check out the wheeling vid and also my vlog about the drone.

It was a good day with no problems in the end.

Holy Jim Trail - Redux ... yep.. I went back!

This time I went with friends but didn't take the easy way. In fact I went up partially what they call Jeep Hill and chickened out. I'm a noob and literally just figured out 4LO engaged properly. Yea I know..I should read the manual...or how about just the card on the visor?

Anyhow here's a few pics but the best highlights are on my video.

Please chime in with any comments.

Cleghorn ? What's that? It's a fun trail!!!!

A friend of mine just picked up a Jeep Wrangler and added a lift. He called me and invited me out to Cleghorn along with a few others to have some off-road fun. You may have seen my Holy Jim post which was my first off-road outing.  It's rated "easy" at Holy Jim. Now Cleghorn can go from mild to wild depending on the path you choose. I've seen 2wd trucks taking some paths so if you ever want to go, just go...but be sure you take someone who knows where they're going unless you're okay backtracking.

I learned a few things with my Taco. I should have run 4LO with traction control off when I tried going up the steep hill. I literally had no power and I smelled my clutch smoke. Now I know. lol

So the order of driving was the TRD Pro 4runner because he's been here the most. 2nd was the Sport 4x4 Taco with Kings suspension. 3rd was my buddy's lifted Jeep and me with stock suspension.

My boys were excited to go on this outing and you can see it in the end.

Check out my YouTube Channel and Video highlights

Taco meet at IN n Out

TacomaWorld set up a meet in Signal Hill California which was fortunately close to me. My boys like their food and so do I.

We arrived at a little after 5pm and tacos were already there.

There were all generations but the majority was 2nd gens. I love all the gens and was actually looking for a 1st gen but there weren't any good deals to be had which held true for 2nd gens so I went with my 3rd gen which I really like.

Check out my video and this cool rig that has $100k in mods!!! no kidding!

New shoes for the Taco!

Picked up a set of TRD 16 inch beadlock style this weekend out in LA. I know nobody knows me but I despise going to LA. lol

Anyways they are used but clean with Goodyear Duratrac 265/70r16 all terrains on them. The seller said they have 16k miles wear on them. They looked like decent tread to me so I nabbed them.

It was exercise to swap the wheels. Man I'm tired!

I think they change the look indeed and have noticed they are a tad noisy.

Tires are 1 inch taller in diameter than stocks.

Let me know what you think.

loaded  them up. having a truck is useful. lol

before

after

More stuffing for my taco

In the past week I've ordered more things to get on/in the Tacoma or the Taco as many call it at least in So Cal.

Installed my Slybrackets no drill front license plate mount. Finally got to use my personalized plates.

I found a good deal on a GatorTrax rolling tonneau cover. It was a return but when I got it it looked new. Pic is fuzzy due to the sun going down. I plan on doing a review on my YouTube channel soon.

I got some door moldings on the cheap that are actually fitment for a F150 but I plan on trimming it and painting it body color. Speaking of which I have some spray paint ordered from Automotivetouchup.com. The plan is to paint not only the moldings but also the rear "chrome" bumper covers on this truck. I'm thinking about the front grill emblem as well as the radio trim in the truck to give it a break from the black/gray interior.

I'm totally stoked about getting my custom made shift knob from LJSwoodshop.com  I gave Luke the specs I preferred and he made it for me. The material is called black spectrafly which is some fabricated wood. I don't know the detail except it looks great and has a good heft to it. I'm enjoying it. NO cold or hot handle with better throw.

2017 Nissan Titan XD Cummins diesel obstacle course test drive!!!!

I went with my buddy Fred today to check out the new Nissan Titans. I wanted to see how the Cummins model was. I liked it.

I'm not sure how it compares to the Big Three but it's improved many times over versus my 2004 Titan I used to own. I'm sure the price tag does reflect it as well.

If you're looking for a truck, you should check it out.

Below is a video of the drive.