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We spent the day exploring Apache Sitgreaves National Forest surrounding Greer and Big Lake. We hit about 40 miles of dirt, taking various forest service roads , scouting locations for future camping and kayaking adventures.

It been a while since I have been able to work on the trailer.   For the last five months it has sat neglected in storage while we lived in a rental home here in Arizona.   Now that we have purchased a house with a garage and workshop, its time to get too it!

If you need to catch up on the previous build post, follow these links:

Part 1     Part 2    Part 3   Part 4

First up was to frame out the slide.  Using 16 roller bearings per side would surely give me the support I wanted for a full length slide/tray.

The framing would also support the top decking for storage and work surfaces.  In the end I re-worked some of the lower supports to ensure the decking was sturdy and allow for compartmental storage underneath.

Here you can see the access doors cut into the decking for storage access.

Sealed and stained.

If you recall from an earlier post, there is a 20 gallon tank installed below the trailer where the fuel tank used to reside.   Here is the pump compartment all plumbed and ready to be wired in.

Side storage/shelves  were built next.   Here is the passenger side. Note the USB and voltage indicator in the right corner of the shelf.

On the driver side, is the master switch panel that controls 12v for the 1) Fridge, 2) Water pump, 3) Dimmable White LEDs, 4) Dimmable Red LEDs, 5) Accessory power for passenger side.

Up top I added a 62 x 24 cargo rack and a Roam Adventures 6.5ft awning and kayak brackets.

The next four photos are the a progression of the slide fully extended.

In the tongue box is a 12v deep cycle battery which is connected with 2 gauge wire up to the Jeep.  The Jeep has a National Luna Dual Battery setup and when engaged, will charge both the 2nd Jeep battery as well as the third battery in the trailer.  Here the wiring still needs a little dressing but everything checks out and operates as it should.

Stay tuned, as we head out on the maiden camping trip and put the trailer through its paces!!

 

 

Wander Offroad explores FS 117 in Sitgreaves National Forest. Greens Peak is the highest point in the area at 10,135 ft. Even in April there was still a lot of snow on the ground, and this is the first time the road was clear enough for us to make it all the way to the top.

Alstrom Point in Utah has been on our bucket list for several years now. Since we recently moved to Arizona and only a few hours away, it was time to check it out….. We’ll be back again for an extended camping trip!

 

Alstrom Point in Utah has been on our bucket list for several years now. Since we recently moved to Arizona and only a few hours away, it was time to check it out….. We’ll be back again for an extended camping trip!

 

Back in April we spent a weekend exploring some of Rim Road, and then down Desert to Tall Pines Scenic Byway south to Roosevelt Lake.

In this video we explore the east side of Roosevelt Lake on Forest Service Rd 60 (A-Cross Rd.). We started at Willow, and ended over at Gardens East.  The road straight thru is about 30 miles in length, but with the various side roads to explore took us most of the day and we probably ended up with about 50 miles on the odometer.

The lake itself was created by the construction of the dam in 1911, making it the oldest artificial reservoir in Arizona.

 

 

Back in April we spent a weekend exploring some of Rim Road, and then down Desert to Tall Pines Scenic Byway south to Roosevelt Lake.

In this video we head down Desert to Tall Pines, which is a National Scenic Byway ( read more here at Arizona Highways) and runs about 74 miles starting at State Route 260 near Payson to State Route 188 north of Globe, winds through ponderosa pines and grasslands before shifting abruptly to the saguaros of Arizona’s high desert.

We did take a detour while driving it to check our Cherry Creek Road, which is roughly 38 miles and runs parallel with the byway.  Unfortunately,  about 11 miles in on Cherry Creek the road was washed out and even a fewer of the narrow UTV’s didn’t attempt to pass it.  We opted to do the same and backtrack to the byway saving this for another day.

We ended out the day at one of the Roosevelt Lake overlooks.

 

Back in April we spent a weekend exploring some of Rim Road, and then down Desert to Tall Pines Scenic Byway south to Roosevelt Lake. Rim Road follows the Mogollon Rim, a geological feature that extends approximately 200 miles across the northern half of Arizona. This is a three part series…. the first part focusing on the Rim Rd section.

Back in early February we headed up to the southern end of Utah to explore some points we had saved on our map from previous vacations.  We started at Mexican Hat, made our way up the Moki Dugway, and then over to Comb Ridge.

We found several future campsites, and some petroglyphs along Comb Ridge.  We’ll be back to explore this area more since we now only live a few hours away!

 

Our first time getting out to explore our new surroundings. We are settled into our home in Lakeside Arizona – now to start exploring this great state!!