Recent content by EasternSierra

Congrats on your new Bronco! The Off-Rodeo will give you good training in using the different features of the Bronco. The Mendocino National Forest is probably the most obscure national forest in California. Despite its name, it's nowhere near the famous Mendocino coast. It has almost no paved...

Back in those days, our mid-elevation ponderosa pine-mixed conifer forests in the Sierra were already badly overgrown with huge amounts of undergrowth, mainly saplings. Those were the days of 100% fire suppression, no exceptions. The forestry profession was solidly behind this policy and had...

I've kinda been on both sides of the mobility situation. When I was young I did a lot of hiking and backpacking in wilderness areas. Now I'm an old fart and I haven't been in one of those areas in 15 years at least. Health conditions limit what I can do in any case. Both then and now I love...

The roadless rule doesn't prevent OHV access per se, and doesn't prohibit use of existing trails in inventoried roadless areas. Repeal of the roadless rule won't have any immediate effect on access to trails. Whether a given area of federal land is open to OHV is a matter of other decisions...

Yeeehaaawwww!!!!!

I got mine at the end of 2025, and as of today the ceiling panels still aren't sagging in the least. The vehicle is normally in the garage and has a white top, so heat exposure is less than some other people are getting. We'll see how it holds up this summer on trips.

I have a '25 Badlands with the 7MT. I've also test-driven a Badsquatch with the 2.7/10-speed and a Big Bend with the 2.3 and 10-speed. I wanted one last stick shift in my life (I'm in my late 60s) and our other vehicle is an automatic, so the 7-speed was important in my decision-making...

I test drove a 2025 Badlands with the 2.7 and a 2025 Big Bend with the 2.3, both auto. It's been a while so I don't remember the immediate throttle response, but I do remember that the Badlands with the 2.7 had a lot more power over the range of RPMs despite the increased weight. The 2.3 was...

Among VHF/UHF models there's a range from basic to high end. All of them are good; it's just the old question of cheaper price vs. more features. One thing to look for is single band vs. dual band (144 MHz vs. 144 plus 440 MHz). I'd recommend dual band for more flexibility. Another question...

I'd pick Eruption Green, Cactus Gray, or Iconic Silver... oops. Well, Desert Sand then.

That's not the point. The point is a reset of the computer.

Fun trip and thanks for sharing! People need to be careful with this kind of desert terrain after a rain. I once got stuck on a brief stretch of mud on a hillside*. When I applied throttle in low range and first, my truck slid sideways towards the ditch instead of forward or back. I ended up...

I spent close to 30 years camping (on public lands out west) in extended-cab pickups with a shell on the bed. Gear was in the cab and I'd sleep in back. It was easy to pull into a camp site out in the boonies, put a few things in back like a water bottle etc., unroll the sleeping bag, and...

Central time?

It sure feels short to me after driving pickup truck manuals most of my adult life. I miss that familiar feel!