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For Some Different Scenery.....


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We decided to get out of the city and spend some time away from it all. so we headed roughly west by northwest of Phoenix Arizona into the Harquahala mountains for a couple days of off roading and general stress relief from the daily grind. The Disco performed brilliantly and we had an especially good second day of making the climb to the 5644 ft summit of Harquahala Mountain. We saw two off road motorcycles and one quad on the 10 mile ascent, leaving the summit to ourselves to enjoy.

Leaving tarmac and heading for our campsite.

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Our less than ideal but comfortable enough camp.

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Typical conditions of the mountain mining roads were pretty good with occasional interesting bits.

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A view up at about mile 4 of 10 on the run up Harquahala mountain.

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Again the view up after about mile 6 of 10.

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Out the window into the valley to the southeast.

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Camera doesn't capture the real slope very well......

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My son did a little climbing to get this shot.

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Deceptively smooth when viewed at a distance, but rarely so.

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At the 5644ft summit.

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A bit of the road immediately below.

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Enjoying the view.

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Interesting how these 'hills' in the distance looked like mountains before we started the climb.....

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A littel different than greenlaning and what's nice is the number of these types of roads are nearly countless and available to anyone with the urge to explore.

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Very nice. I always did love the more barron landscapes rather than lush green grass and tree covered places.

By the way.. Whats with the Drop leg holster? Surly you didnt go armed? Or if you did was there any need to have it so close to hand? :o Bandit country?

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I think our frame of reference is completely different especially given our country's views on legality of weapons. I suppose in the UK there could possibly be threats in the greenlanes but would imagine them as less likely than in this remote area. The nearest civilization (short of a couple one horse towns) was about 120 miles away, and whilst the predators are merely bobcat, wolves, coyotes and mountain lions (!) I don't visualize being able to reason with any of them, let alone rattlesnakes. I can imagine any number of scenario's where it would pay to be prepared (as my son standing on the rock was). Especially after seeing campsites littered with alchohol bottles and beer cans and every sign (well nearly.....) having bullet holes in them. I was embarrassed to find the guest book register lid (plate steel prob 3/16") had 3 holes in it as well......pretty immature I know but a reality we have to be aware of. Besides, another item on our 'to do list' was target shooting anyway. I find it easy to justify carrying a weapon out there and in the hundreds of times I've been out there, carrying a weapon every time, I've never 'needed' it. I'd rather be prepared that many times for something that doesn't happen than to shrug it off and regret it the rest of my life.

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It just suprised me as thats how I look when I step out of my vehicle in places in Iraq, Glock on my leg and M4 close to hand in the truck... I dont think you could say there was anywhere in the UK for offroading that you would need to be armed. Here in Romania I am looking into getting the right paperwork to be armed but mainly for the threat of Bear attack in the forrest/mountains.

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