July 2008

The first Dirty Toys School was held in Grand Junction, CO from May 16th to the 18th. This one of a kind school brings together Toyota 4x4 enthusiasts from around the country for three days of off road training. World renowned 4x4 instructor Bill Burke, along with Chris Nelson and Dave Logan, pulled out all the stops for this inaugural event.

FJC Magazine Contributor Eric Ross was there and kindly provided this report on the event.

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In the first article of Off Road Navigation, we discussed the need to carry good paper maps with you wherever you go. Paper maps will always be a necessity, regardless of which GPS option you may use, so don’t leave home without them.

This time, we'll discuss some of the Portable GPS options available for off road use. Portable GPS’s refer to units that can be mounted in the vehicle but are not necessarily permanent. Since there are literally hundreds of options, we narrowed the list of candidates by identifying models that meet these specific requirements:

#1 – Mapping: Any modern GPS that we’ll be using in conjunction with paper maps must support maps. We would prefer topographical maps, but this is not absolutely necessary
#2 – Expandable Memory: Maps take up space. A GPS with very little built-in memory and no expansion capability has limited usefulness.

#3 – Batteries + External Power: The unit must use standard batteries, have a decent battery life, and must support an external power supply.

#4 – Price: A portable GPS unit should be able to meet all of our requirements without breaking the bank. While we didn’t set a specific budget, cost is considered.

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This trip was one of the better if not the best offroading trips I have been on. What made this trip so great for was not necessarily so much the offroading, but the company that surrounded it.

FRIDAY: I rolled into KOA Friday around 3:30 not knowing what to expect at all. The campground was very nice, incredibly clean and well kept . I brought my dad (who was a complete bruiser noob), he didn’t really know what he was getting himself into. After unpacking and setting up camp we all ended up gathering throughout the night at pat's lot to hang out and share our stories around a mini fire. Josh the told us that we needed to meet in the KOA lot ready to go at 7:45 Saturday morning.

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Team Necessary finished a team best 3rd place in the 2008 Baja 500 in Ensenada, Mexico. Taupo 1000 class winner Ryan Millen joined the team as co-driver for this event. Team Necessary has really shown what dedication, perserverance, and hard work can accomplish. On the pages of this article you'll find photos of 'Old Girl' along with a mile-by-mile narrative from Kevin Necessary himself.
Enjoy!

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