Utica Trail Off-Road Adventure

by Sherri on April 25, 2008

blue-thunder2.jpg Heading towards Utica Reservoir, Alpine County, California Here is another shot of our Toyota Landcruiser FJ-40, Blue Thunder, doing what it does best - tackling hard to get to places! As I mentioned in my last post, we will be selling Blue Thunder soon. Before we do, I wanted to post a few photos of our favorite off-road adventures we have enjoyed in it. To get this shot, I stood up in the back and clinched on to the roll bar with one white knuckled hand, while shooting with the other. What I love about this photo is that it gives the viewer, YOU, the feeling that you are actually there. More photos of Blue Thunder and some of our favorite locations such as Utica Reservoir, Blue Lake, Gold Lake and maybe even the famous Rubion Trail to come!
1 Richard Wong April 27, 2008 at 8:10 pm

That view looks even more narrow than the previous image. Was the vehicle moving while you were shooting this?

What happens if you encounter another car coming the other direction?

2 Sherri April 28, 2008 at 5:35 am

It’s actually the same section of road as in the previous photo. Yes, we were moving, but extremely slow – at a snail’s pace!

I don’t believe we ever saw another car on this trip. But, if we did, we would have seen it coming. Then, one of us could have pulled over.

It’s nothing like the BIG, FAMOUS RUBICON TRAIL, where it’s basically a one-way trail that starts outside of Georgetown, CA and winds up in Tahoe. Occasionally, you get a nut that likes to do it from the other direction. That can create a major traffic jam.

When we were on the RUBICON about 15 years ago or so, we met a couple of guys that were just hanging out waiting for it to get dark. Then, they were going to do the run backwards and in the dark. They were NUTS! This run is so technical, it took us 18 hours, spread over 2-days to go 18-miles.

3 sean July 21, 2008 at 3:05 pm

Can you get to Utica Reservoir by car? I would love to camp there but i dont have 4X4

4 Sherri July 21, 2008 at 3:36 pm

Hi Sean,

Thank you for your interest in Utica Reservoir. Yes, there is a 2 wheel drive way in. Here are the directions http://www.paddling.net/places/showReport.html?1526.

When are you going? We may be heading there sometime in August.

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