Just Chill!

John, at Toyauto in Mesa, tried to save me some money, but I really didn't like the transmission temps I was observing last weekend on our trip to the rim.  The last mile or two of each long climb were warmer than I wanted to see.  Water temp was managed well, but the transmission temp would climb uncomfortably high.  Based on some input from people that use their truck much harder than I use this one, I ordered a B&M cooler and got it installed today.  Don't have any data with the trailer, but from what I'm seeing driving around town, we should be seeing the 25 degree drop that others have experienced.  The transmission will thank me!

John had me in and out in 90 minutes and included me in decisions about where to mount the cooler, how to route the lines, etc.  I'll be back!  Update: The cooler was installed Friday morning.  A handwritten note thanking me for my business arrived in the mail on Saturday!  Wow!

We're really looking forward to the trip north this summer.  The list of stuff to fix is getting shorter and the list of stuff to pack is getting longer. Less than three weeks to go!

Ponderosa Pine

Camp looking west

We spotted a place off Forest Road 237 last year that has been calling to me ever since.  It’s up on top of the rim at about 7500 ft, east of Willow Springs Lake with a view out over Chevelon Canyon.  It was Labor Day weekend when we were here last and there were quite a few ATV running around, but now, on a non-holiday weekend, we’ve only heard a couple vehicles go by.  Our camp is down over the edge a bit and can’t been seen from the road.  It has a variety of shady spots to sit and listen to the breezes coming up out of the canyon, to read on the Kindle, and to enjoy occasional naps.

Chevelon Canyon Rim - 20 feet from camp

Saturday morning we went out of a walk continuing towards the end of the road, spotting a couple more “rim view” sites and occasionally getting a weak 3G Verizon signal.  I suspect we would have a decent signal where we’re camped if we were using an external antenna and a signal booster.  It was warmer than I’d hoped with temps into the low nineties in the afternoon but that’s a whole lot better than the 100 and teens forecast for the Phoenix area!  It cools off nicely after sunset and dropped to mid-50’s at sunrise.  We’re located 4.7 miles from Highway 260 at N34 23 13.2 W110 51 41.3.  The road hasn’t been graded this year and is relatively rough in places (we only had one drawer on the floor) but worth the drive.  In addition to the rim view sites, there are lots of very nice shady places, some that could easily support a family reunion or other large group. 

We had plans to go paddling at Willow Springs Lake but I only loaded two of the three pieces of the “T” rack so we could haul the canoe to the lake.  I had the upright, and the crossbar, but forgot to install the receiver adapter.  So much for the plan to paddle. :-(

For folks that must have their hook-ups, the Forest Service Canyon Point campground is located just east of the FR237 turnoff on Arizona Highway 260.  They have some EW sites and a dump station.  The place is full of Phoenicians all summer long.

The trip was a good test of transmission temperatures.  We saw temps higher than I’d like on long pulls, so Toyauto will be adding that cooler before we head for the northwest at the end of the month.  Gotta fix a leaky gravity water fill port as well.

They Still Exist!

I decided that I wanted to add a heavy duty transmission oil cooler to the truck before our relatively long summer trip since they were a default part of the “tow package” if I’d bought the truck with a tow package when it was new.  I recently added a ScanGauge II to the truck, specifically so that I could watch the transmission temperature, but I haven’t had a chance to go camping since I got it installed.

Last week I had the truck in the shop for some other work.  The shop that I’ve used for over 10 years is very trustworthy but won’t touch mods or most after-market parts.  When I asked them to install an after-market cooler, they refused without any explanation other than it was “after-market”.  That forced me to go shopping for a new shop or spend four times as much for the Toyota factory part.

Some homework online led to a diamond in the rough.  If you drive by the place, it’s really rough!  In talking with the owner, he asked why I wanted a cooler installed.  I explained that it seemed like a good idea.  He suggested we go camping on the rim this weekend so we’ll have some real-life temperatures to justify the expense.  His belief is that the existing cooler will be more than adequate so why spend the money.  When was the last time you had a mechanic take time out of his day to talk you out of spending money with him?  Toyauto in East Mesa. Three points in his favor!
Thanks to his suggestion, the trailer is hooked up, the canoe is loaded, and we’re heading up to the rim for a boondocking weekend, keeping an eye on the transmission temperature as we go.