FishOn's PNW Adventure Build - 2019 Big Horn

[FishOn]

 

[Bcryan]

That’s what happens when people can’t drive in snow/ice but do it anyway. Can’t really see the truck behind my friends in the ditch but it almost hit me head on. Heavy wet snow in a big ditch is a ***** but we got her out..that rear diff lock in low is awesome

 

[Cheebie]

Thats a mess

 

[FishOn]

3,800mi... Portland OR to SW Colorado and back. I'm still kinda shocked and excited when I see the 80MPH signs through Idaho and Utah.
This was the 1st solo road trip since the BJ failure, so we drove it pretty hard on the Hwys and found some pretty awesome off road stuff to put it through the paces... Figured I had to find out if it was gonna give out again or not, and best tested w/out passengers. (Sorry, to the best roll dog ever, Auggie. It was a calculated risk.) Made it home, event-free... Except for the deer incident near Aspen, and the broken fishing pole, and cracked windshield, and...

Finally made it to Lizard...

 

[FishOn]

Don't drink it if the mountains aren't blue...


Saved the Auggie dog from a vicious trout attack

 

[FishOn]

Missed the bigger of the deer, the unlucky one was probably 300lbs... Can't imagine what this might have looked like without the lift, bumper/skid plate... Bumper got bent up a bit and the grill is toast, but other than that, not much damage. Must have been going about 50MPH...

 

[THEBLU3SER]

Sorry for your loss but holy cow, that transformation is wild!! Your pops would be PROUD!

Lost my dad last year and my mom 3 years before. It's hard but looks like you're making the best of it! I bet he would have had a blast going on adventures in that thing.

 

[CMil527]

Awesome pics!

 

[ben b]

Great travelogue! Definite bummer about the deer; glad to hear it's all repairable.

Loved the picture with the demon fish on the verge of attacking your pup!

 

[Leif_Ram2019]

I've been looking at those Black Horse bumpers. What made you go with them? They look 'lower profile' than some of the MONSTER custom off road bumpers out there. Where they much heavier than the stock bumpers?

 

[FishOn]

I've been looking at those Black Horse bumpers. What made you go with them? They look 'lower profile' than some of the MONSTER custom off road bumpers out there. Where they much heavier than the stock bumpers?

Profile and price were my main motivators... They tuck up pretty nice to the truck and don't look obnoxious. Weight is probably a wash, maybe a bit lighter than stock.
The only thing I don't love about the BH stuff is... They spot weld many of their seams where I feel they should have been a full bead. If I was a better welder I might have filled in the gaps/re-powder coated before install, but I kinda suck at welding... And the foot holes/cubbies in the rear bumper are kinda tight with work boots on. Other than that, they're pretty sweet. And I think I got the Rear w/ lights, Front with bull bar and skid, for less than what you'll pay for just the front bumper from some other manuf. If I was a serious pre-runner/rock crawler/offroad etc guy, maybe the $$ is justified for the gnarly built stuff. But the deer that I hit a few weeks ago is about as crazy as I plan on getting and the BH took the impact better than I thought it would.

 

[FishOn]

Well, it's been real and it's been fun...Sometimes even real fun. But the time has come to shut off the lights, the party's over...
The PNW Adventure has come to an end both figuratively and literally... It's been a hell of a few weeks since the Colorado trip, to say the least.
Filed for divorce, quit my job, sold the house, traded in the Ram for a 21 Tundra, and over the next few weeks I'll be one of the very few headed against the mass exodus... INTO California. (sigh...) At least it's not back into LA, but I can't turn down the job opportunity the fell in my lap in NorCal.
Happy Fathers Day, to me...
Thanks for all the insight, education, and entertainment along the way, folks. I wish you all the best.
Happy Trails and Tight Lines,
FishOn