Today we had our fleet of six vehicles deep in the California desert. We were running trails that consisted of rocks and sand with an occasional dry wash thrown in for good measure. We learned much about the vehicles and their ability to endure sustained desert trail driving. It was hot too, with temps reaching about 95 degrees. We also witnessed a mini airshow as fighters and bombers trained high above us, and we all got wide-eyed when we encountered a stunning sonic boom.
This afternoon a rock punched the sidewall of the F-150's passenger-side front tire and minutes later a stick impaled itself in the sidewall of the Ram's passenger-side front tire. Looks like we have an early wake-up call tomorrow morning to get to town and buy two new tires...
As soon as we get the new tires we're back on the trail for our last full day of testing. Here are some images from today. Thanks for reading.
The staff looks skyward for the source of the sonic boom.
The F-150 navigates a canyon.
Replacing the rock-cut F-150 tire.
The Power Wagon flexing in a dry wash (front sway bar disconnected).