The Last Journey of the Silver Stallion.
The Final Fate of my almost invincible 2000 Toyota Tundra, the faithful machine that carried me everywhere for 12 years.
This is the only tiny remaining scar from me learning a valuable lesson about varied traction on snow roads and blizzards. The truck in front of me stopped suddenly and found good traction. I, however, didn’t slow down a bit. Luckily I was able to get on the shoulder, so all I hit was a t-stake on my mirror. The mirror was shattered and this dent was left. Small price to pay for a good lesson.
The last photo taken on a drive with the Silver Stallion, honestly a once in about 8,000 years isn’t too bad in terms of special events
I shot this adorable fox, with my camera of course, on the last drive up to Piney Lake.
My story with this truck far predates my passion for photography. It’s the vehicle that I learned to drive in. I worked out of it for years with my Dad’s irrigation company, and it took me to my first job in High School. There, it was too tall to fit in the parking structure, thanks to the cargo rack. I learned that day that the truck was exactly 6 feet 10 inches tall. All the metal fit into the structure but paint didn’t. The Silver Stallion was driven into some ditches, backed into trees and light posts and it never failed shrug it off. Over twelve years I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve slept in this big guy. He has carried me for 200,000 miles, and to almost 20 different states and over a dozen National Parks. On the night of Monday, July 21st I was taking photos of the NEOWISE Comet on a back road above Vail. While driving back home I hit a clump of grass that happened to be hiding a large stump. The stump tossed my truck up in the air and it landed on the mounting bolts for the steering hydraulic, ripping the whole bracket out of the frame. After a couple of weeks the insurance company finally decided to total my faithful companion.
The creek running along the road to Hagerman Pass
Archer, my dog loves car rides and hikes.
I took these as the Silver Stallion and I made our way up over Hagerman Pass. It was on of the first of Colorado’s many passes that we crossed. If you look close you can see my other faithful and slightly less obedient companion, Archer, chilling in the passenger seat. Over the years we crossed many mountain passes and 4wd roads. The truck was completely stock parts and, as far as I know the base model as well. Even being the fairly inexperienced driver that I started out as, the Tundra climbed any thing and went anywhere I asked. The length of the wheel base was an issue as times, and in several of the places we ended up there wasn’t enough ground clearance. If I hadn’t pushed the capabilities of the vehicle as much as I did, I bet it would have lasted much longer. Not to mention all the money I spent on repairs over the years. Hagerman Pass, in Colorado, was a challenge but it was far from the hardest thing we ended up doing. Unfortunately I rarely turned my lens on my truck. Many of my favorite images I took standing almost right next to the Sliver Stallion, but I didn’t think to show how I got there.
Snow on top of Hagerman Pass, rising above the truck on both sides. Archer is happily chilling in his seat.
My photography has come along way in the last 5 years, but Colorado seems to have only gotten prettier.
Hagerman Pass, 4th of July 2016
Leadville far in the back ground as my truck is surrounded by snow on the 4th of July.
Over the course of the drive, I scrapped the bottom once or twice, but I would do worse later. I have always wanted to modify the truck to perform better off road, and/or even further into an expedition vehicle. I’ve had dreams of driving the Pan-American Highway and wanted to convert the truck to be capable of many days of off grid travel. The problem was that I wasn’t ever sure I wanted to commit thousands of dollars into modifying a truck with 300,000 miles. Part of me doubted that would be a wise investment. The decision I made a couple years ago was to just ride it out, so to speak. I was going to drive the truck as is until it completely failed. That said over the last two years I’ve had to do a decent bit of work to keep it running well and it has been showing its age in more ways. But this final mistake a couple weeks ago ultimately finished it off.
I took this on my first solo trip to Grand Teton, I parked at Taggert Lake before hiking for 4 days around the mountains.
Four times the Stallion has taken me to Grand Teton National Park. Once as a child, then on my first road trip with a girlfriend. It also took me up there for two of the most significant photo trips of my journey. On my first solo trip for the 2017 eclipse, where I bottomed out in a drainage while looking for a camping spot after dark. I didn’t realize it until a week or two after I got home but I had managed to crack the power steering gear, known as a Rack and Pinon. That damage ended up costing a couple thousand to repair. It might be worth the money for skid plate next time.
A night time shot of the camp kitchen set up I have been using with the Stallion. Though admittedly its not the best photo, technically.
I shot this in the parking lot of the Visitors Center on my second solo trip for the Summit Workshop I did last year.
My second trip to Grand Teton was for a Summit Workshop, which I did sort of spur of the moment. Like very spur of the moment, as in 48 hours after I knew about it I was on my way. I’m glad I was able to pull it off successfully, because it ended up being a transformational experience. I learned a lot about what sets photos apart and the story telling inherent in the art. I met some wonderfully helpful and friendly people from all over the country. It wouldn’t have been possible without the Silver Stallion.
Above: A panorama of the Grand Tetons with the remnants of the seasons first snow. How did I get there?
The Sliver Stallion of course.
The Milky Way over my camp kitchen.
On my way home from the Tetons, I brought back these photos, among a bunch more. We took a new route as well, down the Star Valley and then over to the Flaming Gorge. Two beautiful places I’d never seen before, unfortunately it was pouring rain the whole drive so I didn’t risk the camera. This trusty machine has carried me over many long haul drives, and I’ve slept in the bucket seats many, many times. I’ll definitely admit that it wasn’t super comfortable nights sleep but only if I didn’t make the campsite before light. The system I had worked fairly well, some large boxes that I could just throw in the back of the truck. They had pretty much everything I needed, and I could set it up in about 20 - 30 minutes.
Driving though the woods, I honestly don’t remember when.
The Grand Tetons in all their majesty reflected in the Stallion’s rear window.
Photographing Pronghorns in Wyoming.
This is from the time I learned about rock sliders
When my sister slid of the road in a storm.
Over the years the Silver Stallion has served me very well. All things must come to an end, and trucks don’t live forever, especially with 300,000+ miles on it. I’m far from happy about the loss of my trusty companion, but I recognize that I now have an opportunity to build a better, quicker and more efficient system. I’m hoping to ultimately build the new vehicle into a much more capable off-road vehicle too. The perfect machine for photo adventures, no matter how far. Which brings me to the new vehicle, obviously I need a 4 wheel drive. I do live in Colorado, and it snows here. Also, I love driving trails and high mountain passes. I also can’t imagine not getting another Toyota, after how excellent the durability and reliability of the Silver Stallion was.
After weighing my options, given those constraints, and the goals I have for the new machine. I need something fairly new and equally reliable with plenty of an after market modification market so I can outfit it over time to be a solid touring vehicle that I can live out of for extended periods of time. That way I can save money and be much more comfortable as I continue to go on adventures to take photos and explore our beautiful world. I ultimately settled on a Toyota 4runner, and the one I found was a fairly affordable 2010 with leather seats and a sun roof.
Below is the new ride. I still haven’t come up with a good name for it
