4,000 Miles, One New Tent, and Sherpa Summit 2026
Some trips are about getting somewhere.
This one was about everything in between.
September took us from Northern California all the way to Colorado and back. We saw family, reconnected with old friends, made a few new ones, and put a whole lot of miles on MUDMIXR. Louis rode shotgun the entire way, like always.
And somewhere along the way, the truck started to feel less like a build and more like home.
First Stop: The Salt Flats
I don't think I'll ever drive through Utah without stopping at the Salt Flats.
It's become a bit of a tradition at this point. Pull off, slow down, and just take it in. There's nothing out there. No trees, no noise, no distractions. Just flat white earth running straight into the mountains.
It's one of the few places where the truck is the only thing in the frame. And every time, it reminds me why I love shooting out here.
A little mud on the fenders. A lot of open space. The perfect way to kick off a long drive east.
Standing on the Continental Divide
Cottonwood Pass Continental Divide sign at 12,126 feet between San Isabel and Gunnison National Forests, Colorado
Another stop I never skip.
Cottonwood Pass sits at 12,126 feet, right on the Continental Divide. On one side, water heads for the Atlantic. On the other, the Pacific. San Isabel National Forest to the east, Gunnison to the west.
It's a sign. I know. But standing up there, with the wind pushing through and clouds rolling over the peaks, it hits a little different. It's one of those spots that makes you feel small in the best way.
Photo taken. Tradition kept.
Sherpa Summit 2026
The main event.
Sherpa Summit 2026 was hosted in Almont, Colorado, and it was everything I hoped it would be. A wide-open high mountain meadow, rigs parked as far as you could see, and a community of people who love this stuff just as much as I do.
What makes events like this special isn't the trucks. It's the people.
I got to camp alongside old friends and meet a bunch of new ones. Late nights talking builds. Early mornings with coffee and cold air. Walking around camp and seeing how everyone runs their setup. Sharing ideas, trading stories, and hearing where everyone has been.
And the evenings? Unreal.
One night the sky lit up with storm clouds catching the last of the sunset, rain falling over the peaks in the distance while the whole camp glowed orange. Everyone just stopped what they were doing to watch.
Louis included.
Louis the rescue dog sitting in a mountain meadow under an orange sunset storm at Sherpa Summit, Colorado
Chasing the Milky Way
Milky Way over a Tacoma TRD Pro and Land Cruiser with glowing FSR rooftop tents at Sherpa Summit, Colorado
At that elevation, far from city lights, the night sky puts on a show.
I set up the camera, parked next to a friend's Land Cruiser (Off Road Adventure Travel (@lennythelandcruiser), and let the shutter do its thing. The Milky Way stretched right over both rigs, with the tents glowing from the inside.
Photos like this are why I stay up way too late on trips. You don't always get the right conditions. But when you do, you take advantage of it.
This one is easily one of my favorites from the year.
Breaking in the FSR Aspen Pro
This trip was the first real test for our new rooftop tent from FSR, the Aspen Pro Standard.
And it delivered.
Night after night, setup was quick and teardown was even quicker. It handled the wind, the cold mountain nights, and the dust without a problem. The interior is roomy, the tri-layer insulated walls made a real difference when the temps dropped, and the built-in lighting gave it that warm, cozy feel at the end of the day.
Louis gave it his official approval too. He claimed his spot on day one and never looked back.
There's something about climbing up into your own space at the end of a long day that just makes a trip feel complete. After this run, I can honestly say the Aspen Pro has earned its place on top of the truck.
Lighting That Actually Works at Night
Sherpa Summit was also the perfect place to test out our new GoFluxx lights.
We installed their tri-color lights inside the SmartCap, and at night, they changed everything. Everything inside is visible and within reach. No fumbling for a headlamp. No digging around in the dark trying to find the one thing you need.
And being able to switch to red mode was a game changer at camp. Enough light to work, without blinding the neighbors or killing everyone's night vision. The whole back end of the truck just glowed.
Honestly, the inside of the SmartCap couldn't be more accessible at night.
Up front, our Diode Dynamics lights continue to shine. No pun intended. From the grille pods to the ditch lights to the roof bar, they've been rock solid since day one and they looked incredible lighting up camp after sunset.
And all of it runs on wiring from Blaze Off Road. We've written about them before, and after another 4,000 miles of washboard, dirt, and highway, nothing has changed. Clean, reliable, and zero issues. For lighting and wiring, they continue to be the best choice we've made on this build.
The Long Way Home
We didn't rush the drive back.
On the way home, we found a new camping spot in Utah. That's one of my favorite parts of any trip. Rolling into somewhere you've never been, finding a spot, and settling in for the night.
Then we camped just outside of Yosemite. Tall pines, granite peaks, and the truck tucked right into the trees with the Aspen Pro popped up overhead. A quiet night before one last early morning.
Early Morning in Yosemite Valley
There's no better way to end a trip than an early morning in Yosemite.
We got into the valley before the crowds and had it almost to ourselves. The Merced River was glass. El Capitan reflecting perfectly in the water. And from the overlook, Half Dome sitting right there in the distance like it always has.
I've been to Yosemite more times than I can count. And it still gets me every single time.
Final Thoughts
All said and done, we drove roughly 4,000 miles.
The truck did great. The new RTT is amazing. Louis had an absolute blast. And we came home with a camera full of photos and a head full of memories.
Huge thanks to Sherpa Equipment Co. for hosting such a great event, and to FSR, GoFluxx, Diode Dynamics, and Blaze Off Road for building gear that actually holds up out here.
This trip was a reminder that the build is never really about the parts.
It's about where they take you.
And we can't wait to see where we go next.
