Epic 395 Adventure – Meals & Miles with ‪@TrailRecon‬ ‪@socalexpedition‬ ‪@shiftautoandoffroad‬

After some time of not being able to coordinate and plan an off-road adventure like we used to, we finally made it happen. Brad, Josh and I hit the trail once again for an off-road camping trip and continue writing amazing memories. This time, our friend Jerry joined the team, bringing fresh energy and excitement to the journey. Together, we tackled challenging trails, set up camp under the stars, and share stories and meals around the table, adding another unforgettable chapter to our adventures. The dates are set, the destination chosen, friends invited, the route is mapped, the meals planned, and then we wait. Anticipation building with every passing day, because out there, beyond the pavement, lies the unknown. We don't know exactly what the journey will bring, but we do know this, it will be days filled with adventure, rugged trails, breathtaking campsites, and memories made with the people we share it all with. Sierra's, night's there, Jerry from Shift Auto, and we are gonna meet with Josh from SoCal Expedition. We're gonna spend some time together and gonna do some cooking, some adventure. Have any of you guys have had octopus tacos? I have, I have had tacos de puerco enchilado, and they were, they were really good. Negative for me, but I'm looking forward to it. The thing that I've had to that would be the uh squid tacos calamari tacos that you made for us, Margot. Well tonight I'm making uh octopus in adobo with guajillo and chile de arbol. And just like that, the adventure paused. Josh's diesel gladiator lit up with a check engine code. I don't know, we're gonna find out. The code thrown, a P0010, an error tied to the camshaft actuator, but after Jerry reset it, the code disappeared, and it never came back. We just made it to Monashi Meadows. This is where we're gonna be camping tonight, and uh the weather up here is 79 degrees, and down by the 395, it was almost 100 degrees. Up here is really beautiful, it's awesome, the weather is great. We're gonna have a uh chilly night in the 40s probably, which is uh no big deal, and uh yeah, it's gonna be fun. We're gonna get there, we're gonna set up camp, and tonight I'm gonna be cooking octopus tacos, and I'm gonna be making the octopus in the pie grill. I'm gonna be using that thing for the first time, and uh it's gonna be epic. Yeah, weather is beautiful, the sky is amazing with all those clouds, and we're now up here in the in the mountain. See, you can tell by the vegetation, it's all these pine trees, it's just beautiful. This place is amazing. It's been a few years since I've been to this trail. I remember, I think my 392 was was practically brand new when uh when we first came to this uh part of uh the Sierras, and uh here's a link to that video. I made a video of it, so check it out, and uh yeah, it's pretty awesome. This place is, it's awesome. You see everything you got from come from the hot desert to this beautiful area full of trees, and it's just awesome. It changes from one kind of type of terrain and weather to just go up, and everything is different. It's pretty cool. Monashi Meadows, an alpine gem tucked deep in the Sierra Nevada. At nearly 8,000 feet, it opens into wide golden green fields framed by towering pines and rugged mountain peaks. The only way in is by trail, and the rocky roads, water crossings, and remote paths make the journey just unforgettable as the destination. For centuries, Monashi Meadows has been a gathering place once used by the Native Americans for summer hunting and grazing, and later by cattle ranchers driving herds through its vast valleys. Today, it remains one of the largest high elevation meadows in the Sierra. Nourished by the South Fork of the Kern River, getting there means crossing rough terrains and rivers, but the reward is timeless. Open beauty, crisp mountain air, and nights under skies bursting with stars. Around the table, we share stories and meals, adding our own small chapter to the carried us along the iconic stretch of Highway 395, climbing steadily from the dry desert floor into the rugged beauty of the Eastern Sierra. The road climbed higher through the historic Monash Meadows Trail, where every turn seemed to hold a piece of California's backcountry history. By late afternoon, we arrive at our campsite, a flat patch of earth nestled beside the South Fork of the Kern River. The steady rush of water set the soundtrack for the evening, framed by towering our attention to the kitchen. The ingredients are waiting, the river hums in the background, and the evening air care is just the right chill to make a hot meal even more inviting. Dinner prep begins, not in some fancy space, but out here under the open sky. I want to take a moment. Big thanks to Onyx Software for sponsoring the channel. Honestly, their app has become one of the most important tools on any of my adventures. This entire trip, every trail, waypoint, and campsite was planned, mapped, and shared with our team using the features built right into the app. If you've been thinking about adding Onyx Software to your toolkit, feel free to use my discount code when you subscribe. It's a game changer for planning, exploring, and never getting lost. Now, let's go back to the adventure and join me for some octopus tacos. Made with Guajillo and Chile de Arbol, the sauce has a beautiful balance, earthy depth from the guajillo and a sharp, fiery kick from the arbol. The garlic and onion build that savory backbone, giving it body and richness, while the rest of your ingredients round out the tang and complexity that makes the adobo stand out. For tonight's octopus dinner, the sauce will work wonders. Octopus is naturally sweet and tender when cooked right, and the adobo's smokiness and heat will contrast and elevate that sweetness. You can brush it on while grilling, toss it in after a roast, or even serve it as a dipping salsa alongside to let people control the intensity. What makes this adobo special is its flexibility. You can use it on meats, vegetables, tacos and tortas, rice or beans. It's the kind of sauce you'll find yourself reaching for anytime you want to turn an ordinary dish into something remarkable. So I'm going to be some octopus tacos today and I'm going to be making those on the pie grill that I'm using for the first time. Let's see how that goes and I'll show the recipes. A pretty simple way to cook octopus and it's really really tasty because I'm going to make an adobo with guajillo, I'll blend them together to finish the adobo base. Simple, rich and packed with flavor. Then it's time to prepare the start of the dish, the octopus. This recipe may be straightforward but it does take patience. The octopus needs to be boiled gently in water anywhere from 30 to 40 minutes until it turns tender and ready for the fire. Now guys this octopus recipe is not my recipe. I took it from El Toque de Aquiles. Aquiles is a pretty cool Mexican chef and he makes things like really Mexican and that's how we're making this octopus and this is his recipe. Except I made a couple changes but it's basically the same thing. I got it from his youtube channel and I always watch Aquiles cook and it's pretty amazing but yes it's easy. Hopefully it's going to work and let's see how it goes. I know raw fresh octopus isn't exactly the prettiest ingredients to look at but like many uncommon dishes once it's cooked everything changes. The texture softens, the color transforms and the flavor absolutely incredible. When cooking octopus you gotta spook it. Sounds wild right? All it means is giving the octopus a quick thermal shock by dipping it into boiling water a few times before you actually cook it. This little trick helps the meat to turn tender instead of chewy and even makes the tentacles curl up for a way better look on the plate. A simple step but it makes all the difference when cooking this dish. After boiling the octopus I pull it out of the hot water. Normally it's recommended to stop the cooking by dropping it into ice water but I didn't have any on hand. Instead I made a few cuts to help the tentacles open up then set the octopus into the adobo to marinate and soak up all those flavors while I got the pie grill ready to finish the cooking. The pie grill from Pie Living it's a little beast of a cooker. A dual battery powered smart pellet grill that packs real wood fire flavor into a go-anywhere size. It runs from 180 to 500 degrees which means out here I can grill, taught you correctly how to make octopus. The new guy's getting cocky and he gets the first taco. Let's see. Oh my god. Is it good? That is so good. Yeah this is unbelievably good dude. Good job. Yeah dude that's good. Dude what do you think? First time you have uh octopus tacos. On the trail. That's so good. Spicy no? It's a little spicy. That camp spot was really really nice. It got cold at night. I had to get up in the morning to turn on the the heater but it was quiet listening to the to the creek right next to the camping. It's super awesome but yeah it's it's an awesome camping spot. We had a wrong turn in and we had really really good uh good dinner. Now we are on our way to Cerro Gordo. I've never been there so we're gonna go check it out and then uh and then in the afternoon we're gonna go to town to get some supplies, get fuel and then go find our next camping spot. It's amazing how many trails are in this area. All of them look like fun and I was looking at my map and there's so many places to explore here. This is a place where you can spend days exploring and finding new trails. So we made it out of the trail and we stopped here by the ranger station that is going to take us to Cerro Gordo. The ghost town that is being rebuilt by Brent Underwood. You can check it on YouTube. It's really interesting. We've never been here before even though we we met Brent one time in a gas station. I'm pretty excited to check it out and this place and check it out. I've been watching videos on YouTube and reading about it and it's really interesting all the history that is in this uh in this uh place. And uh we finally get to see it in person and it's very very cool. Unfortunately when we arrived we found out that filming wasn't allowed in Cerro Gordo. But if you want to dive into the story of this incredible mining town from the 1800s, check out The Ghost Town Living on YouTube. You'll be amazed by the history of a place that once had 4,700 inhabitants. After stepping back in time at Cerro Gordo and walking through the echoes of its mining past, we turned our focus back to the trail ahead. The road went down the mountain, each curve opening to sweeping views of the desert below. As the dust followed us we thought about the thousands of people who once called that mountaintop home. With the sun beginning its low drop toward the horizon, we continued on, searching for the perfect spot to set up camp, share a meal, and settle in for the night. Brad had marked this waypoint as a potential campsite. And with no trailers in tow, he and took the lead to scout it out. The trail was steep and uncertain, but once they reached the top and made sure it was safe, the call came over the radio. Jerry and I have the green light to bring the trailers up and join them. Oh dude, you're not even here yet brother. But this little trail is pretty awesome. And this is only the beginning of this adventure. In the next episode, we push 2,500 feet deep into an abandoned mine, get caught in a sudden hailstorm, and climb the Sierra Nevada to over 11,000 feet where we set up camp besides an alpine lake. With good food to share and adventure at every turn, the journey ahead is one you don't want to miss.