In the beginning.... there was a plan.
Now over 2 years ago the group email conversation "Expo Trip" was started. It detailed an ambitious 3 day plan to cover approximately 250 miles of almost continuous dirt through 8 different Colorado counties on a new and original map created by connecting 4x4 trails, forest service roads, and iconic mountain passes. Some of us were familiar with parts of the proposed journey but much of it was just a line on a map we hoped would work out.
Planning dates that a bunch of 30 somethings could all make work was a task in itself but eventually everyone was in! We waited for the day to draw near and when it crept to only a few weeks away bad news struck....Jeremiah had bent his rear axle housing and would not be able to have it repaired before the trip. Being that he had planned nearly all of the route and brought this whole plan together there was no way we were going to be doing it without him. So the summer of 2015 passed and we all agreed "maybe next year".
Fast forward to Spring 2016 and honestly I wasn't too sure the plan would reignite. Then one day the emails started again! Same plan. Alright let's do this thang!
We all met at Jeremiah's
@
Dirtco
) home some 20 minutes outside of beautiful Silverthorne, CO. After everyone was gathered we aired down and got lined up and ready to roll out.
In the first few miles Eric in the Tacoma with trailer in tow broke the ring and pinion in his rear diff trying to get up a rocky hillside. Aaron
@
Volcom
being the Mother Theresa type incredible human being he is offered to pull him out the rest of the trail and go get his tow rig and trailer and take him back to his home in Denver. Aaron was off and said he would try to rejoin us the next day when the trip took us through Glenwood Springs.... a ton of driving back up and out of the passes and back lay ahead for him.
The first night the mosquitoes were vicious! But after a quick DEET bath the remaining 3 of us
@
Mr.Rick
@
Dirtco
and myself) enjoyed an extremely isolated campsite. No people or vehicles heard the entire night just a stunning view of the night sky and good company. We argued relentlessly about whether this was an "expo" trip or a "camping" trip. We ultimately decided it was surely EXPO because we had enough Trasharoos to separate the recycling and were far enough out we'd have to refuel on the trail before reaching town.
The next morning we continued down the network of trails slowly headed toward Glenwood Springs and after a couple hours our gas lights illuminated on the dash. Nearly 2 days on the trail with nowhere to buy fuel in many miles..... Seriously Expo. I refueled from the Jerry can on my rear bumpers swing out and Jeremiah busted out his go go gadget fueling hose and flipped a switch on his trailer... basically the guy has a Conoco he tows around.
The day rolls on and we see a hugely varied amount of terrain. It was simply awesome and felt like we had traveled through several states. Huge valleys, alpine lakes, rolling hills, and massive cliffsides it was an enjoyable time in the driver's seat awaiting what came next. We close in on Glenwood Springs, getting cell service for the first time in the last 2 days and come to find out Aaron has returned and been waiting at Walmart in town for nearly the entire day. We dropped into Glenwood Springs and made our way to Walmart to rejoin with Aaron.... needless to say he knew where the bathrooms were in that place.
It was evening. We all were hurried to get back out of Glenwood and out on the trail in search of a decent camp spot. It wasn't long before we found a nice clearing in the trees all of us could fit into. We drank too much that night...... learned a lot about girls, science, the backdoor, and.... well why I'm glad to be married.
The next day we got an early start again and headed down the trails toward Leadville. We eventually connected with Hagerman Pass which had been cleared just days prior. Aaron put on a show with his 1st gen on 40s and we cruised down to end this thing. Rattling down the trail for 3 days it felt like "uh, really it's over? Pavement?" We all aired up and hung around; all better friends than we were when we had started this thing, said our goodbyes and made a few mentions of what and where the route will be next year.
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