Hey guys!

Me and my girlfriend are planning a road trip through the southwest Colorado and Moab region between August 11-23. We're coming from Chicago, so its quite the haul, but its been a dream of mine ever since I got into modding my 4Runners. Finally funds permit that we can take said vacation.

I'm looking to meet up with any local rigs to do some off-roading and a little meet and greet. My plans were to go through the Ouray/Telluride area and Moab. The way the trip looks we would spend about 5 days in Colorado and 5 days in Moab.

Compared to some of the guys on here, my wheeling experience is lacking, but I've hit a few trails and off-road parks whenever time permitted. I would say I have a decent understanding of off camber trail riding. I used to have a built 3rd gen but I sold it last year and bought my current 4th gen. Not really looking to do anything too crazy but I'd love a group to hit say the Imogene Pass with and some other medium trails both in Colorado and Moab. This would be my first real trip out and I'd love to see what the 4Runner is capable of.

My rig:

2005 Sport Edition
Full Armor, minus rear bumper, includes full RCI skid plate package, CBI front bumper and Stubbs welding sliders.
285-70-17 Duratracs
I recently put in a ARB rear locker and new gears due to my bearings going out on my original diff. I hope and plan to have the compressor and diff locker working for the trip.
Warn Winch in the front bumper as well.

If you are interested, or know anyone who might be interested, please let me know! Like I said, I'd love to meet some of you guys in person.

Thanks!

-Konrad

Anyone? Any experience or recommendations for lodging, trails, food, etc would be greatly appreciated too!

Ouray has cool brewery with rooftop seating. Pretty sure its called Ouray Brewing Co. Also Kips Bar & Grill in Creede is good. I also think Telluride has a brewery.
You can take Imogene pass from Telluride into Ouray. If you end up in Alamosa, a few hours east of Creede, CO, go check out San Luis Valley Brewing Co. Good beer, and good rubens. Right in the middle of their little downtown area.
Never been to Moab so I have no comment on that. Incase you could not tell I like beer so I usually find the local places for that.

I know both areas well and will probably be able to meet you at some point along your journey. As you plan your itinerary and come up with specific plans or questions post them and I would be happy to chime in.

I'll definitely take note to stop at the Ouray brewery. I'm a big fan of smaller microbrewerys. Imogene Pass/Ophir Pass is definitely on the list.

Awesome! Just browsed through your build thread, nice rig. The plan is to spend the 11-16 in Colorado and 17-21 in Moab. I wanted to run Imogene Pass/Ophir Pass, but would be down for something more difficult with a group/spotter. I have a list of a few Moab trails, but haven't looked into any trails into detail except elephant hill and hells revenge.

I will probably be available the 21st-24th, so I might be able to catch the tail end of your trip. I would recommend doing Black Bear while in the San Juans. It's not technical but will test your gut. The views and experience are unforgettable. In Moab I would start with Fins N Things. Not too challenging but lots of fun and a good introduction to Moab/slickrock wheeling.

Ouray Brewing Company (OBC) makes an IPA that is hands down, the best beer I ever had, the best. Its their straight Pale Ale. Now missing Ouray, must install lift kit.

I will keep them in mind. IPAs are my favorite brew. I just installed my lift kit a little over a week ago. Its been a long time coming and the suspense was killing me.

Sounds good, I was questioning whether or not to attempt it on my own. The trail reviews usually aren't the greatest and they're kinda vague. I saw in your thread that you know a few good campsites. All I've been able to dig up is a couple local smaller grounds. We should talk more later, you seem like you know your stuff.

Feel free to hit me with any questions you might have.