Unner's Build, 2001 T4R 4x4

[habanero]

The bird looks like a guinea fowl and I so want to be back in Colorado again!!

I just saw a notice that Engineer Pass from the Animas side is closed...good timing on your part.

So many awesome pics! Check out Stay the Trail if you haven't already. I just ordered some free stickers to replace my worn out ones.

 

[Unner]

With the sun starting to get low, we headed out to finish California Pass, and head back into Animas Forks. We spent some time exploring around the old mining sites there, checking out the abandoned crumbling structures.

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We grabbed the Charles Wells book, and began to plan out our campsite for the evening. I had wanted to do Eureka gulch, and Picayune and Placer Gulches, which were both near Animas forks. We figured it was best to find a site along one of these trails, so we could run them in the morning, and then head out towards Black Bear Pass in the afternoon. We found a site listed in the book that said it was half a mile from the Eureka Gulch main trail, going down a little side road. This seemed like a good place to try, so off we went.

We got to Eureka Gulch as the sun was getting very low, we had essentially no light left so we took it easy making sure not to miss the side trail the campsite was supposed to be on. “Is that the road?” I asked turning the truck slightly left. “Nope. That’s a shear cliff. Keep moving.” We finally found the road, and immediately realized that it was not a commonly traveled road. It was narrow, and pretty overgrown. This might scare some people away, but to me this meant there would be some stellar campsites back here. I drove through, trying to avoid the branches as much as I could, but it was more pick the lesser of two evils. Do I hit those branches, or these branches…

We passed by the first few campsites, dismissing them knowing there would be better options farther down the trail. We came across one solid campsite, but there was still the allure of the unknown, so we took a mental note of this site and continued on. Now at this point it was dark and had been dark for quite a while. We continued a little farther past these sites, and came across a part of the trail where there was a tree down blocking some of the trail, but it looked like you could squeeze around the fallen tree, and the other standing trees. This was also in a hard corner of the trail. I tried to squeeze around the trees when all of a sudden, I hear this thump noise from the passenger side. I look over there and my passenger is face to face with a branch from a pine tree. The tree branch had been cut and was about 4 inches around. I thought it was a little branch so I was going to let it ride up over the roof rack, but a branch that big wasn’t going to do that. That’s how it ended up inside the passenger window. He helped hold the branch out of the way while I backed out of the spot. It was too tight, and too dark to continue messing with it. We turned around and headed back to the sites we had passed.

We pulled up to the spot, set up the tents, and immediately got started on a fire. It was a little chilly again this night, and everything was wet in this area from the earlier rains and we were camping right along another creek. We weren’t sure we could get it started, but we gathered all the small kindling we could, and gave it all the oxygen we could squeeze out of our makeshift fan (a piece of plywood laying at the campsite). Eventually we had a roaring fire once it all caught.

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We sat around the fire, enjoying some local brews, talking about the things we’d seen, and which we preferred, Moab or the San Juans. We had been to both in less than 4 months, and it seemed like we had just left for Moab, but in actuality we were almost finished with our trip through Colorado. The only noises at night in Colorado were the sounds of us, the popping of the fire, and the occasional breeze rustling through the trees. All of a sudden, we hear this very load roaring noise starting behind us, that seems to be getting louder and nearer. We looked at each other, puzzled and concerned at the same time. My very first initial thought was some sort of fly over by a military jet, but that wasn’t the case. Certainly not out here. Then it occurred to us what it was. A rock slide. We hopped out of our chairs to go investigate and see if we could actually see anything with just our flashlights. Shinning them around we realized we couldn’t see anything, and concluded that we were out of harm’s way at our campsite. If the rockslide came down this far and took us out, then it was just our time to go.

I’ve never heard anything like this rock slide, I’ve seen a lot of powerful natural events in the different places I’ve lived; hurricanes, tornadoes, record flooding, but there was something different about this. There was no precursor to it happening. It was a clear night, no wind, no telltale signs that nature would do something. Rains, storms, wind, all of that can be predicted, but this just happened. If you had been camping right underneath that spot you would have had a not so fun night. Or if you were out hiking along a trail, or just trying to climb up to a certain spot. Who knows, maybe a human caused it. Or maybe it was one of those bouncy marmots.
Another night spent above 10,000 feet.

Screenshot_20170707-003251 by Unner Unner, on Flickr

 

[Unner]

Day 6

In the morning we were able to see our campsite we had chosen. Somewhere up there was where the rock slide had happened, I suppose.

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The small creek running next to our camp site.

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We packed up our stuff, and headed back to Eureka Gulch. We got back onto the main trail, and headed to the end. This was an easy trail, we were able to keep pretty good speed going up to the top.

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Marmot!

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Some shots from the top of Eureka Gulch.

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We went back down Eureka Gulch the way we came in since it’s an in and out type of trail, and headed back towards Animas Forks to take on Picayune Gulch, and then Placer Gulch.

Picayne Gulch started off going through some thick forest, on a very steep road headed up into the mountains. The road wound back and forth and we climbed very fast. We popped out at the top at this little clearing, and noticed once again, some weather seemed to be moving in.

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After some consulting the map we found the right way we wanted to go, and descended into Picayune Gulch.

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[Unner]

The wildflowers here were incredible. Like something out of a painting.

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The workhorse looking good up in the mountains.

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This is where we were headed. Down.

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The shadows the clouds make across the mountains were pretty interesting as well.

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We continued onwards. I realize now I didn’t take as many pictures as I wish I had, I guess we were just enjoying it in the moment.

Old mining stuff is everywhere in this area, which makes sense, considering it’s the reason these trails even exist.

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We ended up back on the end of California Pass, right by Animas Forks. A couple of people riding dirt bikes asked if the trail we had just came out of would take them back towards Black Bear Pass. I told them I don’t think so, and showed the map of exactly where we were and where that trail went. They seemed convinced that it would take them to Black Bear Pass, so I just let them go. I’m sure they figured it out…

We drove back out of Animas Forks for the last time. We got back into Silverton, gassed up, and headed back towards Black Bear Pass, but first we would stop at Porphyry Gulch. This trail wasn’t marked with a fancy trailhead sign, just a normal small forest service road sign, and this one…

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This trail was also very steep, and windy, as you took the switch backs up the side of the mountain, looking down at the paved highway you just turned off of. It was getting to be lunch time, so we pulled off here and ate lunch. We had a bit of a view.

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[Unner]

We reached the end of the trail, which was a parking area. There was supposed to be a lake, Bullion King Lake, that you could hike to. We found the trail, and started off down it. There were all sorts of creeks from the snow melt.

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The creek got bigger as we got closer.

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My version of fish pictures….

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And now, Bullion King Lake.

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The water was so clear.

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There was a waterfall right in the center of the lake, pretty cool place.

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[Unner]

Lots of wildflowers around here too.

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It’s amazing how clear the water is up here. I was able to get some pretty good fish pictures with my polarizing lens.

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Time got away from us at the lake, but then a clap of thunder got our attention quickly. It was time to go, so we made our way back out, quickly.

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And then at the end of the hiking trail we stopped for a minute, to watch the marmots play in the snow.

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On the way back we found a dog collar with a dog’s name and the owners information on the tag also. When I got back I texted the owner, and Macho got his collar returned to him via USPS.

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We got back in the truck, and headed down the trail. The next stop would be Black Bear Pass. I hadn’t heard anything that the Telluride side was open, but I knew it was open to the pass. Some pics coming down Porphyry.

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At one point there is a short connector between Black Bear Pass and Porphyry Gulch. It’s very steep, downhill for us, and had some water damage. Nothing we couldn’t handle though, it added a little excitement to an otherwise calm trail.

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We ventured up the trail, stopping to ask a couple guys in Tacomas if the pass was open. I was really hoping they would say yes, but unfortunately they said it was still snowed in just past the pass.

Some more beautiful scenery.

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These were some very small flowers, but they gave some of the best macro shots I got.

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[Unner]

This is one of my favorites.

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The weather back towards Silverton was looking a little stormy.

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Since we couldn’t go down the fun side of Black Bear Pass we turned around, and headed out the way we came. At the bottom of the trail they had one of the “snowplows” parked again, so I grabbed another picture.

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I grabbed the guide book again, looking for another trail in the area to hit before we lost all daylight. I saw that Red Mountain was right here, so we went to run half of the trail.

Right at the entrance to this trail they had this machine parked. It was manufactured by a German brand, “Kassbohrer”.

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The beginning of the trail wound through the forest, offering small glimpses of the mountains, and then we popped out of the forest and were riding along a ridge of the mountain.

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We passed through another area with some old mining stuff, and then went down back into the forest.

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We wound our way through the forest, and then decided to head back towards Silverton and figure out the game plan for the rest of the evening, and where we would be camping tonight. It was Friday night, and we had to be back in South Carolina Sunday night. Our time had flown by, and neither of us wanted to leave.

We parked at the Silverton welcome center, and decided to make dinner here. They had a nice picnic table that served as a good place to open up our kitchen.

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I consulted the guide book, google maps, and freecampsites.net and decided that tonight we would start heading back somewhat. We were going to camp at East Fork Road, or Forest Service Road 667 in the San Juan National Forest.

We got in the truck, started to drive out of the parking lot, and then I realized. I hadn’t aired up… I couldn’t drive the 4 hours on pavement with 20 psi in the tires, so I had to dig the compressor out, and wait the 30 minutes or so to fill all the tires, and then wait for it to cool down because my little VIAR compressor gets hot filling up the tires to 40 psi.

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We hit the road well past dark which was unfortunate because we would miss all the cool sights. The roads out here are fun to drive though, lots of curves and wide open stretches where you can get some pretty good speed going. The deer in Colorado seem to be dumber than your average deer. Maybe it’s the elevation.

I was thankful for my lights because they really helped spot the deer from a distance my headlights could only dream of reaching. We came across one that was standing right in the other lane, eating a rock or licking the pavement, because there was nothing there for him to eat or drink. I hit the brakes hard because I didn’t know where he was going. The deer looked up, and frantically turned his head left, right, behind, trying to figure out where the noise was coming from. He never actually looked in our direction, and stayed standing in the road as we passed. Hopefully George the rock eating deer didn’t get taken out, but natural selection may have taken care of him already…

We reached the area we were camping in well past midnight. I was a little worried about finding a spot because it was a Friday in the peak of the summer season. The first several spots we pulled into were packed, or there was something like an RV parked there. Not cool…

We continued further down the road until we passed a sign that said “High Clearance 4x4 Only’ or something to that effect. After this the people seemed to be clearing out, even though the road didn’t really get much worse. We finally found a spot that no one was around, and decided to call it home for the night.
We set up camp, and went straight to bed, only camping around 7,500 feet today.

 

[Unner]

Day 7

Waking up early in the morning being baked alive was no fun, as we couldn’t find shade to set up under. We had picked another pretty great camp site though, right along another creek.

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After gathering our things, we packed up and headed back out. Today we had a lot of ground to cover, and I wanted to stop and see the Great Sand Dunes National Park, as well as Medano Pass. Might as well try and see as much as possible when you’re this far from home. Sleep is for the weak.

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We started off driving through the beautiful San Juans, once again, but then our elevation started dropping and we started entering more of a desert landscape. Things were starting to look more like New Mexico, or northern Texas. We passed through a few towns, and stopped at the one with the slowest fuel pump in the world…

Stopping for 30 minutes to get gas was not in the plan, but oh well. We were starting to get close to the National Park. We turned off of the main roads, and onto more of County Roads. They were incredibly straight roads, you could see for miles. I don’t remember what the speed limit was out here, or if they even had one posted, but everyone was driving nearly interstate speeds.

We’re clipping along following an Acura sedan when I see something moving over to the left of the road out of the corner of my eye, the Acura hits the brakes hard, as do I, and an elk (I think that’s what it was, could have been a moose too) comes dashing across the road. Both of us sat there for a second, stopped, almost in disbelief that this huge deer the size of a horse just ran across the road, and then proceeded to step over the fence on the other side like it was no big deal. I was not expecting to see an elk in this part of Colorado, but now I can check that off the list. At least we got to see some wildlife.

The Great Sand Dunes were now in sight, as we quickly approached the National Park.

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It’s interesting the way they just come out of nowhere, and they’ve got the mountains behind them in the background.

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We got to the toll booth, paid our $15, an off we went. We got to the trailhead, where the sign said “Deep sand ahead, lower tire pressure, 18-20psi recommended.” I didn’t want to go that low because I knew I would have to fill it up again right after we got off the trail. So I went down to 28 psi, with the thought, “I can always go lower.” And off we went.

We didn’t have any issues with 28 psi. So I kept it there. I tried to get stuck a couple times, but I couldn’t so I figured I was good. We stopped to talk pictures and a man walking the trail asked if I thought his Rav4 could make it… I said, “I don’t know. You might be OK, but you might be ripping underpanels off and scraping the bumper. There’s a lot of plastic car parts laying on the trail out here.” I think he chose not to bring it out here, which was definitely the right choice.

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We continued onwards, passing closer to the dunes. We passed a large group of Jeeps parked, and then came across a sign that said “Very Soft Sand Ahead, 15-18 psi Recommended.” I stayed stubborn with my 28 psi, and dove in. Things were going fine at first, but there was another car headed towards us, so I had to pull farther off to the right. This was some very very deep soft fine stuff. We started losing speed, and then we eventually weren’t moving at all… Hmmm. I guess I’ll let some more air out of the tires. I got out, and lowered the tires down to 20 psi, and dug out around the front of the tires a little bit. 4Lo, working the wheels back and forth I was able to get it moving just a little bit. Not much, but we were crawling along.

Then all of a sudden, this tool shows up in a brand-new GMC Sierra Quad Cab, soon to be brodozer. I’m slowly plowing through the super soft stuff, trying to get back towards the center of the trail where it’s not quite as bad when I hear him just gun it. I look up and he’s throwing sand everywhere, and revving the snot out of his V8 with dual exhaust. He starts getting sideways and heading towards me. He had no intentions of stopping, but I’m screaming in my truck for him to stop because he’s going to hit me. He grins at me as he goes past us sideways, he misses the driver door, the back door, the back fenders, and then I feel a thud as he hits the back of the truck and I hear this awful scraping noise. I jumped out mad, knowing he had just hit me after I told him to stop, but he was too stupid to listen or wait his turn. I walked to the back of the truck, fully expecting quarter panel damage and taillight damage at least, but thankfully this is all there was. Just a small scrape along my rear bumper. 4xInnovations – 1, moron in the GMC – 0. I looked back towards his truck to see if he was going to stop, because I know he felt it and heard it, but nope. He didn’t stop. If he had caused damage I would have found a way to make him stop. The group of Jeeps just past this deep sand, calling the rangers (there’s only one way out), or turning around and trying to catch up to him.

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Thankfully it didn’t have to get to that point, so I just got back in and kept working my way out of the deep stuff. We got out, and were back on the more solidly packed sand when a first gen Tacoma came the other way. The driver was some 50-year-old women smoking a cigarette who looked totally cracked out. She yelled some unintelligible words to us, but we didn’t stop. I was losing interest in this place quickly…

Things started to get better the farther we got from the national park, so that was good.

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[Unner]

Then all of a sudden you come across this. Being from Alabama, this is exactly what Tornado damage looks like. We later saw a sign saying something about wind damage from a storm a few years ago.

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Things were starting to look like Florida, which was odd, but it kept the trail interesting. We eventually caught up to two Jeeps who were crawling along at very slow speeds. They didn’t pull over for the longest time, but when they did it was great. I don’t like following other people if they aren’t in my group. All of the disadvantages without any of the perks of a following or being in a group.

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There were lots of water crossings on this part of the trail which kept it fun, and really helped knock the mud and dirt that I had accumulated on the wheels, tires, undercarriage, etc. I was amazed how clean the underside was when I went to air up later.

We also saw the largest dandelions; this thing was the size of a baseball.

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We got to the very last creek crossing, and things took a turn to the stupid sign again. I drove across the creek, and came out of the other side. Now I can see a Land Rover heading towards me, and the guy in the Land Rover sees me. Neither of us are going fast, and it doesn’t seem like it’s going to be an issue. I was going to back up and pull over to let them by, there was plenty of room. Then all of a sudden, he cranks the wheel hard right into probably a 2-foot dirt wall because the road is recessed into the ground. He keeps going, fast and not using any judgement or caution. Off comes the front license plate, then he’s pushing dirt with the front bumper ripping that up, and still going. He took it so far the thing got super tippy, to the point where I thought for sure he was going to flop onto the driver side. I was fully prepared to get out of the truck and run up there check if they were OK, and winch them back onto 4 wheels. Somehow the Land Rover didn’t tip, and he just sat there looking starry eyed at me. I wasn’t driving anywhere near him and what he had just done, so I put it in reverse, backed across the creek, and into a very wide-open area that gave him plenty of space to pass. He backed down from his three-legged stance, once again ripping at the front bumper with the dirt ledge, and came towards us to pass. Once he got closer I could see it was probably a 16-year-old kid in daddy’s Land Rover, and he had a few girls with him who he was surely trying to impress. I don’t know much, but usually almost rolling your dad’s Land Rover isn’t the way to impress girls…

The Land Rover moved on, and the first thing I did was check the dashcam because I wanted to see that again. Unfortunately, the card was full of other videos I had saved apparently and wasn’t saving anything new. Very unfortunate that I missed capturing that spectacle of off-roading genius on camera, but at least it let me know that my dash cam wasn’t working. I formatted the SD card right there, to make sure I wouldn’t have that problem again.

We crossed the creek for the third time, and were nearly done with the trail. The next section of the trail looked something like this.

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We pulled off here to eat lunch, and were passed by another interesting sight. Two guys in an F250 sitting in the front, with dogs sitting in the back seat, and what I can only assume was one of their wives, girlfriends, or sisters sitting on a lawn chair in the bed of the truck. I guess everyone has different priorities…

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We continued onward, looking to get off the dirt and back onto pavement where we could start heading home. But not before getting a couple pictures of the next set of storms moving into the area.

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The road became nothing more than a flat dirt road, so we were able to keep a pretty quick speed down it as we headed back towards pavement. I’m starting to grow a liking for fast “off-road travel”.

We made it back to pavement, but it was raining now, and I needed to air up still. I didn’t want to deal with it in the rain, so I figured I’d stop at the next gas station. Little did I know the next gas station was 30 miles down the road… We reached the gas station right off I-25, aired up, gassed up, and were ready to hit the road. It was 4 PM, and we would lose two hours due to time zones. 1,500 miles to cover, and I had to be at work in just over 36 hours. No regrets, it was worth it.

We made time as fast as we could, driving across southern Colorado and New Mexico in a pouring rain storm. We made it to Texas as night fell, and pushed on. Thankfully there’s nothing in these parts of New Mexico, or Texas so we didn’t have to stop often. We entertained ourselves by counting how many cars the trains were that were parked along the road had, and measuring their length of them using the odometer. Some of these things were well over a mile long. Insane!

We noticed that it stays very light in the Texas panhandle. The moon was bright, so even with the sun down we were still able to see a good bit. We made it to Oklahoma, and stopped at an Arby’s off of Interstate 40. It was very late already, but we had to make it farther, Oklahoma city was the goal for tonight. We got to Oklahoma City and began to search for hotels as we wanted a bed, and shower tonight, rather than messing with setting up a camp. We drove all the way through OKC and stopped to get gas. I figured we could stop near Shawnee, where I spent the night in the Holiday Inn Express parking lot. After calling every hotel in Shawnee we realized that would not work. That would not work, they were all booked and there was nothing else for another hundred miles or so. So, we started calling hotels back in OKC. They were also all booked, except for one Super 8… I begrudgingly turned around and headed back into OKC. We definitely overpaid for 4 hours of sleep in a Super 8…

 

[Unner]

Day 8

Morning came way too early but we had to get on the road, We had 1,000 miles to cover in one day. We made good time across Oklahoma, and most of Arkansas. Then we got stuck in traffic that gave Atlanta a good run for it’s money. Going into Memphis was a nightmare. Trucks in every single lane, passing each other because one wanted to drive 51 and the other was driving 50. This drives me absolutely insane.

The other side of Memphis was no better, we got run off the road by a semi truck, and then had to drive through Mississippi. Finally Alabama was in sight, but we wouldn’t be here for long. We still had 6 hours to go and it was already dinner time. We saw traffic stopping ahead in Birmingham so we pulled off to eat dinner while they figured that out. Things were clear and we got back on the road, but our next stop was Atlanta, my mortal enemy. Before we even got there, we got stuck in construction traffic, at midnight on a Sunday… We made it to Atlanta, and somehow made it through. But not before being passed by a Sonata doing probably 110-120 in the left lane, and then deciding he needed the next exit, and everyone else’s safety doesn’t matter.

The whole time I’m just thinking I wish I was back in CO, this didn’t happen there…

We rolled up to my apartment at 2 AM, which wasn’t too bad, but now we had to unload everything. I walked back out to the 4Runner to get more stuff and I find my friend talking to a Sherriff… Oh boy, just what we needed. He was asking if we had heard gunshots because there were reports of them in the area. We responded no, while he looks around at all the camping off-roading stuff we have laying all over the place… He pulled off and continued his search.

We finished unloading, and went inside. I went to bed around 3 AM, with an alarm set for 6:30 AM. I completely slept through this alarm and woke up at 9:30 to text messages from co-workers asking if I was coming into work and if everything was OK. Back to real life now I suppose. The trip was over and it seemed like it had just begun.

2017-10-02_03-44-16 by Unner Unner, on Flickr

We covered a total of 3,859 miles. 300+ of which were on dirt. Climbed tens of thousands of feet in elevation, crossed through 10 states, completed 18 trails, many of them over 12,000 feet, 1 of them over 13,000 feet (two if you include the short hike to 13,000 feet from California Pass), Camped 4 nights in a row over 10,000 feet, crossed the continental divide numerous times, and had a wonderful time exploring the Colorado backcountry.

I can’t wait to go back. I don’t know when that will be, but I know I will make it will happen.

Link to:

Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7

 

[Unner]

Well there it is, a couple months late, but better late than never. Hopefully that'll give you guys something to read at lunch. I know there's a few duplicate pics. I might try and get them worked out tonight, or just leave it be. There's plenty of pics as is...

 

[Unner]

The bird looks like a guinea fowl and I so want to be back in Colorado again!!

I just saw a notice that Engineer Pass from the Animas side is closed...good timing on your part.

So many awesome pics! Check out Stay the Trail if you haven't already. I just ordered some free stickers to replace my worn out ones.

Ahhh. I think you are right. I googled Guniea Fowl and it looks just like the bird I saw in Oklahoma. That thing was sooooo loud.

Interesting, I guess it's closed from snow already? I actually went on this trip during the week of July 4th. I just haven't had time to finally finish the pictures and write up. I've got one more now to do from my trip in August to Canada.

I've heard of Stay the Trail, and been wanting to sign up or whatever it is that you do. I'll have to look into that this week.

Thanks for the compliments on the pictures! Hopefully you enjoy the rest of the read. I can't wait to go back again. It's so pretty and relaxing out there.

 

[LittleCaesar]

Thanks for posting. It looks like you had real fun out there Unner. When I lived in Boulder for 18 months it was a great experience; I made it to Durango a couple of times. We drove many of those trails in a 69 Ford Bronco.

Only in SC does the po po pull up in the dead of night and ask if one has heard gunfire.

I hope you still are open to a headlight retrofit. Such probably would have helped at night....

 

[fourfive]

Great pics of your 4runner putting in some work. Those are some f'd up looking beavers. :hunter:

 

[habanero]

Ahhh. I think you are right. I googled Guniea Fowl and it looks just like the bird I saw in Oklahoma. That thing was sooooo loud.

Interesting, I guess it's closed from snow already? I actually went on this trip during the week of July 4th. I just haven't had time to finally finish the pictures and write up. I've got one more now to do from my trip in August to Canada.

I've heard of Stay the Trail, and been wanting to sign up or whatever it is that you do. I'll have to look into that this week.

Thanks for the compliments on the pictures! Hopefully you enjoy the rest of the read. I can't wait to go back again. It's so pretty and relaxing out there.

Guinea fowl- really really loud tick-eating machines.

Haven't heard why Engineer was closed, just that it was. I follow StT on Facebook, they also have a website. They share a lot of good info.

I really did enjoy your amazing pics and stories. We left MO on the 14th, drove Black Bear on the 25th. Even that late it hadn't been open all that long. It's pretty cool for the scenery, but I like Imogene more, personally.

Totally agree on crazy drivers. Missouri drivers are so aggressive, when you get used to decent for the most part driving it's hard to be amid the crazed autonomous me-me's.

Your report and pictures were worth the wait!

We drove many of those trails in a 69 Ford Bronco.

I had a poo-brown (repaint, was copper) '67 in-line 6cyl 3 on the floor. So. Miss. That. Truck.

 

[octanejunkie]

What an amazing photo essay!

I especially loved the pictures of wildflowers posed before a snow-dappled mountain backdrop and the anthology of all the trails.

Great journey, thank you for sharing :thumb:

 

[Kotrin]

I didn't see when you went to Colorado. That was a long drive and makes my drive coming back from Colorado look like a trip to the supermarket. How did the 4Runner perform minus the idiots in the truck @ the sand dunes along with the other. BTW where is the picture of the truck and the chair in the back and the girl?

 

[AssBurns]

Dude! Awesome trip report and pictures! I’ve always wanted to check out Colorado and this just makes me actually want to start working on planning it out. Looks like it was an absolute blast. Thanks for sharing!


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[Road Bull]

Holy cow man! Love all those pics! What camera are you using to get these sweet pics? I need to step up my game in the photo department. I am digging your trip report for sure.

 

[Unner]

Thanks for posting. It looks like you had real fun out there Unner. When I lived in Boulder for 18 months it was a great experience; I made it to Durango a couple of times. We drove many of those trails in a 69 Ford Bronco.

Only in SC does the po po pull up in the dead of night and ask if one has heard gunfire.

I hope you still are open to a headlight retrofit. Such probably would have helped at night....

It was a great time. It was a little strange when he showed up and asked about the gunfire. I am open to it, and think about it moreso this time of year when I start driving at night more due to the sun setting earlier. We'll see though, I still worry about shaking them loose over time on rough roads. Plus I had a lot of issues with the retrofit into the Supra which has still left a little bit of a sour taste in my mouth.

Great pics of your 4runner putting in some work. Those are some f'd up looking beavers. :hunter:

Thanks Brian. Those were some weird looking beavers.

Guinea fowl- really really loud tick-eating machines.

Haven't heard why Engineer was closed, just that it was. I follow StT on Facebook, they also have a website. They share a lot of good info.

I really did enjoy your amazing pics and stories. We left MO on the 14th, drove Black Bear on the 25th. Even that late it hadn't been open all that long. It's pretty cool for the scenery, but I like Imogene more, personally.

Totally agree on crazy drivers. Missouri drivers are so aggressive, when you get used to decent for the most part driving it's hard to be amid the crazed autonomous me-me's.

Your report and pictures were worth the wait!


I had a poo-brown (repaint, was copper) '67 in-line 6cyl 3 on the floor. So. Miss. That. Truck.

Big cities are the worst. I avoid them at all costs. Coming back from Moab I saw the scariest thing of that entire 5,000+ mile trip in down town St. Louis.

Black Bear is just one of those trails that you have to run at some point in your life, and who knows how much longer that trail will be open thanks to people trying to close it every time some idiot drives off the edge of the road...

What an amazing photo essay!

I especially loved the pictures of wildflowers posed before a snow-dappled mountain backdrop and the anthology of all the trails.

Great journey, thank you for sharing :thumb:

Thanks! Those were some of my favorite pictures too. The wildflowers were everywhere up there, we timed our trip perfectly. Maybe next time I'll go when the trees start to change colors.

I didn't see when you went to Colorado. That was a long drive and makes my drive coming back from Colorado look like a trip to the supermarket. How did the 4Runner perform minus the idiots in the truck @ the sand dunes along with the other. BTW where is the picture of the truck and the chair in the back and the girl?

I didn't post about my trip out there much, it was kinda last minute. I didn't believe I was actually getting the week paid off until I had it in writing from HR. Then it was a scramble to get a plan together and get the logistics sorted out. Road trips are fun, I enjoy them so the distance doesn't bother me too much. Although it would be nice if it was closer so I could head out there more often.

The 4Runner performed flawlessly. Not a single issue out of it during the entire excursion. Motor ran smooth, started up perfectly every time, no vibrations or anything. I tore a CV boot out there, but that was bound to happen at 230k miles, with 50k of them being lifted. I replaced that almost 10k miles later just for peace of mind.

As for the pictures of the girl in the back of the F250, that's the kind of thing you don't photograph for your own personal safety. If they make her ride back there who knows what they would do to me...

Dude! Awesome trip report and pictures! I’ve always wanted to check out Colorado and this just makes me actually want to start working on planning it out. Looks like it was an absolute blast. Thanks for sharing!


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Thanks man! I highly recommend it. It's a really nice break from the hot summer temps if you go during the summer. It was great having highs around 70 and lows in the 40-50s during July.

Holy cow man! Love all those pics! What camera are you using to get these sweet pics? I need to step up my game in the photo department. I am digging your trip report for sure.

Thanks Ryder! Glad you guys are enjoying it. I'm shooting with a Sony a3000. Nothing real fancy. I got a good deal on it a couple years ago brand new in box on eBay and I've been pretty impressed with it. I've thought about upgrading, but with the price of new similar cameras I'm gonna just keep running this one for the time being.