Sunday, April 22, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Jeepn in Salida
Spring break started in pretty good fashion this week. Co Jeep Dude, Jeep Girl and Rock Dawg headed off for a nice relaxing three day weekend of sun, soaking and JEEPN! Jeep girl booked a great little cabin at Mt. Princeton Hot Springs and Resort, so we had an awesome place to come back to and soak in the springs after a tough day of muddin' and exploring.
After we got checked in we headed up Chalk Creek road to start exploring. Being fairly new to this Co Jeep Dude picked a couple of trails that seemed like they would be fun to try out. The first trail was Mt. Antero and the second was Tincup Pass. With the weather being in the 70's for the last couple of weeks, what was not realized was that no amount of gorgeous Colorado weather was going to melt several feet of snow off of 14'ers by the end of March. The roads were still socked in with several feet of snow and there was definitely no way of even getting started on these trails. We'll try again in June or July when the snow, hopefully is gone, till then stay tuned.
What we did end up doing instead of the trails is poking around a neat little old mining town called St. Elmo. All of the property is privately owned and many of the buildings were still covered and surrounded by several feet of snow. Rock Dawg had a blast jumping in and out of the drifts and getting muddy in general. A neat little bit of Colorado history to see still standing and our first ghost town of the weekend.
After exploring St. Elmo, we headed back towards the hot springs, but not before we pulled off to the side of the road to enjoy the quiet and the views of Chalk Creek. Rock Dawg and Co Jeep Dude splashed in the creek and played while Jeep Girl sat and enjoyed the quiet burble of the water. A relaxing time was had by all. Just a mile or so so down the road we stopped at a small wildlife viewing area and lo and behold, there was a small herd of mountain goats grazing in the field. Such an neat and cool area with so much to see in such a short distance. Calling it a day we headed back to soak in the 105 degree springs and ease into the evening with a glass of wine/martini, a steak dinner and a star filled sky as the sun set that evening.
Day 2:
Started the day off with a cup of coffee on the back deck of the cabin listening to the creek wander by and figuring out where to go for breakfast. Patio Pancake Place is where we ended up based on the recommendations of some of the locals and it didn't disappoint. We left Rock Dawg in the Jeep while we ate breakfast and she was all to eager to snack on our beef jerky snacks while we were in the restaurant. She had a solid breakfast of dog food, jerky and a pancake that morning. Afterwards we stopped by a local jeep rental place, 4x4 jeep rental and talked with Craig, the owner. A great guy who was more than eager to fill us in on a few great places to go and invite us back to go jeepn with him whenever we were back in town. After a short trip to the local dog park, we headed for the hills to see what we could find.
Based on Craig's recommendation we started by tracking down our second ghost town of the weekend. This time we were headed for a place called Turret, an old abandoned mining town, as well. Taking CR181 out of town we found Turret tucked away in the back hills nestled amongst the Pinyon Pines and Aspen Trees. Much to our surprise it appears as if several people still live and reside in Turret, even if only on a part time basis. Several new smaller cabins were spread in between the older abandoned homes and businesses. Driving through Turret we followed several smaller trails to the west and Jeep Girl got her first taste of traversing some deep ruts in the mud and even crawling up some rocks in low gear. All in all another cool place to see and stop and have lunch and take in the sunshine and the scenery.
We wrapped up with Turret and headed back to go explore Crater 4WD road off of CR181. A fun trail with some small rock ledges and lots of mud to play in with some incredible views of the Collegiate peaks. We finally started heading back towards home and decided to take CR173, which turned out to be the best part of the trip, and a great 4x4 trail. Coming in from CR181 the initial first few miles of the trip were typical gravel road with some smaller rocks and muddy terrain. As we got further back into the trail we came across a couple of mountain bikers and several hikers as we started traversing some steep switchbacks and narrow roads. With solid rock to the left and drop offs several hundred feet to the left on the narrow road, things were pretty interesting trying to get over the last little bit of snow that still covered the road in places. Further down the trails, the switchbacks got a little steeper and we started encountering cantaloupe size rocks that made the going rough on the Rubicon, but nothing it couldn't handle. The 360 degree views of the snow capped Rockies was breathtaking and we literally just sat and stared at times at the magnificence that was before us.
As we trekked on down the trail, which is just wide enough for one vehicle, barely, we did see another off roader headed up the trail. Co Jeep Dude found a spot to pull over and wait for the fellow explorer to pass by. Turns out we weren't going anywhere soon. The truck headed our way up the trail, was a mid nineties Toyota with a 4.5" lift and 35" tires and had stalled out trying to make the steep climb up the hill. The Toyota had stalled at such an angle that it wasn't getting any gas to its carb and just wouldn't start and with the way it stalled on the trail, there was no way to level it out without rolling the vehicle. We sat and tried to come up with ways to help, but in the end we ended up having to go off the trail to get around him, much to the chagrin of the rock rails and skid plates of the jeep. We headed down the trail and found some fellow Jeepers to send up with tow ropes to aid the stranded Toyota. As the day came to an end we finished up the trail and headed back into Salide to grab a bite to eat and have dinner while the sun set over the peaks to our west. Rock Dawg, Jeep Girl and Co Jeep Dude finished up their first four wheeling family outing and headed back to the hot springs to soak and call it a night.
All in all it was a great weekend in a a beautiful area of Colorado not too many folks get out and see. The weather was incredibly and everyone got funny tanlines, some smiles and another incredible Colorado experience. Stay tuned until next time when we take on Eagle Rock and Saran Wrap, part II, as part of the Rock Pirates 4 wheeling club.
After we got checked in we headed up Chalk Creek road to start exploring. Being fairly new to this Co Jeep Dude picked a couple of trails that seemed like they would be fun to try out. The first trail was Mt. Antero and the second was Tincup Pass. With the weather being in the 70's for the last couple of weeks, what was not realized was that no amount of gorgeous Colorado weather was going to melt several feet of snow off of 14'ers by the end of March. The roads were still socked in with several feet of snow and there was definitely no way of even getting started on these trails. We'll try again in June or July when the snow, hopefully is gone, till then stay tuned.
What we did end up doing instead of the trails is poking around a neat little old mining town called St. Elmo. All of the property is privately owned and many of the buildings were still covered and surrounded by several feet of snow. Rock Dawg had a blast jumping in and out of the drifts and getting muddy in general. A neat little bit of Colorado history to see still standing and our first ghost town of the weekend.
After exploring St. Elmo, we headed back towards the hot springs, but not before we pulled off to the side of the road to enjoy the quiet and the views of Chalk Creek. Rock Dawg and Co Jeep Dude splashed in the creek and played while Jeep Girl sat and enjoyed the quiet burble of the water. A relaxing time was had by all. Just a mile or so so down the road we stopped at a small wildlife viewing area and lo and behold, there was a small herd of mountain goats grazing in the field. Such an neat and cool area with so much to see in such a short distance. Calling it a day we headed back to soak in the 105 degree springs and ease into the evening with a glass of wine/martini, a steak dinner and a star filled sky as the sun set that evening.
Day 2:
Started the day off with a cup of coffee on the back deck of the cabin listening to the creek wander by and figuring out where to go for breakfast. Patio Pancake Place is where we ended up based on the recommendations of some of the locals and it didn't disappoint. We left Rock Dawg in the Jeep while we ate breakfast and she was all to eager to snack on our beef jerky snacks while we were in the restaurant. She had a solid breakfast of dog food, jerky and a pancake that morning. Afterwards we stopped by a local jeep rental place, 4x4 jeep rental and talked with Craig, the owner. A great guy who was more than eager to fill us in on a few great places to go and invite us back to go jeepn with him whenever we were back in town. After a short trip to the local dog park, we headed for the hills to see what we could find.
Based on Craig's recommendation we started by tracking down our second ghost town of the weekend. This time we were headed for a place called Turret, an old abandoned mining town, as well. Taking CR181 out of town we found Turret tucked away in the back hills nestled amongst the Pinyon Pines and Aspen Trees. Much to our surprise it appears as if several people still live and reside in Turret, even if only on a part time basis. Several new smaller cabins were spread in between the older abandoned homes and businesses. Driving through Turret we followed several smaller trails to the west and Jeep Girl got her first taste of traversing some deep ruts in the mud and even crawling up some rocks in low gear. All in all another cool place to see and stop and have lunch and take in the sunshine and the scenery.
We wrapped up with Turret and headed back to go explore Crater 4WD road off of CR181. A fun trail with some small rock ledges and lots of mud to play in with some incredible views of the Collegiate peaks. We finally started heading back towards home and decided to take CR173, which turned out to be the best part of the trip, and a great 4x4 trail. Coming in from CR181 the initial first few miles of the trip were typical gravel road with some smaller rocks and muddy terrain. As we got further back into the trail we came across a couple of mountain bikers and several hikers as we started traversing some steep switchbacks and narrow roads. With solid rock to the left and drop offs several hundred feet to the left on the narrow road, things were pretty interesting trying to get over the last little bit of snow that still covered the road in places. Further down the trails, the switchbacks got a little steeper and we started encountering cantaloupe size rocks that made the going rough on the Rubicon, but nothing it couldn't handle. The 360 degree views of the snow capped Rockies was breathtaking and we literally just sat and stared at times at the magnificence that was before us.
As we trekked on down the trail, which is just wide enough for one vehicle, barely, we did see another off roader headed up the trail. Co Jeep Dude found a spot to pull over and wait for the fellow explorer to pass by. Turns out we weren't going anywhere soon. The truck headed our way up the trail, was a mid nineties Toyota with a 4.5" lift and 35" tires and had stalled out trying to make the steep climb up the hill. The Toyota had stalled at such an angle that it wasn't getting any gas to its carb and just wouldn't start and with the way it stalled on the trail, there was no way to level it out without rolling the vehicle. We sat and tried to come up with ways to help, but in the end we ended up having to go off the trail to get around him, much to the chagrin of the rock rails and skid plates of the jeep. We headed down the trail and found some fellow Jeepers to send up with tow ropes to aid the stranded Toyota. As the day came to an end we finished up the trail and headed back into Salide to grab a bite to eat and have dinner while the sun set over the peaks to our west. Rock Dawg, Jeep Girl and Co Jeep Dude finished up their first four wheeling family outing and headed back to the hot springs to soak and call it a night.
All in all it was a great weekend in a a beautiful area of Colorado not too many folks get out and see. The weather was incredibly and everyone got funny tanlines, some smiles and another incredible Colorado experience. Stay tuned until next time when we take on Eagle Rock and Saran Wrap, part II, as part of the Rock Pirates 4 wheeling club.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Sooner than Later!
Well, our jeep'n adventures came sooner than later.
I really didn't think we'd get out to the back country until May, but Co Jeep Dude came home from work on Thursday and announced that our friend Scrappy offered to take us out on the trails the first of the year and so-be it!
We started the morning by fueling both the gas tank and our tummies before meeting up with the experienced group of jeepers. Upon our arrival, our friend Scrappy informed us of damage in his own jeep; his rear axel was cracked and in need of a solid welding job and not trail ready. So he jumped in with us and we took off for the trail.
The trail begins Just west of Colorado Springs on the swanky side of town above the Broadmoor Golf Course & Resort (a 5 Diamond Resort). Past the large estates where the pavement turns to gravel you'll find Old Stage/Gold Camp Roads which branch out to several of forest service roads and a wealth of off road trails to play on.
Our first trail was called "short cut". It was a short jaunt that cut through the main road on our way to the first trail-head. Unlike the main road which is wide and fairly smooth- this short cut was a bit bumpy but nothing too eventful, but we did drop down into 4-wheel low and I think we even disabled the sway bar.
Once on the other side of the shortcut and back on the main road we continued our trek to FS 370 C which is approximately 15 miles up on Old Stage Road. There we crossed our first obstacle: a rock. Since there were 3 jeeps with several experienced jeepers, they were able to position and guide us expertly over it while Co Jeep Dude learned a TON about the Rubicon's capabilities and how to operate and trust it. The most effective line that Scrappy tutored Co Jeep Dude with was "Ok, a new clutch in this thing costs about $2,500- we're gonna try to avoid that." and with those words and a little bit of experience under his belt we moved forward to an open playground where Co Jeep Dude got a handle on the gears in a light covering of snow a hill and a few mentors.
Back in the Rubicon, we headed up the trail just around the bend which reminds me of a song "Over the river and through the woods..." a few bumps and a slow uphill, a couple of perfectly planned lines and a little more confidence resulted in a really fun ride in a winter wonderland. As we entered deeper into the forest, we approached a steep and icy course which after several attempts, none of the 3 jeeps could overtake and we opted to exit the trail.
Down the road we enjoyed a roadside lunch in beautiful 50 degree sunshine before heading down the road to our next trail-head off of FS 370 where it dead ends. At first, the road seemed to be a disappointment as the previous tire marks seemed to go no where but in circles guarded by a water obstacle. But after getting out and looking in, we saw the water wasn't that intimidating and decided to cross it.
Once everyone made it across (it took an honorable 2 tries) all 3 jeeps tried to conquer the uphill trail head on to no avail until, that is, until tenacious J worked the Rubicon up into a wild frenzy and bust through the 3 foot snow drifts to charge up the backside of the mountain and blaze a trail down the other side for all of us to enjoy.
After a couple of hours a playing laughing and enjoying our new hobby it was time to start home. By the time we hit the pavement, we were ready for a big pot of warm chili and our comfy jammies before starting the new year at work.
A HUGE thank you to our friend Scrappy for putting this together for us and our new friends who helped us jump into Colorado Jeep'n!!!
I really didn't think we'd get out to the back country until May, but Co Jeep Dude came home from work on Thursday and announced that our friend Scrappy offered to take us out on the trails the first of the year and so-be it!
We started the morning by fueling both the gas tank and our tummies before meeting up with the experienced group of jeepers. Upon our arrival, our friend Scrappy informed us of damage in his own jeep; his rear axel was cracked and in need of a solid welding job and not trail ready. So he jumped in with us and we took off for the trail.
The trail begins Just west of Colorado Springs on the swanky side of town above the Broadmoor Golf Course & Resort (a 5 Diamond Resort). Past the large estates where the pavement turns to gravel you'll find Old Stage/Gold Camp Roads which branch out to several of forest service roads and a wealth of off road trails to play on.
Our first trail was called "short cut". It was a short jaunt that cut through the main road on our way to the first trail-head. Unlike the main road which is wide and fairly smooth- this short cut was a bit bumpy but nothing too eventful, but we did drop down into 4-wheel low and I think we even disabled the sway bar.
Once on the other side of the shortcut and back on the main road we continued our trek to FS 370 C which is approximately 15 miles up on Old Stage Road. There we crossed our first obstacle: a rock. Since there were 3 jeeps with several experienced jeepers, they were able to position and guide us expertly over it while Co Jeep Dude learned a TON about the Rubicon's capabilities and how to operate and trust it. The most effective line that Scrappy tutored Co Jeep Dude with was "Ok, a new clutch in this thing costs about $2,500- we're gonna try to avoid that." and with those words and a little bit of experience under his belt we moved forward to an open playground where Co Jeep Dude got a handle on the gears in a light covering of snow a hill and a few mentors.Back in the Rubicon, we headed up the trail just around the bend which reminds me of a song "Over the river and through the woods..." a few bumps and a slow uphill, a couple of perfectly planned lines and a little more confidence resulted in a really fun ride in a winter wonderland. As we entered deeper into the forest, we approached a steep and icy course which after several attempts, none of the 3 jeeps could overtake and we opted to exit the trail.
Down the road we enjoyed a roadside lunch in beautiful 50 degree sunshine before heading down the road to our next trail-head off of FS 370 where it dead ends. At first, the road seemed to be a disappointment as the previous tire marks seemed to go no where but in circles guarded by a water obstacle. But after getting out and looking in, we saw the water wasn't that intimidating and decided to cross it.
After a couple of hours a playing laughing and enjoying our new hobby it was time to start home. By the time we hit the pavement, we were ready for a big pot of warm chili and our comfy jammies before starting the new year at work.
A HUGE thank you to our friend Scrappy for putting this together for us and our new friends who helped us jump into Colorado Jeep'n!!!
Monday, December 26, 2011
It's a Jeep Thing...
With the new year, we are excited for our new adventure in Colorado's back country!!! Our new hobby; to discover the Colorado forest road system.
We just invested in our first off-road 4x4; a 2012 Jeep Rubicon. We sold our trusty Ford F150 King Ranch for a more versatile off-road vehicle for which we hope to turn into a weekend hobby. I have a feeling our jeep will remain packed and ready for a regular weekend trip. I just spent a couple of hours researching local 4x4 clubs and am excited to join a group of people who are more experienced than ourselves to help us get started in this new adventure.
I've also completed a wish list of items we'll be needing to get by spring in order to hit the trails. Besides a few normal rescue items such as a tow line and first aid kit, water reserve and the such...I've also priced items such as a wrap-around net to keep our valuables inside (such as Rock Dawg), a pulley system to hoist the hard top off and keep it safe above the floor, door hooks to store the doors when they are not on the vehicle a doggie seat belt for a more rough ride and a bike rack for our mountain bikes.
Santa brought us a couple of trail books as well this Christmas and we've been scouring them for green and blue trails to start on as early as May. I found several along the front range area I am eager to visit. Although May is still a bit cold at 8,000 feet, we probably won't be camping, but more likely to do day trips.
I am also eager to rip the hard top and doors off, much to Co Jeep Dude's dismay.
Rock Dawg is getting very excited for this summer's adventures as well and keeps asking if the weather is good enough yet to go....but it will be a few more months...in the meantime, we'll be busy preparing.
Until then...
We just invested in our first off-road 4x4; a 2012 Jeep Rubicon. We sold our trusty Ford F150 King Ranch for a more versatile off-road vehicle for which we hope to turn into a weekend hobby. I have a feeling our jeep will remain packed and ready for a regular weekend trip. I just spent a couple of hours researching local 4x4 clubs and am excited to join a group of people who are more experienced than ourselves to help us get started in this new adventure.
I've also completed a wish list of items we'll be needing to get by spring in order to hit the trails. Besides a few normal rescue items such as a tow line and first aid kit, water reserve and the such...I've also priced items such as a wrap-around net to keep our valuables inside (such as Rock Dawg), a pulley system to hoist the hard top off and keep it safe above the floor, door hooks to store the doors when they are not on the vehicle a doggie seat belt for a more rough ride and a bike rack for our mountain bikes.
Santa brought us a couple of trail books as well this Christmas and we've been scouring them for green and blue trails to start on as early as May. I found several along the front range area I am eager to visit. Although May is still a bit cold at 8,000 feet, we probably won't be camping, but more likely to do day trips.
I am also eager to rip the hard top and doors off, much to Co Jeep Dude's dismay.
Rock Dawg is getting very excited for this summer's adventures as well and keeps asking if the weather is good enough yet to go....but it will be a few more months...in the meantime, we'll be busy preparing.
Until then...
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