Multi-Day Four Corners Area Meet, 7/10/10

More details will come as the trip develops and I will keep this post currently updated. Check back to this post frequently.
Extending an invitation to all for an upcoming meet. This is a hardcore four wheeling trip. Not for the lighthearted or those who would shit their pants if their truck wasn't showroom pristine. If 10 trucks show up, at least 5 will leave with minor body damage (scratched bumpers, desert pin striping, etc.). This is also a place that can easily cause more serious damage like big dents, broken axles, etc.

4x4's only please. Lift kits, big tires, lockers, and armor will all be put to good use on this trip. It will begin July 10, 2010. Here is a brief description and loose agenda for the trip.

Day #1 Farmington, NM at The Glade (Chokecherry Canyon). 9:30 meet and greet, 10:00 wheeling. We'll meet at the intersection/parking area of Glade Rd. [dirt] and Pinon Hills Blvd. If you Google map it, Glade Rd. is about a mile north on Pinon Hills Blvd. from the 30th St. intersection.

Night #1 We'll leave Farmington at about 3:00 for a 2 hour drive to camp at Clear Lake. Just north of Silverton on the way to Ouray.

Days #2 We'll hit Black Bear Pass early in the morning. If we push the pace and time allows, we'll return on Imogene Pass. If we choose to take a more relaxed pace (check out Telluride, etc.) or it's getting late, we'll shoot back on the faster Ophir Pass. We'll discuss our options around the night #1 campfire.

Night #2 will be camping again at Clear Lake.

Day #3 is Poughkeepsie Gulch. This will only take half a day for those of you that want to head home. If some want to fill the day, we can play around on other trails in the Silverton/Ouray area or head back south to do Aztec Rock Garden or hit some more stuff in The Glade.

If you care to extend your trip, I can point you in some great directions. I may even join you. Please also be informed that you will be less than 3 hours away from Moab.

If you wish to only come for part of the trip, that would obviously be just fine. The city of Farmington itself is fairly boring but the wheeling is extreme. If you only wish to come for the SW Colorado part, you are going to be in beautiful country and tourist towns. It is an excellent opportunity for a family vacation. Bring your wives/girlfriends and kids.

Eye Candy of what awaits you:

Farmington
Sandstone everywhere!


Graham, one of your guides, is holding the strap. I'm holding the white rope.


Random obstacle




San Juan Mountains
Cliffs, granite, and beauty everywhere!


1,000 foot drop offs!


Who's in? Definitely/Probably/Maybe? Whole trip/Farmington only/SW Colorado only?

We will all ride together in Colorado but we'll group up in Farmington.

Farmington Guide #1 -Graham- -Lexus LX450- Will be running Cliffhanger trails for the lifted, locked, armored, and/or stupid (At your own risk) These trails will probably cause body damage to the un-armored and roll over is unlikely but still quite possible. Have straps ready to go.

Farmington Guide #2 -Greg (Me, BirdTRD)- Will guide closer to stock vehicles through lesser trails and obstacles. Opportunities to push the limits of your truck should be easily found.

Drew02a (Lifted, locked f and r, loves body damage) Definitely/ Whole trip (w/ Graham)
Whitecloud (Lifted, LSD) Definitely/ Whole trip (w/ Greg)
Loudpedal (Lifted) Definitely/ Whole trip (w/ Greg)
dustin81 (Lifted, LSD, some armor) Definitely/ Whole trip (w/ Greg)
oakleytrd (TTORA) (Lifted, locked f and r, full armor) Definitely/ Whole trip (w/ Graham)
johnecon2001 (TTORA) (Lifted, locked f and r, armor) Definitely/ Whole trip) (w/ Graham)
fsbrain03 (Lifted, locked rear, some armor) Definitely/ Whole trip (w/ Greg)
TL697 (Locked rear, probably some armor) Definitely/ Whole trip (w/ Greg)
Taco505 (Stock 4x4) Definitely/ Whole trip (w/ Greg)

Stuff you need/want:
-The baddest truck you can put together by then. This is your excuse to buy crap you wouldn't otherwise need.
-Consider removing your sway bar (flex is really, really good here) Free!
-Consider dumping your exhaust behind the axle (These sandstone ledges are just dying to crush the tip of the stock set up) Free!
-Consider the diff breather mod (There's a strong chance we'll cross water in Colorado) I think this cost me about $10
-2nd gens w/ towing package should move the 7-pin plug hanging down. It WILL get ripped of here. Mine did.
-Try to have a CB for the meet. You can get one at Walmart for as little as $35.
-Recovery gear (Tow straps, lifts, etc.) Bring whatcha got.
-Trail gear (Shovels, axes, etc.) There is a chance we'll have to do some trail repair or snow/rock clearing up in CO.
-Basic tools
-Camping gear (Try to bring a small tent because space, particularly flat space, will be limited.)
-Photography/video equipment, you'll have tons of really cool photo opportunities.
-Clothing for really hot, really cold, and really wet weather. We'll probably see above 90 in Farmington, around freezing at night in the mountains, and some afternoon rain showers in the mountains that aren't even in the forecast. At that elevation, forecasts don't count.
-All the other usual crap you'd need on a trip like this.
-Bug spray (The mosquitoes are pretty aggressive up in the mountains)
-Sun screen (Even people that "don't burn" get burnt at this elevation)
-Secure your stuff in your bed or it's going to end up all over the place

If you can bring one or more of the following community items, let me know and I'll put you down :
Also let me know if you need something (small tent, camp chair, etc.) and I'll put it on the list. Odds are somebody has one they can loan you. I have like 3 of everything when it comes to camping. Also let me know if there's community stuff I didn't think of.
-EZ-UP type canopy (Greg, BirdTRD)
-EZ-UP type canopy
-Small charcoal grill (Blair, Loudpedal)
-Small charcoal grill (Jonathon, Whitecloud)
-Small charcoal grill (Brian, fsbrain03)
-Bag of charcoal (Blair, Loudpedal)
-Bag of charcoal (Brian, fsbrain03)
-Bag of charcoal
-Camp stove and fuel (Andrew, Drew02a)
-Camp stove and fuel (Jonathon, Whitecloud)
-Camp stove and fuel
-Lantern (Troy, TL697)
-Lantern
-1 night's worth of firewood (Troy, TL697)
-1 night's worth of firewood


Links:

Farmington links (Tourism):
http://farmingtonnm.org/index.html

Chokecherry Canyon links (Wheeling):
www.4x4now.com/trnmcc.htm
http://www.4x4now.com/trnmf97.htm
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QN9nKOkL4GE
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ot_SkSjb-AY

SW Colorado links (Tourism):
http://www.durango.org/
http://www.silvertoncolorado.com/
http://www.ouraycolorado.com/

San Juan Mountains links (Wheeling):
http://www.ouraycolorado.com/Jeeping (See pdf part way down this page)
http://www.narrowgauge.org/4x4/html/blkbear.html
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLfWahjceG4
http://www.narrowgauge.org/4x4/html/engineer.html
http://www.4x4now.com/a4f98b.htm

 

2. Drew02a Almost Definitely/Whole trip

 

wow. this looks like the trip of a lifetime.

 

I put me in for the whole trip. I might have my beater Jeep fixed by then too.

 

I'd love to go, BUT im afraid i'd screw up my truck and not make it home.

 

I am damn sure going to try & make it. Drew I would be willing to leave the 4runner home & just wheel with you to make our traveling arrangments easier / cheaper. I got really crappy fuel milage towing the 4runner last weekend. If I towed you instead we could work something out on fuel?

x2, looks like a blast!

 

or, I could ride with you pay for fuel, Ect???

 

Let me reiterate that you do not have to hit extreme terrain and potentially damage your vehicle. If you want to go Captain Insane-O, this is the place for you. However, if you don't, there are plenty of lesser obstacles to play on. The mountain part of the trip is not as crazy as Farmington. There are cliffs and whatnot but as long as you don't drive off of those, most of the mountain trails are mostly navigable by stock 4x4's.

 

I would def. need to have somebody to help with fuel if I am going to go 800 miles like this! I got about 10mpg on my way to Shiloh-Ridge running 70 with the AC on.

 

dam for us texas people this will be a long drive ...

 

How functional would a prerunner be ? ... or in other words would you think its worth taking the trip with a pre-runner equiped with a locker, lift and some good tires or it wouldnt be able to do much ? i would like to take my truck and wheel but if i cant i would still love to go just to hang out and see everyone else perform ... ....

 

I'd be down for that if Christa isn't coming, but I think she is going to want to. Which would mean no extra room in the regular cab. Maybe one of the other Texas dudes would be down though?

 

Yes, it is most definitely a road trip but I don't think you'll regret it. The Colorado towns of Durango, Silverton, Ouray, and Telluride are all tourist based. They are all absolutely gorgeous and cater to out-of-towners. Bring girlfriends, wives, and kids. If they don't want to wheel, drop them off in town. They will easily stay busy. These towns are loaded with restaurants, gift shops, and boutiques. They are small towns and easily can be walked from one side to the other. These towns are legitimate vacation destinations. If you're camping, all you need is gas, food, and beer money.

You would obviously be limited. In Farmington, you probably would not be able to do any of the famous trails but there is plenty of stuff to play around on. There are random obstacles and "playgrounds" all over the place.

In Colorado, you would be able to do quite a bit. Like many places, most of the obstacles have bail out areas. Most of these roads are old mining roads originally built to transport machinery and ore across. While their condition has deteriorated over the years, keep in mind they were originally cut out of mainly granite so they've held up fairly well over time. Also, if we drive from Ouray to Telluride over a difficult pass such as Black Bear, there are parallelish passes that are much less demanding but still very scenic like Last Dollar Road. Meet up with us and camp in Telluride.

Click on some of the links I have on the first post. You'll find pictures and descriptions of the various places to help you make the decision.

 

I would def. like to meet up for these meets. If any of y'all go to Moab I'll probably go, try to make at least a trip a year but I ride atv's in Moab, not my Taco.

 

Shit Id be down. May have to cut out early cause of work or somthing but Ill start making plans

 

Hells yeah! You should tow the Cream Puff out there and split gas with Rob.

 

hoochie momma that would eat gas. Course if gas was split i wouldnt care to much. id wanna go tow it around for a bit to see how it was first

 

Maybe Andy would ride along to make it a 3 way... split that is, lol

 

what is the saying? Cash, grass or ass? I could get all 3!

 

I hope you can make it.

We could form alliances and have you banned mid-weekend.