NM Adventure Series

Aspen are changing. Awesome scenery!

 

Been back in ABQ for a week and a half. The wife and I ventured to the San Juan’s to hit Black Bear Pass and Imogene before they close for the season.

It was amazing to be sure but Black Bear was so crowded. Didn’t get many pics but ended up following some dumbass in a TRD pro, that had the hardest time with the famous first switch back two wheels off the ground. I could tell if he was going to slam into the rock or flip his dumbass over.


Imogene was an easier route and much less busy, but prettier I think. We had a great time. Now it’s time to start exploring NM back roads and off-roading.

And some obligatory aspens.

 

Spent our first camping trip in our Go Fast Camper in the Lincoln National Forest. It's safe to say we're pretty happy with the purchase already. Much faster to get everything set up compared to setting up the RTT and annex just to have enough room for us, the kid, and the dog. Just a few pics of camp as well as how we kind of organized everything.


_DSC0006 (2) by Brent Prater, on Flickr
_DSC0007 (2) by Brent Prater, on Flickr
_DSC0010 (2) by Brent Prater, on Flickr
_DSC0012 (2) by Brent Prater, on Flickr
_DSC0022 (2) by Brent Prater, on Flickr
_DSC0025 by Brent Prater, on Flickr
_DSC0026 by Brent Prater, on Flickr
_DSC0030 by Brent Prater, on Flickr
_DSC0034 by Brent Prater, on Flickr
_DSC0035 by Brent Prater, on Flickr
_DSC0036 by Brent Prater, on Flickr
_DSC0041 by Brent Prater, on Flickr
_DSC0042 by Brent Prater, on Flickr



Camping counts as "temporary use", right?
_DSC0044 by Brent Prater, on Flickr

 

Looks amazing!!

 

Nice setup!!

 

Thanks! I need to get new leaf springs soon though. I've been running an add-a-leaf for the past 2 years and they're about at the end of their life.

 

Looks like a great trip to break in the GFC, how much do those weigh? My FlipPac is around 350lb and Dekar medium pack is working great for me.

 

This size weighs 275lbs according to GFC. I’m debating whether or not to go with Deaver U402 stage 2 or stage 3. Stage 2 would be perfect right now, but I know I’ll need to bump up to stage 3 some day. I would guess I’ve got 600lbs over factory when fully loaded.

 

I ran the stage 3 springs when I had my GFC and a small interior build out. I also had a HC bumper with a 37" spare and dual jerry cans though, but the springs rode really well.

 

Good info. Didn’t know you had 37’s on your Tacoma at one point! My 315’s sitting in the garage look massive enough compared to the stockers.

I probably won’t do much of an interior build, but everything else sounds pretty similar to what I plan to get to eventually. Probably better off going stage 3 and dealing with a possible rough ride for the time being.

 

Yeah I got a great deal on them and that's the only reason I did it. They were awesome though. And for the springs, I would rather be a little stiffer riding than soft.

 

Does anyone on here fly fish?

 

We went to the Jemez this weekend with my parents and my brother and his wife. We did about 90 dirt miles from Cuba over to Espanola.

 

I saw that a lot of people went out there this weekend. Looks nice!

We went to Gila National Forest, got yelled at by a rancher, and had to come back early because my wife got sick. Haven’t uploaded the pics yet.

 

It's an awesome area and really nice this time of year.

Bummer about the wife getting sick and getting yelled at by a rancher haha. The Gila is pretty sweet though, lots of places to get lost.

 

@STravis , nice Jemez trip. Which FS road is that with the rocky section? I've been through many of the areas pictured and don't recall seeing that anywhere.

Also, did you end up selling your Tacoma? I think I spotted it headed southbound on I-25 Sunday just north of Bernalillo with a treadmill loaded in the bed. Has your brother worn out those 295 BFGs yet?

 

That was forest road 144. It had about a mile to a mile and a half of pretty big rocks and rough spots.

I sold the Tacoma in April. A guy up in Albuquerque bought it. He's actually trying to sell it again I think.

My brother wore those tires out last year or so and went with some smaller duratracs he got a deal on so they could pull there camp trailer easier. But he sold that and is in the market for bigger tires again.

 

This happened. Had to yank out a Chevy 4WD Silverado in the process. Good times!

 

Pictures from our weekend in the Gila National Forest. Tons of trails and history to explore. Definitely need to make another trip out there once more stuff opens back up.

We followed the New Mexico Backcountry Discovery Route to where we camped for the night, starting in Chloride, NM. As you can read in the pics, it was a mining town that did fairly well compared to most others. Thankfully, this town has turned it's history into something that keeps the town operating, not to mention the active St. Cloud mining operation nearby. It's too bad that everything is closed due to Coronavirus, because there seems to be a lot of history here.













Their famous "National Forest". Better known as the hanging tree, but I guess that's not exactly PC anymore
_DSC0017 by Brent Prater, on Flickr


After airing down and a quick diaper change, we continued on through Chloride Creek which is about a 9 mile long trail that winds through the creek between the walls of the canyon. Lots of colors as the weather changes and just a bit of water near the end.



We decided to stop at Monument Park cabin for lunch. This was unfortunately closed off as well...






We continued on to camp for the night, passing by multiple primitive camp sites and old cabins. At some point during this section as we were driving about 15mph down a straightaway, two ranchers on horses were coming towards us out of a valley. We stopped to see what they wanted, and the older gentlemen immediately began yelling for us to slow down as it was a 5mph road and I was going to hurt his cattle. Confused, I double checked our maps to ensure we were still on public property and ensured him that I didn't see any signs stating the speed limit. He shortly took off and yelled, "You heard me!" Later we did see a handmade sign that said, "NOT A UTV RUN. SLOW DOWN, 10MPH!" Safe to assume that this guy has had issues with UTVs in the past and doesn't care for people driving too fast near his cattle. While I understand his concern as ranching is hard, he doesn't get to set the speed limits for Forest Service roads. I would be interested to know the law on this. As far as I know the Gila National Forest does not have any specific laws governing speed when not posted, so it would rely on local and state law. But, I'm not sure.








We got to our camp and Dripping Vat Campground which is a really nice site with 40 primitive spots with firepits, picnic tables, and grills. There were about 5 other campers there, so we had plenty of space to feel secluded beside Snow Lake.



Some interesting rules regarding the Mexican Wolf. Not sure how I feel about the pets and cattle ones...

 

Looks like you all had a good time down there, it's definitely a pretty drive. Every time I've been down that way Monument Cabin has been closed up even pre-COVID I've been curious to see what it looks like inside. Where were you at when the rancher yelled at you? I'm wondering if it's the area I'm thinking about. Next time you're in the area check out FS226A it's the road up to the Lookout Mountain watch tower definitely worth the views. Did you make it to Reserve or just to Dripping Vat and another way home? Taking the pass at Corner Mountain down into Reserve breaking tracks in a half-foot of snow is skettttchy haha.