Colorado Trip Reports

Damn, thats some serious wheel/tire deflection.

 

Want to make a trip up to the mountians with wife and kids. Will be coming from TX so long drive. Any suggestions. We want to do some camping during spring break. Last trip was a week in the desert. So this time we want water, trees........

 

When is your spring break? Most of them are far too early in the year to really get up into the mountains - everything is still snowed in. There are places you can go for sure, but it'll be winter camping.

 

We are flat landers so your hills will be mountains to us. We camp year round. My kids were raised in the woods. Will check with the wife for dates. Appreciate the help.

 

Even in March or April prepare for possible overnight lows around 0F in the high country. Or even in Denver for that matter...

 

Oh wow, yea it does not get that cold here period!

 

You might be able to find a place close to the base of the spanish peaks or maybe the sangre de cristo mountains (further south) to find a nice place that time of year.

 

Less of a trip, more of a jaunt: Geneva Creek last weekend.

Note: all pictures taken with a phone. I apologize in advance. Please give me your camera.

The first time I tried this in June in a stock truck I couldn't make it past this:




Round 2:

First night camped near Guanella Pass at the side of the road. I sat on my ass and sipped my beer while watching runners/bicyclists hump it up the hill.






The next day we promptly found a campsite near our destination.




Started to make our way up the road. Don't take pictures and drive, kids.



Especially at these angles.








Safe!




Note the Forest Service truck. I chose the wrong career field.











So much chrome. Scares wildlife and brings down aircraft.




See? You almost put your head through the screen, didn't you?






Denver Four Seasons.






DO NOT PISS ON MY TRUCK






Our recovery vehicle.




Leaf springs for sale. They're Dakars, or something. PM me with cash.













Back down. Less confident on the picture-taking.





Back "home". My tent was soaked, and we had to run back up Guanella pass to retrieve the rainfly that I left up there.






WHAT IS THIS



Seriously. There were chicken nuggets and fries, too. As it turned out, neither one was particularly flammable.

In any case, another successful journey.

 

It's funny, I've done Wheeler Lake a bunch of times, past friend had a cabin 10 minutes away from it so we were always playing on it. And it was only the last time I ran it I noticed that mine at the end lol. But I have seen all the mines scattered on the sides of the mountains along the way up there, quite a hike though to those. We found all sorts of cool mines everywhere around there. Dirt bikes made it quick to get around.

 

Very cool, Geneva has been on my list for a while to explore, you get a few different views of it from Red Cone and Santa Fe. Are any of the switchbacks driveable, or are they just skinny ass mining roads?

 

Just skinny ass mining roads. For a brief second, I thought that the Forest Service truck was going to try but it turned around instead.

 

Camped out on Green Ridge over the weekend. The gatekeeper puddle has less water in it than last year, but the hole has gotten deeper in a short section of it. Just a couple of vids of going on and coming back out a couple days later. The rest of the trail is surprisingly dry.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZXN2UXKzAI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qldytG_oGiw

 

I like how Troy has the tow strap hooked up and ready to go in the first vid.

 

There was some "good natured" commentary on that strap, from me...which is why I edited out the original audio. He had it on in the second vid too, again the edit.

 

First real trail I took my truck on when I got it, though I came in from the other (14) end. First puddle over there ate my front plate, and I didn't drive past Laramie Lake where we camped. Watched an older built rig go through it and decided there were way too many rocks and things hiding under the water for no sliders/armor. We walked a bit up it the next day and saw a few more puddles/bogs. Drove in from that end two years later and didn't even attempt that. It was more mud than water at the time, and I'd had my fill of mud. It looks like the atv bypasses have been left alone to recover, so that's good.

 

So ran Red Cone and then went and explored the Argentine Basin. Turns out there is a road in the Argentine Basin that goes all the way to the summit of the mountain separating Argentine from the Peru Creek Basin. The road used to go over and down into Peru Creek but it was blocked at the top. Some hikers came up from the Peru Creek side and told us the shelf road down that side had washed out in a couple of places. Too bad. It would make a great day trip. Gonna have to do some research and see when the road was active.

On to the pics.



And these are in the Argentine Basin area. They have already closed off any access to the Argentine Mill but the clean up work will not start until next summer. In the background you can see the road we took to the summit.

And the last part was the most fun. Really cool piecing together that we were above the Peru Creek Basin.


As we headed back to 285 over Guanella Pass we caught the sun setting near the summit. Made for a long but awesome day. Got to meet @JWaldz and wheel with Corey from @InSainFab for the first time.

 

Wow that first pic makes your truck look beefy. Also, lights.

Looks like good weather and a good time.

 

Did a last-minute trip to Chinns Lake. Is the upper reservoir normally this low?



Trees photobombed me. Didn't see it coming.



Campsite view.

 

I was up there probably 2 months ago....There was alot more water than what is in there now. It sure is beautiful up there.

 

Actually that first pic is of @JWaldz and his 3rd Gen 4 runner. Great to meet him and look forward to wheeling with him in the future. This is my truck now.