cfr
July 26th, 2009, 12:25 AM
First off, no pics. Sorry. Second, I usually wheel alone with the kids (can't often plan ahead much) but on weekend days (busy) and I'm cautious about what we try. This time, caution told us to grab an ice cream and enjoy the ride home.
Ran Johnny Park Road today with the kids. Started on the East end and ran the 118A section first that goes by Camp Look, through Johnny Park (according to the GPS) and to the campground before the first big set of rocks.
There were a couple of tricky rock sections, but made it through with only a few bonks on the skid plates (ouch!). Would have done much better with a spotter but it was just me and the kids. Had a picnic lunch on the rocks looking at the very scenic views and then finished the trail.
We grabbed a snack at the Meeker General Store and then down to Raymond to find the entrance to the (elusive) Miller Rock trail. As usual, the the instructions in Charles Wells book were outstanding. The entrance of the trail is through what looks like a driveway. Having his GPS waypoints made it easy.
The first several hundred feet of this trail are very tight. Narrow road with tight trees and bushes. After a turn or two, the trail is off-camber. It would get real interesting if a truck were coming the other way.
Within the first few turns there are a few interesting rock sections and then... I didn't reset my odometer at the beginning of the trail so I can't say how far in, but it wasn't far.
Sharp left turn followed by a sharp right uphill. Holy crap! There's no way I can make it up that. I didn't get out and look at it (my brain was instantly engaged in planning the escape route), but there was what looked like a 20-40 foot section of aggressive looking rocks (I swear they were snarling at me) that were way too much for us.
There was room at that sharp left to turn around, so we carefully backed down, turned around, breathed a sigh of relief, and left with our tails between our legs.
On the way out, we stopped at the Raymond General Store for an ice-cream sandwich and a popsicle. This was like walking into a time machine. The place probably hasn't changed much since the 1960s and the same guy has probably been working there since then. He wrote our items in his notebook and added it up with pencil and paper. He was very friendly and showed us a map of the area and suggested some trails and hikes. Of course, the kids didn't like having to wait while their ice cream and popsicles were melting but I had a great time talking with the old guy.
Anyway, we didn't see much of the Miller Rock trail and what we did see scared me. I was a bit surprised because the FJC videos I'd seen on youtube didn't look that bad and the Wells book said that there was only one optional obstacle. Maybe erosion with all of the recent rain has made this trail more difficult. Hmm, maybe I should have re-read the traildamage.com page. I've read it in the past, but I decided to take a look at this trail as we were headed back to Lyons. Didn't really plan to do it in advance.
I'd like to try this again with someone who's familiar with it. Anyone here run this? In what vehicle with what mods?
Ran Johnny Park Road today with the kids. Started on the East end and ran the 118A section first that goes by Camp Look, through Johnny Park (according to the GPS) and to the campground before the first big set of rocks.
There were a couple of tricky rock sections, but made it through with only a few bonks on the skid plates (ouch!). Would have done much better with a spotter but it was just me and the kids. Had a picnic lunch on the rocks looking at the very scenic views and then finished the trail.
We grabbed a snack at the Meeker General Store and then down to Raymond to find the entrance to the (elusive) Miller Rock trail. As usual, the the instructions in Charles Wells book were outstanding. The entrance of the trail is through what looks like a driveway. Having his GPS waypoints made it easy.
The first several hundred feet of this trail are very tight. Narrow road with tight trees and bushes. After a turn or two, the trail is off-camber. It would get real interesting if a truck were coming the other way.
Within the first few turns there are a few interesting rock sections and then... I didn't reset my odometer at the beginning of the trail so I can't say how far in, but it wasn't far.
Sharp left turn followed by a sharp right uphill. Holy crap! There's no way I can make it up that. I didn't get out and look at it (my brain was instantly engaged in planning the escape route), but there was what looked like a 20-40 foot section of aggressive looking rocks (I swear they were snarling at me) that were way too much for us.
There was room at that sharp left to turn around, so we carefully backed down, turned around, breathed a sigh of relief, and left with our tails between our legs.
On the way out, we stopped at the Raymond General Store for an ice-cream sandwich and a popsicle. This was like walking into a time machine. The place probably hasn't changed much since the 1960s and the same guy has probably been working there since then. He wrote our items in his notebook and added it up with pencil and paper. He was very friendly and showed us a map of the area and suggested some trails and hikes. Of course, the kids didn't like having to wait while their ice cream and popsicles were melting but I had a great time talking with the old guy.
Anyway, we didn't see much of the Miller Rock trail and what we did see scared me. I was a bit surprised because the FJC videos I'd seen on youtube didn't look that bad and the Wells book said that there was only one optional obstacle. Maybe erosion with all of the recent rain has made this trail more difficult. Hmm, maybe I should have re-read the traildamage.com page. I've read it in the past, but I decided to take a look at this trail as we were headed back to Lyons. Didn't really plan to do it in advance.
I'd like to try this again with someone who's familiar with it. Anyone here run this? In what vehicle with what mods?