Three Days in Ouray

[Chris]

We're packing up and heading home today after three days of trails in Ouray. Day one was Black Bear and Imogene, day two Engineer and Cinnamon and day three wandering the Red Mountain area and Animus Fork exploring the mines, etc. Without a doubt the worst weather we've ever had here but I wouldn't change a thing. We had everything from sunny skies to heavy rain, snow & hail at altitude with lots of opportunity to dive in the clouds. The only time it was a bit unnerving was the final leg of Imogene heading to the peak with visibility of at the most 15 feet.

I'll add more pics after getting home later today. In the meantime here are a couple. One showing the top of Imogene and the clouds we drove through and the second showing how much a flat lander enjoyed the climb. :lol:

[Smash]

Lol!

Looking forward to seeing the rest of the pics, drive safe on the way home!

[Funrover]

Be Safe! Looking forward to pics!

[Brody]

Nice pictures! I like the hands on the O **** bar one!

I also like the new ham radio antenna on the top of your rig. Did that improve the reception at all? And does it fold down out of the way? Looks like something Randy is probably going to put on his rig at some point when he gets tired of talking to truckers in Alabama and wants to talk to some wheelers in Oz.....

[Mporter]

White knuckle ride eh?

[Rob]

You gonna be able to get the handprint indentations out of that grab bar?

[WINKY]

Nice pictures! I like the hands on the O **** bar one!

I also like the new ham radio antenna on the top of your rig. Did that improve the reception at all? And does it fold down out of the way? Looks like something Randy is probably going to put on his rig at some point when he gets tired of talking to truckers in Alabama and wants to talk to some wheelers in Oz.....



HAHAHAHAHAH :lol::lol::lol:



"Dorothy? Dorothy? do you copy? This is the scarecrow!"

[white collar redneck dad]

nice pics

[Smash]

Chomping at the bit to see your photos Chris!!

[Roostercruiser]

HAHAHAHAHAH :lol::lol::lol:



"Dorothy? Dorothy? do you copy? This is the scarecrow!"


you forgot to click your heels:lol:

[Funrover]

So where are these pics promised????

[Chris]

I came home to family visiting.

[ROKTAXI]

Chris.... I'll help you out with a few photos. It was great to hook up with you and Barb. Hope we can do some other (non traditional?) trails, maybe here in Moab some time.

[Smash]

Wow. Beautiful!!

[ROKTAXI]

Chris......... these are pictures from Sunday. This is a mine out of Silverton called the Mayflower Mine. The trail to it is a pretty high pucker factor but well worth it. Lots of stuff laying around to explore! As we were coming down, the Jeep was making an unfamiliar noise (clank,clank,clank) which appeared to be coming from the T/C. Only made the noise in 4 low 1st gear going down a VERY steep grade. The 4:1 Rubicon T/C coupled with the 4.88's may have helped to magnify the sound?? Anyway, we decided to head home on Monday and will try to find out what the noise is.

[Funrover]

Fantastic shots, such a beautiful area!

[Chris]

Black Bear Pass:

We didn't take many pics of Black Bear Pass. I was a bit apprehensive about running this after all the rain that fell the day and night before but decided to check it out anyway. We had the trail pretty much to ourselves and a Forest Service truck that appeared to be checking it out. The wet trail didn't make it any worse and it was just fine. Beautiful area without a doubt.

[Funrover]

BB Pass is an amazing trail, not difficult but very beautiful!

[Chris]

Imogene:

After Black Bear we ran Imogene Pass back to Ouray from Telluride. The Telluride Bluegrass festival was going on so Telluride was pretty busy. It turned out that Imagene was too. A group of 40 Jeep Jamboree trucks and a Hummer club of 14 were running the trail in the opposite direction. We were cautioned that it was a mess up higher after waiting for about 17 Jeeps descended. We only ran in to the Hummer group, the rest of the Jeeps must have turned around.

The best part of this run was watching the approaching rain trying to catch us and attempting to stay ahead of it which we couldn't do. The final approach was where we got caught and visibility dropped to maybe 20 feet. That's the white knuckle pic and antenna pic on the first post. I'll add a few that will show the clouds on one side and clear sky on the other side of the pass. The clouds did catch us again so we had rain & hail on this run too.

[Chris]

Day 2 we ran Engineer & Cinnamon with Roktaxi (Marty) and his crew. Very nice meeting you and Betty Marty! Same goes for Guy and his family!

I'll post my pics of that after I fix the header of the site which mysteriously vanished when I added the Google search. :mad:

[Smash]

Man, I can't believe there is still so much to this state that I can't even touch yet. I'm anxious to get into a vehicle that can take me more places! Fantastic photos.

[Funrover]

Man, I can't believe there is still so much to this state that I can't even touch yet. I'm anxious to get into a vehicle that can take me more places! Fantastic photos.

Seriously there is a ton to do. I hope I am able to do most of it in a lifetime

[Chris]

Engineer Pics:

[Roostercruiser]

i wanna be retired:rolleyes:

[Chris]

Cinnamon Pass Pics:

[Funrover]

Keep the pics coming! These are some great shots

[Chris]

Chris......... these are pictures from Sunday. This is a mine out of Silverton called the Mayflower Mine. The trail to it is a pretty high pucker factor but well worth it. Lots of stuff laying around to explore! As we were coming down, the Jeep was making an unfamiliar noise (clank,clank,clank) which appeared to be coming from the T/C. Only made the noise in 4 low 1st gear going down a VERY steep grade. The 4:1 Rubicon T/C coupled with the 4.88's may have helped to magnify the sound?? Anyway, we decided to head home on Monday and will try to find out what the noise is.

I've added the Mayflower Mine to the list for our next trip, the pics are great and I'm sure Barb would love that area. We spent Sunday in the Red Mountain area with a short trip to Animus Fork before dinner in Silverton.

I hope the t/c noise isn't a major issue, let us know what you find. Say "hi" to Betty for us. Barb says "I'm not really anti-social but I do hate the cold!"

I think non-traditional trails in the Moab area sounds great! :thunb:

[Chris]

Red Mountain Pics:

The snow and hail chased us out of this area which was pretty muddy already. The snow was coming down pretty hard and changed to hail. That, combined with a leaky sunroof, made things a bit uncomfortable. :D

[Funrover]

I really need to explore that part of CO more

[Chris]

Me too! 3 days isn't enough. ;)

[Mporter]

Wow....I want to do this trail so much now

[ROKTAXI]

I've added the Mayflower Mine to the list for our next trip, the pics are great and I'm sure Barb would love that area. We spent Sunday in the Red Mountain area with a short trip to Animus Fork before dinner in Silverton.

I hope the t/c noise isn't a major issue, let us know what you find. Say "hi" to Betty for us. Barb says "I'm not really anti-social but I do hate the cold!"

I think non-traditional trails in the Moab area sounds great! :thunb:

So many places, so little time...... especially when the weather doesn't cooperate. There's a couple of other trails in Ouray that have some amazing old mine operations with the "stamps" preserved inside the buildings as they once were. I had hoped to visit that area with you, but......:( I have done almost all of the trails / roads in the Ouray area over the last 5+ years but I still like doing them over again. I don't tire of it at all!

I have an appointment in the morning at Moab 4x4 Outpost to try and figure out what that noise could be. They seem to think it could be the front drive shaft Cardian (sp?) U-joint or possibly a stretched chain in the t/c. Only clanks under extreme load going down hill.

Betty understands about the cold, because she's that way with the heat. She would be doing hand signals inside the Jeep with the A/C on. Hopefully we will be able to meet again (Moab?) under more favorable weather conditions.

I'll be going to Torry / Escalante area (with Guy & others) in 3 weeks for about 7 days. Betty's opting out of going on this one as we generally run very long days. I'll do a report on it when I get back, as it may be an area that could be used for a future FR4x4 trail run??

[Chris]

One other thing. Is there a speed camera at the top of Monarch Pass? I had something flash when cresting? I'd be pretty proud if I was speeding, the Cruiser owners would be impressed! :lol:

I was surprised to see a group of folks gathered on the opposite side of the road looking at a dead mountain lion. I don't know if it just got hit or what happened though.

Marty, the trip to Torry/Escalante sounds great let us know how it goes. Personally that kind of trip is more appealing than the standard trails we all know.

BTW, Guy's a real nice guy once he "warms up" to a guy. I'd like to have his experience on the trails. Especially the remote stuff you guys get to do.

[Mporter]

One other thing. Is there a speed camera at the top of Monarch Pass? I had something flash when cresting? I'd be pretty proud if I was speeding, the Cruiser owners would be impressed! :lol:


It's darn slow going to get the tanks up to high speed, ain't it?
But I guess once you do....things better hope you got good reaction time or can move outta the way in time ;)

[Chris]

An FJ62 with an H55F in 3rd gear makes that pass a breeze! :D

[ROKTAXI]

One other thing. Is there a speed camera at the top of Monarch Pass? I had something flash when cresting? I'd be pretty proud if I was speeding, the Cruiser owners would be impressed! :lol:

Don't know about any speed trap camera but I did notice a car had been pulled over when we were at that location, so maybe????

I was surprised to see a group of folks gathered on the opposite side of the road looking at a dead mountain lion. I don't know if it just got hit or what happened though.

Poor cat:(

Marty, the trip to Torry/Escalante sounds great let us know how it goes. Personally that kind of trip is more appealing than the standard trails we all know.

Hardly ever see another vehicle and the scenery is nothing short of stunning. Generally there's not much trail difficulty, but what there is can be a real challenge.

BTW, Guy's a real nice guy once he "warms up" to a guy. I'd like to have his experience on the trails. Especially the remote stuff you guys get to do.

Guy is a great 4-wheeler! However, his personality isn't always overly friendly except when you start talking about trails and related subjects. Even as many years I've known him, I still can't figure him out. But I do know if you had a problem on the trail he would be the first one to help and do whatever it took, no matter what inconvenience to him, to get you back to camp / home and would not want any compensation!! I've seen him in action!! And, any trail, any where, that you would like to do, he would gladly do it..... EXCEPT..... for most traditional Moab trails unless it was for a rescue or some other special reason. We're both "burned out" with these as we both have been doing these since the mid 80's. There are SO MANY areas around Moab that are great to explore but don't always offer the challenging experiences that some people are looking for. For me, the "challenge" is being in scenic, remote areas that have occasional challenges.


The White Rim is really a great SCENIC trail but requires almost a year in advance campsite reservations. Highly recommend this trail. If you want to ever set up run for that, let me know and I'll get the dates / info.

Lockhart Basin is also a great trail that has a "gate keeper", so not many full size 4x4's use it and also it's a rather long trail (150+ miles r/ trip).

[Chris]

Guy is a great 4-wheeler! However, his personality isn't always overly friendly except when you start talking about trails and related subjects. Even as many years I've known him, I still can't figure him out. But I do know if you had a problem on the trail he would be the first one to help and do whatever it took, no matter what inconvenience to him, to get you back to camp / home and would not want any compensation!! I've seen him in action!! And, any trail, any where, that you would like to do, he would gladly do it..... EXCEPT..... for most traditional Moab trails unless it was for a rescue or some other special reason. We're both "burned out" with these as we both have been doing these since the mid 80's. There are SO MANY areas around Moab that are great to explore but don't always offer the challenging experiences that some people are looking for. For me, the "challenge" is being in scenic, remote areas that have occasional challenges.

I like a guy like Guy, once we started talking about mine areas and radios he was engaged. I don't need a lot of chat and his attitude is great. He told me numerous spots that Barb would enjoy that we'll have to keep in mind next time around.

The White Rim is really a great SCENIC trail but requires almost a year in advance campsite reservations. Highly recommend this trail. If you want to ever set up run for that, let me know and I'll get the dates / info.

Lockhart Basin is also a great trail that has a "gate keeper", so not many full size 4x4's use it and also it's a rather long trail (150+ miles r/ trip).

I want to do White Rim next year, probably early Spring vs. late Fall. Any info on getting a reservation for the prized camp spot would be great.

[ROKTAXI]

I'll go to NPS hdqts this week and find out when they start taking reservations and get an overview of requirements / limitations. I like going there in person... I can find out more info as a rule.

[Chris]

:thunb: Thanks Marty!

[Smash]

Wow.

The photos!!

The last one!!!!


:bow:

[ROKTAXI]

Did I notice a B-Day event was going on TODAY?????:D Or are we not keeping track anymore???:rolleyes: AND.... is this one of the REALLY BIG ones as well??? Welcome to the ALMOST six-0 Club

[1freaky1]

Hope to explore that area one of these days everything I have seen of it just makes me wish I lived down that way.

[Chris]

Did I notice a B-Day event was going on TODAY?????:D Or are we not keeping track anymore???:rolleyes: AND.... is this one of the REALLY BIG ones as well??? Welcome to the ALMOST six-0 Club

We stopped noticing the small years, just every 5 or 10 years now. Next year is the "big one" ;)

[Pathrat]

I hope the t/c noise isn't a major issue, let us know what you find. Say "hi" to Betty for us. Barb says "I'm not really anti-social but I do hate the cold!"

I think non-traditional trails in the Moab area sounds great! :thunb:

I have stated this before: Barb is smart! Great pictures, I love the waterfall shot.

Non-traditional trails? Count me in if I can. I have suggestions too.

[Pathrat]

Roktaxi- I will be interested in the Escalante trail report too. I have been through the northern part and some of the midportion on pavement during road trips but want to eventually explore the area off road.

Lockhart. Man, I did not like that trail

[Brody]

Sweet pictures! I have never done any wheeling in the Ouray area, but have done a lot of ice climbing there, including the two waterfalls pictured and also the Ouray Ice Park. We had to ski into the falls and ended up camping out on the approach because of all the snow.

[ROKTAXI]

Roktaxi- I will be interested in the Escalante trail report too. I have been through the northern part and some of the midportion on pavement during road trips but want to eventually explore the area off road.

Lockhart. Man, I did not like that trail


This will be my first time wheeling in that area. One trail we are doing is an overnighter. Betty & I did a road trip this last winter to get a feel for the area. Pretty impressive area I must say.... even compared to Moab.

What's wrong with Lockhart Basin? It's just a shelf road that goes on for about 50+ miles. There's some nice spur roads that go to the River.

[ROKTAXI]

Chris....... Took the Jeep to 4x4 Outpost (Steve Nantz) and they found the front D/S CV and U-joints were bad. All better now. A few more items to replace (RF axle U-joint...preventative maintenance.... and valve cover gasket) and I'll be good to go for Escalante.

[Chris]

That's good to hear Marty, glad it wasn't anything more serious! :thunb: