2nd Annual Colorado Jeep-CJ.com Trail Ride

[BusaDave9]

Itinerary

Sunday August 26th: Arrival day. No trail rides are planed. Get checked into your motel in Ouray. (Motel recommendations on the first post). If you have spare time check out the shops or take a walk in Box Canyon. It's a park in the SW corner of town with a paid admission but it's worth it. At 7:00 pm we will meet at O'Brien's Pub at 726 Main St. for dinner, drinks and jeep talk.

Monday August 27th: After breakfast we'll dive right in to show you what four-wheeling in Colorado is like. We will head a few miles south of Ouray and take Lower Engineer Trail. As we leave highway 550 we will lock our hubs, shift into 4WD Low and maybe air down (I have CO2 if you are worried about airing back up). The trail will be rough right from the start. It will be slow going. Lots of rocks and some off camber places where your jeep will tilt to the downhill slope but it really isn't too difficult. There are some obsticales but they all have by-passes. I love this trail. Not easy enough for your grandma but not hard either. You will get the feeling you are getting deep into rugged terrain. Eventually we will rise above the tree line and head up and over Engineer Pass. Here you will feel like you are on top of the world.
We will have to back track a couple of miles. Once we get back to the fork for Lower Engineer Pass road we will turn to the left. Next stop Animas Forks Ghost town. There are several ghost towns around here this is one of my favorites. This Town is at over 11000 feet high in the mountains. It is usually winter this high. It's a beautiful place in the summer but the summer is only a couple of months up this high.
By now we will be thinking about going back to town. We will head back behind Animas forks into California Gulch. (a lot of these places are named after the miner's homes). We will go over California Pass then over Hurrican Pass. We will decend a little before going back up over Corkscrew Pass and down to highway 550. Then we will head back to Ouray.

Lower Engineer Pass Trail
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Tuesday August 28th: Now things get exciting. Today: Black Bear Pass & Imogene Pass. After Breakfast we will head south on 550 a few miles to Red Mountain Pass. This is the 9th highest paved mountain pass in the US but we have only started our upward travel. This is an easy trail. That is easy UNTIL we start our decent. That's when thing get interesting. This trail gets down right scarry. It's not really hard but we are going down a 5000 foot cliff. If you go off the trail you will fall 1000 feet. If this sounds too scary you can take Ophir Pass to meet us in Telluride.
At the bottom we will be in Telluride. Time for lunch in one of the bars or restaurants. We will head back to Ouray over Imogene Pass. This is a longer trail than Black Bear but it dumps us our right into Ouray.

Black Bear Pass with Telluride in the background
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Wednesday August 29th: Today we will take Browns Gulch trail. This is a high altitude trail that runs above highway 550. It is not difficult but it is beautiful. We will be able to see the highway far below us (yes the one that is the 9th highest highway in the US). We will get back on the highway for a short distance near Silverton. Then we will head back up a 4x4 trail to Clear Lake. After that we will have dinner at a Siverton Restaurant.

Clear Lake
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Thursday August 30th: I didn't want to do this trail too early in the week in case someone broke something. But today's the day for Poughkeepsie Gulch.

If you are not up to it I can point you to another route to meet us at the top. Poughkeepsie Gulch is a difficult trail and it's mainly because of the obstacle at the top. If it's too much for you then you can be winched up.

Poughkeepsie Gulch
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Friday August 31st: We will head to Bear Town Site. Up above Bear Town site we will go to Kite Lake.

Kite Lake above Bear Town Site
​

Saturday Sept. 1st: Travel day to get back home.

 

[IOPort51]

This works for me.

grin from ear to ear.

 

[BusaDave9]

if the opportunity to chase brook trout with my fly stick were to present itself it would not be a major hardship.

Larry, I don't fish but fly fishing is popular around here. I could show you a spot I've heard is good on the Animas River just south of Silverton. Wednesday might be a good day. That's the only day we won't be on trails that you have recommended.

Who else is coming?

 

[IOPort51]

Wednesday could work but we will play that by ear.

just 76 days to go gang!!

is it just going to be me and Dave on this trip??

I promise you this will be an adventure to remember, in the distant future you will remember 2013 as the year after we went to Ouray and Black Bear pass.

just 76 more days!!

Did I mention that the first round is on me??

Larry, I don't fish but fly fishing is popular around here. I could show you a spot I've heard is good on the Animas River just south of Silverton. Wednesday might be a good day. That's the only day we won't be on trails that you have recommended.

Who else is coming?

 

[Kilo19]

So i have a question as far as being a little new at this...is there anything that needs to be done in order to join in (other then having the wheels moving), and do you guys have like sponsers to pay for the trip...just sounds really really awesome, but don't know what it would take to join in...plus i wouldn't be ready for a while, little frankenstein is still being dugg up from my back yard

but any help would be great, thx guys...really love those pictures.

 

[BusaDave9]

is there anything that needs to be done in order to join in

You only need to be a member of Jeep-CJ.com. And that you are. Just show up on August the 26th or any other day that week and you can join in on the trail rides.
Also place your vote on this thread. That's just for me to know how many people will be showing up.
This trip will be awesome. Even though I live here I have a great time each time I go up into the mountains with my jeep.

Edit: Google tells me to get to Ouray you will have to drive 934 miles and it will take you almost 17 hours of driving. I know it's alot to say it will be worth the trouble but it will be worth the trouble.

 

[Sasquach]

Gorgeous photo's Dave. Wish I was going. :drool:

 

[IOPort51]

"do you guys have like sponsors to pay for the trip??

this would be a great Idea, work on it will you Dave??

local hotels and restaurants, free goods and services while we make there businesses look more interesting wit a bunch of CJs parked around the place.

I guess we will be self sponsored for a while yet.
​

 

[BusaDave9]

do you guys have like sponsers to pay for the trip.

Yes, we do. Jeep-CJ.com will pay for gas on the trail rides! Thanks CJ!
Gas while on the trail rides, not to get to Colorado.
Plus we will each get a windshield banner.
All this from a web site that doesn't charge for membership.

 

[CJ]

Busa - I have banners being made now - send them to you?

 

[Kilo19]

Busa, thx

I wish I was going but I won't br able to get her up and running by then, but if you guys are doing thus again, most def count me in next year?

 

[BusaDave9]

So who else will be coming?
Niedhogg, TheDirtyCJ and CJim7. Do you guys think you will be able to make it?

It's 2 months away. Time to schedule vacation time and make reservations.

 

[TheDirtyCJ]

This time for sure! Dave, I've got the time off and the $ to pay for it. All I need to do now is not get in my own way. I believe you can put me on the 99.9% list of showing up. Man, I cant wait!

 

[Kilo19]

NICE set up there "dirtycj", not to diss everyone else's, Busa, CJ, you guys too have some slick rides.

 

[BusaDave9]

This time for sure!

Sounds great! Looking forward to four wheeling with you, Ken!

 

[IOPort51]

God, I am going to be soooo outclassed.

y'all have to promise not to leave me on the mountain when I fall behind.

 

[TheDirtyCJ]

Dave, I saw the post about the hotels to book, can you recomend the one that we can all hang at? Decent food and most important - comfortable beds.

 

[BusaDave9]

Dave, I saw the post about the hotels to book, can you recomend the one that we can all hang at? Decent food and most important - comfortable beds.

I recommend The River's Edge Motel. That's were I will be staying. They only have a continental breakfast but it's only a couple of blocks from good taverns and restaurants.

 

[TheDirtyCJ]

I'll make the res's tomorrow!

 

[Tin Medic]

I see that a recommendation is 1 piece axles, how do I know if I have 1 or 2 piece axles? I would like make the ride just want to know that the CJ will make it in one piece.