Short Report: So Cal to the San Juans, CO and back

clownmidget · 06-28-05, 01:36 PM

Not much of a "hardcore" wheeling trip but managed to do some fun stuff on our annual trip to Telluride, CO for a couple of days of the Bluegrass Festival. For anyone not familiar, it is a pretty decent excuse to go to that part of CO during a great time of year (www.planetbluegrass.com). We (me, wife and 4-yr old daughter) were loaded down with two mtn bikes and a two-seater Burley bike trailer, all our car-camping gear, food and coolers and anything else that would fit. That filled up the entire rear cargo area plus a roof top box.

We packed up our truck and left Riverside, CA on Wednesday afternoon and made it to Cedar City, UT the first night. A beutiful town with a great local hike and easy access to Cedar Breaks to the east. Second day made it to Moab, UT and set up camp on the Porcupine Rim. Played around on Fins & Things and rode the mtb's on the Slickrock Trail. Third day (Fri) left Moab and took the route around the south end of the La Sal Mtns over to Telluride, CO. Went with the posh accomodations and stayed in Mountain Village. A sweet gondola lift connects it to downtown Telluride. Two full days of checking out the live music, riding the mtn bikes some more and doing some great waterfall hikes in town. Sunday afternoon drove over Ophir pass (11,700-ft) towards Silverton. Tried to make Clear Lake and some other high elev destinations but was continually turned back by deep snow. Ended up camping nearby in the San Juan Forest campground. This ended up being our base for the next three days as the site was really nice. It allowed us to go into Silverton (about 15 mins) and Durango (about 1 hr) for fun and still come back for some quiet, secluded camping. Played around on Imogene Pass, Engineer Pass and some others but the snow was plenty deep in places! We finally left our great site and spent two nights down in Durango. A great town with plenty of awesome bike trails. Saw three nice 80's in town. One was really beat up from the trails with lots of dents and scrapes. One looked like a students (Ft Lewis College) with a nice moderate lift and beefy tires. And one was totally decked out expedition style with a million stickers covering it. I also got a nice friendly shout by a guy in a huge sprung-over 55 (blue) - very nice ride! From Durango we went down to Flagstaff and then tried to stay on old Rt 66 most of the way west making our way through Oatman, AZ then over to CA Rt 62 west to 29 Palms. The high desert was hot, dry and windy. Saw a lot of the recent fire damage as we went through Morongo Valley. Arrived back Saturday evening.

This is the 4th time we've made this journey, each time changing up the route, and I still need more time to explore southern UT and southwest CO. I'd also have to say that the 80 or a 100 has to be the perfect ride for doing this type of wide open exploring with a family. Not one issue with the truck on such a "short" jaunt, only 1888 miles. If anyone wants any specific info on any place I'd be happy to share and please share any cool additions you may have acquired in your travels to these areas - we'll be doing it again this winter and next summer too!

Sorry for the lame pics, I was too preoccupied to be carrying around a camera.

Mike R

YngTLCOwner · 06-28-05, 03:46 PM

Wow Mike that sounds like a great trip. Glad you had fun w/ family and made it back safely! If you have more pics please post them.

wesintl · 06-28-05, 04:22 PM

I actually heard Jewel was pretty good.

NorCalDoug · 06-28-05, 04:39 PM

Max Speed

sanjuancruiser · 06-28-05, 09:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NorCalDoug

Max Speed

Gotta love the triple digits! esp in a cruiser!

Sounds like a great trip! You must have run into the blue 55 at steamworks brewery?

FirstToy · 06-29-05, 12:27 AM

One of my goals is to get out to Colorado/Utah for a week. I have been inspired by photolouges on Mud, hope you post up more pics and info

Big_Moose · 06-29-05, 01:30 AM

CMidget,

How did the turbo do in the mountain passes? What about fuel mileage with Max Speeds?

Mountain passes / old mines are cool around Silverton, too bad the snow level is still prevalent. The Rockies are awesome to explore - I really like the Taylor Dan / River area

Joe

clownmidget · 06-29-05, 03:13 AM

Thanks. I'll try to find some decent pics. Moab on a "off" weekday is awesome. I think I honestly had the entire upper section of Porcupine Rim to myself. That is until the morning when two Japenese tourists in a rent-a-car showed up on the main dirt access road looking for Delicate Arch! No kidding.

Telluride is great but a bit too much given the amount of $$$ floating around. I really prefer Silverton & Ouray. I can't remember the snow being that deep since 1995. Waterfalls were literally everywhere with the melt.

Joe - to be honest the turbo is still at low boost (~3-lbs) until I get the fuel delivery set up the way I want it. Still it handled the elevation nicely - about like the s/c did but maybe a bit more torque. Fuel mileage was not even considered!!!! I did use the crap out of the sub-tank to avoid gouging and to extend some much needed naps (parents know what I mean). And of course I don't think I was getting very good mileage on the stretch north of Vegas

It'll pull north of that max speed even at its current setting so I'm pretty interested to keep tinkering.

clownmidget · 06-29-05, 12:25 PM

just standard stuff for the high country. Note the thunderheads that were continually forming. Lots of great afternoon thunder, lightning and rain but don't get caught out in it in cotton!

top to bottom:

snorkeling through snow!

lonely valley road

campsite next to trout stream

clownmidget · 06-29-05, 12:26 PM

still trying...

waterall, snow and thunderhead

open mine shaft

moonrise over Telluride

clownmidget · 06-29-05, 12:43 PM

06-28-05, 01:36 PM	#1
clownmidget IH8MUD Lifer Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Ithaca, New York Posts: 1,813	Short Report: So Cal to the San Juans, CO and back Not much of a "hardcore" wheeling trip but managed to do some fun stuff on our annual trip to Telluride, CO for a couple of days of the Bluegrass Festival. For anyone not familiar, it is a pretty decent excuse to go to that part of CO during a great time of year (www.planetbluegrass.com). We (me, wife and 4-yr old daughter) were loaded down with two mtn bikes and a two-seater Burley bike trailer, all our car-camping gear, food and coolers and anything else that would fit. That filled up the entire rear cargo area plus a roof top box. We packed up our truck and left Riverside, CA on Wednesday afternoon and made it to Cedar City, UT the first night. A beutiful town with a great local hike and easy access to Cedar Breaks to the east. Second day made it to Moab, UT and set up camp on the Porcupine Rim. Played around on Fins & Things and rode the mtb's on the Slickrock Trail. Third day (Fri) left Moab and took the route around the south end of the La Sal Mtns over to Telluride, CO. Went with the posh accomodations and stayed in Mountain Village. A sweet gondola lift connects it to downtown Telluride. Two full days of checking out the live music, riding the mtn bikes some more and doing some great waterfall hikes in town. Sunday afternoon drove over Ophir pass (11,700-ft) towards Silverton. Tried to make Clear Lake and some other high elev destinations but was continually turned back by deep snow. Ended up camping nearby in the San Juan Forest campground. This ended up being our base for the next three days as the site was really nice. It allowed us to go into Silverton (about 15 mins) and Durango (about 1 hr) for fun and still come back for some quiet, secluded camping. Played around on Imogene Pass, Engineer Pass and some others but the snow was plenty deep in places! We finally left our great site and spent two nights down in Durango. A great town with plenty of awesome bike trails. Saw three nice 80's in town. One was really beat up from the trails with lots of dents and scrapes. One looked like a students (Ft Lewis College) with a nice moderate lift and beefy tires. And one was totally decked out expedition style with a million stickers covering it. I also got a nice friendly shout by a guy in a huge sprung-over 55 (blue) - very nice ride! From Durango we went down to Flagstaff and then tried to stay on old Rt 66 most of the way west making our way through Oatman, AZ then over to CA Rt 62 west to 29 Palms. The high desert was hot, dry and windy. Saw a lot of the recent fire damage as we went through Morongo Valley. Arrived back Saturday evening. This is the 4th time we've made this journey, each time changing up the route, and I still need more time to explore southern UT and southwest CO. I'd also have to say that the 80 or a 100 has to be the perfect ride for doing this type of wide open exploring with a family. Not one issue with the truck on such a "short" jaunt, only 1888 miles. If anyone wants any specific info on any place I'd be happy to share and please share any cool additions you may have acquired in your travels to these areas - we'll be doing it again this winter and next summer too! Sorry for the lame pics, I was too preoccupied to be carrying around a camera. Mike R __________________ Mike R. hmmm....nuthin' Answer a fool according to his own folly.

06-28-05, 04:22 PM	#3
wesintl IH8MUD Lifer Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Denver TLCA# 4180 Posts: 3,573	I actually heard Jewel was pretty good. __________________ 1964 FJ40 \| 1966 M416 \| 1976 FJ40 \| 1985 BJ70 Volvo Power\| 1997 FZJ80 \| TDI commuter car Rising Sun; Former CLCC You should be able to delete your own thread. Communists abound Real Change is here --> Cato Institute

06-28-05, 04:39 PM	#4
NorCalDoug I Solve Problems... Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: uhhhh...duh...Northern CA TLCA# yes, I have one Posts: 5,063	Max Speed __________________ a couple pairs of pink panties... Another convert to the Church of Latter Day Swank, a sub-cult of Shahrislam "...Opportunity doesn't knock, you have to kick the fuckin door in and drag the bitch out screamin." -- Ullr "I have more respect for people who change their views after acquiring new information than for those who cling to views they held thirty years ago. The world changes. Ideologues and zealots don't." - Michael Crichton Buy TEQ Bottle Openers

06-29-05, 12:27 AM	#6
FirstToy tlcwagons.org Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 3,497	One of my goals is to get out to Colorado/Utah for a week. I have been inspired by photolouges on Mud, hope you post up more pics and info __________________ I love cachapas! my wip I drink your milkshake! Enzo: "Horsepower sells cars, torque wins races"

06-29-05, 01:30 AM	#7
Big_Moose IH8MUD Regular Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 419	CMidget, How did the turbo do in the mountain passes? What about fuel mileage with Max Speeds? Mountain passes / old mines are cool around Silverton, too bad the snow level is still prevalent. The Rockies are awesome to explore - I really like the Taylor Dan / River area Joe __________________ Joe 69 FJ40 350TPI, 270:1, 37" MTRs 71 FJ55 454V8 "Warthog" FZJ80 coil conversion 96 FZJ80 Locked & Blown, Homer Closer to the bone the sweeter is the meat...... Northern California TLC Wagons Los Angeles County Cruisers aka TrailCrew Los Angeles, Ca, USA

06-28-05, 03:46 PM	#2
YngTLCOwner IH8MUD Regular Join Date: May 2004 Location: So. Cali Posts: 287	Wow Mike that sounds like a great trip. Glad you had fun w/ family and made it back safely! If you have more pics please post them.

06-29-05, 03:13 AM	#8
clownmidget IH8MUD Lifer Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Ithaca, New York Posts: 1,813	Thanks. I'll try to find some decent pics. Moab on a "off" weekday is awesome. I think I honestly had the entire upper section of Porcupine Rim to myself. That is until the morning when two Japenese tourists in a rent-a-car showed up on the main dirt access road looking for Delicate Arch! No kidding. Telluride is great but a bit too much given the amount of $$$ floating around. I really prefer Silverton & Ouray. I can't remember the snow being that deep since 1995. Waterfalls were literally everywhere with the melt. Joe - to be honest the turbo is still at low boost (~3-lbs) until I get the fuel delivery set up the way I want it. Still it handled the elevation nicely - about like the s/c did but maybe a bit more torque. Fuel mileage was not even considered!!!! I did use the crap out of the sub-tank to avoid gouging and to extend some much needed naps (parents know what I mean). And of course I don't think I was getting very good mileage on the stretch north of Vegas It'll pull north of that max speed even at its current setting so I'm pretty interested to keep tinkering. __________________ Mike R. hmmm....nuthin' Answer a fool according to his own folly.

06-29-05, 12:25 PM	#9
clownmidget IH8MUD Lifer Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Ithaca, New York Posts: 1,813	more pics just standard stuff for the high country. Note the thunderheads that were continually forming. Lots of great afternoon thunder, lightning and rain but don't get caught out in it in cotton! top to bottom: snorkeling through snow! lonely valley road campsite next to trout stream __________________ Mike R. hmmm....nuthin' Answer a fool according to his own folly. Last edited by clownmidget; 06-29-05 at 12:35 PM.

06-29-05, 12:26 PM	#10
clownmidget IH8MUD Lifer Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Ithaca, New York Posts: 1,813	more pics still trying... waterall, snow and thunderhead open mine shaft moonrise over Telluride __________________ Mike R. hmmm....nuthin' Answer a fool according to his own folly. Last edited by clownmidget; 06-29-05 at 12:35 PM.

06-29-05, 12:43 PM	#11
clownmidget IH8MUD Lifer Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Ithaca, New York Posts: 1,813	more more more from Moab area __________________ Mike R. hmmm....nuthin' Answer a fool according to his own folly.

06-29-05, 01:21 PM	#12
FirstToy tlcwagons.org Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 3,497	Wow those are amazing pics! Thanks __________________ I love cachapas! my wip I drink your milkshake! Enzo: "Horsepower sells cars, torque wins races"

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