Finally, I've pasted the report below:
I wanted to take this time to describe last weekend's club run and to let everyone know what a valuable, extraordinary time Nancy and I had this weekend four wheeling with the BookCliff Cruisers Club. Present for the entire trip this weekend were Jonathan, Tiffany, their twin,14 month-old daughters(sorry, I forgot their names), and Kes, the golden retriever. Also along was Mitch, Callie, and their rescue greyhound (again I apologize for my memory loss). Along on Saturday were Jim and a visiting associate in Jim's FJ80.
Jonathan and his family were driving an incredibly well thought-out 100-series LandCruiser with lift, lockers, and tires. He's also done a remarkable job "building" the inside of this vehicle to accommodate his family on these kinds of trips. If you haven't seen his rig, check it out at a meeting! Mitch and his family drive a FJ62 which has gone through modifications such as swapping out the automatic transmission for a third world H55 five-speed manual. Both very capable rigs with two very good drivers with more experience than me.
As for me, my preparations for this trip had to change with three days remaining before departure. I was planning on taking my FJ 40 because I had seen the videos of long-wheelbase vehicles negotiating the switchbacks on Black Bear Pass. (If you don't know me, then you don't know that I over-prepare for everything!) That comes from a career of designing vehicles to safely carry people into space and back.
Well, on Tuesday I learned that I've got a bad trunnion bearing on the front, left corner. So rather than chance a mechanical failure in the back country, I chose to take my 93 Hi Lux mini truck which is in excellent mechanical condition, but was not built for hard-core four-wheeling. It is my daily driver, has undergone a 3.4 conversion, but was built to carry a small pop-up camper. With it's rear air bag suspension, and inherent loss of articulation, I was concerned that I'd be dragging it across most of Ouray county. And I didn't want to scratch my baby. Life is full of calculated risks-right? Prior to leaving I spoke with Jonathan, Mitch, and Hugh at Safari with the resulting decision to move forward!
Nancy and I arrived first at Ironton Park and proceeded to look for a camping spot. Mitch arrived shortly after, followed by Jonathan. We set up camp along the highway on the west side of 550.
Jim drove down from Cedaredge on Saturday morning and the four rigs set out for Engineer Pass around 10 AM. The initial climb up from the highway might be called a beginning rock crawl route. For the most part it was a rocky, scree-filled switchback route where I had to occasionally pick a line. There were not problems at all on that hill or during the rest of the day. Jonathan led us up Engineer Pass, and then back down to the ghost town of Animas Forks. We made frequent stops to explore several mines that Jonathan had encountered performing environmental impact studies as part of his employment. We spent a full day exploring mines, mills, and several passes. We explored Hurricane Basin, Mineral Point Gulch, and California Gulch. We descended through Corkscrew Gulch in a light rain to arrive back at camp nine hours later! It was a great day to say the least. Even in a light mist back at camp, we were able to revive the campfire and discuss the day we had just completed.
On Sunday, Jim was not able to rejoin us, so we three set out for Black Bear Pass. We were at the trailhead just after the 10 AM opening time. The trail traverses the pass for most of an hour before coming alongside Ingram Creek and Falls where Telluride comes into view below. I had watched a lot of YouTube videos of the switchbacks before leaving so I was mentally prepared for them. What surprised me was the "steps". Its a steep, narrow spot with loose shale. The exposure is mind-altering. Because of my limited articulation, I had spent a bit of yesterday on three wheels while negotiating hills. When on the steps, I had a little slide that probably was meaningless but from the driver's seat, it sure didn't feel that way. Perhaps I even panicked for a second or two. I thought about how grateful I was for Saturday's "training run" and it's preparation for what I was facing now. Jonathan had nimbly descended the steps before me and was ready to spot me. What I quickly learned was that he knew how to spot me and that I could trust him. He directed me through that obstacle perfectly. The next portion of the trail involves several steep, tight switchbacks. The mind game is that you think you have less room than you really have. It takes great spotting,front and rear, and brakes you trust your cargo's life with. As we completed this portion, Nancy and I discussed how this experience would have been so much less without such quality people to have experienced it with. We stopped for pictures at Bridal Veil Falls and then proceeded into Telluride for gas and a picnic around 2 PM.
The rest of the trip was to cross Imogene from Telluride into the Ouray basin near Camp Bird. Imogene, although not really technical in nature, is the second highest pass in Colorado and very exposed. Beautiful views are abundant everywhere especially from the summit. Our "crowning' accomplishment for the trip was to place a BookCliff Cruisers sticker prominently on top of the mailbox that resides on the summit. We were back in Ouray around 5 PM where we aired up and headed home.
In summary, I had an experience. The scenery, company, and four wheeling was incredible. My sincere thanks to everyone along on this trip. You are incredible people and so is this club.
Sorry for any forgotten details. Pictures to follow.
Gerry
