I get the shivers when I hear about this mining road. I went up there one time in September of 1965 in a 1949 Willys SOA Ute wagon/Chevy V-8, 3-speed manual, 5.38 gears, Dana 27 front/Dana 41 (6 spline) offset rearend, Studebaker 33% Overdrive, great big 7.00/16 tires. This was one of our very first 4x4 trips. It was hair raising but I had low enough gearing to make the steep grades. We met a stout looking mining truck bringing down ore in compound low. My first wife, Judy and I set up a tent on a flat spot near the top and were treated to a September snow storm overnight. She was a good sport, but was dead within a year of Hodgkins disease. I was 22 and a widower. Now at 72, I've lived a whole lifetime since Judy and I were there together. Funny how I haven't even thought of Laurel Lakes for a half century.
regards, as always, jefe