Travel vs. Truck - Nathan's Grand ExPoordition
- Thread starter Alpine Hoo Ha
- Start date
ttora4runner
Expedition Leader
Have fun.
S
Scenic WonderRunner
Guest
Less is More!
Keep Going!
Awesome!.....:victory: :costumed-smiley-007 :ylsmoke:
.
Keep Going!
Awesome!.....:victory: :costumed-smiley-007 :ylsmoke:
.
alpine hoo ha mom
New member
Hey Alpine Hoo Ha,
So glad you're doing this! Too bad you can't squeeze in N. Cal into your
plan. I'd like to see some pics. Airport in Leadville CO. Does Dave in Denver know you? lol Alpine Hoo Ha Mom
So glad you're doing this! Too bad you can't squeeze in N. Cal into your
plan. I'd like to see some pics. Airport in Leadville CO. Does Dave in Denver know you? lol Alpine Hoo Ha Mom
Alpine Hoo Ha
Observer
I whole heartedly agree. This is not starting an extened wheeling trip from a position of strength or reliability.
However, I didn't relize this issue till the 11th hour. If I was solo for this whole thing I wouldn't have left till it was right. But since I have been traveling for the beginning of this trip with two other trucks on easy trails, I'v let it slide. Now that in a few days I will be solo, I'm gonna do my best to find a solution.
Also I appreciate the "clamp" and "thread engagement" thoery.
Alpine Hoo Ha
Observer
ExPoordition Update: Days 3- – Aspen Paradise, Flash Floods, Dino Land + CO Hi Land
I consider this 3rd day to be the real beginning of the ExPoordition as this is all new country to me. Plus it is where the real back country travel has truly begun.
With Paul May of Equipt Expedition Outfitters (equipt1.com) navigating and leading the way, Scott Brady in front of me in a Defender 110 Dormobile, we headed south of Salt Lake a few miles then hard left into the Wasatch. We viewed Brighton and Solitude ski areas, before joining a dirt connector down the East slop down to Heber.
South of Heber we aired down and picked up a series of ATV infested roads that followed a spine like ridge for what seemed like 50 miles. We viewed the gradually changing landscape from two sides looking right or left to valleys below and mountains beyond. With evening drawing near we made camp in a stand of Aspens, knee deep in grass overlooking the Southern horizon.
Day 4:
Lush grass and green began to give way to a long shallow white walled canyon eventually leading to Nine Mile Canyon. The weather cooperated adding much inspiring variety (and a little anxiety – as I enjoyed flash flood running, with a bicycle type lightning rod attached on top of my truck) with pouring rain and nearby lighting.
After outrunning the summer storm, we picked up the pavement to roll us into Dinosaur National Monument. A choice camp site awaited us atop a steady 30min low gear climb to a 2000' vertical vista looking East into Colorado.
Day 5:
More highway was necessary to make up time en route to Leadville. We arrived just North of Aspen CO, and began a stunning climb of remarkable Colorado high land vistas to camp close to 11,000 feet. By coincidence great minds were thinking alike and we were joined by an ExPo family of 6 ( I think, I counted 4 kids) just in time to be pounded by a severe level lightning storm that passed just a quarter mile East of our position.
My hat is off to Brock (JBS portal handle) his wife, and awsome kids for keeping the spirit of family adventure alive as they tour the Western states on a 6 week vacation. All of them stuff comfortable enough into a beautifully built 4th Gen 4Runner and Adventure Trailer. It was an unexpected privilege t make their acquaintance.
Breakfast in Aspen. Photos on Independence Pass and now Yerbe Matte Lattes and posting in Leadville.
The next few days will include covering the Land Rover National Ralley and Leadville area exploring. I have acquired local knowledge of some hot springs 30min South of here...
More pictures will be added later as the coffee shop is closing.
I consider this 3rd day to be the real beginning of the ExPoordition as this is all new country to me. Plus it is where the real back country travel has truly begun.
With Paul May of Equipt Expedition Outfitters (equipt1.com) navigating and leading the way, Scott Brady in front of me in a Defender 110 Dormobile, we headed south of Salt Lake a few miles then hard left into the Wasatch. We viewed Brighton and Solitude ski areas, before joining a dirt connector down the East slop down to Heber.
South of Heber we aired down and picked up a series of ATV infested roads that followed a spine like ridge for what seemed like 50 miles. We viewed the gradually changing landscape from two sides looking right or left to valleys below and mountains beyond. With evening drawing near we made camp in a stand of Aspens, knee deep in grass overlooking the Southern horizon.
Day 4:
Lush grass and green began to give way to a long shallow white walled canyon eventually leading to Nine Mile Canyon. The weather cooperated adding much inspiring variety (and a little anxiety – as I enjoyed flash flood running, with a bicycle type lightning rod attached on top of my truck) with pouring rain and nearby lighting.
After outrunning the summer storm, we picked up the pavement to roll us into Dinosaur National Monument. A choice camp site awaited us atop a steady 30min low gear climb to a 2000' vertical vista looking East into Colorado.
Day 5:
More highway was necessary to make up time en route to Leadville. We arrived just North of Aspen CO, and began a stunning climb of remarkable Colorado high land vistas to camp close to 11,000 feet. By coincidence great minds were thinking alike and we were joined by an ExPo family of 6 ( I think, I counted 4 kids) just in time to be pounded by a severe level lightning storm that passed just a quarter mile East of our position.
My hat is off to Brock (JBS portal handle) his wife, and awsome kids for keeping the spirit of family adventure alive as they tour the Western states on a 6 week vacation. All of them stuff comfortable enough into a beautifully built 4th Gen 4Runner and Adventure Trailer. It was an unexpected privilege t make their acquaintance.
Breakfast in Aspen. Photos on Independence Pass and now Yerbe Matte Lattes and posting in Leadville.
The next few days will include covering the Land Rover National Ralley and Leadville area exploring. I have acquired local knowledge of some hot springs 30min South of here...
More pictures will be added later as the coffee shop is closing.
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Alpine Hoo Ha
Observer
jeepmedic46
Expedition Leader
Looks like you are having a great time. Great write up and awesome pictures.
ttora4runner
Expedition Leader
I need to hit the road again.
Alpine Hoo Ha
Observer
ExPoordition Update - Land Rover Nat'l Rally
Here are a few photos of a trail run near Buena Vista Co.
The trail is Chinaman Gulch, and was rated roughly around Class 4 - 8 obstacles. I sat right seat with Brian McVickers in his relativly stock Rover Discovery 2. With Brian's skillful driving, a center differental locker and factory traction control his truck really surprised me with the ease at which it cleaned challenging sections. We drug the sliders only once or twice.
Another surprise to me, was how well a stock LR3 could get through most everything. I guess LR3s get a lot of flack, but they did really good with zero modifications. Again only the frame drug on a few rocks, and the factory variable clearance air shocks cleared just about everything.
It was only the highly modified vehicles that broke stuff. But they were also tackling more difficult problems.
Urban Offroad's LR3 - I think it looks like some sort of "Black Night" helmet.
Here are a few photos of a trail run near Buena Vista Co.
The trail is Chinaman Gulch, and was rated roughly around Class 4 - 8 obstacles. I sat right seat with Brian McVickers in his relativly stock Rover Discovery 2. With Brian's skillful driving, a center differental locker and factory traction control his truck really surprised me with the ease at which it cleaned challenging sections. We drug the sliders only once or twice.
Another surprise to me, was how well a stock LR3 could get through most everything. I guess LR3s get a lot of flack, but they did really good with zero modifications. Again only the frame drug on a few rocks, and the factory variable clearance air shocks cleared just about everything.
It was only the highly modified vehicles that broke stuff. But they were also tackling more difficult problems.
Urban Offroad's LR3 - I think it looks like some sort of "Black Night" helmet.
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Alpine Hoo Ha
Observer
ExPoordition Update - Land Rover Nat'l Ralley cont.
The following day was much different. Technical driving was traded for mind blowing views, and rich Colorado history. I really felt like I got a good dose of Colorado back country and back roads during this all day tour of the mountains Southwest of Leadville.
Unfortunately the first half of the photos I took are stuck on the camera's SD card which I was shooting on by accident, and the card reader I'm using doesn't accept the propriatary Olympus card. So here is the best of the last half of the trip.
Lunch Break
Snow blowin in around 12,000' or so...
This road reminds me of some James Bond car chase up in the Alps. Except were doing it in Land Rovers, not vintage Auston Martins and Ferraris.
The following day was much different. Technical driving was traded for mind blowing views, and rich Colorado history. I really felt like I got a good dose of Colorado back country and back roads during this all day tour of the mountains Southwest of Leadville.
Unfortunately the first half of the photos I took are stuck on the camera's SD card which I was shooting on by accident, and the card reader I'm using doesn't accept the propriatary Olympus card. So here is the best of the last half of the trip.
Lunch Break
Snow blowin in around 12,000' or so...
This road reminds me of some James Bond car chase up in the Alps. Except were doing it in Land Rovers, not vintage Auston Martins and Ferraris.
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Alpine Hoo Ha
Observer
ExPoordition Update - Salida Love
So after a wasted day in Denver I made it to the stunning and most desirable hamlet of Salida CO. I'v seen it on the road atlas and alway just blew it off as a a seemingly un-interesting speck on the map. Even though my road map doesn't indicate topographic elevations I assumed that the white background some how meant high deseret or bland countryside. Well I was way wrong!
This town is the bee's knee's! It has everything a self proclaimed mountain town junkie could want (aside from a viable means of making a living...): tall mountains all around, clear high flow river (apparetly great for white water kayaking) cutsie down town with great pubs, eceletic shops, bicycles everywhere, excellent skiing nearby (300 -500 inches in the mountains and about 3 feet in town, according to local knowledge), fit outdoorsy women, and even a Criterium (type of closed course road bike race) running through down town!
I'll be back...
Notice the Kayak slalom poles up stream.
Cool local fixie...
I'd like to think all these gals were racing to me, not just toward me :elkgrin:
I love this! Any one of these bikes is worth significantly more than the car they sit on. The owner confirmed this and added that any one rear wheel was probably worth more that the car! I have done this and financed my first mountain bike and paid quite a bit less cash for my first car...
So after a wasted day in Denver I made it to the stunning and most desirable hamlet of Salida CO. I'v seen it on the road atlas and alway just blew it off as a a seemingly un-interesting speck on the map. Even though my road map doesn't indicate topographic elevations I assumed that the white background some how meant high deseret or bland countryside. Well I was way wrong!
This town is the bee's knee's! It has everything a self proclaimed mountain town junkie could want (aside from a viable means of making a living...): tall mountains all around, clear high flow river (apparetly great for white water kayaking) cutsie down town with great pubs, eceletic shops, bicycles everywhere, excellent skiing nearby (300 -500 inches in the mountains and about 3 feet in town, according to local knowledge), fit outdoorsy women, and even a Criterium (type of closed course road bike race) running through down town!
I'll be back...
Notice the Kayak slalom poles up stream.
Cool local fixie...
I'd like to think all these gals were racing to me, not just toward me :elkgrin:
I love this! Any one of these bikes is worth significantly more than the car they sit on. The owner confirmed this and added that any one rear wheel was probably worth more that the car! I have done this and financed my first mountain bike and paid quite a bit less cash for my first car...
JohnIndenver
New member
Things to do near Salida
East of Salida on Hwy 50 is a 4x4 road over Hayden Pass. It drops into the San Louis Valley. To the right (more or less West) at the top of this Sangre De Cristo mountain pass you can find spots with a great view of the San Louis valley it's sand dunes. On the South side of Hayden Pass at Villa Grove (Hwy 285) you can head back to Salida or head south for more adventure.
Head south towards the sand dunes then east over Madano Pass to the Wet Mountain valley and Westcliffe, CO. Westcliff is a little over an hour from Salida.
http://www.alamosa.org/GreatSandDunes.aspx
John
Howard Colorado, Denver Colorado
East of Salida on Hwy 50 is a 4x4 road over Hayden Pass. It drops into the San Louis Valley. To the right (more or less West) at the top of this Sangre De Cristo mountain pass you can find spots with a great view of the San Louis valley it's sand dunes. On the South side of Hayden Pass at Villa Grove (Hwy 285) you can head back to Salida or head south for more adventure.
Head south towards the sand dunes then east over Madano Pass to the Wet Mountain valley and Westcliffe, CO. Westcliff is a little over an hour from Salida.
http://www.alamosa.org/GreatSandDunes.aspx
John
Howard Colorado, Denver Colorado