Northern NM and CO June 18-22, 2007
- Thread starter RoundOut
- Start date
RoundOut
Explorer
Day 1 - Red River to Goose Lake, NM
GREAT call on the Goose Lake trail.
We met Rubi-Khan in Red River after dropping my son and his buddy off at Philmont. A few minutes later, we were in the Red River Town Hall inquiring about the trail status. We were told that Goose Lake was still closed because of snow at the top of the trail, but that most of it was open. After several discussions with a local homeowner and the City employee, we decided to try anyhow. We were going to go as far as we could on Goose Lake and then go camp at Greenie Peak.
What a streak of good fortune we had. We got just past the trailhead and passed a couple of ATVs on their way down wondering why we had not come by a couple hours earlier after they got stuck. The two girls driving had called for dad to come and get them out, which he did after three hours of digging. This certainly heightened our interest.
Almost to the top (but we didn't know that for sure), we came upon a 4x4 Chevy pickup that had just unstuck after a few hours of digging. The drivers which were gathering some firewood at the time, said there was a LC (with them) up ahead clearing the way. It sure must have, because Rubi-Khan's Jeep and my Tundra had NO PROBLEMS getting through the low drifts that remained on the trail. When we got to the finish line at Goose Lake, we saw why. There was a 1960's vintage LandCruiser configured as a Pickup with huge narrow snow tires and chains on the front. It had busted through the deep stuff and made it into shallow stuff that was no trouble for our two vehicles at all.
When we got to the lake, we realized that we were vehicles #2 and #3 for the entire season to see Goose Lake, right after the vintage LandCruiser. What a beautiful place to camp for the night. So much for Greenie Peak.
Here are some pics...
#1 is passing the ATVs on the way up
#2 is Rubi-Khan leading the way
#3 is at the Lake with the LC in the background
#4 is my navigator and I posing by the gorgeous lake.
#5 is Rubi-Khan and his navigator (Lacy) getting acquainted with the snow
...
After setting up camp, we grilled some hamburgers, roasted some marshmallows on our propane "campfire", shared some campfire stories, and hit the hay.
A VERY SUCCESSFUL FIRST DAY!
Ursidae69 said:
GREAT call on the Goose Lake trail.
We met Rubi-Khan in Red River after dropping my son and his buddy off at Philmont. A few minutes later, we were in the Red River Town Hall inquiring about the trail status. We were told that Goose Lake was still closed because of snow at the top of the trail, but that most of it was open. After several discussions with a local homeowner and the City employee, we decided to try anyhow. We were going to go as far as we could on Goose Lake and then go camp at Greenie Peak.
What a streak of good fortune we had. We got just past the trailhead and passed a couple of ATVs on their way down wondering why we had not come by a couple hours earlier after they got stuck. The two girls driving had called for dad to come and get them out, which he did after three hours of digging. This certainly heightened our interest.
Almost to the top (but we didn't know that for sure), we came upon a 4x4 Chevy pickup that had just unstuck after a few hours of digging. The drivers which were gathering some firewood at the time, said there was a LC (with them) up ahead clearing the way. It sure must have, because Rubi-Khan's Jeep and my Tundra had NO PROBLEMS getting through the low drifts that remained on the trail. When we got to the finish line at Goose Lake, we saw why. There was a 1960's vintage LandCruiser configured as a Pickup with huge narrow snow tires and chains on the front. It had busted through the deep stuff and made it into shallow stuff that was no trouble for our two vehicles at all.
When we got to the lake, we realized that we were vehicles #2 and #3 for the entire season to see Goose Lake, right after the vintage LandCruiser. What a beautiful place to camp for the night. So much for Greenie Peak.
Here are some pics...
#1 is passing the ATVs on the way up
#2 is Rubi-Khan leading the way
#3 is at the Lake with the LC in the background
#4 is my navigator and I posing by the gorgeous lake.
#5 is Rubi-Khan and his navigator (Lacy) getting acquainted with the snow
...
After setting up camp, we grilled some hamburgers, roasted some marshmallows on our propane "campfire", shared some campfire stories, and hit the hay.
A VERY SUCCESSFUL FIRST DAY!
Last edited:
RoundOut
Explorer
Day 2 - Depart Goose Lake, head to CO
Coming from Houston to 11,000 feet or so at Goose Lake was a little bit of a shock to our systems. We were hydrating vigorously, but my navigator hurled and I had a wicked headache that evening. I don't know if the headache was from altitude sickness or caffeine (read: Mountain Dew) withdrawals, but her hurling was definitely not from bad burgers! LOL.
Waking up, we had some cereal for breakfast and a bit of a late break of camp after realizing that I packed way too much. More on this later.
We discussed our next leg of the adventure, and decided to head to Stoney Pass en route to the Alpine Loop near Silverton and Ouray. After breaking camp, we headed down the cool trail and crossed the creek at the beginning of the trailhead on the way out.
Heading out of Red River, we aired back up in town and drove out west on NM 38, an absolutely beautiful drive through a canyon with flowing snowmelt streams on the roadside much of the way. Turning north on NM 522 which becomes 159 in CO. In Fort Garland, we ventured west again on US 160, admiring Blanca and Little Bear Peaks to the north as we passed. If I had rock-sliders, we would not have passed Blanca! Oh well, there is always the next trip, since sliders are in the near future. We continued West on pavement through Alamosa, Monte Vista, Del Norte and finally through Creede.
West of Creede, turning left on FR 520, we picked up some magnificent scenery just north of the Rio Grande. There are two beautiful reservoirs in the canyon formed by the Rio Grande. Along the way there were a bunch of cattle grazing near the road where fields were more prevalent, and later we saw a bunch of deer as the forests became the dominant feature. Dusk was upon us as the road began to climb aggressively, and just before dark, we saw a bull elk up ahead, but it was not enough light to get a photo. :-(
We lit up the trail with our offroad lights and climbed up the bumpy road. On the uphill side from the east, Stoney Pass is appropriately named, LOL. At twilight, we were arriving at the summit of Stoney Pass and paused for some action photos and a brief snowball toss from my navigator, for which deferred retaliation was promised, hehe.
Note to self: Do Stoney Pass in the daylight next time. I am sure we missed some awesome scenery.
Climbing down from Stoney Pass, we came to Howardsville and turned right for Eureka, where we made camp. It was late, so a quick snack on the tailgate sufficed for dinner. The new Kelty Trail Dome 6 went up much quicker (in under 8 minutes) the second time.
#1 Creek Crossing on the way out of Goose Lake trail
#2 Bovine features along the Rio Grande Reservoir on the Stoney Pass trail
#3 Deer along the Stoney Pass Trail
#4 Lighting up Rubi-Khan for a photo at the top of Stoney Pass
Coming from Houston to 11,000 feet or so at Goose Lake was a little bit of a shock to our systems. We were hydrating vigorously, but my navigator hurled and I had a wicked headache that evening. I don't know if the headache was from altitude sickness or caffeine (read: Mountain Dew) withdrawals, but her hurling was definitely not from bad burgers! LOL.
Waking up, we had some cereal for breakfast and a bit of a late break of camp after realizing that I packed way too much. More on this later.
We discussed our next leg of the adventure, and decided to head to Stoney Pass en route to the Alpine Loop near Silverton and Ouray. After breaking camp, we headed down the cool trail and crossed the creek at the beginning of the trailhead on the way out.
Heading out of Red River, we aired back up in town and drove out west on NM 38, an absolutely beautiful drive through a canyon with flowing snowmelt streams on the roadside much of the way. Turning north on NM 522 which becomes 159 in CO. In Fort Garland, we ventured west again on US 160, admiring Blanca and Little Bear Peaks to the north as we passed. If I had rock-sliders, we would not have passed Blanca! Oh well, there is always the next trip, since sliders are in the near future. We continued West on pavement through Alamosa, Monte Vista, Del Norte and finally through Creede.
West of Creede, turning left on FR 520, we picked up some magnificent scenery just north of the Rio Grande. There are two beautiful reservoirs in the canyon formed by the Rio Grande. Along the way there were a bunch of cattle grazing near the road where fields were more prevalent, and later we saw a bunch of deer as the forests became the dominant feature. Dusk was upon us as the road began to climb aggressively, and just before dark, we saw a bull elk up ahead, but it was not enough light to get a photo. :-(
We lit up the trail with our offroad lights and climbed up the bumpy road. On the uphill side from the east, Stoney Pass is appropriately named, LOL. At twilight, we were arriving at the summit of Stoney Pass and paused for some action photos and a brief snowball toss from my navigator, for which deferred retaliation was promised, hehe.
Note to self: Do Stoney Pass in the daylight next time. I am sure we missed some awesome scenery.
Climbing down from Stoney Pass, we came to Howardsville and turned right for Eureka, where we made camp. It was late, so a quick snack on the tailgate sufficed for dinner. The new Kelty Trail Dome 6 went up much quicker (in under 8 minutes) the second time.
#1 Creek Crossing on the way out of Goose Lake trail
#2 Bovine features along the Rio Grande Reservoir on the Stoney Pass trail
#3 Deer along the Stoney Pass Trail
#4 Lighting up Rubi-Khan for a photo at the top of Stoney Pass
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RoundOut
Explorer
Day 3 - Animas Forks, Cinnamon Pass, Lake City, and Engineer Pass
Tuesday morning breakfast at Eureka was a little better since dinner the night before was so light. We had breakfast burritos made as eggs in a bag on tortillas.
Breaking camp was a bit more speedy after a better night's sleep. We attribute the better night's sleep in Eureka, to our lower altitude: closer to 9,600 feet, as opposed to about 11,500 at Goose Lake the night before, plus a little better acclimation. We continued to hydrate heavily, too. Another calming feature was the river running just a few feet away.
My navigator and Rubi-Khan's navigator were also quickly becomming best friends. Mine was tossing the frisbee and his was catching it quite effectively.
Resuming the journey, we passed another creek crossing between Eureka and Animas Forks and paused for some posers through the creek. After all my new differential breather mod (thanks to FlyingWil's design) needed a thorough testing. After breaking camp, we headed for Animas Forks, a really neat ghost town centered around the local mines. The views from Eureka to Animas Forks were quite impressive, with a rushing river running nearby. Wanting to get started up the trails, we didn't spend much time in Animas Forks, opting for Cinnamon Pass. Heading up the trail, we passed some more ATVs, one of which had a small bed on the back with a cool dog enjoying the ride. We also passed a Subaru Outback, which I snapped a photo of because my wife's dad owns one in Calgary.
At the top of Cinnamon Pass, we found a marker sign, plus an advertisement for my vehicle. As Rubi-Khan has already eluded to, it is hereafter to be called "Alpine Tundra". LOL
After Cinnamon, we headed into Lake City for lunch, gas and some postcards. What a great buffalo burger at Poker Alice in Lake City! After gassing up, mailing some postcards, and having our first taste of civilization since Red River, we headed back up Engineer Pass. The locals said my Tundra would not make it because they only were recommending short wheelbase Wranglers, due to the tight switchbacks on the downhill side. They said that the last few miles into Ouray were totally out of the question due to the discontinued maintenance after a couple years of rain and snowmelt washout, too. We decided to take their advice on the last few miles toward Ouray and ignore it on the switchbacks.
We headed up Engineer Pass from Lake City and had some beautiful scenery on the way up. Reaching the pass, the scenery changed dramatically on the way down. It was much more sparse on the trees in favor of huge valleys, tight switchbacks and several yellow-bellied marmots. Although the townspeople had our best interest at heart, neither of our vehicles had any trouble making the switchbacks on the downside of Engineer. In fact, Alpine Tundra made it through all the switchbacks without even backing up. Toyota's tight turning radius to thank there.
The descent returned us to Animas Forks from a different perspective, and then we drove into Silverton before dusk. My navigator expressed interest in a shower, so we made camp at a nice campground (mostly with huge RVs) in Silverton and fixed some Ramen noodles with chicken for dinner. Then came the showers - we got cleaned up. Wow, did that lift our spirits and prepare us for another great night's sleep after a full day of wheeling.
#1 - Abandoned mine accross the river from our campsite at Eureka
#2 - Animas Forks sign
#3 - Rubi-Khan at Animas Forks
#4 - Incredible views from Cinnamon Pass trail
#5 - ATV & comfortable pooch on the back
#6 - We made it to the top of Cinnamon
#7 - Great food @ Poker Alice
#8 - My navigator & new best friend (long story) checking out Whitmore Falls
#9 - Alpine Tundra & Rubi-Khan at the top of Engineer Pass trail
#10 - Marmot Reminds me of the groundhogs in Caddyshack: "I'm Alright ...!"
Tuesday morning breakfast at Eureka was a little better since dinner the night before was so light. We had breakfast burritos made as eggs in a bag on tortillas.
Breaking camp was a bit more speedy after a better night's sleep. We attribute the better night's sleep in Eureka, to our lower altitude: closer to 9,600 feet, as opposed to about 11,500 at Goose Lake the night before, plus a little better acclimation. We continued to hydrate heavily, too. Another calming feature was the river running just a few feet away.
My navigator and Rubi-Khan's navigator were also quickly becomming best friends. Mine was tossing the frisbee and his was catching it quite effectively.
Resuming the journey, we passed another creek crossing between Eureka and Animas Forks and paused for some posers through the creek. After all my new differential breather mod (thanks to FlyingWil's design) needed a thorough testing. After breaking camp, we headed for Animas Forks, a really neat ghost town centered around the local mines. The views from Eureka to Animas Forks were quite impressive, with a rushing river running nearby. Wanting to get started up the trails, we didn't spend much time in Animas Forks, opting for Cinnamon Pass. Heading up the trail, we passed some more ATVs, one of which had a small bed on the back with a cool dog enjoying the ride. We also passed a Subaru Outback, which I snapped a photo of because my wife's dad owns one in Calgary.
At the top of Cinnamon Pass, we found a marker sign, plus an advertisement for my vehicle. As Rubi-Khan has already eluded to, it is hereafter to be called "Alpine Tundra". LOL
After Cinnamon, we headed into Lake City for lunch, gas and some postcards. What a great buffalo burger at Poker Alice in Lake City! After gassing up, mailing some postcards, and having our first taste of civilization since Red River, we headed back up Engineer Pass. The locals said my Tundra would not make it because they only were recommending short wheelbase Wranglers, due to the tight switchbacks on the downhill side. They said that the last few miles into Ouray were totally out of the question due to the discontinued maintenance after a couple years of rain and snowmelt washout, too. We decided to take their advice on the last few miles toward Ouray and ignore it on the switchbacks.
We headed up Engineer Pass from Lake City and had some beautiful scenery on the way up. Reaching the pass, the scenery changed dramatically on the way down. It was much more sparse on the trees in favor of huge valleys, tight switchbacks and several yellow-bellied marmots. Although the townspeople had our best interest at heart, neither of our vehicles had any trouble making the switchbacks on the downside of Engineer. In fact, Alpine Tundra made it through all the switchbacks without even backing up. Toyota's tight turning radius to thank there.
The descent returned us to Animas Forks from a different perspective, and then we drove into Silverton before dusk. My navigator expressed interest in a shower, so we made camp at a nice campground (mostly with huge RVs) in Silverton and fixed some Ramen noodles with chicken for dinner. Then came the showers - we got cleaned up. Wow, did that lift our spirits and prepare us for another great night's sleep after a full day of wheeling.
#1 - Abandoned mine accross the river from our campsite at Eureka
#2 - Animas Forks sign
#3 - Rubi-Khan at Animas Forks
#4 - Incredible views from Cinnamon Pass trail
#5 - ATV & comfortable pooch on the back
#6 - We made it to the top of Cinnamon
#7 - Great food @ Poker Alice
#8 - My navigator & new best friend (long story) checking out Whitmore Falls
#9 - Alpine Tundra & Rubi-Khan at the top of Engineer Pass trail
#10 - Marmot Reminds me of the groundhogs in Caddyshack: "I'm Alright ...!"
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RoundOut
Explorer
Day 4 - Silverton to Ouray on pavement, then on eastward
With my daughter being the focus for the PERFECT Father's Day week, we decided to amend some earlier plans to get up to the Boulder area and do some trails up there. She had been to Church Camp the week before (a 15 hour bus ride each way) and now out west (a 14 hour drive to get here and the anticipation of another 14 hours home). Another 5 hour trip north and then the same 5 hours back, plus the added expense of gas each way, made us reconsider that portion of our journey. Realizing that there were plenty of unexplored trails down here we opted to stay south - plus, she wanted to do some souvenier shopping in Silverton and Ouray. DevinSixtySeven was very understanding (God bless you, Sean!) as we had planned to get up there and wheel with him Wednesday night and Thursday morning.
Rubi-Khan had suggested we hit the local funnel cake shop in Silverton for our daily high-protein supplement (yeah, right), so we substitued a semi-nutritional trail breakfast of cereal or breakfast burritos in favor of Silverton funnel cakes. Yum yum! After paying hommage to the local vendors, we gassed up and headed for Ouray and Old Monarch Pass.
Previously, my favorite paved road was the section of I-25 north of Raton, NM in Southern CO. Now my new favorite is the stretch between Silverton and Ouray, CO. Our MASTER TRAIL GUIDE, Rubi-Khan, sure knows his new home state well and his awesome suggestions for the Colorado portion of our Father's Day week adventure were right on!
Getting into Ouray, the "Switzerland of America", we headed straight for another mid-week nutritional supplement, the chocolate malt! You only live once, right? Wow, funnel cakes for breakfast and chocolate malts for lunch. Lord, save my arteries, LOL. Coming into town at one of the first corners on the left, was the Ouray Candy Shoppe (sp?) that served hand-dipped ice cream, too. Great malts!
We decided that a trip accross Owl Creek Pass to old Monarch Pass would make the perfect transition from the Alpine Loop toward the eastern goal of the Great Sand Dunes National Monument and Medano Pass, so on we went. Heading north from Ouray on US 550, we picked up the Owl Creek Pass trail near Ridgeway, CO, if I remember correctly. (Editors note: the computer hung up mid way, so we didn't get this track saved and I am going from memory & maps here.)
Owl Creek Pass is a very well maintained 2wd road, so challenge was not the issue, but it was quite pretty. We saw Chimney and Castle Rocks along the way, then hit US 50 and turned east after being amazed at the expanse of the huge Cimmaron Ranch spanning most of the north end of the Owl Creek Pass trail. There was significant road surface construction traffic along US 50 from the west and we missed almost all of it because of where we dumped out from the Owl Creek Pass trail. We were living right!
Along US 50, one thing that astounded me was the length of the Blue Mesa Reservoir. I bet the highway parallels it for at least 10 and maybe 15 miles. It was another beautiful stretch of pavement, since we had to drive on some, LOL.
Taco Bell in Gunnison was too tempting to pass up, so we didn't. Boy, does having a young navigator influence one's choices of cuisine, LOL!
At Sargents, CO, we turned north on the Tomichi Pass trail and found Old Monarch Pass trail on the right a few miles later. We decided that making camp along the Old Monarch Pass trail early would make for a relaxed evening, which we all wanted by this time.
A prominent feature of the Old Monarch Pass trail's western end is the power line right-of-way. As we climbed the trail on many a switchback, we kept crossing under the power lines. The right-of-way, although some might find it a bit unsightly, afforded a view of where we were just a few hundred yards before the previous switchback. This made the ascent very interesting.
We passed only a few turnouts, mostly for some logging operators in the area, before we found an awesome campsite near the top of a hill. Needless to say, we marked this one on the GPS for future use. We pitched our tent in record time and started hunting some firewood. The mosquitoes were a bit too populous, so long sleeves and hoods around the fire enhanced the fun. Our campsite put us in a great view of the stars, too. Frisbee tossing with Lacy made for great entertainment, although there was a bit too much brush for us to make easy tosses and for her to make easy catches.
After another light dinner, we turned in after safely putting out the campfire.
#1 - Ouray, the Switzerland of the Americas
#2 - New best friends, just outside Ouray Candy Shoppe
#3 - Another beautiful dog, Dakota, with my best friend and daughter just oustide Ouray
#4 - Chimney and Castle Rocks along the Owl Creek Pass trail
#5 - Rubi-Khan and Alpine Tundra atop Owl Creek Pass
#6 - What a Father's Day week blessing next to Owl Creek!
#7 - Campfire and great company at Old Monarch Pass campsite
Day 5 photos
#8 - A look down the power line right-of-way
#9 - Alpine Tundra & Rubi-Khan at the top of Old Monarch Pass
#10 - Busted... Come on, this is camping... Girls will be girls, won't they? LOL
With my daughter being the focus for the PERFECT Father's Day week, we decided to amend some earlier plans to get up to the Boulder area and do some trails up there. She had been to Church Camp the week before (a 15 hour bus ride each way) and now out west (a 14 hour drive to get here and the anticipation of another 14 hours home). Another 5 hour trip north and then the same 5 hours back, plus the added expense of gas each way, made us reconsider that portion of our journey. Realizing that there were plenty of unexplored trails down here we opted to stay south - plus, she wanted to do some souvenier shopping in Silverton and Ouray. DevinSixtySeven was very understanding (God bless you, Sean!) as we had planned to get up there and wheel with him Wednesday night and Thursday morning.
Rubi-Khan had suggested we hit the local funnel cake shop in Silverton for our daily high-protein supplement (yeah, right), so we substitued a semi-nutritional trail breakfast of cereal or breakfast burritos in favor of Silverton funnel cakes. Yum yum! After paying hommage to the local vendors, we gassed up and headed for Ouray and Old Monarch Pass.
Previously, my favorite paved road was the section of I-25 north of Raton, NM in Southern CO. Now my new favorite is the stretch between Silverton and Ouray, CO. Our MASTER TRAIL GUIDE, Rubi-Khan, sure knows his new home state well and his awesome suggestions for the Colorado portion of our Father's Day week adventure were right on!
Getting into Ouray, the "Switzerland of America", we headed straight for another mid-week nutritional supplement, the chocolate malt! You only live once, right? Wow, funnel cakes for breakfast and chocolate malts for lunch. Lord, save my arteries, LOL. Coming into town at one of the first corners on the left, was the Ouray Candy Shoppe (sp?) that served hand-dipped ice cream, too. Great malts!
We decided that a trip accross Owl Creek Pass to old Monarch Pass would make the perfect transition from the Alpine Loop toward the eastern goal of the Great Sand Dunes National Monument and Medano Pass, so on we went. Heading north from Ouray on US 550, we picked up the Owl Creek Pass trail near Ridgeway, CO, if I remember correctly. (Editors note: the computer hung up mid way, so we didn't get this track saved and I am going from memory & maps here.)
Owl Creek Pass is a very well maintained 2wd road, so challenge was not the issue, but it was quite pretty. We saw Chimney and Castle Rocks along the way, then hit US 50 and turned east after being amazed at the expanse of the huge Cimmaron Ranch spanning most of the north end of the Owl Creek Pass trail. There was significant road surface construction traffic along US 50 from the west and we missed almost all of it because of where we dumped out from the Owl Creek Pass trail. We were living right!
Along US 50, one thing that astounded me was the length of the Blue Mesa Reservoir. I bet the highway parallels it for at least 10 and maybe 15 miles. It was another beautiful stretch of pavement, since we had to drive on some, LOL.
Taco Bell in Gunnison was too tempting to pass up, so we didn't. Boy, does having a young navigator influence one's choices of cuisine, LOL!
At Sargents, CO, we turned north on the Tomichi Pass trail and found Old Monarch Pass trail on the right a few miles later. We decided that making camp along the Old Monarch Pass trail early would make for a relaxed evening, which we all wanted by this time.
A prominent feature of the Old Monarch Pass trail's western end is the power line right-of-way. As we climbed the trail on many a switchback, we kept crossing under the power lines. The right-of-way, although some might find it a bit unsightly, afforded a view of where we were just a few hundred yards before the previous switchback. This made the ascent very interesting.
We passed only a few turnouts, mostly for some logging operators in the area, before we found an awesome campsite near the top of a hill. Needless to say, we marked this one on the GPS for future use. We pitched our tent in record time and started hunting some firewood. The mosquitoes were a bit too populous, so long sleeves and hoods around the fire enhanced the fun. Our campsite put us in a great view of the stars, too. Frisbee tossing with Lacy made for great entertainment, although there was a bit too much brush for us to make easy tosses and for her to make easy catches.
After another light dinner, we turned in after safely putting out the campfire.
#1 - Ouray, the Switzerland of the Americas
#2 - New best friends, just outside Ouray Candy Shoppe
#3 - Another beautiful dog, Dakota, with my best friend and daughter just oustide Ouray
#4 - Chimney and Castle Rocks along the Owl Creek Pass trail
#5 - Rubi-Khan and Alpine Tundra atop Owl Creek Pass
#6 - What a Father's Day week blessing next to Owl Creek!
#7 - Campfire and great company at Old Monarch Pass campsite
Day 5 photos
#8 - A look down the power line right-of-way
#9 - Alpine Tundra & Rubi-Khan at the top of Old Monarch Pass
#10 - Busted... Come on, this is camping... Girls will be girls, won't they? LOL
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IntrepidXJ
Explorer
excellent writeup and pictures. i'll be in that area for the first time in July and am really looking forward to it :wings:
RoundOut
Explorer
Day 5 - Finish Old Monarch, Gondola, then continue east
Breaking camp was quite simple again, and so was the simple cereal & fruit breakfast. After getting the Rubi-Khan's navigator some serious exercise with the frisbee, we proceded on up Old Monarch Pass trail. It wasn't after more than a couple switchbacks, that I realized looking down the power line right-of-way, we could see the hilltop we had just camped on across the valley. By the time I radioed Rubi-Khan to tell him this, we were already up above another couple switchbacks and there was another hill in-between, blocking the view. I guess we were too deep in another conversation at the time.
Atop Old Monarch Pass, we paused for some posers and then headed on over to Monarch Pass, where the gondola ride proved inviting and reasonably priced, as far as tourist traps go, at only $7 each. The four of us piled in the Gondola and just a few minutes later were gazing from the peak on a pretty clear day! We were even able to make out much of the trail we had just finished from up there in the observation deck.
Leaving Monarch, we continued east on US 50 for a few miles to Poncha Springs where we took US 285 South for several miles to the Hayden Pass trailhead near Villa Grove. Heading out of the small community of Villa Grove, we started up toward the hills on a dirt road that was about 3-4 miles of pretty straight and well maintained grade, perfect for some driving lessons. Much to Rubi-Khan's surprise, my daughter got to get behind the wheel (in the drivers seat by herself - with me in the passenger seat) for the first time and see what it is like to drive. After the usual orientations on the skinny & fat peddles, e-brake, shift column, mirrors, etc., she drove a couple miles of the trail before too many tighter blind turns raised my caution to the appropriate level. Boy, was she excited and I was proud. She handled it perfectly.
We continued on up the main part of the trail and came to what my "rock-sliderless" truck had rarely seen yet, some fairly decent rocks that had the potential to dimple my rocker panels. I sent my navigator out and she helped guide me through the obstacles quite professionally. Then came the most narrow of all, with a big rock almost midway up the lower part of my door. It gave me enough pucker-factor to call Rubi-Khan forward for some spotting and coaching, which he did superbly. After getting past the washed out road spots, we came upon a tree across the trail and some tracks around it, which we followed reluctantly to avoid having to stop our journey.
After another mile or so, we came upon a family and friends in two vehicles, a stock Dodge Dakota pickup and a stock Jeep Liberty. They had come upon another downed tree with two more in view about 50 yards ahead, and were sawing the first one with a hand saw. In this party, there were about 8 or so folks travelling together, plus 3 dogs (two puppies and a mature black and white collie mix about the same size as Lacy). The large dog didn't stop with the friendly smell that Lacy had in mind, opting for a violent attack, which ended up costing Rubi-Khan a bite-wound in the wrist and a bruised hand, for sure. While all that was happening, I was digging out my axe and getting ready for war with those trees. Rubi-Khan got some first aid on the wound and then he and Chloe started scouting ahead.
We started chopping and got through the first tree in about 10 minutes. After starting the second tree, the scouts came back with grim news. Ahead a few hundred feet were about 8 more trees. Lacking a chain saw, our expedition up Hayden pass was over, as we had hoped to make it to Medano Pass before dark and had some back-tracking to do.
Unfortunately for them, one of their party was due in court by 3:00 p.m. in a town down the other side of Hayden Pass. I don't know what for, but I know a Houston judge wouldn't take kindly to no-shows. I hope the rural Colorado judge was more patient with this guy's excuse. Oh well, that is his problem. To make matters worse for them, the Dodge truck was almost out of gas (I just cannot imagine that, but it was), so we sold them 5 gallons from an extra can I was carrying to get them back to town, since they would now have to go around the mountain rather than over it.
Behind us were some areas where a dozer had pushed dirt and debris off the road and they were big enough to turn around, so we made use of them to back-track. Getting down was much simpler than coming up, I just love that crawling gear. There is just something special about creeping down a steep hill without using your brake much at all.
After getting down off Hayden Pass trail, we headed around the long, paved way to Medano Pass trailhead. After gassing up in either Westcliffe or Silver Cliff, I'm not sure which (they are two towns that might as well be one) we headed by a huge ranch with buffalo, coming down Colorado 69. Continued in next post....
#1 - View of Old Monarch Pass Trail intersecting US 50 near the new Monarch Pass, from up on the observation deck after the gondola ride
#2 - Lacy enjoying the view from the gondola
#3 - Driving lessons
#4 - Coming up Hayden Pass trail
#5 - Ground clearance is a beautiful thing!
#6 - Atop Hayden Pass
#7 - That's sure a small saw for such a big tree
#8 - On the way back down
#9 - Nice articulation (read: show off - LOL)
Breaking camp was quite simple again, and so was the simple cereal & fruit breakfast. After getting the Rubi-Khan's navigator some serious exercise with the frisbee, we proceded on up Old Monarch Pass trail. It wasn't after more than a couple switchbacks, that I realized looking down the power line right-of-way, we could see the hilltop we had just camped on across the valley. By the time I radioed Rubi-Khan to tell him this, we were already up above another couple switchbacks and there was another hill in-between, blocking the view. I guess we were too deep in another conversation at the time.
Atop Old Monarch Pass, we paused for some posers and then headed on over to Monarch Pass, where the gondola ride proved inviting and reasonably priced, as far as tourist traps go, at only $7 each. The four of us piled in the Gondola and just a few minutes later were gazing from the peak on a pretty clear day! We were even able to make out much of the trail we had just finished from up there in the observation deck.
Leaving Monarch, we continued east on US 50 for a few miles to Poncha Springs where we took US 285 South for several miles to the Hayden Pass trailhead near Villa Grove. Heading out of the small community of Villa Grove, we started up toward the hills on a dirt road that was about 3-4 miles of pretty straight and well maintained grade, perfect for some driving lessons. Much to Rubi-Khan's surprise, my daughter got to get behind the wheel (in the drivers seat by herself - with me in the passenger seat) for the first time and see what it is like to drive. After the usual orientations on the skinny & fat peddles, e-brake, shift column, mirrors, etc., she drove a couple miles of the trail before too many tighter blind turns raised my caution to the appropriate level. Boy, was she excited and I was proud. She handled it perfectly.
We continued on up the main part of the trail and came to what my "rock-sliderless" truck had rarely seen yet, some fairly decent rocks that had the potential to dimple my rocker panels. I sent my navigator out and she helped guide me through the obstacles quite professionally. Then came the most narrow of all, with a big rock almost midway up the lower part of my door. It gave me enough pucker-factor to call Rubi-Khan forward for some spotting and coaching, which he did superbly. After getting past the washed out road spots, we came upon a tree across the trail and some tracks around it, which we followed reluctantly to avoid having to stop our journey.
After another mile or so, we came upon a family and friends in two vehicles, a stock Dodge Dakota pickup and a stock Jeep Liberty. They had come upon another downed tree with two more in view about 50 yards ahead, and were sawing the first one with a hand saw. In this party, there were about 8 or so folks travelling together, plus 3 dogs (two puppies and a mature black and white collie mix about the same size as Lacy). The large dog didn't stop with the friendly smell that Lacy had in mind, opting for a violent attack, which ended up costing Rubi-Khan a bite-wound in the wrist and a bruised hand, for sure. While all that was happening, I was digging out my axe and getting ready for war with those trees. Rubi-Khan got some first aid on the wound and then he and Chloe started scouting ahead.
We started chopping and got through the first tree in about 10 minutes. After starting the second tree, the scouts came back with grim news. Ahead a few hundred feet were about 8 more trees. Lacking a chain saw, our expedition up Hayden pass was over, as we had hoped to make it to Medano Pass before dark and had some back-tracking to do.
Unfortunately for them, one of their party was due in court by 3:00 p.m. in a town down the other side of Hayden Pass. I don't know what for, but I know a Houston judge wouldn't take kindly to no-shows. I hope the rural Colorado judge was more patient with this guy's excuse. Oh well, that is his problem. To make matters worse for them, the Dodge truck was almost out of gas (I just cannot imagine that, but it was), so we sold them 5 gallons from an extra can I was carrying to get them back to town, since they would now have to go around the mountain rather than over it.
Behind us were some areas where a dozer had pushed dirt and debris off the road and they were big enough to turn around, so we made use of them to back-track. Getting down was much simpler than coming up, I just love that crawling gear. There is just something special about creeping down a steep hill without using your brake much at all.
After getting down off Hayden Pass trail, we headed around the long, paved way to Medano Pass trailhead. After gassing up in either Westcliffe or Silver Cliff, I'm not sure which (they are two towns that might as well be one) we headed by a huge ranch with buffalo, coming down Colorado 69. Continued in next post....
#1 - View of Old Monarch Pass Trail intersecting US 50 near the new Monarch Pass, from up on the observation deck after the gondola ride
#2 - Lacy enjoying the view from the gondola
#3 - Driving lessons
#4 - Coming up Hayden Pass trail
#5 - Ground clearance is a beautiful thing!
#6 - Atop Hayden Pass
#7 - That's sure a small saw for such a big tree
#8 - On the way back down
#9 - Nice articulation (read: show off - LOL)
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RoundOut
Explorer
IntrepidXJ said:
Thanks a bunch. We sure had fun. I could move to Colorado or Northern New Mexico in a heartbeat. You'll have a blast.
I'm scrambling to get the trip report finished (still have the rest of Day 5 and all of Day 6 to go), so you and others can benefit from what we learned and maybe see some of the same sights if that is what you have in mind. Unfortunately, I've got a ton of stuff to do this week before my son's Troop heads out to summer camp on the 7th. I think I can finish this up in the next couple days.
RoundOut
Explorer
Day 5 - Medano Pass & Day 6 Great Sand Dunes National Monument
Day 5 - Continued...
Heading South on Colorado 69, Rubi-Khan radioed that he thought he hit a robin or some other similar sized bird with orange on his/her breast. When we stopped, we located it's lifeless body just behind his winch. :-( It was quite a pretty bird, and we were bummed when we found it lifeless. Anyone care to identify it?
We found the right turn to Medano Pass trail and one of the first things we came upon was a prarie dog running on either end of a culvert. When we paused to photograph it, we heard another one barking about 50 yards away atop his mound. When we tried to get it's picture, it ducked in and then we tried to get the one in the culvert and it never re-appeared.
As we started across the Medano Pass trail, it is mostly a ranch road at the beginning, the trail enters a more forested area of the Rio Grande National Forest with a bunch of openings, some of which would make pretty neat places to camp. We saw some pretty flowers among the other sights along the trail.
One of Medano Pass trail's prominent features is the many stream crossings. With my new differential breather mod, I was enjoying crossing the water every time!
Another feature of this entire trip, but especially Medano Pass, was the many beaver dams along the various streams. These critters can cut down some enormous trees and drag them long distances to assemble their calm-water homes. At one point on this trip (I think it was along Engineer Pass, but I forget for sure) we saw a 4.5 inch aspen cut down about a foot or so from the ground. By the tooth-marked cutting at the base, it was definitely a beaver. I cannot imagine that small critter dragging a 4.5 inch tree trunk to it's construction site. Maybe it just clips the branches and leaves the bigger trunk, but it was nowhere around. We really wanted a picture of a beaver, but we never saw one.
We camped at an awesome campsite almost to the dunes. I didn't realize this yet, but almost to the dunes is still in a dense forest. We got there just before dark, and had enough time to set up camp before the sun set. Maybe we were so tired from all the work on Hayden Pass or whatever, but after getting camp set up, it didn't seem that twilight lasted very long. We turned in soon after getting camp set up.
Day 6 - Friday morning...
Friday we broke camp after fixing breakfast and continued out the short distance (we had camped at one of the last campsites along the trail) to the dunes. It was amazing to me how quickly the terrain changed from forest to sandy trail with little vegitation on either side. I bet the total distance from dense forest to a Baja-like environment is just a few hundred yards.
Again, I must compliment Rubi-Khan on his knowledge of the area and phenominal ability to guide our Colorado portion of this quasi-expedition. He advised that we should stop and play at the picnic site near the creek and dunes, because at the parking area (where one doesn't require a 4x4 to visit the dunes) it must have been a quarter mile hike to the base of the dunes. We stopped at the picnic area and in sandals or bare feet, walked down the COLD creek to the base of a small dune. The water was very refreshing, and the hike up the dune, maybe a 100 to 150 footer, was not too stressful for the sea-level visitors after being in Colorado and New Mexico for a week. We enjoyed walking/running/sliding-on-our-butts down the dunes. Interestingly, as we got toward the bottom, our feet would make a (for lack of a better word) "farting" noise as they compressed the sand. It startled Chloe, as she was the first one down, LOL.
More day 5 pics
#1 - Wannabe predator that mistook Rubi-Khan's winch as prey
#2 - Which end will that prarie dog come out of first?
#3 - She favors her Mom, for sure!
#4 - Some beautiful white flowers in a clearing along Medano Pass Trail
#5 - Where's that sponge and soap when you need it? One of many car washes on this pretty trail, hehe.
#6 - We saw a bunch of beaver dams
Day 6 pics
#7 - Rubi-Khan on the last Medano Creek stream crossing - I love that shot!
#8 - About 200 yards separates dense forest from "Baja Colorado"
#9 - A pretty neat shot between some trees, across the creek that you cannot see, and showing a large dune a few hundred yards away.
#10 - That water is COLD, as we walk in the creek to one of the shorter dunes.
Day 5 - Continued...
Heading South on Colorado 69, Rubi-Khan radioed that he thought he hit a robin or some other similar sized bird with orange on his/her breast. When we stopped, we located it's lifeless body just behind his winch. :-( It was quite a pretty bird, and we were bummed when we found it lifeless. Anyone care to identify it?
We found the right turn to Medano Pass trail and one of the first things we came upon was a prarie dog running on either end of a culvert. When we paused to photograph it, we heard another one barking about 50 yards away atop his mound. When we tried to get it's picture, it ducked in and then we tried to get the one in the culvert and it never re-appeared.
As we started across the Medano Pass trail, it is mostly a ranch road at the beginning, the trail enters a more forested area of the Rio Grande National Forest with a bunch of openings, some of which would make pretty neat places to camp. We saw some pretty flowers among the other sights along the trail.
One of Medano Pass trail's prominent features is the many stream crossings. With my new differential breather mod, I was enjoying crossing the water every time!
Another feature of this entire trip, but especially Medano Pass, was the many beaver dams along the various streams. These critters can cut down some enormous trees and drag them long distances to assemble their calm-water homes. At one point on this trip (I think it was along Engineer Pass, but I forget for sure) we saw a 4.5 inch aspen cut down about a foot or so from the ground. By the tooth-marked cutting at the base, it was definitely a beaver. I cannot imagine that small critter dragging a 4.5 inch tree trunk to it's construction site. Maybe it just clips the branches and leaves the bigger trunk, but it was nowhere around. We really wanted a picture of a beaver, but we never saw one.
We camped at an awesome campsite almost to the dunes. I didn't realize this yet, but almost to the dunes is still in a dense forest. We got there just before dark, and had enough time to set up camp before the sun set. Maybe we were so tired from all the work on Hayden Pass or whatever, but after getting camp set up, it didn't seem that twilight lasted very long. We turned in soon after getting camp set up.
Day 6 - Friday morning...
Friday we broke camp after fixing breakfast and continued out the short distance (we had camped at one of the last campsites along the trail) to the dunes. It was amazing to me how quickly the terrain changed from forest to sandy trail with little vegitation on either side. I bet the total distance from dense forest to a Baja-like environment is just a few hundred yards.
Again, I must compliment Rubi-Khan on his knowledge of the area and phenominal ability to guide our Colorado portion of this quasi-expedition. He advised that we should stop and play at the picnic site near the creek and dunes, because at the parking area (where one doesn't require a 4x4 to visit the dunes) it must have been a quarter mile hike to the base of the dunes. We stopped at the picnic area and in sandals or bare feet, walked down the COLD creek to the base of a small dune. The water was very refreshing, and the hike up the dune, maybe a 100 to 150 footer, was not too stressful for the sea-level visitors after being in Colorado and New Mexico for a week. We enjoyed walking/running/sliding-on-our-butts down the dunes. Interestingly, as we got toward the bottom, our feet would make a (for lack of a better word) "farting" noise as they compressed the sand. It startled Chloe, as she was the first one down, LOL.
More day 5 pics
#1 - Wannabe predator that mistook Rubi-Khan's winch as prey
#2 - Which end will that prarie dog come out of first?
#3 - She favors her Mom, for sure!
#4 - Some beautiful white flowers in a clearing along Medano Pass Trail
#5 - Where's that sponge and soap when you need it? One of many car washes on this pretty trail, hehe.
#6 - We saw a bunch of beaver dams
Day 6 pics
#7 - Rubi-Khan on the last Medano Creek stream crossing - I love that shot!
#8 - About 200 yards separates dense forest from "Baja Colorado"
#9 - A pretty neat shot between some trees, across the creek that you cannot see, and showing a large dune a few hundred yards away.
#10 - That water is COLD, as we walk in the creek to one of the shorter dunes.
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RoundOut
Explorer
Day 6 - Continued, the Dunes, Swimming, and heading back south
We got some fun pictures playing in the dunes, and then walked in the creek back to the picnic area where our vehicles were parked.
When coming out of the forest, your tires had better be at low inflation, because the sand sure gets soft. There is a great (read: quick, high pressure compressor) air station next to the trash dump across from the parking lot at the base of the bigger dunes, so airing back up is not a problem.
After airing back up, dumping some trash in the appropriate place, and fiddling with the CB Radios that worked perfectly the whole trip, but stopped working this morning, we washed our feet off at the facilities there, and headed over to the visitor's center. There were lots of nice exhibits at the Great Sand Dunes National Monument Visitors Center, but we didn't spend much time there, because we had our sights set on getting to an artesian spring swimming pool near Hooper, CO that Rubi-Khan had visited a time before and spoke highly of.
After paying our park fees on the way out, we headed off for the pool. About a 20-30 minute drive on a VERY straight road in a desert area west of the dunes, we got to a little community called Hooper. Just passed town, I saw a stand of trees in the distance, and assumed that there must be a water source there, since not much else grew above a few feet. Sure enough, that was our swimming pool.
After a few days camping since our shower in Silverton, we were eagerly anticipating a shower and a refreshing dip in the pool. We got the shower, but it is hard to call a +/- 95 degree swimming pool refreshing, LOL. It was very nice to clean up, and a wonderful time swimming around the pool, but refreshing it was not. What was impressive though, was how this gorgeous pool was fed from a spring and provided the locals such a nice place to go in the middle of such an arid climate. The fee was $10 per person, and it was well worth it for the shower alone. All the bonus that we got to swim.
After the swim, I was looking forward to grilling some hamburgers on the tailgate, and started getting the stuff out for it. Darn-it, if I couldn't get the grill lit. The snack bar in the swimming pool was charging movie-theater-like prices for their cuisine, so we elected to wait for some fast-food in Alamosa on the way back to Philmont.
After such an AWESOME trip, it was sad to say goodbye to Rubi-Khan and his dog, Lacy, but all good things must come to an end. A wonderful friendship was formed this past week, thanks in part to this forum, and life-long memories were created. My daughter and I had an incredible time doing all the things we did, and I cannot thank Rubi-Khan and Lacy enough for helping us plan and execute this amazing trip.
Our last night of camping was coming up, and we had to choose a location. We called Philmont and asked them if we could pitch a tent, so our 7:30 a.m. pickup of the boys would not require us getting up before dark. They graciously allowed us to stay in one of the training center tents, so we would not even have to pitch our tent. What a blessing!
Chloe and I left Hooper, and retraced some paved mileage going by Blanca Peak once again. One of the places we went by, was a small community called Fort Garland. On our way up, we passed a grocery store called the Old Fort Market, and Chloe made a joke about it being the "Old Fart Market". Needless to say, we needed a picture under that sign, LOL.
As we got closer to Philmont, we passed a caution sign, alerting motorists that it is common for rocks to fall from the side of the hills nearby. Someone had embellished it with an expletive, LOL. Here's a link to the funny signs forum.
We caught a picture of a beautiful sunset and another couple of some mule deer that are always grazing in the yards and pastures at Philmont just before the turn to Philmont Training Center.
#1 - Four-legged ATV in four-low coming up the dune after enjoying a splash in the creek.
#2 - More splashing at the bottom of the dune
#3 - It's an oriental tourist! - NO - It's Rubi-Khan coming down the dune!
#4 - The couple-mile-long trail away from the forest and toward the parking area
#5 - Good-bye Rubi-Khan and Lacy!
#6 - The "Old Fart Market"
#7 - Pretty sun behind the cloud as we got close to Philmont
#8 - Mule deer grazing just outside Philmont staff living quarters (digital zoom sucks, sorry)
#9 - Another mule deer, striking a pose in a pasture (again, sorry for the digital zoom)
We got some fun pictures playing in the dunes, and then walked in the creek back to the picnic area where our vehicles were parked.
When coming out of the forest, your tires had better be at low inflation, because the sand sure gets soft. There is a great (read: quick, high pressure compressor) air station next to the trash dump across from the parking lot at the base of the bigger dunes, so airing back up is not a problem.
After airing back up, dumping some trash in the appropriate place, and fiddling with the CB Radios that worked perfectly the whole trip, but stopped working this morning, we washed our feet off at the facilities there, and headed over to the visitor's center. There were lots of nice exhibits at the Great Sand Dunes National Monument Visitors Center, but we didn't spend much time there, because we had our sights set on getting to an artesian spring swimming pool near Hooper, CO that Rubi-Khan had visited a time before and spoke highly of.
After paying our park fees on the way out, we headed off for the pool. About a 20-30 minute drive on a VERY straight road in a desert area west of the dunes, we got to a little community called Hooper. Just passed town, I saw a stand of trees in the distance, and assumed that there must be a water source there, since not much else grew above a few feet. Sure enough, that was our swimming pool.
After a few days camping since our shower in Silverton, we were eagerly anticipating a shower and a refreshing dip in the pool. We got the shower, but it is hard to call a +/- 95 degree swimming pool refreshing, LOL. It was very nice to clean up, and a wonderful time swimming around the pool, but refreshing it was not. What was impressive though, was how this gorgeous pool was fed from a spring and provided the locals such a nice place to go in the middle of such an arid climate. The fee was $10 per person, and it was well worth it for the shower alone. All the bonus that we got to swim.
After the swim, I was looking forward to grilling some hamburgers on the tailgate, and started getting the stuff out for it. Darn-it, if I couldn't get the grill lit. The snack bar in the swimming pool was charging movie-theater-like prices for their cuisine, so we elected to wait for some fast-food in Alamosa on the way back to Philmont.
After such an AWESOME trip, it was sad to say goodbye to Rubi-Khan and his dog, Lacy, but all good things must come to an end. A wonderful friendship was formed this past week, thanks in part to this forum, and life-long memories were created. My daughter and I had an incredible time doing all the things we did, and I cannot thank Rubi-Khan and Lacy enough for helping us plan and execute this amazing trip.
Our last night of camping was coming up, and we had to choose a location. We called Philmont and asked them if we could pitch a tent, so our 7:30 a.m. pickup of the boys would not require us getting up before dark. They graciously allowed us to stay in one of the training center tents, so we would not even have to pitch our tent. What a blessing!
Chloe and I left Hooper, and retraced some paved mileage going by Blanca Peak once again. One of the places we went by, was a small community called Fort Garland. On our way up, we passed a grocery store called the Old Fort Market, and Chloe made a joke about it being the "Old Fart Market". Needless to say, we needed a picture under that sign, LOL.
As we got closer to Philmont, we passed a caution sign, alerting motorists that it is common for rocks to fall from the side of the hills nearby. Someone had embellished it with an expletive, LOL. Here's a link to the funny signs forum.
We caught a picture of a beautiful sunset and another couple of some mule deer that are always grazing in the yards and pastures at Philmont just before the turn to Philmont Training Center.
#1 - Four-legged ATV in four-low coming up the dune after enjoying a splash in the creek.
#2 - More splashing at the bottom of the dune
#3 - It's an oriental tourist! - NO - It's Rubi-Khan coming down the dune!
#4 - The couple-mile-long trail away from the forest and toward the parking area
#5 - Good-bye Rubi-Khan and Lacy!
#6 - The "Old Fart Market"
#7 - Pretty sun behind the cloud as we got close to Philmont
#8 - Mule deer grazing just outside Philmont staff living quarters (digital zoom sucks, sorry)
#9 - Another mule deer, striking a pose in a pasture (again, sorry for the digital zoom)
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