Kingsize24
Well-known member
Living the life man!
2021 RAM 3500 Tradesman | AEV Prospector | FWC Grandby
- Thread starter ramblinChet
- Start date
ramblinChet
Well-known member
Two night ago I camped at, and explored, Great Dunes National Park and Preserve. Here is one very small section of the dunes and in order to comprehend the size, you must visit. It is approximately 150k acres.
Here is an abstract shot of the sandy bottom of Medano Creek. Always changing, always the same...
Of course, I took the opportunity to visit a private UFO watch tower while heading west.
Here is an abstract shot of the sandy bottom of Medano Creek. Always changing, always the same...
Of course, I took the opportunity to visit a private UFO watch tower while heading west.
ramblinChet
Well-known member
Yesterday was spent exploring the San Juan National Forest west-north-west of Durango, Colorado. We spent a good amount of time on Echo Basin Road - the upper part was rocky and slick so 2-3 MPH was the norm.
Here is Helmet Peak in the background at 11,969 feet.
We camped around 9,000 feet last night. It was very cold but when the sun rose it set the aspens on fire.
Here is Helmet Peak in the background at 11,969 feet.
We camped around 9,000 feet last night. It was very cold but when the sun rose it set the aspens on fire.
roaminglost
Well-known member
love single cabs!
dstefan
Well-known member
Beautiful rig and very nice build. Great photos too!
I dont mean to be contentious, but I do have to comment on this as it dangerous to a very high degree.
Ronny Dahl of 4 Wheeling Australia on YouTube has a very instructive and scary video testing winch line breakage with some old vehicles and dummies. Drivers seat was a death seat there too. And synthetic line as well as line with dampers were no better. Everyone with a winch should watch this.
You want to be at 90° to your line of pull and as far away as your controller will allow.
Safe travels, and winching!
I dont mean to be contentious, but I do have to comment on this as it dangerous to a very high degree.
This may be good for your vehicle but it is absolutely the most dangerous thing you can do while winching. We recently had a winching death this summer in Kingman AZ where a 40 yo dad and husband being a good samaritan was killed by snapped anchor point on a vehicle he was attempting to extract. The winch hook and part of the anchor blasted through his windshield and nailed him in the forehead sitting in the drivers seat.
Ronny Dahl of 4 Wheeling Australia on YouTube has a very instructive and scary video testing winch line breakage with some old vehicles and dummies. Drivers seat was a death seat there too. And synthetic line as well as line with dampers were no better. Everyone with a winch should watch this.
You want to be at 90° to your line of pull and as far away as your controller will allow.
Safe travels, and winching!
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Mo4130
Adventurer
Lift the hood. Also I believe the poor guy was winching to a trailer ball.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
dstefan
Well-known member
True on both counts. Thing is, we cant see through the hood, and can’t ever be sure how solid an anchor is. I know the OP and everyone else commenting here is experienced and has figured the risks out. Just dont want a newbie to get in a jam like the Kingman guy.
ramblinChet
Well-known member
Although it dipped to around 35° F the other night, it seems the couple I am adventuring with had a failure in the morning when they turned on their water pump. Water began pouring out from under the cabinets and for 10-15 minutes they were sopping it up with a small towel.
With no end in site to the continuous leak the owner first opened the tank drain which was draining painfully slow. A few moments later he opened the faucet in the sink to full, turn on the pump, and opened up the grey water drain on the side. Within another ten minutes the internal tank was drained, the flow of leaking water was stopped, and the final bit of water on the floor and inside the cabinet was sopped up.
That morning was cold enough for me to test my secondary stove and heating unit. It is a Camp Chef Everest unit left over from my Jeep adventures years ago. As simple as it is, it has always served me well and continues to do so. Turning on medium heat quickly brought the internal temperature in my camper up around 20° F. Of course, excessive humidity is a by-product of burning propane so everything in the camper had a very moist surface in very little time. The rise in temperature certainly knocked the edge off a very chilly morning.
With no end in site to the continuous leak the owner first opened the tank drain which was draining painfully slow. A few moments later he opened the faucet in the sink to full, turn on the pump, and opened up the grey water drain on the side. Within another ten minutes the internal tank was drained, the flow of leaking water was stopped, and the final bit of water on the floor and inside the cabinet was sopped up.
That morning was cold enough for me to test my secondary stove and heating unit. It is a Camp Chef Everest unit left over from my Jeep adventures years ago. As simple as it is, it has always served me well and continues to do so. Turning on medium heat quickly brought the internal temperature in my camper up around 20° F. Of course, excessive humidity is a by-product of burning propane so everything in the camper had a very moist surface in very little time. The rise in temperature certainly knocked the edge off a very chilly morning.
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ramblinChet
Well-known member
A few days ago we stopped into Mancos, Colorado for lunch and information on the local area. It was a very interesting little town and it was nice having a vehicle that could easily pull into a regular parking spot, back out, etc.
From there we headed west and spent a few days at Mesa Verde National Park. Here is a shot of the Cliff Palace where the ancestral Pueblo people lived around one-thousand years ago.
In the same park there is a Step house where you can walk around and see pit houses and kiva under an alcove.
It was a busy few days but there are so many places to pull over and spend time just relaxing. Here is a beautiful view from 8,600 feet at Park Point Overlook.
Of course, even in harsh climates like this there is still natural beauty to be found.
Here is a shot of our rigs after several hard days and nights. Both are holding up well although I am very happy with my 8-speed transmission. We have filled up and drive the same for many days not and the new rig always has a significant advantage when it comes to efficiency.
One final picture from the high desert.
And since we were so close, we could not resist visiting the four corners where four states join together. Interestingly, this is also the intersection for the Navajo Nation and Ute Mountains Ute Tribe.
From there we headed west and spent a few days at Mesa Verde National Park. Here is a shot of the Cliff Palace where the ancestral Pueblo people lived around one-thousand years ago.
In the same park there is a Step house where you can walk around and see pit houses and kiva under an alcove.
It was a busy few days but there are so many places to pull over and spend time just relaxing. Here is a beautiful view from 8,600 feet at Park Point Overlook.
Of course, even in harsh climates like this there is still natural beauty to be found.
Here is a shot of our rigs after several hard days and nights. Both are holding up well although I am very happy with my 8-speed transmission. We have filled up and drive the same for many days not and the new rig always has a significant advantage when it comes to efficiency.
One final picture from the high desert.
And since we were so close, we could not resist visiting the four corners where four states join together. Interestingly, this is also the intersection for the Navajo Nation and Ute Mountains Ute Tribe.
UglyViking
Well-known member
What are you seeing for MPG for highway/local/offroad usage? Curious how well those new 8 speeds do, especially with the 37s.
ramblinChet
Well-known member
I have taken dozens of photos of the landscape here in SW Colorado and would love to post them all although my recommendation is for you to visit here and see for yourself. The pictures just do not do this area justice. Here is one teaser:
While pushing north towards Ridgway, where key sets in John Wayne's True Grit were filmed in 1969, we grabbed fuel and some drinks. Miles up the road I realized I had left my Red Bull on the rear bumper. I pulled over and found it still very nice and cool.
We spent time in Ridgway and even ate at the True Grit Cafe. Later we pulled into Ouray, Colorado, and was surprised to realize there were not many free camping sites in the area. We drive higher and to the south and found some trails leading west. Back a few miles we spotted a primitive camping area with a fire ring. It was getting late and although we were around 10k feet of elevation and it was sure to drop into the mid-20s, we set up camp and enjoyed the sound of the nearby creek.
Early the next day we drive south into Silverton, Colorado, for breakfast and a walk. The season was over so most of the restaurants and shops were closed but we only needed to find one and we were successful.
While pushing north towards Ridgway, where key sets in John Wayne's True Grit were filmed in 1969, we grabbed fuel and some drinks. Miles up the road I realized I had left my Red Bull on the rear bumper. I pulled over and found it still very nice and cool.
We spent time in Ridgway and even ate at the True Grit Cafe. Later we pulled into Ouray, Colorado, and was surprised to realize there were not many free camping sites in the area. We drive higher and to the south and found some trails leading west. Back a few miles we spotted a primitive camping area with a fire ring. It was getting late and although we were around 10k feet of elevation and it was sure to drop into the mid-20s, we set up camp and enjoyed the sound of the nearby creek.
Early the next day we drive south into Silverton, Colorado, for breakfast and a walk. The season was over so most of the restaurants and shops were closed but we only needed to find one and we were successful.
And a HUGE part of why I opted for a winch with a wireless remote controller. I do NOT want to be in that drivers seat while winching if I can avoid it... However if you need to steer / brake doing self extraction, the drivers seat is the only option you have.
A bit surprised no better results with line dampeners. That is the first I have heard of that.
dstefan
Well-known member
ramblinChet
Well-known member
Just off of the "Million Dollar Highway" that runs between Silverton and Ouray, on the west side, is CR7 that has several campgrounds and also takes you up to Clear Lake. Here is a picture on the spur 815 climbing right at the treeline.
On the same trail you can enjoy the view of the valley below during the climb. There are a dozen or so switchbacks and much of the road is made up of fist sized or slightly larger rocks so unless you air down, the ride will be slow and rough. This was a great test of my tie-down system for my ZARGES K470s and I was impressed at how well the system worked. The 2" straps held them in place and they may have shifted a fraction of an inch or so.
Here we are parked at Clear Lake at the end of the trail. Another adventurer was fly fishing here and actually pulled out a huge Tiger Trout. The lake only looked a few feet deep and I would expect it to freeze over in the winter but this monster trout was there. We walked around for a few hours and enjoyed the high sunlit silence.
Early the next day we departed Silverton and headed towards Durango. After passing through Purgatory, I stopped at Pinkerton Hot Springs to walk and talk and enjoy an early lunch. The water was warm and it was interesting but compared to the boiling springs in Yellowstone, there was no comparison.
And for all of my fellow AEV Prospector lovers - here in Silverton is a special hotel specifically built for us to enjoy.
On the same trail you can enjoy the view of the valley below during the climb. There are a dozen or so switchbacks and much of the road is made up of fist sized or slightly larger rocks so unless you air down, the ride will be slow and rough. This was a great test of my tie-down system for my ZARGES K470s and I was impressed at how well the system worked. The 2" straps held them in place and they may have shifted a fraction of an inch or so.
Here we are parked at Clear Lake at the end of the trail. Another adventurer was fly fishing here and actually pulled out a huge Tiger Trout. The lake only looked a few feet deep and I would expect it to freeze over in the winter but this monster trout was there. We walked around for a few hours and enjoyed the high sunlit silence.
Early the next day we departed Silverton and headed towards Durango. After passing through Purgatory, I stopped at Pinkerton Hot Springs to walk and talk and enjoy an early lunch. The water was warm and it was interesting but compared to the boiling springs in Yellowstone, there was no comparison.
And for all of my fellow AEV Prospector lovers - here in Silverton is a special hotel specifically built for us to enjoy.
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