80 Series build - The Land Yacht

[VuickB6]

The following day we went up Yankee Boy Basin. To get there you have to take Camp Bird Road which is also how you get to several other trails. It has a crazy looking rock overhang along with some very steep drop offs!

Another easy trail but again the views were amazing. What I would give to live here and be so close to these great trails.

We caught up to a group of Jeeps that were from the Dallas area and at the next stopping point we pulled off with them and chatted for a bit. They all thought the Jeeps are cute sticker I have was pretty funny. :sombrero: I believe the guy in the red one said that his wife drives a FJ40 as her daily driver. They were a nice bunch to talk to.

When we were done on Yankee Boy Basin we made our way up the Million Dollar Highway to Corkscrew Gulch. Not too far in to the trail we stopped to take a break and figure out where we were. While we were hanging out a FJ Cruiser and JK Wrangler stopped to take a break as well. Got to talking with them and they had been here a few days already and had been here before so I asked if we could tag along. The rest of the trip was much nicer since we didn't have to rely on the book we had to get us places. They said they were heading up to Hurricane Pass and then come down Poughkeepsie Gulch.

These are from Hurricane Pass heading on down to Poughkeepsie Gulch.

We stopped and admired Como Lake for a while. Probably the coolest looking body of water I've ever seen!

I had never rode with a FJ Cruiser but seeing what that thing could do really impressed me. If I remember right it has a small lift, 33" Duratracs, sliders, front and rear ARB bumper and a winch. It has a OEM locker in the rear as well.

The Jeep is a 2014 model I believe and it has a lot more done to it. It has upgraded axles (60/44) and shafts, OX locker up front and ARB in the rear, Terraflex suspension, 35" Duratracs, front and rear ARB bumpers, winch, sliders. The axles are way overbuilt for the tire size and wheeling he does but at least he doesn't have to worry about them breaking!

We got out here to pick our line when coming down the wall. It was pretty hairy going down backwards while it was slick! :Wow1:

 

[VuickB6]

The rest of the trail was easy and of course it was unbelievably beautiful.

]

This part of the trail got really narrow in certain spots!

 

[DesertFZJ80]

Wow I don't think I'd want to leave! Awesome scenery

 

[VuickB6]

Wow I don't think I'd want to leave! Awesome scenery

I still will just stare at a few of these pictures and wish I could be back there. And I've been keeping my open for jobs that would make it no more than a 6-8 hour drive instead of almost 20 now. For now I'll just have to settle for a trip once a year. :beer:

 

[Box Rocket]

Great looking 80! Really enjoying the photos too. Are you having any issues with the 37's rubbing the flares or wheel wells? I'm looking to change up from 35's and wondering what I'll need to do to fit the 37's. Thanks.

 

[cosmiccharlie]

Great pictures and nice truck! The San Juan's are amazing! Visited twice myself.

 

[VuickB6]

Great looking 80! Really enjoying the photos too. Are you having any issues with the 37's rubbing the flares or wheel wells? I'm looking to change up from 35's and wondering what I'll need to do to fit the 37's. Thanks.

Thanks :beer:


I get just a little bit of rubbing on the rear bumper and it's only when it's fully stuffed. Other than that they fit great with the 4" lift.

Great pictures and nice truck! The San Juan's are amazing! Visited twice myself.

Thanks! Can't wait to go back, it's our favorite place we've been to.

 

[VuickB6]

There is still a little more to this trip I have just been too busy lately. Here is another update though with some Black Bear Pass goodness!


So after meeting our new friends on Corkscrew Gulch we asked if they would mind us tagging along the rest of the week since they were much more familiar with the trails than we were. They asked if we had been on Black Bear Pass yet and we told them we decided against it since we were on our own and had never been on it before. They convinced us to try and and told us that a H1 Hummer and a Double Cab Tundra had done it just a few weeks prior at the FJ Summit so it would be easy for us. I asked my wife if she was comfortable with it since she had seen all the videos before hand and knew how scary it can be. She agreed and after eating another great breakfast at Backstreet Bistro and getting some coffee and sweets at Mouse's we were on our way.


The trailhead right off of 550.

Another one of the many beautiful waterfalls we saw on the trip.

Stopped at the sign to take pictures and chat with the motorcycle guys that passed us up.

Moving along heading towards the fun part of the trail.

Getting closer. There is Telluride off in the distance. There is also a Marmot in the picture that I didn't notice when I first took it.

Here is the start of the steps.

Around this time is when it's starting to get interesting. Lots of off camber stuff but even with the limited front end flex of the radius arms it's not bad at all. And it's only a short part of the trail.

After the steps you come to a switchback and then you have Ingram Falls.

After the falls you have a little break before you start getting in to one switchback after the other. Lots of tight squeezes where me and my wife were hanging out the window to make sure we were hugging the wall as close as possible. Not too many pictures after this since we were concentrating on not falling off the side of the mountain!


A view out the side of the Land Cruiser.

You can see how close to the wall we were in this one to avoid the washed out part on the passenger side. There were about 3 or 4 spots like this that really made me worry.

After Black Bear Pass we did some shopping in Telluride. I ate a delicious grilled cheese sandwich from a street vendor while we were walking around and after we all bought a few things we loaded up and headed out. We planned to make our way south to Ophir Pass.

 

[The_Jayhawker]

Amazing journey,amazing pictures! I just bought an 80 series a month ago and can`t wait to get it out there.

 

[Singlespeed92]

Wow......just,wow,amazing

 

[NM-Frontier]

Nice trip, Moab and the San Juans it doesn't get any better then that! Always fun to see others sharing there pictures and stories of them hitting the road and getting out in there Cruisers, keep it up!

 

[VuickB6]

Thanks guys! :beer:


I got tired of people asking me what kind of jeep that is so I got a license plate that will hopefully help with that. :sombrero:

 

[RockyMtnFamily]

Nice pictures and build thread you have here. I used to live in Kansas and spent every summer vacation coming to Colorado for the seven years I lived there. After a trip to Moab, Ouray and Salida I was hooked and moved out here over ten years ago. Glad you have been enjoying time in my backyard! I am actually looking for a Cruiser to enjoy the trails with in that area.

 

[VuickB6]

Nice pictures and build thread you have here. I used to live in Kansas and spent every summer vacation coming to Colorado for the seven years I lived there. After a trip to Moab, Ouray and Salida I was hooked and moved out here over ten years ago. Glad you have been enjoying time in my backyard! I am actually looking for a Cruiser to enjoy the trails with in that area.

Thanks!

I have been keeping my eye out for jobs in that area or even as much as 5-6 hours away. We had such a great time and it would be absolutely amazing to live so close to such a beautiful place. I work at a refinery and that's all I know but there aren't any in that part of the country. But if I do find something that pays decent we'll be heading out there very quickly!

:beer:

 

[Arktikos]

Nice photos. Land Yacht is a great name for it.