Disabled Explorer Continental Divide Expedition July 5th-27th

[1leglance]

CDE Day 9 Atlantic City to Rawlins

We started the day thinking of gas needs for my fuel sucking beast. It should have been no problem since Iguidance showed a Conoco at the edge of town. Well not sure who check that info since the road was dirt and didn't go anywhere but to a creek crossing. Lucky for us a fine gentleman named Wild Bill is both gunsmith and gas vendor. He evidently has seen this happen before because there is a big drum and some jerry cans ready to be sold for only $6 a gallon. Which isn't really a bad price when you think of the fuel & time to drive 40 miles to Lander for the nearest station.

We have met some great people and driven by even more. But I have to say that I really wished I had stopped to take a picture of the only Continental Divide Hiker we saw. This guy defined cool. But alas we were on the move and it just didn't happen. As if that wasn't enough I also didn't get a shot of the only cycle rider we actually saw on the trail. However we did stop and talk with Moody(?) a bit. If I remember right he says he post on Advrider.com as Blaze. We will have to look him up some time, great guy.

Here is a picture though of one of the strange objects we saw. This oil drum was simply in the middle of nowhere on a rise and there for no reason we could figure out. Other than maybe to make people like us wonder about it!

We also saw plenty of these fast fellows. They would dash away only to stop and look back at us, then just stand there. I guess since we didn't stop to point a rifle at them we were ok after all.

I have to say that one of the best things about using a real USGS topo map for navigation is all the stuff listed on it along your route. From old mines, to ranches to things like this "sheep camp". You will stop often and see many cool things when reading the map.

And you will have plenty of chances to take pics just like this guy. Mike has really turned into a photoguy and you will know it when you start to see his work.

We were ready for a stop that included showers, laundry and internet access. Where better in Rawlins could we go than RV WORLD?

I mean you have to stay somewhere with totem poles and where you can camp by a bulldozer right? Not to mention we got to go swimming, have a mini-golf tournament and make new friends.

 

[p1michaud]

The trip continues...

This trip is very coo. From what I read, you guys are seeing some amazing sites, meeting great people and exploring. Enjoy the ride.
Cheers,
P

 

[WFTW]

Great pix! All the vehicles look really good!

How was it all in terms of length spent out on the road? Were you dying to get back home, or do you wish it could have been longer?

I'm interested in hearing the "lessons learned" part. Anything you wish you would have taken, but didn't? Or anything you took but never used?

 

[FlyingWen]

SHDQ TODAY from 4-6pm for the Return Party

 

[SOAZ]

Congrats on the successful trip!!

I checked on their progress via the Spot and saw that they were just on the other side of Mt Lemon so Danica and I headed over to see if we could run into them.
Perfect timing. We ran into them right at the turn to willow springs and followed them on dirt back to SDHQ for the get together.
SDHQ made a big effort and the place looked great.
I'll post a couple pics in just a bit. :sombrero:

 

[1leglance]

CDE Day 10 Rawlins to Steamboat


Staying at RV World gave us a nice break from the pack & run routine our mornings had been. Every few days you need a bit of downtime to take care of details. Laundry, oil changes and checking nuts & bolts, which is how I learned that I needed to find a bolt to replace one lost on my skid plate. Luckily while Mike was getting his oil changed I found the local parts place and got my what I needed.

One thing about Rawlins we noticed what that the service at the local restaurants was very slow, enough so that I was able to replace my missing hardware while waiting! This was one of the many times I was happy to have my Extreme Outback Onboard Air setup to run air tools. The people were very nice and the food was decent but life in Rawlins seems to happen at a much more relaxed pace.

Getting out of town was slower than the restaurant service due to road construction. Things like this can be good or bad depending on your reaction, as overlanders this usually means we start thinking of dirt roads and ways around. In this case we found something interesting on the map called Adams Reservoir. At times like this you have no idea what the way ahead holds but that is one of the reasons we overland. Our first clue that this was a unique route was this old aqueduct pipe from the reservoir we were heading towards.

The way down to the reservoir was blocked by a recent mini-landslide but this presented little problem to our rigs.

What wasn't such a simple problem was the washed out bridge that the map had promised us. This is why you either need the right gear & skills to deal with surprises or a willingness to turn around, and even that won't always work out for you.

One thing to remember if you get in this kind of situation is that there are very few places left in this country that truly aren't visited by folks sooner or later. In this case we found that there was a trail where the creek was low enough that a clear ford was present and with a little binocular work we saw the matching way out on the other side. Mike was happy to be our test subject and after a quick creek crossing and disappearance into the brush he popped out on the other bank clean & clear.

The rest of us followed quickly due to the emergence of yellow fly's that bite & draw blood and we were back on the trail again. Little did we know the day would offer even more surprises and challenges. We covered some interesting ground ranging from wide open spaces that included a gentleman pushing his bicycle up hills due to head wind. Later we met this gentleman named Adrian from France who was riding north along the Continental Divide as a way to see our country.

Battle Creek was our next area of fun, the trail itself was not to tough except for one mud puddle that had clearly been eating passing vehicles. There was a clear bypass for the mud pit but Mike felt that he could make it. And if not the rest of us were there to pull him out.

Well we did end up having to get out the recovery gear, and with a simple tug of the tow strap we were back on the trail. The only issue now what that local ranchers had blocked all the ways to the highway we could find on the map. After a few hours and many miles of looking for ways to go the last couple of miles we divided into two groups. Mike & Michael to follow an unmarked but clearly used track in the right direction and me & Martin to follow a map route that was faint but visible on the ground. Once again ham radio provide it's value in keeping us all in touch even though we were miles and mountains apart. In the end we all made it out even though my way involved opening a ranch gate next to a house with a local sheriffs truck parked outside.

Of course being in a new state we excepted some new sites, this one caught us off guard. We thought maybe it was were Gandalf lived, but it turns out to just be Ted Turners place. The signs everywhere called it 3 Forks Ranch and it seems a small town could live in the house and support buildings. The house itself is deceiving in that we noticed later when looking at the enlarged pics that there were people on the top patio and they were tiny! We figure the windows where 15-20 ft tall?

However even big houses can't beat the show put on by mother nature. Driving through this area called Aspen Alley was far more interesting than any big house.

Before long we settled ourselves into Seedhouse Campground not far north of Steamboat Springs and took advantage of our early stop to cook up some cornbread and pork chops using the dutch oven and campfire.

 

[Hltoppr]

Wow Lance...I hadn't seen the skid plate! That thing is huge!

Great to see some more pics!

-H-

 

[BajaTaco]

Cool photo!
http://disabledexplorers.com/images/stories/CDE/day10/aspenalleysmall.jpg

 

[1leglance]

CDE Day 11 Steamboat Springs to Hartsel

This was a day of full and complete adventure. Many folks would have been happy to enjoy just this 1 day as plenty for them, but as overlanders we know each day is just part of the greater adventure of life. The day brought us water crossings, blocked trails at 12,600 ft that we thought would hold us on the mountain all day, nighttime running through creeks and finally camping in cow pastures.

We started the day meeting up with an area local Scott, he had contacted me earlier in the trip about showing us his stomping grounds and we did get to see some amazing sights! Some were sad sights like all the dead and trying to die pine trees as a result of the warm winters and dreaded Pine Bark Beetle.

Other sights were manmade like this valley that is slowly being filled with waste material from a nearby mine. This is where our morals really get tested. I enjoy all the results of mining but I am also disturbed when I see this kind of impact. It reminds me to not only recycle, reduce & reuse at home but to teach that my kids and teach myself to think about each and every purchase I make.

Some of the sights you will find when overlanding are just impossible to explain. Like this rock with a fence around it. There was no sign age or indication of who, what or why. It did make for some lively radio chatter amongst our rigs as we tried to invent reasons for the lone rock. From alien dropping to mystical gateway to one heck of a headstone.

Before long we got to the trail Scott had wanted to take us on. To say we gained some elevation in this area would be to put things mildly. In this picture you can just see Scott as a tiny speck above me.

Here is another view of the trail we covered and an idea of what Scotts real passion is. The man knows a fair bit about taking pictures and we did our best to pick his brain the entire time.

Before long we were driving on the actual Continental Divide as the trail followed the ridge line for quite a ways. We stopped for a group shot as a highlight of the day. Little did we know that the real fun was about to start.

Not many of pics from me after this point as the real effort became getting off the mountain. The planned route was down Radical Hill but that didn't work due to snowdrifts.

After that we just all of our different GPS & map tools along with ham radio to spread out and explore options for getting off the mountain. A setting sun and lightening in the distance gave a certain sense of urgency to our efforts. It was amazing at times to be this high above the tree line and spread out on different peaks. Without the range and clarity of ham radio we would have had to either try everything as a group or spent more time backtracking to cb radio range.

Once the sun had set and the sky was darkening with both dusk and an approaching storm things got serious. We were down to backtracking our original route and loosing distance we had made for the day or trying one last route I saw on my old USGS topo's. I struck out over a peak and positioned myself where I could see most of the route we would need. With a radio call back that everything looked clear and I was attempting the descent we were off. The only moment of trepidation was when Martin and I noticed a metal cross stuck in the ground at the bottom of the steepest gravel and rock covered section. Well at least we were past someone else's tough spot so onward we traveled. Soon the trail entered the forest and because more of a bobsled track as the sides curved up and narrowed. Twisting and turning as we came down the mountain in the dark, I wasn't concerned until the trail started to fill up with water. It seemed that in the past a creek found the trail to be an easy way down the mountain also. I hailed back on the radio that I was continuing but to be aware that things could get very interesting soon especially running in the dark. This one of those time when you are not only happy about your investment in quality lighting but also that you have side facing light to help show any offshoots or side trails. Luckily for us a fallen tree forced the creek out of the trail and provided a little climb to get us back onto a well traveled trail. It was clear that for folks from the Breckenridge side this was where most stopped to camp. What a sight it would have been for anyone sitting around one of the fire rings as we came downstream, 12 lights blazing and climbed out of the water on to the trail next to camp.

Soon we were all on level ground, said our goodbye's and thanks to Scott for the sights we saw, and choose to drive on late into the night to make up for lost time. It was fast running over Boreas Pass and through Hartsel. The only adventure in the dark for us was the wildlife that seemed to enjoy running in front of our rigs. From a female elk that jumped out as we came around a corner to a deer in the middle of the town of Hartsel that would run down the middle of the road only stopping when you did. That game even got a chuckle out of Mike as he watched it from behind me. Finally either the deer got tired or my talk about venison steaks was overheard but with last dash the deer let us by and we got back on dirt. Of course that didn't last long as we were running out of energy from our long afternoon & evening of searching. A nice cow pasture called out and we took advantage of the roof top tents ability to setup camp anywhere. It was minutes of setup and seconds to sleep after all our excitement. That is why we explore, to not just follow the tracks of others but to capture the memories of how we dealt with the times things didn't go according to plan.

 

[1leglance]

CDE Day 12 Hartsel to Ouray

Our group would split up for the day, split even more then rejoin to start the 2nd Annual FJ Summit. Along the Martin would bag his own Continental Divide Crossing behind the wheel, 2 amputees got to hike part of the Continental Divide Trail and even get our names in a Continental Divide Geocache.

Cick here to read more and see all the pictures

Oh and please take a minute to click the link and look things over, it helps our efforts to show sponsors that we are worth supporting. Web hits do get noticed. Thanks.

 

[TheGillz]

This is really awesome! Well done Lance. And thanks for the oztent, its working great. I can't wait to buy the guide for your trip, to plan my own.

 

[The BN Guy]

Incredible pix! Maybe one day...

 

[1leglance]

CDE Days 13-16 FJ Summit Ouray, CO
Watch for a full report in our Special Events Section all about the FJ Summit. We have some great stories of rain on the trails at 12, 000 feet (slippery is interesting), 2 of our vehicles having suspension breakage and the amazing support All Pro gave to get us back in action. There guys even helped install parts during the final nights Raffle, that is over the top service! And all the old saw and new friends we made while there. It was also great to meet Sergio from BajaRack in person since it was the rack from his very own FJ Cruiser that went on Mike's rig. Many of our supporters from AZFJ.org were of course at the event, and our title Sponsor Overland Journal sent Chris M. with the ARB FJ Cruiser to hand out magazines and show off the rig. And I won't lie and say it wasn't nice to refresh in a hotel for a few days as the 1/2 way point in our Journey.

 

[1leglance]

CDE Day 17 Cochetopa Pass, CO to Lagunitas Campground, NM

This was a day of transitions, from mountains to high desert scrub, from now to back in time, from natural arches to nature reflected, and from one state to another and a states of mind.

This was our first day post-FJ Summit, from here on there was less concern about the schedule and more willingness to be adventure. For me I could relax a bit more since any mishaps or breakage would not mean missing an event the size of the Summit. Not to mention getting closer to home helped with the tension also.

Click here to read more and see pictures of 10yr old Martin holding up Mike's FJC.

 

[1leglance]

CDE Day 18 Lagunitas to Calaveras Well (Stuck)

This was a day of little towns and big trail problems, light rain and heavy shovels, and proving grounds for skills and gear. I let boredom get the best of me and risk our expedition for the sake of a little more challenge.

Click here to find out how we survived winching in the dark.