Medano Pass and Creede Area, June 1-3 07

[Martinjmpr]

Hey, everyone,

We got back from our double-vacation (5 days in Mexico at a resort, followed by 3 days of 4-wheeling and camping in CO) and I wanted to submit this report.

The condensed version is: Had a great time, truck worked awesomely, camping was OK but I discovered some deficiencies with my camping setup, and will have to work to correct them.

The three of us (Me, girlfriend Liz and our Australian Cattle Dog Shaila) left on Friday afternoon at about 2pm. The plan was to camp out on the East side of the Sangre de Cristos at a campsite I identified about 8 years ago (last time I had a real 4-wheeler.) The campsite is located about 5-6 miles off of Highway 69 South of Westcliffe. I was originally planning on taking 285 down to Salida, then going East on US 50 to Texas Creek and then South on 69 through Westcliffe but the mapping software said that the most direct route was to take I-25 through CO Springs, then down 115 to Florence, and then through the Wet Mountains and into Silver Cliff. Sure enough, just like the software predicted, it took us about 2 1/2 hours to get to Westcliffe by this route (I think the 285 route would have taken over 3 1/2 hours.) From there it was a short jaunt to the Medano pass turn-off, and then 5 or 6 bumpy miles through a private ranch to the campsite.

The weather was perfect and the Sangres looked beautiful. After setting up our minimal camp, we noticed there was another tent near us. About an hour later, the people at that tent, two guys and a girl in a 4-runner, came back from up on the pass and informed us that the pass was in good shape and the water crossings weren't too deep. I was relieved to hear this as my truck is completely stock.

We had a nice campfire but couldn't see the stars due to overcast. Next morning we left bright and early, passing by another set of campers who had arrived in the evening, and who would turn out to be none other than Sean (DevinSixtySeven) from ExPo! The trip up the pass was a bit bumpy and rocky, and I put it in low range just to be on the safe side. Once up at the top we snapped a few photos and then headed down.

The trip down was spectacular, and a little intimidating! :Wow1: Let's just say that some of those water crossings looked pretty deep! If it wasn't for the fact that there were other vehicles ahead of us going through (not to mention the fact that there were other vehicles around that could have pulled me out if I stalled) I'm not sure I would have risked some of them.

At the second water crossing I decided I wanted Liz to get a dramatic photo of me crossing the water, so I deposited her on the far side of the bank, turned around and went to the other side. But I had a hard time finding a place to turn around on that deeply rutted trail. When I did turn around, I nearly got stuck in the mud and grass, and tried to back up into the trail, only to hear a loud "crunch". I got out to see what had happened and discovered my first (and so far, only) bit of trail damage: I had torn off my left rear mudflap and the metal bracket holding it on was bent into the tire, making a terrible racket. So, I picked the mud flap up off the ground, bent the bracket back into place and returned to cross the river for the dramatic shot. Little did I know that this would turn out to be one of the shallower water crossings of the day!

But, 9 crossings later (a couple of which seemed to come right up to the bottom of the door sills!) I finally made it to the entrance to GSDNP. I had heard horror stories about deep sand so at that point I pulled over and aired the tired down to 15psi. The next several miles were indeed characterized by deep sand (and one more water crossing!) but I made it through just fine. Conveniently, right at the point where the 4wd road hits the paved Park road is a nice little pull-in with an air pump.

After visiting in the park and letting Shaila enjoy herself, we ate a quick lunch and continued west... (continued)

Photos, left to right: The Sangre de Cristos from Westcliffe; Our campsite; "Trail Damage"; one of the water crossings.

 

[Martinjmpr]

(Continued)...Liz is a fly fisher, and she promised to let me do some 'wheeling and I promised we'd go fishing. Looking at the map I figured that the upper Rio Grande valley would be a great place to go. We headed south and then West through Alamosa, then Monte Vista, Del Norte, and South Fork, turning Northwest onto CO 149 towards Creede. Passing through Creede we stopped in at the fly shop and asked where the good fishing was. Bad news: There really wasn't any (rivers were too high and fast) but the flyshop owner suggested we head up the dirt road that headed North out of town and check out the beaver ponds on Willow Creek.

We headed up there, and Man! The scenery was spectacular! The roads, although wide and smooth, were incredibly steep and wound through what seemed like miles of old mining works, mills, old mine sites and the remains of mining railroads that clung to the sides of steep cliffs. It was very other-worldly. By the time we'd gone 5 or 6 miles to the beaver ponds, we had also climbed in elevation to a little over 10,000'!

Up there we fished for a while (got nothing) and then set up our camp right by the road. The whole time we were there we only saw one other vehicle. The view from the campsite was predictibly grand. We ate dinner, had another campfire, and then went to bed. Unlike our first night, there was no cloud cover, which meant that the full moon shone almost like daylight, making it a little difficult to sleep. Finally at 5:30 with the sky already light, I got up to start the hot water. After breakfast, another hour or so was spent fishing, and then we decided to go someplace else since we weren't having much luck in Willow Creek.

On our way down we passed back through Creede and stopped at the Underground Mining Museum, which the people of Creede had carved out of solid rock for the purpose of showing the evolution of hard rock mining in Colorado. We took the tour, then headed Southwest on 149, further up the Rio Grande valley. We followed the river where it departed from the highway, through a valley so beautiful it's hard to describe (and my photos don't do it justice!) We did a little fishing, and then a little shooting, and by then we were pretty tired, plus facing a 3+ hour drive home.

So, we loaded up and headed out. Poor little Shaila was so exhausted she fell asleep in the truck!

Photos (L to R, top row first): Old mill North of Creede; Another shot of the mill; Our campsite on Willow Creek; Upper Rio Grande Valley (two shots); Pooped Pooch.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Lessons learned: I always take a notebook with me when I camp so that if I realize I forgot something, I can make a note of it for next time. While we did forget some minor stuff, the biggest problem we had was the sleeping arrangements.

I had owned two trucks before with camper shells and carpet kits, however, I had never used them with anyone else. What I discovered, to my chagrin, was that while the mini truck/shell/carpet kit thing works great for one person, it's marginal, at best, for two people and totally inadequate for two people and a dog! So we won't be doing this again.

One of the problems with the shell/carpet kit arrangement as it exists now is that the shell, being a cab-high, is just too low. Both of my previous trucks had high-rise shells that give a lot more interior room and make it more comfortable to sit up in the truck bed (see attached photo of my previous truck, a 2wd Ford Ranger.)

The interim solution is likely to be a return to a tent, which neither of us particularly likes (though with an inflatable mattress, it could be sufficiently comfortable.) Ultimately I may either go for another high-rise shell, or possibly something like a Wildernest or Flip-Pac, although I'd have to save my pennies a long time to be able to afford one.

Other than the sleeping arrangements, the truck performed flawlessly. I was especially impressed with the way it handled the deep water and deep sand of Medano/Sand Dunes.

MPG wasn't too bad either, which was good because gas in that part of CO is at highway-robbery prices ($3.69 in Del Norte, which is coincidentally located in one of the poorest parts of the state.) I ended up with a trip average of 22.5.

Okay, that's my report. Feel free to ask any questions!

 

[SOAZ]

:arabia: Looks amazing!

 

[Bergger]

Sounds like you had an awesome trip. I was down there that weekend as well. Drove over Medano Pass, east to west, on Sunday and camped for 2 days just outside the park. Yeah, the water crossings were a tad deeper and greater in number than I anticipated but my Tacoma did just fine. My buddy took his completely stock, tires and all, 4Runner and I have to admit, it did amazing. Here's a few shots of out trip.

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[Pskhaat]

Ahh the water crossing where I first had my FJ40's windshield down to cut down on dust and had the river overflowing into my lap as the water crested the hood and then onto me. The worst part was knowing I had to go back through Looks a little lower now.

I miss the g's'dunes...