Hi! First time posting here. I thought I would share a bit from our ongoing trip around the Western part of the United States.
Some here may remember the 2013 Jeep Wrangler that Brian Grabow built for overlanding. He had it up for sale here after his his 10k mile Canada to Mexico trip. I ended up buying that Jeep in June.
I'm mostly retired (still work on a part-time on call status) and live with my girlfriend over in Thailand. Back in June we submitted paperwork for her to get a visa for one month. We were completely organized and Nat was prepared for the interview. To our surprise, they gave her a 10 year multi-entry Visa. That definitely changed plans and my mind went in to overdrive. I had always dreamed of touring the US in a sports car driving on the many great roads and that was my plan but as I got more in to it, I realized that having off-road capability would increase the adventure factor. I knew nothing about camping, overlanding, 4x4's and spent hours researching information on the internet. One evening a suggestion on one of my favorite car sites got me looking for vehicles built for overlanding and I landed on expeditionportal where I started going through the pages of overland vehicles for sale. I eventually found Brian's Jeep and it was EXACTLY what I wanted for a trip that had taken form. I talked it over with my girlfriend and contacted Brian and shortly afterwards the deal was done. My Dad flew up and picked up the Jeep in early July and we arrived in early August.
I have never done a proper road trip (I'm 51) and Nat (She is 36) has never been outside Thailand so I planned a trip that incorporated a buffet of different activities for a couple reasons. 1. We have a lot of different interests so wanted to see and do many different things. 2. Wasn't sure how we would really like being in the Jeep full time so we have broken up the "overland" part with some activities in different cities.
The first part of our trip took us from my folks home in NW Florida to Southern New Mexico and then up to Arizona visiting the typical National Parks. We spent 3 days at North Rim Grand Canyon in various camp spots, but the highlight was hanging out at Crazy Jug Point. Stunning views. We parked our chairs right on the edge and enjoyed dinner and watching the hawks glide around on the currents.
From there we made our way up to Colorado where I planned to spend most of September. On our way we camped at Gooseneck state park but not in the typical area. We went to spot of the Honaker Trailhead where we were absolutely secluded with incredible views. The hike down to and back up from the San Juan River was a blast. Luckily, it was cloudy and we had some light rain to cool us down on the hike back up. From there we stopped by and explored around Mesa Verde.
Time for the serious fun to start and time for the Jeep to do some work. I planned out most of the routes I would take during the first couple weeks in Colorado with the Alpine Loop being on the route. I found a road into Telluride that as it turns out was Black Bear Pass. After reading all of the warning, I was a bit worried, especially since I had no experience. I watched all of the youtube videos so was aware of the 3 trouble areas but I was determined to do it and Nat was up for the challenge as well.
So my plan was to do as many passes as possible. I started with Bolam Pass as my first ever pass. Very easy. I practiced putting the Jeep in areas where it would be leaned over so we could get used to that feeling and understand where the Jeeps danger point would be. Our next pass was Engineers Pass. I heard that this was a somewhat hard pass and Nat and I thought it was pretty easy. Still....good practice. We spent the night in Lake City then had a very full day that next day. We were up, had breakfast and were on the road at 7am and made our way to Cinnamon Pass, then cut over to California Pass, Hurricane Pass then Corkscrew Gulch. All fun. I think it was about 12:30pm or so by then so we made our way over Black Bear Pass. I was concerned because the weather called for rain around 2pm that day. By time we got up to the pass it was pretty cloudy, but I knew it didn't take all that long to get down past the dangerous parts so off we went.
The steps were up first and were a fun obstacle. We worked our way down to that really narrow, off-camber, exposed right hander before the switchback. THAT area will get your attention. At that point, I was glad I had watched all the videos and practiced in those other areas because although it got the adrenaline going and was definitely exciting, I never felt over my head. Once we got through that we made our way down to the "hard" switchback. Nothing hard about it although I had to back up twice. Nat is a fantastic co-pilot. She calm and really enjoys the roads. If I need to get close to the edge, she gets me there with confidence and calm.
The next day we headed over Imogene Pass on the way to a couple days in Ouray. What a fun road and to date has been my favorite pass. Great views of Black Bear on the initial climb. Ouray is a cool little town and I'd like to visit again if I get back that way. I don't usually make restaurant recommendations, but I thought Cavallo's is fantastic and is sort of a hidden gem..hiding in plain site. New Orleans style fare. Give it a try if you are there.
We also squeezed in a balloon festival in Colorado Springs, Goodguys car show in Fort Collins, and Broncos opening game (Painful to watch Peyton). Fast forwarding a bit to current status. We recently did Pearl Pass and today did Mosquito Pass (Our highest to date). We are going to spend the next 10 days in Colorado enjoying more cool roads and the trees changing color. After that we'll head over to Moab, Arches, and to Bonneville to see a day of the Speed Nationals then over to California. Our time in Colorado will be spent more in the area around Aspen, North and East so if anyone has any suggestions that would like to throw our way, I'd appreciate it.
The Jeep has been fantastic. Brian really did a great job in getting choosing the parts and designing the layout. Every bit of space has been used perfectly. The guys at Adventure Trailers did a great job on the install as the Jeep has been completely reliable and up to the task. The National Luna fridge and freezer has really come in handy. I thought it would be too small but it just keeps swallowing stuff. Nat cooked up a bunch of Thai food before leaving and we filled the freezer portion with that. We make strategic stops at Asian markets where she can pick up fresh items so she has been eating great. She eats spicy which I can't do anymore after a health issue plus her food doesn't pack enough calories for me so I eat other higher calorie foods.
Early on when it was hot/warm, we used the on-board shower system quite a bit. Now that it is cold up in the mountains, showering outside isn't too fun. We either use wipes or like tonight, stay at a campground with showers. Storage has not been a problem, in fact, we are packed for 3 different activities and warm and cold weather. My plan was to include a ski trip so we have a duffel bag with ski clothes/boots. I also will go work in Hawaii for a few weeks so we have another duffel bag with Hawaii clothes. We also had to pack for warm and cold weather on the road. Also stuffed in the Jeep is 4 backpacks, a portable toilet, a storage box that holds garbage, dirty clothes, the occasional bottle of Jack, etc. Another box holds Nat's Thai cooking paraphenalia. We have another box that holds dish/cooking items and then another for dried food. Dried camping food...wow. Some has been half-decent. Other has been probably the worst stuff I have ever put in my mouth.
The roof top tent is fantastic. It has held up in all kinds of weather. Driving rain, 40mph+ winds, etc. I bought a nice down comforter and we have a microfiber cover. Nights have been down to as low as 30 degrees and we have been warm. It takes about 30 minutes to get things warmed up, but I'm usually sticking my leg out from under the cover at some point to cool down. I'm 6'3" and Nat is just a bit under 5' and neither one of us have problems getting in or out. I know there are pro's and cons to both, but I wouldn't change a thing.
Pictures..If you have read this far and are going "Post means nothing without pictures", the best I can do right now is to provide this link of basically Jeep only pictures plus a video of Black Bear Pass (About 16min and 850+ MB). Once I get to a place with reliable Internet, I can do better. http://1drv.ms/1OVTy54
So far we have met some great people of all ages out on the trail/road.
You guys that are doing some real adventures are an inspiration. Our relatively "safe" trip has been a real blast up to this point with some more fun to be had. Comments or suggestions on cool out of the way places to visit are more than welcome.
Cheers and Sawasdee from Michael and Nat.
Some here may remember the 2013 Jeep Wrangler that Brian Grabow built for overlanding. He had it up for sale here after his his 10k mile Canada to Mexico trip. I ended up buying that Jeep in June.
I'm mostly retired (still work on a part-time on call status) and live with my girlfriend over in Thailand. Back in June we submitted paperwork for her to get a visa for one month. We were completely organized and Nat was prepared for the interview. To our surprise, they gave her a 10 year multi-entry Visa. That definitely changed plans and my mind went in to overdrive. I had always dreamed of touring the US in a sports car driving on the many great roads and that was my plan but as I got more in to it, I realized that having off-road capability would increase the adventure factor. I knew nothing about camping, overlanding, 4x4's and spent hours researching information on the internet. One evening a suggestion on one of my favorite car sites got me looking for vehicles built for overlanding and I landed on expeditionportal where I started going through the pages of overland vehicles for sale. I eventually found Brian's Jeep and it was EXACTLY what I wanted for a trip that had taken form. I talked it over with my girlfriend and contacted Brian and shortly afterwards the deal was done. My Dad flew up and picked up the Jeep in early July and we arrived in early August.
I have never done a proper road trip (I'm 51) and Nat (She is 36) has never been outside Thailand so I planned a trip that incorporated a buffet of different activities for a couple reasons. 1. We have a lot of different interests so wanted to see and do many different things. 2. Wasn't sure how we would really like being in the Jeep full time so we have broken up the "overland" part with some activities in different cities.
The first part of our trip took us from my folks home in NW Florida to Southern New Mexico and then up to Arizona visiting the typical National Parks. We spent 3 days at North Rim Grand Canyon in various camp spots, but the highlight was hanging out at Crazy Jug Point. Stunning views. We parked our chairs right on the edge and enjoyed dinner and watching the hawks glide around on the currents.
From there we made our way up to Colorado where I planned to spend most of September. On our way we camped at Gooseneck state park but not in the typical area. We went to spot of the Honaker Trailhead where we were absolutely secluded with incredible views. The hike down to and back up from the San Juan River was a blast. Luckily, it was cloudy and we had some light rain to cool us down on the hike back up. From there we stopped by and explored around Mesa Verde.
Time for the serious fun to start and time for the Jeep to do some work. I planned out most of the routes I would take during the first couple weeks in Colorado with the Alpine Loop being on the route. I found a road into Telluride that as it turns out was Black Bear Pass. After reading all of the warning, I was a bit worried, especially since I had no experience. I watched all of the youtube videos so was aware of the 3 trouble areas but I was determined to do it and Nat was up for the challenge as well.
So my plan was to do as many passes as possible. I started with Bolam Pass as my first ever pass. Very easy. I practiced putting the Jeep in areas where it would be leaned over so we could get used to that feeling and understand where the Jeeps danger point would be. Our next pass was Engineers Pass. I heard that this was a somewhat hard pass and Nat and I thought it was pretty easy. Still....good practice. We spent the night in Lake City then had a very full day that next day. We were up, had breakfast and were on the road at 7am and made our way to Cinnamon Pass, then cut over to California Pass, Hurricane Pass then Corkscrew Gulch. All fun. I think it was about 12:30pm or so by then so we made our way over Black Bear Pass. I was concerned because the weather called for rain around 2pm that day. By time we got up to the pass it was pretty cloudy, but I knew it didn't take all that long to get down past the dangerous parts so off we went.
The steps were up first and were a fun obstacle. We worked our way down to that really narrow, off-camber, exposed right hander before the switchback. THAT area will get your attention. At that point, I was glad I had watched all the videos and practiced in those other areas because although it got the adrenaline going and was definitely exciting, I never felt over my head. Once we got through that we made our way down to the "hard" switchback. Nothing hard about it although I had to back up twice. Nat is a fantastic co-pilot. She calm and really enjoys the roads. If I need to get close to the edge, she gets me there with confidence and calm.
The next day we headed over Imogene Pass on the way to a couple days in Ouray. What a fun road and to date has been my favorite pass. Great views of Black Bear on the initial climb. Ouray is a cool little town and I'd like to visit again if I get back that way. I don't usually make restaurant recommendations, but I thought Cavallo's is fantastic and is sort of a hidden gem..hiding in plain site. New Orleans style fare. Give it a try if you are there.
We also squeezed in a balloon festival in Colorado Springs, Goodguys car show in Fort Collins, and Broncos opening game (Painful to watch Peyton). Fast forwarding a bit to current status. We recently did Pearl Pass and today did Mosquito Pass (Our highest to date). We are going to spend the next 10 days in Colorado enjoying more cool roads and the trees changing color. After that we'll head over to Moab, Arches, and to Bonneville to see a day of the Speed Nationals then over to California. Our time in Colorado will be spent more in the area around Aspen, North and East so if anyone has any suggestions that would like to throw our way, I'd appreciate it.
The Jeep has been fantastic. Brian really did a great job in getting choosing the parts and designing the layout. Every bit of space has been used perfectly. The guys at Adventure Trailers did a great job on the install as the Jeep has been completely reliable and up to the task. The National Luna fridge and freezer has really come in handy. I thought it would be too small but it just keeps swallowing stuff. Nat cooked up a bunch of Thai food before leaving and we filled the freezer portion with that. We make strategic stops at Asian markets where she can pick up fresh items so she has been eating great. She eats spicy which I can't do anymore after a health issue plus her food doesn't pack enough calories for me so I eat other higher calorie foods.
Early on when it was hot/warm, we used the on-board shower system quite a bit. Now that it is cold up in the mountains, showering outside isn't too fun. We either use wipes or like tonight, stay at a campground with showers. Storage has not been a problem, in fact, we are packed for 3 different activities and warm and cold weather. My plan was to include a ski trip so we have a duffel bag with ski clothes/boots. I also will go work in Hawaii for a few weeks so we have another duffel bag with Hawaii clothes. We also had to pack for warm and cold weather on the road. Also stuffed in the Jeep is 4 backpacks, a portable toilet, a storage box that holds garbage, dirty clothes, the occasional bottle of Jack, etc. Another box holds Nat's Thai cooking paraphenalia. We have another box that holds dish/cooking items and then another for dried food. Dried camping food...wow. Some has been half-decent. Other has been probably the worst stuff I have ever put in my mouth.
The roof top tent is fantastic. It has held up in all kinds of weather. Driving rain, 40mph+ winds, etc. I bought a nice down comforter and we have a microfiber cover. Nights have been down to as low as 30 degrees and we have been warm. It takes about 30 minutes to get things warmed up, but I'm usually sticking my leg out from under the cover at some point to cool down. I'm 6'3" and Nat is just a bit under 5' and neither one of us have problems getting in or out. I know there are pro's and cons to both, but I wouldn't change a thing.
Pictures..If you have read this far and are going "Post means nothing without pictures", the best I can do right now is to provide this link of basically Jeep only pictures plus a video of Black Bear Pass (About 16min and 850+ MB). Once I get to a place with reliable Internet, I can do better. http://1drv.ms/1OVTy54
So far we have met some great people of all ages out on the trail/road.
You guys that are doing some real adventures are an inspiration. Our relatively "safe" trip has been a real blast up to this point with some more fun to be had. Comments or suggestions on cool out of the way places to visit are more than welcome.
Cheers and Sawasdee from Michael and Nat.
