lumpskie
Independent Thinker
So, I just got back from a fun few days in the Never Summer Mountains, near Walden CO. One of my wife's favorite animals is the moose and we try to get out on a "Moose Safari" to view them every year. We hadn't gotten out in a while so she surprised me with a birthday weekend away to do just that. On Friday, we packed and I topped off the fluids in the Waggy. This is the point where I FORGOT TO PACK A CAMERA! So... I was destined to take cell phone pictures on this trip. Saturday morning, we hit the road... into blizzard like conditions.
We took the western route, going west on I-70 then heading north on highway 40 through Winter Park. It snowed the entire way. Traffic backed up behind one person driving 15 mph all the way into Winter Park. I counted 25 cars stacked behind this person and they refused to pull off and let anyone pass. The switchback that normally take 30 minutes took over 2 hours to complete! But, no one got in an accident.
After turning onto highway 125, the road surface had turned from packed snow to ice. But, the Waggy didn't have any issues with traction. It was sure footed as ever.
So, after 5 hours of driving, we finally reached Walden. Apparently it had snowed all day here as well... snow was piled 3-4 feet high in between lanes in the road! I love this little town because it seems so authentic. I parked the Waggy and we checked into our hotel.
I took the opportunity to stretch my legs and grab a couple of pictures in town.
After a small break, we hit the road to State Forest State Park to get started looking for moose! The snow continued to fall on the drive.
I noticed this stack on the side of the road on the way out. Natural gas maybe? It was only flaming this one time was passed this spot...
Soon, we exited the road and headed onto the dirt.
As the suspension began to work, I started hearing a strange sound coming from the rear. I hopped out and found that the wheel wells were tightly packed with snow. I scraped it out as best I could and we continued on our way.
After about 20 minutes of driving, we ran across our first moose... 3 large Bulls. They were about 75 yards away from use, across a meadow. Of course, my cell phone has no optical zoom so pictures were almost useless. But I snapped a couple anyway.
It was starting to get pretty dark at this point, so we decided to head back to town. On the way out, we ran across two guys flagging us down on the trail. The told us that their 4 Runner was stuck and they needed help. Apparently, they were trying to walk out of the park and it was just above 0 degrees at that point. We told them that we'd help get them recovered and returned to their vehicle. At first sight, it looked like an easy job. But, when I looked closer, I could see that they were high centered.
So, I pulled out the shovel and a Mr. Emergency traction track and got to work. After digging around the tires, I could move the 4 runner back a bit. My wife put the track just in front of the front passenger tire and I rolled forward onto it. Then, I gave it some gas. I broke through about 2 feet of snow. I repeated the process one more time and they were out! Apparently, they were father and son. Dad had moved to CO and was getting into exploring the outdoors but the son was more of a city guy. They were planning on spending the night in their car if they couldn't find a way out of the park that night and he was scared out of his mind. He told my wife that we were "heros" and offered us some cash, which we turned down. It felt good to help them out and we were glad to see them heading back to down. Here's a picture I took of the scene the next day. The snow was well over a foot deep where that had parked and the heavy 4 runner just sank in!
At this point, it was was dark and cold. Time to head back to town!
EDIT: I forgot to mention...
Once we got back on pavement, it was pitch dark. As we were driving home, I caught a glimpse of some tail lights off of the left side of the road. We stopped, turned around and headed back. Sure enough, there was a brand new CRV that had slid off the road and down a 10ft embankment into the snow. We asked the owner if he needed help. He said "No, the tow truck is on the way". Reluctantly we, left him and headed back to town. After 10 minutes of driving Wifey and I discussed the fact that it was below zero and that we hadn't seen a tow truck heading in the opposite direction. As I turned my head to continue the conversation I can see something outside the passenger side window... it was a large shadowy figure. After a split second, I realized...MOOSE! I smoothly apply brake and, as I look back in front of me, I see another one run up onto the road. I gently guide the Waggy into the opposing lane of traffic, still braking as hard as I dare. I lay onto the horn and it spooks the moose enough for it to keep running and stay in "its lane". As the Waggy comes to a stop I can see that the first moose was a cow and the second was its large calf. They both run off the road at the first available opportunity and breath a sigh of relief. My wife and I return to the proper side of the roadway and also breath a sign of relief.
We took the western route, going west on I-70 then heading north on highway 40 through Winter Park. It snowed the entire way. Traffic backed up behind one person driving 15 mph all the way into Winter Park. I counted 25 cars stacked behind this person and they refused to pull off and let anyone pass. The switchback that normally take 30 minutes took over 2 hours to complete! But, no one got in an accident.
After turning onto highway 125, the road surface had turned from packed snow to ice. But, the Waggy didn't have any issues with traction. It was sure footed as ever.
So, after 5 hours of driving, we finally reached Walden. Apparently it had snowed all day here as well... snow was piled 3-4 feet high in between lanes in the road! I love this little town because it seems so authentic. I parked the Waggy and we checked into our hotel.
I took the opportunity to stretch my legs and grab a couple of pictures in town.
After a small break, we hit the road to State Forest State Park to get started looking for moose! The snow continued to fall on the drive.
I noticed this stack on the side of the road on the way out. Natural gas maybe? It was only flaming this one time was passed this spot...
Soon, we exited the road and headed onto the dirt.
As the suspension began to work, I started hearing a strange sound coming from the rear. I hopped out and found that the wheel wells were tightly packed with snow. I scraped it out as best I could and we continued on our way.
After about 20 minutes of driving, we ran across our first moose... 3 large Bulls. They were about 75 yards away from use, across a meadow. Of course, my cell phone has no optical zoom so pictures were almost useless. But I snapped a couple anyway.
It was starting to get pretty dark at this point, so we decided to head back to town. On the way out, we ran across two guys flagging us down on the trail. The told us that their 4 Runner was stuck and they needed help. Apparently, they were trying to walk out of the park and it was just above 0 degrees at that point. We told them that we'd help get them recovered and returned to their vehicle. At first sight, it looked like an easy job. But, when I looked closer, I could see that they were high centered.
So, I pulled out the shovel and a Mr. Emergency traction track and got to work. After digging around the tires, I could move the 4 runner back a bit. My wife put the track just in front of the front passenger tire and I rolled forward onto it. Then, I gave it some gas. I broke through about 2 feet of snow. I repeated the process one more time and they were out! Apparently, they were father and son. Dad had moved to CO and was getting into exploring the outdoors but the son was more of a city guy. They were planning on spending the night in their car if they couldn't find a way out of the park that night and he was scared out of his mind. He told my wife that we were "heros" and offered us some cash, which we turned down. It felt good to help them out and we were glad to see them heading back to down. Here's a picture I took of the scene the next day. The snow was well over a foot deep where that had parked and the heavy 4 runner just sank in!
At this point, it was was dark and cold. Time to head back to town!
EDIT: I forgot to mention...
Once we got back on pavement, it was pitch dark. As we were driving home, I caught a glimpse of some tail lights off of the left side of the road. We stopped, turned around and headed back. Sure enough, there was a brand new CRV that had slid off the road and down a 10ft embankment into the snow. We asked the owner if he needed help. He said "No, the tow truck is on the way". Reluctantly we, left him and headed back to town. After 10 minutes of driving Wifey and I discussed the fact that it was below zero and that we hadn't seen a tow truck heading in the opposite direction. As I turned my head to continue the conversation I can see something outside the passenger side window... it was a large shadowy figure. After a split second, I realized...MOOSE! I smoothly apply brake and, as I look back in front of me, I see another one run up onto the road. I gently guide the Waggy into the opposing lane of traffic, still braking as hard as I dare. I lay onto the horn and it spooks the moose enough for it to keep running and stay in "its lane". As the Waggy comes to a stop I can see that the first moose was a cow and the second was its large calf. They both run off the road at the first available opportunity and breath a sigh of relief. My wife and I return to the proper side of the roadway and also breath a sign of relief.
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