Beating the Texas Heat

[markc]

Cinamon Pass is way up there, still had snow around.






If you look past the Jeep, way down in the bottom you can see the trail I drove in on.  Very steep and rocky.   

A little trip to Colorado, off roading outside Durango, and then the Alpine Loop outisde Silverton.

[DennisB]

Cool (ahem) pictures!  Doing a little pre-season scouting?

[Larry L]

If yer still in that area, take in the Animas Forks drive, then go over the mountains to Lake City. From there take the trip to White cross, and Carson City named after Kit Carson. You can also make the trip to the Galconda Mine and then go back over the mountains to Durango if you like. The train ride fro Durango to Silverton is a neat ride if you've never been on one. The train ride from Chama NM to Antonito Colorado is the best one, make sure to sit on the right side of the car if doing that one. It's an all day trip so pack accordingly. Might wanna take the tour at Creede and the Bachelor City loop. You can come back thru South Fork and go to Chama NM by using the forrest roads which is 4x4 territory but not bad. It's about a 75 mile drive thru the country with nothing in between.

[markc]

I did find an elk hunting outfitter that picks you up at the train half way between Durango and Silverton.  Exit train, get on a horse and ride an hour into the mountains.  San Juan Sky OUtfitters.  I don't know anything about them, but plan to check them out.   We did ride the train, and will not do it again. It was beautiful, as this picture shows, but the smoke from the coal burning engine was like sucking on a tail pipe for 6 hours.   Plus it was really slow...and rough. 

Hey Larry, we are back home now, but plan to go back again next summer and drive many more trails.  I took Stoney Pass I think it was called towards Crede, but had to turn back when my wife freaked out a bit on one of the sharper switch backs.  I drove down from Cinnamon Pass to the California Basin towards Lake City, but stopped at some park area.  It rained so much we skipped a few trails that were too slick with red clay.  On one mountain the rain washed the trail out with a rock slide.  We will go a bit later next summer to try to avoid some of the wet season.   All in all a must do for anyone with an off road streak in them. 

[Larry L]

Best time to go up there is the middle of September. Weather has cooled down a little, a lot of the tourists with the kids are gone, and the trees are turning colors- incredibly beautiful. Next trip you make up there, look up the forrest service road maps and take some of those. Generally they are relatively smooth but gravel. They'll take you to some of the most spectacular scenery you've ever seen. Glad you had a great trip. I'm sure you're ready to go back. I always was.

I looked in some of my maps and books and you were on the way to Creede if you went Stony Pass. That would have put you on the back side of Carson City. If you were at Animas Forks and wanted to go to Lake City, avoid Engineers Pass if the wife didn't like Stony Pass. Engineers Pass is the left hand turn going up the mountain. The last half mile of Engineers Pass is solid mountain straight up on one side and about half mile drop off of the other. As you're going up, you can't see where the road goes so it looks like yer driving off of the end of the world. The road makes a sharp right turn at the top and you'd better not miss it cause you won't get another chance. Engineers Pass  has me bringing in the mirrors on my Bronco- it's tight but oh what a view! Two things you might wanna see about getting if going back. There is a map called Colorado Close Up Recreational Road Map by Pierson Graphics, Denver Colo, (303)623-4299, that has most of the forrest roads on it. The map is probably 5' square and it's large because of all the details. Another thing is if you can find a copy of a book called Timberline Tailings by Muriel Sibell Wolle. It has hand written maps of the areas where the Ghost Towns and Mining Camps were along with hand drawn pics and some pictures of the area as she saw it back in the 30's and 40's. A lot of it isn't there anymore but it's interesting anyway. You probably went by a lot of historic sites and never knew it. That's the way it is up there. Not all of the mines are in the wide open. Take a good look around Lake City for the next trip. There's a lot to see there that most don't get to see. Mostly because you pretty much need to have experienced Colorados frontier a time or two before finding it.

[markc]

Hey Larry, thanks for the tips.  We can't go in September because my wife teaches school and they are back in session then.  It would be nice to avoid the traffic on the trails.   We bought a book, wish I had it in front of me, but it lists trails all across Colorado and rates them from easy, moderate, and difficult.  We drove a bunch of easy and moderate trails some of which seemed a bit extreme at times.   We did Engineer pass, almost, that long uphill is where my wife got cold feet.  I turned the Jeep around, not easy to do, on that trail ledge, with a beautiful 25 point turn.  Actually we made it in 3 or 4 moves.  It was really wet as well, so being new out there, we decided to try that one on a drier day.   

My wife was kind of okay with stony pass until one particular switch back that was so sharp and tight that we had to back up a bit (near the edge of nothingness) to head back up hill.  That was too much for her.  Can't wait to go back.  The Jeep eads to the shop in a couple of hours for a lift.  Wheel spacers are next week, then better tires...

[Mohawk]

Mark. Next time you are up that way my Dad has a mule deer honey hole outside of Ouray during the early season. Thinking about a trip next fall if you are interested.

[markc]

Mohawk,  hmm Mulies in Colorado?  Honey Hole?  Send me a PM and lets talk..

[Mohawk]

Great, Mark. I wanted to go this year but the Ms's had an internal medicine vet seminar in CA and was required to attend. Will PM you the specs.