Fall in the Rockies
After a leisurely 14-hour drive across the continent, (yes, we drove the truck instead of the jeep this time), we arrived in Montrose, Colorado. To fit in with the natives though, you’d have to say it, "MONT-rose."
Sunday: Calamity Canyon
After arriving to town, we realized we had no idea what to do next, or how to find any of the local trails. Thanks to our friend the internet (of course using "the Google") we found a club meeting near our hotel and sent the guys out to meet up with them. They pointed us toward the mesa, but the rest was up to us.
Apparently, we have a great sense of direction. Bright yellow aspen spotted the horizon on the drive up the mesa. We found some of the good stuff, as the following photos will show. The sky was slightly overcast and the temperature was just right.
As we headed down into the canyon, it was apparent that we had just missed a series of autumn storms. We were all excited to see such an abundance of freshly unearthed rocks.
Frank’s red Bronco rocked the trail on 31’s, but when we got to the crazy wall obstacle he opted out. It was a steep climb up a series of ledges that got worse until you got to the top. Aaron is standing betwixt the twees which mark the entrance.
Calamity Canyon, Round II: The Wall
Interested in knowing and seeing a little more, we swung by the local offroad and custom shop, McPherson’s Offroad, and Trevor gave us all the details. We headed out again for round two. We explored different sections of the canyon this time and found some amazing rocks, ledges and views.
Here’s where the fun began! "Then you get to the spot where the trail climbs between the two trees … oh, and make sure you’re topless!" We knew we had arrived at the ultimate obstacle. Rick took first stab at it, and although the photos look gnarly, he was in no danger. Well, maybe just his seat! Aaron in his green Commando walked right up the side of the rock wall with his overly grippy Super Swamper tires.
During the photo slide show that night, Aaron coined the spotter line technique "fishing for jeeps." Here’s a few victory semi-poser shots:
We headed back to town, ate dinner, and got the jeeps ready to head to Ouray.
Monday Night: Ouray, CO
We arrived in Ouray after dark. After watching a few people argue for quite some time in the lobby of the Riverside Inn, we go the keys, unpacked the trucks and headed to our room. It was chilly there at 7,700 feet in the Rocky Mountains and we could hear the river flowing at the edge of the property. We couldn’t wait to wake up in the morning and see our surroundings.
The next morning, when we did wake up and look outside, we couldn’t even see halfway up the sides of the mountains! The clouds had moved in and brought along a wintry drizzle.
Tuesday: Silverton - Telluride Drive, CO
We drove the "Million Dollar Highway" to try and escape the clouds but instead we climbed up into the snow! The scenery was absolutely gorgeous the entire way. Canyons, waterfalls, yellow aspen, and cliffs all kept our eyes glued to the windows until we stopped in town for a walk through the park and a snack. Quite a few things caught our interest on our walk through town, as you can see below.
Our adventure continued on as we climbed even higher and farther into the backcountry in search of a particular rustic dirt trail to get us to Telluride. We found it, along with some astounding views!
As evening approached, the tires hit pavement and we were cruising along at highway speeds once again. We caught a few glimpses of purple mountains and the moon "doin’ the thing."
We were greeted to Telluride by a full moon. We knew only what our mountainous scenery looked like by the real estate magazines and local paintings on display in the shop windows. Unfortunately for the girls, the shops were all closed, but we settled for second best: italian food! Back in Ouray for the night, we went to sleep without seeing the town again!
Wednesday: Ouray
Well, it was our last chance to see town, and boy did we get the grand tour. The town and surroundings were everything we expected and more. We packed up, took a stroll down the river and hit up the natural hot springs.
Ouray to Moab, UT
A few shots from our trip to Moab. We took 62 to 145 to 90 to 46 to 191. Whew! The drive through the mountain passes probably took the same amount of time as going around by freeway, but what fun would that be!?
Colorado/Utah Trip Links
Colorado: Montrose, Ouray, Silverton
Moab: Rusty Nail
Moab: La Sal Mountain Loop
Moab: Steelbender
