Colorado 4 Corners Trip Sponsered by: Your friends: THE ROUGH RANGERS!

[lonewolf]

Hey guys and gals! I told you I'd post 411 about any trips we Rangers have planned!

We are planning a 4 Corners Trail Event this August or September. And of course the Serious Explorers are invited.

I know that CCR/Y2k.01 (which I plan to attend) is the first weekend of September, so we didn't plan it around that weekend. Tenatively we are looking at either Aug 24, 25, 26 or Sept 23, 24, 25. We would probably base the weekend in the Cortez area of Colorado.

Slated for the weekend will be the passes in the San Juans, Cinnamon, Engineer, Wheeler Geological area, Imogene to Telluride. Also possibly start in South Fork, run some passes ending up in Cortez, return home (for the Colorado people, at least) via the Grand Mesa on the last day.

You can contact me for any more information, and also contact the event instigator, Dennis Brown (cpousnr@aol.com)

We need to know if any of you from S.E. are interested in attending and which of those two weekends are better with you or if there is another time that is better. Dennis works in the launch vehicle industry (rocket science ) and if launches slip, he has to stay to support the project, the dates may need to change one way or the other.

Anyhew, thats what we have started planning. Hope you can join us!

 

[lonewolf]

Dates Chosen!

Ok the dates we have chosen are the August 24-26 th.

That is also the weekend of the Durango and Silverton Railway celebration. There will be a bunch of working vintage rail equipment on display. We will stop by and take a look.

We are still locking down hotel/camping info. Should have by the end of the week.

If any of you went to the CCR that was based in Ourray, Colorado, then you have been on some of the trails that we are planning to go on (except for Black Bear this time - you thought the switchbacks were hard to get around in an Explorer, try it with a long wheelbase Ranger).

This is going to probably become an annual trip for us Rangers. Of course you Explorers are welcome to come.

Email me if you want more info.

 

[cpousnr]

Yep, I submitted the paperwork to RROC and we are on.

The general plan as of now is to meet in Cortez on the 24th of Aug. Would like a group pic at the 4 corners monument if time/daylight allows.

Rangers/others coming from Denver will do 2 passes on the way down, Browns and Breakneck which are off 285. I am looking at staying at the Comfort Inn Cortez.

Breakfast at Dennys at 7AM, it is near the Comfort Inn.
Leave for Telluride by 8AM. From Telluride, plan to take Imogene to Ouray. From Ouray, Engineers Pass to Animas cutoff to Silverton for a short time at the D&S railfest. Would like to get a group pic by the train.

Back to the passes, either up the cuttoff to Cinnamon pass or back over to Engineers. As I understand it, the first 7 miles of Engineers is the worst. At any rate, go over by pass to Colo 149, down to Creede and up to the Wheeler Geological area, about 26 miles off colo 149. End the night in South Fork, again I am planning to stay at the Comfort Inn. Potenetial, if we run out of daylight, will save Wheeler to the morning of the 26th.

Also planning on returning to Denver via Grand Mesa.

Agressive schedule but do-able.

 

[Brian1]

Re: Yep, I submitted the paperwork to RROC and we are on.

Originally posted by cpousnr
Agressive schedule but do-able.

Wow! You must be hauling down those trails!! Are you going to be camping overnight or are you actually going to do all that in one day? I wish I could go but I cant miss school.

 

[cpousnr]

well the run from Cortez to Telluride is . . .

maybe 1.5 hr.
Imogene I suspect 2 hours to do.

Most of Cinnamon is bad dirt road, only real tough part is the a couple of miles up from each side to the top. It is 25 or so miles long haveing a shelf road on the east side. I was to the summit from the east side enterence on Colo 149 in maybe 45 min a few weeks ago. And that was considering a snow storm!

Wheeler is 45 min from Cinnamon pass start, and is 1.5 up, 1.5 down

Gonna be a 10 hour day at least, but if you recall I said Wheeler can be put off till Sun morning if time is critical.

It is maybe 15 miles from South Fork

 

[wabbit]

what about trails in the Cortez area?

Are there any good trails in the Cortez area? It seems like a long haul to base in Cortez to run the San Juan trails. You might do Imogene in two hours on a dirt bike but 4 wheeling, it would be haulin' butt all the way to make that kinda time, especially with a group. And, ending up in Ouray, it'll be nearly a three hour highway drive back to Cortez.
I don't mean to be a "party pooper", but perhaps a roving base would better suit the 4wheeling fix. As in- first meet and stay in Ouray, hit the mountain trails, then plan a 4wheelin route from Ouray to Cortez. Then from base in Cortez do some local trails. Kinda something like that...
I would definately be interested in doing some 4wheeling in the Cortez area, but not to go to Cortez then drive back two hours on the highway to start a trail.

 

[lonewolf]

We are just starting in Cortez!

See Cpousnr's post up a couple! We are starting in Cortez and from there going down to the 4Corners N.M. then after a night stay there on Friday, going to Teluride over passes/trails to Silverton, then over passes/trails to South Fork for Saturday night. Then Sunday everyone says goodbye and packs to go back home.

The reason for Cortez is the 4Corners part of the trip. We have Rough Ranger members coming from Arizona, Utah and Colorado. Don't have anybody coming up yet from New Mexico. Those four states make uo one region of our club. Thats why we are starting down there. Depending on how the day pans out, we will probably do a couple of trails on Friday down near Cortez.

The main day for wheeling is Saturday. Those of us going north may do a couple of passes/trails on the way home Sunday.

 

[MickeySpiers]

RE: We are just starting in Cortez!

For those who have done this trail before, is it doable in a mildly modified Explorer? I have a 2 1/2" lift running 31" BFG A/Ts, currently open diffs but hope to have that remedied in the next few weeks... TIA

 

[lonewolf]

Sure you could do it. Cpousnr has a stock Ranger, I have a stock (except for the tires) Ranger. Although I do have 4.10 gears and a limited slip.

Anyhow if we can do them you can too. If there are obsticles that a stocker can't/won't handle there is almost always a bypass. But I have gone down some stuff with one wheel stuffed and the opposite side hanging in mid air in my stock Ranger. The emphasis of this trip is more on the senic rather than the technical .

Come and join us! Cpousnr has created a new website with details about the trip: Dead Link Removed

If you are at all interested in this trip, email me, lonewolf@ultra2k.com and/or Cpousnr, cpousnr@aol.com with your name, email addy, state you're comming from, vehicle info, and PHONE NUMBERS. WE NEED TO GET A HEAD COUNT SO WE CAN FINALIZE PLANS!!

Thank you and Hope to see you there!!

 

[cpousnr]

Mickey Spiers:
I have been on Cinnamon Pass and there is no problem with a stock Ranger. The altitude is the tough part as your very high. It has a mild shelf road. It is rated a 3 of 10 in the book I use and scenic rating of 9.

Imogene is more difficult, however, it is doable in stock vehicles. It is rated 4 for difficulty, 10 for scenic.

Engineer is rated 4 for difficulty, 10 for scenic.

The Animas cutoff is rated 3, scenic 4.

Carson City ghost town, short detour on the end of Cinnnamon is rated 4 difficulty, 8 for scenic.

Wheeler I have been 15-16 miles up the 26 mile run. I would rate that part a 3/4. It was rutted and very soft, I turned around. But I was up there late may.

Would love to have you or any Explorer make the trip.

 

[lonewolf]

Mickey Spiers, wabbit, others...

Are any of you interested in coming or what? I would love to have you there. While this is not going to be as big an event as the CCR, I guarantee you will see some beautiful sights during the weekend.

Also on the friday of the trip we are changing to go through the Mendano pass to the Sand dunes then on to cortez.

If you want a preview of what is going to happen that weekend, then check out the webpage: Dead Link Removed

Hope to see you there!

 

[MickeySpiers]

Re: Colorado 4 corners

Sorry for the hiatus, but I got the clearance from the boss so we will be there! We would like to do some camping; is the group going to be camping, staying in a hotel, both, neither, ?? We won't be able to take Friday off, so we'll have to meet up with you guys late on Friday night. Where will you be by then?

Looking forward to the trip!

-Mickey

 

[lonewolf]

COOL! We will add you to the list!

I do know that one of our group, a Mr. Friend Owl from Tuscon Az. is planning to camp. I am looking into camping info for him. I will pass it along to you when I get it.

Friday night we should be in Cortez. We were planning on leaving on Friday morning and then down Mendano Pass through the Sand Dunes Nat. Monument then over to Cortez. We are STILL trying to work out a meeting place and HOPEFULLY all make it to the 4 Corners Nat. Monument for meets/greets/pics.

Shoot me your Phone number(s) and either I or Dennis (cpousnr) will get back with you re: camping/meeting/etc.

Welcome to the Group!!!!

 

[lonewolf]

Mickey, you had expressed interest in camping during the four corners trip.

I have done a few searches and have so far come up sorta empty handed. Cpousnr had found this link:
http://www.swcolo.org/tourism/camp.html

As I had said, a member of our group, Friend Owl, has planned on doing some camping, so you may want to hook up with him. His email is: friend_owl@hotmail.com

This is also the latest and greatest info I have for the trip.

If you have any other questions or concerns, let me know. You have my numbers. I left a message on your machine last night.

 

[cpousnr]

Mickeyspiers:
Need a valid email address for you. Two emails I sent were retruned as a bad address.

Go to the web page Dead Link Removed for updated information to include the area towns and camping info and national forest info.

We need to talk as I understand you want to leave late friday night and join up on Sat. That can be done if you get a good distance say to Montrose by Friday. There is plenty of NAT Forest land to camp in. We can join up in Telluride at a place near the Imogene pass trailhead. Another guy wants to camp at a place on US 550 so if you two came down the back way to Telluride, this would work. We will have to coordinate a bit but is is doable.

Will keep in touch. Looking forward to the trip.

Dennis Brown