All things considered this summer has been a pretty darn good one. As the “new normal” settled in post “Stay-at-Home” orders to help slow Covid-19, I felt blessed to not only be working ( at a great compony no less!), but able to get out and be “social” with friends in the 4×4 club. On the trail in our own rigs- or socially distant around camp. I got up to the cabin more this summer than others- usually heading up after work on my Friday- Thursday. Here are some of my favorites from the summer.

Enjoy.

Ranch views. Indian Creek Park Ranch, May.

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Elk Mountains. McClure Pass, Gunnison/Pitkin Counties, May.

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Proffitt’s Resurrection Land Cruisers- and the proper placement of brake lines. Orchard City, May.

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Yard Candy. Orchard City, May.

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“Social Distancing Hour”/Golden Hour. Mt. Evans Wilderness Boundary/ Arapahoe National Forest. Indian Creek Park Ranch, May.

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“Social Distancing Hour”. Little “Honeybadger” poses at my favorite tree, Arapahoe National Forest/Mt. Evans Wilderness. Indian Creek Park Ranch, June.

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New camera setup- Canon 5D MK4 with a Canon 24-105 F4 L Lense. Love. Indian Creek Park Ranch, June.

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Exploring Victor, CO. June.

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Victor and Cripple Creek Narrow Gauge RR- need to ride… June.

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The Shelf Road, Victor. June.

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Colorado Columbines, Indian Creek Park Ranch. June.

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Mt. Wilcox and the Vidler Tunnel, Argentine Pass. Clear Creek County, June.

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Dave Connors and some fine views of Capital Reef and the Waterpocket Fold. Henry Mountains, July.

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Sunset over Capital Reef and the Waterpocket Fold from my favorite perch. Henry Mountains, July.

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Matt Ralston at the top of Mt. Ellen (one of three prominent peaks in Utah), with the sun setting in the distance, and the moon rising behind me-bliss. Henry Mountains, July.

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“Social Distancing Hour” and a moody night at the pond in the Upper Meadows. Indian Creek Park Ranch, July.

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The “Mighty Red Chili” poses under Apishapa Arch, Spanish Peaks. Ghost Town Run, July

Hermit Pass, Sangre de Christo’s. Ghost Town Run, July.

Cloverdale Mine, Sangre de Christo’s. Ghost Town Run, July.

Rowdy Lake, Uncompahgre Wilderness, August.

Rowdy Lake, Uncompahgre Wilderness, August.

Another visit with great friends. Proffitt’s Resurrection Land Cruiser’s. Orchard City, August.

Looking South to Rosedale and the Mt. Evans Wilderness. Upper Meadows, Indian Creek Park Ranch, August.

Hancock Pass and the headwaters of Middle Quartz Creek, September.

Morning light, Upper Meadows/Arapahoe National Forest. Indian Creek Park Ranch, September.

End.

Been slowly acquiring parts for the 3rd gen 4runner over the past month. Lots of things I’ve been wanting to do and now in a good spot to do so. Fun times! Of course with Covid-19, two items from ARB ( Both from Slee Off Road and Proffitt’s Resurection Land Cruisers) are back logged. Oh well:).

A list of what I’ve received and have in the works:

Apple iPad Air gen 3/Gaia GPS 5 year Premium membership: This will serve as my core navigation setup while in the rig. I love paper maps, but this will make navigation so much easier when on the move. Looking at mounts.

Rago Fabrication Rear Window Barrier: Saw this on one of a fellow club members 3rd gen 4runner during the Ghost Town Run this year. Liked how it offered more flexible storage options. Just got one for the driver side rear window. Still need to install.

Adventure Tool Company kitchen Bag: Love the products from Adventure Tool Company. Tired of hauling a big gray bin everywhere I go for no reason, I picked this up to help consolidate things.

Dual ARB compressor and awning: waiting on these from friends shops. Covid-19 seems to have backlogged things a bit for ARB.

Rear Bumper: This is the start of a longer project to upgrade the fuel range in the 3rd gen 4runner- I’m only getting around 200 miles to the tank (eek!). My friends Travis and Justin of Envision Fabrications will be building me a rear bumper- from there well work inward to get the external tank installed. Really excited for this upgrade!

Parts slowly coming in.

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Pic of the 3rd gen 4runner for reference:).

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Headed up to the Cabin for an evening after work to help kick off my weekend. It was a bit cooler up there, a nice change from the heat though things are still really dry. My Pal Dan and I woke up early Friday to catch the Sunrise in the Upper Meadows of the property. After words, we finished the drive to the Mt. Evans Wilderness Boundary followed by a short stroll through the Wilderness (probably hiked around 3miles). Not a bad way to kick off the weekend!

Morning light in the Upper Meadows.

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Warmth.

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Dan and his 80 series Land Cruiser.

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Passing by my favorite tree.

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Enjoying a nice stroll through Mt. Evans Wilderness.

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This past weekend I was down in Buena Vista for a dear friends wedding. Sunday morning was free, so I decided to catch the sunrise on Hancock Pass. It’s been a little while since I’ve been down in the area, so it was nice to get out on the trail, even if for a little bit. After the sunrise, I planned to hike to the West Portal of the Alpine Tunnel via the Palisades but realized I forgot my backpack once there. So instead hiked to a nice Alpine Lake between Tomichi and Hancock passes. It was nice to have the place to myself for a few hours, especially on a busy holiday weekend. While leaving St. Elmo to get back to Buena Vista and the wedding festive’s, I watched a solid line of cars head up the road to St. Elmo….

Sunrise- Hancock Pass.

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Dropping down Hancock Pass on the Pitkin side.

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Tomichi Pass in the distance.

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Sherrod Loop. So named for the big curve that helped keep the train on the sunnier, southern portion of the mountain to help keep the tracks clear of winter snow.

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Along the old grade of the Denver South Park and Pacific Railroad.

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Morning Aspens.

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Old inscriptions on one of the water tanks used by the Denver South Park and Pacific Railroad.

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Hiked up to a fine Alpine Lake between Tomichi and Hancock Pass. Believe this to be the headwaters of Middle Quartz Creek. A wonderful spot to enjoy a quiet morning before the crowds came.

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Checking out an old mine near the start of Tomichi Pass.

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St. Elmo was a busy place that morning!!

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