This week has turned into a slow week. I’d had it planned to be off this week for our annual Outlaws Run, but after getting news from my Manager at work that a fellow coworker (someone whom I interact with a lot) has Covid, I felt it best to not go on the run, stay home and get tested ( got tested this past Sunday).
Really bummed to be missing Outlaws Run this year, but it’s the better thing to do.
So in the mean time, have been catching up on rest, chores around the apartment, planning next yeas trips and trying to get our trip to Iceland from 2017 re-edited for the blog. Fun to go back through those images, feel like we only touched the surface of what Iceland has to offer ( like any place I’m able to explore, I always want to get back to see more of it).
Hope to get up to the cabin later in the week….
A few teaser pics from our Iceland trip back in 2017…
Glacier Lagoon.
Myvatn
NW Fjords.
Porsmork Valley.
The NW Fjords and Porsmork Valley were my favorite areas we visited.
Last weekend I headed out for a few days to enjoy the fall colors. Work was kind enough to let me switch some days around so I’d have a three day weekend. Aside from photographing the fall colors, I wanted to get out of town and celebrate my two year anniversary for Open Heart Surgery.
In the spring of 2018 I ended up getting Sepsis infection ( thought I had the flu) and spent three weeks in the Hospital at Porter. We never did find the cause but the source was my VSD ( small hole between two chambers of my heart) that I’ve had my whole life. After recovering from the Sepsis infection the doctors wanted the VSD closed. I was able to get in with Children’s Hospital in Denver ( I’ve had the VSD since birth, and one of my best friends is a Pediatric Cardiologist there) and had the surgery in October of 2018. Pre-op was on a Monday, Surgery Tuesday and I was home Friday. Still amazes me.
So, knowing I had a long weekend thanks to work, I headed out to celebrate two years post Open Heart Surgery doing the things I love. I headed down to Kebler Pass and Lost Lake. Both places I had never been. It was crowded, everybody else out enjoying the fall colors just like me, but man the Aspens on Kebler Pass are amazing and somehow I lucked out ad got a camp spot at Lost Lake campground. Perfect. There was a nice three mile hike from the campground that I got out on Friday. A most wonderful outing and seem to be more at peace with my Open Heart Surgery:).
Along Kebler Pass, just outside of Crested Butte.
Bliss:). I was heading to camp when I looked up the hill from the road and saw this scene. Seemed like every time I went around a corner, the Aspens were better than the last.
Lost Lake and East Beckwith Mountain.
Some fine evening views.
Got up early Friday morning to catch the sunrise. Some perfect Fall color!
I wasn’t the only one up for the morning light.
Morning reflections.
Watched a Bald Eagle fly around the lake for a bit while taking this pic:).
After the sunrise, and a nap, went out for a late morning 3 mile hike. Felt good to stretch the legs after driving all day yesterday.
Some great views while looking back down at camp.
Dollar Lake.
Yours’s truly and a celebratory toast to two years post Open Heart Surgery.
Aspen views.
Some fine Aspen vistas!
Along the Kebler Pass road making my way back to camp.
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.
Proffitt’s Resurrection Land Cruisers- and the proper placement of brake lines. Orchard City, May.
Yard Candy. Orchard City, May.
“Social Distancing Hour”/Golden Hour. Mt. Evans Wilderness Boundary/ Arapahoe National Forest. Indian Creek Park Ranch, May.
“Social Distancing Hour”. Little “Honeybadger” poses at my favorite tree, Arapahoe National Forest/Mt. Evans Wilderness. Indian Creek Park Ranch, June.
New camera setup- Canon 5D MK4 with a Canon 24-105 F4 L Lense. Love. Indian Creek Park Ranch, June.
Exploring Victor, CO. June.
Victor and Cripple Creek Narrow Gauge RR- need to ride… June.
The Shelf Road, Victor. June.
Colorado Columbines, Indian Creek Park Ranch. June.
Mt. Wilcox and the Vidler Tunnel, Argentine Pass. Clear Creek County, June.
Dave Connors and some fine views of Capital Reef and the Waterpocket Fold. Henry Mountains, July.
Sunset over Capital Reef and the Waterpocket Fold from my favorite perch. Henry Mountains, July.
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.
“Social Distancing Hour” and a moody night at the pond in the Upper Meadows. Indian Creek Park Ranch, July.
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.
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!
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.
Warmth.
Dan and his 80 series Land Cruiser.
Passing by my favorite tree.
Enjoying a nice stroll through Mt. Evans Wilderness.
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.
Dropping down Hancock Pass on the Pitkin side.
Tomichi Pass in the distance.
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.
Along the old grade of the Denver South Park and Pacific Railroad.
Morning Aspens.
Old inscriptions on one of the water tanks used by the Denver South Park and Pacific Railroad.
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.
Checking out an old mine near the start of Tomichi Pass.
Headed up for a solo night at the Cabin this past Friday. A most peacful evening especially with all the much needed rain that came down that evening. Enjoyed a relaxing drive around the property to the Wilderness Boundary to Mt. Evans before calling it a night. A quick but needed escape!
Mt. Evans somewhere behind the clouds.
Moisture! Was a wonderful thing to see after a few weeks of warm, dry and smokey conditions.
The rain started coming down as I got to the pond in the upper meadows.
Quiet the peaceful drive to the Wilderness Boundary that evening after getting some much needed rain.
Just about to the end of the road and the property- behind me is the Mt. Evans Wilderness.
Stopped to enjoy my favorite tree on the property.
Clearing storm.
Looking North.
Snuck up to the pond in the Upper Meadows one last time the next morning before heading back down.
Headed up to the cabin last Thursday after work with my Dad. With all the heat and smoke from the current fires, was nice to get up there. Thursday evening went for a walk with my Dad and Step-Mom, the smoke made a bit more intense… A bit scary to see how dry everything is. Feel like once August hit, the faucet was turned off. Rain would be a good thing! Friday morning, Dad and I got started early on a new firewood bin ( the old one was around 35 years old). We were able to get most of it built in 4hrs. A good productive Friday!
An evening stroll along the main road into the property. Was a nice evening, though surprisingly warm for that time in the evening…
For the first week of August, I had originally planned to be up in Seattle to visit Mom’s family (plane ticket was booked), but with the current state of things, we decided it was best to hold off for the time being. So instead, I hung out closer to home. First spending a night down at Rowdy Lake, then headed over to my friends shop in Delta, CO for the next two days. It’s always an enjoyable time hanging out with my pal Jeremiah, his wife Chandra and the rest of the crew at Proffitt’s Cruisers.
I was glad to see that they were continuing to do well despite Covid19. There was a lot of fun projects in the shop to check out. I even had a chance to have Bob and Jeremiah take a look at the paint on the 4runner- something i’d love to get done, but will be a bit down the road.
For my last night, had a enjoyable night at Jeremiah and Chandra’s place above Blue Mesa Reservoir. Watching baby Atlas and the Chickens play together was definitely a highlight.
Now to patiently wait for my Dual ARB Compressor to show up from Proffitt’s:)………
Fj40’s in the shop.
Electrical work on a FJ60. Electrical was never my favorite.
Lots of work in the Paint/Body shop.
The 2.8 seems to be a popular swap at Proffitt’s.
D. Miller for paint.
Bob doing some fiberglass work on a FJ40 top.
A really neat BJ70 from Italy. It has a 5 cylinder Italian motor installed at the factory in Japan. Spotted a lot of writing on it from Madrid, Spain.
Oh look, Jeremiahs on the phone:).
Still lots of work in the yard.
Spotted this image the last time I was at the shop. Still a fun scene.
Another solo evening in the shop.
Setting up a 8274 Warn Winch.
Clint doing some more work on the FJ40 top.
A happy differential is a good differential:).
Jeremiah and Chandra filming another episode for the YouTube series. #40 I think?
A fine evening above Sapinaro and Blue Mesa Reservoir. Light was perfect to re shoot this super clean FJ62.
I’ve been wanting to get back to Rowdy Lake ever since my pal Treeroot and I stumbled upon it after picking up my current 3rd Gen 4runner from Proffitt’s back in 2017. With my original plans of being up in Seattle to visit Mom’s family during the first week of August postponed for the year, I decided to head back to Rowdy Lake for a night. The weather was perfect and other than a few folks fishing the lake in the afternoon, I had the place to myself- just what I needed. To top things off, Tuesday morning as I was heading back out to Highway 50, saw a Brown Bear about a mile down the road for the turn off for the lake. Looked to be a teenager. Unfortunately I was to slow with the thinking to grab the camera for a pic. Felt really good to get back to this spot.
Some of my favorite pics.
After a five hour drive, it was nice to get to camp at a decent hour and relax for the rest of the day.
Rowdy Lake
The road into the lake and camp.
Enjoying an afternoon walk around the lake.
Back at the lake for Sunset.
Yeah, I was enjoying the sunset:).
One last walk around the lake the next morning for sunrise before heading out.
