Seems I got busy with Cruise Moab this Spring, as my last visit up to the cabin was in March. So I headed up this past Thursday after work. Sure felt great to get back up there! After a quick bite, took a drive to the Wilderness Boundary. First stopping by the pond in the Upper Meadows. The road through out the property is slowly being improved as the loggers make further progress. A quick stop at the Wilderness Boundary to Mt. Blue Sky (formerly known as Mt. Evans) before a stop at my favorite tree- first visit for the year:)! I then spent the rest of the evening soaking in the pond. Back at the cabin, I dozed off in a comfy chair.
The next morning I woke to overcast skies and a light dusting of snow.
Definitely needed:).
Always love these views of Mt. Blue Sky (formerly Mt. Evans).
Another Cruise Moab in the books! And man what a good time! This year was a special one as it was the 25th anniversary for the event. It was great to see so many old friends and lots of new folks, all super excited to be at the event- myself included!
As usual, a few of us headed out early to hang out and enjoy the desert. This year, we spent some time checking out the Dolores Triangle area (North of the Dolores River and East of the Colorado). Was fun checking out some new areas. Afterwards, we headed to a camp outside Cisco, UT for two nights while also checking out the Dome Plateau trail- another new area for me:). Back in Moab, I found myself pre running Poison Spider Mesa with my pals Jackson and Drew before diving fully into Cruise Moab. I rode along for the Arches and Wipe Out Hills runs. Thursday nights Vendor Night was a blast and super flattered to have sold out on this years Cruise Moab poster! The dinner and raffle was a blast as always. Then Saturday I took a personal day and checked out the April Action Car Show.
A wonderful week filled with great friends and good times. A great way to kick off the wheeling season:)! Here are some of my favorite pics from the week. Enjoy!
“It’s all about home. You know that. That’s where were all headed. Where we want to be. Where ever it may be. It’s all about having them places where you can feel it. You can feel something come through, something shining through. Something that takes you away from the world of problems, the world worry, the world of care. A place where you can leave all the bullshit behind. Just for a few minutes. When you find that place, you hold on to it.”
“I go there to get to reality and get away from all these problems I invent”
“So long as there’s places like Lochloosa, you got, you hold it and feel it every chance you get”
-JJ Gray.
Passing through Colorado National Monument to get to our first nights camp. For all the years that I’ve passed through Grand Junction, 2022 would be my first visit to the park. Some wonderful views.
Chasing that setting sun to camp. My pal Martin and I were enjoying this dirt road.
Pretty dang excited with how this years Cruise Moab poster turned out. Can’t thank my dad enough for for helping get this years poster finished. Excited to see the reaction at Cruise Moab this year!
We printed nine colors on silk screen to make this years poster. I’ll be framing two up for the raffle for Cruise Moab 2022.
This past weekend, I headed down to Durango, CO for this years Winter Photo Special on the Durango and Silverton Railroad. I hadn’t planned on going this year, but while registering for my 4×4 clubs Cruise Moab event, I randomly checked the website for the Durango and Silverton and found that they were running the Winter Photo Special for 2022. So on a whim, I signed up.
It was fun to get back down to Durango and ride the train. Last time was 2018 for the Winter Photo Special. One of these days I’ll actually ride the train all the way to Silverton:). Out of the 350+ pics I took on Sunday’s train ride (plus the night shoot at the Durango train yard), these are some of my favorite.
After the clubs “Snow and Pizza Run”, I headed over to the cabin for the night. When I got there, the sky was clear and pretty warm weather. Around 9pm, the wind picked up and the snow started falling. Ended up snowing well into the next morning, getting about an 1″ of fresh snow on top of the 10″ that we got from the last storm.
I’ll be honest, hanging out in the winter quarters, with the fire going and snow falling outside made for a most wonderful night. In the morning, I started to head to the Upper Meadows, but decided against it as the road wasn’t plowed since the last storm. So drove around the main property for a bit- all the while making fresh tracks. Probably one of the more peaceful visits I’ve had to the cabin:).
Always have to stop and take in my most favorite view in Colorado:).
Was a warm, clear night when I got to the cabin.
A few hours later, the snow started. Snowed all night and into the next morning. Got about a 1″ of snow, on top of the 10″ that we got from the last storm. Was quite peaceful in the winter quarters with the fire going in the pot belly stove.
This past Saturday, the club I belong to (Rising Sun 4×4 Club of Colorado) had it’s annual “Snow and Pizza Run”. It’s always a fun run. Yankee Hill, just above Central City is a great trail to go play in the snow. With no cliffs or major obstacles to worry about, Yankee Hill makes for a great place to go play in the snow. Some years were able to make it to Yankee Hill proper and some years we only get to the upper, or second parking lot.
This year’s run, we had about 30 vehicles. Breaking up into two groups, my pal Tim lead the second group- helping get some of the newer members of the club used to playing in the snow. I hoped in the front group, riding along so I could take pics. The week before the run, a big storm hit Colorado with parts of the Front Range getting around a foot of snow. Seemed we were breaking trail for most of the day. We didn’t get very far this year- only barely making it to the “playground” area (big drifts to play in), and a few getting just past that. But a blast as always and good fun with friends. Afterwards, we headed to Beau Jo’s for pizza in Idaho Springs. Being up in the mountains, I couldn’t pass up a night at the cabin, So I headed over after pizza:).
This past Friday night, I found my self in Estes Park, with a night at the Stanley Hotel. Originally, this had been planned as a full weekend ( took Sunday off) to help a friend out again. But unfortunately they had to work over the weekend. So I headed up for a night on Friday. It’s been a year or two since my last visit to Estes, but can’t remember the last time I’ve been to the Stanley. It was an enjoyable evening, dinner at the hotel then checked in to the big comfy bed. The next morning I walked around downtown Estes Park before making the drive back to downtown Denver- kinda fun being a tourist… On the drive home, I had an area I wanted to check out, but drove right on past the turn off for the dirt road… A fun little escape. Sadly, no Ghostly encounters during my stay at the Stanley.
Coming into Estes Park, found that I had the sign all to myself. Had to snap a quick pic.
All checked into the Stanley.
Stepped outside later in the night for some night shots….. I forgot to bring my tripod. Best I could do using mounds of snow as a base for the camera.
As 2021 winds down, it’s fun to look back on what turned out to be quite a fun year, filled with good pals and adventures with the club. Cruise Moab, Rising Sun 4×4 Club of Colorado’s annual Spring Moab event, was back on (after being canceled in 2020 due to Covid-19), albeit a toned down version- no Vendor Night and big Dinner and Raffle. Before the event started, I was able to sneak away to Beef Basin, a remote stretch of wonderful desert, South of Canyonlands for two days by myself before friends showed up. Summer time brought a full schedule, A trip down to Creede, CO (a first visit for me) and the Upper Rio Grande River basin for this years Ghost town Run and an always enjoyable trip to ride and Chase the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad- one of my favorites! Fall would find us chasing Butch Cassidy and his Wild Bunch down in the Gila Wilderness of South Western NM for this years “Outlaws Run”. Shortly after I headed back down to NM for a long weekend stay in Chama to ride and photograph the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad as a celebration for my 3 year post Open Heart Surgery anniversary. All the while, I continued my monthly outings up to the cabin. Here’s some of my favorite images from the past year (in no specific order), enjoy!
Outlaw, Scoundrel, Miscreant- definitely emphasis on the Miscreant:). Outlaws Run 2021, Gila Wilderness.
The Honeybadger and the Upper rio Grand River Valley. Ghost town Run, July 2021.
Taking on water, Cumbres Pass.. Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad. 3 year post Open Heart Surgery anniversary. October 2021.
An almost Summer Solstice get together with the club. Upper Meadows, Indian Creek Park Ranch. June 2021.
A quick visit to the cabin this past Thursday for Christmas. Still not mush snow up there, though it did rain all night and it was snowing Friday morning in the Upper Meadows. I’ve come to love hanging out in the “Winter Quarters” during the colder months. The pot belly stove puts out some wonderful heat- perfect for dozing off to. With the Holiday season, the farmhouse was a festive scene. Friday morning I woke up and headed to the “Upper Meadows” to check on the progress of the logging operations, along with a drive to the wilderness boundary of Mt. Evans and a stop at my favorite tree:).
Dropping down into the main valley of the property, Hands down my favorite view in CO.
Always love seeing the farmhouse light up for the holidays.
