Gary Lewis Posted October 17, 2020 Share Posted October 17, 2020 As some of you know, Janey and I've been gone for two weeks on a vacation to Colorado. We got back last night and now I can tell you about the day we spent Jeeping near Ouray. Some may ask why I should report on that in a Bullnose forum, and the simple answer is that I intend to take Big Blue to the same area in the near future. So this was basically a scouting trip. This was a two-couple vacation, and it turns out that I was the only one really gung-ho for renting a Jeep. In fact, the ladies were very skittish about going on high roads, so we chose easy trails. And, we went with a really capable vehicle - a 4-door Rubicon which had roll control, sway bar disconnects, and lots of other features. And, it had 35's on it aired down to 24 psi, which was adequate for the highway and ok for the trails. LAST DOLLAR ROAD: The first trail we went on was Last Dollar Road, which was essentially a dirt road. In other words, EASY! And the scenery was stunning. We were there are exactly the right time for the aspen, and they were brilliant against the green of the pines. Here's a shot through the windshield of the Jeep: Here's another section of the road: And this was taken from roughly the same spot but shows the wide range of colors: To sum up the road, it is EASY. We were going south and when we got to the high point we were stopped by some folks in a 2wd minivan asking if they should go on. And the answer was "Certainly!" Turned out that they'd already done the hardest part of the journey with a few rocks to negotiate, and the north part is just a dawdle - but BEAUTIFUL! So even 2wd Bullnose trucks will make this easily. OPHIR PASS ROAD: After Last Dollar Road, and lunch in Telluride, we went up and over Ophir Pass. This is rated 2 on a 5-point scale and 2 on a 3-point scale, but is certainly more of a "trail" than a "road". In fact, on this I disconnected the sway bars on the Jeep to allow a bit more articulation as we traversed the rocks in the road. This was all the trail my passengers wanted, although the Rubicon made it very easy. It was just the long, steep road on the side of the mountain, shown below, that had them spooked. This shot was borrowed off the internet, but was taken from exactly the spot where we caught up with another Jeep. We pulled over and talked to them and the guy asked if we'd ever been on that road as he was "puckered up from the road ahead". I told him I had and that it isn't all that bad, so he asked if he could follow me. Given that, off we went. The roll control was already on and the sway bars disconnected, but at that point I locked the front and rear diffs to ensure we didn't spin a tire as that would spook the passengers. And sure enough, we didn't spin a tire and the ascent was easy. And here we are at the top of Ophir Pass - Janey, Gary, Leesa, & Rob - at 11,789': The descent, going east to Colorado 550, aka the Million Dollar Highway, was gentle and easy. So while my passengers weren't thrilled, I think the rating of "2" on a 5-point scale is about right. It is an easy trail that is best done in a vehicle with a low range so you can hit the rocks gently, but locking diffs aren't needed. And wheelbase length isn't an issue. And now I'm chomping at the bit to take Big Blue and try some of the other trails!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sac79 Posted October 17, 2020 Share Posted October 17, 2020 Sounds like a great day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpin Posted October 18, 2020 Share Posted October 18, 2020 Sounds like a great day! Cool! Thanks for the report! Looks like fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nothing Special Posted October 18, 2020 Share Posted October 18, 2020 Sounds like a great day! Glad you enjoyed it! Ophir is one of the trails I haven't done out there yet, so it's good to get a report there too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ford F834 Posted October 18, 2020 Share Posted October 18, 2020 Wonderful pictures and good recommendations Gary. Thanks for sharing. I’m not very experienced with Jeep/off-road vehicle features and capabilities... I am very interested to see what Big Blue is capable of once you have him trail worthy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kramttocs Posted October 18, 2020 Share Posted October 18, 2020 Wonderful pictures and good recommendations Gary. Thanks for sharing. I’m not very experienced with Jeep/off-road vehicle features and capabilities... I am very interested to see what Big Blue is capable of once you have him trail worthy. Love that scenery! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86 12 Brutus Posted October 18, 2020 Share Posted October 18, 2020 Love that scenery! Love the pics. Would love to be able to go up that way sometime. I'm originally from Maryland and used to love to go to West Virginia especially for the scenery. Love it. Glad ya'll had a good time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted October 18, 2020 Author Share Posted October 18, 2020 Love the pics. Would love to be able to go up that way sometime. I'm originally from Maryland and used to love to go to West Virginia especially for the scenery. Love it. Glad ya'll had a good time Thanks, guys! Renting a Jeep out there is pretty reasonable. That Rubicon cost $222 for a day, plus gas, and was very capable. We passed the turnoff to Engineer Mountain trail and a sign said "Recommended for short wheelbase vehicles." That got me to wondering about Big Blue's 133" wheelbase. But as Bob has noted, the locals use long wheel base trucks with seats in the back to take people on tours on many of those trails. And, I saw several of the Jeep Gladiators up there, which have a 137.3" wheelbase. So I'm pretty sure BB will be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machspeed Posted October 18, 2020 Share Posted October 18, 2020 Thanks, guys! Renting a Jeep out there is pretty reasonable. That Rubicon cost $222 for a day, plus gas, and was very capable. We passed the turnoff to Engineer Mountain trail and a sign said "Recommended for short wheelbase vehicles." That got me to wondering about Big Blue's 133" wheelbase. But as Bob has noted, the locals use long wheel base trucks with seats in the back to take people on tours on many of those trails. And, I saw several of the Jeep Gladiators up there, which have a 137.3" wheelbase. So I'm pretty sure BB will be fine. Thanks for the report, Gary. Looks like you guys had some fun!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nothing Special Posted October 18, 2020 Share Posted October 18, 2020 Thanks, guys! Renting a Jeep out there is pretty reasonable. That Rubicon cost $222 for a day, plus gas, and was very capable. We passed the turnoff to Engineer Mountain trail and a sign said "Recommended for short wheelbase vehicles." That got me to wondering about Big Blue's 133" wheelbase. But as Bob has noted, the locals use long wheel base trucks with seats in the back to take people on tours on many of those trails. And, I saw several of the Jeep Gladiators up there, which have a 137.3" wheelbase. So I'm pretty sure BB will be fine. Big Blue will work fine on Engineer Mountain Road. But as we discussed before and as your passengers pointed out on this trip, the vehicle often isn't the limiting factor. Driver and even passenger comfort level often (usually?) are. The "short wheelbase recommended" probably helps keep some people from getting in beyond what they can handle. Which brings me back to my broken record message. Don't go anywhere that isn't fun. Turn around if you need to. Push your limits as much as you want, but only as much as YOU want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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