Hammer down!This was a Big Ole NOPE for me, too washed out to take a chance, in at least two places, one right past that small rock and another ~30' past that. Both narrowed the trail a LOT and it was too off camber to take the risk. This trail didn't show on the topo and I really like adding tracks that aren't topo'd but either of those washouts could ruin my day -
View attachment 448245
How much fuel do you bring out to your campsites?
I carry 47 gallons on the trailer plus 11.4 in/on the Talon. I stay in an area until the fuel's gone or I'm out of new tracks to make. Last week's site was good for 566 miles and I was real low on fuel because I wasn't topped off when I got there - I had no idea that there'd be that much riding from there.
There have been a lot of fires this year. The black mountain fire was set by lightning. I haven’t heard the cause of some of the others.
Welcome from southern Arizona. Great photos. The only color change we get around here is yellow and brown.
No, actually I should have said NW of Hayden. You remember where the old explosives magazine and the storeroom are located. After driving south past the storeroom there is a multiple option intersection. Make a hard right and you’re actually going below the west side of the storeroom. The trail was blocked in a couple of places in the past. The first you’ll get to is just a big pile of dirt blocking the trail. Short wheelbase or extra high ground clearence vehicles can get over it fine. The next blockage is a bunch of really big rocks. A by-pass has been established around it. It’s a bit off camber, but doable.
I stopped in Grand Junction, 30 miles east of the CO/UT border and set up my CB radio. I've been carrying it for years and never used it. I wouldn't use it today either. ), I decided, for whatever reason, that the standard cig plug (used by every automotive accessory since the beginning of time), was too big and I was on a mission to convert to 1/8" mini plugs. So ... when I dug the CB out of the drawer (buried on the bottom btw), I was greeted with that damn 1/8" power plug. Volume up, squelch off ... and ... nothing ... Well, sh!t, now I'm flying blind and I just wasted 45 minutes. A couple of points - 1. I have a spare axle assembly but I didn't think it out very well - without a floor jack or axle puller, that spare axle wasn't going to do me any good. 🥲 2. I have NO idea why the whole area isn't covered in grease ... which would have told me that I have a problem. I've been a loooong way out there, this could have really messed up my day. And since I'd been gone for 5 weeks, was okay with calling the trip ... sorta. This realization got me to looking at the two ~11K foot passes between me and home, where the story above started. 
You are still 100% my hero!Ok, story time -
So, looking at a couple of weather sources, including MyRadar, Today was my one-day window to get home (reason below). MyRadar showed clear skies to Denver from Green River, Utah.
They lied.
From the minute I entered Kalirado, the skies were gray, lite in some places, dark in others. The very first electronic 'road sign' I came to said - Chain law in effect over Vail Pass. Following road signs said - Winter Storm Warning, watch for changing conditions. That ain't good - you cause traffic problems on the mountain roads, and don't have chains (I don't) and you get a $600 dollah fine, no questions asked and you still get to pay for towing.
First problem - when I was young and foolish (I'm still foolish
So out comes my McGyver, I cut the 1/8" plug off and twisted the stripped ends onto the 12v cig plug terminals that I bought to power the PSW inverter. Got the CB powered up and .... nothing ...
A part of that 45 minutes was checking out the CDOT traffic cams over Vail and Eisenhower passes, wet but doable - 😗. So ... I proceed ... my plan, drive to Vail, assess weather (snow) and retreat if necessary. I watched for, and noted, any available parking on my way like RV parks (many of them are closed this late in the year).
I 'finally' came up with - watch the semi's, if they aren't chaining up, there might be hope. But when I got to Vail, there weren't any semi's around me. Great, they've hunkered down for the storm and know better than to try getting over Vail and Eisenhower (both are ~11k elevation).
At the last minute, I got passed by a semi and kept him in my sights; if he pulled over to chain up, I was fooked. It was snowing litely and the roads were wet in Vail, not good since I was about to gain almost 3k feet in elevation.
Right about now, I thought - hey, let's look at incoming traffic, if they're filthy and covered in snow grime, I'm f***ed ... but they weren't, they were 'reasonably' clean. That's when I committed, if I got it wrong, it would be an expensive trip home.
It's 214 miles from the Kalirado border to Eisenhower Tunnel and I was seized up for every inch of those 214 miles, ~4 hours of white knuckled, please Dog, help me out here.
Short version - I made it -
Got home and still had to unload the freezables (27 tonight, 17 tomorrow night), blow out the water system, drain the freshwater tank, refill with 4 gallons of RV antifreeze (because it won't kill you) and run that through 'everything'. Hopefully I got it right this time, two years ago I didn't, froze and broke the toilet inlet valve.
Next up - replace the Talon's LR axle/CV assembly.
Probably this year's last campsite -
View attachment 449048
The Talon is hiding behind the RV. The butte behind me, to the east, taught me to pay more attention to my positioning, it really interfered with my morning solar exposure.
View attachment 449049
There's a road up there but, due to 'problems', it'll have to wait -
View attachment 449050
This shows the road on that butte and the twisty way to get up there, but it'll have to wait -
View attachment 449054
Another campsite oil change, this one at 16,043.
View attachment 449051
While I was crawling around the LR draining oil and changing filters, this made its appearance -
View attachment 449053
Good to hear you beat the weather and made it home safely! My motorhome has been thru those passes, and it didnt like it much even when it was dry and warm.Ok, story time -
So, looking at a couple of weather sources, including MyRadar, Today was my one-day window to get home (reason below). MyRadar showed clear skies to Denver from Green River, Utah.
They lied.
From the minute I entered Kalirado, the skies were gray, lite in some places, dark in others. The very first electronic 'road sign' I came to said - Chain law in effect over Vail Pass. Following road signs said - Winter Storm Warning, watch for changing conditions. That ain't good - you cause traffic problems on the mountain roads, and don't have chains (I don't) and you get a $600 dollah fine, no questions asked and you still get to pay for towing.
First problem - when I was young and foolish (I'm still foolish
So out comes my McGyver, I cut the 1/8" plug off and twisted the stripped ends onto the 12v cig plug terminals that I bought to power the PSW inverter. Got the CB powered up and .... nothing ...
A part of that 45 minutes was checking out the CDOT traffic cams over Vail and Eisenhower passes, wet but doable - 😗. So ... I proceed ... my plan, drive to Vail, assess weather (snow) and retreat if necessary. I watched for, and noted, any available parking on my way like RV parks (many of them are closed this late in the year).
I 'finally' came up with - watch the semi's, if they aren't chaining up, there might be hope. But when I got to Vail, there weren't any semi's around me. Great, they've hunkered down for the storm and know better than to try getting over Vail and Eisenhower (both are ~11k elevation).
At the last minute, I got passed by a semi and kept him in my sights; if he pulled over to chain up, I was fooked. It was snowing litely and the roads were wet in Vail, not good since I was about to gain almost 3k feet in elevation.
Right about now, I thought - hey, let's look at incoming traffic, if they're filthy and covered in snow grime, I'm f***ed ... but they weren't, they were 'reasonably' clean. That's when I committed, if I got it wrong, it would be an expensive trip home.
It's 214 miles from the Kalirado border to Eisenhower Tunnel and I was seized up for every inch of those 214 miles, ~4 hours of white knuckled, please Dog, help me out here.
Short version - I made it -
Got home and still had to unload the freezables (27 tonight, 17 tomorrow night), blow out the water system, drain the freshwater tank, refill with 4 gallons of RV antifreeze (because it won't kill you) and run that through 'everything'. Hopefully I got it right this time, two years ago I didn't, froze and broke the toilet inlet valve.
Next up - replace the Talon's LR axle/CV assembly.
Probably this year's last campsite -
View attachment 449048
The Talon is hiding behind the RV. The butte behind me, to the east, taught me to pay more attention to my positioning, it really interfered with my morning solar exposure.
View attachment 449049
There's a road up there but, due to 'problems', it'll have to wait -
View attachment 449050
This shows the road on that butte and the twisty way to get up there, but it'll have to wait -
View attachment 449054
Another campsite oil change, this one at 16,043.
View attachment 449051
While I was crawling around the LR draining oil and changing filters, this made its appearance -
View attachment 449053
Those two passes test my mettle on EVERY TRIP, I've grown to hate them.
Wow, I pulled a huge 46' horse trailer with a F550 with straight cut tires from Watervilet Michigan all the way home. It dumped a ton snow in a very short time, plus the prior rain became ice. Had to trudge on considering the horses. People up north are complete fools behind the wheel in such an event. I tried to keep my momentum up while preparing for turns, grades and traffic. Always nice when you're trying to keep moving safely and you run up on someone poking and there's no safe around unless you're a local. I saw numerous major collisions but thankfully I ran out f it north of Louisville. Storm wasn't in the weather forecasts, plus the temps dropping the way they did. The hoses were whipped when we got to the farm. I was so wired that I couldn't go to sleep. Yee Hah, hell yeah! I absolutely understand your concern for moving on. Glad you made it homeOk, story time -
So, looking at a couple of weather sources, including MyRadar, Today was my one-day window to get home (reason below). MyRadar showed clear skies to Denver from Green River, Utah.
They lied.
From the minute I entered Kalirado, the skies were gray, lite in some places, dark in others. The very first electronic 'road sign' I came to said - Chain law in effect over Vail Pass. Following road signs said - Winter Storm Warning, watch for changing conditions. That ain't good - you cause traffic problems on the mountain roads, and don't have chains (I don't) and you get a $600 dollah fine, no questions asked and you still get to pay for towing.
First problem - when I was young and foolish (I'm still foolish
So out comes my McGyver, I cut the 1/8" plug off and twisted the stripped ends onto the 12v cig plug terminals that I bought to power the PSW inverter. Got the CB powered up and .... nothing ...
A part of that 45 minutes was checking out the CDOT traffic cams over Vail and Eisenhower passes, wet but doable - 😗. So ... I proceed ... my plan, drive to Vail, assess weather (snow) and retreat if necessary. I watched for, and noted, any available parking on my way like RV parks (many of them are closed this late in the year).
I 'finally' came up with - watch the semi's, if they aren't chaining up, there might be hope. But when I got to Vail, there weren't any semi's around me. Great, they've hunkered down for the storm and know better than to try getting over Vail and Eisenhower (both are ~11k elevation).
At the last minute, I got passed by a semi and kept him in my sights; if he pulled over to chain up, I was fooked. It was snowing litely and the roads were wet in Vail, not good since I was about to gain almost 3k feet in elevation.
Right about now, I thought - hey, let's look at incoming traffic, if they're filthy and covered in snow grime, I'm f***ed ... but they weren't, they were 'reasonably' clean. That's when I committed, if I got it wrong, it would be an expensive trip home.
It's 214 miles from the Kalirado border to Eisenhower Tunnel and I was seized up for every inch of those 214 miles, ~4 hours of white knuckled, please Dog, help me out here.
Short version - I made it -
Got home and still had to unload the freezables (27 tonight, 17 tomorrow night), blow out the water system, drain the freshwater tank, refill with 4 gallons of RV antifreeze (because it won't kill you) and run that through 'everything'. Hopefully I got it right this time, two years ago I didn't, froze and broke the toilet inlet valve.
Next up - replace the Talon's LR axle/CV assembly.
Probably this year's last campsite -
View attachment 449048
The Talon is hiding behind the RV. The butte behind me, to the east, taught me to pay more attention to my positioning, it really interfered with my morning solar exposure.
View attachment 449049
There's a road up there but, due to 'problems', it'll have to wait -
View attachment 449050
This shows the road on that butte and the twisty way to get up there, but it'll have to wait -
View attachment 449054
Another campsite oil change, this one at 16,043.
View attachment 449051
While I was crawling around the LR draining oil and changing filters, this made its appearance -
View attachment 449053
