Our fall color run and work day couldn’t have picked a better weekend to head up Elwood Pass.  We had 8 rigs join in for the day.  Even though it was a work day there wasn’t more than a half hour of work with repainting our signs black again and adding the reflective backing to make it easier to read. We had a few people spend the weekend up there camping and a 3 rigs made a Sunday run up Quartz Meadow to view the best colors of the whole weekend.  Group shot after the backing was installed on the lower sign.CJG is always ready for repairs, even if not on a Jeep.  This bike lost it’s chain and needed the rear tire moved back to tighten the chain after we put it back on.  He had no tools with him but lucky for him we have about every tool known to man on the trail.Lunch near the top of Elwood. Fitting and drilling the holes in the new backing.Greg Alsum putting a fresh coat of paint on the sign.  Great fall colors in the tundra above Elwood Pass.Stunner always has great fall colors. Kevin Heckman and Black Widow posing in the aspens on the way to Quartz Meadow. Aspens glowing in the sunlight at Quartz Meadow.Quartz Meadow was spectacular.

The 2019 Bayfield Heritage Days again started off with the sheep coming through town to kick off the parade.  We had 8 Jeeps in the parade that seemed shorter this year.  After the parade the Marshall blocked off Mill Street and let us park our Jeeps how we wanted and set up a booth.  We were next to the park that had music, vendors, food, and kids activities.  It was a great event again this year.

We held our annual Adaptive Sports Association run this year on a perfect Fall day.  We had 28 clients from ASA and 15 Jeeps head up Middle Mountain Road above Vallecito this year.  Everyone enjoyed the day for sure.  We want to thank Mild to Wild for supplying a Jeep.  This is the most talked about event every year at ASA.  We saw nothing but smiles again this year and look forward to next year already.
 Mild to Wild donated a Jeep that held 8 people! Everyone had to pick the Jeep they wanted to ride in. Airing down at the Vallecito Community Center. Amazing views. Everyone was having a blast. More views at lunch. Pizza! Lunch was great. Group picture.Lunch views.

We had 5 Jeeps go to Mt Blanca for our annual work day.  There was a section of road that needed some rock fill to make it not so muddy.
Before

Before Trailer full of rock.
After.

We picked a great day to do the Alpine Loop, Cinnamon Pass just opened a couple days earlier.  We had 23 rigs join us for a long day as the normal way to Animas Forks from Silverton was still closed so we had to go over Hurricane and California Passes to even start the day.  Once we hit Engineer Pass the avalanche destruction was evident at every turn. There were spots where the debris and snow was over 100 feet deep over Henson Creek still.  Once we got to Lake City for a late lunch we were expecting no lines, we were wrong as it was raining and all the motorcycle and side by side traffic was hanging out at the restaurants.  We had to stop and take a ton of photos at Cinnamon Pass and we made it into Silverton just before sunset. CJG taking over a very deep snowpacked Hurricane Pass. We had all of the switchbacks on Engineer Pass covered as well. The wildflowers were starting to come out. Deep snow and debris over Henson Creek on Engineer Pass. Rose Lime Kiln  had the top chimney taken off in an avalanche that had been standing since the 1890s. More avalanche debris along Henson Creek. We took up all the switchbacks on Cinnamon Pass also. We had to stop for a group photo along the snow on Cinnamon Pass. Everyone grouped up on Cinnamon Pass. Getting close to sunset on California Pass.  Lake Como was still iced over.

We had another great turnout for the 4th of July Parade in Silverton.  Many also camped around the area for most of the week even though many of the roads were still closed from our historic winter.    Mike and Theresa Hill enjoying the parade.  Look closely and you can see both jets flying over.  one above the tree and other just to the left of the top of the fire truck ladder.

Our June 3rd Saturday fun run was down to the Rock Garden between Aztec and Navajo Dam.  Kevin Fox was our fearless leader for the day.  We had 9 rigs make it down there for the day.  The Rock Garden is a large open area with multiple areas to play in making it as easy or as hard as you want.  The day was a success in that everyone had fun and no one had a break down.  The highlight may have been at the end of the day when Chad Beal did the obstacle we have named Billy’s Rocking Chair or Teater Totter after an incident last Spring when we got Billy Schultheiss’s Jeep hung up pretty good.    Chad Beal in a V crack. Kevin Heckman playing in an “S” curve obstacle.

The run to Mountain Ute Tribal Park has been discussed for years and we finally had a chance to make it happen thanks to Doug Ramsey.  Mountain Ute Tribal Park is 125,000 acres, almost 3 times larger than Mesa Verde without the crowds.  For the most part the ruins are exactly how they were for the last 900 years, untouched unlike Mesa Verde.  It was a great combination of petroglyphs, pictographs, and ruins.  It was a great day to be out there and all 32 in our group enjoyed it greatly. Towards the entrance we visited an old Kiva along the Mancos River. There was an unbelievable amount of pottery at the Kiva, also in the whole park. Our guide Ricky Hayes lead a great tour.  Here he is talking about the pictographs from between 1880 and 1940s. Here Ricky tells the story of the petroglyphs that are much older. We are about to descend into Lion Canyon so visit 4 sets of ruins.  Here we climb down 4 sets of ladders into Tree House. Tree House.  It was a unique place surrounded with Douglas Firs that are usually found at a much higher elevation but the right combination of water and cooler weather right there allows them to grow. Look closely you can see the 4 sets of ladders just right of center of the picture that we had to descend and later climb back up. Headed into Lion House.  When it was excavated a family of mountain lions lived in it, giving it’s name to the house.Morris 5 House.Climbing the near vertical 30 foot ladder into Eagle Nest House.  Some of our group thought it was wiser to look from below. Eagle Nest House had a narrow ledge to get over there with a low overhang in one spot.Eagle Nest HouseThe view was straight down heading down the ladder leaving Eagle Nest House.

Easter Jeep Safari was a huge success again in 2019.  We have several club members that are also members of the Red Rockhttps://www.rr4w.com/index.cfm club and help at EJS.  It runs for the 9 days prior to Easter.  Most of the week CJG members do their own thing but do meet up for some trail runs also.  Thursday Kevin Heckman, Glen & Tina Hood, and Kent Mallaliau ran Hell’s Revenge and on Friday about 10 rigs ran Flat Iron Mesa.  Friday night always has the drawing for over $200,000 in give aways.  Saturday is Big Saturday that brings the Jeep Parade downtown and our CJG potluck that evening.  On Easter Sunday our club runs a trail and this year was Bull Canyon, Little Canyon, and part of Gold Bar Rim.   Fun was had by all and little to no break downs were reported.Glen & Tina Hood and Kevin Heckman at the Colorado River overlook on Hell’s Revenge.Lyn Kirkpatrick on Flat Iron Mesa,Glen Hood on Flat Iron Mesa.Jackie Dowling on Flat Iron Mesa getting a little air.Kevin Heckman running the Chute on Flat Iron Mesa.Hollie brought the Tuffy Jeep along on Flat Iron Mesa.The group at an overlook of Hatch Wash on Flat Iron Mesa.The Old Spanish Trail Arena was packed again for the drawing. Chad Beal and Billy Schultheiss were our master chefs for the evening.We had about 40-50 people attend our club pot luck. Everyone headed into Bull Canyon to hike to under Gemini Bridges. Lunch time at the Surprise Overlook of Day Canyon. Beth Fox going down a step on Little Canyon. Everyone lined up on Little Canyon.

Spring is here so is our annual trips to Moab.  We hit a good weekend for several trails.  On Friday Chad Beal and Kevin Heckman hit Poison Spider, parts of Golden Spike and Where Eagles Dare.  Where Eagles Dare was a trail neither had done before so another one checked off the bucket list.  Saturday brought us to Top of the World and part of the Kokopelli bike trail which is open to motorized travel and most in the club have not ran that short section before and many had not been to Top of the World.  We had 8 rigs on the Saturday Trails.  Faith Yazzie took and amazing drone video of us all parked up on top.  Click HERE for the video.  Sunday started off with some rain and sleet so after a long breakfast the sun came out and it was decided to hit Hell’s Revenge.   We had 4 rigs on Hell’s Revenge. Overlook on Where Eagles Dare looking into Bootlegger’s Canyon and Corona Arch.posing at Top of the World. Steep and loose climb on Top of the World. Good ledges on Top of the World. Doug and Debora on Top of the World. Group photo on the Top of the World.Section of the Kokopelli bike trail. Entering Hell’s Revenge Kent on Hell’s Revenge.Hell’s Revenge. Chad making his way to the top of Hell’s Gate.