Just a short video for now, as I have over 500 photo's to short though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PlT3YlDIapc

 

It's much prettier than that video would lead you to believe ... something screwy with the color.

 

Ya, youtube does some weird stuff with my videos. I'll try to fix it later but for now a little teaser -

 

Ouray, Colorado and SE Utah Trip Report -

After seeing multiple trip reports of the Ouray, Colorado I decided it was time for me to go and escape the heat of Yuma, Arizona for a few days. Original, I had planned to though the Peavine Corridor between Blanding and Monticello, Utah but fiqured this was a better idea.

Weather was great, got a little rain and it was nice and cool the whole the trip. A little breeze at night though.

Thrusday-Day 1: Drove to Colorado / checked into the KOA / ran a portion of Owl Creek Trail





Owl Creek:





Friday-Day 2: Engineers Pass / Nellie Creek / Carson Townsite / Cinammon Pass / Animas Fork / North Fork Cutoff
Engineers Pass
Brown Bear, I wonder if that is a good sign for the day (crappie photo, I zoomed in didn't want to get to close)?











Nellie Creek



Caron Townsite (continue up the trail to the contintenial divide)





Cinammon Pass





Can you spot the cabin


Animas Pass (the interior photo's came out kind of creepie like)






Saturday-Day 3: Black Bear Pass (ran w/ a group from IH8Mud) and Imogene / Yankee Boy Basin
Black Bear
Partial Group Shot (12 LC, a Tacoma and Me)



Opps!





Imogene
Black Bear pass trail






Sunday-Day 4: Hoveenweep / Lowry Ruins / backway to Blanding Utah (a night in a hotel was needed)
Hoveenweep Area








Lowry Ruins




Backway to Blanding

Blanding, Utah backway


Creek Crossing fun



Monday-Day 5: Explored some of Elk Ridge Area / Natural Bridges Monument / Muley Point and Mokee Dugway / Valley of the Gods (camp at Gouldings Campground - good site to stay at)
Exploration









Natural Bridges
Sipapu Bridge



Trail Down



Horsecollar Ruin


Kachina Bridge


Two-way waterflow



Owachomo Bridge


Muley Point/Moki Dugway/Goosenecks/Valley of the Gods









Be careful though the Vally of the Gods unless you feel like jumping your vehicle in a few locations (I about did). Would be fun though in a rally car.

Tuesday-Day 6: Returned to Yuma, Az

Estimated Total Mileage not including last tank: 1814.7
Best MPG: 26.2 (Ouray to Montezuma Creek, got to love going downhill)
Worst MPG: 8.45 (Black Bear and Imogene, in low range a good portion of the time)
Avg. MPG: 18.85

No major drama happened on this trip unless you count one landcruiser tipping over and about losing another one on a hairpin turn on Black Bear (4wd and powersteering went out, no photo trying to help out and it didn't seem right to take photos). Things to fix on my 4runner after this trip the exhaust - sounded like it was going to fall off and put the bud built skids back on. The stock ones were banging around like mad.

The time spent wasn't long enough there is so much to explore and to do in those areas. Another trip will be in the works to continue the journey though these areas. This trip was will worth the cost and time involved and I'd recommend it to anyone.

The rest of the photo's can be found here:
http://s162.photobucket.com/albums/t...or%20Day%2008/

 

Nice, very very nice!

 

Awesome report!!

Seems like you covered a lot of terrain. I really need to explore CO on 4 wheels instead of my usual 2 next summer.

 

2 wheels would be fun. I'd be crazy enough to take a mountain bike down Black Bear.

 

My husband took his back down the west side of the Manti-LaSal pass after I drove up to Mt. Peale where we camped.....
I took the east side down and then highway to Ken's lake (I think it's called), we made it to Ken's at the same time.

(We did both 4 and 2 wheels a few weeks ago)

 

Quite an amount of land covered. Great pics!

 

Thanks. I think the total trip was around 1900 miles.

I'm hoping to head back next year and explore some more of the trails I didn't get to this time.

 

AWESOME Report especially the pics! Thanks for sharing!

 

Just pulled these off my cell phone:

Jeep at the KOA campground in Ouray:


Right behind Gouldings campground in Monumnet Valley:




From a member of IH8mud: