My wife surprised me with a week of fourwheeling in Southwestern Colorado for my birthday a few weeks ago. We started in Lake City, drove over Cinammon Pass into Animas Forks ghost town, then on to Ouray via Silverton. After spending a couple days in this area, it was on to Telluride for a couple days, then Ridgway for my birthday, and back to Ouray for the last couple days of our trip. Whew! Logged about 1,000 miles since we left home, and what a great trip!

For those of you who have never been to the area (or even heard of it, lol), Ouray is called "Little Switzerland of the America" and the beauty of the area certainly earns it the name. Many local stores have shirts, etc calling it the Jeeping capitol of the world, and if it weren't for Moab, I may have to agree. Roughly 53 trails in the area, and an economy sustained strongly by 4x4 rentals, jeeping tours, and so forth, really reminded me of a Moab in the mountains.

After weeding through the approximately 500 pics, here is a few that highlight some of the fourwheeling we did on the trip.

Beginning Cinammon Pass, Day 2.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p59f1b6814f5d91ce2c972c9e68a3cac4/e7dfc341.jpg

Top of Cinammon Pass, Elev. 12,600'.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pe51ac8ef0e8055a609b15b7b6dd3f4a9/e7dfc33a.jpg

Descending Cinammon Pass. Animas Forks in the background.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p22da68d65bafc5de5d054423d5a81748/e7dfc336.jpg

Francisco Mine (?) at Animas Forks.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p7872631b3896fcd38535a8b5bdce18c8/e7dfc331.jpg

Old mountain rescue rig in Ouray. Day 3.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p339c2537fe3dbabe495dcc497724f9b8/e7dfc328.jpg

We hooked up with RONIN (Renedezvous of Nissans) and ran Mineral Point, Engineer Pass (to Oh! Point), Corkscrew Gulch, and a few other trails. Day 4.

Kevin
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pa2353f749520d2ade8cd24a036e76837/e7dfc2ab.jpg

The whole crew. Mineral Point trail.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pca868a08515a5a6bb80c474488bbc78c/e7dfc2a3.jpg

Ascending Engineer Pass.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pd487e713436b7c7c0d8e6bc79f1142de/e7dfc29b.jpg

The color is the same, but that may be about it. Kevin making my X look small.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pbd68186fb3ba4dfbe43949f8417993f0/e7dfc297.jpg

Chris.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p5ffdadef0cba379e8beb519bd1109824/e7dfc28c.jpg

The group at Oh! Point.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p371a88fca59f5045e54a18232c11897e/e7dfc1f0.jpg

Descending Engineer Pass.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p5661eeb0125847fc24ef30e78dcf1f77/e7dfc1e5.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p4fecc6a84fb1a4400545c19eb19ab613/e7dfc1dc.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pe93b706ac0a1521030abcc21620f7044/e7dfc1d4.jpg

The wrong line.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pb7ee65d2de8fb24f9baba1a1dbc2cff2/e7dfc1cb.jpg

Chris gave me a quick spot and we were on our way.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p4fe023024ec866e3edec8fc78d3c3da4/e7dfc151.jpg

Below Bridal Veil Falls, lower Black Bear Pass, near Telluride. Day 5.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p81ba7d9f5a617a86ed8828720746c595/e7dfc140.jpg

Station House atop Bridal Veil Falls.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p1bd8500bb1ae556fb434413a6e17a273/e7dfc134.jpg

Shelf road along Ophir Pass. We were supposed to catch up with RONIN here again, but got to the trailhead a little too late; missed them by about 15 minutes and never did catch up. Day 7.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pc8ac657bf9c046bc951fed01e2779023/e7dfc12d.jpg

Drinking Cup spot on Yankee Boy Basin. Day 8.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pbd3d70e653f507dd9194356f3c35eae1/e7dfc124.jpg

Overhang on Yankee Boy.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p5e113c87fb620ec1dabe44c3035709e5/e7dfc09d.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p8cc4aab2f8cb7557cc1cc0c56c270648/e7dfc091.jpg

Some unlucky sap from Oregon rolled his Pathy on the upper portion of Yankee Boy, successfully blocking the trail. But...
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p8686614da8afd12e813d00f84fab4eca/e7dfc085.jpg

A couple of guys from MacPherson Offroad out of Montrose were nice enough to flip the guy back over. The guy in the TJ just mounted his winch that morning!
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pa8973ad3a579367a897c03799a915b59/e7dfc07d.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p3dd07b32547f272e965dd7d8d5d060e5/e7dfc071.jpg

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/pa1128f79d5f9e2ab7f16d3d0d0e2f798/e7dfc068.jpg

Happy trails! ~Steve

Great pics! What a nice birthday present. Looks like those sliders were worth it.

Great shots. You did some great runs.

Old mountain rescue rig in Ouray. Day 3.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p339c2537fe3dbabe495dcc497724f9b8/e7dfc328.jpg

I meant to get a shot of this truck but forgot to go back. I loved how they had the MasterCard and Visa stickers on the truck!


Some unlucky sap from Oregon rolled his Pathy on the upper portion of Yankee Boy, successfully blocking the trail. But...
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p8686614da8afd12e813d00f84fab4eca/e7dfc085.jpg

How the hell did he manage to roll there?

Very nice!


Rob

Im so jealous we have shi* for wheeling in ohio!

Nice stuff man. That pathy looks like he rolled down some hill or something.

Awesome pictures man

Some unlucky sap from Oregon rolled his Pathy on the upper portion of Yankee Boy, successfully blocking the trail. But...
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid225/p8686614da8afd12e813d00f84fab4eca/e7dfc085.jpg

How the hell did he manage to roll there?

That's exactly what I was thinking when I first saw it.

Great pics man!

Im so jealous we have shi* for wheeling in ohio!

Ok, we have to plan a trip out west next year!!!!!!!!

Awesome pics and a great birthday present!!

Yes, the sliders came in handy a couple times. Sooo glad I told myself I wouldn't take it offroad until I got them. Now, I just need to get a lift on it for a little more clearance.

As for the Pathy, the guy said he had a "momentary lapse;" I'll say! We took a while to figure out how he managed to roll there, too, but he went too high on the hill behind the yellow Jeep (3/4 roll). He is lucky he didn't roll once or twice more, though... there is a few hundred foot drop off into a canyon just beyond the edge of the pictures.

Great present indeed... can't wait to go back!

Right on! Nice pics my man, that is a gorgeous area.

looks like a good time