19 May

Colorado Mountain Club – Peak X

Posted by JKB Adventures in Bailey, Kenosha Mountains, Knobby Crest, Lost Creek Wilderness, Peak X.

After 7 weeks of field days, lectures and learning it was time for our Wilderness Trekking School Group Hike.  The Group Hike was to be a culmination of everything we learned over the past few weeks — map and compass skills, teamwork, weather awareness, etc.  This was our opportunity as a group to lead our instructors on a day hike and show competency in our newly learned skills.

The instructors selected the location of our final hike, but it was up to us to research and plan a route for our travels.  Peak X, located in the Lost Creek Wilderness just south of Bailey, CO, was our destination for the day.  At 12,429 feet, this would be the highest elevation gain we had traveled as a group.  We left the trailhead around 7:30 am and headed up the trail.  With a 50% chance of precipitation, it was our goal to reach the summit as soon as possible so we could “beat” the rain and/or storms.  After more than 3 hours of travel, we were within sight of the summit, but the clouds were moving in quickly and the skies becoming darker.  After much discussion, we decided it would be safer to not head to the Peak.  With thick fog and the possibility of a storm, we did not want to take chances.  So, instead we hiked back down to a safer area and enjoyed a backpacker’s lunch.  After lunch, the dark skies were still hanging around….so we decided that Peak X would have to wait for another day.

Spectacular View of the Tenmile-Mosquito Range

The hike down involved a variety of weather from dark clouds, sleet, hail, thunder, and even some blue sky.  This chaotic weather confirmed our decision to not ascend the peak.  It was disappointing to not reach our goal, but it was an excellent learning opportunity in respecting the weather.  With 7 miles of travel for the day and carrying a full pack, the end of the trail and view of our vehicles was a welcoming sight!

We plan a return trip to conquer Peak X…and also complete the Alphabetizer!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

7 May

Cruise Moab: Day 2 & 3

Posted by JKB Adventures in 4x4, Cruise Moab.

Our second day on the trail was a scenic one and one that is relatively new to the events at Cruise Moab.  We were to travel about 35 miles on the Dome Plateau trail and head out to one of the best views in the area.  We got up, made some breakfast (steak and eggs) and met our group for the short 20 mile drive down the Colorado River canyon to our trailhead.  We had 12 trucks on this trip and a lot of ground to cover, so as soon as we arrived at the trail, we aired down our tires and headed out.  This trail was more scenic than technical (for the most part…).  After a few hours, we stopped at an overlook that truly was amazing.  It overlooked the Colorado River with the Fisher Towers, Professor Valley and then the La Sal Mountains in the background.  Great backdrop for some lunch.

K getting ready for lunch

We still had quite a bit of trail ahead of us, so we headed to the next destination, the sand caves.   Moab is composed of sand stone, slick rock and more SAND and these natural caves were not very deep, but provide great cover from the elements.  Not to mention, they are about 20 degrees cooler than being outside.  I am sure the ancients used them for shelter in the past.

We had one more stop before the trail was over, but we had to find it first.  There are some abandoned log cabins that were used as shelter while the area was being mined.  Our trail leader decided to try an area that could be a shortcut to the cabins.  There were a few obstacles, but nothing we couldn’t manage with some careful spotting.  After we got everyone through, I looked at one of my maps and this area said, “old Jeep trail, not recommended, nearly impassible”, funny…  it didn’t say “old Land Cruiser trail, not recommended, nearly impassible”.  We soon found the cabins and explored the area.  The weather is so dry in the desert, it helps to preserve these cabins.  They were in great shape.  We also found an old mine behind one of the cabins.  You could go in about 200 feet and then you could see where they blasted it closed.  Glad we brought flashlights.

After playing archaeologist, we finished up the trail and headed back to camp.  It was raffle and dinner night, so we didn’t want to be late.  There was a large tent set up and we joined some friends and waited for the buffet, which was catered by Sunset Grill.   We had a choice of chicken or beef and all kinds of sides and salads.  It was really pretty good.  After we ate, they started the raffle, which everyone who registered for the event received one ticket.  Those who felt lucky bought as many extras as they wanted.  I couldn’t blame them as there were some very expensive items being given away (bumpers, roof racks, winches, tires, vehicle fridges) high dollar stuff from supporting Land Cruiser and 4×4 vendors.  We didn’t win anything this time…

This was the night the moon lit up the sky like a small sun.  We got the idea to do a night run, so we petitioned around and ended up getting three 100 series Cruisers, one 80 series and a 4runner.  What better trail to do on a full moon night than “Hells Revenge”?  It is rated a difficult trail with lots of very steep ascents and descents and some pretty wild obstacles.  It was a great time and took us about 4 hours (after we were yielded to by a group of about 15 Jeeps, ask me about it, pretty funny story).

We were exhausted when we got back to camp at 1 am, so we enjoyed a brew and hit the rack.

The next morning we decided to hang around Moab instead of doing another trail.  We drove through Arches National Park (it never gets old) and ate lunch at Eddie McStiffs, which was really good.  I had a salmon burger and K had the chicken gyro.  When we got back to camp, we just relaxed and got things ready to pack up the next morning.  Already looking forward to Cruise Moab 2013!!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

6 May

Cruise Moab 2012

Posted by JKB Adventures in 4x4, Cruise Moab.

As most of you know, we are Toyota Land Cruiser fanatics.  I bought my first Cruiser - a 1972 FJ40 in 1994 - and have been hooked ever since.  We currently own a 2002 UZJ100, which has been built and modified as an expedition/trail rig.  Every year the Rising Sun 4×4 club of Colorado puts on one of the best Toyota 4×4 gatherings there is: Cruise Moab.  This year was no different, where we basically took over an entire campground for almost a week and rode the famous Moab trails.  As usual, there were rigs from all over the country, including Canada.

Check out K driving the FJ 40 “Meanie”!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyF21JSJ3nE&feature=youtu.be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJBIm1gJ0zw&feature=youtu.be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJa9VnJKceY&feature=youtu.be

Here are some pics:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

29 Apr

Colorado Mountain Club: Snow Day

Posted by JKB Adventures in Colorado Mountain Club, Restaurants, Snow, St Mary's Glacier.

On Saturday, we had our dreaded “Snow Day” with our CMC, Wilderness Trekking School class.  It is the class that the instructors had been warning us about since we started because the weather is so strange in April.  It could be 50 degrees with snow, or -20 with snow because we would be at over 10,000 feet.  One instructor even e-mailed us a video from his Snow Day in 2009, which looked brutal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=re8byHYirCI

We arrived at St Mary’s Glacier trailhead early and geared up.  The school provided everyone with helmets and ice axes, as these were required for the days’ exercises and to traverse the glacier.  We checked the temperature when we arrived and it was a chilly 23 degrees and windy.  There was a fresh dusting of snow on the road and the trail.  As we neared tree line, we could see the wind blowing snow off the glacier and the adjacent peaks.  We estimated 30-40 mph winds.  Our instructors made the call to stop in the trees and conduct a few classes before heading up to the glacier, as we wouldn’t be able to hear them (they were right).  These lectures echoed our homework and the previous class we had on avalanche awareness and snow travel.  We learned to read slope angles to predict avalanche prone areas and learned about snow shelters.  We also tested the snow by cutting about 3-4 feet down with a snow saw and dissecting the different layers to determine how stable the snow layers were.  After the lectures, we geared back up and headed towards the glacier.  The wind was furious and we couldn’t tell if it was actually snowing, or just blowing snow.  The glacier is located between two peaks, which created a wind tunnel at over 11,000 feet.  We zig zagged up the glacier, using the different travel methods we had learned with the ice ax.  The instructors guided us over to the side, where we had lunch.  Thankfully, the winds started to subside.  After a brief lunch, we moved up one of the slopes and dug out a few snow benches, so we could learn the last portion of our class: ice ax self-arrest.  We were instructed on how to stop yourself from sliding if you fell on a steep slope.  The ice ax is your lifeline!!  The weather after lunch couldn’t have been better.  The winds slowed, the sun came out and we had temperatures in the 40′s.  It was a great day, aside from a little wind burn.  We headed to Tommy Knocker Brewery in Idaho Springs after we packed up.  What better way to thaw out than with some great brew and food???

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

22 Apr

Colorado Mountain Club

Posted by JKB Adventures in Colorado Mountain Club, Eldorado Canyon State Park, Evergreen, Golden.

K and I joined the Colorado Mountain Club a few months ago and quickly signed up for our first school - Wilderness Trekking School.  WTS is designed to teach the student the basics of navigating the backcountry off marked trails.  The CMC is:  “An organization devoted to connecting those who love the Colorado Rockies or who study or seek recreation in them.”

“The primary purposes of the club are to gather and disseminate information regarding the Colorado mountains in the areas of art, science, literature and recreation; to furnish facilities for the enjoyment and study of the mountains by the Club members and the public; and to advocate for the preservation of the alpine regions.”

We meet at the American Mountaineering Center which is the old Golden High School.  They have converted it into the rich mountain learning center that it is today.  We have been nothing but impressed with the facility and the professionalism of the instructors.  There are about 80 students in our class, which we meet for a lecture once a week for 2.5 hours.  We then have a “field day” where we apply the principles discussed in class on the trail.  This course is about a month and a half, so we decided to post our first two hiking trips and then we will do our last 2-3 in another post.  We went to Eldorado Canyon State Park, outside of Boulder, for our first trip and then we went to the Beaver Brook Trail near Evergreen for our second trip.  The hikes are gradually getting longer and more difficult.  Next trip is snow travel, shelter building and avalanche awareness.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

8 Apr

He is Risen

Posted by JKB Adventures in Easter, Red Rocks Park.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”  John 15:13
 
 Easter morning we woke up early so that we could celebrate Easter at Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre for their annual sunrise service.  We were glad we arrived soon after the gates opened at 4:30 a.m, as there was a record crowd this year.  The amphitheater filled with over 10,000 people eager to honor our Lord and Saviour.  It was a beautiful Easter morning with a magnificent sunrise.
 

7 Apr

Hippity Hop Easter Trot 5k

Posted by JKB Adventures in 5k, Central Park, Easter.

We visited Central Park (not New York) this morning for our first Spring run of the year….and even Furry B came along.  Central Park is located in North Denver in an area known as Stapleton.  The park is spacious – over 80 acres! – with spectacular views of the Rockies.  It is the 3rd largest park in Denver.  The park sits on the site of the old Stapleton International Airport. The control tower is still standing just west of the park. The community is still debating on how to make use of the tower and hope to have a plan by year end.  The Stapleton Airport was Denver’s primary airport from 1929 to February 27, 1995 when the last airplane departed. Click here to view a pictorial history of the Stapleton Airport.

It was perfect weather (as usual) for a race; and the Easter Bunny even competed in the Kid’s Fun Run race. Our 5k course was “flat and fast” which made for a fun morning run.  Furry B loves to run! (Three things at the park today that Furry B does not love include people in costumes, small children, and modes of transport with wheels aka tricycles, bikes, skateboards.)

Furry B is a competitor - He completed his first 5k!

21 Mar

Welcome to Denver Peyton Manning!!

Posted by JKB Adventures in Broncos, Peyton Manning.

I was fortunate enough to be able to visit the Broncos Headquarters at Dove Valley today.  Pretty exciting to be there the first day of Manning’s 1st full day as a Bronco.  The last pic is where it all went down yesterday at the press conference.  Welcome to Denver Peyton Manning!!

I took a tour of the entire facility and saw some of the players in their daily routine and even saw Peyton in the gym and on the indoor practice field, but no pics, plenty of time for that…  The excitement is in the air, can’t wait until the 2012 season.

11 Mar

Runnin’ of The Green

Posted by JKB Adventures in 7k, Downtown Denver, St. Patrick's Day.

We celebrated St. Patty’s Day a few days early in downtown Denver by participating in the 24th Annual Runnin’ of The Green 7k.  With over 4,000 runners, this was definitely the largest race we have participated in so far.  The large crowd and St. Patty’s Day atmosphere made for a fun run!  Everyone was dressed in their green leprechaun best….even the dogs!  The race began at Denver’s historic Union Station, wound through the LoDo area of Denver and ended on Wazee Street.  Click here for a view of the course.

Runnin of the Green is known for its’ great after-race festivities.  With Celtic music, corned beef sandwiches and free beer, it was a very Irish way to end a great race!

Downtown Denver - Running by Coors Field

Worked up an appetite - Corned Beef Sandwich and Brew!

6 Mar

Colorado Railroad Museum

Posted by JKB Adventures in Colorado Railroad Museum, Coors, Rio Grande, Rotary Plow, Steam Engine, trains, Wedge Plow.

We have talked about visiting the Colorado Railroad Museum numerous times and have always wanted to go.  It was featured on Channel 9 News a few months ago which sparked our curiosity even more.  They were offering a free admission day this weekend, so we took advantage.  It is located in Golden near the Coors Brewery about 15 minutes from us.  We entered through the gift shop, a replica 1880′s train depot and decided on the optional “Galloping Goose” ride.  After we walked through the small museum that gave a brief history of the railroad in Colorado, we made our way to the station to take our ride.  As we waited, we saw the largest train they had on display, engine 5629.  It weighs a mere 600,000 lbs and the driving wheels are a massive 6 feet in diameter.  It is one thing seeing these in the movies and in pictures, but to see it in person was unbelievable.  It was truly a steel behemoth.  The goose arrived and we boarded the strange-looking car/train.  These were originally mail carriers used to take mail to the small hard to get to towns in the mountains and later, some took passengers.  There were only 7 of these built in the 1930′s and the museum has three of them.  We took the short loop (3x) around the 15 acre property as we got a history lesson from the conductor.  After riding the goose, we understood where it got its name from: it sways back and forth on the tracks quite a bit.

We got off the train and walked around to see the static displays.  You can go inside some of the cars and engines, but most are locked.  For a fee you can pay for a guided tour and go in all of them, which we might do another time.  They have the oldest engine in Colorado, which was made in 1880 and is about a quarter of the size of engine 5629.  It is amazing to see the old cars made of wood with bench seats inside and then see one of the Rio Grande cars from the 50’s and 60’s, what a difference.  Looking into one of the late 1800′s cars with wood seats wrapped with a red velvet material, I can just imagine women with their bustle gowns and men in top hats riding to the next town.  It is like looking into a time capsule.  One of the most interesting facts we learned was the difference in narrow gauge and standard gauge rails and cars.  I had always heard the terms, but never really thought too much into it.  Standard gauge tracks measure 4 ft 8 in across and narrow gauge measures between 2 and 3 ft 6 in across.  The most extensive and well known of the narrow gauge was the 3 ft wide rails used in the Rocky Mountains.  The narrower tracks and smaller trains were developed to make it through the tight canyons and switchbacks throughout this mountainous region.  One display showed the narrow gauge tracks inside the standard tracks with train cars on either side to show the difference.

Another interesting display was the two examples they had for removing snow from the tracks.  One went in front of the engine and it literally pushed all the snow away from the tracks.  This menacing looking device was called a wedge plow and it was slanted and attached to an open car, which was then weighed down in the rear to compensate for the weight of the snow.  It is about 20 ft long and about 15 feet high and is adjustable.  Another snow removal device was actually part of the engine, called a rotary plow.  It is a huge circular saw that cut up the snow and threw it to either side.  (Click on the links below to see them in action).

Wedge Plow:   

Rotary Plow:   

The Colorado Railroad museum has a lot to offer and I would like to go back in the spring to see everything and especially go inside more of the cars.  It is an evolving museum, as they have a restoration building on site.  They even have two large toy train sets outside.  One is true steam and the other is electric.  The museum is a great representation of our advances in travel and commerce, which helped shape this area in and around the Rocky Mountains. If you haven’t been, you have to check it out.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

« Older Entries
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.