Happy Halloween
Scary Jack O’Lantern
Happy Halloween!
Spooky Run
The spooky night run is one of Rising Sun 4WD Club’s annual events and a favorite for families. It is a late fall fun run with a potluck picnic. The kiddos get to wear their Halloween costumes and the drivers get into the season by decorating their trucks with Halloween lights. Bandit even had a good time sniffing out leftovers at the potluck while being chased by the kids. Barbour Fork trail is typically an easy trail, but add a little snow at the top and some broken parts, it turned into a long, cold, but fun evening.
Good turnout
Spooky spider deviled eggs
Toffee dip with homemade cinnamon chips and apples
Bandit looking for leftovers
Fall sunset
Ready to finish the trail
Halloween lights!
Some minor wrenching on my truck…
Ghost Town, Gunnison & Crested Butte
We took a road trip to south central Colorado to see the final colors of fall. With Gunnison and Crested Butte as our destination, we made a few stops along the way to enjoy the scenery and see a few new sites. A couple hours into our travels, we veered off the beaten path to find a Colorado ghost town.
Saint Elmo was established in 1880 and originally named Forest City because of its remote location. It was founded to support the men working in the nearby mines and at its height was the largest town in the area with almost 2,000 residents. In 1890, part of the town was destroyed by fire and never rebuilt. By 1900, the town population was only 64 residents. However, the Stark family ran the general store until the 1950’s until Annie Stark, the last of the siblings passed away.
After finding no ghosts at the ghost town, we headed onward to our destination via Cottonwood Pass. We spotted some lingering Aspen gold along the pass, but the vibrant yellows and golds were soon exchanged for white snow as we reached the 12,126 ft summit of Cottonwood Pass at the Continental Divide. Here we stopped to stretch our legs and let Furry B romp in the snow. This stop offered great snow capped views of the Sawatch (not Sasquatch) mountain range. After snapping a few pics, we continued on the unpaved section of the pass into Taylor Reservoir, and on to Gunnison for the night. Gunnison is surrounded by three mountain ranges, mountain streams and beautiful scenery, making it a haven for outdoor enthusiasts. Even though the sun shines almost every day, it is also known as the coldest town in winter in the United States due to its location at the bottom of several valleys. Western State Colorado University calls Gunnison home, and its “W” located on Tenderfoot Mountain is the world’s largest collegiate symbol. Their athletic facilities are also a world record holder, being recognized as the highest collegiate football field in the world at 7,750 feet.
For Best Video Picture, click on “Gear” symbol and select 1080 HD
After a night in the small mountain town, we continued our road trip to Kebler Pass, one of the world’s best places to view gold Aspens. Being mid-October we may have missed the peak of the Aspen’s golden transformation, but the drive did not disappoint. There was still plenty of color to enjoy and it was fun to see the contrast between the fall colors and the recent snowfall. With a successful photography session on Kebler Pass, we spent the late afternoon exploring nearby Crested Butte. Crested Butte is one of America’s great ski towns, but the entire town only covers an area of 0.7 square miles. Skiing has been the main town attraction since the 1960’s and Crested Butte also claims to have created the sport of mountain biking. (Fun Fact: Many locals believe the movie Avatar is based on the town of Crested Butte.)
Fun with Leaves (Click FAST)
CU Buffaloes vs. Oregon Ducks
I was lucky to be invited by a friend who scored some tickets to see the Colorado Buffaloes take on the #2 team in the country, the Oregon Ducks. We knew it was going to be a blowout, but it is always great to watch some football, especially from field level. The Buffs hung with the Ducks the first half, but let it get away from them in the second half. Final score: 57-16. They are in a re-building phase, so hopefully the new Head Coach Mike MacIntyre, can turn things around.
Great seats
Folsom Field
Ralphie the Buffalo
Giant Pumpkin Weigh-off
A perfect blue sky day to celebrate pumpkins and everything Fall!
This Great Pumpkin is a Colorado state record at 1,478 pounds!
Jared’s Nursery Giant Pumpkin Weigh-off & Festival
Camping & Wheeling in Montezuma
We celebrated our long Columbus Day weekend and welcomed the first day of Fall with an overnight camping and wheeling trip in the mountains. Our trio was excited to get outside and breathe some fresh mountain air.
We started the weekend with a foliage filled drive across Loveland Pass and set up camp just outside of Keystone near Montezuma Road.
Fall Colors
Loveland Pass
Campsite
We spent the rest of the morning and afternoon taking in the scenery from a couple of 4×4 trails. Our first trail was Chihuahua Gulch; It is a short drive, but one of the most difficult trails off of Peru Creek. A rocky and muddy drive with numerous water crossings, the road abruptly ends after approximately 2 miles and turns into a hiking trail. We already had a second 4×4 road on the agenda, or else we would have taken advantage of the hike which leads to a lake at the base of Grizzly Peak.
Ready to Navigate
Heading Up
What a View!
Can’t Stop Looking at This…
Photo Op
Water Crossing
Mud, Mud
…And More Mud
A Great Ride…
Family Photo
Let’s Eat Lunch
After heating up some chili for lunch at the bottom of Chihuahua Gulch, we traveled a few miles to the town of Montezuma, and headed up to Santa Fe Peak. The trail climbs to the summit at 13,160 feet and provides some pucker factor for passengers with lots of switchbacks and exposed shelf roads. However, the views make this drive worthwhile.
Montezuma, Population 65
The Main (Only) intersection in Town.
Grumpy Passenger
Steep and Sideways
Professional Driver…Do Not Attempt This at Home
Exposure
Top of Santa Fe Peak
Love this View!
After a successful summit, it was time to head back to the campsite. We fished (no bites), ate some bison burgers (lots of bites), and relaxed by the best campfire ever.
Camp 
Time to Fish 
A Great End to the Day 
Best Campfire Ever! 
Selfie 🙂
Here’s a short video of the adventure:
The Meeker Classic Sheepdog Championship Trials
“The worst day in Western Colorado is better than the best day anywhere else.”
~ Bryce the Auctioneer
We made an end of summer visit to Meeker to attend the Meeker Classic Sheepdog Championship Trials. Ever since moving to Colorado a couple of years ago, this event has been on our “must do” list, so we were glad to be able to finally make the trip this year. We love visiting small town Meeker, CO and were curious to see what the town would be like while hosting an International event. The trials included participants from across the world, including Canada, Brazil and South Africa.
While Furry B was not able to attend the trials, we did bring back some recon surveillance for his review, so he could learn some tricks of the trade.
The multi day festivities begin with 125 dogs in the Preliminary Round; the top 30 finishers then move to the Semi-Finals, and finally 12 qualifying dogs make it to the Finals. The goal of the trials is for the sheepdogs (Border Collies) and handler to work together to fetch the sheep herd and maneuver them through a series of course tasks/challenges. Border Collies are highly intelligent and ready to work. This was apparent as each dog appeared with his handler, eagerly awaiting his command to leave post to seek out the herd of sheep, which were positioned on the other side of the pasture over a quarter mile away. Click here for Herding Dog History.
Meeker sheep are free roamers known for their lack of cooperation and stubbornness. The free range sheep “migrate from winter range North of Cisco, Utah to the high, lush mountain pastures above Vail and Eagle, Colorado in the summer” and challenge anyone (any dog) who might try to dictate their path. It was entertaining to watch the sheepdogs attempt to maintain control of the feisty sheep. The independent Meeker sheep make this championship trial especially challenging for the Border Collies and their handlers. With a purse of $20,000, the Meeker Sheepdog Trials attract the best of the best!
JKB Adventures 