San Juan Mountains - Sept 23-30, 2023 - Long Post...

[shane h.]

Saturday, Sept 23, 2023 - DFW to Albuquerque
Four friends and two Rubicons left my driveway at 5am Saturday morning. Really light traffic on the way up to Harrold, TX, where we linked up with four more friends and two more Rubis. Stopped in Amarillo for lunch at the Coyote Bluff Cafe - a must-stop on the way thru. One of the best burgers you'll ever get. If there is a line just grab a beer and wait. It's worth it.

On the west side of Amarillo one of the Rubicons (the JK in the group) began showing signs of overheating. We babied the Jeep to Moriarty, NM, where things came to a head. We ended up sending the ladies on to Albuquerque to get checked into the hotel and find some dinner while my buddy and I (mostly my buddy) changed out the water pump, thermostat, and (luckily) the serpentine belt in a Auto-zone parking lot. We pulled the belt as part of the repair and luckily noticed that it had some really bad cracks in it. It surely would have failed before long. The repair took a couple of hours and then we drove on into Albuquerque. No more overheating Got to the hotel, cracked a beer, and ate some cold fajitas the ladies got for us. Long day over.

Sunday, Sept 24, 2023 - Albuquerque to Silverton
Our early departure plans changed after the late arrival last night. We left the El Vado Hotel and had a big breakfast in Albuquerque before heading towards Silverton around 9:30am. The drive up to Durango was nice. Most people hate that drive but I kind of enjoy it. Durango is a mess. Too many people now. We stopped for groceries at the north City Market then beat it out of Durango as fast as we could.

Once we get north of Durango, everyone starts grinning ear to ear. We are there, in the mountains. We expected good color in the aspens but around Durango and north to Purgatory, most were still really green. Started seeing some color as we neared Silverton.

We hit town and got checked into our hotels. My wife and I stayed at the Villa Dallavalle Bed & Breakfast. The hosts are becoming close friends after five years of staying with them. I would suggest the place to anyone heading to Silverton. The breakfasts are 5-star quality. You won't believe it til you see/eat it. After check-in we walked the block over to Greene St. and had a celebratory funnel cake, then grabbed a drink at the Golden Block. Dinner was at Golden Block later that evening. It was good to be back in Silverton.

Monday, Sept 25, 2023 - Buffalo Boy Tram House/Stony Pass/Kite Lake
My cousin and her husband from Montrose, CO, joined us for the day. They drive a 79 Bronco named "Wanda" that has been built to be a trail monster. Great vehicle.

We drove out of Silverton around 8am and headed towards the bottom of Stony Pass. (Note: I'm only putting it here once because it would be repetitive. The weather this week in the San Juans was absolutely perfect.) We took the turn up to Buffalo Boy - a first for all of us except my cousin. We stopped at the tram house and looked around for a bit. I thought the trail ended there, but my cousin knew differently. We kept on driving up the mountain and ended up at another overlook. The drive up is well worth the effort. You'll see why when you get there.

From there, we drove back down to the Stony Pass road and headed on out to Stony Pass. We hit the pass and kept going. We stopped for a picnic lunch at the Rio Grande crossing, then drove on out to Kite Lake. The trail nearing Kite Lake becomes a little technical and a lot of fun. Perfect skies for pictures on the lake. We spent a while at the top of the lake, then started the long drive back out to Silverton.

Had hot home-made lasagna soup waiting for us when we got back to the B&B. We started a fire out in the side yard, and sat around the fire eating dinner and laughing together. Great day!

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[shane h.]

Tuesday, September 26, 2023 - The Long Day - Engineer/Golconda/Lake City/North Clear Creek Falls/Bristol Head/Lake City/Cinnamon
We drove out of Silverton at 6am in the dark. We had miles to go and things to see. As we neared Animas Forks there was plenty of light to see, and we started the climb up Engineer Pass in the morning twilight. With the early start, we didn't have to worry about oncoming traffic on the pass and made great time to Oh! Point. We stopped for a few minutes to drink in the view there (one of the most beautiful places on earth) then continued on to Engineer Pass and beyond.

Just past the suspension bridge house (you'll know it when you see it), we turned right and headed up Hurricane Basin where the Golconda Boarding House sits at the top at about 12,400 feet. The men that lived and worked there must have been a different breed. That would have been a hard life. The drive up is worth the effort. Steep but fun.

After visiting the Golconda site, we drove back down to the Engineer Pass road and continued on towards Lake City. The further east we went the better the aspen color became. We got to Lake City around 11am and set up a picnic lunch in the city park. My cousin had Sloppy Joe meat warming on Wanda's manifold all morning so we had hot Sloppy Joes, pasta salad, and other stuff for a nice lunch.

After lunch we aired up and headed south on 149 down to the North Clear Creek Falls. I would imagine the falls are breathtaking at spring melt if they looked this good this late in the year. We stopped for pictures and aired back down before heading out to Bristol Head.

If you have not heard of Bristol Head, or have never taken the time to drive it, go. The drive is worth it. Amazing bald mountain top at 12,400 feet that falls off a thousand feet or more in steep cliffs at the edge. Beautiful views all around. The aspen color from Lake City down to Bristol Head was top notch. I'd say peak.

We drove off of Bristol Head and aired up again before driving the highway miles back up to Lake City. We had a great dinner meal at the Climb Elevated Eatery in Lake City. Great food and great service.

We finished dinner around 6:30pm. A couple guys needed gas and then we headed down to the Cinnamon Pass turn-off to air back down again. While airing down, we were passed by a Penske box truck and a small semi toy-hauler. We figured that they were heading to one of the big houses out on the lake before Cinnamon Pass started in earnest. We were wrong...

We started driving Cinnamon at 7pm as dark was setting in. We caught and passed the semi toy-hauler about 3 miles in. We caught the Penske at about 6 miles in, just before the nice flat gravel road turns into rock infested trail. We got the guy to pull over and asked him if he knew where he was going. He told us he was headed to Silverton and his GPS told him that this "road" was the fastest way there. We laughed a little and finally convinced him he needed to turn around before he spent the night in the cab of his truck stuck on the trail. He turned around and we drove on.

The drive up and over Cinnamon in the dark will be one of my all-time favorite drives. It was magical. The super moon was getting on full and the stars were insane. The five vehicles made the drive with no issues or incedents, and got into Silverton around 9:30pm. We gassed up for the morning and then headed to our B&Bs for bed. One of the longest and best trail days of my life.

 

[shane h.]

Wednesday, Sept 27, 2023 - Million Dollar Highway/Camp Bird/Imogene/Telluride/Ophir/MDH/South Mineral
This is the only day of the trip that my cousins and Wanda didn't join us for the trail. We started towards Ouray on the Million Dollar Highway around 7:30am. We didn't stop in Ouray, but started immediately up Camp Bird to the Imogene turn-off.

Imogene is probably my favorite trail to drive. It may not be the most beautiful (at least to me) but I haven't driven any others that are as much fun. We had a couple of new-to-Imogene drivers and took our time getting up to the top. We only hit one group of vehicles coming down (light traffic) and made the top around 10:30am. Stopped for pictures then headed on down. Our plan was to be in Telluride at noon for lunch. Plans change...

We hit up-hill traffic at multiple points on the way down and finally got into Telluride around 1pm. We spend another 30 minutes finding parking. Here is a pro-tip for you that we didn't know at the time. Bypass Telluride. Drive out to the highway round-about and head south towards Ophir and then turn into the Ski Village. Plenty of parking there and a free gondola ride up and over the mountain back into Telluride-proper. We had lunch and a drink at The Butcher & The Baker. Good food. Since we were parked in Telluride and we really didn't want to shop we rode the gondola hoping to see some good aspen color. Saw some, but it wasn't as good as Lake City or even Silverton.

We finished up in Telluride around 4pm and headed to Ophir. We stopped at the dancing aspens for pictures then took Ophir Pass up and down and back to the Million Dollar Highway. We stopped to air up before driving the MDH down to the South Mineral turn-off. We took South Mineral out to my cousin's camper where they were putting a steak dinner together for us. We sat around a fire eating steak and all the fixings and were wowed by the super-moonrise up over the mountains to the east.

Thursday, Sept 28, 2023 - MDH/Corkscrew Pass/Hurricane Pass/Lake Como/Poughkeepsie Gulch/Mineral Creek/MDH
Not sure that this day is what we had in mind when we started
Our 8am start got pushed back. Wanda wouldn't start. Daisy had a flat tire. A blown fuel pump fuse was finally diagnosed and replaced in Wanda, and a quick tire plug application fixed Daisy, and all was right with the world. We pulled out of Silverton around 9am, headed to Ironton on the MDH, and aired down at the Corkscrew trailhead.

Corkscrew is one beautiful drive. We stopped about half-way up for pictures and then headed on up towards the top. At the top my cousin showed us a side road that I had never noticed up there before. We headed further up and over the top of a ridge, and then down a short Black Bear wanna-be trail (two very tight switchback turns on a pretty good cliff face) and down to one of the most beautiful spots I had never seen before in the San Juans. Pro tip: If you see a side road in the San Juans, take it.

We climbed back up to the top of Corkscrew and headed towards Hurricane Pass, but stopped for a left turn on another side road. This one takes you up on the backside of the Red Mountain complex. One of my favorite spots.

On to Hurricane Pass and down to Lake Como where we stopped for lunch. Part of lunch was three left-over steaks kept warm on Wanda's manifold (picture below). The plan from this point was to drive down Poughkeepsie to the wall, maybe take a shot at the climb, then come back up to Lake Como and get back to Silverton via 10/110. Plans change...

We left Lake Como and drove the "bypass" down below the wall, then worked our way over to the wall. That section of trail is probably every bit as technical as the wall itself. My wife was driving and she did great considering it was her first technical drive. We got to the wall with no damage and got out to take a look. I quickly determined that I needed to be able to drive my Jeep the 900 miles it took to get back home and declined the opportunity. It took the others in the group a little longer to reach the same decision. Pictures and videos do nothing to represent the steepness of the wall.

Instead of taking the bypass back up to Lake Como, we continued down Poughkeepsie, and then took Mineral Creek (Lower Engineer) out to the MDH. More technical driving and she did great. We aired up at the bottom of Mineral Creek and drove back to Silverton.

My wife and I stopped by the B&B then went over for a final funnel cake before dinner. We are adults and can have dessert before dinner. Dinner was Golden Block again. It was good again.

 

[shane h.]

Friday, Sept 29, 2023 - The Last Ride - CR2/Surprise Paragliders @ Eureka/Picayune Gulch/Placer Gulch/CR2 out
After four REALLY LONG days in the seats, we opted for a final fun beautiful ride.

We pulled out of Silverton around 8am and started up CR2 towards Animas Forks. As we passed the Animas River bridge at Eureka I saw "something" swooping through the trees ahead. It was NOT a bird. Way too big. We pulled over at the big parking area and stopped to find a landed paraglider and four more up in the air. We were like kids watching those guys soar out above the peaks above. Landings were so graceful. They came in fast and then just put on the brakes and walked the landings.

When the last glider had landed we mounted back up and kept going out on CR2. We took the left at Picayune Gulch and started up the trail. As always I was the last Jeep in line - I just always ride drogue, so the group had already taken the left (main) trail. My intent was to take the right (side) trail - I think it is marked FR99 - because it is a more fun drive up to the top. The main trail is pretty much just straight up to the top while the side trail is twists and turns and has a lot more scenery to look at. Oh well. Next year.

The main trail does pass right by some old mining ruins and we stopped there for some pictures and a chance to stretch a little. We then continued on up to the top and took another break because why not? The scenery demanded it.

The top separates Picayune Gulch (to the east) and Placer Gulch (to the west). We drove down Placer Gulch to the Sound Democrat Mill House ruins and looked around a bit, then drove on down to the bottom and stopped for mandatory pictures at the Frisco Mill and at the abandoned truck. From there we just took CR2 back out to Silverton with a stop in the way for pictures at the waterfall cabin - my favorite spot in the San Juans.

We got back into Silverton around 1pm and went straight to the Kendall Mountain Cafe for lunch. Eat there if you get the chance. The food is great. After lunch we parked at the B&B and did our trip shopping. T-shirts, patches, and whatever else we decide we cannot live without. The Lacy Rose Saloon was open at the Grand Imperial Hotel. It is this amazing old saloon that has always been closed on previous trips. I sent a text to the group and told them to find me there if they wanted a drink on me. They all showed up.

We grabbed some more firewood and went back to Villa Dallavalle to enjoy the hot tub and sauna before dinner. The rest of the group showed up at 6pm and we started a fire, grilled burgers and veggies, and sat around the fire eating, drinking, and laughing. A few other B&B guests saw us by the fire and joined in. It was a wonderful evening.

We cleaned up the dinner mess and started packing for home around 8:30pm. Another couple of B&B guests wanted to chat so we sat and talked a bit, then hit the bed around 9:30pm for a 4am wake up. Whoo Hoo!!!

Saturday, September 30, 2023 - Silverton to DFW
Not a lot to say or see here. 890 miles door to door. We left Silverton at 5:04am and took the most direct route home rather than go thru Pagosa Springs, Chama, and Santa Fe. We all had to be back for different things on Sunday. The drive home went smoothly. The traffic everywhere - even I-40 in NM and the TX panhandle - was surprisingly light. We have always experienced and expected traffic Armageddon on I-40, but were pleasantly surprised when we got to Amarillo in pretty much record time. We pulled into the driveway around 8:45pm to a couple of excited waiting pups. They were glad we were home. I guess we were too.

There is something magical about the San Juans. If you haven't been, go. If you've been, you get it. I remember my first Jeep trip up there in 2017. Just my wife and I alone in our 2002 TJ. I had done everything I could making that Jeep ready for the trip and it did wonderfully, but I was still scared to death on every trail. I had no idea what I was doing and had no idea of the capability of the vehicle. Fast forward to 2023. The fear is gone. We do drive with caution - one mistake can be deadly - but we don't fear the trails. Hell, I have to fight my wife for who gets to drive. There is already talk of taking both Jeeps next year. I guess if we take the two dogs next year two Jeeps may provide a lot more room. I guess we'll see. For now, we are happy in the moment. We are very lucky to be able to take a trip like this with such great friends and we know it.

 

[Rangemaster]

Saturday, Sept 23, 2023 - DFW to Albuquerque
Four friends and two Rubicons left my driveway at 5am Saturday morning. Really light traffic on the way up to Harrold, TX, where we linked up with four more friends and two more Rubis. Stopped in Amarillo for lunch at the Coyote Bluff Cafe - a must-stop on the way thru. One of the best burgers you'll ever get. If there is a line just grab a beer and wait. It's worth it.

On the west side of Amarillo one of the Rubicons (the JK in the group) began showing signs of overheating. We babied the Jeep to Moriarty, NM, where things came to a head. We ended up sending the ladies on to Albuquerque to get checked into the hotel and find some dinner while my buddy and I (mostly my buddy) changed out the water pump, thermostat, and (luckily) the serpentine belt in a Auto-zone parking lot. We pulled the belt as part of the repair and luckily noticed that it had some really bad cracks in it. It surely would have failed before long. The repair took a couple of hours and then we drove on into Albuquerque. No more overheating Got to the hotel, cracked a beer, and ate some cold fajitas the ladies got for us. Long day over.

Sunday, Sept 24, 2023 - Albuquerque to Silverton
Our early departure plans changed after the late arrival last night. We left the El Vado Hotel and had a big breakfast in Albuquerque before heading towards Silverton around 9:30am. The drive up to Durango was nice. Most people hate that drive but I kind of enjoy it. Durango is a mess. Too many people now. We stopped for groceries at the north City Market then beat it out of Durango as fast as we could.

Once we get north of Durango, everyone starts grinning ear to ear. We are there, in the mountains. We expected good color in the aspens but around Durango and north to Purgatory, most were still really green. Started seeing some color as we neared Silverton.

We hit town and got checked into our hotels. My wife and I stayed at the Villa Dallavalle Bed & Breakfast. The hosts are becoming close friends after five years of staying with them. I would suggest the place to anyone heading to Silverton. The breakfasts are 5-star quality. You won't believe it til you see/eat it. After check-in we walked the block over to Greene St. and had a celebratory funnel cake, then grabbed a drink at the Golden Block. Dinner was at Golden Block later that evening. It was good to be back in Silverton.

Monday, Sept 24, 2023 - Buffalo Boy Tram House/Stony Pass/Kite Lake
My cousin and her husband from Montrose, CO, joined us for the day. They drive a 79 Bronco that has been built to be a trail monster. Great vehicle.

We drove out of Silverton around 8am and headed towards the bottom of Stony Pass. (Note: I'm only putting it here once because it would be repetitive. The weather this week in the San Juans was absolutely perfect.) We took the turn up to Buffalo Boy - a first for all of us except my cousin. We stopped at the tram house and looked around for a bit. I thought the trail ended there, but my cousin knew differently. We kept on driving up the mountain and ended up at another overlook. The drive up is well worth the effort. You'll see why when you get there.

From there, we drove back down to the Stony Pass road and headed on out to Stony Pass. We hit the pass and kept going. We stopped for a picnic lunch at the Rio Grande crossing, then drove on out to Kite Lake. The trail nearing Kite Lake becomes a little technical and a lot of fun. Perfect skies for pictures on the lake. We spent a while at the top of the lake, then started the long drive back out to Silverton.

Had hot home-made lasagna soup waiting for us when we got back to the B&B. We started a fire out in the side yard, and sat around the fire eating dinner and laughing together. Great day!

Man that is awesome, If you need another friend to come alone I am here.

 

[hoch]

Excellent report! San Juan’s is my favorite place to go. I had hoped to make it out this year but window is fast closing. Thanks for the great report and pictures.

 

[Beau Nugget]

Great write up on a great trip. Thanks for sharing. You can’t beat Colorado mountains in late summer.

 

[wibornz]

Super nice camera work. Colorado is so beautiful. Nice write up.

 

[John VonJeep]

Good job!

 

[Krondor]

Great pictures here. ?

 

[shane h.]

Excellent report! San Juan’s is my favorite place to go. I had hoped to make it out this year but window is fast closing. Thanks for the great report and pictures.

Looks like we just made it this year. Reports are that Sunday and yesterday people were getting caught up high in white-out snow. My guess is that the high trails may be done for the year. Lord knows they need another big snow this year. It was still really dry up there.

 

[hoch]

Looks like we just made it this year. Reports are that Sunday and yesterday people were getting caught up high in white-out snow. My guess is that the high trails may be done for the year. Lord knows they need another big snow this year. It was still really dry up there.

Darn. In previous years, I usually went around mid-Sept. But didn’t have time this year.
I may still go up next week but I definitely don’t want to get caught up there in inclement weather! Some of those trails are sketchy enough when bone dry.

 

[Chocolate Thunder]

Sounds like a great trip. We did one similar last year based out of Ouray but it was 3 weeks earlier just before the fall color. You hit a lot of places we didn’t that look interesting, I’ll try some of them the next time I can get back up there. Thanks for sharing.

 

[OIIIIIIIO]

Shane - You need to know that when Mojito was originally released it was a major source of contention between the wife and myself.
I have long argued Mojito is one of Jeep's best colors.

After your excellent write-up and fantastic photos, the wife stated "You may be right on that green".

Thank you for the post/photography and for resolving an issue in my marriage.

Seriously......that Mojito pops in your photos.

 

[shane h.]

Shane - You need to know that when Mojito was originally released it was a major source of contention between the wife and myself.
I have long argued Mojito is one of Jeep's best colors.

After your excellent write-up and fantastic photos, the wife stated "You may be right on that green".

Thank you for the post/photography and for resolving an issue in my marriage.

Seriously......that Mojito pops in your photos.

I love the Mojito color. My favorite Jeep color ever. My wife has a HellaYella JLUR and we always fight about which one is the "fun" Jeep and which one is the "ho-hum" Jeep. I still think I'm right, but can a husband every really be right???

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