Somehow, the stars have aligned and Becca and I are going to squeeze in some vacation time in August. We’re going to drive thousands of miles, go get high in Colorado (like, 14,000 feet) and roast on the slickrock in Moab for a couple days before burning back to the East Coast!
Shot from my trip to Colorado last year…can’t wait to be back!
I’ve been out to Colorado and Moab both of the last 2 years, but the trip will be a first for Becca, which was a big consideration in our location decisions versus our runner-up choice: Glacier Nat’l Park and Grand Teton Nat’l Park in Wyoming (penciled in for next year!). Our goals for the trip are to have equal parts adventure, relaxation, sightseeing/photography, and culture/food/libations!
We can’t wait for some beautiful Moab sunsets…
Our plan is to make the drive out to Ouray in ~3 days, spend ~3 nights in Ouray (exploring the town, as well as nearby Telluride and Silverton), and drive some of the incrediblly scenic trails in the area (Alpine Loop, Black Bear Pass, Imogene Pass, Poughkeepsie Gulch, etc.).
From there, we’ll head 3 hours West to Moab for 2-3 days of exploring the famous 4×4 trails, as well as Arches and Canyonlands Nat’l Park. Because it’s going to be HOT in August, we’ll probably just stick to hotels so we don’t end up cooking in the OzTent at about 7AM each morning.
The view while descending Black Bear Pass into Telluride
As you can probably guess, we’ve outlined the trip, but are going to play it a little loose with the itinerary and try to go with the flow.
In terms of preparing the 4Runner, that’s another story altogether! I’ve been chipping away at some to-dos the past few weeks and still have a few things to finish before the trip! Most notably I just went ahead and changed all of the major fluids (oil, transmission, t-case, and both differentials). I also had my factory steering rack replaced under extended warranty. All that’s left now are to put the skid plates back on (and fix some stripped bolt holes), replace a faulty wheel speed sensor, and install a Scangauge II OBD2 code reader.
The truck is *nearly* ready for the ~5,000 mile adventure! T-minus 2 weeks!
Well, back to prepping and look for updates when we start heading West August 9!
I saw your 4Runner driving through downtown Denver earlier today and decided to check out the website. haha. hope the trip is going well!
That’s awesome! We just arrived in Ouray late tonight (Monday) after exploring Rocky Mountain NP and then the ~6 hour trek to Ouray – awese to see the landscape change along the way.
My family and I did a northern Parks(Teddy Roosevelt, Glacier, Yellowstone, Grand Tetons, Badlands) trip two yrs ago. I wish I had the Jeep in the mountains of Montana but 4 weeks and 6,900 miles in an ’85 CJ7 would not have been conducive to the rest of my family. We did hit a lot of dirt roads and aside from the alternator in 111 degree heat in the Badlands the AWD Astro did well. You don’t need a $40,000 off road machine to experience far away places that most people will never see. You just need some courage and a spirit of adventure.
Sounds like an epic trip Ben!
Dang, my wife and I are planning a 2015 SW National Park tour, but we’re flying out there….might have to think about driving instead!
Nothing like the adventure of the open road if you have the extra time do the driving!
You can’t beat driving – but when you are short on time like I was last year, we flew into Denver and rented a car – explored CO and UT, rented Jeeps, etc. Similar experience but without the drive through Kansas – win-win!
Ben – I’m jealous you get to make the trip for a 3rd year in a row, have fun!
That is a great option that saves ~4 days of travel. You are right about the drive through Kansas…it seemingly never ends! And then its not like crossing into Colorado gives immediate gratification, either.