Wagons West! (how to plan a wheelin' trip to Co. or Ut.)

There was lots of talk even before we left Co. for home about 'next years' trip. I wanted to get some things down on paper (and got bummed/bored after looking at the trip pictures again :D ).

Next years Class Schedule.

May 12th - Last Final Exam Day for Spring Term
May 27th - Last Final Exam Day for Rosebud-Lott ISD (Brady and mine's Alma Mater)
June 1st - First day of First Term
Calendar
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...olCalendar.jpg

Ok, so my vote is going to be a May 29th - June 6th trip so Brady can go (TAMU'ers can get out of the first few days of class much easier than he can get out of Finals, plus this was a mostly 'working stiff' trip anyways. :flipoff2: )

Now, herein lies the dilemma. Where do we go? Back to Buena Vista, somewhere else in CO, or maybe up to Moab? I would think it would be a bit to hot that time of year to hit New Mexico. I really enjoyed the Buena Vista area, and would be more than happy to go back. I would only suggest trying to find another camp ground that was a bit more trailer friendly since we trailered to every trail. Getting up a bit farther on the Wheeler Lake trail would be nice if the snow is not too bad (and I actually have a 100% working clutch by then (which would have made the run up Iron Chest a bit less craptasticale on my nerves)) as I was not able to do nearly enough BASHING!!! Also, another run at the Carnage exit would be in order. Maybe I can keep from cutting a tire this time. :flipoff2:

I know there has to be plenty of ideas on other places in Colorado so I will let everyone else chime in here. (Maybe a stop on the trip up to make the run up Pikes Peak would be in order)

I am all for a Moab trip also, but I don't know how the temp looks that time of year there.

Buena Vista Average Temps
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...mperatures.jpg

Moab Average Temps
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...mperatures.jpg

To stay in the 70ish day/40ish night, you would need to be in Moab during April or early May. The end of May/First of June may be a bit warm but not terribly unbearable. The same temp range for Buena Vista runs from the first of June all the way through mid-September.

Fuel Costs: At ~$2.40/gallon, I was running about $0.33/mile at an average of 7.3 mpg w/ the 40'er and 3 rigs (roughly 11 cents/mile/rig). I think Jerry and Creighton were probably doing about 5 to 8 cents per mile better with only two rigs, yet the cost per rig still being about the same. What that all works out to for future reference is ~$0.06 per mile per dollar of diesel (or .06 * total mileage * cost per gallon average)

yes, I should have a GN of my own by then, maybe some other toys as well

ill be in, and i should also have my own trailer by then now that i have a new to me truck

if we went later in the summer (august after summer session) there would be alot more trails to run.

Hopefully I'll have a trailer by then as well.

my vote is for Moab

I think late july, 1st week of august you are safe from the snow. I saw snow at 12k feet when I went to Ouray and it was Aug 5th IIRC. Ouray has some cool trails in the area and is a nice central point. Most aren't real difficult...lots of pucker factor. Black Bear, Imogene, Poughkeepsie Gulch are all in this area. Engineers Pass is for sightseeing.
Silverton, Montrose, and Telluride are all in this area.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 73bronco

my vote is for Moab

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I think moab was around 24 hrs of driving when we went there last time. It seemed like we would never get there.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Graystroke

I think moab was around 24 hrs of driving when we went there last time. It seemed like we would never get there.

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If I was only hauling my GN w/ two rigs then I don't think I would have been as stressed out from the drive. I really liked the stop in Raton and finishing up the drive the next day. I really don't plan on hauling that big of a load anymore unless I acquire my own trailer (and I just don't see that happening any time soon). Driving straight through would not be too big of a deal with plenty of spare drivers, but I was a nervous wreck coming home w/ Sharpe at the wheel. Not because of Sharpe (he did a fine job), but just having so much weight back there and the borrowed trailer issues.

Ed get rowdy to pick this up!

http://houston.craigslist.org/cto/1232792130.html

If we go right after finals than I think we should go to Moab.

If we go to Colorado than I agree that it would be better in late July, early August. It would really open up allot more trails for us.

There is allot of stuff in California I would like to do one day as well.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jerryg79

Ed get rowdy to pick this up!

http://houston.craigslist.org/cto/1232792130.html

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For that kind of skrilla, I would rather get the pete back up and running (and I just don't see that happenin).

I was thinking a little about it ater the trip, and two rigs on a GN seems like the all around best deal for towing. Split some fuel, stay legal and relativley safe, you can get places, you can go decently fast, and still look cool on the highway :)

I'm down.

My dad and I have been planning a drag racing/wheeling trip out west with the nova and jeep after I graduate in may.

i'm in

We had a pretty late winter this year too...I think most years the iron chest trail would have been open. There is also holy cross we have to do, the rest of chinaman's, and of course get all of carnage...definitely enough to fill another 3-4 day trip. Moab is fawkin hot right now. Late fall I think is ideal. The weather can sneak up on you in the spring. NM and AZ would definitely be fawkin hot. Not sure if the La Sal mountains outside of Moab have wheeling but they could be a good option that time of year. Also not sure what kind of wheelin the pagosa area has, but weather would definitely be good and not much more of a drive. Oh there are also the really super hardcore trails around buena vista that we didn't see, if one were looking for that sort of thing...what are they called? independence trails? liberty trails?
a campsite where we didn't have to trailer from would be awesome. Maybe just taking over the carnage trailhead campsite. Not sure we could shoot there because of the jail, but I don't think that'd be a dealbreaker.