Memorial Day Weekend

[Smash81]

5 days and 5 nights of camping is good for the soul.

First two days I was on my own, and it rained about 85% of the time. Well, why not do a little exploring? I didn't want to go far and there weren't really any trails in the area, so I just fooled around and took some poser shots. I read 2.5 books in those two days, so I was just trying to kill some time until the rest of the group showed up.

If anyone is considering removing their front and rear sway bars or fabbing a quick disconnect, these pictures should help to.... sway you. (Wow, yeah that was a bad joke)

Not as many puddles as I'd hoped, probably due to the quick runoff of water in the burn area where I was. Did find a few good deep ones tho.

 

[Smash81]

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[Smash81]

You can only get so far without a spotter....

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[Smash81]

Thursday morning I quickly setup a tarp to keep myself dry (modified after I had some more hands to help out) and my tent. After 5 days of everything from light mist to heavy rain, I was very impressed with my REI tent. I've tested it in heavy snow and wind, but this was the first major rain camping trip I've had it on.

Yep. He can totally melt me at will.

My friends show up with Karla on Friday night, a surprise as I thought it would only be Karla. The company was welcomed as the weather had basically forced me to be sedentary for two days.

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[Smash81]

Liz put good use to my extra layers:

And Dan had plenty of his favorite reading material. We would laugh as we heard him occasionally giggle to himself when he read something funny.

Friday morning I got up before Karla (as usual when camping) and Kodi refused to leave the front of the tent.
Not sure what he was standing guard against, but he'd be damned if anything was gonna bother Karla!

Midday Saturday the rest of the group arrived: Timmy, Brandi, Brandi's sister Thelia and her husband Steve and their two kids. Timmy and Brandi have a Frontier that I've wheeled with previously, Steve has a modified Wrangler and Thelia has a new to her modified Grand Cherokee.

With them they brought the first sun of the trip. Timmy and Brandi won the prize for biggest tent!

To avoid taking off layers, Dan ran from the sun and took advantage of his air mattress that folds into a couch, complete with cupholders!

Didn't get many pictures, but Karla took two videos that better show the full camp setup and such.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYpmsfkhddQ"]YouTube - campsite 1[/ame]

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ipJ2ZEC3i0"]YouTube - campsite 2[/ame]
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[Smash81]

The plan was to go wheeling on Sunday with Steve and Thalia (it was the first trip for her Cherokee), but mechanical difficulties got in the way.

Karla and I pulled off a little trail on the way back from Woodland Park tho. Unless the trail is technical I always offer for Karla to take the wheel. Up until now she's always turned me down. She did a great job and it was fun to be in the passenger seat for the first time offroading.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMFkpRDNwXo"]YouTube - Karla takes the wheel[/ame]

We did however end up going wheeling yesterday (Monday) as Dan, Liz, Timmy and Brandi left early to head home. No mechanical difficulties this time and Thalia did a great job working the big Cherokee! They were both very patient and open minded about the Forester as well, which was very nice of them. It was the first time I'd wheeled with them.

I got the sense none of us wanted to return (especially not the kids, they were having a blast alternating who got to ride in the Wrangler), but we still had camp to break down. So, we stopped to hook up the sway bars on the Jeeps and headed back.

I have a massive number of short videos from wheeling yesterday, I'll throw those in the next post.

Thalia and Steve broke down their popup and Karla and I got the tarp and tent taken down. They left before us as they had longer to go, Karla and I hung out and had some dinner. We left around 6:30pm just as the rain started to fall again in earnst. Great trip!
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[Smash81]

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr-zX5LWcgo"]YouTube - trail maintenance[/ame]

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52lvPL_uqeQ"]YouTube - little hills[/ame]

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scwh4DJR_bk"]YouTube - new aspen growth[/ame]

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3jnhLHxaoQ"]YouTube - thru the woods[/ame]

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIKk798lIA0"]YouTube - Trail 3[/ame]

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wY9AjH83V8w"]YouTube - Wrangler[/ame]

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQLdKJjqDM0"]YouTube - Grand Cherokee[/ame]

Well, with the Forester the way it is and especially with my manual transmission, that hill required a long start and for me to get as much momentum as possible. Thalia took a great video that I'll post it as soon as I get it. I can remember thinking as I got half way up the hill: "don't get in that rut that the Cherokee made. Miss the rut. Miss the rut." Well, all that thinking about the rut put me right into it! Duh! Lol. "Get out of the rut! Get out of the rut!" Thankfully I had enough speed that I just bounced out of it.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1wb_LC1snU"]YouTube - the hill[/ame]


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[Smash81]

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLaPS9bS_l8"]YouTube - puddles![/ame]

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zlz_ZJ8w8tE"]YouTube - Trail 2[/ame]

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RY0z4CDUupo"]YouTube - trail shot[/ame]

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gL6YlMH2Wog"]YouTube - Cherokee[/ame]

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8PUPAoV_Oc"]YouTube - offroad[/ame]

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pf8i-q_QYCg"]YouTube - crawl[/ame]

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ms9PDe5XA4A"]YouTube - Wrangler small hill[/ame]

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efFruFU4_Qw"]YouTube - Grand Cherokee small hill[/ame]

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmIIUQsR3aY"]YouTube - Forester small hill[/ame]
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[mr turbo]

Top trip report Smash81.

Those rocks in the way that they are laid out look amazing.

Thanks for sharing your adventures with us. :biggrin:

Regards
Mr Turbo

 

[aware]

Looks like an absolutely fantastic trip mate.

Nice dog!! Hard not to love dogs...

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Smash81]

Thanks guys, yep the dogs loved it.

 

[carljwnc]

What a weekend!!! Too bad for all the rain, but as long as you're prepared should just add to the experience, or 'build character' if any of you are familiar with Calvin and Hobbs.:iconwink:

Great pics and videos, I love that rock formation your playing on in the first post.:biggrin:

 

[mr turbo]

By the way, thats a very cool number plate you have Smash81 :biggrin: :biggrin:

Regards
Mr Turbo

 

[Smash81]

Carl - yep, I don't mind the rain at all. Keeps things cool, and that's exactly why I brought my roof sized tarp. Calvin and Hobbs.... Smock? Smock smock smock. I love the word smock.

Mr Turbo - thanks! good conversation starter off the boards, most don't know that foz stands for forester.