IntrepidXJ
NAXJA Member #647
- Location
- Grand Junction, CO
OK, I guess this new forum is as good of place as any to put up some info about my upcoming trip. First of all, I bought a 2000 XJ back in Feb, that I am now working my ass off to get it ready for this trip.....so I'm hoping it will be ready in time I will be leaving from work on July 19th......so I better get my ass moving.
Anyways, you may look at the following trip and think I have scheduled way too much for the time I have.....and perhaps I have......but I am good at covering a lot of ground, plus I would rather over-plan for the trip and maybe not quite get everywhere if I do run short on time. Here's a brief overview of the areas I plan on hitting up......I have planned the route in more detail, but will leave those out.
Once I take the drive from Illinois to Colorado, I plan on keeping off the pavement as much as possible. The plan is to start out at the Sawatch Mountain Range, and hit up some of the more popular trails in that area for the first weekend. I'm supposed to meet up with DJ and Formatt that weekend. From there I will be meeting up with the Colorado Chapter in the San Juans for a few days at ColoradoFest. I won't be able to stay too long though, since I need to be in Grand Junction for a few days to attend the UFWDA Conference to represent .
Even though I know it's going to be hot (at least I have working AC), I can't be that close to Moab and not stop by for a day or two. I'm planning on taking the back roads in from Gateway, CO through the La Sals. From there I'm going to shoot up the San Rafael Swell and 9 Mile Canyon area to the Unitas, where it should be a little cooler (thanks to xjblue for some info on this area)
Then I plan on heading over to the Wind River Range in WY, over to check out Devil's Tower, and then exploring the Black Hills NF over to Deadwood.
Lastly, on my way back home, I'm going to drive through Badlands NP.
The trip is going to be about 2.5 weeks long. Unlike previous trips I have taken, I am not looking for hardcore rock-crawling, mostly just nice scenic drives and camping. Lots of photography, too
Anyways, like I said, I got my route pretty much down, but if any of you have any suggestions for me, I'm always open to ideas.....and if I don;t use them this trip, I'll definitely keep them listed for future trips
Anyways, you may look at the following trip and think I have scheduled way too much for the time I have.....and perhaps I have......but I am good at covering a lot of ground, plus I would rather over-plan for the trip and maybe not quite get everywhere if I do run short on time. Here's a brief overview of the areas I plan on hitting up......I have planned the route in more detail, but will leave those out.
Once I take the drive from Illinois to Colorado, I plan on keeping off the pavement as much as possible. The plan is to start out at the Sawatch Mountain Range, and hit up some of the more popular trails in that area for the first weekend. I'm supposed to meet up with DJ and Formatt that weekend. From there I will be meeting up with the Colorado Chapter in the San Juans for a few days at ColoradoFest. I won't be able to stay too long though, since I need to be in Grand Junction for a few days to attend the UFWDA Conference to represent .
Even though I know it's going to be hot (at least I have working AC), I can't be that close to Moab and not stop by for a day or two. I'm planning on taking the back roads in from Gateway, CO through the La Sals. From there I'm going to shoot up the San Rafael Swell and 9 Mile Canyon area to the Unitas, where it should be a little cooler (thanks to xjblue for some info on this area)
Then I plan on heading over to the Wind River Range in WY, over to check out Devil's Tower, and then exploring the Black Hills NF over to Deadwood.
Lastly, on my way back home, I'm going to drive through Badlands NP.
The trip is going to be about 2.5 weeks long. Unlike previous trips I have taken, I am not looking for hardcore rock-crawling, mostly just nice scenic drives and camping. Lots of photography, too
Anyways, like I said, I got my route pretty much down, but if any of you have any suggestions for me, I'm always open to ideas.....and if I don;t use them this trip, I'll definitely keep them listed for future trips