Jeep Trip in Pike National Forest (A Video)

There are quite a few videos of our trip, but Blogger has decided that it will take four hours to load one video and then it's not really sure that the video is uploaded.

Here's a taste:

I call this one "Steep Hill Up," and I'm hoping it is one of the more interesting ones, as it is the only one that will upload properly.

Jeep Trip in Pike National Forest (The Jeeps)

Without further ado, the Jeeps!
Roll call:
Green Jeep Wrangler: belongs to JS, called the Green Monstah
Red CJ-7: belongs to J, called the Red Rider
Grey Grand Cherokee: belongs to me (and C), possibly called the Grey Ghost?

**All of these seemed trail ready and worthy with some last minute modifications. For the Grey Ghost, we added some Grabber tires about a year ago, a gifted two inch lift kit more recently, and are a little sad that we ran out of time to add some serious bumpers (could have been nice to have somewhere to attach tow hooks, should they have been necessary).

Someone, anyone, tell me those aren't awesome! Incredibly capable too - the Grey Ghost went everywhere the other two Jeeps did! C is so proud!

Red Rider in her glory. Super steep incline.

Did you really think the guys wouldn't find any mud? Here you go: the mud trails! They emptied most of the mud holes out with their enthusiasm.

Ready, set, stop and snack so the kids aren't whiny . . . and GO!

Jeep Trip in Pike National Forest (The Players and the Camping)

These are some quick collages of all the players that went on the Jeep trip with us. We did so much in a four day period: we drove out to CO, found a campsite in the mountains, ate really well, went four wheeling for two whole days, played with fire, slept in tents, pooped and showered outside, and basically had the time of our lives. The boys are talking about taking a men-only trip back in the spring. The morning after we drove in, C, J, and JS were telling us their bodies didn't ache and they were not worried about anything.

Let's see, you've got a couple of pictures of C and me up there, lots of J smiling like a goon (he had SUCH a GREAT time, there is JS, getting the hang of this Jeepin' thing. Some pictures of the scenery and of the six-year-old boys, G and B. Some relaxing, some chilling, some playing with Lego's, some wearing our super cool Dodge PowerWagon shirt. These people had a blast, you know!

Mostly just of the boys: J, JS, C, G, and B. Oh, there's T with her morning travel mug of hot chocolate (no one but JS, her dad, thought to bring hot chocolate). JS had to set up the girls' tent. C started most of the fires and the small boys, G and B, had to be told MULTIPLE times to stay out of the fire, stop throwing things in the fire, PLEASE do not start a forest fire, etc. Lots of tents were set up and I'm sure we were setting up our own little compound in someone else's favorite campsite. You know what though? They trashed the place and we definitely left it cleaner than we found it - which merit badge do we get for that?

I know you all were waiting for these: C and A (me!). We had a lot of fun, but I will not consider this my much delayed honeymoon. I would like showers and toilets on that vacation!

Jeep Trip in Pike National Forest (The Beginning)

For Labor Day weekend, C and I took off with some friends on the First Annual Jeeping/Camping thing (cooler name to be determined). We left Thursday night for somewhere in the mountains near Monument, CO. C and I were in my Jeep (which I reminded him, IS MY daily driver), J and double LL and the kids were towing Red Rider (CJ-7) with the Tahoe, and the other J (JS, for our purposes) with his kids was towing the Green Monstah (Wrangler) with his Tahoe. Got it? At the base of the mountains, we unhooked the Jeeps so that the menfolk could cruise up the mountains. Which left all available (legal and of age) drivers cruising up the mountains in every other vehicle.




This is a collage of the unloading. You've got C, J, double LL, J's daughter L, JS, and A LOT of work going on. You've never seen guys this happy! They were beyond excited to drive their Jeeps up. Double LL and I were, um, impressed with the way the winding dirt roads in the mountains just dropped off the side. Falling over would have been a long roll to the bottom.

This was the first, uh, detour in the mountains. J, our fearless leader, in Red Rider, might have blazed right down a trail that had a huge sign up that said no one should be going that way. A really big sign. That he, in all of his eagerness, might have missed. And JS followed him. And C drove one of the Tahoes right to the edge. Then J's something or other on Red Rider might have gone out (which is why there is a picture of him carrying a toolbox down). We all got out safely. It needs to be said that the next day, there was a huge barricade next to the huge sign, so no one could get down that trail.

Absolutely beautiful camping spot. There were trees and rocks and all of that good nature stuff. Plenty of places to go to the bathroom. Next year, we will not be camping on the TOP of the mountain I hear. Although I will miss the view.

Another gorgeous view off the top.