Jeep rolling off Black Bear Road

[1976gmc20]

Originally Posted by Zoomad75

The Mazda was far to beat to continue. All four tires were flat, wheels hammered on the rocks. The rocker panels were beaten to the point they were hitting the doors and making it hard to open. My buddy poked his head underneath and the entire underbelly was tore up, exhaust, fuel tank and engine cradle. It physically was done.

ATV's are the only thing I don't like about the area now. On any summer weekend it's crawling with side by sides and quads. The county made it legal to drive the ATV's on the roads/trails above St. Elmo. So one can park the trailer on the side of the road at St. Elmo and link up Hancock pass, Cumberland pass and Tincup for a complete loop of the area. Plus all the smaller trails outside of Taylor and Tincup. I'd be ok with it if most of them had even the slightest amount of trail etiquette. Sadly most of them don't, they come in from out of state and drive like maniacs because they can carry way more speed and get pissed when a bunch of full size trucks and Jeeps are taking it slow in the rough stuff.

Our friends in Colorado have a nice place just down the road from Tincup. Now it's summer only (mostly) since he retired and they have a more civilized winter place in Steamboat. Anyway he spent practically his whole life in TP and doesn't want to give it up, but he says that in the summer the ATVs and motorcycles scream up and down the valley all day long.

I haven't been back up there since we left 20++ years ago, and I don't know if I even want to because I want to remember it the way it was, though I'd like to visit them some summer/fall now that we have our pickup & topper. We did visit once at their place in Steamboat. They came up here once a few years ago and were amazed that we all could walk up the county road a mile and back and not have even a single car pass.

[Zoomad75]

Originally Posted by 1976gmc20

Our friends in Colorado have a nice place just down the road from Tincup. Now it's summer only (mostly) since he retired and they have a more civilized winter place in Steamboat. Anyway he spent practically his whole life in TP and doesn't want to give it up, but he says that in the summer the ATVs and motorcycles scream up and down the valley all day long.

I haven't been back up there since we left 20++ years ago, and I don't know if I even want to because I want to remember it the way it was, though I'd like to visit them some summer/fall now that we have our pickup & topper. We did visit once at their place in Steamboat. They came up here once a few years ago and were amazed that we all could walk up the county road a mile and back and not have even a single car pass.

The atv traffic is pretty ugly up there. Just how it is now. Sharing the trail is the reality.

[1976gmc20]

Originally Posted by Zoomad75

The atv traffic is pretty ugly up there. Just how it is now. Sharing the trail is the reality.

I'm glad I got in on the last few years of the good old days. Back then the equivalent of an "ATV" was a flat fender jeep, plus the "newer" Scouts, Broncos, Blazers, Wagoneers, and pickups. One time I went with some friends in their jeep into the basin up on Jenkins Mountain, but that is all locked up in the wilderness now.

I hauled logs over Cottonwood Pass before they rebuilt it. Well, they were working on the east side the last year or two before I quit. Spent a lot of time stopped waiting on construction. And that new paved road around the dam really changed the character of things. I remember when it was one narrow lane with only a few pulloffs. Now I hear it's pavement all the way from Gunnysack to Byooney

We've got to go down to Monte Vista for an "errand" hopefully next year if the world doesn't fall apart. I suppose we will try to do a little visiting and sightseeing along the way. Maybe drive over Cumberland and stop in at our friends' cabin.

[Zoomad75]

Originally Posted by 1976gmc20

I'm glad I got in on the last few years of the good old days. Back then the equivalent of an "ATV" was a flat fender jeep, plus the "newer" Scouts, Broncos, Blazers, Wagoneers, and pickups. One time I went with some friends in their jeep into the basin up on Jenkins Mountain, but that is all locked up in the wilderness now.

I hauled logs over Cottonwood Pass before they rebuilt it. Well, they were working on the east side the last year or two before I quit. Spent a lot of time stopped waiting on construction. And that new paved road around the dam really changed the character of things. I remember when it was one narrow lane with only a few pulloffs. Now I hear it's pavement all the way from Gunnysack to Byooney

We've got to go down to Monte Vista for an "errand" hopefully next year if the world doesn't fall apart. I suppose we will try to do a little visiting and sightseeing along the way. Maybe drive over Cumberland and stop in at our friends' cabin.

I'm still getting out as long as I can. But we are branching out into other areas to explore so we can see other parts of the state. There's still so much to explore that I or the rest of my group hasn't seen yet.