Jan Stiskala
Well-known member
My first four wheel drive experience.
We decided with Olga to rent a small 2 door Jeep for one day to drive up to the mountains in Colorado Ouray County. Our goal was to drive to the top of Engineer pass 12 800 feet high. (3 901 m above sea level). The track was hard on the top, but the snow melted nearly on all parts of the track (18 of June). We saw lot of other 4w drive enthusiasts doing the same thing like us. We started our drive up by Corkscrew track and the scenery was breathtaking all the way up. We specially loved Red Mountain. But our drama started on the way back.
Somehow I lost my directions and the turn off to the bottom part of Engineer pass. The road started to be really rough and narrow, full of large boulders. There was no way back for me from there. No way I could back up 400 meters trough all this sharp turns with large rocks.
I was wandering where all these hundreds of other 4wheel drivers disappeared. I felt like Bighorn goat on 4 wheels. Looking down to the canyon was not encouraging. We started to realize that this track is the one we were told to definitely not to take by people who rented us the Jeep. It is 2 miles long but descending about 1500 feet , I think. (There is a warning on the map saying High clearance short base for experts 4x4 drivers only. The name of this track is Poughkeepsie Gulch. People who know Ouray County will understand how frightening this was for a first time 4 wheel driver. It took me 2 hours to descend by this track and during this time we did not see any other vehicle.
Well, we made it down to highway 55 and I was stressed, tired, shaking but proud. The jeep is unharmed.
Looks like I am picking up a new hobby. Must get myself a Jeep. I will tell Olga maybe next week after she recovers from this adventure.
We decided with Olga to rent a small 2 door Jeep for one day to drive up to the mountains in Colorado Ouray County. Our goal was to drive to the top of Engineer pass 12 800 feet high. (3 901 m above sea level). The track was hard on the top, but the snow melted nearly on all parts of the track (18 of June). We saw lot of other 4w drive enthusiasts doing the same thing like us. We started our drive up by Corkscrew track and the scenery was breathtaking all the way up. We specially loved Red Mountain. But our drama started on the way back.
Somehow I lost my directions and the turn off to the bottom part of Engineer pass. The road started to be really rough and narrow, full of large boulders. There was no way back for me from there. No way I could back up 400 meters trough all this sharp turns with large rocks.
I was wandering where all these hundreds of other 4wheel drivers disappeared. I felt like Bighorn goat on 4 wheels. Looking down to the canyon was not encouraging. We started to realize that this track is the one we were told to definitely not to take by people who rented us the Jeep. It is 2 miles long but descending about 1500 feet , I think. (There is a warning on the map saying High clearance short base for experts 4x4 drivers only. The name of this track is Poughkeepsie Gulch. People who know Ouray County will understand how frightening this was for a first time 4 wheel driver. It took me 2 hours to descend by this track and during this time we did not see any other vehicle.
Well, we made it down to highway 55 and I was stressed, tired, shaking but proud. The jeep is unharmed.
Looks like I am picking up a new hobby. Must get myself a Jeep. I will tell Olga maybe next week after she recovers from this adventure.
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