I picked this trail for the final EJS day since it’s rated 4. I think the rating was spot on, even though there were three spots that some folks asked for a spot. They all had bypasses, but they weren’t so tough.
We started at 0900 when it was cloudy, and we finished around 1500 when the sky was mostly clear. We were told the ride would be longer ride than usual so we were prepared with plenty of food and water. We stopped once every hour or so for a 10-100 (#1) break. Koda was happy to mingle with the other dogs, kids, and adults, on every stop. His tail was wagging like crazy. I can tell he is an off-roading dream dog. Folks liked him in return.
Lots of beautiful scenery, a fair amount of gravel and sand roads, sprinkled with some pretty challenging slick rock spots. The lead did a really good job of describing the landscape, the trees, the arches, and the uranium mining history. The gunners did a great job in keeping the group together. We got advanced notice of all the tough spots, and which way to bypass them.
I’m a little sad that today is the last EJS day, but it’s the best one I’ve been to yet. I’ll be back next year. I’m starting to plan my late Summer trip to the Colorado Rockies. The past two times I went right after EJS, but the best trails were closed due to snow. I hope to finally do Black Bear Pass, Imogene Pass, and Poughkeepsie Pass. I’ve already done Engineer Pass and Ophir Pass.
I washed the Jeep after the ride. Tonight’s chores include packing the Jeep, doing laundry, and going to sleep early. The next two days will be 500 miles each. I hope to get to Santa Rosa, NM tomorrow before the sun goes down, and the same for the following day’s trip to Plano, TX.
Here is one of the three spots that folks wanted to get spotted on.
Overlander at large 