An old high school buddy of mine has invited us to go out to 5-mile pass with them for a couple of years now, I was glad that we were able to make it work this year. The weather was perfect for October and the kids had a lot of fun riding with other kids their same age and skill level. There is tons of 2-track out there, you can ride forever and it’s easy to get lost, so if you don’t know the area, make sure you commit some landmarks to memory or take a GPS and maps.
The first day out there, Donnie and Bryce took me up a couple of Jeep trails, Rattlesnake and Constrictor, that I’ve read about on http://rockymountainextreme.com a few times. They were a pretty good workout, rock gardens and big obstacles. I didn’t dare attempt “Wayne’s world”, but I did conquer the one at the top of Constrictor (although I forgot to turn on the camera) and make it to the top of the trail before turning around and going back down the whole thing. I had a couple of stupid tip-overs in the rocks, but no real carnage.
The next day we took the kids for a pretty good loop up Sunshine Canyon. There is a mine at the top that some unfortunate Jeepers drove their jeep into several years ago. You can still see the tailgate and rear axle of the Jeep if you crawl out on the grate and look down 60ft or so. The big kids got out for another loop that included a few hill climbs, some rocks, some whoops, a flat tire, a little bit of single track and a pretty good workout.
*Update – here’s some old video of the Jeep from down inside the mine: http://youtu.be/yjy6ulseEQ8
Thanks to Donnie, Bryce and families for the hospitality and good times!
Kids’ ride
Big Kids ride #2