On September 10^th, Patrol 14 decided to head to Pole Hill, hopefully for a day of Aspen viewings. Unfortunately, we were too early for the Aspens, but the skies were clear, and the sun was shining making for a beautiful day. 

 

On this run we had Bill and Cheryl in the red YJ, Gary in the green YJ, Dave and Kim in the orange JK and Ron and his green JL Rubicon. 

 

Pole Hill is a nice trail with some obstacles so it's not completely boring. On this particular Saturday, it was not busy or crowded. 

Gary brought his camp grill, when we stopped for lunch we all enjoyed some hot dogs, chips and for desert Chery brought Peach Slices.

 

This trail is located off Highway 36 close to Estes Park. If you're looking for a trail with a few fun obstacles and fantastic views, then this would be a trail you should check out. More info and details can be found at Trails Offroad.

An absolutely beautiful day with a great view from along the trail.

Ron flexing just a tad, still becoming accustom to the clutch in his new JL.

Great shot as Ron rounds the corner at the notch.

A shot of Dave's JK with some flexing.

Dave and Kim as they round the corner at that notch.

G

Gary trying a little flexing at that notch.

Gary found a nice little climb to show off the undercarriage of the YJ.  Looked harder than it actually was, but was still a fun little playground.

Gary supervises as Bill does a little flexing before approaching the climb Gary had found.

Bill trying out his suspension on the climb Gary did prior.

Bill Moore Fence Project Aug 2022

On August 20, 2022, Patrol 14 worked with the Clear Creek Ranger District and JC British & 4x4 to build 330’ of buck and rail fence on the Bill Moore Lake 4x4 trail to protect the tundra. This area deals with regular illegal bypasses mostly during early summer due to slow melting snow drifts. This has been a coordinated effort with the Forest Service over multiple years of planning. Huge thanks to everyone involved in this effort, including Joe Maleski who put his F-350 to the test for 2 loads of buck posts! This was a team effort from start to finish!

That is a LOAD of material.  Joe Maleski truck being loaded.

The loading crew at it's best.

That truck is amazing. Jeff Corwin was very gracious to provide the truck and his and associates help.

Volunteers, equipment and supplies arrived at the site safe and in one piece.

This is the location that we are addressing in this effort.  You can see the material Patrol 14 drug nto place over the last several years trying to block off-trail activity.

And it begins.

Nearing the end of the project.

Looks pretty nice I would say.

Group picture of all the Volunteers.  Everyone worked really well together and we knocked out this fence in short order.

Yes that is hail you see in the above photo.  We finished up just in time to beat the weather.  Although it did hail and rain all the way down the trail.  

Wheeler Lake August 2022

On August 5^th, several Patrol 14 members and a few guests headed up to Wheeler Lake. On this run we had Gary in his Green YJ, Bill in his Red YJ, John in his Green YJ, our guest, Ron in his 2022 JL Sarge Green Rubicon, and Roy in his Blue JK 4-door. It's been at least 10 or 12 years since I personally have been up this trail.  I know it's a tough trail, but it seems as though it's gotten a lot harder. Wheeler Lake Trail has many interesting and challenging obstacles that make it a fun run.

Some nice scenery with Roy's jeep (Patrol 14 guest) center of attention

A couple of shots of Ron in his new JL Rubicon.  Unfortunately Ron got a small amount of body damage on this run.  

A few of our leader Gary in his YJ.

Here is John in his YJ making things look easy.  Sadly John destroyed his tail pipe on this run.

And lastly we have Bill in his Red/White YJ.

We go to Lake City for some great wheeling

In July members of Patrol 14 headed out to Lake City for some 4 wheeling on trails in that
area. We had been to Ouray in 2019 and decided to try trails on the Lake City side this
year.

On Friday, Bill, Gary and Daryl headed out to the American Basin with Gary in the lead. 
The trail to the American Basin is definitely not challenging; however, the American Basin is
a beautiful area to see when you are in the Lake City area. Trudy and Cheryl took
advantage of the many photography opportunities.  After spending some time to taking in
the scenery, we decided to head back down the trail to the ghost town of Sherman where
we found a nice quiet secluded spot for lunch.  Flies and mosquitoes were horrible, which
shortened our lunch break.  After lunch, we continued on to the Sherman ghost town. 
There is not much left there, but it is a great trail with some nice challenges.  If you are in
that area, take the time to explore this hidden gem.

On Saturday we met at the lake and the group headed out to run the Alpine Loop and
surrounding trails with Gary in the lead. Joining us on Saturday were Daryl, Bill, John, and
our two guests Ron Lucas and Roy Railsback.  We first did a quick run up to American
Basin so those who were not on the trail run Friday would have the opportunity to see this
beautiful area.  From the American Basin we headed to Cinnamon pass to start our journey
for the day.  There was lots of traffic at the start of the trail, so it took us awhile to get up to
California Gulch. The journey was slow, but the scenery was beautiful.  We decided to stop
in Animas Fork for lunch. Just as we were approaching the parking areas the rain started,
so lunch was eaten in the jeeps.  After lunch we headed up Poughkeepsie Gulch.  The rain
started again but that didn't stop us. Along the way, we crossed paths with 8 old Flat Fender
jeeps.  Most of these guys were using tarps to keep semi-dry. It was pretty neat seeing all
those oldies.  We soon passed them and continued up Poughkeepsie where the fun really
started to take shape. The rain continued to follow us, but we were all staying dry (unlike the
Flat Fender Boys).  The views were spectacular, and the trail was full of fun challenges. 
Roy is an experienced 4-wheeler so there was no concern for his driving capabilities.  Ron,
on the other hand is new to wheeling at this level.  As a matter of fact, he had just taken
delivery of his new JL Rubicon.  He did a great job of tackling all the obstacles without fear
and little to no spotting. If you are not familiar with Poughkeepsie, it's a very long trail that
will keep you on your toes.  When we reached Engineer Pass the rain was still coming
down.  We started our trek down to Lake City.  We arrived in Lake City about 7 p.m.  That
was a very long day, but you just can't beat the fun and the spectacular views we
encountered.

Sunday started out as the previous days, clear, cool, and beautiful.  Meeting at the lake
were Gary, Bill, John and our guests, Roy and Ron.  We headed out to Wagner Gulch. This
is a nice little trail that passes the ghost town of Carson City.  Lots of buildings are still
standing.  As a matter of fact, the entire site is for sale.  

.
On Monday, Gary and John were the only Patrol 14 members still in Lake City so they
headed off to be tourists in Creede.

 

    This is a gorgeous area (as seen above) and is well worth you time to see.

Our Leader (and wife) Gary and his YJ.  Gary did a great job of organizing, planning and leading the entire weekend.  I am really grateful for his efforts.

The Crew that went to American Basin on Friday.  From left to right Bill, Daryl and our leader Gary

The line up for the weekend.  From left to right: Roy (guest) Daryl, Bill, Ron (guest) John and Gary

Another shot of the Jeeps and the beautiful scenery. 

Como Lake.  What a beautiful high mountain lake.  The water is always this color and as is evident well above tree line.

There was some amount of rain every day, evident by Gary leading above.