Toyota 4runner – Page 8 – Not Your Average Engineer

June 19, 2016June 21, 2016

Yankee Hill Explorations

After going up Barbour Fork with Rising Sun 4×4 Club, Andrew and I went over to Yankee Hill to do some more 4x4ing. We started by going up Cumberland Gulch from Fall River Road. Andrew took over driving for a while to see how much fun a Toyota minitruck really is.

Bumping up the road. The last time that Heather and I went up here, this road was full of water.

Great views of the mountains up on Yankee Hill.

Coming down the north side of Yankee Hill, we found the water bar on one of the forest roads had gone out, diverting half the creek down the road bed.

Down the flooded road we went!

We gingerly picked our way down the road bed in low gear (using 4.70:1 gears). I hate driving through a bunch of water due to environmental reasons but there wasn’t another way down. We made it through just fine, aired up the tires on Apex Road, and headed back down to Golden.

June 19, 2016June 21, 2016

Barbour Fork with Rising Sun

Andrew and I went up to Barbour Fork outside of Idaho Springs to do a trail run with the Rising Sun 4×4 Club. We had a total of 19 rigs come out for this Father’s Day run. What a great turnout!
Everyone airing down in the staging area at the start of the trail. I was the only mini truck present although there was a 2nd gen 4runner so at least there was one frame brother along.

Up the trail!

Rigs behind me.

The lineup in one of the meadows.

My truck on the way up the hill.

Lunch stop at the upper meadow.

A wonderful blue Toyota 40 series.

Zepp had to improvise a spring hanger after his 60 series Land Cruiser had a spring hanger failure.

Everyone having a good time at lunch.

Gorgeous meadow.

Heading down the trail.

June 19, 2016June 21, 2016

Chinns Lake, Fall River Reservoir, and Yankee Hill

Heather and I loaded up the Toyota 4runner (it still needs a good name…) and headed up to the Fall River Road area to look for somewhere nice to make dinner. We went up the road toward Chinns Lake and almost got to the lake itself before running into a big wall of snow. After turning around, we headed back down to another spur of the road that goes to Fall River Reservoir. It was a wonderful place to cook dinner.

Making some sausages on the grill next to the spillway below the dam.

Now we’re cooking!

Not a bad place for dinner.

Looking around the dam and end of the road from a rock above our little dinner spot.

After the sun set behind the mountain, it got a bit chillier. We packed up and got ready to head down the hill.

Instead of going straight back to Golden, we took a detour through Alice and St Mary’s Glacier to go up and over Yankee Hill. We got up to the top of the first hill climb just after the sun had sunk behind the mountains.

Looking in the general direction of Kingston Peak.

Big mountains on the continental divide in the distance.

My truck sure does look great!

I think that’s Mount Evans on the left.

The nearly full moon rising over the plains.

Up on top of Yankee Hill.

Looking south. This would be a great place to camp!

LET THERE BE LIGHT! The light bar on my roof is amazingly bright.

Airing up the truck after a great evening of 4x4ing. These long early summer evenings are great!