|
By
Jesse May
As you may or may not know the May family went to Iowa first
before meeting the rest of the Dirt Devils in Colorado. Well before ever getting
to Colorado the Jeep had 4 different problems/breakdowns.
-
The new power steering pump return line reservoir connection broke due to
a flaw in the making of the plastic part. (Trip delayed by 24 hours, in
Kingman, AZ)
-
The return line hose was old and split open and I had a small engine fire
(no damage from fire) (Trip delayed by 2 hours, somewhere in NM)
-
New tranny was put in by a Chrysler dealer in Iowa, as well as the rear
main seal and a new oil pan seal. (4 days at shop - got a loaner vehicle)
-
The carden joint (the joint between the double u-joints in the drive line)
replaced (Trip delayed by 4 hours, in Glenwood Springs, CO)
July, Monday 19th came early, the day started out with a
repair (see #4) and we got onto the road by noon. We made it to Ouray, CO about
4 or 5 o'clock, but we could not hear Dean on the radio anywhere. While waiting
for Dean to show up, I went and looked for him at the campground that he said he
wanted to stay at, but I found out it was full. So when Dean finally got in
contact with us, we told him that the only place in town with available sites
was were I was camping.
Tuesday we headed for Telluride via Imogene Pass. I had fun
crossing two different creeks. The second creek crossing was the most
interesting one. Robert and Dean took the easier route, which was not so deep. I
wanted to take a different path and when the front tire went in, I heard a kur-thump.
Well I tried to back up but did not move and I thought I was stuck. So I tried
to go forward. I finally moved forward and out of the hole, but now the back had
to follow. The back hit, but all was well. We had lunch near the top of Imogene
Pass. While going to the top of Imogene Pass, we passed a spot where they were
putting dynamite into the ground. When we got to the top we watched them set off
the explosion. On our way down, at the first switch back, there was traffic jam
and when a rented Jeep tried to maneuver the corner, she went over the edge.
Luckily there was a snow bank to stop her from rolling over and down the hill.
No one else had a winch so I got mine out. With Dean's help as an anchor, we
winched her back up onto the road. And the rest of the trip down into Telluride
was uneventful. We walked around town and then we headed to Ophir Pass and back
to camp.
Wednesday was going to be a long day, so the ladies in
Roberts' family stayed at camp. We headed for Engineer Pass to Lake City. We had
lunch at the South end of Lake San Cristobal and then it was onto Cinnamon Pass.
When we got to Animas Forks we were stopped by a big herd of sheep coming up the
road. Afterwards, we finally made it to Silverton. We then did a very quick walk
around town, since now it was raining. When we left town we did not want to just
drive on the pavement back to camp, so looking in our books about Colorado
backroads, we decided to do Corkscrew Gulch trail. As we are heading for the
trail, Cheryl was reading the description of the trail. The books suggests not
to go on the trail when it was raining (remember it was raining). It turns out
the trail was fun even in the rain.
Thursday we decided to head for Mesa Verde National Park.
Repair number five: Fixed a transmission leak up near the radiator before
leaving the campground. We arrived at Mesa Verde National Park campground and
set up camp before the rains hit. We saw a complete double rainbow at camp with
some deer nearby.
Friday we took all day to tour 3/4 of Mesa Verde National
Park. That evening, before the 9:00 PM showing at the amphitheater, we wanted to
celebrate Julie birthday. So we headed for Cortez for dinner. Let's say we had
dinner and leave it at that. But we did surprise her with a cake, back at the
camper, after the amphitheater slide show.
Saturday we headed home with a stop at Four Corners so that
we could say we stood in all four states at once. Also that day we meet up with
Rick Russell on his was back home from Moab. He stayed around the Flagstaff area
to play some more, but we kept on going to Laughlin. It was hot and we had
decided to stay at AVI for the night. The hotel was booked full so Dean and Beth
decided to head for home due to the fact they do not have AC in the camper. The
LaMont's and the May's stayed the night. Later that evening we played in the
pool. Sunday morning came early, and we headed for home.
PS. The Jeep leaks more oil now after the new seals were put
in, and the Jeep is in the shop again at Don-A-Vee getting another NEW
transmission (all under warranty).
Back
to Run Reports
|
