One step closer

huntin12ga · **Posted:** Thu Nov 17, 2005 3:48 pm

I drove from IL to CO this past weekend and picked out my place to live. It is a townhome in Larkspur and it is (IMHO) awesome. It's close to the golf course and I back up to amazing open spaces. The Rampart is close so I am happy and there are a lot of hiking/biking/atv trails literally in the neighborhood it seems. This was the first time I had been to CO and I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw all of the natural beauty.

I can not wait to move in January and I look forward to doing some wheelin. The lift kit should be in after a few weeks and then I look to the land of tires. BTW, I got 23 mpg over the entire trip (not bad considering all of the city driving that was also involved). I can get used to the high speed limits too.

We could even plan a gathering at my place sometime in January. I'll supply the beer. We could talk about getting organized. I have been an officer in a sportsman club for about 5 years so that experience should help some in getting us setup. I am also an accountant so I have a leg in on some of the Treasury, budgeting, filing requirements, etc. if we want to get the ball rolling. Let me know what you all think.

Jeremy

Skyjump136 · **Joined:** Tue Jul 05, 2005 6:50 pm **Posts:** 1633

You're about 10 minutes from my place. Cool.

btolle · **Posted:** Thu Nov 17, 2005 9:07 pm

huntin12ga wrote:

This was the first time I had been to CO and I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw all of the natural beauty.

You have some real treats in store in the Spring. Not much wheeling in the Winter but CO is awesome in the Spring/Summer/Early Fall. We make about 2 trips a year there from East Texas.

There should be a KJ gathering in July in Silverton. I could write about a hundred pages on Silverton/Ouray area and that is just one part of Colorado.

Look forward to seeing you on one of our trips, maybe in July.

Bill Tolle
05 Rubicon
04 Liberty
04 Kubota 4WDTractor

Tokyojoe · **Posted:** Thu Nov 17, 2005 9:11 pm

WELCOME! We look forward to wheeling with you. Let us know the next time you make it hree before your move. Perhaps a group get together.

Kugellager · **Posted:** Thu Nov 17, 2005 10:14 pm

huntin12ga wrote:

...I am also an accountant so I have a leg in on some of the Treasury, budgeting, filing requirements, etc. if we want to get the ball rolling...

Jeremy

You need to talk to Ted/USAFCOP...we were just working over some ideas for the rockies region after our Slaughterhouse Gulch meet and someone mentioned accounting for our financial needs.

...and welcome to the best 4x4 state in the US!

John
];')

huntin12ga · **Posted:** Fri Nov 18, 2005 1:17 am

I PM'd Ted/USAFCOP about what needs to be done.

I plan no trips until the final trip to CO. The 13 hours is kind of long to drive. Especially since I tallied up 2300mi in three days. That was kind of rough...but defenitely worth it.

We should certainly have a group of board members for our group. That will help things keep localized and allow for quick decision making. The planning for trips will go better and a delegation of duties will prove worth while.

Skyjump136 · **Joined:** Tue Jul 05, 2005 6:50 pm **Posts:** 1633

What part of IL are you coming from? I'm actually an IL native and, oddly enough, I'm back home for a week helping out my parents.

huntin12ga · **Posted:** Fri Nov 18, 2005 2:20 pm

I am living in Machesney Park, which is just north of Rockford, IL. I work in Rockford. Let me know where you are and maybe we can get together for a beer or something.

Skyjump136 · **Joined:** Tue Jul 05, 2005 6:50 pm **Posts:** 1633

I'd love to get together for a beer, but I'm in Peoria...just a little out of the way. I'm headed back to Colorado on Monday so it'll have to wait till you come out.

Redneck Ron · **Posted:** Fri Nov 18, 2005 7:01 pm

Where in the heck is Peoria--Ill?

RespectMyLibertay · **Posted:** Fri Nov 18, 2005 8:10 pm

OH MY GOD. You are going to live in my "domain". I call tell you are talking about Perry Park. You are gonna live in what I would call HEAVEN! It's the sweetest place to be for the outdoors and local off-roading. Huge red boulders are everywhere. Deer are in people's front yards. Pike National Forest/Rampart Range is Perry Park's backyard (I will show you what I mean). I can show you EVERY trail in Perry Park. There's quite a few, but they are all very short, because they will eventually be developed for housing (until then these roads are not maintained at all=good). It's still a truck load of fun, and we've even gotten stuck before. Please allow me to give you a tour sometime when you get here. Maybe this would be a good time for all of us in Colorado (maybe just Castle Rock, it'd be a haul for anyone else!) to meet up and do some "local" offroading? I assure you, it's nothing extreme, but you *can* get stuck. It's great views at the least.

I don't actually live in Perry Park, but I am there every weekend off-roading, boulder-hopping, camping, and partying with my friends who live there. The trails there don't allow for any serious off-roading (like, say, Slaughter House Gulch) due to their shortness, but they are great for "midnight romps" and general 4x4 fun. Also, here's a pic of the mud I get from there, and some of the views that you can catch there as well:

These pictures of "the park" were taken within 5 minutes of your location. Excited?

EDIT: fixed images

Skyjump136 · **Joined:** Tue Jul 05, 2005 6:50 pm **Posts:** 1633

Redneck Ron wrote:

Where in the heck is Peoria--Ill?

Whateva!!! Ron is another IL native...

huntin12ga · **Posted:** Sat Nov 19, 2005 1:03 am

Yup, I am in Perry Park and once I hit some of the "local" offroad sights I was hooked. I didn't even look at any other places after seeing what was there. When I left the place at about 4pm I saw at least 60 deer! They were everywhere. In my "backyard" there is pheasant, elk, bear, fox, everything! I didn't want to leave.

We will definitely be meeting up for some joy rides. I did some of the short trails and what I saw overwhelmed me with mountain majesty. Of course, us flat landers may be easily impressed, lol. PM me if you would like to have a trip once the trails are passable. We could meet up at my place.

I have been in coordination with a fellow jeeper to get things started to make the Rockies club official. We are looking at getting organized better. If anybody is interested in being a board member or has any suggestions as far as ways to get organized drop me a PM.

I will have pics posted within the week of the views from my back door and of the trails within a few blocks of my place.

RespectMyLibertay · **Posted:** Sat Nov 19, 2005 2:39 pm

Most of the trails around there are passable, even with snow. But that's when you want to have tires with good self-cleaning, because you get the snow, and then the mud underneath, making for a bad combo. I can only think of one spot where it's best to turn around because the ruts get huge and you could tip it pretty easy. There's also a steep hillclimb or two in the area. One I have been way to scared to ever attempt, the other just got closed off because of a house built at it's base. I've only been stuck once in Perry Park, and that was when I was completely stock, besides skid plates. It's pretty easy to high-center yourself on some of the ruts, if you don't have a lift. Just last night, I went through the spot I got stuck in when stock very easily now that I have my lift and M/Ts.

You definitely chose a PRIME location in Colorado, in my opinion. BTW I'm from the Midwest, too: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, lived there until I was 12, five years ago. I will never go back (other than visits) now that I've seen Colorado.

huntin12ga · **Posted:** Sat Nov 19, 2005 8:13 pm

I saw the large quantity of ruts you mentioned. Some were too large to pass and I had to turn around on one trail. Good thing the lift should be here in 5 days and I will have it in before I leave. I saw the hill climb that you are speaking of where the house is being built. My buddy and I saw it and he said, "We HAVE to climb that!" Of course I said no way but I figured it was owned by the people that are building the house or the construction crew was having fun on their lunch break with the company truck.

By the way, what is up with that Military Training center? It looked like there was trails all around it. Some trails looked like ATV trails but had tire tracks. Are those trails just public or do people just drive on them? It looks like there are ATV trails in the middle of the "subdivision". I wonder if you can drive an ATV from my home to the trailhead....hmmm.

Redneck Ron · **Posted:** Sun Nov 20, 2005 5:55 am

Skyjump136 wrote:

Redneck Ron wrote:

Where in the heck is Peoria--Ill?

Whateva!!! Ron is another IL native...

LOL!! Whateva!! YES I AM and DARN BLASTED PROUD OF IT!!!

RespectMyLibertay · **Posted:** Sun Nov 20, 2005 8:12 pm

I know of no Military Training Center in Perry Park...Just the normal neighborhood, with townhomes, a golf course with a country club, a couple huge horse ranches, a firestation, and the old abandoned country club atop a hill. You probably saw all of these. As far as I know, everyone (the public) uses the trails for whatever they can, unless there's a sign saying no trespassing. Then it's usually someone's driveway. People walk their dogs and jog, other's ride horses, some go ATViing and offroading, and even dirt-biking. All depends what can fit on the trail

Last month while running one of the trials, I came across a group of 8 guys on ATVs helping get this Nissan Pathfinder unstuck from a huge muddy rut. Among many of the 4x4 trails are hiking paths that lead to many great views atop giant red rock formations. Perry Park is just something you'll have to explore, and it's gonna take awhile to know of all the fun spots, cause there is a lot of them.

P.S. Get this: I did that hill climb in my totally stock Liberty.

LibertyN8 · **Posted:** Mon Nov 21, 2005 8:22 pm

[/quote]..and welcome to the best 4x4 state in the US!

John
];')[/quote]

Correction- he's moving to Colorado not Utah!! LOL :twisted:

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