After the FJC Summit in Ouray, six FJCs headed out this morning to Fruita, CO to start the Kokopelli Expedition. I have to be back for work on Tuesday so I tagged along for just a few hours on the Kokopelli trail before peeling off on Hwy 128 towards I70 and then home. These intrepid individuals are:
uphill
shadow warrior
dragon and fjsohot
frogeye and his brother Jeff
fj-ollie
jeshua
Here are a few photos from this afternoon.
Convoy on the way to Fruita, CO
Topping off in Fruita, CO
Trail Head near Rabbit Valley exit
Photo op stop at Knowles Canyon Overlook
Traversing narrow shelf road
Kokopelli trail
Looking forward to photos from this team after they reach Moab sometimes on Tuesday.
Great job with the photos!!! I can't wait to see the rest real soon!
Thanks for the info on the trail also!!!
cheers,
dale
__________________
Happy Trails!
TLCA #17625
LOS TRES AMIGOS IN MEXICO
TITANIUM METALLIC--A/T
ARB Bumper - Warn Winch - OME Heavy 886/895 - Bandi Mount - All-Pro Lower link skids - Bud Built skids - Snorkle - Toyota prefilter (cyclone air filter) - Optima Yellow Top Battery - Painless Dual Battery Control System - Scuba Driver Mod - Kenwood DN
X 7120 GPS - A-TRAC mod - 110v add-on - Rock Rails - Rear Locker - Roof Rack - BFG TA/KO's - ARB Fridge/Freezer - '08 side visor mod - Royal Purple fluids - E3.68 Spark Plugs - All Pro Rear Bumper - M-Pac rear and side mounts
To be continued...
Just got home tonight after hanging out in Moab for a couple days. I will upload pictures tomorrow after I find my camera in the FJ.
The trip was amazing though, great people and some of the most beautiful places in the world. The Top of the World is indescribable... Camp on the second night was on the top of the world the first night was in the middle of nowhere and beautiful and remote with rain and lighting off an on through out the evening. We did end up getting a fire going and watch the bugs move in close to the heat.
Thank you Larry, Mike, Shane, Chris, Jeff, Bill and Jeanie for a trip that I will never forget! 3 days away from the world in some absolute stunning and breath taking places.
Pictures will come tomorrow.
__________________ "Because in the end it has almost nothing to do with the bike and everything to do with setting
out to accomplish something that is intimidating, that is unknown to you, something you know you
have a good chance of failing at but doing it anyways and slowly but surely proving yourself wrong." Mike Ambs
www.corva.org "Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
- Thomas Paine
What a trip. The Kokopelli Trip was amazing. Incredible scenic views, interesting trails, and lots of off road miles made this trip very special. I really enjoyed getting to hang out with all of you guys too. The Top of the World was simply out of this world. Amazing views. Our kitchen, living room, and fireplace were all perched atop a two thousand foot cliff. I'll never forget that place. Unfortunately I don't think that any of our photos can really do a good job showing what we saw in person.
I thought I had seen it all until we headed off towards the rose garden, and the lower valleys that we saw from The Top of the World. Incredible.
It was a great expedition everyone, I'll always remember it. I'll be posting up photos...
MEMORABLE MOMENT #1 KOKOPELLI TRAIL EXPEDITION 2008
There was only one set of tracks on the road to the TOP of the WORLD. Going up. They hadn't come down. So we expected to meet our the first vehicle on the trail since leaving Grand Junction about 100 trail miles and two days previously. Unexpectedly we run into VDM (VOODOOMOTHER) coming down the trail toward us, rear differential clanging.
She blew her third member about 700 yards from the Top of the World and hoped to limp her damaged FJC into Moab. Everyone helped out to drop her rear drive shaft so she could go home on the front.
Rear drive shaft removed, she clanked downhill.
VDM is not the first FJ Cruiser to loose a rear ring/pinion to the Top of the World trail. The break-overs you need to climb to get there are DEATH to the unwary FJ driver whose confidence increases as the trail continues.
__________________
How does the Dept. of Transportation
convince deer to cross the road where
these signs are displayed?
The Top-of-the-World is the TOP of the Frigging World! FJ-OLLIE stands like a king, overlooking his domain.
As is so often the case in history, the king can only remain king by removing pretenders to the throne. JESHUA tried to stand on FJ-OLLIE's rock an as is usually the case in the game of king-of-the-hill... In this photo, FROGEYE, DRAGON and FJSOHOT watch JESHUA tumble down 3000 feet and land on the bottom like a cat.
I asked JESHUA how he managed to land on the floor of the canyon after falling so darned far without hurting himself.
JESHUA said that it wasn't the fall, but the climb back up to camp that was difficult.
JESHUA shares free-climbing techniques with DRAGON after his harrowing adventure.
__________________
How does the Dept. of Transportation
convince deer to cross the road where
these signs are displayed?
After we left TCAO, we headed down the Kokopelli trail and turned off the beaten path down a seldom used road that was in the process of being reclaimed by nature, heading for the first night's camp.
We climbed down Raptor Canyon and across Frogeye wash to Dragon gulch.
Once there, we went southwest along FJ-Ollie arroyo until we finally came to rest on FJSOHOT Rock (it was uphill all the way).
The Camp on FJSOHOT Rock.
SHADOW-WARRIOR takes a break.
DRAGON's tent matches his FJ.
Chuck Wagon
Hammocks. Sleeping under the stars in the desert is the only way to go. There were a lot of scorpions on the ground, but though they feared my rig, they didn't seem to have the same respect for the Raptor (i.e. the hammock solution).
__________________
How does the Dept. of Transportation
convince deer to cross the road where
these signs are displayed?
WOODSMAN, there were no issues until JESHUA decided to test his clearance.
ROSEGARDEN HILL
Since I was the only group at this point in the trail who had been down Rose Garden Hill, I definitely did promise them a Rose Garden. (TCAO had to break off the previous day due to work obligations)
(Raptor Photo)
Articulation is called for. (Thanks ICON!)
DRAGON & FJSOHOT in Taira, romping down the Rose Garden just like it was Michigan Avenue. Did he ever shift into 4L?
The Raptor eats rocks and cr@ps out dust!
JESHUA thinks that we all took the sissy line -- and he forges his own path.
A tug from FJ-OLLIE's winch and JESHUA is back in business.
Kokopelli Lizard looks on, unimpressed.
FROGEYE's Bug Eater romps over the rock that ate JESHUA's rig.
__________________
How does the Dept. of Transportation
convince deer to cross the road where
these signs are displayed?
I am resizing and going through my pics as I type.
__________________ "Because in the end it has almost nothing to do with the bike and everything to do with setting
out to accomplish something that is intimidating, that is unknown to you, something you know you
have a good chance of failing at but doing it anyways and slowly but surely proving yourself wrong." Mike Ambs
www.corva.org "Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
- Thomas Paine
Re: Kokopelli Expedition July 2008
great pics Larry I love my free climb pic. 
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