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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
I'll send you a whole CD (like 1000 photos) snail mail and that one on e-mail. Send the snail@mail address on a PM pleeze.
It was one of the most remarkable freeclimbs I've ever seen.
Yellowjacket Canyon
Ducks in a Row.
FJ-OLLIE's rig.
End of Yellowjacket Canyon, dropping down to the Rio Colorado and the ruins of Dewey Bridge.
Even though this one is way out of sequence: my rig with 3 wheels in the air on the "Tip-Over Challenge" on Hell's Revenge in Moab. Note that JESHUA was my spotter. I asked him later why he took me over the bad line on the Challenge and he just :jester:
The hardest part was Rose Garden Hill and I would give it a 7-8 out of 10. You basically slide down a hill trying to steer around the big rocks and bumps in the road you really don't have a line to choice and what is there changes after each truck that goes down it as rocks shift as you go over them.
Heading up to Top of the World would be the only other challenging portion. I would rate that a 5-6.
Thanks for sharing the pics, commentary and inspiration folks. I look forward to getting out there sometime myself. If you have any pearls of wisdom to pass along, please do! Eric
I am just curious....I did Top of the World with a friend in March, then did Onion Creek as far as Rose Garden Hill - Did any of you go UP Rose Garden Hill, or did you just come down it???? Did you take the Kokopelli all the way into the LaSal mountains and into Moab from the east?
No we just went down Rose Garden Hill I don't know if a FJ could even go up it with out a lot of winching. After the Rose Garden Hill we headed north west to the hwy and skipped the last portion of the actual Kokopelli trail.
I am just curious....I did Top of the World with a friend in March, then did Onion Creek as far as Rose Garden Hill - Did any of you go UP Rose Garden Hill, or did you just come down it???? Did you take the Kokopelli all the way into the LaSal mountains and into Moab from the east?
Okay, I have to rate this the best EVER trip report and photo thread. A truly unbelieveable bunch of photos by every measure.
Most of all I am really glad that Bill and Mike could come out and stay awhile. I am very happy to have met both of you guys and I look forward to a trip with you guys just like this one.
I hope you all had the trip of a lifetime. This sure looks like one.
I'm unable to view the photos from the PC I'm using, but just wanted to say I had the most amazing time on this Expedition, and the company was to sweet for words.
Here is my raw video from top of the world doesn't really do it justice but it will give some a idea what its like. I will also upload the sunset video tomorrow and I might try and do a little editing and make a little movie of the event.
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