I think it was summer of 2000 in Oklahoma city I paid .69 cents a gallon. it cost me under 17 bucks to fill my 74 classic Caddy. And that sucker has a 501 and gets 10mpg city or highway. But now maybe since oil is out of control we will get some nice hybrid cars and your yellow cloud that hangs over some of your state will go away,

 

Steve, those are some really awesome pics. [sm=smiley20.gif] Reminds me a lot of the country here in the Rockies where I live. If I ever get out to California, and have some time, I would love to go check out that area.

I went up this weekend with the camper (that's the only way my wife will camp ever since we had a bear outside our tent one night). I'll post some pics of this last weekend in this thread when I get them downloaded to my PC. We didn't climb any peaks this trip like you did, more of a relaxing weekend around the lake, but my wife and I do a lot of hiking and climbing. That is why I have been doing so much work on the pickup, so it can handle all the trips we take to the mountains, escpecially towing the camper up there.

I know what you mean about crowded. Pikes Peak is like that. It is a semi difficult 13 mile hike to the peak, but several thousands do it every year, so it is always busy. The summit is also accessible by road and cog railroad, so there is always a lot of people at the top. Makes you feel a little less excited when you summit a 14,100 peak only to find 20 people loitering around a gift shop. I figure there are enough 14,000+ peaks in Colorado to climb (54 I think), so we prefer to stay away from the crowded places. We like to take the dogs too, so we usually end up doing shorter hikes (5-7 miles at a time) because Cocker Spanials aren't known for their long distance skills.

Gas is about $2.20-$2.40 here, depending on what grade you get. I saw $2.60-$2.80 up in the mountains were we were. I'ts probably in the high $2, low $3 range in the pricey ski towns like Vale and Aspen.

 

post your pics, I havent been to CO other than on an airport tarmac and someday It'll be on my trip list. If anyone is ever headed this way, pm me and I'll point you to the best spots for hiking or camping if thats what your up to. I know where the easiest and hardest trails are so I should have just about everyone (who hikes) covered.

I keep saying that my peak hiking days are over since I suffer like a fish out of water each time I do it (asthma) but I keep going back. something about the view I guess...

 

Why We Climb
-----------------
It's not the majesty of the soaring peaks
or the feelings of the awe they inspire,
It's not the challenges to body and mind
for we know that our muscles will tire.

It isn't commingling with nature and God
In his beautiful land we explore,
Or the bragging rights for climbing them all
cause who cares if we climb one more?

It's not satisfaction or thrill of the climb
or the view from the top we desire,
Or the cardiovascular shape that we're in
as we're working to lose the spare tire.

Oh, it may be a little of all of these things
but I've managed to learn over time,
The places we see and the experiences we share
with our friends is the reason we climb.

-unknown

 

well put!

"The places we see and the experiences we share
with our friends is the reason we climb."

makes sense and fits too...!

 

Here are a few pics from last weekend. We were in Pike National Forest, just west of Colorado Springs. I don't know if the lake in the one picture has a name, you can only access it by hicking in. We camped near Rampart Reservoir.
Like I said, we had a nice relaxing weekend of fishing, easy hiking, and camping. You can tell the dogs are worn out (that was about a 5 mile hike).

[IMG]local://upfiles/9095/D177CBEF3F454A9BB4C3341E02567B21.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/9095/0B689BA0067942F4BD4F95541EF0DF72.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/9095/1EF4097E600E4F549A7C4F0BA44F3D44.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/9095/C62C8615AC85440DA6305E1C40313D6D.jpg[/IMG]

 

Nice!!! where was this at? We're heading out to a place called Feather Falls sunday for a 9 mi R/T hike. mostly flat, it's in the foothills... but it should be good either way with all the water run off we're having from the snow pack.

how does the rig tow the trailer now vs the old gears you had in there?

 

It tows so much better. I was doing 65 up Ute Pass, and had more I could have given it (used to only beable to pull about 45-50 mph). The only thing I noticed was that my trans temps got up there a little higher then I liked. I am going to be installing a larger trans cooler this weekend before we go up again to see if that helps.

 

what about getting a B&M tranny cooler that has the fan built in? it's supposed to kick the fan on at 160 deg or so, then you wouldnt have to worry about it at all if your on a hill going slower than normal (reduced airflow)... Another suggestion would be to go with an e-fan. Flex-a-lite makes a dual that cranks 5500 cfm with a 2 speed setup (I think its 2 speed).

Those are going to be my next upgrades... I also came up with a way to monitor the tranny temp w/o having to install a guage by using a switch and wiring into the coolant temp wiring. that way I can monitor both by flipping the switch. I would also verify the guage acuracy while I'm doing it. Both should have the same temp range so it should work.

from my understanding, for every 10 deg drop in tranny fluid temp you double the tranny life. that might be a little optomistic but I'd think the cooler the better when it comes to the tranny.