I am wondering if...
#11
02-21-2012, 06:31 PM
Grand Champion
#12
02-21-2012, 09:23 PM
#14
02-22-2012, 04:46 AM
Grand Champion
The Ram won't really struggle any harder than any other gasoline engine in the higher elevations -- the problem is the thin air, not so much this or that engine. If you're paying attention you'll notice the reduced power by 6000', and as you climb above 8000' you'll notice it dropping off rapidly. You'll also notice more fuel efficient cars that don't have so much reserve horsepower struggling a lot harder than your old truck.
If I were doing it, I'd probably opt for a nice but relatively compact wall tent. A pretty stylish camp will fit in the bed of the truck below the rails, and can be set up in half an hour or less once you've done it a few times. If bears are your major concern, you don't want to be sleeping in your kitchen anyway. Old Ephraim can smell your bacon frying from four miles downwind, and the remnants of it from a few hundred yards 22 hours later while you're sleeping. If he's a bad bear he's going to invite himself into your kitchen whether it's canvas or aluminum between him and what he thinks is his next meal. You're better off being somewhere else when he does.
Control your food and food scents, don't be too near their natural foods (mainly berries and fruit, also shallow rivers full of spawning fish) in the Fall, don't walk up on a fresh (from a bear's perspective) carcass that a bear might consider his at any time of year as either he or the mountain lion he stole it from might take exception to that, make noise so you don't startle a preoccupied bear, and give sows with cubs wide berth until the cubs are about six months old. Do those things and the bears have no reason to bother with you and almost certainly won't. If you follow the simple, common sense rules of bear country the most danger you'll be in will be while driving to get there.
For tips on controlling food and food scents, there are plenty on the web to be found. If there's a bear box in the campground, use that instead of your vehicle. I've seen car trunks opened in one hefty swat, and camper doors taken off in two. A bear who really wants in can get through a house door in half a minute or less, not that it happens very often.
Personally, I've met lots of bears and had no truly threatening run-ins with any of them. Usually nothing at all comes of it and we just acknowledge each other's presence and go on about our business. A handful have tried to scare me, a couple have succeeded in doing so, but I've chased many more bears than have chased me -- and in no case did the pursuer really want to catch the pursued. Once the interloper has been chased far enough that the pursuer believes whatever he or she is defending is safe, the chase is over. My personal best came about three and a half years ago when I chased four bears at once, a pretty chocolate brown sow with three adolescent cubs who'd recently been burned out of their home range and thought they'd give housebreaking a try. They tried to scare me away while I rigged the door to keep them from getting back in, and once the door was rigged I took out in the dark after them.
You know that line about a sow bear with cubs being the most dangerous animal on the continent? No one told that sow. She was out in the lead the whole way and didn't slow down until she made the fence line about 150 yards out. I don't speak bear, but I figure that what she was hollering at her cubs was "You better get a move on or that two-leg's gonna eat you!"
Yes, there are some big bad bears out there who'll eat your face just because your tongue tastes like Budweiser. Or there might be. Bear attacks, though, are extremely rare and nearly half are committed by captive bears or wild bears attacking the idiot who's been regularly feeding them. I don't know the precise current numbers, but there have been fewer than a hundred fatal black bear attacks on the entire continent since 1900, and far fewer fatal grizzly attacks -- grizz attacks are more often fatal (about half are) but there are far fewer grizz about. Most bear attacks occur in Canada and Alaska.
Go for the camper if you really want a camper, but don't bother if it's mainly because you're worried about bears eating your face. I've lived in bear country for most of my adult life, have spent countless days and nights out backpacking among the furry stinkers, often alone, even chase them when they **** me off, and still haven't been so much as licked by a bear.
#17
02-22-2012, 02:12 PM
Record Breaker
Check out this episode of Extreme 4x4 expedition vehicles and trailers
http://www.powerblocktv.com/player/s..._num=XT2011-17.
Dave
http://www.powerblocktv.com/player/s..._num=XT2011-17.
Dave
#18
02-22-2012, 03:13 PM
Champion
#19
02-22-2012, 07:16 PM
Grand Champion
If I should happen to end up in a bruin's pantry it'll make the national news. The headline will probably be something like "Colorado Black Bear Dies After Eating Unix Ponytail Geek".
#20
02-27-2012, 11:29 PM
Join Date: Feb 2012
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All internal combustion land vehicles struggle on Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park -- it tops out at over 12,000'. You'll feel the loss of power, might even get some misfires, but it won't stop you or cause harm to the engine. Just be sure that you tank up on 85 octane in Boulder, Loveland, or whatever other town that's not Estes Park and is the last before you enter the park. You'll pay way too much if you fill up in Estes Park -- they pay way too much for the transportation to get it up there. Unless you have a hyperaggressive tune, anything higher than 85 octane will leave you hating how gutless your truck is in the high country, and quite possibly with a CEL for random misfires too. I'm only at 6300' but get along just fine with 87 octane (mid-grade, here) and a tune that ostensibly requires a minimum of 91.
The Ram won't really struggle any harder than any other gasoline engine in the higher elevations -- the problem is the thin air, not so much this or that engine. If you're paying attention you'll notice the reduced power by 6000', and as you climb above 8000' you'll notice it dropping off rapidly. You'll also notice more fuel efficient cars that don't have so much reserve horsepower struggling a lot harder than your old truck.
If I were doing it, I'd probably opt for a nice but relatively compact wall tent. A pretty stylish camp will fit in the bed of the truck below the rails, and can be set up in half an hour or less once you've done it a few times. If bears are your major concern, you don't want to be sleeping in your kitchen anyway. Old Ephraim can smell your bacon frying from four miles downwind, and the remnants of it from a few hundred yards 22 hours later while you're sleeping. If he's a bad bear he's going to invite himself into your kitchen whether it's canvas or aluminum between him and what he thinks is his next meal. You're better off being somewhere else when he does.
Control your food and food scents, don't be too near their natural foods (mainly berries and fruit, also shallow rivers full of spawning fish) in the Fall, don't walk up on a fresh (from a bear's perspective) carcass that a bear might consider his at any time of year as either he or the mountain lion he stole it from might take exception to that, make noise so you don't startle a preoccupied bear, and give sows with cubs wide berth until the cubs are about six months old. Do those things and the bears have no reason to bother with you and almost certainly won't. If you follow the simple, common sense rules of bear country the most danger you'll be in will be while driving to get there.
For tips on controlling food and food scents, there are plenty on the web to be found. If there's a bear box in the campground, use that instead of your vehicle. I've seen car trunks opened in one hefty swat, and camper doors taken off in two. A bear who really wants in can get through a house door in half a minute or less, not that it happens very often.
Personally, I've met lots of bears and had no truly threatening run-ins with any of them. Usually nothing at all comes of it and we just acknowledge each other's presence and go on about our business. A handful have tried to scare me, a couple have succeeded in doing so, but I've chased many more bears than have chased me -- and in no case did the pursuer really want to catch the pursued. Once the interloper has been chased far enough that the pursuer believes whatever he or she is defending is safe, the chase is over. My personal best came about three and a half years ago when I chased four bears at once, a pretty chocolate brown sow with three adolescent cubs who'd recently been burned out of their home range and thought they'd give housebreaking a try. They tried to scare me away while I rigged the door to keep them from getting back in, and once the door was rigged I took out in the dark after them.
You know that line about a sow bear with cubs being the most dangerous animal on the continent? No one told that sow. She was out in the lead the whole way and didn't slow down until she made the fence line about 150 yards out. I don't speak bear, but I figure that what she was hollering at her cubs was "You better get a move on or that two-leg's gonna eat you!"
Yes, there are some big bad bears out there who'll eat your face just because your tongue tastes like Budweiser. Or there might be. Bear attacks, though, are extremely rare and nearly half are committed by captive bears or wild bears attacking the idiot who's been regularly feeding them. I don't know the precise current numbers, but there have been fewer than a hundred fatal black bear attacks on the entire continent since 1900, and far fewer fatal grizzly attacks -- grizz attacks are more often fatal (about half are) but there are far fewer grizz about. Most bear attacks occur in Canada and Alaska.
Go for the camper if you really want a camper, but don't bother if it's mainly because you're worried about bears eating your face. I've lived in bear country for most of my adult life, have spent countless days and nights out backpacking among the furry stinkers, often alone, even chase them when they **** me off, and still haven't been so much as licked by a bear.
The Ram won't really struggle any harder than any other gasoline engine in the higher elevations -- the problem is the thin air, not so much this or that engine. If you're paying attention you'll notice the reduced power by 6000', and as you climb above 8000' you'll notice it dropping off rapidly. You'll also notice more fuel efficient cars that don't have so much reserve horsepower struggling a lot harder than your old truck.
If I were doing it, I'd probably opt for a nice but relatively compact wall tent. A pretty stylish camp will fit in the bed of the truck below the rails, and can be set up in half an hour or less once you've done it a few times. If bears are your major concern, you don't want to be sleeping in your kitchen anyway. Old Ephraim can smell your bacon frying from four miles downwind, and the remnants of it from a few hundred yards 22 hours later while you're sleeping. If he's a bad bear he's going to invite himself into your kitchen whether it's canvas or aluminum between him and what he thinks is his next meal. You're better off being somewhere else when he does.
Control your food and food scents, don't be too near their natural foods (mainly berries and fruit, also shallow rivers full of spawning fish) in the Fall, don't walk up on a fresh (from a bear's perspective) carcass that a bear might consider his at any time of year as either he or the mountain lion he stole it from might take exception to that, make noise so you don't startle a preoccupied bear, and give sows with cubs wide berth until the cubs are about six months old. Do those things and the bears have no reason to bother with you and almost certainly won't. If you follow the simple, common sense rules of bear country the most danger you'll be in will be while driving to get there.
For tips on controlling food and food scents, there are plenty on the web to be found. If there's a bear box in the campground, use that instead of your vehicle. I've seen car trunks opened in one hefty swat, and camper doors taken off in two. A bear who really wants in can get through a house door in half a minute or less, not that it happens very often.
Personally, I've met lots of bears and had no truly threatening run-ins with any of them. Usually nothing at all comes of it and we just acknowledge each other's presence and go on about our business. A handful have tried to scare me, a couple have succeeded in doing so, but I've chased many more bears than have chased me -- and in no case did the pursuer really want to catch the pursued. Once the interloper has been chased far enough that the pursuer believes whatever he or she is defending is safe, the chase is over. My personal best came about three and a half years ago when I chased four bears at once, a pretty chocolate brown sow with three adolescent cubs who'd recently been burned out of their home range and thought they'd give housebreaking a try. They tried to scare me away while I rigged the door to keep them from getting back in, and once the door was rigged I took out in the dark after them.
You know that line about a sow bear with cubs being the most dangerous animal on the continent? No one told that sow. She was out in the lead the whole way and didn't slow down until she made the fence line about 150 yards out. I don't speak bear, but I figure that what she was hollering at her cubs was "You better get a move on or that two-leg's gonna eat you!"
Yes, there are some big bad bears out there who'll eat your face just because your tongue tastes like Budweiser. Or there might be. Bear attacks, though, are extremely rare and nearly half are committed by captive bears or wild bears attacking the idiot who's been regularly feeding them. I don't know the precise current numbers, but there have been fewer than a hundred fatal black bear attacks on the entire continent since 1900, and far fewer fatal grizzly attacks -- grizz attacks are more often fatal (about half are) but there are far fewer grizz about. Most bear attacks occur in Canada and Alaska.
Go for the camper if you really want a camper, but don't bother if it's mainly because you're worried about bears eating your face. I've lived in bear country for most of my adult life, have spent countless days and nights out backpacking among the furry stinkers, often alone, even chase them when they **** me off, and still haven't been so much as licked by a bear.
Thanks ! That was a great write up. That picture of the red ram with the camper on it looks great as well... The more I have been thinking about it the more I am leaning to just putting a Thule on the WRX. By the time I am taking my trip, gas is going to be more expensive than ever. If its not the bears that kill me it will be gas mileage in the ram !