Panzerknacker and I are nailing down details. Here's the scoop:
Sunday Feb. 28th meet at Olde World Bagel on Lake Ave & Cheyenne Mtn Blvd at 9am if you want coffee and pastries, or we'll head down the road promptly at 9:30a from there. Exit I-25 at Lake, head West. Make your first left onto East Cheyenne Mtn Blvd. Take your first right and the bagel shop will be 200ft right in front of you.
We'll head West on Cheyenne and then south on hwy 115 all the way to Penrose. Hopefully we can regroup here if we've lost anyone. There, we'll head West on Hwy 50 to Canyon City where we'll catch Shelf road to Cripple Creek. We should be arriving at Cripple Creek around 11:30 and we'll eat lunch here.
Around 1pm, we'll leave Cripple Creek and make our way to Gold camp road and bring that all the way back into Colorado Springs. We should be getting back into town around 3-4pm, assuming we don't have much trouble. Panzerknacker said there are spur roads to explore, which we'll have some time for, but if you want to explore them all, you'll be on your own or have to come back.
What to bring:
FRS radios (if you have any)
Recovery Strap & necessary shackles/clevises
Water
Winter clothing in case you get stuck (insulated leather gloves are good)
Shovel
Basic tools
Still and/or video camera
What to expect:
These roads can be snowy and icy, but it is my understanding that there is no reason any damage should occur to your vehicle. We may be bashing some shallow snow, but that appears to be the most complicated terrain we'll run into on the main roads. It should go without saying, but since it's a new group, we'll practice Tread Lightly and responsible wheeling. Drinking on the trail is still drinking and driving, and while you are your own person, I ask that you leave the alcohol at home. A beer at lunch is OK, but that's where it stays. If you get stuck and aren't sure what to do, ask for help before you damage your vehicle. I don't know how many times I had wished I swallowed my pride!
Shelf Road:
http://www.traildamage.com/trails/index.php?id=230
Sorry if this seems like a drill Sargent, but being our first trip out together, I wanted to set some ground rules so that hopefully we can do this again in the future and enjoy the trip.
Hope to see you soon!!
J.D.