Cheaper than the tow? aka Recycling in the Pikes Peak area

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So...You go muddin' in the Pike National Forest where the US Forest Service signs tell you not to and you get your fancy Ford diesel 4x4 stuck. You don't wanna spend the $500 to $1000 to have the offroad wrecker get you out...so 7 days later your Ford truck gets rolled over on its side by what we refer to as "the vultures" and your fancy Dana 60's or Dana 70's or whatever you used to have for axles are looted. A few days later, your Powerstroke diesel engine gets a bullet hole shot into it, and 3 guys show up in the middle of the night and try to help themselves to your tranny. Makes the tow look pretty cheap, eh? Now ... the tow is more expensive and all you get is what the vultures left you. Priceless!!! Note: that is NOT the photographers Dr. Pepper can. I guess you get thirsty removing axles at +9000 feet altitude.

Ford Truck Illegally Stuck in Mud : Driver Ignored Posted Signs

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OK , I have lost count. How many trucks have been seen stuck in mud just past the "no motor vehicles" signs in the past two weeks? If you look closely at the second picture you can see the top of one of the white signs jsut behind the truck. Look about half way back on the hood. There is over 10 of those same white signs posted within a couple 1000 feet of this stuck Ford. I was disappointed to find that this Ford was sporting a window decal from a local military base. It was noted that there was also a black Toyota Tacoma stuck here today too, but someone had pulled it out before we arrived.

Once Again...the rule is NO HILLCLIMBING

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Ok, so here is a picture taken in Teller County, along Gold camp Road. Wow...does this mean you are cool? Is it like a macho thing? Let me clue you in here....one, those of you who do this are part of the reason trails and areas get closed. Thanks for being part of the problem. Secondly, years ago..when I was 16, I did the same kind of stuff, but we did it in a private sand pit on our family farm. Note that we got alot further then that, and we were driving a Ford Pinto station wagon. So...whatever it might be..it sure isn't tough or macho. It is against the rules, it gets trails closed, it is unsightly, it causes erosion, ... THINK!!!!

An old song goes, " Signs, signs, everywhere there's signs..."

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As an old song goes, " Signs, signs, everywhere there's signs..". Now, too bad no one reads them or follows their wisedom. When someone complains about why more and more travel management is required on public lands, think about what you see here. This Jeep driver decided to leave the marked trail and venture past the signs, markers, and flagged fence all indicating that the US Forest Service does NOT want or allow Jeeps and other motorized travel in their wetlands. I guess he missed all the clues here. This happened sometime Tuesday morning, June 19th, 2007. Now...before any of the self-propelled crowd such as hikers, mountain bikers, etc. get too self righteous here, we should take a good look at these photos. That is a mountain bike rack on top of this Jeep. This is someone who is part of the self-propelled crowd. As one of the signs this gentleman ignored reads, "Please respect the wetlands". The resource damage this driver did getting stuck was light. The resource damage he did getting it out was moderate.

Jeep End Over End Rollover

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Ouch!!! This appears to a case of too fast for conditions. The tracks look like the driver came around the corner too fast hit a high spot in the road, then stuck a tire in a washout on the low side of the road causing the Jeep to flip end over end, not roll sideways, landing upside down about 30 feet down the embankment. That had to hurt! This vehicle was recovered on a Friday afternoon, approximately 72 hours after the accident happened. The truck had been shot with a shotgun, stereo and winch stolen. I was surprised the front bumper and wheels and tires weren't gone as well.
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Isuzu: Smart Minds Drive What /Where?

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Isuzu's catch phrase currently is Isuzu: Smart Minds Drive Alike". Hmm, in this case, let's hope not. This Isuzu driver decided to not follow the US Forest Service rules and he went 4-wheeling off the trail. He got stuck and had to have Search and Rescue come get him back in November, 2006. The driver was seen borrowing his father-in-law's Jeep to try to get this stuck truck out of the still frozen mud the second week of June. 2007. I bet that made ole dad just so proud. On the bright side, if it had not been frozen in, it would have most likely been missing parts.

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