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March 1997 Campfire Tales

by Larry Heck of

PASS PATROL

Jenny Creek

The original stagecoach road over Rollins Pass followed Jenny Creek. When the railroad came along, a different route was selected higher up the mountainside. After trains abandoned the Rollins Pass and Needle’s Eye railway, the rails were removed and the railroad grade became the main vehicle road. That new road is much more level on a gentle grade and is maintained for passenger car traffic. On the other hand, the Jenny Creek Trail has not changed much since the days of the stagecoach. If anything, it has gotten worse.

Our group selected a warm weekend in August to make our return visit. We started the weekend on Kingston Peak south of Jenny Creek, then wandered into the area. There are numerous campsites on both sides of the road but we chose the one about one tenth of a mile south of the FSR502 trailhead.

Our journey up Jenny Creek began sharply at 9am ... okay so maybe it was a little past 9am. We made the turn and the long descent to the floor of the valley. There are two bridges to cross. The first one is still standing, the second one is not. On the second one, we just kinda used the decaying rubble to get across Actually, it would be easier if that bridge would completely wash away. Maybe this spring thaw will get it.

Just past that bridge is an intersection. We are told the one on the right is a dead end but did not check it out. We took the one going left which begins with a rocker-panel-eating rock climb. In other words, it is nasty. I have done it without a spotter, but had to get out of the vehicle several times during the process to see where everything was.

The rest of the trail is easier than that first part until you reach a washed out hill climb. That one does not include any threatening rocks but there are only two ways to get up it. One is to back up and take a run at it! Programmer chose that method and momentarily experienced the sensation of having all four wheels off the ground. He was lucky. During his launch, the vehicle maintained a straight path and did not end up smashed into a tree.

Everyone who witnessed Programmers flight path decided to use the method I chose. That one simply entails connecting a Warn winch cable to one of those trees and pulling the vehicle through. My method uses a lot less adrenaline, but of course it’s not as dramatic. No doubt, Programmer earned the macho award on that day.

The only other obstacle on the trail is a long stretch where the path follows the creek bed. That section is under water with huge boulders that are not all visible.

It was mid-afternoon when we reached Yankee Doodle Lake. I decided to drive to the end of the main road to Rollins Pass and hike to the trestles beyond the Needles Eye Tunnel. Most of the rest of the outfit headed back for camp.

Rollins Pass tops out at 11,660 feet. A small community called Corona once existed at the top of the pass and consisted of many hundreds of feet of snow sheds to keep the tracks clear. The remains of those snow sheds, a few concrete foundations and a historical marker are all that’s left of the town. To visit Corona, the easiest way is to go in from the West on FSR 149. If you take that route, stop at the visitor center in Winter Park and pick up a route guide. There are numbered markers along the way that can be referenced in the guide.

The two trestles between Corona and the Needles Eye are still in place. Signs warn they are unsafe to cross. Both are amazing structures that literally cling to the side of the mountain.

The trip along Jenny Creek is an easy day trip from Denver, but why not camp out while you’re there. We enjoyed a nice campfire, some dutch oven cooking, and lots of wild eyed campfire tales.

Happy Trails

4X4NOW Editor's note: Jenny Creek is in The [Colorado] 4X4 Trail Book Number 1

TRIGGER

Pass Patrol's '97 Trooper has been named Trigger and is being prepared for two Utah trips coming up in March & April. Join the club and you can join Trigger on the Outlaw Trail or to the infamous Hole in the Rock.

Trigger’s toys are beginning to gather. Trigger now has new shoes. A full set of BFG LT245/75R16 Radial All Terrain T/As. It feels good. None of that slipping around in the snow. The most difficult problem was finding a winch mount to fit our Warn XD9000 on a ‘97 Trooper. We never did find one. We did find a winch bumper made by TJM Products in Australia for a Jackaroo. Apparently that’s what a Trooper is called DownUnder. It is distributed in the US by Hella. It is a healthy bumper made for pushing kangaroos out of the way and will look really great once it is mounted. The winch mounting plate has not yet arrived but we expect it any day. The plate mounts to the frame behind the bumper. We also have two Hella 100 watt lights that mount to the light brackets on the bumper. For a catalog of TJM bumpers and Hella products, call 1-800-247-5924 or your local 4X4 accessories shop.

The light bar we chose came from Carr and is called the Stealth. It is available in black, however we chose the bright finish. Carr products are available through Pass Patrol Hide-Out supplies or most any 4X4 accessory shop.

As usual, we have six Warn lights for the light bar. Four spots and two floods. Warn products are available through Hide-Out Supplies or most any 4X4 accessory shop.

The Guide Star GPS System from Oldsmobile

“Very impressive!” would be a general summary of everyone’s opinion of Guide Star. Every time someone came by the shop, I would take them for a ride in the Bravada. “You gotta see this system!”

As soon as you start the engine, Guide Star greets you with a screen that tells you not to take your eyes off the road once you start moving. If you haven’t seen the system before, your first comment is, “How are you going to use a mapping system without taking your eyes off the road.” The answer is simple. Guide Star talks to you. It says things like, “Freeway entrance ahead on the left.” “Right turn ahead”, and“Destination ahead.”

The process you use to get all that in motion is to program in your intended destination. There are several options. The one I used most was the exact address. For example, Guide Star knows exactly where 403 Laredo Street is in Aurora. It doesn’t know where unit J is but lets not get too picky.

Another option I used is the intersection I wanted. There were places I needed to go that I didn’t know the address of but I did know the cross streets.

Guide star also contains a list of “points of interest” to choose from. and another list containing all the freeway entrances.

The system is completely programmable. The cartridge is contained in a black box attached near the rear door of the Bravada. The cartridge in the system we tested had Colorado, Arizona, Washington and several other states in it.

There are lots of limitations to this system at the present time, but those limitations will likely diminish quickly. For example, the destination you choose must be in a city contained in the database. It knew where every side street and residential address we tried for the Denver area. Beyond that, we began running into the limitations of the disk our test unit came with. It is possible the disk could be swapped to solve the problem but ours came with only one disk.

We wanted to program it for Central City but that just wasn’t there. Next, we tried Ft. Collins. No luck. Finally we programmed it for Leadville and told it to avoid Freeways. It took us out Highway 285.

Another major factor is the $2,500 price tag on Guide Star. On the other hand, if you are in the delivery business or any other business where you go from point to point all day long, that price could become quite a bargain.

Of course, 4-wheel drive roads are not a part of Guide Star, but then the Bravada is not intended for 4wheeling. The vehicle is all wheel drive with no low range. We were quite impressed with the all wheel drive system and the anti-lock brake system, both of which were tested daily due to all the snow and ice that week, but we wouldn’t expect the Bravada to take us over Mosquito Pass. The guide star didn’t know where Mosquito Pass was anyway. In fact, 80% of the population in Colorado probably never heard of Mosquito Pass and that’s the market Oldsmobile is directed at.

Happy Trails

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