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Black Bear bites again

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BTW, thanks for the videos, excellent explanation.
 
Kiyoti said:
God created mules [the 4 legged kind] for a reason...!!!
...so man could ascend and descend mountains safely.
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Yeah, but a mule has a mind of its own. My Jeep does what I tell it to and won't get spooked by outside entities.
woodsguy said:
@Downs that's enough video to remind me why I won't be doing it! lol. Really amazing more folks don't lose their lives on that road. No forgiveness for rookie mistakes.
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My dad was really hesitant about it. He tried to convince me not to go. I told him I was running one way or another, if he wanted to hang out in Ouray for a day, I would swing back though and pick him up. We had just spent a few days running a bunch of other passes. He talked to one of the Jeep tour drivers while we were stopped on Imogene. That made him a relax a bit, but he still didn't want to do it really. That Jeep Tour guy said he runs the same loop daily. Leaves Ouray, over Blackbear into Telluride then over Imogene into Ouray. Every single day.

Once we were up there and on it, he realized it wasn't as bad as the videos made it out to be, and he was glad he went. Can't beat that view as you're coming down the steps, that's for sure. Not that there aren't also great views on the way to the steps.

I wouldn't let those videos scare you off of there.
 
"The cause is under investigation, and anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Colorado State Patrol.

The driver was on a booked tour as an employee of Colorado West Jeep Rentals and Tours, Lyons said Tuesday."

Wow, the 72 y/o driver was employee, I'd be guessing he'd done this drive a bunch. Maybe a mental lapse for a second at wrong time.
 
woodsguy said:
"The cause is under investigation, and anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Colorado State Patrol.

The driver was on a booked tour as an employee of Colorado West Jeep Rentals and Tours, Lyons said Tuesday."

Wow, the 72 y/o driver was employee, I'd be guessing he'd done this drive a bunch. Maybe a mental lapse for a second at wrong time.
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If thats the tour shop in Ouray, they almost got home. šŸ˜ž

72 years old could have been a medical condition that struck at the wrong time. Elderly, high altitude. Eek. Im guessing there's no medical clearance for these tour driver jobs.
 
Downs said:
If thats the tour shop in Ouray, they almost got home. šŸ˜ž

72 years old could have been a medical condition that struck at the wrong time. Elderly, high altitude. Eek. Im guessing there's no medical clearance for these tour driver jobs.
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Most Facebook talk agrees with you. My experience with DOT certification, would lead me to think it wouldn't catch much.
 
Kiyoti said:
God created mules [the 4 legged kind] for a reason...!!!
...so man could ascend and descend mountains safely.
Click to expand...
Actually mankind created mules :mrgreen:
God created a male donkey and a female horse then man penned them up together then 11 months later wo-man became the second most stubborn thing on earth. :)
 
All my recent trips over years to that area have been on my dirt motor, and IMO that makes the 4WD routes in the Silverton/Ouray a lot easier. I've done the area in past years with my wife in a highly modded full size Jimmy (K5 Blazer). We were there just before Labor Day weekend with a couple who rented a Rubicon Jeep and wanted me to drive due to more experience off road and the area in particular.

We did Imogene and an out-and-back on Yankee Boy as one of our rides. Something tells me that an experienced driver like the tour guy must have had a medical, a vehicle component failure, or a serious moment of inattention to go off on that non-challenging section of road. There's no real hazard there, and it's smooth and wide enough to allow two vehicles to pass both ways. If one does go off there, however, I can see it almost always being fatal. It's a long way down.
 
Newspaper
 

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I have had jeeps CJ and Ck and Scrambler That light gauge roll bars hooked to the floor pan never made me feel safe or bold. I guess anything helps if someone takes the fast way down.
 
How bad is this road? Trying to figure out how they got a big crane up there! Switchbacks have to be tough with it.
 
It's a good road. You can drive a 2wd truck up it until it starts up the mountain. Very scenic for the same reasons it scary. Thing is, the edge of it is a vertical drop off that's a long way down with nothing but the bottom below.
 
woodsguy said:
How bad is this road? Trying to figure out how they got a big crane up there! Switchbacks have to be tough with it.
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Easy road. Not really any switchbacks on it just a constant grade up and down the whole way. There's one section with the road cut into a rock overhang. Pretty neat spot. But the road is very simple/easy. Like Toyota Camry level until you get closer to Yankee Boy Basin.
 
woodsguy said:
@Downs that's enough video to remind me why I won't be doing it! lol. Really amazing more folks don't lose their lives on that road. No forgiveness for rookie mistakes.
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Yep. That is why we only do it on an offroad bike. Plenty of room to pick the best line with plenty suspension for the steps. Depending on the winters snow the steps vary in difficulty year by year. Sometimes a cakewalk, sometimes a nailbiter. But always worth it! And when you get into Telluride you get to spend some time at the Flora Dora! One of the top 3 Bars/food spots in CO!
 
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