Ouray, CO
It’s that time of year again where the Lautzenheiser Family met for their annual jeep adventure! With three cabins rented alongside the Uncompahgre (pronounced Un-com-padre) River, we were ready to explore.
The fam just next to our cabins along the Uncompahgre River.
In order to break up the nearly 10 hour drive we stayed with Duane in an AirBnB on the north side of Moab. Although it was still incredibly warm, it was a beautiful space for the kids and Topo to walk around. Scott and Duane got the jeeps ready and we did one hot jeep ride in an attempt to see Gemini Arch. Unfortunately, our jeep got a flat tire, but Scott and Duane were able to replace it with the spare quickly. We attempted the short walk to Gemini Arch, but poor little Topo’s paws couldn’t take the hot sand so we abandon that ship.
After making the remainder of the drive to Ouray, we were grateful to be greeted with cloudier skies and cooler temperatures. The first day we drove up Corkscrew Gulch to view the beautiful red mountains. Three years ago the sides of this trail were packed with snow higher than the jeeps. This year, however, there was barely even any snow at the highest elevations. Unfortunately, yet again, our jeep had some electrical problems. Before going too far, we turned back. Fortunately, a very handy mechanic in Ouray replaced the burnt wire and we were ready to roll for the next day.
Because we had a rental jeep with us (that Duane’s friends John and Nicole were using) we were unable to do Black Bear Pass (which was fine by me because that trail is no joke)! We chose to do Yankee Boy Meadow and Imogene Pass. Both areas were exploding with wildflowers! Unfortunately (yet again), when we reached the summit it started hailing on us. We weren’t even at the peak long enough to take any pictures before we turned around.
With a 4-year old and a 2.5-year old that needed regular entertainment on the long jeep rides, I was ready for a break from the trails on our last day. We drove south to Silverton, CO (in the bigger, comfier truck) where we ate and shopped.
Although there wasn’t as much jeeping as some would have hoped, we ended the trip with awesome experiences in Marysvale, UT. To break up the long drive, we stayed in a refurbished train car right on the Sevier River! It was pretty cool for the kids, and for the adults! What made it even better is that we rented some tubes and we all (including Topo) floated down the river. For two hours, we either walked in the river or laid in the tubes and it was spectacular!
Long drives with two young kids isn’t always enjoyable (or even bearable at times), but Ouray, CO (known as little Switzerland) was well worth the trek!
