Moody Hill, Northern Colorado

It was so incredible to be off road in my Jeep back in the
Rocky Mountains of Colorado. The mountains are grand and spectacular. The views are breathtaking and awe inspiring. The mountains bring an incredible inner peace to me. 

However, I never take the Rockies for granted because even though these mountains are amazing they can quickly turn on you. You need to be prepared in several areas. 

My Top 5 Tips when wheeling in the Colorado Rockies - YouTube Video 

My first trail back after a year's hiatus was Moody Hill in Northern Colorado. The trail is an intermediate trail with a rocky climb at the beginning of the trail. This trail leads you to a quarry which is only for the serious rock buggy off roaders. 

Moody Hill is in the Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forest in the Front Range Mountain Range. The longest mountain range in Colorado. This range stretches about 180 miles North to South from Cheyenne, Wyoming to Pueblo, Colorado.

Once off the trail we took one of Colorado's many scenic by-ways.

Scenic By-Ways Colorado

Epic Adventure Grand Canyon Day 5

Our last day on the Arizona Strip was fabulous. Bob ad the crew filled our bellies with the best breakfast yet, Waffle Egg Bake. It was like a Quiche from a Dutch Oven.

A few last views of the Colorado River and we were back on the trail. Bob with 4Xploring had a few more surprises left for us before we made it back to civilization.

Our first stop was the Nampaweap Petroglyphs. Nampaweap is site of several petroglyph's. Petroglyph's are rock carvings made by using a stone chisel or rock hammer.

Our next stop was a random cave on the strip full of rare color pictographs. Then the long trek back to civilization.

The adventure on the Arizona strip was amazing. The meals were delicious and the nights by the campfires gazing at the black dark sky with millions of twinkling stars was awe-inspiring.

YouTube Videos

What is 4Xploring

Overland Cooking Tips with Bob

Epic Adventure Day One

Epic Adventure Day Two

Epic Adventure Day Three

Epic Adventure Day Four

Epic Adveture Day Five

Epic Adventure Grand Canyon Day 4

After our tasty breakfast of blueberry pancakes and sausage plus the spectacular sunrise at Kelly point it was back to wheeling. 

We headed back out the 27 miles from the point to the Waring Ranch, then on to our next location point overlooking the Colorado River with views that will take your breath away. 

Our group was on an adventure of a lifetime with 4xploring. We were on an overland adventure along the northwestern rim Grand Canyon. Our overnight camping stops were overlooks located in Parashant National Monument including some of the most remote locations in the continental United States. 

It definitely was an adventure of a lifetime with amazing views, delicious dutch oven meals and meeting new Jeepers that are now life long friends.  

YouTube Videos

What is 4Xploring

Overland Cooking Tips with Bob

Epic Adventure Day One

Epic Adventure Day Two

Epic Adventure Day Three

Epic Adventure Day Four

Epic Adventure Grand Canyon Day 3

Day 3 of the 4Xploring trip along the Northern Rim of the
Grand Canyon on the Arizona Strip started with a hearty breakfast of sausage and egg pinwheels. Another Yummy breakfast from Bob and the crew that did not disappoint.  

We spent the night at Twin Point Overlook with the  most spectacular views. Day 3's journey was leading us to Kelly Point for another night of camping 

YouTube Videos

What is 4Xploring

Overland Cooking Tips with Bob

Epic Adventure Day One

Epic Adventure Day Two

Epic Adventure Day Three

The road to Kelly Point leads to amazing views but the road is only for those with the fortitude to withstand 4-5 hours of bouncing around in your 4x4 vehicle. It is one of the roughest and slowest roads in the National Parachant Monument.  

Right before the rough road began we made a pit stop at the Waring Ranch.  A remote homestead and ranch established by Jonathan Deyo Waring in 1925. 

The site has cabins, corrals, fence lines, water tanks, and two holding ponds. Cattle ranching back in the day was the main economic activity for the settlers in this remote arid land. 

Jonathan Waring grew up in New York State, however, he admired Teddy Roosevelt and the ment of the Rough Riders. Waring was intrigued by the cowboys, miners, hunters and gamblers so he headed West to Phoenix. Later his adventures lead him to the Arizona Strip via Grand Gulch Mine. Something about the strip called to him and he began acquiring government land.  

Preston Nutter, an Arizona Strip cattle baron, was a rival of Waring's.  Both ran cattle at the same time and both believed they owned a certain parcel of land at the rim of the Grand Canyon. When Nutter built a fence around the contested parcel,  Waring retaliated by burning it down. 

Later ironically Waring was drafted into the U.S. Army to serve during World War I. He ended up in the in the Argonne Forest trenches of France, fighting in the largest offensive in United States Military history. 

He later returned to the Arizona Strip to acquire more land and cattle eventual selling his land to the National Park Service. The Waring Ranch is now a historic National monument.

Back into our Jeeps it was time for the bouncy four hours to our next stop. Then Bob and his crew whipped up some Hungarian Goulash while Mary baked us some tasty beer bread. Then topped off with hot fudge brownie and ice cream.