Headed North on I-25. I hate driving the freeway in the Bronco. It feels unstable as I'm going that fast and so many cars tailgating me trying to get me to go yet faster. I got back off in Monument to gas up and decided to take 105 instead.
The sun was just peeking over the horizon as I reached Perry park. It was a magnificent orange sunrise really bringing out the autumn colors. As I drove on, I saw a road I've always wondered about. Dakan road. I once turned up it on my Motorcycle hoping to discover a lonely winding paved road through the mountains, but its only paved a couple miles.
I figured I had time to drive up a ways and still get back to the breakfast....
Anyway, 2 hours later I came back down with a huge grin on my face and starving for breakfast.
Sorry.
Stopped at a prepared campside beside the road. I now know I was on Hidden Valley Road.
A little bit washboardy, but very nice. Certainly would take a minivan on this road
Hard to get a picture really showing the steepness or the bumps. But there were many diaganol bumps across the road. Probably to control erosion and prevent road cars from driving it.
A steep trail with a bit of erosion
While descending I heard a loud thump, then the unmistakable sound of metal being drug through gravel. I got out expecting to find a busted drive shaft, but instead found the bolts had shaken loose on my bumper and it had dropped
It was still bolted on one side and was just long enough that the tire had rolled over the end. I couldn't get at the bolt and I couldn't pull the end back past the tire, so I employed the handyman's jack.
Then removed the bumper. I was so relieved it wasn't anything major that I didn't care that it bent up the front of the frame a bit.
Coming back down Dakan road
Looking West.
