Overland Expo
Not all my adventures involve race tracks. Some take me out in the dirt and mud. When a good work buddy asked me to join him on a trip to Colorado I had to say yes!
While we didn’t get too dirty, it turned out to be an epic road trip with friends.
The journey begins in Rocklin, CA early Monday morning. Coffee stop for those normal people who drink the stuff.
We represented a range of vehicles, capabilities and setups. I had speed covered. Obviously.
Sierra Nevada Moutains
Leaving California and our terrible fires behind. At the time of our trip there were numerous large active fires. We brought N95 masks and still could smell smoke in the car. Terrible situation for all those impacted.
Almost immediately into our journey chaos strikes. We forgot Colleen’s dresses in Rocklin. Fortunately we weren’t too far away, less than 25 miles, and decide to fly back down highway 80 and grab them. Taking them out to hang overnight in the garage and hoping you remember in the early morning turns out to not be a smart idea. The next trick is to catch up to the slower 4Runner (Sid) with trailer and overloaded Lexus (The Tank). These actions will dictate our call sign for the rest of the trip.
Finally caught up near Fernley! Fuel stop in Sparks slowed us down a bit.
We wanted to stop and visit the Deeth Starr in Nevada, but the road was closed. So rolling picture it is!
One of the very common occurrences was fuel stops. The WRX ended up being pretty fuel efficient over the course of the trip and actually averaged around 25 mpg. My buddies weren’t so lucky, but they did provide a wonderful draft to follow. On one leg I actually saw 28 mpg for a tank of fuel while we were running 75 mph. Thanks guys!
Our destination on the first day was Park City, on the way we made a slight reroute to visit the salt flats. Neither of my buddies has seen it and it was many years since my last trip. Always amazing how flat and white.
Detour to Bonneville Salt Flats
We made it to The Ranch, Overland Expo Mountain West 2021
Fun event with lots of vendors. Outdoor space so mostly COVID safe at a time when we all believed we had it beat. Ended up spending way too much on new gear, but it will all have a long life and see use.
Next stop, Colorado for Death & Co
Very neat cocktail bar in Denver, ended up meeting a fellow car enthusiast working as a bell boy. Spent the evening and then realized we were very close to another epic US landmark. Pikes Peak. Yes we made plans for a day trip and yes it was amazing.
Death & Co Valet Service
Finally it was time to head home because we still have jobs and they pay for these adventures.
Maybe we will see you on the next adventure….
