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Grill -n- Chill Tour #1: July 17-19 - The Flat Tops

Inukshuk

Rising Sun Member
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Aug 24, 2005
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7,271
Location
Denver, CO
Grill -n- Chill Tour #1: July 17-19 - The Flat Tops

It was spectacular up there. Not many people either.
The crew was me, Kathy and her daughter, and Allen. We met outside of Denver around 4:30 PM Thursday and headed up as a convoy. We all had HAM, but later used my GMRS handhelds a bit to test them out. GMRS handhelds are good, better than CB, but no handheld matches the range and clarity of a mobile unit (HAM or GMRS) with a roof antenna.
We got our last fuel in Gypsum and headed towards Deep Creek and Coffee Pot Road. We were treated to beautiful late afternoon views as we climbed, and we quickly made camp up against some aspens with a stunning view of Mt. Sneffels.
The propane fire pit was great.
We were on the road by 10 AM and at the next camp, by a lake, by 2PM. We considered some more exploring or just entering the "chill" phase, and chillin won out. We hiked around the lake a bit though, before turning to the Grillin which was followed by enjoying some delicious homemade Mead Allen brought (he made it).
Saturday we were fortified by bacon and eggs driving by 9:30 AM. I was up at 5AM and treated to the brightest Venus I'd ever seen. Then I watched sun climb the 2,000 foot cliff on the opposite side of the lake. We droveover to see the Cline Top Road Switchbacks. Amazing views everywhere. We wheeled all day and made camp around 5 again with amazing views.
After grilling we were treated to views of the Neowise comet and spotted Jupiter's moons with Allen's telescope.
Sunday we explored more roads, saw some Ptarmigan, took an hour for lunch where i napped in my hammock and were mostly home in Denver by 8PM.
Highlights: Company, wildflowers, views, a few challenging sections, Mead.
Looking forward to three days in Northern CO for #2! Space available.

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Inukshuk

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Aug 24, 2005
Messages
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Denver, CO
Saturday

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Inukshuk

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Aug 24, 2005
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Location
Denver, CO
Sunday

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gungriffin

Rising Sun Member
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Dec 4, 2017
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Location
Denver
This has me super excited for Kelly Flats and the Swell! Those are some really awesome photos. Sounds like a good trip. Your runs are always top notch though.
 
Joined
Jun 25, 2016
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Gorgeous photos, looks like it was a blast!
 
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