Grand Mesa-Uncompahgre Exploration, August 2019, Day 1

Here it was in the blistering heat of August and I hadn’t been on an overlanding trip since April. I had finished the bridges video, and … did I mention that it was hot in Oklahoma? I needed to get away. So, I contacted my friend Travis, who lives in Colorado, and asked if he could whip up something interesting. And, good friend that he is, he did! So, I headed off for a cooler Colorado and a brief exploration of Grand Mesa, the Uncompahgre National Forest and adjacent Escalante Canyon. On Day 1 we drive from Delta up to Grand Mesa, then around it, ending up near Lands End for our first night.
The music is "How About Nah" by roljui. It is available to use freely in KZbin videos in the KZbin Audio Library.

[@Happycamper1998]

Thank you for sharing. Another great 👍 adventure

[@Rust2Roks]

Thanks for sharing

[@m3chgeek470]

Another epic clip can't wait to watch the rest of the series I got to hand it to your friend that was some really nice routing and I I am very curious about it as well can't wait for the next video thank you Mark

[@DxDOverland]

He did a great job, though we weren't quite certain how rough it would be beforehand. We were pleasantly surprised that it wasn't just a dirt road.

[@m3chgeek470]

@@DxDOverland Well a little bit of difficulty to a trail can we leave you with a more rounded experience with a camping trip! Sometimes it's what's between A to B that makes the trip interesting!

[@davidkihn770]

Wow, that was a rough trail ride. Thanks Mark another great video ride along.

[@DxDOverland]

A bit bouncy, but with aired-down tires, not too bad. Would not want to do in anything that didn't have plenty of ground clearance.

[@markspinner7220]

Awesome trail and scenery. Great video!! Thanks for taking us along!!

[@DxDOverland]

Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks!

[@steveegbert7429]

Thanks Mark. So many places to explore and never enough time. You proved why it's best to travel with another rig. I'm sure you could have made it out on your own, but another Jeep made easy work of it. I rarely follow my own advice but when going alone I tend to go where I know someone will be coming by or stick to easier trails.

[@DxDOverland]

Yep. Stick to busier trails is what I recommend to people traveling on vacation without a buddy. I do carry, and have used, a Pull-Pal. Yeah, that was just a few miles from my house--I was out to shoot photos of birds at a lake when I got mired in mud. Fortunately, it's always in the Jeep.

[@valmurray869]

Great job on this video, Mark. That big ol' mountain was one of my favorite tromping grounds when I lived on the Western Slope. I'm in Montana now, but I try to get down there every two or three years. And, yeah, the mosquitoes can be ferocious.

[@DxDOverland]

They were pretty bad, for sure. Fortunately, over on Uncompahgre, which doesn't have all of the water, they will be more tame.

[@keithblackburn7516]

Thanks Mark! I have yet to go discover the mesa's but they are now on my "to do" list. Nice job of working out the pronunciation of " Uncompahgre".

[@NigelNaughton]

Wonderful! Happy to see you again.

[@DxDOverland]

Thanks, Nigel. Nice hearing from you again, too.

[@mikehoffman3690]

Beautiful area (especially the lake at minute 7). First half of the trail seemed to be a teeth rattler. Even the best of us need a tug out every now and then. It does emphasize the need to travel in groups. There did not appear to be anything you could have connected to, if you were alone.

[@DxDOverland]

FYI, that lake at 7 minutes is Leon Lake. As for something to connect up to, well, I have an answer to that, though traveling with a buddy is wise ... scontent-dfw5-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/11665674_10205016419471101_7220748478722131543_n.jpg?_nc_cat=111&_nc_oc=AQkHu3skvv6XvJTThGcgsrkZ5TcrUg9JbuXPdEuUoq5wrwvlnN1bbsAEXM2oZilaWYw&_nc_ht=scontent-dfw5-2.xx&oh=83fc9d03c7a85c852ed6b0713d12870a&oe=5DC75B74

[@huntermosler3975]

This was a really cool video, along with the other ones in the Grand Mesa/Uncompahgre series! I have been trying to build some overlanding/Jeeping routes on Google Earth for the Grand Mesa and Uncompahgre area, but I've been having trouble finding trails up there besides just flat roads that aren't all that technical. I saw in your video that you were using Backcountry Navigator, and I was curious if there was way for me to be able to get the KML file for that route?

[@DxDOverland]

I don't normally give out tracks anymore. The maps are in the videos. You may also find little bit higher res copies in a public album on my FB page with the same title as the videos. If you also watch the 2019 cutting room floor video with subtitles turned on, I specify road identities where practical. I do all of this to encourage folks to create their own routes, rather than just follow a line on a GPS. Ensures they've got maps that they know how to use, are familiar with what they're getting themselves into, and have alternate routes in mind in case something goes wrong.

[@huntermosler3975]

Cool, thanks!

[@MEJennings]

Great job on the camera work!

[@DxDOverland]

Just as traveling with you, Matthew, Travis brought some new perspectives to the shots. ;-)

[@TheOpenAirGarage]

It was weird seeing you drive road that I drive quite a few times a year. It is a lengthy drive from Texas. What did you think of Monarch pass. I have not been to the Mesa in summer time just winter. I am now itching to go do some exploring. .

[@DxDOverland]

I had just driven my friend Ray's 2012 JK to Helena, MT a couple weeks ago and the entire time I was ascending Monarch Pass I kept wishing my poor little 2007 had that 3.6L motor's HP, LOL. And, mentioning Ray, this was a pretty neat route I took because it crisscrossed a lot of territory we have driven during our past adventures, including much of the TransAmerica Trail and Medano Pass. It was fun seeing what it looked like from the paved roads, and finding the places we'd turned into more remote country during our explorations.

[@jw0001]

Like the blooper ending. Noticed you are using a gimbal on your front GoPro. Something new? Nice video

[@DxDOverland]

Jeff, that's not a gimble. That is the Hero 7 built-in stabilization at work. Quite a bit different than my old Hero 2's.

[@jw0001]

Works good. Glad no damage from the ditch event.

[@jw0001]

Which GoPro 7?

[@DxDOverland]

@@jw0001 Black.

[@prestondeters5093]

What trail did you start on here?

[@DxDOverland]

Hi, Preston! We picked up the route at Ute Trail Road, which quickly changed to Surface Creek Rd. At the Grand Mesa National Forest Boundary, we headed out on FS 127. If you pause the video at the Google Earth image at 15:20 with Google Earth open on your computer, you should be able to pick up the trail from there, and then design your own around that. Also, just FYI, if you've watched the Cutting Room Floor series of still shot videos, on the one for this trip (year 2019), you can see where that was shot (road number) if you turn on the subtitles.

[@kong3]

How were the mosquitos this season? We had a really wet winter?

[@DxDOverland]

On the mesa, pretty annoying. Not so over in Uncompahgre NF the next couple days. But, much drier over there.