Official Crimson/Blue Fest 2023 invitation

[jhawks99]

I’m flying RT to Denver. Renting a car. Planning a couple of days in the Colorado Springs area, doing Skyline Drive in Cañon City, KCrim Fest, several days using Ouray as base, ??, depart DEN.
I’ve never been south or west of Cañon City before.

The Springs are nice that time of year. Check out the deck at Cerberus Brewing, the food and beer are good. The Owner is a friend of the Empire's Party Garage Bill. You should take Highway 50 from Canon City to Salida ( it is the scenic Bighorn Canyon route) and check out that town on the way. Great places to grab lunch in Salida and the river front in "downtown" is a nice place to take a break. From Salida it is a short scenic jump over Poncho Pass to the valley.

Excellent! And which 4x4 tour should we sign up for out of Ouray?

My dad and his cousin rented jeeps and took us up the old mining trails outside of Ouray when I was a teenager. I don't remember which ones we went on, but they were all pretty cool.

[DrPepper]

The Springs are nice that time of year. Check out the deck at Cerberus Brewing, the food and beer are good. The Owner is a friend of the Empire's Party Garage Bill. You should take Highway 50 from Canon City to Salida ( it is the scenic Bighorn Canyon route) and check out that town on the way. Great places to grab lunch in Salida and the river front in "downtown" is a nice place to take a break. From Salida it is a short scenic jump over Poncho Pass to the valley.

Excellent! And which 4x4 tour should we sign up for out of Ouray?

My dad and his cousin rented jeeps and took us up the old mining trails outside of Ouray when I was a teenager. I don't remember which ones we went on, but they were all pretty cool.

99, you should join us!!
I am super excited about the Via Ferrata in Ouray. It is supposed to be one of the best in the world.
https://youtu.be/WNrcKmxuDrs

[japhy]

I have driven Cinnamon Pass out of Silverton to Lake City before in my Toyota Tacoma and it is a beautiful drive. You go through Animas Forks which is scenic and if you have time you can go over the pass and see American Basin which is on the way down to Lake City. You will want to drive a high clearance 4WD vehicle but the drop offs are not "shit yer pants" high or narrow on that route. Engineer Pass is supposed to be nice and you can connect into the route to Cinnamon from what I have heard, but I've never gone up there. Black Bear Pass is a no go for me. Too many videos out there of Jeeps rolling down the side of that mountain. If you go to Cinnamon you can park at the summit and get out and explore. Most people head south along the ridge and there is an obvious mine up there. If you walk north it doesn't look as interesting but if you watch the ground you can find pockets of geodes along the way with tan colored quartz crystals that look like cinnamon, hence the name. The real treat is to go over the pass heading east and take the road into American Basin. It may be the most beautiful cirque in Colorado. Be cognizant of time, you don't want to drive down in the dark. Pretty sure Overlander has been up there as well and he may have some suggestions for you. But keep in mind he drives a Rubicon and you may not want to follow in his tracks. This image is American Basin.

[Overlander]

I will most likely rent a Jeep.
There are some badass trails within an hour of Center.

If you don’t want to REALLY explore, the Batchelor Loop outside of Creede is a really cool and scenic trail, and pretty smooth.

You run by a half dozen old gold mines, and toward the end you can visit Bob Fords’ grave.

There is an up/down trail off the Batchelor that crosses a pretty high pass, amazing views!

Anyone wants to ride along….

[Overlander]

And Gutter….just fucking go

[Overlander]

I have driven Cinnamon Pass out of Silverton to Lake City before in my Toyota Tacoma and it is a beautiful drive. You go through Animas Forks which is scenic and if you have time you can go over the pass and see American Basin which is on the way down to Lake City. You will want to drive a high clearance 4WD vehicle but the drop offs are not "shit yer pants" high or narrow on that route. Engineer Pass is supposed to be nice and you can connect into the route to Cinnamon from what I have heard, but I've never gone up there. Black Bear Pass is a no go for me. Too many videos out there of Jeeps rolling down the side of that mountain. If you go to Cinnamon you can park at the summit and get out and explore. Most people head south along the ridge and there is an obvious mine up there. If you walk north it doesn't look as interesting but if you watch the ground you can find pockets of geodes along the way with tan colored quartz crystals that look like cinnamon, hence the name. The real treat is to go over the pass heading east and take the road into American Basin. It may be the most beautiful cirque in Colorado. Be cognizant of time, you don't want to drive down in the dark. Pretty sure Overlander has been up there as well and he may have some suggestions for you. But keep in mind he drives a Rubicon and you may not want to follow in his tracks. This image is American Basin.

Cinnamon Pass is pretty…..easy.
Engineer can be sketchy.
Black Bear….you damn sure better know what you are doing. It is the most dangerous Jeep Trail in the USA.

There is a great trail just east of Center, right past Great Sand Dunes.

Also, the Old Bonanza Trail to Bonanza ghost town is under an hour north of Center

[japhy]

For those of you who haven't booked a yurt or quonset yet for the Crimson/Blue Fest there are only two quonsets left but still several yurts available. You can now book on Expedia. The quonsets are the same price whether you book on expedia or thru the Frontier website but it does look like there is a price cut on the yurts if you book thru Expedia.

[ousdahl]

What’s the sleep arrangement of each yurt or Quonset, again?

Is there something with more than one bed, e.g. so GQuinn and I could share one without having to spoon?

[japhy]

You will have to check their website to verify bed size but there are two beds in the yurts and one queen or king in the quonset. You may be able to request a cot in the yurt was well. There will be some floor space in town on a first come first served basis to flop on as well. Bring your own sleeping pad and bag. No camping in town, but someone has been sleeping in a broken down Suburban behind the old Perrin Hardware store most of the winter.

[defixione]

I might add that if anyone visits with a camper or RV, they can park in our backyard.

[RainbowsandUnicorns]

I might add that if anyone visits with a camper or RV, they can park in our backyard.

After reading ousie's post, I'm thinking there might be some camping & parking in GQ's backyard.
Not that there is anything wrong with that.

[Back2Lawrence]

I might add that if anyone visits with a camper or RV, they can park in our backyard.

After reading ousie's post, I'm thinking there might be some camping & parking in GQ's backyard.
Not that there is anything wrong with that.

haha. i'm in lawrence now, but when in rome, i guess.

[Overlander]

I might add that if anyone visits with a camper or RV, they can park in our backyard.

I can vouch, it’s a quality spot….crawling distance from the liquor store

[japhy]

I might add that if anyone visits with a camper or RV, they can park in our backyard.

I can vouch, it’s a quality spot….crawling distance from the liquor store

No need to crawl, just ask the night cashier to deliver right there in the alley on her next smoke break.

[RainbowsandUnicorns]

Why do I have a feeling she may wander in to the Frontier?

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CsefRkZg65t/?

[TDub]

whats the margarita to Manhattan conversion ratio?

And...is that Ousdahl?

[japhy]

Why do I have a feeling she may wander in to the Frontier?

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CsefRkZg65t/?

Holy shit, that is Sister Cindy Smock!

She and her Brother Jeb used to perform on Rescue Beach back in the early 1980's. She could draw a crowd. Hard to believe they are still at it. I used to stop and listen on occasion when I had no where in particular to be after class. Favorite episode of them on campus was the afternoon a kid came running down down Jayhawk Blvd. You could hear people cheering as he came down the sidewalk. He busts through the crowd in a bright red devil costume with a red fake pitchfork. The crowd went wild. He circled around the two of them taunting them with the pitchfork for a good 20-30 minutes. Cindy and Jeb were the inspiration for a party I threw that year, "The Shrine of the Miracle Tortilla" party. I think I may have the original missalette I made for the event in my "archives". This was the same year a friend threw a party after the Black Flag show at Off The Wall Hall and the band showed up and passed out and slept on their floor.

[Overlander]

whats the margarita to Manhattan conversion ratio?

And...is that Ousdahl?

Manhattans, done properly, are 95% alcohol.

Come try a manly drink in the valley.

The great Dunes area has a badass, adults only hot spring with a patio.

Tan your balls while enjoying the best “get stooopid” drink you have ever had.

[RainbowsandUnicorns]

Why do I have a feeling she may wander in to the Frontier?

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CsefRkZg65t/?

Holy shit, that is Sister Cindy Smock!

She and her Brother Jeb used to perform on Rescue Beach back in the early 1980's. She could draw a crowd. Hard to believe they are still at it. I used to stop and listen on occasion when I had no where in particular to be after class. Favorite episode of them on campus was the afternoon a kid came running down down Jayhawk Blvd. You could hear people cheering as he came down the sidewalk. He busts through the crowd in a bright red devil costume with a red fake pitchfork. The crowd went wild. He circled around the two of them taunting them with the pitchfork for a good 20-30 minutes. Cindy and Jeb were the inspiration for a party I threw that year, "The Shrine of the Miracle Tortilla" party. I think I may have the original missalette I made for the event in my "archives". This was the same year a friend threw a party after the Black Flag show at Off The Wall Hall and the band showed up and passed out and slept on their floor.

You have the best stories!

https://www.kansan.com/news/tiktok-famo ... 0cbdf.html

[jhawks99]

Why do I have a feeling she may wander in to the Frontier?

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CsefRkZg65t/?

Holy shit, that is Sister Cindy Smock!

She and her Brother Jeb used to perform on Rescue Beach back in the early 1980's. She could draw a crowd. Hard to believe they are still at it. I used to stop and listen on occasion when I had no where in particular to be after class. Favorite episode of them on campus was the afternoon a kid came running down down Jayhawk Blvd. You could hear people cheering as he came down the sidewalk. He busts through the crowd in a bright red devil costume with a red fake pitchfork. The crowd went wild. He circled around the two of them taunting them with the pitchfork for a good 20-30 minutes. Cindy and Jeb were the inspiration for a party I threw that year, "The Shrine of the Miracle Tortilla" party. I think I may have the original missalette I made for the event in my "archives". This was the same year a friend threw a party after the Black Flag show at Off The Wall Hall and the band showed up and passed out and slept on their floor.

Jeb and Cindy accused me of drinking and fornicating.