Engineer's Pass Ascent Oct 12-15, 2020

[plateaucal]

Well if you are a Marine...we are all softies.

[L60Boerne]

This near death experience for our mountain man will get replayed. This year is sorta fouled up but may be March 1,2021 some Patrollees can meet there and have a little better weather. Plateaucal caught one of our cold snaps and it was painful for him but he is a real gamer so he didn't complain much when the first couple of toes feel off.

Maybe we can look for them next March. Otherwise we could show him what it is like to hunt in the Sahara when you get so thirty you would drink the water out of your tractor tires but summers are his busy time.

Patrolling over the pandemic,
L60Boerne

[plateaucal]

It may be hard to imagine, but as I felt that the last throes of life were draining away, and the light of consciousness dimming, I had to make a fateful decision. How would I want to be remembered? I chose to fight on. As I fired up that 4 liter straight six I knew that I would rather be pried from the steering wheel of a vintage Patrol than have my frozen corpse unceremoniously lowered from a deer stand to the bed of a waiting pickup truck. I braced against the cold breeze from the open topped Nissan and I asked myself...Where the hell is the heater!?

David, you can write about this in the sequel to Hunting Comancheria.

[plateaucal]

I forgot the part where I had to suck the blood out of a rattlesnake for energy and fight off a kettle of vultures as the swooped and danced around me.

[jwgreen]

I forgot the part where I had to suck the blood out of a rattlesnake for energy and fight off a kettle of vultures as the swooped and danced around me.

Think you guys were hitting the Peyote out there in West Texas!!!!

[L60Boerne]

Oooohhh both of those comments gave me a great smile and laugh. These are ugly times and that was the first good laugh I've had in a while. Plateaucal Hemingway needs no help writing, he is clearly a natural writer. That is as good as it gets and to think he is remembering all that while his brain was shutting down from either exposure to a little Texas cold snap or whiskey..not sure which.

Nobody believes our tales unless they live them with us. That is why I know Hemingway's near epitaph above is accurate!

Patrolling in paradise,
L60Boerne

[plateaucal]

Before it was known as Texas, it was often called "The Great State of Hyperbole".

[L60Boerne]

Greetings,
Overland Journal has responded. They are interested in publishing our "loop". I have sent them pictures of Presidio Patrol, CCV5, Phoenix Patrol and El Bondo. I mentioned that Plateaucal's 69 hardtop will likely be there as well....COVID conditions allowing.

We may move it up to the 1st week in October. Better trees and higher likelihood of the loop remaining open.

Anyone else interested in joining us with their Patrol please chime in now. Riders welcome as well.

Patrolling towards publishing,
L60Boerne

[plateaucal]

The first week of October would be awesome and won't conflict with hunting season. Might even catch the tail end of aspens turning.

[L60Boerne]

Greetings Patrollers Worldwide,

This week in addition to catching a tub full for Brook and Brown trout we rented two Jeep Wranglers and went to Como Lake in California Basin , a new destination for us just off the Alpine Loop.

Because the journey to Como Lake is one of the toughest in the Rockies we rented the Unlimited Wranglers and they performed remarkably. Their agility and sure footed traction made it seem easier than it was. We returned through Poughkeepsie Gulch but we bypassed "The Wall". No winch, no lockers on our rented Wranglers.

I led the way, the trailing Jeep said I was on two wheels several times. The women were a bit spastic some of the time but once you are in the Gulch there is no easy way home.

It is just too risky, for me, to take 50 yr old Patrols on that trail. I can't imagine even doing it with a modern vehicle with a manual transmission. I'm just not that good, especially without fuel injection.

Back on The Loop I noted the naturally aspirated UTVs were having motor fuel trouble at 13,000 ft.

Here are few pictures.

Going up to the divide next week to find the lost ghost town of Carson....in the 63...which btw has more low end torgue than my 65s and 66. No doubt about it.

Patrolling with a smile,
L60Boerne