Rocky Road Trip Review

All in all, my Rocky Mountain Road Trip was a great one. The decision to take my 21-year-old 4Runner (with 280,000 miles) from LA to CB during winter was not the best. I wanted to see Zion with snow so bad, that it clouded my thinking. It all worked out for the best in the end, but getting through the experience was far from stress-free.

On the way to Zion, the truck started pulling to the left. I wanted to keep rolling, but my gut said bad idea. I pulled over, checked the tire pressure and sure enough it was leaking. Thankfully, we were only two miles from the main drag in Barstow. There was a tire shop super close to the next offramp. I had a new tire mounted, and we were back on the road in less than 30 minutes. The truck performed well all the way through Utah and on to Crested Butte. It continued to work great in town. When it was time to leave for our trip back to Zion (then on to LA) however, things went sideways.

The Journey Home

We got an early start and expected to be in Zion before sunset, but that was not in the cards. Less than two miles away from Nathan and Monica’s home, my baby started spewing steam from the engine compartment. Sure enough, in the 10-degree morning air, the truck had somehow expelled its coolant and overheated.

*My truck being taken to the mechanic; photo by Richard Bilow*

After two hours 40 minutes stuck on the side of the road, AAA sent a tow truck. It ended up coming from less than 2 miles away. While I waited, Nathan took my wife Kathy back to his house. He dropped her off, and she continued writing her reviews. Then Natan left for a photo shoot on the mountain. I was shivering from the cold, because I did not have my warm layers on. I tried to put my snowboard boots on, but they were basically frozen.

A nice young woman stopped to offer help, but by that point there was nothing to do but wait. I knew I would see the tow truck when, so I decided to kill some time by taking photos. It was just as cold inside the truck as it was outside. I could not turn the heat on without risking damaging the engine. So, I made the best of the situation.

*A beautiful scene shot from the side of the road while waiting for a tow; photo by Richard Bilow*

Meant to Be

Apparently, we were meant to stay one more night in Crested Butte. Nathan’s wife Monica was coming in from a trip to Israel the same day. Although we were pretty bummed about missing her, we had deadlines back in LA. With the truck broken down however, we ended up seeing her and had a blast back at the crib. Having just flown in, Monica returned with major jet lag. So, Nathan ended up nurturing us all with a healthy delicious multi-course dinner, complete with red wine. The broken down 4Runner turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It gave us a chance to enjoy the company of my cousin’s super sweet wife.

Rocky Road Trip Review With A Mechanical Miracle

Regarding the status of the truck, let’s just say that a miracle occurred. Earl the mechanic not only found the time to diagnose the problem, he acted fast. He ordered the needed parts, and they got delivered early the following day. Then he fixed everything before noon, and we hit the road running. It all seemed like a miracle to me. The weather forecast for Crested Butte showed 6 straight days of snow arriving the following day.

Getting parts for the truck would have been delayed by the storm had they not arrived when they did. I would have been extremely hesitant to attempt a drive out through back-to back storms. Besides that, Earl was looking forward to all the fresh powder. He would be out of the shop for a couple days riding his snowmobile. The residents of Crested Butte live there for good reason. They love the outdoors and try their best not to let the epic days pass them by. A small part of me wanted to get stuck. I too wanted shred a couple feet of fresh powder. My desire to make it home safely however overshadowed this desire.

*The serious dump that arrived after we left CB; photo by Nathan Bilow*

Escaping the Storm

We were headed into the storm as we made our way towards Zion. However, we were headed into rain not snow. We knew there would only be a brief window of time to get towed, if the vehicle failed again. Fortunately, my baby ran like a dream after the repairs. We made it to Dessert Pearl Inn, on the river’s edge at the entrance to Zion, around 11pm. I can’t tell you how great it felt to make it there.

Kathy was quick to fill the in-room jacuzzi bathtub, while I collapsed into the unbelievably comfortable bed. We woke up to the sound of a flowing river and chirping birds. We indulged in our essential morning joe on the covered patio, set against the red rock cliffs of Zion. The rain was just arriving. So, the surrounding scenery had a very different look than it had when we first passed through. It was mystical, like something one might see in a fantasy. CLICK HERE to read Kathy’s review of Desert Pearl Inn.

*Zion peaks as the storm moved in; photo by Richard Bilow*

Change of Plans

We had a great plan. It would have placed us in Zion under blue skies had our truck not broken down. With all my professional camera gear ready, I was psyched to get into the park a second time. Unfortunately, the universe had a different plan. When I got up in the morning, hikers were already returning from their failed attempt at hiking. The trails were dangerously slippery, so I decided against shooting photos in the rain. I was not about to push my luck and end our glorious trip on a sour note.

I had already survived 4 straight days of shredding Crested Butte Mountain without injury, despite a couple high-speed wipe outs. In addition, I had captured some very nice shots in Zion on our first stop. I also had a bunch of stunning images “in the can” from the top of The Rockies. Kathy had walked the icy streets of Crested Butte, shopping and visiting galleries without incident for several days. So, we both agreed that it was time to head back home. Kathy wrote a couple articles featuring the Art Galleries of CB and the Boutiques of CB. Click those links to learn more about this lovely town.

Home Sweet Home

Our drive took us through a series of storms that were relentlessly pounding Los Angeles. The atmospheric river of winter 2023 continued bringing rain and snow to our home town. Our anticipated 7-hour drive took 9 exhausting hours. That said, we made it through our “Epic Road-Trip to the Rockies” in pretty good shape with lots of great memories.

We enjoyed good times with family, had a bunch of delicious meals, saw gorgeous scenery, met wonderful people. I also experienced a great adventure and we made it home in one piece. We will be heading back to Zion when snow and rain are not an issue, and conditions permitting. I will be flying back to Crested Butte next winter. I’ll be chasing the powder to hit “The Extremes” in the type of conditions I dream of. As luck would have it, Mammoth picked up 3 more feet of quality powder right after we returned. So the epic powder session I was after turned out to be at my home mountain. You can bet I took full advantage of that. Stay tuned for more ETG adventures.

CLICK HERE to read all three parts of the Road Trip to the Rockies article series.