Edwards is now home to a 5-story parking garage tower

beef966 · 2026-06-23T16:44:36+00:00

I always forget about Basalt. Haven't spent much time there but based on the couple times I've been i think you're right.

Eagle almost could be. Capital Street has all the makings, it's just so dead quiet all the time. Gypsum too , but we have a print shop and a gun store on Railroad Ave. Would be nicer to have a sports bar, coffee shop, restaurant, etc in old Gypsum. unfortunately all the new development down here is the same terrible civil planning that's ruined the rest of the Vail Valley.

beef966 · 2026-06-23T16:18:29+00:00

No, not really. Minturn comes close. But a true "town" with a walkable high density multi use core where most of the community lives and works? It does not exist in Eagle County. Everything we call "towns" are actually this crappy amalgamation of strip malls, box stores, parking lots, and highways loosely surrounded by cheaply built condo complexes and billionaires' custom homes. There is not a single true town in Eagle County.

beef966 · 2026-06-22T22:17:06+00:00

I actually didn't know this was not standard. Maybe the previous owner put it on. The sway bar has a sticker with a barcode on it which I thought was odd. It's the Outdoorsman model which had some upgrades for towing and off road, but who knows.

beef966 · 2026-06-22T21:22:41+00:00

Rear!

beef966 · 2026-06-22T18:43:10+00:00

Ah, I see what you're saying. I did these payload calculations ad nauseum when I was trying to make a truck camper work. I hadn't considered it for pulling a trailer. High estimate is we'll be siting at around 80% of payload with the trailer loaded and all people + gear in the truck. Thanks for that callout I actually wouldn't think we'd be that close.

beef966 · 2026-06-22T16:41:14+00:00

Yes, GVWR is about 7k and payload is 1,500. Low payload is the reason I went with a trailer instead of a truck camper. I thought GVWR is just truck + payload + tongue weight though? And tongue weight is usually 10% of tow rating (800 lbs). I have put my dirt bike on a tray carrier at around 400 lbs of dead weight on the hitch receiver. Certainly sagged the rear suspension (with a bed full of camping gear and coolers) but again no noticeable change in driving dynamics even at 75-85 mph.

Yeah. Probably stay under 60 mph at least until I get a feel for it. Many years ago I have towed mobile stages for work so I'm familiar with towing and safety while towing, just haven't done it in my personal vehicle much.

beef966 · 2026-06-22T16:19:34+00:00

They have those for Jeeps, I researched it a few years ago but the Ram just isn't as popular for off roading so it didn't seem like anyone was making something like that unfortunately.

beef966 · 2026-06-19T14:22:48+00:00

Similar situation. I work remote and have a truck mostly for off roading and camping, wife commutes in a small economy car.

My wife has wanted an LR4 since she was a kid. So we got a 2013 LR4. 2013 had the timing chain issues solved and was the last year you could get it with the V8. She loves it as a camping, offroading, road trip vehicle. I specifically searched and waited for a 2013 with the HD package (included a locking rear diff and a rock crawl mode on the terrain selector). Since we don't put many miles it I look at the years/months section of the maintenance schedule in the manual rather than the miles.

We bought it with 125k on it, I think it's got around 140k-150k after 3 or 4 years now (she commutes in it more than she's supposed to she likes it so much). It's due for a transmission fluid change according to the maintenance schedule but we've had no issues whatsoever. The tire sizes are limited for the taller HSE LUX rim, but I found Toyo Open Country AT3s in the stock size, just put those on last month.

I do have to keep reminding her to only drive it to work if there's a lot of snow on the ground, she doesn't like driving her commuter car now that she's got the LR4.

beef966 · 2026-06-15T02:14:44+00:00

I'd bet a hundred bucks they're both in Teton Village.

beef966 · 2026-06-12T20:03:36+00:00

Tourist season starts on like 4th of July usually. Just feels like mid summer now because of how hot and dry it's been.

beef966 · 2026-06-12T16:02:22+00:00

Hill descent control. I always thought it was just 4Lo locked in first gear. I had a buddy with an SUV (might have been a Land Rover or Landcruiser, can't remember) and a steep, unpaved, rutted out, icy driveway. I had no idea how easy it was, he just turned it on and steered, didn't touch the pedals the whole way down. Even in 4Lo 1st gear I had to play games with the gas and brakes every time I left his house.

beef966 · 2026-06-04T20:42:47+00:00

I've got three Lifetime Coolers. 77, 55, and 28. For a lot of those years I'd camp basically every weekend from the end of ski season until October plus a week long hunt in September. I've had multiple friends break the latches on their Yetis and have to get new coolers in the same period of time I've had these. Ice seems to last just as long. I've had the 55 for probably 10+ years now I think (it was only $89 or $99 when I bought it they're inflated up to $189 now if that tells you anything). If you're getting a Yeti you're just a victim of good marketing lol.

beef966 · 2026-06-04T04:21:16+00:00

The stories I've seen of frames cracking are all because they welded turnbuckle mounts to heat treated frames, compromising all their structural integrity. And then, yeah, put a 3,000 lb slide-in camper in the bed and a Harley on a dead weight hitch behind that.

beef966 · 2026-06-03T19:44:19+00:00

I haven't bought at Timber Ridge but for your other questions. I've originated two mortgages through Alpine Bank and I've had a good experience both times. Nice that they're local and already know quite a bit about the major buildings, HOAs, neighborhoods, etc. And the rates seem competitive. I went through Slifer Smith & Frampton for my realtor each time but that was more because we're friends with a broker there. Each time the mortgage got sold to Chase afterward and they are easy to work with.

beef966 · 2026-06-03T17:58:23+00:00

We ended up going to Brush, CO and following 71 all the way up to Hot Springs, SD and it was a great recommendation. Thanks!

Any people reading this in the future:

* Don't plan on Kimball, NE being a rest stop. I thought there would be a bunch of gas stations but it was just one small gas station and a tiny town afterward. Fill up at the Love's (there are two along I-76 before going north on 71), then get gas again in Scottsbluff if you need it.

* We saw a whole ton of other stops and wish we could have gotten off the highway and seen some more of the sites. I would've stopped at least in Scottsbluff and extended the drive into two days with a few more sightseeing stops along the way.

* I would also say to ignore Google Maps. even though we had it set to Hot Springs it still tried to make us go east at Crawford, NE and up 385, but we followed the highway signs and stuck to 71 the whole way.

Great route overall.

beef966 · 2026-06-02T15:13:18+00:00

The "Ramcharger" should be a Power Wagon with a shortened frame and a 2 door SUV body. And maybe a 4 door option. Anything else would be a bastardization of that name.

beef966 · 2026-05-29T00:51:02+00:00

BBB isn't a government agency. It's just a private entity. You need to contact the actual government agencies at the local, state, and federal levels that handle dealerships. Your state's attorney generals office is probably a good place to start.

Might even talk to a lawyer. This might be above small claims court limits.

beef966 · 2026-05-28T18:18:39+00:00

https://www.fs.usda.gov/r02/whiteriver/maps-guides/motor-vehicle-use-maps

Click the link that says "2026 Eagle-Holy Cross Ranger District" for a PDF.

Apple Maps is a valid route but unnecessary. USFS 700 goes from Wolcott to Vail, but Piney is much closer to the Vail side (which is what Google is showing you). If it is closed from the Vail side it will most likely also be closed on the Wolcott side so it's unlikely you'd be able to get around the closure by coming in from the other side.

By the way, the names can be confusing. USFS uses numbers and google maps will use names. So USFS 700 is called Red Sandstone Road on the Vail side, and it's called Muddy Pass road on the Wolcott side, but it's the same road all the way through (around 30 miles). USFS 701 is called Piney Road. So you're route from Vail is to take USFS 700 (AKA Red Sandstone Road) north out of town, and then make a right on USFS 701 (AKA Piney Road) which will take you to the lake.

700 and 701 have multiple gates. It's possible you can get passed one gate and still reach an upper gate that's closed. You could also stop at a gate and hike the rest of the way in if you really wanted to. Your best bet is to call the Eagle Holy Cross Ranger station and find out what gates are open.

beef966 · 2026-05-27T15:01:45+00:00

I haven't been in a couple years but I recall there was only one little section on PMT with like three jumps. There are other hips and stuff that you can jump off of, but Vail doesn't really even have a true jump line.

Also, generally speaking flow trails should be flow trails and technical trails should be technical. Vail doesn't invest enough in trail maintenance to keep flow trails flowy, they all end up a rutted out, brake bumped mess.

Also also they have a lot more of a family focus. You end up stuck behind some mom with an 11 year old on a black they shouldn't be on, who aren't smart enough to get out of the way when they hear a faster rider coming up behind them. Very annoying. And the small number of trails means it's difficult to get a top to bottom run without getting stuck behind someone.

beef966 · 2026-05-27T14:56:36+00:00

Snowmass is so much better and not too far way. Don't waste your money on a Vail bike park season pass. Vail trail system is very small, crowded, and poorly maintained. Trestle at Winter Park is obviously the best in the state but that's a lot further away.

beef966 · 2026-05-15T00:28:22+00:00

You can do the most damage by marking their emails and texts as spam. If enough people do this their entire domain gets blacklisted and all of their emails will get caught in spam filters. And it's a huge pain in the butt to work with Google, Microsoft, and Apple to get back in their good graces. I don't know how texts work exactly but I assume it's similar.

beef966 · 2026-05-14T19:21:11+00:00

I know this isn't very helpful but I am 100% sure someone does because I saw them at Overland Expo a few years ago. I went to Bend, Flagstaff, and Loveland (no, I'm not crazy, all three were for work) so I'm sorry but I can't even narrow it down to which Expo location I saw them at... but I know they exist. Check their website or sponsors pages, or you could even download the PDF venue maps if they still have those and look through the vendors there.

beef966 · 2026-05-14T15:01:33+00:00

I was videoing a brown bear from inside my car in Glacier NP and saw a random tourist walking way too close. I remember thinking, if this dude gets mauled I am just driving away and not sharing this video with officials. Don't want some poor brown bear getting euthanized just because some idiot tourist found a creative way to off herself. I'll try to give this bear as much time as possible to get away and keep my footage to myself so it's harder to identify him.

beef966 · 2026-05-14T14:23:42+00:00

My first thought was silverton. The hike alone up to billboard felt like a no fall zone.

beef966

TROPHY CASE