Z-Edge Z3 Dash Cam

After my recent experience with the hay bale truck, I purchased a dash cam to document any future accidents. I will also use it in the jeep to record my off-road adventures.

The Z-Edge Z3 is a compact, easy to use dash cam with excellent video recording capabilities including resolutions up to 2K. It has an impressive range of features but rather than listing them here, I will refer you to their website. My initial impression is it is a great camcorder for the price.

The only disappointment to date is that it arrived without the 32 GB TF or Micro SDHD card that should have been included with the unit. I have emailed their technical support group and am awaiting their reply.

Here is a video segment that was recorded at 2560×1080 (30 fps). If you have the bandwidth, enlarge the video to "Full Screen" and view at one of the HD settings...

Update (9/27/16): The manufacturer has refunded $15 to my account for the purchase of a card. Although I paid $26.46 for a 32 GB SanDisk card at Walmart, I liked the fact that their customer service department got back to me within 24 hours of my original email and initiated the refund.

Early Snow

Here's what I woke up to this morning...

Click on photos to enlarge 

Weather permitting, I will try to take the RZR up the mountain later to get a better view of the snow and fall foliage. My timing for heading south next week is looking pretty good.

Dash Cam

For a while now, I have been thinking about buying a dash cam to record everything from critters passing in front of my vehicle to accidents. Unfortunately, in regards to the latter, I am a day late and a couple hundred dollars short (estimated repairs).

While driving north on Highway 89, an oncoming truck loaded with hay bales took a curve much too fast and dropped several bales into my lane. I got as close to the guard rail as I dared and although this kept me from hitting them head-on, both fenders on the left side of the jeep were partially ripped off. By the time I got stopped and inspected the damage, the other vehicle was long gone.

The problem with this scenario is that without another insurance company to pay the claim, my insurer would consider this a "collision accident" and I would be responsible for the deductible. Plus, my rate would probably go up next year. The good news is I have an appointment next Monday to have the jeep repaired and I am still alive to write about it.

With a dash cam I could at least show the bales of hay falling off the truck into my lane and proving the accident was not my fault. Knowing that I am driving to Las Vegas next week, I just ordered a Z-Edge 3 from Amazon.

Here are photos from the crime scene...

Willis Creek Slot Canyon

Willis Creek is actually a series of slot canyons that you hike through by following the creek for about 2 miles. The creek is a couple of inches deep so you will want to wear appropriate footwear. As always with slot canyons, make sure there is no risk of a flash flood.

Although Willis Creek is a little hard to find, it is well worth the effort, particularly, if you have never hiked a slot canyon (click on photos to enlarge)...

 

 

Barney Lake

Dan, Holly, their rowdy friends and I rode up to Barney Lake...

Click on photos to enlarge

Paiute Trail 01

Dan, Holly and I rode the side-by-sides up over the mountain to Big John Flat where a "prescribed burn" by the National Forest Service caused us to turn around and come back down the mountain. We had a perfect weather day and the cloudless, dark blue sky made for great photos...

Click on photos to enlarge 

Fall Foilage

Larry and I rode up the mountain west of the park this afternoon where I was able to capture the beginning of the Fall colors...

Hopefully, over the next couple of weeks, the change will become even more impressive.

Arizonian Reunion

Anyone who frequents this blog knows that I enjoy making friends in one part of the country and then meeting them again somewhere else. Today, I had the pleasure of reuniting with neighbors from the Arizonian RV Park where I spent the last five winters...

Greg, Merry, Gail, Terry

As always, it was a delight getting caught up on each other's lives and hearing what they did this summer. I am pleased to report that everyone is doing well and looking forward to returning to southern Arizona this Fall.

Colorado - 2016

It has been a terrific summer. I have explored most of the major passes south of Ouray and shared the experience with both old and new friends. The scenery was so spectacular and the photos turned out so well, I have created a slideshow that you can view by clicking here. Consider it my version of back-to-school's "what I did this summer".

Silverton, CO

Sunny, Stormy and I took the Prius OHV to Silverton via Route 550 which is part of the San Juan Skyway (a/k/a "Million Dollar Highway"). This is one of the most scenic drives anywhere in the country.

While in Silverton, we were able to catch the Durango & Silverton Railroad getting ready for the return trip to Durango...

This coal-fired, steam locomotive was built in 1925

Engineer Pass

Today's photos from Engineer Pass...

Here's a video of one of the "more interesting" sections of Engineer Pass...

Gateway Auto Museum

If you are a classic car buff, you will want to visit the Gateway Auto Museum in Gateway, CO. It has an amazing collection of mint condition vintage cars. Click here to see a slideshow of today's museum photos.

This is Stormy's favorite, an awesome looking 1958 Chevrolet Corvette...

Click on photos to enlarge

And this is the pride of the museum, a one-of-kind 1954 Oldsmobile F-88 Convertible Concept Car (the only one in the world)...

Lastly, on the way to Gateway, we passed this unique rock art...

Sunny & Stormy Return

One of the things I enjoy about the RV lifestyle is meeting friends in different parts of the country and sharing a common experience. Much to my good fortune, Sunny and Stormy returned from the airshow in Oshkosh to spend a week with me in Colorado.

Our first trip was to Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park...

Click on photos to enlarge

Where, I for one, felt very comfortable knowing that highly trained, professional rangers were looking out for my safety...

We ended the day with a delightful outdoor dinner consisting of baby back ribs and sides from Rib City...

Ophir Pass

If you would like to experience a high mountain pass in Colorado without having to navigate a difficult trail, then you may want to try Ophir Pass 2.0...

Larry, CJ, Keith, Jayne
(Friends from the Arizonian RV Park)

Alta Lake

Corkscrew, Picayne Placer & Poughkeepsie Gulch

Corkscrew Pass 2.5, Picayne Placer Gulches 2.5 and Poughkeepsie Gulch 3.5 are some of the most scenic and fun trails I have ridden here in Colorado...

Click on photos to enlarge

I did not originally plan to do Poughkeepsie Gulch due to the infamous "Wall", a gnarly section that gives the trail it's difficulty rating, but an experienced jeeper I met at Animus Forks told me there was a by-pass around it. As it turned out, his definition of "by-pass" is a little different from mine...

Imogene Pass

The new fuel pump appears to have solved my jeep's high altitude stalling problem. I crossed Imogene Pass at 13,114 feet without having to shut the engine off and let everything cool down...

Click on photos to enlarge

Now that I am unemployed and homeless, I was hoping that check from Obama would be in the mailbox but alas, no such luck...

The wildflowers are in full bloom at the higher elevations...

Here's what I have to look forward to when I drive Black Bear Pass...

The following video is a compilation of segments of the ride. It runs 4X normal speed so as to give you a feel for being behind the wheel of the jeep without being too boring...

Jeep Trouble

About a month ago, my jeep starting stalling at elevations above 9,000 feet (particularly, in the afternoon when the gas tank would be at half or less). The engine would not die but it would not generate enough rpm's to move. I had to turn the engine off and let everything cool down before being able to run again.

On 7/11 I took it to a dealer. The diagnostic testing showed no error codes and the fuel pump had the correct pressure. However, there was an update for the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) regarding fuel and altitude. The mechanic reprogrammed the PCM which he felt would solve the problem. Unfortunately, it did not.

This morning while climbing Imogene Pass, the loss of power problem returned. I have scheduled another appointment with the dealer this Thursday. If they cannot find anything wrong, I am thinking of having them replace the fuel pump and fuel filter. Considering some of the places I take the jeep, I am anxious to solve this problem as quickly as possible.

If anyone has any thoughts as to what may be wrong, please use the comment section below to let me know. Thanks!

Update (8/5/16): New fuel pump installed this morning. Waiting for dry weather to try it out in the mountains.

Yankee Boy Basin

Yankee Boy Basin 2.5 is another spectacular drive in the San Juan Mountains south of Ouray. It is very popular with tour companies and tourists alike, so be prepared for a lot of traffic until you get to the very last part of the trail.

I dug my old GoPro Hero out of storage hoping to capture the view and feeling of being behind the wheel of the jeep. Here are a couple of short excerpts...

Today's photos...

Click on photos to enlarge

Gaia GPS

I use to upload my GPS tracks to EveryTrail but since their acquisition by TripAdvisor, all development and support has stopped and it does not work as well as it used to. As an alternative, I am looking at Gaia GPS.

I uploaded the track and photos from my Alpine Loop trip to create a photo map at https://www.gaiagps.com/datasummary/folder/7907392f-18e6-45d3-89c6-fbef162fb424/. Track details such as speed and elevation are available at https://www.gaiagps.com/datasummary/track/9ae70cc0-de55-4e30-939f-836965786571/. You can download tracks as GPX, KML or GeoJson files.

Click on photo to enlarge

I am still playing with the program so if you have any problems viewing the above, please let me know in the comment section below.

Update (8/23/16): AllTrails has acquired EveryTrail. Unfortunately, they want to charge you to upgrade to the version that has some of the more useful features such as being able to download or print maps.

Sticker Shock

It's hard to believe I have been a full-time RVer for five years. This was brought home by my needing to renew my drivers license this year before my birthday. Due to recent homeland security laws, I can no longer renew my license online. I have to go to South Dakota and show two pieces of documentation that I am a resident including proof that I have spent at least one night in the State in the last year (in my opinion, this has to do more with revenue raising than national security).

In any event, I decided to take my time, drive up and enjoy the sights. What I did not count on was the cost of motels this time of the year. Last night, the least expensive room I could find was $124.95/night. Today in Rapid City, I was shocked to see prices on what I would consider average motels at over $200/night. I finally found a Super 8 for $99.95/night. And these prices do not include local government's "stick-it-to-the-tourist tax" which has been 10-12% so far. For an old salesman that used to stay in Red Roof Inns for $19.95/night, this is a bit much.

Alpine Loop

You will want to take some extra socks with you on this ride as the ones you are wearing will be knocked off. The scenery is awe-inspiring.

Alpine Loop 2.5 is a combination of trails including Engineer Pass and Cinnamon Pass in the San Juan Mountains. The trails are not particularly difficult but a high-clearance, 4WD vehicle is highly recommended.

I took over 100 photographs today. Unfortunately, they do not do the experience justice. The camera cannot capture everything the eye takes in. You need to experience it for yourself.

Vistas...

Click on photos to enlarge 

Mines...

Critters...