Exploring Colorful Colorado in a Toyota Land Cruiser

Not sure we're supposed to be here, but it seems cool. Wembley! He's got dirty paws. Williams, you doing okay back there? Pretty good! Wembley, how do we like the views? Wim, did you get yourself a burger? Hannah, how many times have we rearranged this pack? It's really quiet out here. We don't want to disturb the views, but we're racing the rain out to set up camp. It's not going that well. It's not bad, huh? What more is there to say? Honestly, I think that's my biggest worry, is how we're gonna fit all of this. Because contrary to popular belief, this is only like a quarter of what we've got. It's going splendidly. This is going great. Okay, so the plan is simple. Execution is a different story. But as a very novice off-roader, we have an off-roading vehicle, some camp gear, and we're gonna see if we can off-road some of the craziest terrain in the United States of America. We are hitting the road on this edition of Fast and Functional. Do we even know where we're going yet? Well, sort of. A lot of miles and not a lot of time called for an early audible from the team. Originally, the plan was to drive from DFW to Amarillo, working our way up to Santa Fe before trekking out to Moab, Utah, home to some of the most iconic off-road terrain in the country, before testing out our skills in some different terrain in southwest Colorado. Time and weather scrapped a lot of plans, most notably our Utah tour, leaving us with Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado as the final decision. Probably for the best, too, because my off-road experience is pretty limited. I mean, there's a joke out here. It's, you know, some vehicle can't do something. This one needs a driver mod, you know? I hope this car didn't need a driver mod today. Not today. We also had a few more factors to account for. All right, we're ready to go. We're ready to go. Okay, so we know we've got five hours and 35 minutes until our first destination. You know me. What's for dinner? Austin's behind the camera. We've got Anna, who's going to be a part of us. Part of the crew for a little bit. She's going to make sure nobody does anything too ridiculous. And then we've got Wembley in the back, who's definitely going to hold it all together. We're excited. Honestly, most important thing, stay safe. Yes? And have fun. Ben, did you get yourself a burger? Oh my goodness. We didn't even make it out of the Metroplex. We're already eating. This is good. Good start. Maslow's hierarchy, baby. Only five hours to go. The first two days were all travel. Rolled into Amarillo after midnight and we're back on the road the next morning. And I-40 is a long road with not a lot to see. But we made it to Santa Fe with eyes on colorful Colorado less than 24 hours away. Not bad for a first timer. The views will get better when Fast and Functional continues just after this. This is the good stuff. Austin reporting live from the San Juan National Forest. After two days of what felt like non-stop driving, Austin, Anna, Wembley, and yours truly made it to beautiful Colorado just outside the stunning town of Telluride. Anna, how many times have we rearranged this back? Too many. And it's getting more and more stuffed. Quick stop for gas and we were off to a dispersed camping site called Alta Lakes, roughly 30 minutes outside town. All right, so now that we're at elevation, I figured we'd switch up some of the instruments we've got in the vehicle. We've got some pitch and roll numbers right on the dashboard now just to see what kind of elevation we're at, what kind of tilt we're getting. As we get into the off-road stuff, it'll be really cool to see some of those numbers. But right now, just taking it all in. It's pretty neat to see all this and all this at the same time. While driving safely, of course. No campfires, no charcoal grills. Still, it's okay. All right, team. You guys ready? I'm going low four. Going no slip. We're going center dip block. We are ready to go just like that, team. The only thing keeping us from camp, a three-mile OHV trail and plenty of gnarly weather. This is what I'm talking about, isn't it? I look to my right and I'm like, yep, there's death. Death is staring me right in the face. Wimmy, you see the rainbow? Wimmy's actually having a good time. The double rainbow V-trail is, as long as you don't look to your right, has been pending doom. Not bad for a first timer. We made it. No humans or dogs were harmed and now it was time to set up camp. It's really quiet out here. We don't want to disturb the peace, but we're racing the rain to set up camp. It's not going that well, but Anna's looks great over there. A challenge all on its own. Once the clouds cleared, though, it was worth it. And once the sun came up, it got even better. This is how the trunk has evolved. We're nearly as packed as before, but that's because it's all over there. Wimbly, what do you think? Yeah, car camping has some room for improvement and so does off-roading, but soon it was time to head to campsite number two. How do we feel, new spot? Sick views. So one thing that's great about car camping is it's really accessible to just about everybody. You saw some of the insane off-roading stuff we were doing up to Alta Lakes. Now we're at Sunshine Campground and it is much more accessible. We've got the stock Land Cruiser and by stock, I mean no additional bells and whistles, no rock sliders, nothing on top as far as this roof rack is concerned. We do have some bigger tires, but outside of that, you're really getting something you can find on just about any lots across the country. The access is simple as long as you've got the space and the right to-do list, and that has been the biggest eye-opener for us all trip long, is what to bring and what not to bring. Changes to the car, potentially. We'll talk about future modifications to come, but car camping is accessible for just about anybody in any vehicle. It's all about getting out there and giving it a go. But if you do want to push the limits, you might want to proceed with caution, or maybe learn a thing or two from some of the many mistakes we make on our next OHV trail. We did have a battery die on the road, we've got a check engine light on. When fast and functional continues just after this. Wembley, how do we like the views? Amazing. After a second night around Telluride, we sped up to Montrose, Colorado to drop Anna off at the airport so she could get back home for work. Next up for me in Austin, Durango, Colorado. A beautiful western mountain town just south of the San Juan National Forest. A spot where we plan to put our OHV, or off-highway vehicle skills, to a new test. A bit different though than the one we had already faced back at Sunshine Campground. So one important thing to note about any road trip is being prepared for things that you don't expect to happen. We did have a battery die on the road, we've got a check engine light on. Expect the unexpected, but also be prepared. I think that's going to be a big lesson for the next time we hit the road. Now the goal was to make it to Cascade Creek Trailhead to see some sights. Not sure we're supposed to be here, but it seems cool. Sights we'll show more of at the end of the episode. But we also wanted to do some driving, and we were pleasantly surprised. Unreal hike, we just finished up Cascade Creek. Eight miles, two waterfalls, insane. But what we didn't realize is we were walking up the access road, and you can actually bring your car all the way up to here. Which got us thinking, maybe we should do it again, but with the actual car. And you can actually see it. That the trail is open to bikes, horses, and or Wembleys, and obviously hikers. This is the point that you can't bring your car. That's about an extra half mile. So I think we give it a go. All right, kind of important you want to keep your dog clean, because that's going to keep your car clean. When you're doing all kinds of camping and things like that, you definitely want a clean environment as best you can. And Wembley had himself a time on the trail. So he's got dirty paws. Come on over, check it out. I don't know how his belly got so wet. Did you have fun, Wimps? Yeah? He's just ready to take a nap in the car. Little does he know, we're going to go back up the same trail we just came. But this time, we're going to OHV it. Now, it's going to be a little different. When we were over at Alta Lakes, it was a bit more functional, in that we were going up there for camping. This time, we're just going to have some fun with it and see what this car can do. All right, let's do it. So like I said, up until this point, any kind of off-roading we've done has been to get to a campsite. This is the first time we're just going to do an OHV trail just to see how fun it is. I imagine it's about a half mile, all accessible through popular off-road apps, AllTrails, Onyx. But we're going to get to use some of these fun gadgets right here. I'm thinking we'll put the car into four low for sure. That's basically anything under 15 miles per hour. A lot of that high-end or low-end torque. We'll probably put the center diff lock on as well. I don't think we'll need any of the crawl control. And boy, are we just going to have some fun. Austin, are you doing okay back there? You're more worried about Alta Lakes because there was a cliff. This is a little different. Like it's more technical from an off-roading perspective because we're just going over rock gardens. But there's not like that dread of mudslide falling off a cliff ending your life. Fear of heights is real, people. Like I'm worried about scratching the car here. Because again, stock car, not lifted. We've got some all-terrain tires. But outside of that, not many crazy skid plates to protect underneath. So I'm trying to be extra careful as we maneuver through this really beautiful terrain. Driving a little too fast now. Just a little. Britney? It's handling. Speaking of Britney, what is Britney even doing right now? Funny you should ask, Daniel. While I had some downtime, I did a little shopping. Now we all know that I am obsessed with my Miata. But I got an offer I couldn't refuse. So now I'm in a 45th Anniversary Edition GR Supra. Now there were only 900 of these made for the U.S. 450 in this white and 450 in a deep orange. And I'm the lucky owner of one of them. So let me show you around. Okay, all of the 45th Anniversary Editions are a 3.0 Supra. Which means it has an inline six-cylinder 3.0 liter turbocharged engine. This outputs 382 horsepower and 368 foot-pounds of torque. And let's go to the back. There's something really special there that I want to show you. Okay, this wing is special for the 45th Anniversary Edition. It actually has some screws where you can manually change the wing angle. So you can change how much downforce these back wheels are getting. Okay, you got to come take a look inside too. It's got all these carbon fiber accents right here inside. And this piano black, which you have to be very careful with. Because you can look at it and scratch it. But it's okay because it adds to the aesthetics. You know, I've always been a manual girl. But this time I went automatic. But don't worry, it still has some paddle shifters. So I'll still get a little bit of a thrill. And this is an eight-speed automatic versus their six-speed manual. So this one's going to be a little bit faster on the track. Okay, it's time for me to get this thing on the road. But hope you're having a good trip, Daniel. Bye. Yeah, nothing like a good surprise. We have missed Brittany. But she seems like she is doing just fine. Not bad. It was pretty good. Meanwhile, the OHV trail up to the actual trailhead ended up being more like a mile. All right, that was insane. We're back up to the access road. We've done it hiking. We've now done it in the car, Cascade Creek. So much fun. There were a couple sketchy situations. I think we definitely messed around with maybe a big rock or two. And we probably need a better driver. But at the end of the day, Austin's feeling good behind the camera. Wembley's feeling good in the back seat. And I 1000% believe that we have earned the right to eat some food. So let's get on out of here. Great time over at Cascade Creek. And not a bad time testing out the vehicle as well. And there were definitely some sketchy moments. But at the end of the day, we learned from them. And boy, did we learn a lot this trip. Now it's 14 hours back to the Metroplex. But back in studio, we'll talk car camping and off-roading tips, tricks, and more. When Fast and Functional continues just after this. Wow, what an incredible trip. And it's great to be back in our CW33 studios. We had plenty of miles. Not a lot of time, but so many wonderful memories. And so many lessons learned too. Lessons I want to share with you guys right now. Because there really is so many things to talk about. First off, when it comes to car camping. And secondly, when it comes to off-road driving. And I am by no means an expert at this point. But I think going out again, I will certainly be more prepared the next time we decide to head out west or just right around the DFW area. So let's start with car camping. We packed a lot of stuff. Specifically clothes. And I always would decide to overpack rather than underpack. But when it comes to overpacking, if you are going to limit something. I don't think we used about half the clothes we brought. You're typically just comfortable in most of what you're wearing. Now if you're swimming, something to keep in mind. If you know you're going to be on a lot of trails, something to keep in mind. But that would be the first place I'd start. When you're talking about limiting how much space you're going to be using in the vehicle. The camping grill was one of my favorite things we brought on the trip. You talk about ease of use and being able to cook some great food wherever you are. Definitely something I'd recommend people get. Now when I think about things that I want to bring the next time. Not just things I don't want to bring. The first thing that comes to mind is a foldable table. The amount of times that we had to try to use our cooler as a makeshift table. Too many times. Bring a foldable table. Throw it in there. The next most important thing is non-drinkable water. It sounds odd but they make a bunch of multi-gallon tanks you can attach right to your car. And that will come in handy so many times when you're talking about cleaning plates after making food. Getting a quick shower or a quick rinse or anything of the like. Some kind of water source that isn't your drinking water is a must the next time you go car camping. And lastly in the interest of being over prepared. You certainly want to have something to jump start your car in case you've got nobody out there to help you. I think we ran into that issue and got lucky with a kind gentleman who helped us jump start our car at Sunshine Campground. But having something that you could do yourself would be absolutely huge. And I'm pretty sure you can buy them for about $100 on Amazon. The ultimate car camping MVP goes to the hammock for Wembley in the back that protected the seats the entire way. And the last thing I'd probably recommend is just a couple of organizing bins. The amount of time we had to rearrange the back seat and chaos ensued was just about every time. Now as far as OHV is concerned I think I would make a couple modifications to the car. As you saw you don't really need much of a change. Stock options can do a whole lot of crazy terrain out there. And I'd go so far as to say about 90% of really really cool trails can be handled by something you'd find on any lot. But if you're talking about my dream scenario I think one of the biggest things that we'd is certainly going to be some rock rails for added protection. Also some additional skid plates underneath the vehicle. And as far as fun is concerned I think having a rooftop tent would be incredible. You'd probably have to switch up the setup we have on the current vehicle with a new roof rack. But throwing a sweet rooftop tent would make so many things even easier whenever we find that perfect spot to camp. And that's just about it. There's really no right or wrong way to go about it. It's just about doing it and enjoying the ride. And I'd highly recommend doing it with some special people in your life. A huge shout out to Austin and Anna for all the help both on and behind the camera. And of course the star of the show Wembley for coming on the journey as well. But for now that'll do it for this edition of Fast and Functional for my co-host Brittany Breeding. I'm Daniel Esteva reminding you to smile often and we'll see you next time.