Nestled in the heart of the Rocky Mountains is the town of Ouray, Colorado. Said to be the Switzerland of America, the San Juan Mountains live up to this saying. Ouray sits at the end of the valley in a box canyon surrounded by the cliffs that lead up to the surrounding mountain. Once a mining district, Ouray is now a summer tourist destination with access to a number of high four wheel drive passes. Ouray has become a destination of choice for off road enthusiasts. It is here that the annual FJ Summit is held.
The 2009 Summit continues a tradition that was established in 2007 when the first summit was held in Ouray. 2009 brought around 180 FJ Cruisers, their drivers families from around the US to Ouray to enjoy fellowship, the beauty of the Rocky Mountains, and of course, the raffle.
Each day started with a number of organized trail runs over; Black Bear Pass, The Alpine Loop, Corkscrew – California Gulch, Imogene Pass as well as a few others. Each run consisted of a maximum of 10 FJ Cruiser and a few other Toyota trucks. With stops to enjoy the wildflowers and massive views the trail runs were a highlight of the weekend.
I always enjoy seeing all the vendors which whom I enjoy able chatting with about their FJ Cruiser specific products. The vender turn out for 2009 was great with all aspects of FJ Cruiser off road equipment needs being met.
As always TRD was present with their large semi truck and trailer. For this year’s summit TRD rolled the 2007 SEMA Show truck out as well as a preproduction version of the 2010 Toyota FJ Cruiser Trail Teams Edition off the truck. It’s nice to see that there will be a 2010 edition of the Toyota FJ Cruiser.
Even though I was unable to stay through the weekend I could not help but drool over the listing of products for the Saturday Night Raffle. This was the best list of product yet to be offered at the Raffle and I’m sure it was a lively night with FJ Cruiser owners walking away with prized new components to help dress out the FJ’s.
Once again kudos go out to the hard working organizers of the FJ Cruiser Summit.