This is one of my favorite San Juan Tour Jeep pictures. If there is a Tour Jeep heaven, this is what I would imagine that it would look like.
This picture is from the 1960's and features the San Juan Scenic Jeep Tours fleet lined up along Main Street in downtown Ouray, COLO. They pretty much ruled the streets of Ouray until the 1980's when the Tour Jeep industry there was deregulated. Today, San Juan Scenic Jeep Tours runs J-20 Jeep and new Dodge pickup trucks. The owner, Greg Pieper still favors the J-20 pickups for their power and maneuverability on the trails.
This look's a little early in the Tour Jeep Season. I think it might be climbing on the way up Corkscrew Gulch to Hurricane Pass.
This was one of the better pictures that I had that featured the Surrey top. It's made to be easily put on or off depending on conditions up in the mountains.
Now's here's a picture you don't see everyday! This shot was taken back in 1969 at Governor's Basin just outside of Ouray, Colorado. None of these three FC Tour Jeeps are the one that I own, so I know that at least 4 of them were known to exist. You may also notice that the Tour Jeep on the right has the "Surrey Top" that has been rolled up to the center to take advantage of a beautiful day in the San Juan mountains.
Here's a crisp autumn day where the changing Aspen colors make it a great time to enjoy Fall. Make sure you don’t forget your jacket though!
Here's an old postcard I found of my Tour Jeep overlooking the "Revenue Mine" and "Old Camp Sneffels" on the Imogene trail headed to Telluride, CO. There are many beautiful and dangerous overlooks in the San Juan Mountain range. Some of the spots can definitely be a "white knuckle" ride!
Here's a picture of my Tour Jeep navigating trails in 1973.
Here’s a FC Tour Jeep on the infamous “Black Bear Road” on the way to Telluride, Colorado. The building is no longer there. It was torn down because of too many trespassers. Telluride can be seen in the background.
This week's picture came about from an Internet contact from a gentleman named Philip Schey. Phillip had been searching the web and came across some pictures of some San Juan Scenic Jeeps that immediately caught his attention. Back in 1975 Phillip was hired on as a driver for The San Juan Scenic Jeep Tours out of Ouray. He was 21, newly married, and drove from the early Spring through the end of the season. He mentioned that the FC's he drove were powered by the Chevy 6 and you could really do some tricks with them. Well of course this email caught my attention! I pulled out my Tour Jeep pictures and looked up 1975 to see if by chance I might have something that Phillip might remember. Shazam!! I hit the motherload. A shot of Phillip standing in front of his vehicle with passengers aboard! I'm sure he was just as surprised as me to see the picture and he said that given a little time he might be able to share a few stories of his Tour Jeep adventures that summer. I sure hope so!