This is part two of my Colorado run and we’re jumping on Buchanan Pass Trail heading up toward Beaver Reservoir. The trail was an absolute blast, but it definitely got technical in spots—tight lines, chunky rock sections, and a couple moments where you just have to stay steady and commit. At one point a rock bounced my wife hard to the driver side, we bottomed out, and I could feel the truck sliding on the skid plate. We made a quick pit stop at this little campsite right along the river and honestly… imagine camping there. Super peaceful, and it was a cool spot to take a breath before pushing on. Later on, we hit a rough section and I started hearing clinking and a squeak that kept getting louder, plus a couple hits that sounded like a snap on both sides at different times. I was hoping it wasn’t a tie rod, so I told you guys we’d check it once we got down. A couple days after the trip I figured out the loud squeak was my stock skid plate scraping my lower control arm after we smacked it pretty hard. My alignment was off too, and the alignment shop found loose upper control arm ball joints and tie rods with some play—nothing extremely major, but it’s a good reminder to inspect your front end after a rocky trail day, especially when it’s hot out and you’re pushing the truck.