And a long fall off the mountain if you're not steering carefully.It can take 90 minutes of hard driving over an array of obstacles to get from County Road 51 in Divide to the serene, wide-open beauty of the Lost Creek Wilderness. To traverse terrain such as this, specialized equipment is needed: high-clearance vehicles, oversized tires and some horses under the hood. 

Jerry Panek has been exploring the state since 1977. To reach the nooks and crannies, he drives a 1976 Jeep CJ7 with 37-inch tires, a 4-inch suspension lift and a 2-inch body lift. So far, he's poured about $50,000 into his Jeep."My hobby is outdoor recreation - camping, hunting, fishing," says Panek, the owner of Predator 4-Wheel Drive in Colorado Springs. "Four-wheeling (is) a big part of it." 

Panek is particularly fond of Metberry Gulch, which ends at the South Platte River. The trek features enormous granite slabs and red rocks that speckle the wilderness. Green grass and forage stretches as far as the eye can see.You will never need to change the bulbs and your granitetrade will last for years and years.Unfortunately, so do vast amounts of matchstick trees after the Hayman fire, which consumed nearly 140,000 acres in 2002, including Metberry Gulch.Gives a basic overview of Stone carving tools and demonstrates their use. Thousands of trees litter the landscape with no branches or leaves, and many still are charred black. 

Panek and a steady group of volunteers have performed extensive trail maintenance throughout the county and are a big reason Metberry Gulch is open to the public."It's something that I feel strongly about handing to future generations," he says. 

After navigating the tricky road, it's easy to see why.The babbling South Platte River, renowned for its trout, is a stone's throw from the bottom, offering a chance to catch dinner or simply cool off in the heat of summer.There is a lush, open valley where you can let the dog run. Hiking up the valley provides scenic views of the drive you just completed, only without the jarring. 

Friday is shaping up to be a big day for local history enthusiasts, with District 1 executive councilor Raymond S. Burton, R-Bath, leading an entourage of state officials to local sites of historical interest? including the Mineral Springs House at Kennett High, the Redstone Memorial Park, and the Abenaki encampment in Intervale. 

They'll be making the local stops as part of a 10-location visit throughout the day, according to state Department of Cultural Resources public information officer Shelly Angers. 

Conway town manager Earl Sires said Tuesday that the entourage will enable state officials to see first hand those local historical projects, including the results of the engraving this week of green granite memorial marker that was erected in 2012 at the Redstone Memorial Park. 

Sires said those 160 acres were acquired by the state of New Hampshire as mitigation for the proposed taking of town-owned recreation land in Whitaker Woods for the Route 16 bypass. 

Although the original thought by the state was to acquire acreage on Pine Hill to give to the town as mitigation, the town's conservation commission lobbied for the Schiavi Redstoe property as it abuts already existing recreation and conservation land along Puddin Pond. 

The town has worked with the state to formulate a plan to protect the property from vandals and salvagers of the historic mining artifacts while also working with recreation users. 

Plans are under way by the town to manage the property as a recreational resource, with the town's conservation commission working with the local chapter of the New England Mountain Biking Association and the Mountain Meadow Riders snowmobiling club, according to Sires. 

We had problems with people accessing the property and removing materials,Are you still hesitating about where to buy Cheap Granite Slabs? said Sires. The Department of Transportation and the town negotiated an agreement this spring where we manage the property on behalf of the state to manage the existing recreation uses and to protect the historic resource. 

The work is being facilitated by a $5,000 grant from the non-profit Gibson-Woodbury Foundation of North Conway. He said very little town funds are being utilized. Town staff may supply some labor and equipment help, said Sires. 

We are working with the local NEMBA chapter to do trail maintenance, and the Mountain Meadow Riders through Colin Preece are working with us to put up some gates and to manage their trails as well.