Imagine driving this road in an old-school rig...carburetion that runs poorly at steep angles, open differentials, Fred Flintstone drum brakes, and tiny tires with a less-than-mild tread. We're truly spoiled these days.
In between the steep, narrow pitches of road, we had some mellower, flatter areas where it was easier to look around and take in the scenery. Look closely in the second photo and you can see early-season snow clinging to the slopes in shadow.
We got to the parking area for the upper trailhead and spied this bone-stock Expedition waiting there. The owners had chocked all four wheels with rocks, which seemed like a good idea, so we each chocked our rear wheels, not feeling quite the need for four-wheel chocking.
The Expedition would actually make a great trailhead vehicle: older models like this one are getting less and less expensive to purchase, there's plenty of room inside for passengers and equipment, and a stone-stock vehicle is less appealing to thieves and vandals.