October, 2002
"Rocky
Mountain High, In Colorado!" That's how we began
the month of October...at about 9,000 ft. in Summit County. We had made
the right choice, having checked in at Tiger Run RV Resort rather than the
Forest Service Campground. The nights got down to about 32* and by
mid-week we had that white stuff (SNOW!!!!) covering our vehicles and the
ground. We had enjoyed a day outside on Monday and on Tuesday after doing
some laundry and dumping tanks, etc. we drove up to Vail. There we
"checked out" the home belonging to a good friend's sister (quite an impressive
log home built on the side of the mountain) as well as the village and ski
areas. That evening Reid came to dinner and shared more photos and stories
of his trip to South America. On Wednesday, Oct 2, Reid drove with us to
Loveland Pass and Arapahoe Basin Ski Area to see how much snow was on the
mountain. The skiers around here are getting excited about snow coming
soon! We also went for a hike up to where we could overlook the new and
old Dillon Reservoirs. Sadly, the newer, larger one - which is the
water source for Denver - is quite low. The old roads that were there
before the lake was built are visible and the marina docks are almost 1/2
mile from where there were along the shore when we were here two years
ago. The low levels of snow over the last several years has caused drought
conditions in the county. Reid proclaimed the hike "an easy one" but
the altitude affects us after a while! That evening we enjoyed a
delicious dinner at the Blue Spruce Inn. This is considered "shoulder
season" and many of the businesses are running 2-for-one specials.
Afterwards we stayed for "open mic" night and listened to many of the local
amateur musicians - including Reid - "do their thing" at the microphone.
It was a fun time and we got to meet some of Reid's friends and of course listen
to some of his music being performed live.
Thursday
was a "catch-up day." We didn't do much except "putter" around the
coach. Reid stopped by after dinner and he and Tom used the pool and spa
in the clubhouse. On Friday we drove to Idaho Springs and took a tour of
the Phoenix Gold Mine. It is still a "working mine" and we got to see how
much work it takes to get the rock out of the mountain and then retrieve the
gold and silver from it. It's a time consuming and expensive
project. At this particular mine, much still done by hand and primitive
machines. After the mine tour we looked at the map and decided that
we weren't that far from Blackhawk and Central City, so we drove on up to
check out the casinos. We had visited there about 6 or 7 years ago.
The casinos were quite busy, mostly with busloads of senior citizens, and not
quite as noisy as Las Vegas. We had a good lunch at a buffet and enjoyed
watching the various games in action, limited to a $5 maximum bet here in
Colorado.
Our
"neighborhood" at Tiger Run RV Resort in Breckenridge, CO.
At
Loveland Pass on US6, we found it a little more "winter-like" with snow flurries
at 11,990 ft.
Our
guide in the Phoenix Gold Mine explaining how the wires and timbers helped the
miners do their work.
Over
our last weekend in Summit County we spent time with Reid and took a trip to
Leadville where we toured the National Museum of Mining and Hall of Fame.
We spent several hours there and were impressed with their model mines and
extensive collection of artifacts and photographs relating to mining and the
history of Colorado. As always we learned some new and interesting
facts. During our stay in Summit County it was fun to pick up the paper
each day (which is free!) and read the articles that Reid had contributed to
each days edition. The Summit County community is an amazing
place...beautiful scenery, of course, and small towns with boundless
recreational opportunities year round. If you have the ability :-) you can
bike, walk or skate anywhere from town to town on beautiful paved paths,
just for starters.
Monday, October 7 was a bright and sunny day - perfect for driving - as
we headed west across I-70. The Bounder performed well going over Vail
Pass and on to Grand Junction. There we stopped at Wal-Mart (where we
found that overnight stays were discouraged) and at Sam's (for some "cheaper"
gas) and then headed south to Montrose. The drive on I-70 was most
interesting near Glenwood Springs where the canyons are so narrow that the road
had to be built in two levels. Heading south we drove away from the
mountains, then checked in at the Country Village RV Park south of
Montrose. On Tuesday we drove to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National
Park. Some friends had suggested that we might find this park more
beautiful than the Grand Canyon. It certainly is a unique place - much
narrower than the Grand Canyon, and although not as deep, the sharp and
tall rock formations provide majestic vistas. Thinking about the pioneers
exploring and dealing with the area sure makes one grateful that we don't have
to deal with the hardships they faced.
The
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. The river is down there in the
center at the bottom of the cliffs.
The
Ute Indian Museum in Montrose caught our attention on Wednesday morning.
We watched a film and viewed artifacts about the trials and tribulations of
Chief Ouray and his Ute tribe. From there we visited the public library
where we checked our e-mail and then enjoyed lunch at a corner
bakery/cafe. Returning to the RV park we spotted another Russell Stover
Candy Factory, so we stopped in for a few free samples and shopping.
Another thing that caught our eye was the work of a "chain saw artist." We
didn't get to see him in action but the work is intriguing.
An
Indian teepee at the Ute Indian Museum in Montrose, CO.
An
eagle in flight carved from a tree trunk by an chain saw artist in Montrose,
CO.
Click on "forward" above to learn more about our October
travels.
page 1
Following the suggestion of the manager at the Country Village RV Park in
Montrose we took a longer but easier drive south to Durango. Instead of
going straight down Rt.550, we took 62, 145 and 160. It was a beautifully
scenic ride with glorious views of the golden aspen trees and snow-capped
mountain peaks. We stopped several times just to enjoy the view, and took
a side trip into the town of Telluride. At Durango, we checked into
the United Campground RV Park and then set out to see what the town had to
offer. After stopping at the train depot and a few shops in town we
decided to drive north, up RT.550 to see what we had missed by taking the other
road into town and where the steam engine, narrow-gauge railroad goes. We
had to drive over the two lower of three mountain passes that we had missed, and
were very glad we had taken the "easier road" with the RV. Again, it was a
beautiful drive but, narrow and steep and few guard rails. We drove
through the Purgatory Ski Resort and then to Silverton-which is where the train
goes. The town has the typical small town one, short main
street. And typical of the tourist towns we've visited here in Colorado it
is lined with shops. We did stop at the Grand Royal Hotel, built in 1882,
for dinner. The man at the counter told us they get 250" of snow per year
and the temperature holds around -10* much of the winter.
Along
CO highway 145 near Telluride - golden aspens in full color among the
evergreens.
October, 2002
page 2
Durango had the personality of many of the other ski area small towns we
have visited...quaint shops and boutiques in the "historic area." We
noticed the Jeep parked next to us had Franklin County,OH license plates on
it and we talked with the young driver who explained that he had come to Durango
after graduation from OSU and had yet to find a reason to leave the mountains
and return to Columbus. Sounds familiar!!! The fudge shop downtown
offered us tickets to tour the actual candy factory on the edge of town.
Who are we to turn down factory tours or chocolate??? So, we toured the
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. It was great! They took us right
into the kitchen and up to the hot kettles as the workers were mixing and
creating. We got to stand along the conveyor belts as other workers were
filling the boxes of "I Love Lucy" candies...that brought back memories of those
great TV comedies! And at the end of the tour, we got to fill a bag with
chocolates we chose ourselves from big boxes of all their
varieties.
After
overloading on chocolate, on Friday, Oct. 11, we drove from Durango down to
Aztec, New Mexico and checked into the Ruins Road RV Park. The park is
about a mile from the facility where Tom's Aunt Dorothy now lives and less than
that from a cousin and her husband. We were also located just a few blocks
from the Aztec Ruins National Monument which we toured on Sunday. It is
amazing how large and intricate the Indian pueblo was and how well it has
remained since 1299 when it was abandoned. Over the several days we stayed
in Aztec we enjoyed taking drives in the area to see some of the unusual rock
formations at Angel Peak in Bloomfield and the Shiprock in where else but
Shiprock. We took Aunt Dorothy out for meals and her favorite stop - for
ice cream and enjoyed visiting with her niece Beverly and her husband Oceo and
hearing their tales of living many years in the area.
The
Durango-Silverton Railroad running right through our campground on it's morning
run.
Tom
supervising the chefs at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory in
Durango.
The
Aztec Ruins National Monument...a pueblo dating to the 12th
century.
Tom's
Aunt Dorothy and her niece, Beverly in Aztec, NM.
On
Thursday, Oct 17 we retraced our path to Durango and then went west to Mesa
Verde National Park. The park campground had closed the day before, so we
parked at the
A&A RV Park across the road from the park entrance. After lunch
we drove into the park and drove 20 miles to the Visitor Center and Museum and
learned about the Puebloan Indians and their life in the area in the 1100 and
1200s. We toured several ruin sites and the museum and saved the "big
tour" till Friday. On Friday we joined about 50 other people and climbed
down into the Cliff Palace where the National Park Service is working to
maintain the centuries old ruins while letting the public view them. The
"palace" is one of many in the area built under an overhanging cliff, yet is
three or more stories high. It was built with few windows and very small
doors to protect from the elements. There were holes in the roof for
ventilation and to exit by using long ladders. In the lower levels were
perfectly round rooms called "kivas" where families or clans gathered
for ceremonies. The crops were grown on the tops of the cliffs on the
mesas. All the people who lived there disappeared around 1290 and
archaeologists are not sure why - probably because of drought
conditions. Amazingly, their homes remain. (Maybe they got
used to it, but our one climb down and back up again in between narrow crevices
in the rocks and on long ladders was enough!)
"The
Cliff Palace" ruins from the observation deck and tour starting point.
Note the smoke marks on the roof.
"The
Spruce Tree House" ruins at Mesa Verde National Park.
"The
Balcony House" ruins at Mesa Verde National Park.
Click on "forward" and "back" above to see
more of our October adventures.
October, 2002
page 3
Saturday, Oct 19 we once again headed west - and a little south.
From Mesa Verde National Park we went through Cortez (with a brief stop at the
Super Wal-Mart) and on to the "Four Corners." The corners itself is marked
with a large monument, but it lies in the middle of the Navajo Indian
Reservation. It was a barren drive across the desert to get there and the
Indian nation charges $3 per person to enter the monument area. (And the
spot coincided perfectly with our GPS) They do have it set up nicely with
a large platform to use to take photos of the only point in the US where
four states (Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah) all come together.
They also have quite an array of booths with people selling all sorts of rugs,
jewelry and fry bread.
Continuing on south through the Navajo Reservation, our next stop was the
Hubbell Trading Post. This was the last surviving Trading Post - one of 36
established by J.L.Hubbell in the late 1800s and early 1900s across the
southwest to trade with the Indians. At this location he had also built a
wonderful home for his family and guests and became very involved with his
Indian neighbors as well as an important part of the settlement of the
west. The trading post is still in operation and became part of the
National Park Service when the last family members moved away in 1967, leaving
all the memorabilia behind. It eventually was in the middle of land given
to the Navajos and the Navajos gave special permission to the Hubbell family to
remain there and eventually be buried there. We were given a tour by a
fantastic, storytelling Navajo who has been involved with the post for many
years and is now an employee of the NPS.
It
was late in the afternoon when we reached the Painted Desert and Petrified
Forest National Park. The drive through the Indian Reservation is a
"lonely" drive...miles and miles of nothing except an occasional group of small,
ill-kept mobile homes surrounded by various junk. Every once in a while
there was a small town and a school (the schools looked nice and new and
clean.) Unfortunately we were struck by the number of beer bottles and
cans lining the roadside - even out in the middle of nowhere. But,
at the Painted Desert we realized that our late in the day arrival was a "good
thing." The park closes at 6pm and by 4:30 on a Saturday there were few
people there. We were able to drive the Bounder and tow car through the
entire park and into each of the scenic overlooks with no problems. We
could enjoy the view from the high seats in the Bounder or easily park and get
out to walk the trails. And the late afternoon sun made the colors of rock
and sand glow beautifully. The petrified wood is also amazing...looks just
like regular logs laying all over the place, but its actually stone - caused by
all the earth's action many centuries ago. Sadly, much of the petrified
wood was removed from the area many years ago by "entrepreneurs" and can
now be bought at souvenir shops outside the park. We exited
the park just at dark and were happy to see that one of the gift shops offered
free camping. So, we parked and spent the night.
Here's one way to be in CO, NM, AZ, and UT all at once!
The
Painted Desert National Park
A
petroglyph at the Petrified Forest National Park.
Pieces of petrified logs strewn across the desert in the Petrified Forest
National Park.
Having had no hookups, we'd gone to bed early, and were up and on the
road early Sunday morning. We made several rest area stops and took
advantage of digital phone service to make connections via phone and
computer. They were glad to see us at a "Flying J" near Winslow where we
got 15 gals. of propane and 50 gals. of gasoline (and also got a peek at an '03
Bounder Diesel parked in the lot!) In early afternoon we arrived at the
Thousand Trails Preserve, Verde Valley, south of Cottonwood and Sedona,
AZ. The park is quite full and we were fortunate to find a nice spot near
the lodge and laundry facilities. This is one of the nicest parks in the
TT system - at least we think so! On Monday, Tom washed the car and
the roof of the RV. On Tuesday we washed the rest of the outside of the RV
and got the sunscreens installed. Boy, are we glad we got them! And
on Wednesday, of course, it rained!!! We took advantage of the rainy,
cloudy day to run errands in Cottonwood and to do laundry. On Thursday we
made a circle tour of the greater Cottonwood area to visit the Montezuma
National Monument, Montezuma Well, and the Tuzigoot National Monument. All
three places are surviving ruins of the Sinagua Indians who abandoned the
villages in the 1400s...and nobody knows why. These groups, unlike the
ones in the places further north, had abundant water, but like those groups,
built their pueblos under the cliffs and above the valley floor so that they
needed ladders to climb up and down from their homes! The well is actually
a natural sink hole fed by springs which supplied water to the Indians.
Montezuma is believed to never have been here, but the places were named in his
honor.
Montezuma Castle National Monument
Montezuma Well
Tuzigoot National Monument
The
last week of October was a quiet and restful one at Verde Valley. Saturday
and Sunday we had quite a bit of rain but on Monday it was quite pleasant again
and we were glad we weren't heading back to a work week somewhere. On
Saturday night we went through the "haunted house" at the preserve. The
workers had put together a great adventure for the season. A band that we
had heard when we stayed here in January played again on Saturday night as
well. Monday night, Oct. 28th, we celebrated our 35th anniversary with
dinner at a nice restaurant in Cottonwood. We took some more drives in the
area--to the beautiful red rocks of Sedona, to check out a trout hatchery, to
the old mining town of Jerome and on to Prescott, and down some dirt roads in
the desert near the preserve just to see what was there. We also enjoyed
some rounds of miniature golf at the preserve. Wednesday night we
went to the "Blazin' M Ranch" for a "chuckwagon dinner" and
entertainment...pretty decent all the way around, especially their rendition of
"Ghostriders in the Sky" with a ghost on horseback galloping past the
windows, with flashing strobe lights, at the appropriate
moments. We enjoyed our stay here and hopefully will return
sometime.
Thousand Trails Preserve, Verde Valley, Loop H among the trees. The
river is hiding among the trees at the center of the photo.
Click on "forward" and "back" above to see more of
October's adventures.