Ending Summer 2019 at Ridgway State Park

Delta County Fair 8-3/8-11 Cowboy Poetry

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

I just finished reading Dolnick’s, “Down the Great Unknown”, the journey of John Wesley Powell and crew’s 1869 expedition down the Green and Colorado rivers. The book details a great adventure and stunning revelations.

Having experienced multi-day excursions of the deep canyons on the Green River and Colorado River, I can relate to many of the experiences that he and his team encountered in the abyss. The most impressive part of this book was Powell’s ability to “think and see” in geologic time. To scan a towering canyon wall was to look back a hundred million years. Powell saw that the earth’s surface changes like the face of the sea, but too slowly for humans to recognize it. Mountains are dissolved and washed to the sea and from the sea, new mountains are pushed up, all in the story of the world. This was a fascinating and exciting read!

Monday, August 12, 2019

Once again, I have let myself get behind on my journal notes. We recently made a three-night, circuitous trip around the high-country of SW Colorado and experienced some nostalgic and novel sights. Our first night was Basalt, followed by a night in Salida, and finally a night in Gunnison. Along the route, we crossed McClure Pass, Independence Pass, Monarch Pass, and Cerro Summit. On this trip, we visited some familiar and some new places.

Traveling up the North Fork of the Gunnison River, was a familiar route but having recently read a book on the 1776 Dominguez-Escalante Expedition, ironically this was part of their route and I recognized some landmarks that they described in their journals.

In 1776, two Franciscan friars, Dominguez and Escalante, were sent to search for an overland route from Santa Fe New Mexico to the recently established settlement at Monterey California. They made it as far as Southern Utah before being overtaken by winter and deciding to return to Santa Fe. They were one of the first, if not the first, white men to visit this area. Their journals of valleys with agricultural potential, precious metals, wildlife, and abundant timber inspired subsequent adventurers to begin population of the areas.

Following up the North Fork of the Gunnison River, we crossed over McClure Pass to the Crystal River Valley. The McClure Pass (8755’) is located along the boundary between Pitkin and Gunnison counties, in a gap at the western side of the Elk Mountains, south of Redstone. It separates the headwaters of the Crystal River (a tributary of the Roaring Fork River to the north) with the headwaters of the North Fork Gunnison River (south). The pass is traversed by State Highway 133 between Carbondale and Paeonia, providing the direct route between the Roaring Fork Valley and the North Fork Valley. The pass is not especially high and is generally open year-round, closed only during heavy snowstorms. The approaches are fairly steep on each side, with an 8% grade. The approach is smooth on the south side, as the road overlooks Muddy Creek above Paeonia State Park. The approach on the north side has one large switchback overlooking the valley containing the town of Marble, Colorado.

In western Colorado, on the western slope, one can almost guess altitudes by the trees. Starting up the slope, Sage, Rabbit Brush, and Juniper give way to Scrub Oak, Cottonwood, Pinion and Ponderosa Pine, then, Aspen, followed by low alpine vegetation on the highest elevations.

The Crystal River, a roaring, high-mountain, whitewater river, is one of the most scenic nature areas around Aspen. The Crystal River is a tributary of the Roaring Fork River, approximately 40 mi long, in western Colorado. It drains a glacial valley, called the Coal Basin, south of Carbondale which was historically known as a center of coal mining in southwestern Colorado. It rises in northern Gunnison County in the Elk Mountains on the north side of Schofield Pass, passing through the ghost town of Crystal City, still inhabited by a few summer residents. It then flows north past Marble, then into Pitkin County past Redstone. It joins the Roaring Fork below Carbondale. State Highway 133 follows the awesome river canyon along much of its route north of Marble.

At Marble, we revisited the outdoor museum of the Marble quarries. We saw that the outdoor Marble Museum is still the same, with all sorts of marble exhibits scattered around the Ponderosa Pine, wooded-area, along Crystal River.

For a new experience, we took the six-mile, OMG road up to the quarries for a thrilling, exhilarating, and scenic ride. Driving up to the still-operating quarries on an OMG road was plum scary. The road is mainly cut into a sheer rock face, making a narrow ledge to drive on. It’s hard to believe that 18-wheeler rigs (wide as the road) haul the monolithic marble slabs down that steep, narrow road. They have escorts that lead the way, so if you meet one, you have to back down to a turnout, to let them pass. Thank God we did not have to do that. (NO guardrails)! You look to the valley anywhere along that road and it’s literally straight down.

Back at Marble, they have a large staging area where the huge white marble slabs and blocks are prepared for shipping. This beautifully unique marble can be found in famous Washington monuments and all sorts of other public buildings.

We drove around the historic little town of Marble and admired some neat old architecture. Another addition since we were last there, were some marble sculptures around the little town, products of the new Marble/marble sculpting symposium held each summer. Our last new find was the Slow Groovin’ BBQ restaurant, serving some really fine, epic, award-winning barbecue. Their web; “Slow Groovin' BBQ began in the town of Marble, Colorado surrounded by the beautiful Elk mountains.  Marble gets its name from the Marble Quarry, just up the (beware, that ain’t your normal) road from the heart of town. The Lincoln Memorial, The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Capitol Building in Denver and many other important buildings were all built with Marble from this area.  At the end of the road and off the beaten track, Marble is a place where cell phones do not work and nature's beauty is unrivaled.  Today you can find us up in Marble during the summer season and in Snowmass Village year-round. If you get the chance, go to Marble and experience a wild place with great BBQ!”

At Redstone, in the Crystal River Valley, we toured the old coal-mining town, now a quaint, rustic hideaway for some the Aspen crowd. Down the river, Redstone was established in the late 19th century by industrialist John Cleveland Osgood as part of a coal mining enterprise. Osgood's coal empire also spurred construction of the Crystal River Railroad and Redstone's historic dwellings. As an experiment in "enlightened industrial paternalism," Osgood constructed 84 cottages and a 40-room inn, all with indoor plumbing and electricity, for his coal miners and cokers, as well as modern bathhouse facilities, a club house with a library and a theatre, and a school. Most of these Craftsman-era Swiss-style cottages are still used as homes. We enjoyed the riverside village and the historic cottages have been restored into beautiful summer homes. They had a museum on the coal-mining era and the original “General Store” serving some really good ice cream too!

The beehive-shaped coke ovens are still on display, illustrating how quality coke was produced from the coal. The unqualified term "coke" usually refers to the product derived from low-ash and low-sulfur bituminous coal by a process called coking. It must have been a smoky, dirty operation, unhealthy for the workers.

A dominant feature of Redstone is Cleveholm Manor, commonly called "Redstone Castle," an opulent 42-room Tudor-style mansion that Osgood built for his second wife, Swedish Countess Alma Regina Shelgrem. Construction of Cleveholm Manor, which was designed by New York architects Boal and Harnois, began in 1897 and was completed in 1901. The Castle was part of a 72-acre estate that also included servants' quarters, a gamekeeper's lodge, a carriage house, and a greenhouse. Cleveholm Manor and the gamekeeper's cottage are both independently listed on the National Register. The mansion has been renovated and restored to its 1880’s status and is open to tours. The mansion is privately owned but available for tours. We drove up there for an overview but discovered that you must buy advance tickets on-line.

Back at the village, the 40-room Inn, in a beautiful setting, is open to the public for lodging, offering luxury accommodations, dining, and guide services.  

From Crystal City to Marble, the Crystal River flows through the Crystal River Canyon, a narrow valley with numerous snow slide runs, rockfalls, and other hazardous terrain. Although it is locally known as a fishing and hiking attraction the unpaved and largely un-maintained mining road, designated Gunnison County Road 3, is nearly impassable to vehicles other than ATVs and off-road motorcycles. A four-wheel-drive jeep tour is operated out of Marble, but only operates during the summer when the road is not blocked by snow, mud, or rock slides.

At Basalt, beside the Frying Pan River, we discovered an old mining town that has been transformed into a cozy suburb of Aspen. The original buildings have been restored into shops, restaurants, and outdoor outfitters, with a sprinkling of new hotels, and public parks and facilities. Our Aspenalt Lodge accommodations were pet-friendly, situated right on the Riverwalk, adjacent to the public area and very comfortable. We had a nice dinner beside the Frying Pan River. Daisy loved the room, the Riverwalk, and the evening town-stroll.

Aspen was beautiful, with the Maroon Bells in the distance and the exclusive shops, hotels, restaurants, and attractions spread around the mountain town. You have to overlook the “fluff” and crowds to appreciate the natural beauty of the area. In the summer months, the gondolas and lifts take you high into the mountains for hiking and outdoor adventures. We shopped City Market for some supplies and found that Aspen was like a Manhattan street, by noon. Aspen attracts people from around the globe, providing mountain and outdoor attractions in abundance. In town, some can afford the spas, oxygen bars, entertainment, exclusive shops and dining, specialized marijuana dispensaries, CBD treatments, and implausible personal services. It’s all about the money!

From Aspen, we very quickly entered the wilderness of Independence Pass (12,095’). This is another OMG road that follows river up, to Continental Divide, and river down, through a virtual transition from valley to alpine tundra. The Independence Pass route negotiates deep, narrow canyons, and traverses steep, high shelves that really stimulate your fear-factor. Above 10-thousand feet the wildflowers were just coming into their prime and it was a beautiful morning sight. Independence Pass is a lot like the “Going to the Sun” road, except longer, with more high, OMG ledges and precipices. Along the canyon walls huge house-size boulders are looming over the road with a very menacing look of impending disaster.

In the Arkansas River valley, we cruised south to Buena Vista for a city-park picnic, along the Arkansas River. We have been to Buena Vista many times and it remains a favorite spot for us. We have run the headwaters of the Arkansas through Brown’s Canyon, one of the most awesome river canyons in Colorado. With the Collegant Peaks on the west side of the valley, and the headwaters of the Arkansas River adjacent to the east side, it is one of the most picturesque valleys in Colorado.

After lunch, we followed on down the Arkansas River to Salida, a town we have passed through many times, but on this occasion spent the night and a day touring the area. Our accommodations at Loyal Duke Lodge were pet-friendly, with a nice room, and Daisy enjoyed the walks around town. Loyal Duke Lodge actually honors a “loyal dog” which became the town mascot after his master died. The town erected a nice memorial monument to Duke’s memory. The old downtown has a grand collection of 1880’s buildings with lots of stone structures. The new Riverwalk is a real showplace for the town. It strolls right down beside the Arkansas River and feels like you’re totally alone with the river and huge Cottonwood and Elms, lining the riverbank. They also have a nice whitewater kayak course long the river and a historic railroad exhibit.

Our next leg was heading east over Monarch Pass (11,312’) and the Continental Divide, one of my favorite high mountain passes. Monarch Pass is widely considered one of the most scenic in Colorado, offering a panoramic view of the southern end of the Sawatch Range, from the summit, and views of the eastern and western slope of the Continental Divide.

I tend to classify Colorado mountain passes into categories and subcategories;

For example:

·       Federal and State highways

1.  Paved State Highway passes

2.  Paved 2-lane and 4-lane Federal and Interstate Highway passes

·       County roads

1.     Paved/Improved surface road passes

2.     Gravel road passes

3.     Four-wheel-drive passes

4.     Foot traffic only passes

The passes have very different challenges and risks, so it’s important to know what you’re getting into before you drive. Weather is the main factor and can spell disaster if you’re not prepared. Surprises are always possible, like the surprise we got on the Plateau River, when the road to Rifle turned into an impossible road for our vehicle. We had to backtrack but that’s a story that encourages high mountain, back-road exploration, a major tourist attraction in the Colorado Rockies. Given trails that only Mountain Goats can tread, man will build machines to take him there! On the high-country, 4-wheel drive roads you will see them all, as they seem like little ants from above or below. I’ll always remember the time that my friend Tom got caught in an early winter storm while back-country skiing up on Mosquito Pass, and had to abandon his 4-WD until the next spring thaw. It was buried in snow all winter and when the forest service plowed the road in the spring, he dug it out of the sideroad spot where it had spent the winter, it started right up and he drove it home.

On the western slope of Monarch Pass and the Continental Divide, we had a day and night in Gunnison. We drove up to Crested Butte, an old mining town that has rehabilitated (debilitated) into a popular winter ski resort and summer outdoor attraction. Premiere trout-fishing rivers abound in the area and it brings in loads of profitable outfitting and guide opportunities for the locals. Crested Butte is also a tremendously popular place to just shop, dine, and play in the great mountain outdoors.

The East, Slate, and Gunnison Rivers combine to create Gold Medal trout fisheries and the fishermen flock here to enjoy the sport. It is astonishing to observe what some fishermen spend on equipment, guides, and accommodations, in order to fish Colorado, mainly a catch and release obligation. For a rural Mississippi boy like myself, we cut poles made-up rigs, dug worms and went fishing, never releasing, but always frying-up fresh fish. So, I’ll just be a spectator of these Colorado Gold Medal fisheries!

My observation of these splendid mountain rivers is that they should always remain wild and free. From a practical standpoint, increasing development and water demands eventually means more dams in Colorado. The increasing population will demand it and compromises will inevitably be made.

Known locally as “Gunny”, Gunnison, lies thirty minutes south of Crested Butte in the heart of the Rockies. Although remote, it offers plenty of fun things to do. There aren’t many towns around Gunnison, making it an ideal place to get away to. The surrounding area is filled with year-round recreation.

Gunnison is rather like a home on the range surrounded by ski areas, a national recreation area, national park, lakes, rivers and mesas and high-mountain sage that looks like it’s right out of a John Wayne Western movie. The city, which feels like a cattleman's town, is the kind of place where you don't feel like a tourist as much as somebody visiting the folks.

Gunnison has the Western Colorado University, and lots of young people populate the recreation areas and nightspots year-round. Tourism abounds year-round with winter and summer sports. Our accommodations at Gunnison’s, Water Wheel Inn, were pet-friendly and provided all of our creature comforts. All of our hotels on this trip provided breakfast, but this is the only and first-ever one that served us hot homemade biscuits.

After a nice visit, a night’s rest and an exploration in Gunnison, we headed west on the last day of our westside, eastside/eastside, westside circle tour of the Continental Divide in SW Colorado. Heading west, out of Gunnison, we were on a familiar track and we stopped off at the Curecanti canyon, confluence of the Cimarron and Gunnison rivers. A new experience was a hike down the trail, along the Gunnison River, into the steep, narrows of the canyon. It was awesome! Even Daisy felt exhilarated to see, smell, hear and taste the depths of the Gunnison River canyon. They also have a nice display of the old narrow-gage Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad which ran through the Gunnison Canyon. The old trestle with an engine and service cars are displayed, instigating wonder about how it was constructed.

On this last day of our excursion, we crossed Cerro summit which divides the watershed of the Cimarron River to the east and the Uncompahgre River to the west, both of which eventually flow into the Gunnison River. We headed west, back to Montrose and then south, to Ridgeway State Park. What a wonderful four-days in the wilds of the Colorado Rockies.

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

When you go to Colorado on vacation, you won’t get up HERE in the family car! Corkscrew is a high-country route that definitely lives up to its name. This picture is at 13,000 feet, with a 360-degree view of most of the San Juan Range. This area has experienced uplift, became a volcanic caldera, then glaciers shaped the cirques. Subsequently, miners punched holes all over, in search of the gold and silver, creating some of the richest strikes in Colorado, that are now high-altitude ghost-towns.

We went 4-wheeling up to Corkscrew Pass, Hurricane Pass, and California Pass. The day was clear and cool, with no wind. This is Colorado high-country with stunning views!

PLUM GOOD IDEAS

Not sure what to pair plums with in cooking? I always turn to the Vegetarian Flavor Bible for flavor combo ideas. Here are a few ingredients that pair really well with plums!

Ginger

Cinnamon

Lemon

Honey

Oranges

Balsamic vinegar

Sesame

Other stone fruits (cherries, apricots, almonds, nectarines)

https://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/slideshow/plum-recipes

Colorado jalea ciruela rojo Red Plum Jelly of Colorado

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Last night, at the Group Event Facility, we had our final monthly picnic, sponsored by Friends of Ridgway State Park, for employees, seasonal staff, and volunteers. It was another delightful picnic, with delicious food, and additionally it was recognition and appreciation night for the various work-groups. We all received a “park logo” travel-bag gift, a practical and useful article. It has been an enjoyable summer at Ridgway State Park and we have made new friends, explored the area, sampled the food and culture, and thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful San Juan Mountains. It’s true that the San Juans will “steal your heart in a summer”.

We also received a complementary “Colorado State Parks Pass”, and we plan to do some camping and exploring around the State Parks, in the next two months, or until the winter weather drives us south. We’re looking forward to the Colorado “Fall colors”.

Peak fall foliage usually arrives in Colorado between mid-September and mid-October, varying by season and mostly depending on temperatures. And if you are still wondering what makes this state so unique in autumn, witness how it strikes aspen gold as the aspen trees turn amber in the mountains. Colorado is home to the largest number of aspen trees in the United States. Colorado has five different climate zones, meaning that the state has one of the most extended periods of autumn colors of any in the United States.

And how about combining the beauty of fall leaves with the mating rituals of large elk in the mountains? The dusk and dawn are the best times to hear the elk bugling. The distinctive mating call is unmistakable and sounds like a bugle's blast. It’s a primordial sound that signals Fall to me.

Today, we drove up to Delta to visit Fort Uncompahgre and the Confluence Park. Fort Uncompahgre, on the Santa Fe Trail, was a fur trading post constructed in 1828 by Antoine Robidoux, a trader based out of Mexican Santa Fe. The post was situated about two miles down from the confluence of the Gunnison River and the Uncompahgre River, near the present-day community of Delta, Colorado. Robidoux chose the area because it afforded abundant timber for construction and firewood as well as pasture for pack animals. It was also a favored gathering spot of the Ute Indians and a natural ford nearby offered an easy river crossing. Its design was more to secure goods and livestock than to be defensive, and was abandoned in 1844 when hostilities broke out between Ute Indians and Mexicans. The fort is a National Historic Site and well worth the time to pay a visit!

Montrose and surrounding area deserves my documented description because we have admired it all summer. The dominant terrain within the quadrangle is typified by shale badlands, called the “Adobe hills” or, simply, the “Adobes” by local residents. This area can be divided into a high part (HAH), which contains moderately steep shale ridges and hills and deeply incised valleys, and a low part (LAH) that features broad basins and low shale hills. A nearby structural geomorphic feature of note, the Uncompahgre Uplift, forms a northeastward-dipping escarpment several miles to the west of the quadrangle. The foot of its dip slope lies along the western edge of the Uncompahgre River valley, in the adjacent Delta quadrangle. Montrose is in the south end of the Uncompahgre valley, and is built on the Uncompahgre river. It is surrounded by, to the north, Grand Mesa, to the east, the Black Canyon, to the south, the San Juan Mountains, and to the west the Uncompahgre Plateau. The valley is arid, and is only arable due to the water from the Gunnison Tunnel. The adobe hills always puzzle newcomers, wondering if they’re manmade or natural. It quickly becomes obvious that they’re way to large and numerous to be manmade. Another stunning work of “mother nature”!

Some July 2019 day and overnight trips

Wed. July 3, 2019

On a cool, clear morning, we commenced a day-trip on the West Elk Scenic Byway, a loop along the West Elk Mountains and the north rim of the Gunnison Canyon. After coffee at Starbuck’s, we headed north to Delta and took Colorado 92, across the Blue Mesa Dam to US 50, then back west to Montrose.

At Hotchkiss (1881), a high, western-slope farm community, in the valley of the North Fork of the Gunnison River, we admired the trees, historic buildings, and the farm and ranch atmosphere of the area. The North Fork of the Gunnison River drains part of the southwestern flank of the Elk Mountains and the valley, with a temperate climate, is a center of fruit growing in southwestern Colorado. During spring runoff, the North Fork is also a popular river-rafting venue. It’s a picturesque little town and is becoming an attraction for tourism.

Next, we took a jaunt, on up the North Fork, northwest, to Paonia, to find some Colorado cherries. The North Fork Valley was inhabited by the Ute people until 1880, when the Ute Indian Reservation was closed by the federal government following the infamous Meeker Massacre. The peony roots that pioneer Samuel Wade brought with him to this place in 1881 inspired him to submit the Latin name for peony, Paeonia, as a town name. The post office wouldn't allow the extra vowel, so "Paeonia" became "Paonia". Post Office names have lots of interesting stories! We categorically found our Colorado cherries at the Stahl Orchards, on the river, just south of town. Five generations have been producing “Fruit of the Colorado Rockies” (cherries, apricots, peaches, nectarines, plums, pears, apples) on this farm. We enjoyed an interesting and informative visit with the Stahl’s and admired their farm scenes and structures. We were attracted to a huge old cherry tree, loaded with sweet, red, ripe cherries, so we made some pictures and enjoyed Mr. Stahl’s story about this archetypal tree, in his yard. What a great stop and visit! We took his card and promised to promote his orchard at Ridgway State Park. We brought away lots of samples!

Our next segment was back to Hotchkiss, where we continued on CO 62 to Crawford. This 1882 cow-town remains a cow-town, but adopted by Joe Cocker as his retirement home, of the late rock 'n' roll legend, put the place “on the map”. They developed a bar and restaurant for his memorabilia but when Joe Cocker passed, his wife, Pam, sold out for  $7 million and moved to California. Now, Crawford continues the “fame story” trying to stay alive with tourism. From the ornate gate, you can get a slight view of the famous property, set on 243 acres on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains, and 15,873-square-foot mansion built to the couple's specifications which had been their home since 1994.

From Crawford, we drove to the north rim of the Gunnison Canyon, reached by taking a gravel road from Crawford. The rustic, remote North Rim Road provides access to 6 overlooks. The canyon walls on the North Rim are almost vertical, offering some of the most impressive views found in the national park. The overlooks, are situated on shear drops, straight down and we could hear the run-off roar of the river through the narrows, 2000-feet below. The north rim is high, remote, and unimproved, a strident contrast to the south rim. We loved experiencing the birds, wildflowers, Gamble Oaks, Junipers, Aspens, Pinion Pines, and massive rock formations!

Leaving the National Park, we recrossed the mesas and canyons, back to Crawford for lunch at the former Joe Cocker bar and restaurant. Crawford’s old buildings, trees, and streets remain like the 1880’s setting. Like going back to the “old west”!

Our next surprise was traveling east along the remainder of the canyon, which challenged us to navigate around steep, winding side-canyons and high mountain roads. The route was established in the 1920’s, paved by 1975 and the road is in good shape, just scary to drive, as it nervously emphasizes how sheer these canyon walls are. With cliff overlooks that drop several thousand vertical feet to the canyon floor and the roaring waters of the Gunnison River, which in this runoff season is as loud as a freight train. We now realize that the north rim is accessible for almost the entire length of the canyon and it’s all an awesome experience!

Continuing east, we began to drop-down to the Blue Mesa lake and crossed the dam over to US 50, and headed west to Montrose. Again, we were reminded of the scenic features of this route, along Colorado’s Cimarron River, over Cerro Pass, which divides the watershed of the Cimarron River to the east and the Uncompahgre River to the west, both of which eventually flow into the Gunnison River. This is a beautiful route for a US highway!

At Montrose, we shopped and then headed south, back to Ridgway State Park and a beautiful San Juan evening. A delightful day-trip!

Monday, July 8, 2019

Today we grocery shopped, did laundry, home chores, and had a leisurely day. Tonight, we went to the Wright Opera House in Ouray for the melodrama.

The Wright family built the (1881) Wright Opera House because the populace of Ouray needed to be provided with cultural opportunities to offset the influence of the dance halls, saloons, gambling dens, and houses of ill repute. They wanted to create a decent establishment that would feature cultural and educational programs of high quality for the entertainment and enlightenment of the young people and adults within the community. Today, it’s still fulfilling that role.

On arrival, we were entertained by the pianist, while we admired the very imposing hall, considered “a wonder of the time.” The prelude music reminded me of my Uncle Atlie’s music and style.

The program began with an amusing olio, followed by the comedy melodrama. It was loads of fun and lots of laughs. This is a nice attraction in Ouray!

Wednesday 7-10 and Thursday 7-11, 2019

We selected the “Grand Mesa Loop”, for a two-day sightseeing adventure.

From the Gunnison River Valley we followed Colorado 65, up Surface Creek and Surface Creek Valley. We bought fresh-picked cherries at Orchard City and ate delicious cherries, spitting pits along the stunning route.

Climbing Grand Mesa from the south through Gamble Oak, Aspen, and plentiful wildflowers, was a steep road with splendid views of the Gunnison River Valley. On top, the 10-thousand-plus-foot Grand Mesa, largest mesa in the world, is not really flat, it just looks that way from below. We drove the Skyline to Cow Camp and got my truck real dirty on the dirt road but we enjoyed a nice hike and bountiful wildflowers, lakes, large, scattered groves of Spruce trees, and old cabins from the pioneer days. Grand Mesa has lots of lakes and water AND lots of mosquitoes, this time of year. We managed with Deep-Woods Off.

Crossing the Grand Mesa, we followed Plateau Creek down its deep, winding, magnificent canyon to the Colorado River, on the north. We took a short-cut on CO 330 toward DeBeque and discovered that it turned to a jeep-road, not an unusual experience in Colorado’s high country. We back-tracked to the Colorado River and then made it to Rifle, where we spent a nice night at the La Quinta. The 1882 town is named after Rifle Creek which joins the Colorado River here. Yes, an old guy did leave his rifle on the creek, probably running from the local Ute Indians.

Fortunately, lots of Colorado hotels are dog-friendly and Daisy loves to be a hotel-guest. I usually bring her bacon from the breakfast-buffet and she loves bacon! We had everything we needed, within walking-distance of the hotel.

Following Thursday morning breakfast, we hit the car wash and cleaned the dirt off our truck, then Starbucks, and up the Colorado River to Glenwood Springs. We cruised Glenwood Springs and were amazed at how the area has grown. The old town was recognizable with the historic buildings and sites, and lots of tourists were in town. Due to the unusual winter, run-off is histrionic and the Colorado and all of its tributaries are swollen with snow-melt.

From Glenwood Springs, we headed up the Roaring Fork River to Carbondale, shopped for a picnic lunch, and then headed up the Krystal River to Redstone. Along the way, we could see several 14ers over around Aspen. Redstone is a late 1800’s coal mining and coke oven site, which has lots of historical structures and places. Millions were made here in the wilderness!

Due to the unusual winter, large boulders are falling and causing road delays for CDOT “rock mitigation” and repairs. Up the Krystal River canyon, we saw evidence of house-size boulders which fell from the canyon walls, tumbling across the road, into the river. They can leave craters in the road and we bumped over one today.

On up to McClure Pass, only 8755-feet but very vertical, we had an exciting ride. The south side has some very high, sheer canyon walls and rockfalls have been prevalent along this section. We jarred across a significant road-crater here.

Down the North Fork of the Gunnison to Paonia, we enjoyed a nice picnic lunch on the North Fork of the Gunnison. Afterwards, we stopped in town for ice cream at Ollies Ice Cream shop.

South of Paonia, we discovered the Escalante Dominquez route described in Escalante’s meticulous diary. The Domínguez–Escalante Expedition was undertaken in 1776 with the purpose of finding a route across the largely unexplored continental interior from Santa Fe, New Mexico to Spanish missions in Las Californias, such as the Spanish presidio at Monterey, California. On July 29, 1776, Atanasio Domínguez led the expedition from Santa Fe with fellow friar Silvestre Vélez de Escalante and cartographer Bernardo de Miera y Pacheco. The initial part of their journey followed the route taken by Juan Rivera eleven years earlier into the Ute country of southwestern Colorado. Three Ute guides led them through Colorado and Utah.

These Spanish colonists were the first European men to travel through much of the Colorado Plateau into Utah, and back through Arizona to New Mexico. During the course of their trip, they documented the route and provided detailed information about the "lush, mountainous land filled with game and timber, strange ruins of stone cities and villages, and rivers showing signs of precious metals. They made Catholics of some Utes but the Utes lost their religion during the imminent Indian Wars of the 1880’s!

Back in the lower elevations of the Gunnison River Valley, we were anxious to get back to our A/C. It was a very good trip!

Last updates on HP

Tuesday, July 16, 2019

After breakfast, the day became hot, so we decided to head to the high country. We choose to explore the (just opened for the summer) Owl Creek Pass, an old road between Ridgway and Cimarron. Owl Creek Pass in the Uncompahgre National Forest is a remote, rugged mountain pass above 10,000 feet in the shadow of 13,000-foot peaks in the Cimarron Range region of southwestern Colorado. The area incorporates not only turrets and hoodoos of wonderfully shaped massifs, but also reservoirs, rivers, creeks, and large aspen, fir and spruce forests.

John Wayne loved this country, and so did we! Scenes from “How the West Was Won” and “True Grit” were filmed along this magnificent route, winding through Uncompahgre National Forest and river basin country. We did encounter some fairly aggressive mosquitos.

The stunning peaks of Chimney Rock and Courthouse Mountain, on the Cimarron Ridge, pierce the blue Colorado sky, as you journey along this 1885 cattle-drive trail. Tall white-barked aspen trees, spruce and fir, rivers, reservoirs, and seas of wildflowers nestled among towering peaks is the setting for the Owl Creek Pass drive.

This route provides access to a variety of remarkable four-wheel drive roads and hiking/backpacking trails. We took a picnic lunch, binoculars, and a camera and enjoyed one of Colorado's most charming byways for rest and relaxation, western style!

A well-maintained gravel (but be prepared for dust) road (4 WD but we didn’t use our 4WD) will take you up and through the Uncompahgre National Forest, where you will crest Owl Creek Pass at 10,114 feet. There are some “OMG” sheer drops and narrow switchbacks but most of the time the wooded slopes would catch your fall. At the pass, we took pictures, waded with Daisy in the clear, cold, mountain stream, and visited with a couple from Ohio. Our next stop was at a high meadow (True Grit Meadow), where we enjoyed our private (except for the mosquitoes) picnic lunch. After lunch, we took another road and followed Cow Creek back down to Cow Creek campground at RSP.

June 2019 at Ridgway State Park and southwest Colorado

Tuesday 6-18-19

We’re off on a two-day trip of sightseeing. We’re driving the “Unaweep/Tabeguache Scenic and Historic Byway”.

Thursday, June 20, 2019

Our drive along the Unaweep/Tabeguache Scenic and Historic Byway was very scenic and the weather was perfect.

We took Colorado 62 over Dallas Divide Pass and headed north on Co 145, down the San Miguel River. The San Miguel River, a tributary of the Delores River, takes its rise at Telluride and flows northwesterly to its confluence with the Delores River, near the Utah line. We followed the San Miguel River, down the canyon, as it winds its way through alpine terrain near Telluride, Colorado, under the shadows of 14,000-foot Mount Wilson in the San Juan Mountains, to a desert confluence with the Dolores River, 80 miles to its north. Following the river down the canyon was very scenic experience in a dramatic, narrow canyon with red-rock sandstone walls looming as high as 2,000 feet. In its depths, along the clear, fast, cold river, a very rare riparian forest community combines narrowleaf cottonwood, Colorado blue spruce and thinleaf alder, along with lots of wildflowers. Crossing the river south of Norwood, we climbed a steep shelf along the south canyon wall with some OMG overlooks. Here, we crossed the high plateau, passing green irrigated fields and handsome ranches, until we entered the Naturita Creek drainage, where we took CO 141 toward the Four-corners, along the Utah line.

Along CO 141 south, we crossed a series of dry canyons and high plateaus, then crossing Gypsum Pass into the Delores River watershed. We crossed the Delores River at Slick Rock and then caught CO 491, stopping for lunch at the “Rack Haus”, a local favorite. Here, we observed a huge storm around the Four Corners area but it brought very little rain our way. At Pleasant View, we enjoyed the splendid view of the “Sleeping Ute” mountain and the vast Montezuma Valley.

We took a “Best Western” room at Cortez, a popular stop for tourists, who stay there because of its central location among surrounding attractions, such as Mesa Verde National Park, Monument Valley, and the Four Corners. We explored around Cortez and enjoyed our room overnight.

Wednesday morning was cool and clear, as we enjoyed a nice breakfast at the hotel. Next, we headed north on CO 145 to complete our circle-drive. Starting at Cortez, the main town in Montezuma County in the southwest corner of Colorado, highway 145 begins to climb gently into the scrub covered San Juan foothills and soon arrives at Dolores, a small but lively town next to the Dolores River in quite a narrow ravine. This canyon runs northwest for many miles and becomes much deeper, cutting into red layered rocks similar to those of the canyonlands of southeast Utah, and eventually meets the Colorado River, near Moab. After Dolores, the highway, which is a wide, fast road most of the way, follows the wooded Upper Dolores River valley and gains height steadily while steep, Rocky Mountains of increasing height rise at either side. At lower elevations, the rocks are still sedimentary, red/orange in color, as this region lies at the northeast corner of the Colorado Plateau, but at higher elevations these are replaced by the metamorphic rocks of the San Juan range. CO 145 crosses the 10,222-foot Lizard Head Pass and drops down into the top end of the San Miguel River valley, which forms a box canyon since the upper end rises abruptly, surrounding the valley floor on three sides by high cliffs and crags, an inspiring setting for the historic town of Telluride.

We had lunch at Telluride and the continued down the San Miguel to close the loop. We took some good Columbine pictures on the river and then headed back over Dallas Divide to Ridgway and home.

Wed/Thur 6-26/6-27-19

We implemented an overnight trip to Durango to attend the Bar-D Chuckwagon Ranch barbecue dinner and western music show. Our two-day excursion was loads of fun and we saw lots of interesting people, places, and things. (A noun trip!)

On Wednesday, we packed our necessities and headed south on US 550. Crossing Red Mountain Pass, we could easy detect that the run-off is progressing exponentially. The snowpack is rapidly receding, the drainages are swollen, and the waterfalls are roaring. Red Mountain Pass was cold and windy but it was a clear morning and the visibility was good. The pass is named for the nearby Red Mountain on the northeast side of the pass. The name is derived from the iron oxide laden rock that forms the slopes, painted by every shade of red you can imagine. We admired the view, then headed on down to Silverton, but did not stop because we had plans in Durango.

From Silverton we crossed Molas Pass and Coal Bank Pass. Though Molas Pass is one of the higher passes in Colorado, it has only a few switchbacks on the north approach, and is considerably less intimidating than Red Mountain Pass, however the south slope will “get your attention”.

Molas Pass was cold and windy but we could see great distances and the surrounding mountains are a study in geology. First the visible settements are from an ancient seabed, next volcanoes pushed up the land and added basalt and other volcanic material, then came glaciers that cut and carved the cirques, now at over ten-thousand feet. We saw lots of wildflowers and wildlife.

Breathing a sigh of relief, you soon encounter Coal Bank Pass. While the north side is fairly gentle, the descent on the south side is very steep (6.5%), with high drop-offs and no shoulder, and is basically downhill the entire way to Durango. The south slope of Coal Bank Pass follows down the Animas River, a tributary of the San Juan River, part of the Colorado River System. The river canyon is populated by conifers and Aspen, making a very scenic presence.

At Durango, we checked-out the Visitor Center, explored old town, had lunch, strolled the river park,  and then moved in to our room. In the evening, we drove out to the Bar D Ranch Chuckwagon, for a bar-b-que dinner, followed by western music. The ranch is an outdoor setting, under large Ponderosa Pines, on the east side of the Animas River, at the base of the towering east canyon cliffs. At sunset the cliffs above us were a radiant, redish glow in the twilight. We had an entertaining evening at this popular “tourist attraction”!

On Thursday, we had coffee downtown and drove along the swollen Animas River, then visited Fort Lewis College, up on the mesa. Fort Lewis began as an Indian school but is now open to all. With a unique and beautiful mountain-top campus, overlooking historic Durango, Colorado, we had stunning views and an interesting tour.

We visited the new shopping area on the southeast side, and then headed back north to Silverton, for lunch. In the high end of the Animas Valley, we stopped off at Pinkerton hot springs, for a look at the remarkable colors and formations of the springs. In 1875, Pinkerton established a dairy farm in the area and quickly discovered that he could supplement his farm income with fees from the “curative powers” of the springs.

We had a pleasant drive back to Ridgway State Park. We plan to do more overnight trips this summer!

Day-to-day in SW Colorado at Ridgway State Park

Thursday, May 30, 2019

Awoke this morning, in the shadows of the mountains, to a blue-bird sky, with Mount Sneffels shining snow-white in the morning sun. A great day for an excursion over to Cimarron and the Black Canyon.

Listening to the local “country station” they say we “have it all” country AND western!

Some country music lyrics that I recently heard on the local station:

I’ve seen things that I’d never have seen down on the farm

Never had the one I wanted, never wanted the one I had

My eyes tell a story that my life can’t hide

Ridin’ my thumb to Mexico

Colorado’s a cure for the summertime blues

Anger is to big a burden to bear

It’s too late and I know you’ll never change

From neon lights to chandeliers

Woman of the country, don’t go city girl one me

When I reach the end of rodeo road, set my ponies free

You’re going to end my bad reputation

Look out my window and what do I see, nothin’ but pain (payne)  looking back at me

I wish that I could hurt that way again

I love this bar, it’s my kind of place

I wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then

Country music!

At Black Canyon of the Gunnison, we spent the majority of our day. We visited the Visitor Center for information, exhibits, publications, and the splendid view from the overlook. We hiked the rim trail, then headed down to the East Portal” on the canyon floor. This was a first for us and now I know that it’s possible to drive to the Gunnison River, in the bottom of the canyon. Let me say that this is not for the timid! The road is a five-mile, 16 percent grade, with hairpin turns and shear precipices that look down thousands of feet. This 1905 road carried the crews and equipment that built the Gunnison Tunnel , in the canyon narrows, a 11X12-foot, six-mile tunnel through the mountain. The tunnel can carry 1100 cubic feet of watyer per second or 495,000 gallons per minute to irrigate the Uncompahgre Valley.

On the canyon floor, we enjoyed a nice picnic beside the Gunnison River, at the tunnel intake, just above the roller dam. This was a great experience and a new discovery at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison!  

Wednesday, June 5, 2019

Today, we had a poached egg and toast breakfast and decided to take a hike. We just recently received our silicone egg-poacher set from Amazon and they work great. This morning I got creative and added chopped bacon and cheddar cheese to the egg and it was very good.

For our hike, we took the Enchanted Mesa trail on the east side of the Uncompahgre River canyon and hiked up the switchbacks to approx. 7100-feet for a splendid view in all the cardinal points. It was a clear morning and we could see Mt. Sneffels (14,158-ft) of the Sneffels Range in the San Juan Range to the south, Cimarron Ridge (with Courthouse Peak and Chimney Rock) to the east, the Uncompahgre plateau (with its maze of canyons and rivers) to the west, and the Grand Mesa to the north (on the Colorado River, largest flattop mountain on the western slope).

We noticed flowers, birds, wildlife and some stunning scenery. In the afternoon, we relaxed in the shade of our cabana and looked forward to our group-dinner with our fellow-hosts.

Tue. June 11, 2019

Today, was our Ridgway State Park Volunteers Picnic, at the Pavilion, down by the river. Our entrée was prepared on the grill, while covered dishes and desserts were provided by the volunteer workers. We had a fabulous evening, with great food and fellowship. I took lots of pictures and created a Power Point montage to show at the Visitor Center. We have about 30 volunteers living and working in the park for the summer season. Our volunteers are retirees from all over the country, and we have a great team!

Wednesday, June 12, 2019

This morning, we decided to take a ride down to Silverton for a day-trip. It was a clear, beautiful day and we were rewarded with some fantastic views and experiences.

To begin, we stopped off at Ouray to check on the status of high-country jeep-tours. Next, we followed the Uncompahgre River up to its headwaters at Red Mountain Pass. This climb and descent is one of the narrowest, curviest, highest, and scariest U. S. highways we have ever experienced. Following the river gorges, there are numerous stretches with no shoulder, no guard-rails, and sheer drops, from dizzying heights. Along the route, we observed no less than a dozen winter avalanche areas. The massive snow-slides literally destroyed entire groves of Aspen and left a mangled mess of debris at the bottom. Heavy winter snows caused numerous road-closures during the winter. WE were glad we didn’t have to drive it in the winter.

With the runoff beginning, the heavy winter snowpack is really swelling the creeks and rivers. It’s also presenting some stunning waterfalls which we enjoyed but were disappointed that pictures could not capture the majestic views. In addition, the Uncompahgre River run-off is predicted to fill Ridgway SP lake to capacity.

At the summit of Red Mountain (12,896), we took some pictures, walked around the summit, and played in the snow. Daisy loved the snow and rolled, slid, and wallowed in it. Red Mountain Pass (11,018) has a nice parking area with stunning views of the surrounding mountains and valleys. The north slope is drained by the Uncompahgre River and the south slope is drained by the Animas River. Both drainages are literally covered with old defunct, deserted mines, interesting, historic, but contaminated. There is an ongoing, Federal clean-up effort, at taxpayer expense, claiming acceptable success.

Heading down the south slope, we arrived at Silverton (9,318) and spent the better part of our day in Silverton and the Baker’s Park Valley, in San Juan County. We had coffee and treats at the 1883 Grand Imperial Hotel and admired the Tiffany lamps, and Victorian furnishings, along with the western motif. 

Around town we adored the City Hall, County Courthouse and Victorian homes, along with the wide, old-west Main Street and shops. We also checked-out the Tourist-laden Durango-Silverton narrow-gage railroad train as it departed for Durango, following down the Animas River canyon. On closer investigation, we discovered that there are three identical trains which together facilitate the daily train schedule.

We returned on the same route over Red Mountain Pass and made more stops for new impressions. The route is no less scary from the south!

Summer 2019 at Ridgway State Park, sw Colorado

Sunday, May 5, 2019

Having completed our first weekend of work at Ridgway State Park, we’re getting settled-in for the summer. The Park (3,000+ acres) is in the Uncompahgre River Valley, nestled in the San Juan Mountains, a high and rugged mountain range in the Rocky Mountains, of southwestern Colorado. Pa-Co-Chu-Puk (Ute word for Cow), our campground is situated on the rocky, clear, cold, fast Uncompagre River, and it is very scenic.

Normally we work together, so this is the first park where our assignments are separate. Terry works the Visitor Center at Dutch Charlie and I work the kiosk at the Pa-Co-Chu-Puk campground. Ridgway State Park is very well organized, even the volunteers are classified. Terry and I usually specialize in working the desk, processing computer- reservations and point-of-sale, as camp-hosts. Here, we’re called “revenue staff”! We’re located on US 550, between Montrose and Ouray, so come on down and experience the snowy Colorado Rockies and southwest Colorado.

As usual, I have begun selecting e-books about our location, and my favorites are of the historical aspects. From my perspective, archival material surpasses any fiction ever written. It’s true, never dull and the archives contain the immortal portion of those who have preceded us and are now dust, but the immortal part, which was their minds, remains with us in their historical writings. My current book (“Unbreakable Dolls of Colorado” by Julie McDonald) is a collection of short stories about pioneer women who represent Colorado history, through their eyes, as they lived it.

With three days on and four days off, we’ve started making plans to get out-and-about Colorado. So much has changed since we lived in Colorado, but the mountains and natural wonders remain. Having been very familiar with the State, we want to plan some things that are new and different to us, so we’re looking at the attractions and trying to ascertain things that propose a more detailed investigation. When we lived in Colorado, we crossed all of the major mountain passes in Colorado, so now we will find some scenic drives over the less-improved passes, and through more remote canyons and valleys. According to the guides, we will find some great vistas, hikes, and natural attractions, in the more-remote areas. While exploring the glory of southwest Colorado, we plan on adding some waterfall visits to our day-drives, hiking trips, and adventure-seeking plans too.

As I look out our window, I see a large herd of Mule Deer grazing around the campground. They are our constant companions around the campground, and we enjoy watching their activities, along with the birds. The Park also has an extensive trail system and we have begun to experience the mountain trails, along with all the other features of the Park. The more we know, the better we can serve our visitors and answer their questions.

Owl Creek Pass and Silver Jack Reservoir are situated along the 4WD route between Ridgeway and Cimarron. John Wayne loved this country, and so did we! Scenes from “How the West Was Won” and “True Grit” were filmed along this magnificent route, winding through national forest and river basin country. The stunning peaks of Chimney Rock and Courthouse Mountain pierce the blue Colorado sky as you journey along this 1885 cattle-drive trail. Tall white-barked aspen trees, spruce and fir, rivers, tarns, reservoirs, and seas of wildflowers, nestled among towering peaks, is the setting for the Owl Creek Pass drive.­­­­­

Sunday, May 6

We shopped Montrose and found so much more that we had remembered from our previous residency in Colorado. Of course, Montrose has boomed over the years and is now a major tourist destination, offering abundant outdoor recreation, along with all the usual goods and services.

We visited the Ute Indian Museum which celebrates the history of Colorado’s longest continuous residents and features extensive collections of Ute objects. The grounds along the Uncompahgre River, have beautiful gardens, historical commemorations, a memorial park, and Chapeta’s grave. We wondered why Chief Ouray was not reinterred with her.

Tuesday, May 7, 2019

Today, we drove down to Ouray, (Elevation 7,792 feet) frequently referred to as the "Switzerland of America". It’s surrounded by towering mountains!

We hit the coffee shop and then strolled the entire town, investigating all of the shops, restaurants, and points of interest.

My favorites were:

Wright Opera House

D&RGW Railroad Station

Elks Lodge

Court House

Beaumont Hotel

Next, we hiked up to the Cascade Falls, plummeting 450 feet, through the geologic layers of sandstone in the towering cliff, overlooking Ouray. We felt the elevation but the hike was well worth the effort.

Not to miss anything, we also visited Box Canyon Falls, a thundering, 280-foot fall located at the end of a high path, overlooking the canyon. This walk was a bit frightening and with the heavy snowpack, the runoff made the falls deafening. It was fun! After we recovered from vertigo, we had a nice picnic lunch at the falls picnic area. We also saw our first Cassin’s Finch, a new addition to our life-list or Field Guide list.

On the way home, we stopped off at the Dennis Weaver Memorial Park in Ridgway. The Poem Rock just inside the park is inscribed with a lovely poem written by Dennis Weaver:

I saw an eagle in the sky today

Flying free upon the wind

In my dreams I touched its wings

Caught the wind and flew with him.

Oh, what glory it was for me

Flying free up in the sky

For dreams become reality

If in our souls they never die.

So, seize the moment which is now

For your eagle lives within

Hold the Vision of your truth

Dream your eagle and fly with him.

This is an attractive park along the Uncompahgre River, with trails, cairns, wildlife, a medicine wheel, and picnic areas. We’re glad we visited!

Wednesday, May 8, 2019

A cold, rainy day calls for inside activities, so we did computer work, personal business, planning, and organizing. I did manage to get in a walk between rains and I could see that it’s snowing above tree-line. It will be June or July before some of the higher passes are open.

Today, the hinge on our HP laptop broke and looks unrepairable. HP had a recall but we never got a notice AND the warranty is out, so we ordered a new Dell, a lot more computer, with touchscreen.

Tuesday, May 14, 2019

How incredibly fast May is flying by, we work Friday thru Sunday’s and have Monday thru Thursday’s off, so we have been working and learning, while exploring on our off-days. Montrose is our main town for supplies and equipment, and Montrose has most of our needs. Otherwise, we order from Amazon, like the new computer we just ordered. We get our DVD movies mailed from Netflix, as we have no television. We do have one radio station, out of Grand Junction and its “solid-gold country”. Their slogan is “we have it all, Country AND Western”.

The main attraction in southwest Colorado is mountains, valleys, rivers, mesas, and nature, which is good entertainment, for our weekly four-days off. Hiking trails, jeep roads, and river outfitters can get you to all of these scenic attractions.

Today, we’re headed to Telluride, a little mountain town that we skied many years ago. Telluride is surrounded by the greatest concentration of 13,000 to 14,000-foot peaks in North America. The steep ski slopes above town were an intimidating and unforgettable challenge for us, even being much younger then. Telluride Ski Resort remains the highest vertical drop in Colorado, at 4,425 vertical feet, plus you can ski right into the historic district. I’ll never forget beginning the first run, with the anxiety of looking down at the town, from the top of the ski-lift. Summers are all about hiking, climbing, whitewater, fishing, bicycling, jeep-trekking, and indulging in fine dining.

Heading to Telluride, we took CO 62 up Dallas Creek to Dallas Divide (8,970’), and saw a hefty herd of scruffy Elk, just beginning to slick-off for summer. The Dallas Divide pass is a saddle between the San Juan Mountains to the south and the Uncompahgre Plateau to the north and divides the Uncompahgre River watershed from the San Miguel River watershed and Ouray County from San Miguel County. We saw large snowfields, thick stands of Gamble Oak, enormous stands of Aspens, the majestic Uncompahgre Plateau and the snow-covered San Juan Mountains, making this is one of the prettiest drives in the area. The first road over this mountain saddle dates back to 1880, linking the towns of Ridgway with Telluride. Following Leopard Creek Canyon down the west side, we saw numerous Beaver dams and lodges along the creek.

At the San Miguel River, we took CO 145, the San Juan Skyway, to Telluride. Telluride, like most Colorado mountain towns relies on tourism for their economy. Every little mountain town also has at least two Marijuana shops (called dispensaries), an Oxygen Bar or two (individual flavored scents may be added to enhance the experience), and an assortment of other services to help you relax and spend your money. Just give us the  FREE (Rocky Mountain high)! Walking Telluride, we had espresso, checked-out all the stores and restaurants, (met some friendly folks) then headed for a picnic at the town park, on the San Miguel River.

My favorite observations Telluride were:

First Bank robbed by Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (may have been different if they had visited the Marijuana dispensary first)

Telluride Mountain gondolas (free ride starts May 27 for the summer season)

Victorian houses

Original public buildings

Southern exposure of Mount Sneffels

Via Ferrate (a two-mile traverse of the high canyon wall, thousands of feet above the canyon floor, using harness and slings on a cable) (NO WAY, would I ever do this)

Telluride Historical Museum    

Next, we went to see Bridal Veil Falls (10,279’), in the Telluride Box Canyon. (Stunning, inspirational, timeless!) At 365 feet, the spectacular Bridal Veil Falls is the tallest free-falling waterfalls in Colorado. The steep trail (Black Bear Pass) was inundated by a winter snow avalanche and heavy snow remains on the pass, so we stopped at the beginning of the switch-backs. Black Bear Pass is known as one of the scariest, shear-drop ledges, and most difficult 4WD passes in Colorado. Never would I drive or even hike this Pass. It’s one-way, beginning near Red Mountain on US 550 and ends at Telluride’s Box Canyon. Box Canyon is a popular winter ice-climbing, and summer rock-climbing destination, neither of which we would consider. Just seeing and hearing the Falls, the headwater of the San Miguel River, was exhilarating for us.

Departing Telluride, we savored an ice cream, before our return trip to Ridgway. Heading back to Ridgway, we stopped off at Down Valley Park, a San Miguel County Park, for a hike along the San Miguel River. This is a pleasant mountain park with ball fields, Butterfly Garden, river access for paddling and fishing, and scenic trails for hiking. We enjoyed the stop but I had to carry Daisy back to the truck, due to her long day and the altitude effect. A fine day in the San Juans!

Monday, May 20, 2019

At work on Friday and Saturday, we had orientation and team-building sessions at the Visitor Center conference room, with lunch provided each day. It was fun, getting better acquainted with our associates, and we also had a comprehensive tour of the park.

On Sunday, we resumed our assigned duties, with Terry working the Visitor Center desk and me working the PaCoChuPuk campground kiosk. With three entrances and the Visitor Center, we have a staff of about fifty people.

With three days on and four days off, we can explore the area and enjoy the summer season in southwest Colorado.

Friday, May 24, 2019

Now comes Memorial Day weekend, promising to be a full park with excited and boisterous visitors. The previous part of May has been a “dress-rehearsal” for Memorial Day through Labor Day, this summer. Let the “good times roll”!

The first of the week, we had a good visit with Dave and Diane, who took a B&B in Ridgway, and hosted us for some good food, fun, and fellowship. We dined at some good restaurants, toured around Ridgway and Montrose, and took a tour of the Ross Reel company. Ross Reels of Montrose manufactures expertly crafted fly-fishing reels, in a state-of-the-art facility.

 We were sad to see Dave and Diane head back to Woodland Park but, as always, look forward to our next visit. We look forward to our next San Juan adventure!

At the Ridgway State Park, Memorial Day weekend has turned-out to be clear and sunny, with splendid views of the snowy mountains, green valleys, and clear, cold, rapid rivers. The park is full of vacationing people from the cardinal points and we meet some interesting people who like to share their travel-stories.

A current issue involves campers leaving food-stuffs out and attracting the Black Bears. Black is a species, not a color. In Colorado, Black bears are blonde, cinnamon, or brown. Bears are attracted to human food sources and don’t know they’re doing anything wrong. Sadly, bears becoming too comfortable around people have to be destroyed.

One bear tore into a tent to get at food and unfortunately, because of his lack of fear of people, he was killed to protect the people. This is a very gloomy situation because this is bear-country and the bears are only reacting to what food presents itself. The park staff has stepped-up warnings and citations to campers for not following the “bear guidelines”, but some people just don’t get the concept, that their ignorance or carelessness causes bears to be killed.

Not to be overlooked, this is lion country too. Called Cougar, Mountain Lion, Puma, Catamount, or Panther, they’re found where the deer are populous. Like any wildlife, mountain lions can be dangerous, so an understanding of their habitat and behaviors, we can coexist with them. The park provides comprehensive information of bears and lions.

We can live with these incredibly efficient predators if we respect the bears and lions AND their habitat. We can fully predict what the bears and lions do in response to food but people are impossible to predict because humans are often unpredictable. I feel sorry for the bears and lions!

On another note, Ridgway State Park is a mecca for bird-watchers and bird species are abundant. We have already added three birds to our “life-list”.

Finally, below the Ridgway Dam, the Uncompahgre River is a trout fishery gem. The tailwater section of the Uncompahgre is in Ridgway State Park adjacent to Pa-Co-Chu-Puk Campground and it is the most beautiful stretch of river in the Uncompahgre canyon. We love to walk the river trails and watch the fly fishermen work their skills.

Cowboy Poetry Gathering notes; Dates and locations:

Gunnison Cattleman Days July 5-14

Cowboy Poetry Gathering Glade Park CO

Custer Cowboy Poetry Westcliffe CO

Elko, NV National Gathering Jan 27-Feb 1^st 2020

Wednesday, May 29, 2019

Tomorrow, we cruise over to Blue Mesa and Black Canyon of the Gunnison, for a day-trip outing.Tomorrow’s forecast is warm and sunny, so we’re looking forward to it all.

Blue Mesa, located in Western Colorado near the town of Gunnison, is Colorado’s largest body of water and a must-see destination. Blue Mesa Reservoir spans 20 miles and boasts over 96 miles of shoreline. Blue Mesa is part of the Curecanti National Recreation Area, with truly outstanding and spectacular scenic areas. My research says: “As US Hwy. 50 winds through the pinyon-dotted, high-mountain desert between the rural community of Montrose and the mountain college town of Gunnison, it opens up into a broad landscape of sparkling blue water and talus-sloped hills. Here is the Blue Mesa Reservoir, where the waters of the Gunnison River gather before carving through the steep walls of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.” We have camped on Blue Mesa and look forward to returning tomorrow!

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park says:

“Big enough to be overwhelming, still intimate enough to feel the pulse of time, Black Canyon of the Gunnison exposes you to some of the steepest cliffs, oldest rock, and craggiest spires in North America. With two million years to work, the Gunnison River, along with the forces of weathering, has sculpted this vertical wilderness of rock, water, and sky.” We love this park because it’s like the Grand Canyon but actually has higher precipices and has very dark night skies! "Several canyons of the American West are longer and some are deeper, but none combines the depth, sheerness, narrowness, darkness, and dread of the Black Canyon."

Completing Spring 2019 travel from La Quinta, CA. to Ridgway, CO.

After three days in Grand Junction, we have gotten familiar with the area and the attractions. Grand Junction, in the Grand Valley of Mesa County, has a constant view of the Grand Mesa. Why so many “Grands”? Grand Junction is at the renowned confluence of the Gunnison River with the Colorado River and the Colorado River was originally named the Grand River, thus “Grand” was used a lot on surrounding, prominent features. We enjoyed visiting around Grand Junction, Palisade and Fruita.

Monday, April 22, 2019

Today, we move over to Fruita, for a week at the Monument RV Resort. At Fruita, we walked around the town, relaxed, and planned our visit to the Colorado National Monument.

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Yesterday, we visited the Colorado National Monument, where towering monoliths exist within a vast plateau and canyon panorama. We entered at the west entrance, an OMG road with dizzying precipices and dark tunnels. Our first stop at the Visitor Center, provided an enlightening video, illuminating dioramas, and handy brochures.  

Along the Rim Rock Drive, we enjoyed the overlooks, hiked some fabulous trails, and shared a picnic lunch with a tourist-friendly Pinion Jay. Fabulous views of the Grand Valley, Colorado River, Book Cliffs, and Grand Mesa area a constant companion. We experienced sheer-walled, red rock canyons along the twists and turns of Rim Rock Drive.

Through Ute oral tradition, the Ancient people viewed this as a sacred place. There was only the Creator and darkness, then came the life form.

This place is truly a window into the earth’s, geologic record, and a study of the erosive forces of water, ice, wind, and people who walk off the trails.

We had a real fine day at the Colorado National Monument! We ended our day with a nice “steak dinner” at the camp.

This afternoon, we decided to visit downtown Grand Junction to see the attractions. It was too hot downtown, so we went to the Mesa Mall and walked the inside perimeter several times, followed by a “Freddy’s Ice Cream treat.

Thursday, April 25, 2019

For an adventure, we drove to Palisade to visit the SunCrest Orchard Alpaca Ranch, an Agritourism farm business, specializing in alpacas, fiber processing, and finished alpaca products. We experienced the alpacas up close and personal, learned some interesting facts, and then saw how this amazing fiber is spun into yarn by touring their mill. As usual, we learned that there’s a lot to the subject. It was an unexpected surprise and meaningful adventure!

Afterwards. We drove the Palisade Orchard Tour. Palisade, Colorado is renowned for its ability to grow some of North America’s best fruit. Palisade has a rich history of raising all types of fruits and vegetables in a climate unique to this section of the Western Slope. As early as the 1890s, apple, cherry, peach, pear and plum trees were planted in the area. Today, the spring bloom is almost complete and promising to be a “bumper crop”.

Next, we had lunch in Grand Junction, shopped, and then headed back to the campground for a relaxed evening. This week in Grand Junction, the days have been sunny and warm. Typically, we have the furnace on at night and the A/C on during the day.

Friday, April 26 was a rainy day, so we washed clothes, did some maintenance, then went to Sam’s Club and did some shopping downtown. We stopped by the Pufferbelly Station and sampled their famous cinnamon rolls.

In the evening, we managed to get in a good walk before wind and rain returned and kept us indoors.

Saturday, April 27, 2019

This morning, we cleaned-up and dried out our outdoor furnishings. With a sunny day, we headed downtown to tour and shop the “Main Street Mall”. Downtown GJ is home to dozens of outstanding locally-owned shops, music venues, restaurants, and galleries. Here tree-lined, pedestrian-friendly streets showcase public art, fountains, and historic buildings – along with tantalizing local cuisine, unique gifts, and relaxing family fun. We walked, shopped, people-watched and had ice cream.

Just around the corner, we visited the Museum of the West, where we experienced Western Americana through a 1000 years of history. This museum was pervasive, with loads of artifacts, art, pictures, and explanatory placards. An excellent museum!

Sunday, April 28, 2019

This morning, I washed and dried the bed clothes, while Terry made breakfast. The day started windy and promises to become windier and rain in the afternoon. We elected to visit the Gunnison River confluence with the Colorado River. We parked at the Grand Junction Botanical Gardens and walked the Riverwalk to the confluence. It was very windy but we endured. Countless people bike, skate, walk, and run the Riverwalk, past the confluence, and many don’t even know what rivers are involved. The Colorado is one of my favorite western rivers, beginning in the Never Summer Range, on the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park and ending at the Gulf of California, south of Yuma. Beginning as a clear, cold trout stream, it descends 13,000-feet, into a warm sediment-rich, turbulent environment. It gives us some stunning canyons and Cottonwood flats. The confluence is historic because early travelers followed the rivers and they often met at the confluence. Ute Chief Ouray said “It is better to sit down than to stand, it is better to lie down than to sit, but death is the best of all.” Few of the many government officials that he negotiated with understood that quote! Called the man of peace because he sought to make treaties with settlers and the government, Chief Ouray may now say “if you can’t trust the leaders, what good are they to the people”?

During our “Riverwalk” hike, we happened upon the GC Renaissance Festival, situated in a large grove of Cottonwoods, along the river. It was impressive and amusing, as the people were generally costumed for the occasion and they had all the food, games, crafts, and beer. Humorous too, in that some were dressed as Roman soldiers, Indians, and cowboys. Oh, what the heck, it’s the Western slope and who cares what you wear!

With a weather front bring rain, we decided to stay in Fruita through Monday, and head to Montrose on Tuesday. The forecast calls for better weather on Tuesday.

Tuesday, April 30, 2019

This morning the rain ceased and as we packed up, it began again. We got wet, so we decided go stay with our plan and head on down to Montrose, in the rain. We had rain until we reached Montrose County and the Uncompahgre (Ute for “dirty, red water) River Valley, where we had sunshine.

Leaving Grand Junction and the area known as Orchard Mesa, the highway descends into the community of Whitewater and the Gunnison River valley. Leaving the valley, we could see the snowy peaks of the high and rugged San Juan Mountains, stretching down to NW New Mexico. We could also see the Uncompahgre Plateau in western Colorado a distinctive large uplift, part of the Colorado Plateau. On previous visits, we have explored the deep, red, enormous canyons, separated by generally flat mesas. Crossing into the Uncompahgre Valley, we cruised on down to Montrose.

We had lunch at Arby’s and then took a campsite at Cedar Creek RV Park, in Montrose. As we got set-up on our site, the rain resumed, but we got inside and started our furnace, along with the cable-television. It looks like we’ll stay in tonight, unless the weather changes.

Wednesday, May 1, 2019

Here we are, at Ridgway State Park’s, Pa-Co-Chu-Puk Campground, our summer assignment. Nestled at the base of the San Juan Mountains, in SW Colorado, at 6,650 feet, we have a magnificent view of the spectacular mountains. With the jagged peaks of the snowy San Juan Mountains as a backdrop and the lush Uncompahgre Valley surrounding us, we have a stunning setting for our summer camp.