Last of summer and Moving into Fall 2019

Thursday, August 22, 2019

We spent the morning in Ridgway and Ouray, for coffee, shopping, bench-warming, crowd-watching, and followed by lunch. It was a good morning and, on the way, back to Ridgway State Park, we stopped off at Cedar Grove Cemetery. It’s an old cemetery and lots of historic figures are interred there, but a thunderstorm and light rain preempted our visit. We decided it was best to return home for a nap!

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Today we returned from a two-day trip to Hinsdale County’s, Lake City (1873). Lake City, on the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River, is just across the San Juan Mountains from us but we had to drive 180 miles to get around there. The four-wheel-drive road was not an option for us.

Today, the surface geology of the Lake Fork watershed is dominated by volcanic rocks that are part of the San Juan volcanic field. Between 23 and 34 million years ago, numerous erupting volcanoes threw thousands of feet of andesitic and rhyolitic rocks across the region. ​Even as novices, we could identify the huge masses of tuft, ash, pumice, basalt, and all sorts of rock from the basement of the earth.

Lake City- Prior to written history, the Ute people lived in this area of the San Juan Mountain Range (Shining Mountains), where they hunted and fished in the high mountain valleys, during the summers, and wintered on the western slope. When placer gold was found, hard-rock mining followed and a flourishing town grew up at the confluence of the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River and Benson Creek.

Lake Fork of the Gunnison River- The Lake Fork, which is located south of Gunnison along Highway 149 near Lake City, is the least known of the Gunnison River’s major tributaries. The Lake Fork of the Gunnison River, locally called the Silver River, drains the northeastern portion of the spectacular San Juan Mountains and is one of Colorado's most underrated and intriguing rivers, with dizzying canyons and stunning landscapes.

Historic Buildings- Lake City was well laid out with wide, shaded streets, and boasted a number of substantial buildings constructed of frame, brick, and stone. Today, the historic old buildings house shops, restaurants, and various other businesses, but it still looks like 1873. Lake City remains the county seat and sole town in Hinsdale County.

Hinsdale County- Hinsdale County, Colorado, is the most remote area in the United States' lower 48. The high-country county is covered by mountains, including multiple 14 and 13,000 ft. peaks, and contains one of the most roadless areas in the country. The continental divide crosses the county twice, along with the Continental Divide Trail.

Jagged peaks pierce deep blue skies while wildlife teems in rocky canyons and on high valley floors. Crystalline rivers flow from high altitudes while unique geology promises adventure and spurs endless exploration. And continuously, within this wondrous dreamscape, whispers from the past mingle with voices of the present in the cool, rarefied air of remote Hinsdale County and its historic town of Lake City.

Encompassing more than 1,000 square miles of untamed beauty, “ah factors” are a constant in this northeastern corner of Colorado’s mystical San Juan Mountains. From climbers, fishermen, hunters, 4-wheel enthusiasts, and hikers to bikers, horseback riders, birdwatchers, and Old West history buffs, magical moments are spun into heirloom memories passed on and recreated generation after generation. In town, the rustic cabins are occupied by tourists from all around and their OHV’s are seen cruising around town. The area is a popular off-road vehicle region, with hundreds of miles of high-mountain trails to ride, providing great vistas and scary thrills.

Lake San Cristobal- Lake San Cristobal was formed about 700 years ago when the first Slumgullion Earthflow, a natural landslide, created a dam across the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River. The earthflow is plainly visible from above and it is still slowly moving.

Slumgullion Pass- At 11,530 feet elevation, we could clearly see five fourteen-thousand- foot mountains in the northeastern San Juan range. It was a clear, cool, breezy day and some of the quacking Aspens were beginning to show gold.

At the foot of the Pass is the Alferd Packer cannibal massacre site. Alferd Packer, "The Colorado Cannibal," and five fellow prospectors tramped into the snowy San Juan Mountains on February 9, 1874, got lost and Packer was the only survivor.

We took a cozy,1940 cabin on the river at the Texan Resort. We enjoyed some nice dining, shopping, hiking and exploring in and around Lake City!

Tuesday, September 3, 2019

Labor Day weekend was a very busy time in the park and it was our last weekend of the season to work. It has been a great summer and we have made lots of new friends and experienced lots of new things.

My final notes of the season are on “Observations of Nature and Wildlife” in the park; 

In the park, every day, among abundant nature and wildlife, there’s an infinite observation of change. The trees, birds, animals, insects, vegetation, and seeing bears during the day, all reflect the approaching Fall and Winter. It is a grand opportunity for nature and wildlife observations. One of our main responsibilities is to be the “eyes and ears” of the park. From many hours at the Pa Co Chu Puk gate house, I have observed the season;

The Plum Trees have bloomed, leafed-out, and made fruit

The angle of the sun has run its summer course

My daily bird visitors have nested, hatched, fledged, and many have begun migration

The trees have budded, produced new foliage, and are now turning to Fall colors

The Bears are eating night and day, preparing for winter hibernation

The Elk and Deer have slicked-off, raised young, and the new bucks are now in “velvet”

Numerous wildflowers have come and gone during the season

Day and night have traded hours

The fat little Chipmunks are gathering nuts and storing for winter

The native grasses have gone from green to brown

The summer insects have disappeared

The winter snow-melt and runoff, swirled and swelled the streams now they’re wadable becks

The sounds of kids in the park are hushed with their return to school

The Mountain Lions are garnering the weak and lame

This summer has taught me some new lessons:

These changing seasons teach us to appreciate change in our lives and see it as a natural process. Just as mother nature is not constant, neither are our lives. They're full of twists and turns, highs and lows.

These changing seasons show us how to let go and wait patiently for the next best thing. As fall marks the conclusion of summer, and spring marks the end of winter, there are chapters in your life, laid out on a timeline, that are meant to be enjoyed until they pass on. The loss doesn’t have to be negative, though, for you never know what amazing things are to occur in the next chapter of your life. The best is yet to come back around.

Thursday, September 5, 2019

This morning, we said goodbye to the San Juan Mountains and Ridgeway State Park and headed over to Woodland Park, for a visit with friends, Dave and Diane. We drove north to Montrose and a Starbuck coffee, then east on US 50. At Parlin, we took a new route SE to Saguache, and a campsite at the San Luis Valley RV Park.

The first part of our travel today was over familiar terrain, and the last part was a new landscape for us. This new path was Colorado 114, a scenic drive, from US 50 down to US 285. The route follows up Cochetopa Creek, crossing the Continental Divide at North Pass (10,149’), then down Saguache Creek to Saguache.

Several highlights were especially scenic;

Leaving US 50, we crossed Tomichi Creek, at the confluence with Cochetopa Creek. 71-mile long Tomichi Creek receives the waters of several creeks including Cochetopa Creek, and flows into the Gunnison River at the Town of Gunnison. It’s a picturesque trout fishery and provides lots of agricultural irrigation. The best way to really understand a creek is to wade right in.  It can be very calming to get away from the busy main streets of town and wander through the tall grass and dense Aspen trees to Tomichi Creek. Tomichi Creek is a tributary to the Gunnison River that flows from the Continental Divide and Monarch Pass Area.

Cochetopa Creek- A beautiful trout stream and irrigation source with attractive cattle ranches and green hay fields, with the cold, clear creek meandering through the valley. It takes its rise on San Luis Peak in the La Garita Mountains. It merges with Tomichi Creek near the town of Parlin, Colorado, along Highway 50. The creek flows through the Cochetopa Caldera in the San Juan volcanic field and through Cochetopa Canyon along Colorado State Highway 114.

Cochetopa Valley- With occasional traffic, we slowly drove on the very winding road, we had our windows down, enjoying the cool mountain air and the magnificent scenery. Daisy loved “flying her nose” and the sights, sounds, and smells of the valley. The narrow valley was an active scene, with ranchers, cutting and bailing hay.

Cochetopa Canyon- Rivers have always been a special topography attraction to me but now I’m adding canyons to the list. We enjoyed a picnic lunch, beside the creek, under the Aspens, Pines, and Spruce trees. The road is narrow with many curves, and the steep canyon walls were massive volcanic deposits.

Canyons tell a story- Like pages in a book, the rock layers of canyons tell a story of past environments, ancient animals and dynamic processes of change. But unlike a book that we can read in a short time, this geologic book has to be read from a different point of view. Time is thrown out of balance here, and we need to see the land from a very different perspective. Just like a calendar is divided into months, weeks, days, and so forth, the geologic time scale has its own unique set of time divisions. We’re talking eons, or billions of years. Very impressive stuff!

North Pass- At (10,010’ feet elevation) the pass is below tree-line but has good views of the east and west slope. We were impressed with the contrast of variation in tree species. The west slope is predominately pine and spruce, while the east slope is predominately Aspen and juniper.

Following Saguache Creek down the east slope toward the San Luis Valley, Aspen gives was to Juniper at the lower elevations, then desert Rabbit Brush, Salt Bush, and Artemisia.

We saw a large forest fire in the Rio Grande National Forest, on the east side of the pass. We also saw Pronghorn on the slopes of the east valley.

At the little town of Saguache (1891), we toured around and admired the old buildings and giant Cottonwood trees. The site has lots of history from the Native Americans to the Spaniards, then Anglos. Along the old Spanish Trail, Saguache saw all the pioneers and characters of early American history. It’s an attractive little town invoking visions of yesteryear life.

At the San Luis Valley RV Park, we made chicken pie, outside in the convection oven, while we admired the magnificent Sangre De Cristo Mountains, with the Great Sand Dunes National Park, at their western base. My personal name for the Sangre De Cristos is the “tumultuous ocean mountains”, due to the hundreds of peaks in the range, appearing like a rough seascape.

The Rio Grande Canal is a puzzling observation that requires investigation. Initially, I assumed that it was taking water off the Rio Grande for the San Luis Valley, but it’s vice-versa. Actually, it takes water from mountain drainages in the north San Luis Valley and dumps it into the Rio Grande, to meet Colorado’s growing water demand downstream.

San Luis Valley- the valley is bounded on the east by the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and on the west by the San Juan Mountains. The valley has predictable wind patterns, with morning upslopes, as warming air rises up the mountains, and evening downslopes, as the cool air descends down the mountains. We experienced it two days at the north part of the valley. The high valley is 8-thousand square miles of desert, containing huge, rich agricultural fields, resulting from irrigation. Also, the north part of the valley contains enormous grids of those round, ground-water, pivot irrigation plots. 

The name of the Sangre De Cristos may refer to the occasional reddish hues observed during sunrise and sunset, and when alpenglow occurs, especially when the mountains are covered with snow. The Sangre De Cristo Range rises abruptly from the east valley floor and consists of a jumble of 13-14-thousand-foot peaks. This is a special place!

Friday, September 6, 2019

On a clear, cool morning, we decided to make a day-trip visit to the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Alamosa. From Villa Grove, we took Co 17 to Moffat and then east to the park.

Our last visit to the Great Sand Dunes National Park was 30 years past but we enjoyed this visit even more. Nestled against the rugged Sangre De Cristo Mountains, the park hosts majestic scenery. The tallest dunes in North America are the centerpiece in a diverse landscape of grasslands, wetlands, conifer and aspen forests, alpine lakes, and tundra. The Visitor Center presented an interesting film, exhibits, a nature trail, and scenic overlooks. The park offers many ways to experience the dunes and the mountains, from campgrounds, picnic areas, hikes, trails, wildlife, 4WD adventures, fishing, swimming, wildflowers, and stunning night skies. We had a wonderful visit and were glad that we visited the park.

From the park, we took CO 150 south to Alamosa, on the Rio Grande River. We had lunch at Emma’s, a fine traditional Spanish cuisine. After looking around the old town, we headed north, back to our San Luis Valley RV Park. A huge storm was moving in from the west and the dark clouds looked ominous. The wind increased and a light rain fell but it amounted to very little. Oddly, a storm is southern Colorado can reveal streaking rainfall at a distance but it simply evaporates before it reaches the ground.

Saturday, September 8, 2019

Heading north to Buena Vista, we crossed Poncha Pass (9,010’), from the San Luis Valley, over to the Arkansas Valley. Poncha Pass had spectacular views of the Sangre De Cristo Range to the east and the Sawatch Range to the west.

We shopped at Salida and then headed up the Arkansas River to Buena Vista for lunch at K’s Dairy Delite, the best hamburger in town. We made it a picnic of lunch, under the huge Cottonwood trees, at the nearby park. We always enjoy Buena Vista for its splendid setting, between the Arkansas River and the Collegiate Range.

We took campsite at the Buena Vista KOA, for a relaxing BBQ and college football. Tomorrow, we head to Woodland Park to visit Dave and Diane.

Sunday, Sept. 8, 2019

Amidst a cool, clear, Rocky Mountain morning, we resumed our ride on US 285/US 24 over to Woodland Park and the Bristlecone Lodge RV Park. Our four-day visit with Dave and Diane was loads of fun and we really enjoyed the visit.

From Buena Vista, we crossed Trout Creek Pass into South Park, where we saw Pronghorn and a cattle herd with Buffalo intermingled. We wondered how they get along together. We stopped off at Wilkerson Pass for a walk and overlook of South Park. It was clear and we could see the mountains ranges of SW Colorado. We talked to the Visitor Center hosts, a pleasant couple from Starkville, Mississippi.

At Woodland Park, we had some delightful dinners and adventures with Dave and Diane. On Monday, we drove down to Colorado Springs and visited the Old Courthouse grounds and gardens, followed by lunch at Suggas’s. We spent the afternoon at Fort Carson and the May Insect Museum, a grand collection of insects and an interesting story of the May family.

On Tuesday morning, we visited Manitou Lake, in the Pike National Forest, and walked around the lake, across the boardwalk, and through the Ponderosa Pines. We saw Yellow Warblers, a Golden Eagle, and numerous other birds and wildflowers. It was a pleasant morning and we enjoyed being out with Dave and Diane.

In the afternoon, we drove to Sedalia for a visit to the Cherokee Ranch. We took Colorado 67 north through the Pike National Forest, down West Creek to the South Platte River and then followed down the river to Deckers and Sedalia.

Cherokee Castle and Ranch, a 34-hundred-acre estate, raised Santa Gertrudis cattle, the first distinct breed of beef cattle produced in the United States. We enjoyed the visit to the ranch and the castle was a real showplace, with extensive art, furniture and furnishings collection. The castle, perched on a high mesa, commands an expansive view of the ranch, the Denver skyline, and the distant mountains of the front-range.

Following our visit to the castle, we returned to Sadalia for dinner at, PieZanos Pizza, a popular pizza joint with great food and atmosphere. Finally, we returned to Woodland Park via Colorado Springs. Another great outing with Dave and Diane!

Terrry

These are not my photos but yesterday I came upon a Smooth Green Snake on the path where we walk. It was such a wonderful green. Very small and thin.
Last night we stared at the Milky Way with mountains on the horizon. I don't want to leave here.

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!