Day 2 Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area Ruby Mountain Campground Nathrop, Colorado

We began our day at Carnage Creek.  This is an EXTREME 4×4 trail.  We decided to just go and look.  Tim got out of the Jeep and walked up the lower portion of the trail.  I heard him say “That’s crazy!” and “That’s nuts!”   Waves of relief washed over me.  We didn’t have the machine to go over these types of rocks! 

We found a gentle trail through the mountains.  It was as lovely as yesterday.

I took a bunch of pictures of some of the local flora.  There are so many plants and trees here that are unfamiliar to us.  I have this neat new app called Picture This.  It is plant identifier.  I had lots of fun using it today.

Lunch spot with Tim “putting some glass on it,” or looking through the binoculars.

We emerged from the trail onto the highway.  Tim had wanted to check out some trails in nearby St. Elmo’s. 

This is a tiny historic town.  There is a general store and they sell feed for the tame chipmunks.

We found the Tincup Trail but it was 2pm and it is 13 miles long.  We plan to come back and do that one tomorrow.  The Grizzly Lake Trail is much shorter.  The trail guide we bought labeled it a difficult trail.  We went into the general store for directions.  The first thing the guy asked was if we had a modified Jeep.  He gave us directions but then remarked that it was a pretty tough trail.  He told us to be on the lookout for the winch points…OY!!!  We got into the Jeep to find the trail.  Tim asked if the guy had made me feel nervous…WHAT???  YES!!!  But we were only going to look…

We made our way across the stream and this is when the book says that the difficulty level really kicks up.  

We were standing in the stream looking at the trail.  Tim walked up the hill to evaluate further.

This is the winch point.

He decided to try to go up the first part and evaluate again.  I stood watching helplessly.

He stopped and got out to look again.  If only we had skid plates…but we don’t.  We backed out and turned around.  WHEW!!!  I love that we both like to have this off-road adventure and I also love that Tim uses good judgement when deciding whether or not a trail is right for us!  There are so many excellent trails in Colorado, I know we will have a blast enjoying many of them!

We spent lots of time trying to get a campsite for the weekend.  The place we are staying at is fully booked.  Our dilemma was twofold.  First of all, it is Labor Day weekend.  Secondly, there is a major country music festival in the town of Buena Vista featuring Dierks Bentley and Luke Bryan.  We tried several national forest campgrounds and a private campground with no luck.  A gentleman at the private campground directed us to an area with dispersed camping.  We drove out there to check it out and we plan to go there tomorrow morning to see what is available.

Mileage:  67,037 Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area Ruby Mountain Campground Nathrop, Colorado

We began our day with the inclination to head west but without any real plan.  Highway 96 away from Lake Pueblo was not a designated scenic route but it was a very pretty drive.  We left Pueblo which sits at an elevation of about 5,000 feet.  We traveled across the high plains toward the Sangre de Christo Mountains. 

From there we took 50W.  It meanders along the Arkansas River and the elevation steadily increased.   The scenery was spectacular.  We felt ourselves relax and we really began to enjoy the ride!

We decided to stop at the Salida Arkansas Headwaters Visitors Center and get some information about camping and Jeep trails.  Sometimes you meet the perfect person to help you make a plan.  Mary was able to direct us and even make reservations for a campsite. 

We stopped in Pancha Springs for fresh water and made our way to Ruby Mountain Campground.  Tommy, the camp host, greeted us warmly.  He walked with Tim down to the site to check things out and then helped us get our RV parked.  He helped us with directions for the Jeep trails and we set out.

We followed forest road 300 and passed through Bald Mountain Gulch and took the Bald Mountain Loop.  The loop was labeled as an advanced trail.  It was very rocky and had some switchbacks but it wasn’t too difficult.

At the top we were at 9,620 feet of elevation.  We noticed a tiny shortness of breath with exertion but otherwise felt fine.  We ate our lunch on the top of the mountain.

I drove on the smoother easier part after we exited the loop. 

We took a paved road into the town of Buena Vista where we found ourselves at the Jailhouse Craft Beer Bar for happy hour.

Back at the RV, we prepared a tray for our picnic dinner.  The tortilla chips at 7,000 feet of elevation…

Tommy joined us for awhile this evening.  We chatted and munched on grapes and chips and cheese.

Our campsite sits right along the river. I think we should be able to hear the rushing water tonight.

Today was a very good day.

Day 2 Lake Pueblo State Park Pueblo, Colorado

We slept well. It is peaceful and quiet here. The song of the cicadas lulled us to sleep. There was a gentle cool breeze through our open bedroom windows. The sky was pink when we woke up.

We gathered water and snacks and headed into Pueblo with our bikes on the back of the Jeep. Pueblo has a system of paved multi use trails over thirty miles long. We parked at a trail-head by the Arkansas River and began our ride. The path was mostly flat with some small hills. It was a pleasant day for cycling!

We stopped in this park for our snack. In the 1960’s a flood claimed all of the houses in this area. A group of mothers got together to make a playground and park for the children here. It’s a very nice park!

We returned to Lake Pueblo around noon and took a Jeep tour around the lake.

We had lunch and spent some quiet time in the RV this afternoon. At 5pm we set out for the Colorado State Fair. Dinner was fried pickles and ice cream!

The sun was just setting as we got back to the campground.

August 26, 2019

Mileage:  66,908 Lake Pueblo State Park Pueblo, Colorado

We left Palo Duro early this morning.  The temperature was 69 degrees and the air felt cool and refreshing.  We saw a sign in Stafford, Texas: God, Grass, and Grit! and wind…Tim added wind! We traveled north from Palo Duro into Oklahoma.  The winds really do rush across the plains here.  The wind speed was 24 mph!

We saw lots of cattle and windmills and cornfields and trains and grassy plains.

We entered Colorado and for a long while, the landscape didn’t change.

As we approached Pueblo, there were silhouettes of mountains in the distance and it became rockier and hillier. We camped at Lake Pueblo. It is a gorgeous place and our campsite overlooks the lake.

We already decided to stay for a second night. There are places to ride our bikes in the park and along the river in town. The Colorado State Fair is also here in Pueblo this week.

Tonight though, we are sitting outside in a wonderful breeze enjoying the view, some music and wine…relaxing!

August 25, 2019

Mileage:  66,534 Palo Duro Canyon State Park Canyon, Texas

It’s a long way across Texas and it is still HOT!  The forecast for today in Fort Worth is 104 degrees.  Welcome to Texas in August!  We are traveling on 20 West and have been since we left Atlanta.  Here the roadsides are flanked by cotton fields, train tracks, ranches, stockyards, corn fields, hay-fields, oilfields, and hundreds and hundreds of windmills.  The landscape became much flatter and more open as we left the big cities behind.  Lunch was at a picnic area in the Fluvanna Renewable Energy Project.

We stayed at Palo Duro Canyon.  It is the second largest canyon in the United States.  It was formed about a million years ago by the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River and the Texas wind.  The canyon is really pretty. 

This is supposed to be a great place to hike.  The temperature at 7:40pm was 105. 

It was too hot to do much moving, let alone any hiking.  Thankfully we had 50-amp service and could run the air conditioning!  We did take the Jeep out at dusk to see the park.

We did see deer, a cottontail, a turkey, and a roadrunner

July 29 through August 25. 2019

Our journey began on July 29^th.  As a Mother’s Day gift, we had invited my mother to join us on this trip.  She has been with us before in the RV for a couple of long weekends, but never for an extended time.  We were headed to Atlanta so that Gigi could spend time with her great grandchildren.  We decided to go the long way to give her a true sense of how we love to travel.

The first day was short.  We drove to Shenandoah River State Park. 

It was very hot but we went for a short hike along the river.

We traveled along Skyline Drive.  We even went through Mary’s Tunnel.  The height limit is 12’ 8” and we are just shy of that.  We held our breath, stayed in the center and easily passed through. 

The scenery was awesome and we even saw a bear cub.  

We camped at Loft Mountain.  There, deer roamed the campsite. 

A bear trap was set up at the end of our loop.  The rangers were hoping to catch an adolescent bear that had claimed the campground as part of his territory.  They had tried to lure the bear into the trap with hotdogs, peanut butter, and honey but to no avail.

We stayed at Peaks of Otter on Wednesday and on Thursday we got off the parkway and headed to Kingston, Tennessee.  We took the Jeep into town and had happy hour drinks at a brewery.  Mom and I had sour hard cherry cider and Tim enjoyed a local craft brew.  Afterward we walked around town to a Mexican restaurant for dinner.

Friday, we stayed at Baileyton KOA.  We did some cleaning and laundry.  That evening, Tim and I went to visit our good friends Dave and Denise.  We had a wonderful evening in their beautiful new house.  It was fun to catch up and the time passed quickly!

We stayed in Chattanooga for the weekend.  Saturday, we had dinner at a restaurant on the river…Billy’s, Robbie’s, Scotty’s.  We walked along the riverfront and enjoyed a concert as the sun set.

Sunday morning, we drove back into Chattanooga and Tim rode his bike and mom and I walked between raindrops along the Riverwalk and across the bridge to Centennial Park.  We had brunch in town and then drove to the Chattanooga Farmer’s Market.  I could have spent a lot more time and a lot more money there.  It is a huge indoor/outdoor market with all kinds of crafts and treats. 

Monday we finally arrived in Atlanta.  We had two weeks of wonderful quality time with David and Andrea, Oliver and Austin.  It was so special to watch my mom “Gigi” with those two boys.  She has a wonderful, gentle way with children and they loved spending time together.  The kids had snacks on Gigi’s porch.

We had lots of fun with playdoh, drawing with markers, blowing bubbles, playing on the swing set, making cakes with sand, reading books and books and books, making puzzles, and cutting wooden fruit.  We did some chores while David and Dre worked. 

Mom and I reupholstered the kitchen barstools and the dining room chairs. 

We did some yard work and helped with the laundry and meals.  The second week, both David and Dre were home.  We got to watch the boys while they had some time with friends and a date night. 

Tim and I made time for a date night as well!

On Thursday Oliver turned three.  Gigi and Dre and I all went to school for a special lemonade-slushie party. 

David and Tim got to catch a Braves game.

Friday we all took the boys to the Atlanta Aquarium.  Oliver and Austin were both entranced by the fish and we all had fun!

Saturday, we had Oliver’s birthday party with a Lightning McQueen birthday cake. 

Oliver loved his new Power Wheels Jeep from Uncle Kyle. “Thank you Uncle Kyle!!”

Sunday it was time to gather provisions for our journey and pack. Our time together passed too quickly but it was time for the next phase of Gigi’s Grand Adventure.  It was another 820 miles to Fort Worth, Texas.  My brother John and his wife, Dana, have a new house there.  Monday we traveled 330 miles, Tuesday we traveled 320 miles and Wednesday we traveled the last 170 miles.  It was VERY hot.  I cannot ever remember riding in the RV when it was that HOT!  We almost baked Gigi!

We spent 4 days visiting in Fort Worth.  Their new house in beautiful.  The pool was amazing! 

Tim and I rode our bikes on the Trinity Trail.

On Sunday, my mother flew home.  We enjoyed having her with us for the past 4 weeks.  We really want everyone to love camping as much as we do.  My mother survived the bugs and the heat.  I know she enjoyed her adventure but I’m not sure we will ever make her a “camper!”  We certainly made lots of memories!

As we leave John and Dana, our thoughts are with them and their son Ian who is battling Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.  He is young and strong and fighting hard.  We love you all!