Day 2

Ouray KOA Ouray, Colorado

The RV is backed up to a creek in this campground.  As I lay in bed last night, I could look through the branches of the ponderosa pine and see the brilliant light of the moon making the layers of clouds glow.  There was a smattering of stars.  I could feel the fresh mountain breeze and I could hear the burbling of the water.   I fell asleep thinking…how lucky am I to live this crazy life with my best friend?

Our adventure today was a Jeep trail called Yankee Boy Basin.  It started off fairly tame on Camp Bird Road, a graded gravel road.

It was an easy drive along the ledge with a dramatic rock overhang.

This was a beautiful ride.

There were vibrant wildflowers of every color.

Our breakfast spot was at 11,150 feet.  Boiled eggs and honey wheat bread with orange marmalade never tasted so good!

There were lots of waterfalls.

Once we passed the tree line, we were in the alpine tundra.  The air was crisp and cool at 57 degrees. 

There were great patches of snow.

There were the remnants of lots of mining activity…open wounds on the mountainside.

There was a gate with a sign that stated:

This according to the book, is the best and most adventurous part of the ride!

At the top we were at an elevation of 12,400 feet.  There was a hike up to Mount Sneffels. The elevation still keeps us from hiking as we really would like.

The blue alpine lake below was crystal clear.

The more we do this the more addictive it becomes…the more we see, the more we want to see!

We rested for awhile this afternoon and then we went back into Ouray.

We ate at Red Mountain Brewing…yummy food!

Did you notice all of the Jeeps in front of the restaurant??? This is a Jeeping town. There are Jeeps for rent…everywhere and tons of Jeep trails. At least one third of the cars in town are…Jeeps.

After dinner we drove into the countryside looking for elk…no elk.

We did see mule deer.

It is so peaceful here.