Mileage:  67, 284   Redstone Campground White River National Forest Carbondale, Colorado

Please pardon us if there are not pictures posted with the blog each day.  Yesterday it took hours and hours to post the blog.  We have decided that we will try to post the journal every day that we have enough cell service.  We will add the pictures and catch up whenever we have better service…it will be much less frustrating that way!

We stopped along the Arkansas River for our breakfast.

The mountains over 14,000 feet are still garnished with patches of snow.  It is September and it won’t be long before the snow begins to fall again here.

Tim was getting a slight headache traveling at the higher elevations but it was better with ibuprofen and fluids.  We also took lots of breaks which gave me lots of opportunities to take pictures.

We passed over the Continental Divide at an elevation of 10,424 feet at the Tennessee Pass.

Today was a gorgeous ride on a curvy and winding road with occasional steep grade.

We are always scanning the boggy areas and ponds for moose and looking for bighorn sheep in the rock outcroppings.  We did see lots of ravens and magpies and an osprey scouting the river.

We passed through the town of Minturn, a pretty mountain town with big bright baskets of flowers and log cabins built along the riverside.

It was our intent to travel north of Salida through Buena Vista and on to Aspen.  There was a sign posted shortly before our turn that stated that no vehicles longer than 35 feet were permitted on Route 82.  The RV is 35 feet and then we tow the Jeep behind us.    

We decided to forgo that route and we continued north on 24 to Interstate 70…ugh an interstate!  If we turned and headed east on 70 we would arrive at the Baltimore Beltway in about 1611 miles!

This portion though of 70 is an amazing ride!  There was a rest area beside a small lake.

The drive through Glennwood Canyon had outstanding views. 

There was an extraordinary rest stop…like no other…on the Colorado River.

We have been on a lot of really beautiful drives…this ranks right at the top.

From 70 we accessed Route 82 and headed south to Redstone Campground.  We have a site with a view of the mountains along the Crystal River. 

There are active bears in the area.  Each morning, a mother bear and her cubs make their way down to the river across the campground.  Hopefully we will get to see them!

The Redstone coke ovens were built in 1899. Here impurities were burned out of coal. The coke was used to create steel for the railroads.

This evening we went exploring in the Jeep.  We took the road up to McClure Pass.

All along I have been thinking that the trees with white bark are birch trees…but they are quaking aspens.  The leaves are just starting to turn in some places to a limey green…it won’t be long before they are golden.

We found the Redstone Inn for dinner and enjoyed a delicious meal. 

The skies are slightly cloudy this evening as we work on the blog but it is pleasant enough to be sitting outside. 

Day 2 Four Seasons RV Park Salida, Colorado

Tim is feeling much better but we decided to stay here one more day. 

We took our bikes into the historic district of Salida.  It was a nice place to cycle.  Salida is just what you might imagine a small mountain town in Colorado would look like.  Tall peaks surround the town. 

There are all kinds of lovely small shops, lots of parks and green space, and families were out and about. 

We rode along the streets of town and along the river’s edge.  There were people enjoying the water.

There are lots of interesting sculptures adorning the roads.

The air in Colorado is fresh and clean smelling. Here lavender is planted in most of the planters and gardens in town. You can catch the aroma as you pass by.

There was a Natural Grocers store and we went in and decided to come back with the Jeep to get some nice produce, organic chicken, and bison.  We took our groceries to the RV and went back into town for lunch.  We had delicious food at Mo Burrito.

After getting a couple of other supplies at Walmart and filling the Jeep with gas, we returned to the campground for a quiet afternoon.  It is warm but there is a breeze and sitting in the shade is pleasant.

Grilled apple chicken sausage and veggie skewers with grilled pineapple for dinner…yum!

It’s our goal to move on tomorrow!

Mileage:  67,103 Four Seasons RV Park Salida, Colorado

Tim didn’t feel well.  It started yesterday with a headache.  We had both been experiencing some mild shortness of breath with any kind of exertion.  We knew that was because of the altitude changes.  I was doing better but Tim was not.  We had spent Wednesday and Thursday riding on trails at about 8,000 feet.   Friday, we went to the Continental Divide above 12,000 feet and then slept in a tent at close to 12,000 feet.  It took us 3 hours to come back to the RV yesterday and it was clear that Tim was not feeling well.  He had a headache and a sore neck.  Later in the day he had persistent shortness of breath, fatigue, and a dry cough. 

Today when he woke up, he had a bloody nose and felt awful.  We did some research and realized that these were effects of mild altitude sickness.  We decided to move away from our free but very dusty campsite, hopefully to a lower elevation. 

We traveled to the Poncha Springs Visitor Center to empty tanks and get fresh water.  Our original plan was to drive to Aspen but Tim was in no condition to drive that far and it is at a higher altitude.  Tim didn’t feel as sharp as usual and I was concerned that his lack of decisiveness might be confusion.  We found a campground in Salida at a lower altitude.  Tim already feels better.

We have learned that even if you visit a higher altitude during the day, you should return to a lower altitude to sleep.  We have also learned that fluids and ibuprofen can be helpful in managing symptoms.  Altitude sickness can become severe.  Significant shortness of breath and confusion are reasons for medical treatment.  Fortunately, we have a plan.  We are going to stay at 7,000 feet and get more acclimated before we travel back into higher altitudes.  We got so excited by all there is to see and do that we didn’t even consider the possible ill effects.  We are smarter now!  Tim is determined to go back…he’s NOT giving up!

Meanwhile, we have had a restful day catching up with some small chores and relaxing by the river.

I made Cowboy Caviar for our lunch today. I used a recipe from Dana. I had to modify it slightly because of the ingredients I had on hand. I used apple cider vinegar and pinto beans…it was delicious!

Tim was hoping to watch the NASCAR race but it was pouring rain in Darlington, SC.  The rain delay was 3 1/2 hours. He started watching the race at 7:30. At 7:30 there was live music in the campground. I went to listen for a while. The guy could sing!

Mirror Lake Campground Tincup, Colorado

We were awakened at 6:30 by the chattering of squirrels whose nest was in the tree above the tent. We made coffee and slowly gathered all of our gear. By 7:30 we were on our way to the tiny mining town of Tincup. We saw a couple of white tailed deer and a mule deer and lots of chipmunks…they are everywhere! It was a beautiful early morning ride. From Mirror Lake to Tincup the road is hardpacked gravel.

Twenty miles on gravel road to Pitkin, another small mining town.

Here the pavement begins.

Finally we were on the highway! Another 63 miles to get to the RV!

We stopped in Poncha Springs to get groceries. We spent the afternoon unpacking and recovering from our overnight adventure. This evening I drove to Salida to the closest Laundromat. On the way, I passed a couple of full-grown does and their fawns right in town. As I was folding clothes, this buck walked across the parking lot and out into the road.

We cooked salmon and Mexican street corn on the grill. Tonight we are tired!

Mileage:  67,049 Brown’s Creek San Isabel State Forest Road 272 Nathrop, Colorado

It has been so nice and cool at night, in the high 30’s and low 40’s.  We have been sleeping with the windows open and bundled up in blankets.  It feels really good after so many weeks of temperatures in the 90’s-100’s.

I followed Tim down the road to our new campsite on Forest Road 272. 

This is free dispersed camping.  You find a spot and stay for free for up to two weeks.  We need this spot to get us through Labor Day weekend.  It is also perfect for tonight because we wanted to take the Tincup Pass with the Jeep and spend the night somewhere along the way. 

We loaded the Jeep with everything we would need…sleeping bags and pads, the tent, food for lunch and dinner and breakfast and all kinds of other essentials like bear spray and bug spray!

First, we needed to travel back to St. Elmo where the Tincup Trail begins. 

These stands of birch trees were at about 10,000 feet. 

As we climbed in altitude, the trees were pines, straight and tall.

There were pretty mountain streams and lots of spectacular scenery.

There were a lot of chipmunks.  This one was enjoying a meal on the rock as we passed by.

There was an area where an avalanche wiped out all the trees above pushing them all the way down the mountain and across the road.  It was amazing to imagine the power of the landslide.

Tincup Pass is a designated 4×4 and OHV trail.  It is rated as difficult.  It certainly has some difficult areas but there are NO terrible obstacles to overcome.  The view is breathtaking.

At the top of the pass is the Continental Divide at 12,154 feet.  The Continental Divide runs mostly along mountain ridges from Canada and into South America.  The water on the east side of the ridge makes its way to the Atlantic Ocean.  All the water to the west eventually ends up in the Pacific Ocean.  It was very windy up on the ridge and we even had some black clouds and spitting rain. 

The trail becomes quite rough as you descend.

We had lunch at Mirror Lake.  The air was still crisp and the water was crystal clear.

We found our overnight campsite at Mirror Lake Campground.

We met another couple that had watched a moose swim across the lake and climb out onto the bank and up the mountainside.  I stood there with them chatting and we saw the moose again.  It was way to far away to get pictures.  The afternoon was spent quietly, watching the hillside for animals, watching the fish jumping in the lake, and reading.  We cooked our dinner and had a campfire.  We settled in the tent soon after dark.

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