Spring 2010 - Southwest

5/24/2010

We start by trying to race to Colorado Springs before the Memorial Day weekend. Long ride to Las Vegas, then on to Utah where we spend the second night at the Butch Cassidy Campground near Salena. The owners pet rabbits had been busy multiplying -- there were rabbits everywhere. After an "event" with our new turbo eliminator we are on way.

Our third night was in Gypsum, Colorado. Not wanting to risk the scary BLM campground (0f sorts) we stayed in a private spot near the Colorado River. Not much going on besides this gaggle of Canadian geese (Alexa watches the American Idol finals with the owners).

It looks cold in "them thar" hills. Late May is risky in the high country.

5/27 We are making such good time, we decide to spend a day in the Leadville area. Most attractions, however, are not open -- the season hasn't begun yet!

We spent the evening in the Molly Brown campground near Turquoise Lake. We seem to be the only ones there so get a great spot right on the lake.

5/28 on the shores of the Arkansas River in Buena Vista.

5/29-6/2 Wonderful Stay in Colorado Springs.

6/2 We go across highway 50 to Salida (free dump station at the chamber of commerce), and then decided to keep going to Marysville and the FS Angel of Shavano Campground. The aspens are just coming out. Crispy but beautiful. A bear is spotted near the rest room.

6/3 - 6/6 We are off towards Montrose where the weather has turned decidedly warm. We are trying to get to Ridgeway State Park where we think it will be cooler. It wasn't. The next morning I have a Robin Williams adventure dumping, but we survive in "good" humor. Onward to Ouray. The elevation drops the temperature into pleasant 70's (two weeks ago they were still shoveling snow). We stay at one of the prettiest campgrounds ever just above Ouray -- the Ampitheater Campground. Aside from the charcoal taking two hours to light, and neighbors who believed that running a generator for two hours while they and their friends locked themselves in the camper was ok in such a pristine place, we have a wonderful time.

6/6 We spent a night in the Ouray KOA. A beautiful place, but they put us in the only ugly spot they had. Oh well, we got our laundry done. Then off to Telluride where we camped in the city's campground near their sports complex. It gave us a wonderful insight into the "community" side of this tourist mecca. The sports facilities (softball league, soccer games, picnicking, tennis, swimming) were just flooded with young locals. It was the place to be when the snow stopped. With the median price of homes being about $900,000, we thought the place would be a ghost town for young families -- not so. The free bus shuttle (Gray Goose) was also used by the school kids who the drivers (veterans of the hippie era of Telluride) knew. One driver had a riddle of the day he would pose to one of his passengers. Downtown actually had a hardware store.

A free gondola ride brought us over a mountain to the Mountain Village area of Telluride. The ski complex looked like it had been designed and built by Disney. It was picture perfect.

6/9 The weather is really hot in the Southwest so we decide to go to Silverton --- only ten miles by crow -- but 73 miles back down, around and up through Ouray again. We go up the famous Red Mountain Pass, and I am glad we are in a narrow rv. The drop down is somewhat intimidating.

We opt to stay at what is advertised as the highest campground in the U.S. -- Molas Lake Campground (10,840'). Pretty nippy, but oh so pretty surroundings.

6/10 We visit the Old Hundred Gold Mine near Silverton. Guide was a real character ...

6/11 - The weather got cooler so we proceeded down to Mesa Verda Campground. We did the Cliff House tour, checked out the museum, and then stumbled on the most interesting place --

Spruce Tree (below). Ranger got a little testy when I asked her about the threats to the Anazazi that led to the cliff dwellings --- but it was what I had read in the museum! According to her, there was no threat.

Mesa Verde Campground -- love the senior pass.

6/13 On our quest to visit as many national parks and monuments, we go to the out of the way place of Hovenweep National Monument (we think it is in Utah, but who knows). The weather was good, a particularly nasty gnat was temporarily on vacation (we bought the special spray anyway).

6/14 Off through Monument Valley (above) to the Navajo National Monument. We stop in Tuba City and visit an interesting interactive museum. The Navajo National Monument is a hidden gem -- plus free campgrounds.

6/15 Back to Bonita Campground near the Sunset Crater (Flagstaff).

We finally make it to Wupatki National Monument during its open hours, but miss the tour because we did not realize we had changed time zones.

6/17 Off to Lake Mary southeast if Flagstaff. Stayed at Canyon View Campground.

6/18 Drove old route 66 from Seligman to Kingman -- can see why there is a bypass. We went through Laughlin and stayed at a KOA Avi indian casino just south of there --- ugh.

6/19 - Head for Kathleen's in Palmdale. After a nostalgic trip down Bouquet Canyon to see the Texas Canyon Fire Station (from Chuck's Forest Fire Fighting youth), we head to El Capitan north of Santa Barbara to ease our way back into reality.