Well, that completes my whirlwind loop through southwestern Colorado. The blog is now caught up and I am in the rare state of “real time” as I sit high atop the Colorado National Monument overlooking Grand Junction. Tomorrow, I will wave goodbye to the “Colorful Colorado” highway sign as I cross over into Utah. Continue reading
The Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is only a small part of the 48 mile long gorge, carved over 2-billion years by the mighty Gunnison River, a tributary of the Colorado River. The National Park protects the steepest and deepest 14-mile stretch of the gorge. The park is bracketed on both ends by recreational areas; Gunnison Gorge to the west, and the larger Curecanti National Recreation Area the east. Curecanti is formed by a series of three dams; Blue Mesa Dam, Morrow Point Dam, and Crystal Dam, each creating reservoirs of the same name. The largest of these is Blue Mesa Reservoir, Colorado’s largest body of water. Continue reading
The bus stop from Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness, termination of our hike, is right across the street from our hotel, where Mark is waiting. Not only has he unloaded our bags, but he has already scoped out choices for brews and burgers. The man makes an excellent Continue reading
Crested Butte has been on my radar for two reasons. One being more reconnaissance in a “ski town.” Like Telluride, it was a destination discussed often, but two traits of my former husband that factored equally; being cheap and being repetitious. So we never broke out of the Ski the Summit/Utah mode.
But the main reason I have been eager to get to Crested Butte is because I want to do reconnaissance in another ski town…Aspen! That’s right, explore Aspen from Crested Butte. Continue reading
I move on to Crested Butte to ride out Labor Day Weekend. My hope is if I get there a couple of days before the start of the weekend, I can secure a good boondocking location on Washington Gulch Road before the holiday crowds arrive. But the crowds all know something I don’t know, apparently. It is going to rain, and it’s gonna rain hard. Even some lentil-sized hail thrown in. And, it’s gonna be c-c-c-cold! Continue reading
As I continue my counter-clockwise loop around southwestern part of the state, I get word that Debbie, along with friends Chuck and Carla, two Lazy Dazers I met last summer in the Pacific Northwest, are on their way down the same path in the opposite direction. I had originally planned to follow the Rio Grande through Creede and on up to Lake City, but I chickened out for two reasons. Continue reading
I have been on a counter-clockwise loop of sorts around Southwestern Colorado to see sights that interest me. One category that particularly interests me is hot springs. I even purchased a guidebook “Hot Springs and Hot Pools of the Southwest,” with the intent to visit as many as time allows. But so far, my quest has been a little frustrating. It’s been hit or miss, mostly miss. Continue reading
Mesa Verde National Park, continued….
Back on a cold winter day in 1888, the Wetherill brothers were out in a snow storm looking for lost cattle when they spotted through the snowflakes something they described as “An enchanted castle.” They had stumbled upon what is now known as the Cliff Palace. Therefore, like Columbus who sailed the ocean blue in 1492 to “discover” America, the Wetherill Brothers were credited with being the first to “discover” the Cliff Palace. Nevermind about the people who lived there for 100 years, or all the subsequent Puebloans, Navajo, Hopi, Zuni, etc. that followed. The mesa is named for the Wetherills. (You can’t please everyone, so you’ve got to please yourself!) Continue reading
I recently read an article about a man who has a “bucket list to go everywhere.” The article claims he is the “Worlds Most Traveled Man.” I am not that kind of checklist traveler…I don’t need to “go everywhere.” But I do maintain lists of things I want to see, otherwise, I might never leave the internet. 😉 When it comes to an already well-developed list such as our 59 National Parks, I figure there is a good reason to use that list as a guideline. These places have received the pinnacle of “Park” status, not “Monument, Seashore, or Reserve.” Only 59 of them are an official “Park.” So there must be something special there worthy of a list, right? So I confess, while in southwestern Colorado, I took a slight detour to visit Mesa Verde National Park. Continue reading
My original intent is to spend only a couple of nights in Durango, long enough to ride the train. I end up doubling that. The little town has just the kind of “vibe” that I enjoy, which I often find to be the case in “river towns.”
There is much to do in Durango, a lot which centers around the Animas River. There is a beautiful walk/bike path that runs parallel for seven miles. Paddling and float trips are popular here also. Thankfully, little evidence remains of the recent tragedy of the toxic Gold King mine spill Continue reading