OK, Coffee is done... so now is a good time to get started on the next blog. Back to where we left off last week in Pagosa Springs...
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It is about 4 hours to Crested Butte..... also known as CB, The "Butte", The Butt, or Crusty Butt. I like the sounds of this.... a town with repulsive nicknames is very promising. Just for that, it get's almost an entire blog to itself.
We left Pagosa Springs and went up and over Wold Creek Pass... Debi stayed back a bit in the Tahoe to have a conference call, and I kept going in the motorhome with the clan. I had a new Co-Pilot, as Merced was more interested in getting into the trash can then riding in the front seat.
As I dropped down into the town of South Fork, I was looking for the South Fork Campground that was featured in the movie Vacation... it's called Riverbend.. Well, I saw it, but didn't recognize anything... but that's been like, what 30 years? I hit a little thundershower in town, then it cleared up and got warmer as I headed east back out into the expansive San Luis Valley.. Way off to the east, I could see the Great Sand Dunes, which we visited over a month ago.
I was headed back to the north though. I wanted to take the all-mountain route over to Creede, and Lake City... but it was a verrry long winding mountain road with 2 passes over 11,000 ft, with 9% grades... it was also about 90 minutes longer, so I opted for the easier route from Sagauche to Gunnison. This was a really lonely road... I probably counted 25 cars in 2 hours. It was pretty though, with open ranch land, alot of aspen and forest near the pass... then I descended down through a windy canyon for the last 20 miles before popping out in Gunnison.
Gunnison is the ice box of America... one of the coldest spots in the nation during winter, thanks to being at the bottom of several mountain drainages. The state record low was set near here, at -69. It was around 80 today though, and a fairly pleasant town. Debi had just about caught up to me, and we stopped at the Chamber to fill up our water tank before heading the 30 miles up to Crested Butte.
The Drive up to Crested Butte (CB) was interesting. In Gunnison, the terrain is rolling hills, dry and not too exciting. About half way up to CB, the valley starts getting a little smaller, and the mountains bigger and more dramatic. Mt. Crested Butte dominates the northern horizon as we get closer to town.
There is exactly 1 RV park in CB... and it's over $50 a night. This was our last resort. I had done some research on some free camping just outside of town in the national forest. We drove the RV to a dirt road, and got in the Tahoe to scout out the road. It was a little bumpy, but not bad at all. About 2 miles in, we found a nice open spot, that would accommdate out large rig. It had a wonderful view of Mt. Crested Butte, and the surrounding mountains... and is wide open with wildflowers, and a creek about 100 yds away. It also had a couple bars of 4G, which is important so Debi can work.. with our booster, we got 4 bars... and probably the speediest connection we've had on our trip!
This was pure boondocking... just the way we like it. We were prepared for 3 days here, and it was going to be very relaxing... no neighbors, traffic or gravel lots. The pups were already in heaven... endless bushes and flowers to pee on... and Cheddar had already bagged his first mouse before we even got the Motorhome leveled.
We got a couple beers out and set up (standard protocol), and decided to hang low after the long day driving. I still had some frozen smoked pork ribs left in the freezer (where else would they be?)... and we heated up some onion rings and I sauteed a few greenie beanies to make it appear a little healthy.
The next day, after Debi worked for a few hours.. and I kept busy doing something constructive, I'm sure... we headed into town. First impression was, Jeez, not more Victorian. Ok, I know all of these Colorado mining towns were settled during that era of construction, but this was a little over the top. Most of the places we have visited had a fairly authentic feel with the historic aspect... CB... not so much. What wasn't Victorian, was made Victorian. I get keeping with the theme, but there were many newer buildings mixed in with the older ones, and they were all painted the splashy colors. We both felt it seemed very contrived. Not only that, but other parts of town, including housing seemed to follow suit with fake Victorian style buildings. Ok, I think you get the picture... we're over the Victorian theme.
We walked around town for a while looking for a bite to eat and a beer... There is one brewery type place, but they have 3 crappy beers on tap, and crappy sounding food... so we decide to have an early happy hour at a place we find with some outdoor seating. A couple iced teas, and half price apps... we are good for the evening.
We drive up to Mt. Crested Butte a few miles away. The mountain looks like alot of fun... steep, good terrain... but the "village area" is scarred with tons of condos, hotels, etc. I dunno, I had heard so many good things about CB being this mellow, "last great ski town", vibe... but it seemed like any other resort to me.. It was just a little disappointing I guess.
We head to the store to get a few items, then back to camp for dinner. Neither of us had alot of motivation to spend a fortune to eat out in a town were were uninspired with... So I made up some comfort food.. chili cheese dogs. To keep the healthy theme going, I warmed up some left over fried zuchinni we had a couple nights earlier at the brewpub in Pagosa.
While we have satellite TV in the motorhome, there's usually nothing on... so for the first time on the trip (amazingly) we pop in a DVD and settle back with the last of our favorite whiskey, and some fresh baked frozen German chocolate cookies. I had never seen "Windtalkers"... a movie about Navajo Indians used as code talkers in WWII. It's a big reason why we were successful in the war the many ways. The Japanese were never able to break "the code". Good movie.
Our last full day in CB, Debi has alot of work to do... I make some bacon, eggs and hashbrowns to start the day... ok, the afternoon... and I'm off for some exploring. I take the birthday boy for a drive up Schofield Pass, which heads over towards Aspen is along the dirt road we are camped at. This road goes up over 11,000 ft, and it gets a little scary up near the pass. To top it off, there is alot of jeep traffic.. and many areas are 1 lane with no turnouts. A 1.5 mile stretch of this road is probably the williest I've ever felt on a road. 2,000 ft drop off on the side, and a rock wall on the other... eeek! Luckily, on the way up the only jeep outfitter (with tourists) I saw was in a spot we both saw each other about 1/4 mile away, and I waited for him to come down. I wasn't exactly in picture taking mode on this part, as I just wanted to get by it.. so the pics probably don't do it justice.
The views and the wildflowers are astonishing. CB is actually called the Wildflower Capital of the US... and for good reason. They have a festival each year in July... so we were a bit late, but still a great show in the higher elevations.
We got near the pass, and there was a large area to park and a little lake. There were a few people milling about, some hiking.. some having lunch.. some recovering from the drive to this point. Merced rocketed out the back door before I could even help him down, and of course, he went right for the lake. I walked around a bit, and took in the commanding views of the San Juan's. I mellowed out a little after the last part of the drive, but I knew I had to go back down. I was not going to go all the way over towards Aspen... I had seen enough great scenery... the sky was beginning to darker with storms.... ok, the real reason... I don't think my nerves could handle it. It's one thing to drive on these types of roads... but with all the traffic, it's a different game. The Z-71 Tahoe can handle it fine, but it is a little larger than alot of the jeeps on the road.
Schofield Pass Pics
On the way down, I confront a jeep on the scary part of the road. Luckily, it's a smaller Wrangler, and I have a tiny turnout I can back to to make a little more room. I let him make the move, and goes partially up the side of the rock wall on the inside of the road to pass me. Thank God. I bee-line it past the steep and narrow section back to more stable ground. I breathe again, and stop to take a few more pictures along the way back down to camp.
A get back to camp... Debi is sitting outside working.. while the other pups and kitty are are running around chasing grasshoppers. A thunderstorm rolls through about an hour after I return.. so I mellow out a bit while Debi finishes up her work. We head into town for a little shopping and to sight see a little more around town. Maybe we were missing something that might make us reconsider our indifference to CB? There's no doubt the scenic beauty of the area is as good as anywhere we've been, but no... we still feel the same about the town itself. Debi finds some earrings that are calling her name. I'm not seeing anything I must have.. although, a carmel covered apple at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory almost makes me cave to temptation.
We head back to camp for some dinner and watch a little TV. We never got to sit out an enjoy a campfire, because it was a little breezy each night or rainy, and there were some mosquitoes around looking for dinner. It was also quite cool... as were were at 9,700 ft. We actually awoke to 20's and frost both mornings. I start reading a new book on Kindle, called Black Elk Speaks... Debi starts reading the book I just finished, Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee. Yes, both Indian (Native American) themed books... surprise! (By the way, did you know that alot of Indians don't like to be called Native Americans? It was not America to them, so they consider that a white man's term for the place they called home long before we were here).
After reading for a bit, time for bed... I climb under the covers and feel a quick sharp pain in my right butt cheek. While I was hoping it was Debi getting a little feisty, unfortunately it ended up being a bumble bee putting it's love stinger into my big white rump. Thankfully, the itch stick in the medicine cabinet soothed the pain, and I was able to fall asleep. The bumble bee was found and exterminated appropriately... with a shoe.
It's time to move on... our next stop is a familiar one, about 2 hours away. Salida. First, we have to make it over Monarch Pass.. a 11,000ft pass along the continental divide. We stay unhitched, and the motorhome does a fine job along the 20 mile, ~3,000 climb to the pass. It's not terribly steep, about 6-7%... but steady and long. The worst part are the Colorado drivers feeling the need to drive 70 along this section of Hwy 50.
We were here about a month ago on our way to Vail. This was the most logical way to get back that way for Debi's next conference, back in Vail again. We get our exact spot at the BLM campground, which is free.. and right along the Arkansas River. The campground is busier than it was last month, but town seems a little mellower.
We set up and plan to head into town for dinner and maybe a soak in the hot springs pool again. We take the pups over to the dog park, and dodge a few rain drops from storms popping around the valley. We decide on the BoatHouse Cantina. A cool, historic bar right on the Arkansas River. It's busy, but we luck out and get some seats with a nice view. We have a couple beers and a great dinner.. Cajun Chicken Sandwich for me and shrimp tacos for Debi. Both very good.
As we leave, the sky lights up from earlier storms, leaving a great sunset.
We get back to camp, and cheddar cheese decides he wants to go out for a while. Unfortunately, it's more like a night on the town. We look everywhere, and cannot find the little curd. It's getting dark, and we are a little concerned. We keep looking into the evening with flashlights. Cheddar has been very good lately in staying around the motorhome... we let him off leash at CB, and he was great. We weren't going to let him off leash here, but he sneaked out before we could get his tie-out on. We decide at this point, it's too hard to keep looking in the dark. There are cactus, rocks, and other hazards all around, and Cheese would come back on his own.
It was very hard going to sleep...Cheddar has never done this before at night. We felt he probably got spooked and was in a tree or something, vs the alternative... Sure enough, around 1AM.. Debi heard a meow, and the cheese had apparently finished bar hopping, and was ready to come in for some late night munchies before bed... and then snooze all morning.
The next morning, we had to run to Wal-Mart for some supplies, and Debi insisted we get more bottles of our favorite whiskey at the distillery.. so she ran that errand... I got some LP gas for the motorhome, and we met at Wallyworld.
Off to Dillon.. about 2.5 hrs north.. back through Buena Vista, Leadville... and into Summit County. We considered staying at Torquise Lake in Leadville, but I recall the cell reception being sketchy, and Debi needed to work... so we chose to go back to the USFS campground we stayed at last month. Being Sunday, and moving into late August... alot of kids are back in school. The campground was near empty, and we got our choice of lakeview spots.
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| Near Leadville, Fremont Pass |
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| Lake Dillon |
We walk the pups, have some buffalo burgers on the grill... and buy some firewood for a campfire. It was a beautiful evening... a few dying storms off to the east, and a very light breeze. I break open our favorite whiskey... and we have a few sips and chat a while about our adventures this summer so far... and what we have planned for the next month or so. We are starting to get a little concerned about finding our winter residence, as the towns we've liked are really limited on rentals... especially ones allowing 3 dogs and a cat. We'd like to have something lined up by October 1st, but that means probably committing to something a few weeks earlier. We have not even been to Montana yet, so it will be a challenge.
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| Not sure what's up with my hair... |
The stars and the milky way start to pop put... and the marshmallows I bought recently were calling out to us. Neither of us are big on s'mores... but we didn't think ahead too much for an alternative... until, (probably with a little help from the whiskey)... my creative culinary juices started flowing, and I think of the remaining boxes of thin mints we have stashes in the cabinet. Debi ordered what she thought were 2 boxes back in March... well, we got 2 CASES... or 12 boxes of thin mints. We have a few boxes left, and I thought hey... chocolate.. wafer... mint.. marshmallows.. SCORE! We both had 3... and they were outstanding!
The fading twilight was just about gone, and we were approaching marshmallow overdose... so it was time for bed. We read for a little bit, and then dozed off to sleep as a cool mountain breeze drifted in through the windows.
Monday Morning... Debi is sitting outside in the morning sunshine working on her computer, and I make a cup of Dunkin Donuts coffee to join her. The pups are lounging in the sun, and we take our time getting ready to head the 45 minute drive over to our USFS campsite near Vail, were we have reservations for the week.
The drive over Vail Pass is always a little slow. It's a steady climb, and with it being I-70 you have people going 80 and trucks and RV's going 40... just not a good combination. Anyway, we make it over fine... and get our site at the campground right on the creek this time. It's a nice site, but it's terribly unlevel.. so it takes a trip to the hardware store to get some more blocks to boost us up to level. Somehow, we get lucky again and the satellite peeks through the forest and locks onto the 3 satellites. I know, there's never anything on TV... but I still get excited using the satellite in the motorhome. The other great thing is, since we are right on the creek... which still has alot of water in it.. we can use the Honda generator at any hour, and no one can hear it.
Debi and I head over to the village for a bite to eat, and we have some killer martini's and garlic fries... we also had 2 big salads. I get to spend the first night in the hotel again... this time in a suite... with a bathtub... so I take a bath (first bath in a loooong time)... which was nice.. as it's always a shower. I watch TV and do nothing until I fall asleep. Unfortunately, it was a restless sleep again. Debi is back at the camp watching her TV show, working and vegging with the pups.
Tuesday... I have an appt for Dixie to get a haircut at Petco back in Dillon. It ends up being a little of a fiasco, as Dixie is still sitting in a cage 90 minutes after I drop her off, and the large poodle that was being clipped when I dropped her off was still being clipped. I'm not sure what the 3 girls were doing for 90 minutes with 1 dog, but I was pissed. I told them get her done in 30 minutes... and they did.. although, they did a poor job. Dixie was happy to get out of there, so when we got back to camp, they all got a nice looong walk.
It started to rain... and kept going well into the evening, so I popped the generator on and watched TV for a few hours... enjoying being lazy. The dogs (and kitty) were lazy, too. While I missed Debi, it was also nice to have the place to myself for a change.
It rained off and on through the night, and into this morning... now that I've had 4 cups of coffee... and the sun is starting to come out... and it's time to get off the computer and get out for a while.
One more day in Vail... then we head north.. to Steamboat Springs, and into Wyoming and eventually Montana...
Until next time...
Debi, Todd, Merced, Sierra, Dixie, Cheese.
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