We checked out of our campsite at 11 am Friday but only after a final trip to the library to finish blog #8. Just at the end I lost about half of it due to a quirk in the program. So we had to move on. We made it back to the Walmart in Starkville, Colorado where we had stopped on the way up. The wifi was good out to the RV so I redid the rest of the blog and got it out. I wanted to spend at least one night out 'boondocking' (middle of nowhere, no hookups, and preferably no one else around). We found the Maxwell National Wildlife Refuge about 35 miles into New Mexico and a short distance off I-25. Turned out to be a beautiful, peaceful spot. We watched a serious thunderstorm move west to east along the mountains a few miles to the north of us. We enjoyed a spectacular lightning show.The rain moved around to the east behind the lake and gave a good effect. We only got a few drops of rain, but it looked like more was coming our way. It didn't come but we got a gorgeous sunset. The next morning we set out for Texas. The route took us through the backroads of northeast New Mexico to Clovis. This was a very pleasant drive as the roads were good, little or no traffic and we were able to cruise about 55 mph. Now many of you would poo-poo that, but it's quite nice to enjoy the scenery at a leisurely pace. The scenery was vast stretches of grassland, but it had a beauty all it's own. We're going to stop somewhere tonight and probably make it home tomorrow or the next day.
As with all our trips, we are always impressed with the awesome natural beauty that God has blessed us with in this great land. The man-made stuff is good too. Many of you have made comments about this blog, and I have not responded to most. Just know that those comments are what keep me going on, spending the time to do it. So thanks for going along with us. Maybe we'll do it again on down the road. Stay tuned. From the Walmart Parking Lot - Snyder, Texas
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Resuming Road TripContinuing our driving adventure from the Alpine Visitor Center. Here's the map again.
Alpine Visitor Center is above the tree line on the 'tundra' on a smooth grassy mountain. From here the Ridge Trail Road goes downhill to a series of switchbacks. (see the northwest corner of the map.
Below is a short video of the drive down the hill. Notice the mountain scenery, if you can take your eyes off the road!
We finallly got to see a couple of moose along the way.
Just outside the park at the lower end of the Ridge Trail Road is the quaint little town of Grants Lake. It must be a tourist destination as the waterfront of the lake is quite nice.
We had a hamburger at the little lakeside hut. Lots of people there so must be a good place..
After lunch we entered the park again and headed back up the Ridge Trail Road. It was uneventful, but not boring. An attraction along the way is the St. Malo's Chapel of the Rock. An active church having been visited by Pope John Paul II. The statue on the hill is a WWII war memorial.
We crossed the Continental Divide going both ways. Most know that this is the point where watersheds on one side go to the Atlantic Ocean and the other side drains to the Pacific.
As we passed the Visitor Center the road going up through the tundra was a smooth ribbon. The roads in the park were excellent, by the way.
Looking up the mountain the visible line of cars was like ants scurrying along their trail.
Here's a short video of the ride up.
It was a long, but very good, day. We arrived back at camp around 4 pm very tired. Too tired to go to the library in town to do what? Write this blog!
While it looks rather sterile, it was actually quite nice. The view was good, especially at sunrise.
There were even 3 elk that wandered into the campground, and also a couple of mule deer. (the bathhouse roof in the background).
By 8 am the next morning, we were at Beaver Meadows in the park for guided bird watching walk that ML was keen to go on. Here's the guide with ML and another early bird. (bird -get it?)
We saw some birds and there was talk of red-beaked this and yellow-bellied that, and there was excitement when a SPARROW was spotted in the bushes. The guide could identify the birds in flight but they were hard to even see when they landed in the trees. We did see some wild turkeys.
And some live ones. (just kidding). (Notice the blue sky - like that most days)
Looks like they are expecting an air raid!!
After about an hour and a half, we were totally bored and headed back, vowing to never go on a guided bird walk.
It was still early so the next plan was to go about 15 miles down the Peak to Peak Highway to Allenspark, where our guide map said were 'legendary' cinnamon rolls. We turn off the highway and followed the road through a few houses and maybe a business or so, and were out of 'town' when we came to the Meadow Mountain Cafe. There were several cars outside and the only sign of life around.
There was seating on the front deck, but the inside was only about 10 x 20 feet with 4 tables and seating for 2 at counter space. The pictures don't really capture the ambiance. (looked like 2 grisly mountain men at the counters and one cute chick over by the pot bellied stove)
Anyway we told the lady we had come all the way from Houston for a 'legendary' cinnamon roll. We were too late, none left. So we ordered (to split) an omelet which came with two buckwheat pancakes. 'Then she came out with a 'legendary' cinnamon roll she found in the freezer. (delicious, but not as good as fresh).
By the time we ate that an the big breakfast, we were stuffed, and headed back for a short rest. We had no other plans for this place (Estes Park) so we spent the rest of the afternoon at the library in town to guess what? Write this blog. Actually ML walked several blocks of the main drag which is filled with shops of course. Flowers along the street are beautiful and the ambiance with the mountains right there is really cool.
Tomorrow we will leave to head south. Don't know where, but here's a final Colorado sunset. Stay tuned. It's only 35 miles up to Estes Park but it's a lot of slow uphill pulling for our RV. Many of you have been there before but we were thinking it would be kinda on a mountain top. Well it's in a bowl with mountains all around. Entering the town, we see a herd of elk cooling in a little lake on the edge of town. We find our campground a little way out of town, and while it's not exactly a 'resort', we have a nice view of a little valley with houses dotting the hillside. No picture, sorry. In town from the Vistor Center, they had shuttles taking you around different route. We took one that stopped at the Stanley Hotel. This is an old historic health retreat resort hotel (still in use) Freelan Oscar Stanley of Stanley Steamer fame. There is a actual Stanley Steamer car in the lobby. The Hotel The Car We were told that you need to enter the park 5:30 to 6 am to get to certain areas of the park. When the parking lots fill up the roads are closed. You can take shuttles on in, but isn't that the pits? We had Bear Lake as a destination, and so when we entered the park about 7 am we drove right on in. We did a 0.5 mile hike around the lake. Trail was really well maintained. It was about 8 am and the weather was clear and still. This is the reward. The ranger said this scene was a photo used frequently in park promotion. On around the trail. The weather was absolutely georgeous! ML took a longer hike, but my legs had had enough. Leaving the Bear Lake area, we explored other areas of the park. We spotted a heard of elk resting in some trees. A bull elk and his 'harem' of about 22 cows were there. Can you see the bull's antlers? In case you missed it --- Along the way we saw stacks of wood as for a big bonfire. Turns out these were stacks of gathered up down wood as a fire deterrent measure. They would be burned in the winter with snow on the ground when it was safe. Dead wood on the ground is extra fuel for forest fires. ( in other parts of the park were signs to not pick up downed wood. Go figure). Our campground does not have wifi or even TV reception so we are really incommunicado here. Again we go to the library in town to do the blog. And other stuff. We ventured into the local Safeway store for a few things. What a total madhouse!! Narrow aisles and lots of frantic people. Never again. The next dayThis day we were into the park early again as we had a long adventure ahead. We were going to do the Trail Ridge Road which is over 50 miles of curving, harrowing scenery! At the very north part is a stretch of dirt road which was the main sightseeing routes in the early days of the park. It's one-way going west. See the map below. Fall River Road Driving this road was very pleasant in that you could go very slow and not worry about oncoming traffic. There are sheer drop-offs with a very long drop. Then there are pretty mountain streams. Lots of pictures here. A nifty mountain stream. A switchback Square 'tubes' of rocks in fence wire used for terracing to hold the mountain. (who does all this work?) More dropoffs. The end of Fall River Road at the Alpine Visitor Center. Almost there. We've arrived! Of course ML had to climb the hill on the other side of the road. Here are some views from the top. From here we take the long curvy road down the western side of the park to Grant's Lake. That'll be the next blog. This one is already pretty long.
Stay Tuned. Estes ParkIt's only 35 miles up to Estes Park but it's a lot of slow uphill pulling for our RV. Many of you have been there before but we were thinking it would be kinda on a mountain top. Well it's in a bowl with mountains all around. Entering the town, we see a herd of elk cooling in a little lake on the edge of town. We find our campground a little way out of town, and while it's not exactly a 'resort', we have a nice view of a little valley with houses dotting the hillside. No picture, sorry. In town from the Vistor Center, they had shuttles taking you around different route. We took one that stopped at the Stanley Hotel. This is an old historic health retreat resort hotel (still in use) Freelan Oscar Stanley of Stanley Steamer fame. There is a actual Stanley Steamer car in the lobby. The Hotel The Car We were told that you need to enter the park 5:30 to 6 am to get to certain areas of the park. When the parking lots fill up the roads are closed. You can take shuttles on in, but isn't that the pits? We had Bear Lake as a destination, and so when we entered the park about 7 am we drove right on in. We did a 0.5 mile hike around the lake. Trail was really well maintained. It was about 8 am and the weather was clear and still. This is the reward. The ranger said this scene was a photo used frequently in park promotion. The weather was absolutely gorgeous! ML took a longer hike, but my legs had had enough. Leaving the Bear Lake area, we explored other areas of the park. We spotted a heard of elk resting in some trees. A bull elk and his 'harem' of about 22 cows were there. Can you see the bull's antlers? In case you missed it --- Along the way we saw stacks of wood as for a big bonfire. Turns out these were stacks of gathered up down wood as a fire deterrent measure. They would be burned in the winter with snow on the ground when it was safe. Dead wood on the ground is extra fuel for forest fires. ( in other parts of the park were signs to not pick up downed wood. Go figure). Our campground does not have wifi or even TV reception so we are really incommunicado here. Again we go to the library in town to do the blog. And other stuff. We ventured into the local Safeway store for a few things. What a total madhouse!! Narrow aisles and lots of frantic people. Never again. The next day This day we were into the park early again as we had a long adventure ahead. We were going to do the Trail Ridge Road which is over 50 miles of curving, harrowing scenery! At the very north part is a stretch of dirt road which was the main sightseeing routes in the early days of the park. It's one-way going west. See the map below. Fall River Road Driving this road was very pleasant in that you could go very slow and not worry about oncoming traffic. There are sheer drop-offs with a very long drop. Then there are pretty mountain streams. Lots of pictures here. Square 'tubes' of rocks in fence wire used for terracing to hold the mountain. (who does all this work?) More drop offs. The end of Fall River Road at the Alpine Visitor Center. Almost there. We've arrived! Of course ML had to climb the hill across the road. Here are some views from the top. From here we take the long curvy road down the western side of the park to Grant's Lake. That'll be the next blog. This one is already pretty long.
Stay Tuned. We ran across some items of interest while driving around in Longmont. Turns out there is lots to do here. Since we had been to the Coors Brewery, it was recommended that we visit the Left Hand Brewery. We did and it was very cool. I guess this is considered a 'craft' beer. There was no tour of the brewery but we enjoyed socializing in the tasting room. Not sure why it's called that, but it was a fun place to visit. The bartender was a hoot. They didn't serve food, but they had a food truck come in most afternoons. This one showed up as we were leaving. It was almost new and was all gleaming stainless steel inside. Looked very sanitary. There was this place we saw and for some reason we thought it was a cheese-making school. Turns out they not only sold mucho cheese, but was also a cafe and of course a gift shop. Meanwhile, back at the fairgrounds, Saturday morning brought forth a great Farmers Market. But wait - there's more! There was also a car show. A lot goes on at the fairgrounds, right at our front door. This was all on Saturday. The next day being Sunday we attended the First Baptist Church of Longmont. A very old building in the middle of town, the sanctuary held maybe 150 people. This Sunday they were featuring 'bluegrass gospel music'. Well, kinda... This was all on Saturday. The next day being Sunday we attended the First Baptist Church of Longmont. A very old building in the middle of town, the sanctuary held maybe 150 people. This Sunday they were featuring 'bluegrass gospel music'. Well, kinda... The next morning we got underway to head higher in the mountains.
Next stop - Estes Park. Stay Tuned.
We are at the Boulder County Fairgrounds in Longmont. It's a big nice facility with a lot going on. We're staying several days here to get past the Labor Day weekend when campsites are hard to find. We do some stuff every day but have a lot of down time.
There is no wifi here so we go to the very nice library to do this blog.
Our first excursion from here was driving scenic mountain roads including part of the 'Peak to Peak Highway between Lyons and Nederland.
A beautiful drive, some along a nifty mountain stream.
The town of Nederland is a lovely little mountain town prosperous from tourism. Very quaint.
Who knows what this is? It's an old wagon with what appears to rotatable cultivators on the back. Very unique. (found out later that it's a manure spreader).
A prime attraction in this little town is the Carousel of Happiness. The animals and horses on this merry-go-round were carved by a Viet Nam vet over a period of over 20 years as therapy for the effects of PTST from his war experience. The mechanism is from a 1910 merry-go-round, that an entrepreneur bought only for the horses (highly prized by collectors). Other benefactors helped with the building and property acquisition.
More info can be found at the website. https://www.carouselofhappiness.org/
Meanwhile back at the fairgrounds, there is a Jackpot Barrel Racing competition going on. Lots of big horse trailers and cute riders.
Hmmm.... I think I'll take up barrel racing!
This was not one of the better rides. Sorry about the way the video ends.
That's all for now. The library is closed so having to do this outside in the jeep. We're not going to have wifi at the next place, so don't know when I can do another blog. Anyway, stay tuned. Red Rock Amphitheater Our first excursion from here was to Red Rocks Amphitheater. It's quite a climb from the parking lot to the very top, but it's an awesome venue. They were preparing for a concert that night. The show was ONEREPUBLIC with the Colorado Symphony. This place can seat an amazing 9525 people, all with unobstructed view and perfect accoustics. Scale Model of the Amphitheater The Lariat LoopThe Lariat Loop is a scenic road winding through the mountains with predictably winding roads and various attractions along the way. The most prominent stop is Lookout Mountain with several attractions. Boettcher House Charles Boettcher , 1852-1948, came from Germany at age 17 and became a successful businessman in various pursuits. This house was his summer 'getaway' to escape the heat in the valley below. it is open to visit, but is mostly used as a wedding venue. Lookout Mountain View of Golden, Colorado from the mountain. Also here on the mountain are an eating place, gift shop (of course), the Buffalo Bill Museum, and Buffalo Bill's grave site. We elected to visit only the grave site. Info from Wikipedia: Buffalo Bill started working at the age of eleven, after his father's death, and became a rider for the Pony Express at age 15. During the American Civil War, he served the Union from 1863 to the end of the war in 1865. Later he served as a civilian scout for the US Army during the Indian Wars, receiving the Medal of Honor in 1872. One of the most colorful figures of the American Old West, Buffalo Bill's legend began to spread when he was only twenty-three. Shortly thereafter he started performing in shows that displayed cowboy themes and episodes from the frontier and Indian Wars. He founded Buffalo Bill's Wild West in 1883, taking his large company on tours in the United States and, beginning in 1887, in Great Britain and continental Europe. Bill founded the town of Cody, Wyoming and participated in numerous business ventures. He was noted for his support of rights of Native Americans, women's rights and saving the buffalo. Lots more info on Wikipedia. As noted on the plaque above, he originally planned to be buried in Cody, Wyoming, but changed his mind at the last minute and wanted to be buried on Lookout Mountain above Golden, Colorado. This surprised the people of Cody and started a controversy which supposedly continues to this day. Threats have been made to steal the body and return it to Cody, but today several tons of concrete ensures that he stays exactly where he wanted to be. Stay tuned.
This morning I spent probably two hours preparing this really nice blog post, but somehow I got away from it and couldn't get back to it. So now I'm starting over. BUMMER!!
Our campsite in Colorado Springs was conveniently located, but with mixed clientele. There were very nice RV's in there, but also some older RV's with families living in them. Interesting to watch.
Pikes PeakA trip to Colorado would not be complete without a trip to Pikes Peak. Pikes Peak is one of Colorado's 53 fourteeners, (mountains more than 14,000 feet above sea level). It's a long winding road to the top with many switchbacks and areas along the edge with no guardrails. Good road though.
I asked if any one has gone over the edge. There was one, the story goes. The girlfriend worked at the top, and broke up with the boyfriend up there. He vowed to go over the edge and he did! And he actually survived.
Anyway there was much construction going on at the top, building a new visitor center and viewing areas. So we didn't get 360 views. We hadn't thought about the temperature being colder up there so we weren't dressed for the 60 degree weather. There were actually some snow flurries.
We coasted most of the way down in low gear. There was a mandatory stop about halfway down where a ranger checked the temperature of your brakes. You'd have to wait awhile if they were too hot. Of course refreshments and gift shop was available.
Royal GorgeOur next excursion from here was to the Bridge over the Royal Gorge. While this is a major tourist attraction, it was apparently built only as a tourist attraction. Go figure. It held the record of highest bridge in the world from 1929 until 2001, which has been surpassed by a bridge in China and others since then. It remains the highest bridge in the US. The bridge crosses the gorge 955 feet above the Arkansas River. They got the first line across by lowering a line from both side to the bottom of the gorge and someone down there connected them.
FACTOID: Canyons differ from gorges in that gorges have more sloping sides getting narrow at the bottom. Canyons have more vertical sides.
You may cross the gorge both ways via the bridge, walking or riding the tram.
or either way by gondola on a wire.
You can also ride a Zip Line from the other side, one way only. Coming to the end is exciting. Watch the video.
Garden of the Gods
Comprising 1,300 acres of sandstone formations Garden of the Gods Park is a registered National Natural Landmark. The visitor center is a wealth of information regarding the natural history of the area. There is no admission for the center or the driving tour of the park.
The pictures don't do justice.
US Air Force Academy
This is the best of this day. The Academy is nestled next to a mountain and the setting is beautiful. Opened in 1955, the campus is laid out with modern design. These are some of the classrooms and dormitories. Underclassmen are required to walk only along the white marble grid lines.
Of course the focal point of the whole campus is the Chapel.
The interior is just gorgeous with stained glass lighting.
This is a popular wedding venue. This day there was to be a renewal of vows, followed by a regular wedding. We met the wedding planner who does around 200 weddings a year here.
At the other end of the chapel over the entry door is the pipe organ.
A display of WWII aircraft
The tall structure in the background resembles an aircraft tail fin like the one below.
That's a B 52 bomber!
Driving away there is a pullout on the highway overlooking the Academy air field. Naturally the Academy stresses 'airmanship' consisting of light aircraft piloting, soaring (in gliders) and parachuting. On this Saturday afternoon, this was all going on at the airfield. At any given time there would be 4-6 parachutes coming down, 2-3 gliders soaring around, several prop driven airplanes circling around. Looked like a lot of fun stuff!
This is the 3rd of our military academies we have visited and continue to be impressed and proud of our military.
More coming. Stay tuned. We're finally doing our trip to Colorado that we've been trying to do for a couple of years. I didn't think I would do a blog, but I seem to be drawn to sharing our story. First stop was the Fort Worth area to visit grandkids. From there we overnighted at a little park on the edge of a cotton field. Very nice little area with only 6 sites and no one else there. Our reason for stopping there was the visit the Charles Goodnight ranch house. He was a prominent figure in the Palo Duro Canyon/Texas panhandle area. He and Oliver Loving started what is now known as the Goodnight-Loving Trail, used for cattle drives from Texas to railheads in Kansas. He invented the chuckwagon, and was instrumental in preserving the buffalo herds. Go to Google for more info. We then overnighted at a Walmart in Starkville, Colorado, moving the next day to a park in Walensburg. From there we visited the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. Great Sand Dunes National ParkThis is a place where all the ecosystems operate to retain the sand in the dunes, in the dunes. Rain washes the sand into the valley and the wind blows it back onto the dunes. Very simplified explanation, This is the only place in the world that this happens. People are free to hike the dunes and even 'sandboard' down the slopes. This is like snowboarding. It's difficult to walk in the sand, so with our old legs, we chose not to. The parking lot had some interesting sights, however. Next stop, Colorado Springs.
Golden, Colorado Coors Brewery A great tour of the brewery. Clean and well organized. I don't remember how many cans/cases/barrels/train cars (full of beer) are produced here but it's a lot! They are also involved in other beers. Beer making is complicated (I don't know how the 'craft breweries do it). Following are various pics of the process. Filling of cans and boxing them is completely automated. Interesting to watch. Of course they wanted you to sample the beer. You get two 'samples' choosing among 4 beers. The 'samples' were pretty big, but ML was not driving! Golden also has a large railroad museum which we drove to and chose not to visit. Most of the exhibits were outside and looked like a comprehensive assortment of locomotives and rail cars. We're trying to keep more down time in our days so we can relax more time in campsite.Here's our mountain campsite at Chief Hosa. Next we'll be moving down the mountain to the Boulder County Fairgrounds in Longmont, Colorado. Stay tuned.
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Who are We?Chuck and Mary Lou have been traveling Trip Reports
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