Sept 10, Friday Today was moving day – all the way to Santa Fe! We decided against our original route heading towards Silverton. . . remember that narrow, winding no-guardrails million-dollar road I described on Sunday? Instead, Tom planned to drive back the way we came through Montrose. Construction was “scheduled” to close the road throughout the day, but we knew it would be open from 6:30 – 8:00, thus our early 5:30 take-off! We reached the road construction and had a 30-minute wait for the pilot car, and then sailed past the construction at 7:00 a.m. This picture shows what much of our scenery was for the day. We had a bit of concern when DIL Halie called at 5:15 a.m. to tell us that Caleb was having some concerning symptoms, and they were heading to the doctor. We put bits and pieces together (we were in and out of cellphone/text message service until noon) as Caleb’s doctor sent him to Parkview Emergency facility where he was given multiple diagnostics over the course of 8 hours and then released with prescriptions! He has had an internal infection for the past few weeks, and they thought some additional treatment was necessary. Hopefully, the infection is not in his shunt! Finally, at 3:00, after 380 miles/9 hours, we reached the Rancheros de Santa Fe Campground. It is built on a hillside and has dirt roads and very short, stubby trees – not the kind to offer shade. Our campsite is a pull-through will full hook-ups, and the whole package just isn’t that pretty! The real problem is that the temperature reached 91 today, and trying to cool off a trailer in direct sunlight in those temps, is not a quick thing! We solved it by turning fans and AC on and taking off for town. We always love the Historic Santa Fe Plaza. There was a large “special event” going on all around the town square; usually this would be an added bonus, but there were many signs that said no dogs/animals allowed. One on-duty-guard told us to just pick Pippa up and say she is a comfort dog! We would not do that. We walked the perimeters of the special event area and could see that there were indeed a lot of people walking around accompanied by their comfort dog! We found a wonderful outdoor Mexican restaurant that was very shady, and Pippa was welcomed to join us for dinner. It was a wonderful meal and we lingered just to enjoy the atmosphere . . . and the extra drinks! BTW it was located on Burro Alley. We walked the streets outside of the special event some more, and were able to get close to some of the entertainment tents where competitions were going on. From this short video you can see what a nice atmosphere it was. These girls were getting ready for their performance, and Pippa Joy wished them good luck! We headed home where the Silvermine had cooled off considerably, and after a shower we settled down to finish True Grit!
0 Comments
Sept 9, Thursday Another beautiful morning. This time Chef Tombie made our breakfast – right at the campsite! egg sandwiches with bacon and cheese and Tom’s homemade cherry jelly. It was so pleasant cooking and eating out that we lingered a bit before making up our minds about the day’s agenda. Pippa enjoyed sitting out in the sun with us! We headed back to Ridgway for a little drive thru Owl Creek Pass. We had heard it was a beautiful drive . . . it was. Turning off the main highway onto a gravel back-country road Tom instantly slowed down to 25 mph. When the road became a major washboard, he slowed to 10-15 mph. We only met 3 others cars while on the road, and it was a very pleasant 19 mile round trip with all the windows down. Back in Ridgway we went on a mission to see if we could buy a DVD copy of the True Grit. All during our stay in Ouray we have noticed pictures and signs showing some of the hot spots from the movie; we wondered if we would recognize any of them! The Visitor Center had the DVD and we made the purchase - - tonight’s entertainment! Also, the City Park in Ridgway was the location of the gallows hanging in the move, and a plaque told the details! With several hours and nothing to do, I did another two loads of laundry – all of our bedding. . . clean bedding is a very big deal when camping! For dinner we had lamb chops followed by showers and a little trailer housecleaning, and then Tom hitched up for an early take-off in the morning. Finally, we ended the evening watching the first part of True Grit. We saw where the 3-gallows hanging scene was filmed in Ridgway Park.
Sept 8, Wednesday We woke up to a beautiful, warmer morning, and at 7:30 a.m. (45 degrees, blue sky, slight breeze) we were sitting outside with coffee. No – it was not cold in the least! This was our morning to have breakfast at the Ouray Café – just 344 yards down the Riverwalk from our campsite. I talked about Chef Bombie when we ate dinner there earlier this week. Today when we walked in for breakfast at 9:00 (just as the early crowd had cleared out.) We were welcomed by Chef Bombie, and he sat down with us for a breakfast and a chat! He told us his whole story of how he met John Wayne, and pointed to our breakfast selection of “Bombie’s Huevos Rancheros” and said that this is the very same recipe that his mother cooked for John Wayne when he stayed in Ouray to film True Grit. A flour tortilla is loaded with marinated, pulled, pork, pinto beans, home-made green chili sauce, and topped with 2 eggs over easy! Served with Hash Browns. He made quite a bit of fun of Tom for ordering the green chili on the side – “the Ohio man is scared of the green chili!” Tom did ask for a picture of me with Bombie, and he happily obliged -- the picture was absolutely AWFUL (of me) that Tom erased it rather than put it on the blog. Luckily I did get other pictures of Bombie while we ate in the restaurant. He also shared his recipe with us for the delicious Prime Rib chunks I had earlier – he just mixes in a little horseradish with the blue cheese and tops it with crumbles. Pippa wasn’t able to go with us on our morning jaunt. Sometimes called “Ouray's own Wonder of the World,” Box Canyon Falls is one of the most unique attractions and is located a very short drive from our campsite. It is owned by the City of Ouray. The Falls is where Canyon Creek narrows and drops, pushing thousands of gallons of water through the 285 foot falls every minute. The very narrow rock walls tower over the falls by 100 feet. It is a “box” canyon with an opening only on one side, and a trail has been constructed down and around the rock face of the mountain ending in a suspended metal grid walkway that hangs from the edge. At the very end it had a fire-tower-like switchback staircase that descended to the base of the falls. Tom went all the way down . . . I stayed on top just to get a picture of him at the bottom! Right! We did laundry in the afternoon – it turns out that the very nice laundromat at our campground is the only laundry In town!
At 4:00 we were in the Silvermine, and it was . . . HOT: 87 degrees outside, but it “felt like” 83. Typical temperature for this time of year was a high in the 60s! Where we are situated in the campground the awning does not help much with shade in the afternoon on the front/door side. But there was enough shade on the back of the trailer to sit outside. I kept sneaking around to the front side of the trailer for a shade-report – From 4:25 – 4:30 we went from partially shaded . . . to full shade! I'll end with a fun fact: Sept 7, Tuesday As the crow flies it is no more than 8 miles from Ouray to Telluride. The problem is that there is no direct road, and you must go up, over, and down to get there – 48 miles! Telluride was originally a mining town during the time of the Pikes Peak Gold Rush. For a brief time in the 70’s it was a “well-kept-ski-secret” of the jet set and even now there is a high concentration of well-to-do second homeowners. Today it is an all-season resort with a world-class Ski Resort as a main attraction in the winter. In the summer Telluride transforms into an outdoor recreation hot spot. There is no way to describe the downtown of Telluride; swanky boutiques, lots of sidewalk café eating, beautiful flowers, well-maintained shops, and little fenced-in green parks. It did not seem extremely busy, although parking was at a premium. We walked most of the town up one side and down the other and enjoyed the shops and mountain atmosphere. Just down the road from Telluride is Mountain Village – the ski-resort complex. We saw tantalizing advertising for the FREE Gondola ride, and we drove to check it out. What a find! We started at the top of Mountain Village, and rode up to the next station and then down to Telluride. The Gondolas were smooth, very quiet, and spacious, with one person/couple/family to a “cabin.” Dogs allowed! The round-trip ride gave us beautiful views of Telluride, Mountain Village and the far-off mountains. Pippa Joy is a wonderful little tourist. She does not mind the crowded streets or walking into shops, and she is playful when people want to stop and pet her – which is a lot. When she gets back in the car after a long exploring session, she curls up for a nap.
Sept 6, Sunday We’re only 35 miles from the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, and at 8:00 we were headed on our way. Going through Ridgeway we stopped for a peek of the John Wayne Café; this is the little town where True Grit was actually filmed. The town is not as big as Ouray, but it was very nice with signs of maintenance and upkeep everywhere. From there we drove thru Montrose before reaching the park 15 miles later. The park road follows 12 miles of the 48-mile Black Canyon of the Gunnison River. It is a long, narrow, climbing road that follows the canyon edge with periodic parking for twelve overlooks. It contains 12 miles of the 48 mile Black Canyon of the Gunnison River. The trails to these super-vistas are short with guard rails at the viewing points: Pulpit Rock, Devils Lookout, Painted Wall, Dragon Point, Gunnison Point, Sunset View, High Point and more. It was a truly vertical viewing experience as the canyon is the deepest and narrowest canyon in North America. The canyon is black, because very little sunlight gets to the bottom and the composition of the rock! It is interesting to note that only its rims, never the gorge, have shown evidence of human occupation - not even by Ute Indians that have lived in the area since written history began. The Visitor Center was small and limited entrance to 6 masked people at a time; rangers were set up at an outdoor table to provide their service. We were glad that we visited in the morning, as the parking spots at the overlooks were getting very crowded by 11:00 a.m. By 12:30 we were back in Montrose and eating KFC for lunch! In the afternoon we went back to the town of Ouray to restock some groceries. Even routine grocery-shopping is fun in a small mountain town, and it required several side-trips into touristy-type shops to get it all done. I love this little town of Ouray!
Sept 5, Sunday We woke up this morning in our own little personal playground, and decided that we would drive to Silverton. Over 35 years ago vacationing out here, we did a day-trip train ride on the famous Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, which was originally a mine train and has been running for 138 years. Colorado Highway 550 connects Ouray with Silverton offering breathtaking mountain, valley and gorge views as the road winds and clings to the mountain. It is a part of the San Juan Skyway, and this section is called the Million Dollar Highway. I thought it was named that for the million-dollar views, but it was actually because the road cost a million dollars a DAY when it was being built. The last mine in Silverton shut down in the 1990s and the town is now solely dependent on tourism. It is supremely positioned for this with all of the usual amenities that come to a high mountain town, and an added boost from a thriving off-roading industry in a variety of vehicles. The stores are nicely kept up and there are many little eateries with a choice of both indoor and outdoor seating. Only Main Street is paved, and we saw no traffic lights, and only one stop sign. When you get to an intersection, just pause and work it out with any other vehicles that might be there. Pedestrians always have the right-of-way. Shops were all dog friendly, although we carried Pippa so she wouldn’t get stepped on! I found a beautiful pair of silver bear earrings and resisted many more pieces of handcrafted Indian jewelry. For lunch we chose out-door seating; the temperature was a perfect 70 degrees. By afternoon the town was aflush with motorcyclists dressed in leathers, hikers decked out in extreme outdoor gear, deep-rooted local men in worn overalls, mud-splattered off-roaders, and tourists that looked run-of-the-mill . . . just like us. We heard a train arrive from Durango, and walked down to get pictures. We headed back down the million-dollar highway towards Ouray – studying every bit of that narrow, winding, cliff-hanging, road. It was the route that we would drive with the Airstream when leaving the area on Friday. It would be the first 6 miles that was the most challenging as Tom navigated the climb on the open side of the road to the top – no guard rails. From then on the road would be edgy, but not especially frightening. After supper we walked the Uncompahgre River Walk from our campsite to the Hot Springs, and walked all the way around the swimming hole. That is as close as we would get to it as – Tom’s infection from his surgery is not quite healed up.
Sept 4, Saturday Anxious to reach Ouray we were up and off at 7:30. We followed State Route 50 West though mountain cuts and twisting canyons alongside the fast-moving Arkansas River and railroad tracks. There were back-to-back recreation sites and occasionally the canyon widened out to accommodate a small community – not really a town. After 60 miles we reached Salida – a real town. Past that we scaled Monarch Pass, elevation 11,312 feet, where we stopped at the top. Having been to Pikes Peak yesterday we did not take the 20-minute/$10 gondola ride to the viewpoint. But we did do the gift shop, and Pippa Joy came out with some new PJ’s! I resisted the tea-towel and the collection of canvas and leather backpacks, tote bags and purses! At Gunnison we stopped for lunch, and saw several signs that Route 50 was OPEN for the Labor Day Weekend across to Black Canyon of the Gunnison where we turn South to drive to Ouray. Oh! It had been closed? Our reservations for the next six nights are at Ouray Riverside RV Park. We arrived at 1:30, were greeted and escorted to our spot. It is basically a large gravel parking lot, but one side of sites backs up to the Uncompahgre River and a river-walk that goes to the Ouray Hot Springs, and we back up to a stunning view of the mountains. On site there are very nice amenities including the Ouray Café. We set up camp and headed for downtown Ouray a few miles away to scope it out. This included several drives thru the town, as well as a shopping/walking tour of a few blocks of shops and boutiques. Ouray is a really nice town, billed as “Little Switzerland of America.” It lives up to this reputation with a Victorian-era charm combined with the Old West spirit and plenty of surrounding natural wonders. There was a drive up into the hills behind the town, and we drove that far enough to get pictures of the little town down below. We booked reservations in the campground Café at 6:30 – following a relaxing hour with a bottle of wine sitting outside the Silvermine. The Cafe was everything a small fine restaurant should be, and just at the other end of our parking lot! I ordered the Chef’s special Prime Rib Chunks with Blue Cheese Sauce, and Tom ordered the Rainbow Trout. Incredible! Now for the “rest of the story:” The Chef at the Ouray Café lived in Ouray when John Wayne filmed the movie True Grit. He was just 10 years old and caught the attention of John Wayne. Wayne and his wife stayed in Ouray, while the rest of the cast was flown in by helicopter every day. Bombie’s mother acted as John’s personal Chef while he was here, and Bombie was able to be up close and personal with his very favorite cowboy hero!
Bombie came out into the dining room and we asked for a picture; he smilingly complied. At the last moment a man jumped in the picture and I didn’t have the heart to ask the Chef to pose for another picture (without the jerk!) That is Chef Bombie on the right. Here is a link to a great little video interview of Bombie recounting his memories of John Wayne. https://ourayriversideresort.com/ouray-cafe-and-steakhouse.html Sept 3, Thursday Tom was busy all night listening to the Buckeyes; he found it on IHEART radio. It was not a quick win and kept everything exciting till the end. 45-31! O-H! We are off at 8:30 with only 240 miles to reach Colorado Springs! The panorama on I 70-West looks just like Kansas ought to look: flat highway, wind mills, golden brown corn fields, infinite horizon, hefty cow feed-lots, scant settlements and light traffic. As we traveled into Colorado the scenery was much the same, but the roads were . . . worse! Swinging southwest off of I 70-West onto State Route 24, the 2-lane road taking us into Colorado Springs was a bit better. We arrived at Cheyenne Mt. State Park at 11:30, where we thought we had reservations. When it was obvious that we did not have reservations, we were able to snag a campsite at a local RV park – The Golden Eagle Ranch; lucky because it is Labor Day Weekend! Although this park has all the acceptable amenities, it also had a run-down appearance and red clay dirt roads that promise to turn into a mudslide if it rains! Nonetheless, we dropped the trailer, walked Pippa, and left for . . . PIKES PEAK! Tom and I had both done Pikes Peak as kids – but never together or with our kids! We were camped 16 miles from the little Cog Railroad Depot in Manitou Springs that would take us to the top. We were able to secure tickets for the 2:40 train. Pikes Peak . . . is PIKES PEAK; is there any need to recap the notoriety of this mountain? It is called “America’s Mountain” and is a favorite with many ways to enjoy the peak: hike the 13-mile Barr Trail, drive the Pikes Peak Highway in your own car or take a shuttle, or take the recently renovated Cog Railroad to the top. You can also ride the train up and take a mountain bike down! Either way, the summit is at 14,115’ and it is the most visited mountain in North America. Manitou Springs is a strange little tourist town -- just this side of run-down with hints of 1960s hippies and head shops, but lots of tourists and restaurants. We drove straight through town and up a steep road that led to the Cog Railroad Depot. The train has been climbing Pikes Peak since 1891 and The Broadmoore Manitou and Pikes Peak Cog Railway is the highest cog railroad anywhere. The Depot and cog system opened again in May following an extensive renovation – everything was fresh and new. Our seats were assigned, and we were three abreast, knee-to-knee facing another family. We were riding up the mountain facing backward, and would be facing forward on the way down. Starting out the 8.5 mile trip was steep with limited views as the train climbed up a narrow gorge. There was a swift-running, narrow stream, a caretaker’s house, and a waterfall that was higher than Niagara Falls – NOT TALLELR – just at a higher elevation! Our conductor kept up an animated narration, pointing out features . . . and telling some lame jokes (like the one about Niagara Falls.) Eventually, the scenery opened up for views of the lower and the upper elevations; Ultimately, we left the tree-line and the entire view opened up for some great visions. At the top was the newly-minted Visitor’s Center; our conductor made us repeat after her several times: “The train will leave to go down promptly at 4:40. If you are late – you are called a hiker!” The Visitor’s Center was very nice and surrounded by look-out platforms on every side. Unfortunately, the outside of the center was still under heavy renovation, and it was inconvenient and not very pretty. One thing we were completely unprepared was the 60% oxygen available at that 14,000 elevation! Into Thin Air! When I first felt the wobbly knees, giddy mind-set, and unbalanced walking, I thought it would go away as I became acclimatized. It did not, and our whole time on the top was a sort of other-worldly and “heady” experience. (Rocky Mountain HIGH – I get it!) The return trip was slower than the summit trip – the cog goes 10 mph up the hill and 8 mph down the hill. The Conductor told us that the train had three sets of brakes! Although we had thought to go out to eat in the evening, it was peak time on a busy Laborday, Friday night weekend. At the camper we grilled hamburgers and fixed Mac & Cheese (thank-you Bob Evans!)
Sept 1, Wed Launch day for our big escape came late this year; we usually vacation in May and June. This delay puts us on the camping trail after schools are back in session (or not, due to COVID) with the added benefit of having cooler temperatures! It does seem that Delta/Covid is spiking, but we feel pretty secure in our ability to follow the safe standards and practices that have kept us covid-free for the past 1 ½ years. Our destination today is 470 miles, 8 hours, and one time change in the future – a good shake-down drive for the next 4 weeks on the road! Especially nice is that the hot and humid heat wave that has swamped us the past two weeks has broken with nice temperatures in the low 80s. Interstate 70, heading west out of Indianapolis was . . . jarring; all the way from Indianapolis to St. Louis!! Somebody recently (we cannot remember who) had cautioned us to veer north on Interstate 80! We landed at Graham Cave State Park in Missouri at 3:45 p.m. to find the campground almost empty on this mid-weekday. It was an old-style State Park that boasts hiking trails, and a nice campground with shower house. A cave with uncovered artifacts was declared the first archeological site in the United States to be declared a National Historical Landmark in 1962 We did not walk back to the cave, and we did not walk the hiking trail; there was a snake at the trail head! But, we looked at the pictures on the web site! Eating-time came around early by my watch – due to the time change. We had grilled Brats and some Roosevelt Beans from the freezer and a fresh peach. I remember the days when we used to brag that we cooked and ate all of our meals outside like “real” campers. These days it seems to be more about the time and effort that is saved when we eat in the Silvermine! One other thing to note – traveling in September it gets dark quickly after 8:00 p.m. Sept 2, Thursday We woke up early – to our 43rd anniversary! With 528 miles to travel today, we would have lots of time to recollect all the wonderful years of: parenting, loving, laughing, camping, and all the other lovely delights that add up to make a happy marriage. Here's a picture of the HAPPY COUPLE! It was an easy drive across Kansas; the only event was one line of thunderstorms with hard rain that we drove through in about 12 miles. The temperature fluctuated all day, and while it got down to 72 degrees during the rainstorm, it was back up to 91 degrees when we reached our destination of the High Plains RV Resort in Oakley, Kansas. The “resort” is just a deserted campground ¼ mile off the off the Interstate – no trees, but full hook-ups and one other motorhome in residence. As I write this, we are inside the trailer with the AC and fans starting to cool things off. I am not going outside to get a picture of this forsaken place!
The big thing to look forward to tonight is the first Ohio State Buckeye game against Minnesota. We’re hoping to figure out streaming service to watch the game via our home Spectrum TV – or at least tune it in to listen on SiriusXM radio! |
Archives
October 2021
We don’t go camping any more . . . we go ‘streamin’ ! The “SIlvermine and His” is our 2018 25' Airstream Serenity with Salsa interior and front twin beds., and ‘streamin’ is the name we use to describe our adventures. Stream along as we document everything from weekend trips to longer summer excursions and full-blown vacations. You know what they say: if you’re not in an Airstream – you’re just camping!
Tom & Ella Brown |