Today, Tuesday, was a two-trip outing to Flagstaff. Tom had an appointment with an endodontist. A molar, that had a filling 30 days ago, was very painful. His Williams dentist referred him to a root canal specialist. I dropped him off at the endodontist office and drove to Jiffy Lube for my five thousand mile oil change. My diesel truck has over 311,500 miles!
Tom texted me that he was ready to be picked up. Yes, the endodontist performed a root canal on Tom. Big surprise!
The second trip to Flagstaff was for my ten year old Dalmatian, Ramsey. He had an appointment at Canyon Pet Hospital with Dr. Jen Sullivan. Ramsey has been having some mobility issues with his back two legs. I decided it was time to seek advanced diagnosis. Ramsey does not like veterinarian offices. Dr. Sullivan and her staff tried to muzzle Ramsey with no positive result.
So, a second appointment was made for the next day, and I went home with some anxiety medicine.
Upon returning home, I connected with my Luxury Cruise Connection travel agent, Tom Derichs. In November 2015, on a Celebrity Cruise Transatlantic crossing, Richard and our friend Barbara Coad booked another cruise in October, 2017 --- Southampton to Boston, New York City, Bermuda, Bahamas, and Miami. Two suites were booked with anticipation that Richard and I would be celebrating wedding anniversary #32. Since Richard died last year, one suite was dropped and Barbara and I were still going on the cruise. Final payment was due for the October 28 departure date.
The next morning, Ramsey and I headed back to Flagstaff. I gave Ramsey the anxiety pill one hour before our 11:40am appointment. Dr. Sullivan was ready to examine Ramsey. In his groggy state and with the plentiful consumption of dog cookies, Ramsey allowed Dr. Sullivan to perform a cursory "touch and feel" of his hind legs, back, and spinal cord. Her recommendation was that I place him on a daily muscle relaxation pill therapy and monitor his performance for the next couple of months.
There is really no cure for neurological weakness, either intervertebral disk disease or degenerative myelopanthy.
Wednesday afternoon, Tom concluded the sale of his son Jon's motorcycle. A Texan gentleman was hired by the buyer to pick up the motorcycle and transport it to her home in Tennessee.
The transportation fellow had a truckload and trailer load of motorcycles.
Thursday was a day spent getting ready to take the trailer and dogs to Colorado. I booked an RV Park in Gunnison for a week and then Colorado Springs for four days. I have never been to Gunnison, but there is a national park calling to me to get my National Park Passbook stamp for Black Canyon of the Gunnison. And, I have alway known of Crested Butte --- but have never been there either. Fun!
Thursday evening, we went out to dinner to Grand Canyon Brewing Company. It is a local brewing company that has some popular brews.
I woke the dogs up early on Friday morning to take them on their first walk of the day. Tom and I decided to get an early start. We had to drive 304 miles to Cortez, Colorado.
It was a beautiful drive through much of the Navajo Nation --- great vistas, mesas, and rock formations.
It is so much fun having the travel trailer to take mini-vacations. This part reminded me of the road trip my sister, Wendy, and I took last September. Wendy and I spent a night in Kayenta to visit Monument Valley. We also stopped at Four Corners. This trip with Tom and the dogs, we whizzed by Kayenta and the Four Corners turn-off.
In Cortez, we stayed at a small RV park right in town. It was part of Camping World's Passport America program --- with a 50% discount. Not bad! The reception person, Kathy, was kind enough to give us a pull-thru site. While I am able to back in the trailer, pull-thru sites are always so nice. We didn't even have to unhook the truck.
The next morning, on my first walk with the dogs, I found some gorgeous skies and a beautiful sunrise.
Saturday was an easy 200 mile drive to Gunnison. The scenic highway brought us through the town of Rico. Richard and I drove a one-day loop from Durango through Ouray, Telluride, and Cortez --- then back to Durango about twenty five years ago. I remember Rico, because Richard's nickname for his son Rick was "Rico."
We arrived at Blue Mesa Recreational Ranch at about 3pm. This park overlooks the huge Blue Mesa Reservoir, which was established in 1963.
This RV park is a private park. I am a member of Resort Parks International. Members of RPI are allowed to use other private parks at a nominal fee.
The RV park is a well-kept older park. All of the sites are back-in sites, but the reception person did give us a wide site that would be easier for the back in. Yeah!
The next morning, Tom and I packed up the dogs and headed for the city of Gunnison. We walked the dogs in a nice park adjacent to the entrance of Western Colorado State University. Tom's son, Jon, is considering getting a second masters degree here.
The next stop was Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte. It was an easy 30 mile drive.
When Richard and I lived in Denver --- 1998-1999 --- I had a girlfriend who lived, skied, and worked at Crested Butte. One time I looked on the map to see if it would be an easy place to visit. Not! So, it was neat to finally see the resort city. The home and condominium set-up at Mt. Crested Butte reminded me of Deer Valley in Park City. The Crested Butte is so obvious.
We drove through the historic old part of the town and had lunch in South Crested Butte. You could still see the mountain there, just from a different direction.
The next morning, Tom, the dogs, and I headed to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. I didn't realize that I missed this Colorado National Park. It became a national park in 1999. So, perhaps it was just a national monument when I lived in the state.
Being August 21, it was the date of the full solar eclipse that crosses the entire United States. The park entrance handed out the special eclipse glasses. We stopped at the Visitor Center to stamp my National Park passport book. If I am correct, this is national park #46 for me. Then we headed off to several look-outs.
The eclipse had already begun. It was fun having the special glasses.
The next look-out had a park ranger set-up with a telescope. At this part of the eclipse pathway, it was only going to be an 85% full solar eclipse. But, better than nothing! In Williams, it was only going to be 65%.
With an 85% eclipse, it was not very dark. It peaked at 11:42am.
Tom has been to this national park three times before. He suggested that we take an east road and drive down to the Gunnison River. The dogs and I were game! At the river is an engineering marvel --- the entrance of the Gunnison Tunnel. It was built in the 1930s to divert water from the Gunnison River to Montrose, Colorado --- a large farming area. This 6 mile tunnel is still active. Being down by the river was beautiful.
While we were on the east road, we met up with a baby bear. We had no idea where mama bear was, so I took a quick photo!
It was time to head back to the Gunnison area. Unfortunately, there was active road work being done on Interstate 50 which added about an hour to the trip.
Two miles from our RV Park, we were ready for a beer and a late lunch. So, we turned off to Blue Mesa's Elk Creek Marina. Pappy's Restaurant and Pub were ready for us. And, Odells 90 shilling beer was refreshing. The big plate of beef nachos hit the spot too!
Tom's son, Jon, is hiking the Colorado Trail now. It is 600 miles long. Jon is also catching up with some of the Continental Divide Trail that he was not able to complete in 2015 --- too much snow.
Tom, the dogs, and I made a day trip to Lake City. Jon took a couple of days off from the trail and is staying at a hiker hostel in the downtown area. The hostel has a free shuttle and picks up and drops off hikers once a day. It had been over two months since I last saw him. He has lost twenty pounds and was more clean shaven. We took him to lunch at a nice restaurant in town called Climb Elevated.
Lake City is a cute mining town established in 1887. The old main street was adorable.
After lunch, we drove up to Slumgullion Pass --- over 11,500 feet. On the way back down, we stopped at a scenic overlook. Nice photo opportunity with several Fourteen-er Peaks in the distance.
Tuesday in Lake City was a long day for the dogs. On Wednesday, I decided to walk them several times in the morning and leave them in the trailer for four hours or so. The RV park had a hitchin' post that made a perfect pose for the three dogs. 😀
With the dogs fully walked and ready for naps, Tom and I left them in the trailer and we headed to Taylor Lake --- about 32 miles northeast of Gunnison. It was a beautiful drive up --- with rivers, valleys, meadows, and canyons. Once at the lake, we had lunch at the Nugget Cafe. Tom had a prime rib beef dip sandwich on a hoagie and I had a BLT sandwich. Both hit the hunger spot! There was a little weather near the lake when we headed home.
For the past several weeks, sometimes my truck clock would turn to 12 noon when I started the ignition. Tom googled the issue and said that it might be that my battery cables needed to be cleaned. I told him to have at it!
Even without having sandpaper, Tom seemed to have fixed the issue. Thank goodness for Google and Tom's resourcefulness!!!
Early one morning, the dogs were restless and needed to go out. It was a very nice sunrise. I wish that I had brought my Nikon camera, but my cell phone caught some of the majesty.
After almost a week on our RV vacation, it was time to do some laundry. Yes, the reality of not having our own washer/dryer. When Richard and I were full-time RVers, we did have our own laundry unit. It was nice that Blue Mesa had a nice laundry set-up.
After laundry, I walked the dogs some more. Tom and I decided to head out to the north side of the Gunnison River. It was going to be an easier trip without the dogs. The first stop was an overlook below the Blue Mesa Dam.
The dam was completed in 1965, and Blue Mesa Reservoir is the largest lake located entirely within the state of Colorado.
The second stop was the rock formation called the Curecanti Needle. It is a 700 foot granite spire. Better photos of the needle are from the river level, but you can make-out the needle in the middle of this photo.
It was a beautiful day for a nice 100 mile outing. We turned around and headed back to Blue Mesa at Hermit's Rest look-out.
That night, we had adult beverages on the patio slab outside of our trailer. Neighbor Mike came by to say hello and join us. He and his wife just started full-timing in their motorhome 16 months ago.
The next day, we left Blue Mesa Recreational Ranch at about 10:00am. Off to Colorado Springs --- over Monarch Pass.
The trip to Colorado Springs was scenic, beautiful, and uneventful. We checked in at the Garden of the Gods RV Resort in Manitou Springs. It is a very nice park nestled under Pike's Peak and down the street from the Garden of the Gods park.
When we made the reservation several weeks ago, there was only one pull-thru site still available. The location of our site was perfect for wandering around the park or leaving the park for some of the adjacent bike and walking paths.
On Sunday, we decided to head up to Denver for a drive around the city and for a visit to my old Denver home. Richard and I lived in Denver for 18 months during 1998 and 1999. Our home was near the downtown --- just south of the Cherry Creek Shopping area.
The house looked good. It had been painted a lighter color since we lived there. I brought some of Richard's ashes to spread on the property. I had to be discrete as the current owners were visibly in residence.
On the way back to Colorado Springs, we stopped at a storage place near Castle Rock to pick up Tom's son's jeep. Jon is concluding his Colorado Trail/Continental Divide hike later in the week.
Monday morning, after walking the dogs twice, we loaded them in the trailer and then we took the truck and headed off to the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park. I had not been there in eighteen or nineteen years! When last there, Richard and I were traveling east. It was monsoon season. I remember seeing the lightening off on the eastern horizon. We drove across the bridge. Since 2016, you can no longer take a private vehicle across the bridge. The park was rather built up with a large gift shop, restaurant, theater, and different rides. We walked across the bridge and took photos at our respective state flags.
The south side of the gorge had a merry-go-round for the young and the young at heart. I have always like merry-go-rounds and this was no exception!
Also at this amusement compound is a gondola that leaves from the main entrance on the north side of the gorge to the south side, and back again. It was included in the $23.00 per person entrance fee and we took it back to the other side. The gondola straddles the 1,200 foot deep gorge. Yes!
Tom said he generally doesn't like taking this kind of ride, but he was a champion!
I have been craving sushi for a month or so. The Flagstaff Safeway has fresh sushi, but it is not the same as saddling up to the sushi bar in a restaurant. Trip Advisor had a good rating of a sushi restaurant only a few miles away. So, upon returning back to Colorado Springs, we headed off to Nara Sushi for dinner. The sushi chef was very friendly.
The sushi was delicious. I enjoyed a large sake and Tom liked his Kirin beer.
While the sushi meal was very satisfying, Tom wanted some ice cream. I told him about Thrifty ice cream. There was a nearby Walgreens which purchased all of the Thrifty Drug stores. In California, they retained the Thrifty ice cream brand. Unfortunately, not so in Colorado. So, we headed to a regular ice cream parlor.
On the last day in Colorado Springs, we stayed relatively close. Garden of the Gods Park was just up the street. So, we spent several hours there. We left the dogs in the trailer with the air conditioning, as it was too hot of a day for dog touring. There was an incredible gift shop. They have expanded it six times over the past 50 years. The rock formations are still fun to see. It has been about 18 years since I last visited this park.
There is a nice biking/walking trail adjacent to our RV Park. After returning from the Garden of the Gods, we took the dogs for an afternoon walk along the path and river. Tom and Ramsey --- being the two guys --- have bonded well. I usually walk the girls --- Kelsey and Libby.
At about 3pm, Tom and I headed over to the Broadmore Resort for some adult beverages and appetizers. When I lived in Denver, it was always a special place to go for a weekend getaway. Richard and I celebrated one of our wedding anniversaries there. We also took advantage of a great New Year's Eve package.
The hotel lobby bar had a nice outdoor patio to enjoy several cocktails and some beef sliders and garlic with Parmesan cheese french fries.
The next morning, it was time to leave Colorado Springs and head down to Wolf Creek Pass. Jon, Tom's youngest son, will be finishing his Colorado hike. When we were reviewing the RV checklist, it was evident that my left tail light on the travel trailer was not working.
Thinking that it was a light bulb issue, Tom followed me --- with the travel trailer --- to O'Reilly's Auto Parts store. A new bulb did not remedy the situation. We decided to just ignore the issue and head toward Pagosa Springs. Tom was behind me, driving his son's jeep. When we stopped for a bathroom break and dog walk, Tom said that the lights were working about 80% of the time. So, there must be a grounding problem.
We got to Wolf Creek Pass around 2:30pm. Jon showed up about ten minutes later. A fine reunion, indeed! Can you enjoy a beer???
Jon noticed that the truck engine was overheated. I purposely turned off the air conditioner as I began the climb up the pass. But, I turned off the engine when we got to the top. I should have kept the engine running. We erroneously opened the radiator valve and hot coolant spewed out. Not good.
We were still 20 miles east of the town of Pagosa Springs. In order to give the truck some time to cool down, we took some photo highlights of Jon's accomplishment.
Unfortunately, I did not have any antifreeze in the truck. In about twenty minutes, we added water to the radiator and headed down the hill. Tom and Jon were in the jeep, following me down. I kept my eyes pealed on the gauge --- seeing if the truck was going to overheat again. Yep. In about ten miles, the truck was overheating. We were still ten miles outside Pagosa Springs. Tom and Jon took the jeep and headed to get some antifreeze solution. The dogs and I waited in the truck, off the highway. Fortunately, it was not a hot day for me and the dogs. Tom and Jon were only gone about 30 minutes.
Coolant and water were added in the truck's radiator. Our destination --- Vallecito Resort --- was still an hour away. We began our journey and I made sure that the air conditioner was off. The truck was eventually going to need more coolant and water.
The Vallecito Resort was an RV park and a compound for mobile summer homes. It was located a third of a mile south of the Vallecito Reservoir and Dam. We arrived there at about 6pm, but it was still light. We had a nice pull thru site, with trees and shade. Jon decided to head to Durango for several nights. Durango was another 20 miles.
The Vallecito Resort sits just below the Vallecito Dam. One morning, the dogs and I took a 3 mile walk up to the dam --- and crossed over it.
Jon drove over from Durango to have dinner with us. It is only 23 miles away, but with the smaller county roads, the commute takes about 55 minutes. Tom bought some outstanding filet mignon steaks at the local grocery store in Bayfield. We sat outside at the site picnic table and had a very nice meal.
Labor Day Weekend had begun and the RV Park was getting busy. We were leaving the next day to head over to Gallup, New Mexico. And then, home. We made our last day in Colorado a low key one. I did some laundry and walked the dogs (of course!). I was able to snap a nice photo of the river that ran adjacent to the park.
Tom sat outside enjoying a book on his Kindle.
The Vallecito Resort had a pizza dinner Friday night. It was home made and cooked in the wood fired pizza oven. It was delicious!
The next morning, we packed up the trailer and headed to the USA RV Park in Gallup. Richard and I used to stay there when travelling on Interstate 40 between Albuquerque and Flagstaff. We arrived at the park around 3pm. It was hotter, as we were no longer at the 8,000 foot altitude. The site we were assigned was level, so we didn't bother unhooking the truck.
We lucked out again. The park was serving a barbecue dinner from 5:30pm to 8:30pm. We bought tickets and enjoyed the event. Even went back at 7:30pm to have a fresh peach cobbler and a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream.
