Now this is what we call getting high!!

Elks Lodge, Leadville, CO – 7-11 to 13, 2016

On the way to Leadville we saw smoke from another fire off in the distance. It was near Salida, CO.

Late in the afternoon we arrive.

One of it’s claims to fame is that Leadville, CO is the highest incorporated city in the United States. We called ahead to the Elks Lodge to make sure it was OK to dry camp in their parking lot. The lodge is the building in the center of the picture. We are two blocks from Main Street.

Once we pulled up into the Elks parking lot, we walked inside the lounge to ask where was the best place to park the RV. There were two gentlemen at the bar that were wearing candulas (supplying oxygen right to the nose). I felt like asking them if we could take a hit since us Floridians were gasping for oxygen up here on top of the mountain. They told us the best place to park and even told us where a 15 amp plug in was hidden. Wow! Electric too? Life is good.

So we got the RV squared away and came back in for an adult beverage. We got invited to a Taco Dinner and someone bought a round for everyone. After telling and listening to stories, we called it a night and went back to Big Guy.

Right across the street from Big Guy, this eyeball was staring at us. There are many stories as to why this house has an eyeball. One is that it used to belong to an optometrist. Another is that it used to belong to a fortune teller and was an advertisement for the All Seeing Eye.

The next morning we wandered around town, and the views were marvelous. Everywhere you looked were mountains.

EJ did some shopping and purchased some REI shorts, a couple of puzzles and a light weight hoodie. After carrying all that around, I was thirsty.

Leadville does have a micro brewery. Notice the play on the periodic table symbol. They didn’t have any selections that EJ cared for, so she took off to so some more shopping while I sipped my beer.

Afterwards we drove around Turquoise Lake scouting out campgrounds for a return trip. This is the reservoir for Leadville and is quite popular with campers. We also hiked through the woods to an overlook where you could see Leadville from afar.

The next morning Frank got his dander riled up when we went to the Golden Burro for breakfast. We walked in and they told us it would be fifteen minutes before they could seat us. It was plain that there were plenty of empty tables around. But instead, we opted to sit at the counter where we didn’t need any hostess to show us to our seats.

After observing a customer spend about 15 minutes trying to pay his bill we discovered what the real problem was. Their point of sale software had crashed and they couldn’t get it restarted. I pointed out that there was a perfectly good calculator sitting on the shelf and they could use that to add up the bill. Oh no, they wailed, we don’t know how to figure the tax! When the big EMP hits, we’re screwed!

Flowers were spced along the sidewalks.

After that we decided to take another road trip and stop by Frisco and Silverthorne. On the way to Copper Mountain we passed a pull out that we had stayed at several years ago. We were considering a hike there, but saw this crowd and opted not to go combat hiking.

On our last night there, we want back to the Elks Lodge to say our goodbyes and to check out the Elk that had been donated by a local artist.

We spent several hours trying to figure out where to go next. We knew some Alaska friends were going to be staying near Pinedale, WY which was only 500 miles away. So we decided to head that way and have some replacement parts and our mail sent to where they were staying.

So long Colorado, for now.

Colorado At Last!

Woods and River RV Park, Del Norte, CO – 7-7 to 10, 2016

Leaving Seeping Springs in Ruidoso Downs, NM we passed through Carrizozo, NM once more. We had briefly considered staying ar the Valley of Fire campground, but the heat convinced us that we either needed to find a campground with at least a 30 amp hookup or get to higher altitudes. We had been in the Ruidoso area for 10 days and it was time for a real change of scenery. So we opted for higher elevations and will save the Valley of fire for a cooler time of year.

EJ found us a pull out on Highway 285 just north of Clines Corner, NM. Right after we pull in and put the jacks down a big ole semi pulled in right next to us. With his cab parked right next to our bedroom window he left his diesel engine running. With our luck, it will run all night long. So we raised the stabilizer jacks and and moved as far away from the rumbling engine as possible. Wouldn’t you know it? About an hour later he left.

In the meantime, we set up the chairs and table and proceeded to have our happy hour and watch a gorgeous sunset.

The difference in elevation was quite apparent the next morning when we woke up. EJ packed several gadgets and this morning she got to use one of them. It’s a Puls-Ox which measures your heart rate and how well your body is handling oxygen intake. As you can see, EJ’s O2 absorbtion rate is lower than it should be and as a result her heart is pumping faster than normal. Deep breaths, EJ, deep breaths.

After arriving at Woods and River RV Park in Del Norte, CO we found and tried the local brewery. Great pizza and beer, and it warm cool enough to sit outside in the afternoon.

We weren’t in the campground for 24 hours before we got offered the job of host. The current host was moving on and they were looking for likely suspects to fill his spot. After marching to “the Man’s” tune for 30 some years, having a schedule and a boss just doesn’t sound all that attractive any more. We politely declined the offer.

EJ found a place for us to explore near La Garita, CO. Along the way we admired the view.

It was a rock arch way way back in the wilderness on a dirt road. Several times we wondered if we were headed in the right direction but we finally figured it out.

As we were going up, this lady and her dog were coming down. She had to stop and coax him several times.

Up and up we went towards the arch. We were almost at the top when a group of 20 or so people came blasting by us. Part of the joy of hiking for us is the quiet and solitude. Combat hiking, elbow to elbow, just doesn’t cut it. So we turned around and descended the hill.

After the arch, we moved on to Penitente Canyon, again at the end of many miles of washboard dirt roads. But Sunny, the Explorer handled it well. The canyon hike had a couple of surprises for us.

The first was this drawing on a rock face. It resembles a man in a space suit. Maybe an alien creature?

We stopped to take a break and a bunch of these little guys entertained us.

At the end of the trail, we take another break. Remember we flat landers are still operating under a serious case of oxygen deprevation.

On the way back to the car, we get our second surprise, a couple climbing up a vertical rock. In the canyon, there are warning signs admonishing you to not use new pitots, use the ones already pounded into the rock as there are plenty.

Then we took off in search of the Garden of the Gods. It eluded us, as the were no signs indicating its location. So we found a pull off and a likely pile of rocks and dubbed it thusly.

On our last day, EJ checked the Puls-Ox again and we’re seeing an improvement. Of course, with any strenous activity, the O2 number plummets.

OK, we got the numbers up, let’s go even higher! How about 10,200 feet?

Ruidoso, Continued

Seeping Springs CG, Ruidoso Downs, NM - July 2 through 6, 2016

Picking up where we started on the previous post where we were discussing Seeping Springs CG. It was an older campground, obviously designed for smaller travel trailers. The sites were 16 foot wide which postively roomy until you put an 8 foot wide RV with 2 foot deep slides and 2 sets of compartment doors that need 2 feet on both sides to open. All of a sudden you’re up to 14 feet wide and your neighbor is REAL close.

Fortunately our site was long enough that we could park Sunny in front and set up our shelter and chairs in back.

Which was good, ‘cause there wasn’t any room on the sides. After squeezing in (forgot to mention the stumps) and getting Big Guy situated we had a minor catastrophy happened. We hooked up to the park water system and had no water pressure. I could find nothing wrong with our hoses or valves. It turned out, that even though I had flushed the connections (which includes hoses, valves and filters) before connecting to the RV, the external water filter got clogged by debris from the park water system. I guess next time I’ll flush the park pipes too, before connnecting our stuff.

In our previous post we also mentioned that this RV park was trying to attract Escapees and offered them a 50% discount. Being a typical American, we love a bargain and for 50% off the regular price, we can overlook a lot of shortcomings.

One of the first orders of business was to find some local brews. Well, it actually wasn’t a local brew, being from the Sierra Blanca Brewery in Albuquerque. But we found it at the Rio Grande Grill and Tap Room.

We drove up to Monjeau lookout, a fire lookout tower constructed of stone, where EJ enjoyed the cool breezes and views. The elevation at the tower is 9,500 feet. A welcome break from the heat down below.

I though it was pretty cool too.

We also drove the artist studio loop over a period of two days and really enjoyed the diverse types of creativity. And EJ even picked up an item that will fit nicely in Big Guy.

We took a day and drove over to Cloudcroft to go hiking.

We got intrigued with this little fellow.We think it is a pocket gopher. He would quickly dart out of his hole, grab a blade of grass, and rapidly back rear first into the hole.

After our hike on the Pineland trail, we wondered through downtown Cloudcroft, where EJ found another small item to complement Big Guys interior. We also went on an open house tour to see what $132,000 would get us. Always on the lookout for that “perfect” spot you know. We decided we didn’t need another project even though the area is beautiful.

The days get away from us and before we knew it, it was time to celebrate the 4th of July. We asked around town and at the RV park where the local fireworks display was going to be. But as it turns out, Lincoln County, where Ruidoso is located, had a county wide ban on fireworks because it is so dry. Then we saw a flyer for the Mountain of The Gods Casino on the Mescalero Indian Reservation. And they were advertising, among other things, a giant fireworks display. And you know me, crowds are not my favorite thing, so we started asking around if there was another place to view those fireworks. One of the folks in our campground suggested a viewpoint up on a mountain and described how to get there. Great, we thought. Our own private viewing area. Away from the crowds, just EJ and me. Perfect!!

This is what greeted us. Cars and people everywhere. I guess everyone else wanted their own private viewing area as well.

We get settled in and meet a coouple, complete with 2 kids, from Tallahassee, FL. You can see the FSU symbol photobombing our picture.

Even though we had to watch the fireworks through the trees,it was still awwesome.

EJ had been planning a road day to go exploring. We  were looking at 100 plus miles, something we would have been reluctant to try in the old Honda Element. The comfort of the, new to us, Ford Explorer makes long drives a pleasure now.

In Tularosa, NM we stopped for lunch at the 49 Grille. Surprisingly good food and they even had a decent stout. After lunch, we take a walk around the area, but the 100 plus degree heat cuts that short.

We are on our way to Valley of Fire Rec Area, but we get sidetracked by a sign pointing towards some Petroglyphs at Three Rivers Rec Area. The temperatures are even hotter now, but we brave a short half mile walk to see the ancient art.

As a bonus, it turns out that there are 2 long pull sites with 50 amp electric and water here at the Petroglyph visitor center. It’s not advertised, but we checked the hook ups and they work. Something to consider when it’s not so hot.

We finally make it to the Valley of Fire outside of Carrizozo, NM. Naturally we arrived just after the visitor center closed, so we couldn’t get any good information about the park and campground. But we did walk a portion of the main loop trail. But again, the high temps tempered our desire for any long hikes.

The lava formations look interesting. Maybe we’ll be back in the fall.

And finally, my favorite story of Ruidoso. Towards the end of our stay here at Seeping Springs, an Earth Roamer pulls in next to us. This is a maxed out truck camper that retails for over $500,000. That’s right, count ‘em, a 5 followd by 5 zeros. We got to talking with them, and found out they were a youngish, 50’s couple and they had just purchased their Earth Roamer. It’s their first RV and they don’t have a clue about how to use it, or what it’s capable of. In fact, they were headed to a boondocking rendezvous to learn how operate it.

What was funny was their half millon dollar RV was brought to it’s knees by 6 “AA” batteries. Or rather 6 dead “AA” batteries. Its water system would not work without those six little batteries. Apparently it was a touch type system that relied on a small electric current to make it work. We think there is such a thing as too fancy, expeciallyh in a rough and tough offroad vehicle like an Earth Roamer XRV. They had no spares, so we gave them some from the extra batteries we carry with us.

We wish them well and hope they quickly learn about the systems on their rig.

Ok, enough of the heat, time to head for Colorado and the mountains.