Kelly Dahl Camp, CO

​June 26, 2022


I took off from Cold Springs campsite but not until after I encountered my neighbor camper, whose large German Shepherd was off leash. Just as I was about to take Jo Jo out for an early morning walk. The dog stared and stared, approaching and then stopped and stared some more, and I didn’t want to risk a charge. I immediately got back into the Sylver Gypsy and backed in towards this camper opening my window and calling out telling them they must put their dog in a leash. I could see movement in the tent and when the woman popped her head out. She either ignored me, or didn’t hear me, so I repeated my message. She looked over to someone else muttered something and she looked over to me and said yes, we will put our dog on the leash. I probably had the look of death or crazy lady on my face, as it was too early to be entirely pleasant about this. I will do anything to protect myself and my little dog. So unfortunately, I had to move over to the picnic area to walk Jo Jo, and prepare my breakfast. I returned to the campsite for freshwater and trash dumping, then I met up with Steve, the camp host., to report the incident. I am just continuously astonished with the lack of sensitivity, or common sense or courtesy that other campers can present. You meet some fantastic people, however then there are those that are just absolutely clueless. After a couple of days of dealing with Internet scams, this was the last thing I wanted to deal with. Nonetheless, I hit the road. I stopped briefly at a free museum in Nederland and Donel, a volunteer, was gracious enough to really talk me through some of the artifacts on gold, silver, and tungsten mining. They had plenty of equipment similar to what I saw when I took the Goldmine tour in the town of Cripple Creek. I even got to try the blast box, like the kind in the wiley coyote, and road runner cartoons, were you punch down the handle to create the dynamite explosion. Fun! I checked out other campsites north of Nederland, as I attempted to find dispersed camping,  as I have in the past, however the entry and roads into these forests were incredibly uneven with deep ruts, rocky, and steep. I decided to backtrack a bit south of Nederland and found a campsite at Kelly Dahl. I passed this location a few times and it was a nice spot, so I decided to spend a the night. It was a much safer choice as the rain started coming down harder and harder. It was getting chilly, about 49*. 












Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bryce Canyon National Park, then almost home

Image
​ A great night in the Utah desert, and a rather chilly morning, surprisingly, but I got up and hurried out of there with the intention of getting to Bryce Canyon National Park. I wondered if I would have enough time and decided it was only 20 minutes one-way, out-of-the-way as I continued on my route home. This would be my third time visiting Bryce and I’m so glad I did. As with any National Park, there are some new changes and the Ranger told me that because I’m over 20 feet I would have to park in the main parking lot and take the shuttle bus in to see the viewpoints. She gave me a tag to hang in my window. My heart sank to the bottom, since I know the shuttle buses will not except pets, and I was not willing to leave Jo Jo. However, upon examining the tag, it indicated vehicles over 23 feet to park and shuttle. My Travato is 21 feet. Hmmmm, I was annoyed. So I ignored the directions and went straight to the parking area at the sunrise amphitheater and not only did I see other campe...
Read more

At home now… from the great 2023 Alaska Road Trip!

Image
​ Jo Jo and I are home, from the trip of a lifetime! 106 days, 11,539 miles, 675 gallons of gasoline, a ton of fun, beautiful views, and amazing experiences. Other than a brief head cold, no other mishaps, except my souvenir windshield chips. The Sylver Gypsy performed wonderfully. She kept me safe and warm. My last days were drive heavy, but I managed a quick stop at Bryce Canyon National Park. My last night was in the Coconino Forest near Flagstaff, where I also made a brief stop at Sunset Crater. I’ll need a few moments to adjust being back to reality, but it’s nice to be home!
Read more

Montana to Blackfoot, Idaho

Image
​ Well, other than spending the day driving I didn’t do much else. Unless you consider the excitement of filling up my gas tank for $80.00. It’s the first time in a long time when I looked down I saw my gauge in the red and the yellow warning light came on indicating low fuel. I never do these things, but I must’ve been in “the zone” while driving. Either way, I made it to the next gas station and I also have 2 gallons as a spare mounted to my ladder. I wound up staying in the same place that I stopped in May, as I was traveling up north. It’s Rose Pond Park near the town of Blackfoot, Idaho. I even recall exactly where I stayed and it was open and available. However, there was a radio concert going on right around the corner. I wasn’t into listening to the “boom boom.” I found another spot just as a truck came with three ATV, mini bikes and kids who spent the next two hours driving around, mostly in the parking lot. I was actually concerned that they would come by too closely or lose ...
Read more