Nederland, CO

​June 26, 2022


Well it worked out at Pickle Gulch, with the family of late night door slammers. Eventually it piped down. and I left before 7 AM. Call me paranoid, but in all of my other experiences if I do see a park ranger, It’s usually early in the morning. I just wasn’t in the mood to explain my trials of finding an overnight spot and I was hoping for forgiveness. I travelled just outside of this site, and used a pull out where I walked Jo Jo and prepared breakfast. I was a bit exhausted even though I slept OK, all things considered. I headed just down the road to a campsite called Cold Springs. I managed to grab the attention of the camp post to inquire about space even though it was before 9 AM. She said there was space, and I went around to grab the first available one that I could find, and purchased two nights. I was excited about taking off to the town of Netherland. About 20 minutes north. Finally, some good Internet connection where I could follow up on emails including an ominous one from PayPal. Good thing I didn’t click on a link in the email, But a call into the phone number in the email, lead me to a series of very unusual steps, where I began to see big red flags. Needless to say it took me three hours to straighten out the cluster mess. I closed out PayPal and Zelle, and I’ve decided to keep it simple. I’m going back to good old fashioned checks, cash, or secure credit cards. I didn’t even have lunch or get out into this town until 2:30 in the afternoon feeling like I’ve blown the day. I need to trust my instincts and I need to know when something smells like a dead rat. These phishing scams are getting very good and taking advantage of people, which is horrifying. I’m certainly good at documenting all of this and will provide it to the authorities. I was ready to put it aside, and enjoy this town, where I visited the “carousel of happiness,” The carousel animals were carved by a Vietnam veteran over the course of 26 years restoring and re-creating an authentic Wurlitzer carousel with dozens of different animals and colorful interesting features. I was told it was this Vietnam veteran’s way of honoring his friends, who lost their lives, and for him to deal with the tragedy of war. He was set on bringing joy to others as a result of his experience. I also visited a couple galleries, and co-ops including a stained glass gallery, where they were actively creating pieces. I visited a consignment shop, with some affordable clothing where I picked up a top. The pedestrian covered bridge was charming, filled with flowers and paintings over the river. I feel like I’m getting closer and closer to the Rocky Mountains as I’m seeing how much clearer and closer the view of the snowcapped peaks are from this area. It was a relaxing way to spend the afternoon, after being stressed out over the phishing scam. Hopefully it’s done…..










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