Salida, CO

June14, 2022: 

I made it to the town of Salida, Colorado, climbed through a pass leaving the valley at over 8000 feet. Traffic was pretty dense but it’s an easy drive except for parts of that pass. I found parking in town and decided to stop to get a slice of pizza with Jo Jo. I feed him really well before going to a restaurant, but unfortunately he gets restless and starts to beg, which is so embarrassing. Jo Jo has certainly perfected the art of begging throwing me those eyes. But I don’t feed him under the table. I popped in and out of the shops including a pottery shop and a few galleries. I made it down to the Arkansas River where I got to watch a group of people doing rescue exercises in the wild rapids. They climbed to the shore and walked back to the starting point as they were panting and catching their breath from the incredible exertion swimming through these rapids.


I looked all over my apps for an overnight spot and did find a BLM spot, however it wasn’t ideal on a hill and there were not many options. But I did find a place called Dan’s Land, free camping on private property. So I spent some time alone up there and really enjoyed a big shade tree. Unfortunately someone arrived in the sedan at about 10:30pm, and lights were shining, with flashlights, as they put up a tent and they must at least have 14 doors on their car because that’s about how many door slams I had to listen to before they were set up. I was so tempted to just go out there and rip someone. Since Dan’s Land is basically a parking lot, there was no individual campsites and nothing to prevent parallel parking by anyone. I suppose that’s the trade-off.  By the time I woke up the next morning there was another van next to me and I never heard him approach. So, respectfully he understands being quiet in the evening is really something precious. The two boys in the sedan left this morning and I didn’t feel up to the confrontation, but I should’ve come out like a crazed grandma and dragged them by their ears!




























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