Towards Tenderfoot Farms, CO

​July 18, 2022

Well, my night along the Tennessee Creek was fabulous. I seriously think this was in the top 20 of the nicest spots I have ever camped. Primarily because it’s so peaceful, and beautiful. I barely hear the road traffic, which is the only sound next to the babbling water and the birds. These camp spots are free in the national forest and the sites are several hundred feet apart. The only drawback is it’s 100% full sun. And the best part of all is that I am 100% sure that Mr. chipmunk is gone. My set trap was untouched, and I heard no stirring and no pitter patter, so I am relieved, and slept really well.


I headed back towards the town of Leadville. And decided to do a little bit more urban hiking with Jo Jo. I have not had a sweet, or a bakery concoction in quite a while, so I wanted to find a café bakery coffee shop which I did at: “City On A Hill” Coffee and Espresso. Well, little did I know that I’d have to wait almost 30 minutes to get to the counter. Either it’s a labor shortage, or that this place is just so absolutely awesome, on a Monday morning, that I was willing to wait. It’s always tricky at a place like this to bring in JoJo, while he was snuggled into his kangaroo pouch. At the very end, he let out some very audible yips, much to my horror, as he got restless. I can’t really blame him. Finally, it was my turn, where I didn’t just get one sweet but several to make up for this very long block of time. Bonus sweets. A chocolate brownie, an apple strudel, and an eclair, along with a large coffee. Yes, it will take me several days… to finish these off. I went outside and sat on a park bench next to Don, from Denver, originally from Minnesota. He had Mina, his black lab, beside him. As always, one thing led to another between talking about our dogs to the reason that we were in town. He comes here every year, spending six weeks to get away from the “heat of Denver.” Yes, apparently Denver can get hot. He has been to Cave Creek, and really likes it. Eventually we figured it out, that we were both driving RV’s, and I told him where I camped last night. It was a lightbulb moment, as he knew exactly who I was, he saw me, and what I was driving, because apparently, he was my neighbor in the same area. What a small world it is, indeed! He was quite friendly, and it was an enjoyable conversation as I indulged in my chocolate eclair. I kid you not, as it was the best eclair that I have ever eaten, hands down. And I only ate one quarter of it, so far. I’ve met some really nice people here. I continued further down the road, visiting a few rather eclectic/artistic shops including a floral shop, and a Colorado artisan shop. I liked the diversity of this area, and from what I’ve been told it’s up-and-coming, in terms tourist attraction. Which may be a good, or bad thing. 

I’ll be spending the night at Tenderfoot Farms, just south of Leadville, essentially the gateway towards Independence Pass, which I will be climbing over the mountain range towards Aspen. Time will tell how I feel tomorrow on whether I spend some more time here, near Twin Lakes, or will drive through the pass. I hope I am ready for the challenge!












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