Ouray, CO

​August 2, 2022

My night at Caddis Flats, 30 minutes from Telluride, was perfectly fine. The highway noise quieted down overnight, where you could just hear the sound of the moving waters of the San Miguel River. The morning reminded me of a fall day in New York. There was plenty of dew all over, from slight rains overnight, as the sun was climbing over the mountain. It was a brisk cool walk with Jo Jo. I noticed an old VW bus in this campsite, with some writing on the back tailgate. It said “quit jobs to travel and need gas” with a Venmo address to send money. I am not a good guess of age but the man with a full beard that I saw, was probably in his late 30’s to early 40s. Then again he could’ve been 25. I guess all of us would probably quit our jobs if we could get anybody to contribute to our Venmo account!?! It makes me wonder if I should write something like that on the back of the Sylver Gypsy. Hmmmm, no, I think not. 

I stopped in Ridgeway to get some Internet reception and pick up some local coffee with pastry which wound up being a chocolate chip cookie. Yumm. I followed up with a couple that I met a few weeks ago Jean and Mike, and hoped to meet up with them in their town of Ouray. There was plenty of road construction holding things up as I slowly made my way there. Avalanche campsite was completely booked out after climbing up a rather steep cliffside. The view down to Ouray was like a dizzying birdseye view from an airplane. I met up with Jean and Mike, a very nice sweet and short visit, as they passed some advice along regarding campsites. I managed to find a spot at Angel Creek. There was evidence of recent flooding and the roadway was quite soggy, so with a little apprehension I managed to get through some tight spots climbing straight up. I first looked at one site that was just way too steep, but found another, a bit better. In the meantime I spun some wheels and had to back down to get a running start. It wasn’t just me, but every other vehicle, mostly sedans, were also spinning out in this roadway. It’s rather muddy and soggy and with this incline, rather challenging. The plan is to go back into town tomorrow to check out the amenities including a potential stop at the Hot Springs. We’ll see how I feel, and we’ll see how the weather goes, as I may spend a second night here.












Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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

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

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