Durango to San Juan Forest, CO

​August 13, 2022

In the late afternoon, I wound up driving to the Animas River right across from Main Avenue, Durango. It felt comfortable with the cool water breezes so I spent some time here watching the rafters and the tubers floating down stream. They were having some fun. The dark clouds started to build and I decided it was time to find Lou and Joyce, who invited me to spend the night at their house. They are Travato owners and wannabe Facebook members. It was 20 minutes out of town as I climbed up the hill and the weather was comfortable at 7500 foot elevation. They invited me for dinner, so I prepared a small platter of appetizers and got to meet them both face-to-face. We enjoyed lovely conversation with their three cute dogs, though I left Jo Jo in the RV just to keep the commotion in check. It was a delicious salad, and I have missed fresh salads since I don’t carry it in my refrigerator. Just based on elevation changes, I find that my lettuce freezes way too often where I use it in a stir fry instead.


I shared some of my experiences, do’s and don’ts, that I’ve learned on my travels these last few years. I am far from an expert, but I’m happy to suggest things, if I can help. I had a fabulous night’s sleep and a gorgeous view the next morning, were they again invited me for coffee with pastries. They were lovely and very hospitable people, and I so appreciated their offer and kind gesture to let me park at their property. We took a tour of both of our Travatos before I said goodbye and headed out, not far down the road, but into the National Forest. It was a beautiful drive with curvy windy roads and mountains. I was inspired by Lou and Joyce’s property, and the surrounding area, and started thinking again, as I have several times, about a move. But, there’s quite a bit of snow and cold here during the winter. 

Using my apps, as usual, I headed down the road which eventually turned into a dirt road with some way too generous potholes, which always slows me way down to a snail‘s pace. I passed a few designated campsites that were very close to the road, with an even worse entry. I wound up at Snowslide camp site. I took the first spot I saw, #1, which is surprisingly removed from the other camp neighbors, though somewhat close to the road. Fortunately traffic slows down at night. I’m actually right next to the creek with an easy walk down to the shore where I did not one but two polar plunges, as it gets quite warm and piercing in the sun. I got lucky with a spot to get into the creek that was built up with rocks, creating a damned area about 2 to 3 feet deep, that made it very easy for me to just bend right into the water and float for just a few seconds as it was ice cube cold, but so invigorating, and it really did the trick to cool me down. This little dam of rocks allowed for a pretty little waterfall too. I decided to spend a second day here is this may be my last time in the forest during this fabulous trip. My plan is to head on to Mesa Verde and then on towards Arizona which will be warmer desert climate. So, I’m going to enjoy my time in the forest as much as I can in the next 24 hours. 














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