Monday 8-24-26 Beautiful Day, Hiking, Walking, Camping & More

 

Beautiful Day

We had a beautiful day. 

We woke to a brisk 46 degrees and the high was 71 degrees. The temperature here in Colorado is 30 degrees cooler in the morning and 30 degrees cooler as it high. Belton morning temperature was 76 degrees and the high temperature of 104 degree.

Larry woke up his normal time and did his morning routine. I rolled out of bed at 7:15 and got dressed. Then I made pancakes for breakfast. Afterwards we got ready to go on a hike. I put water in our small pouch. We both started our bands for the hike. We started our hike at 8:00 am for a 2.57 mile hike for an hour. We wanted to start off easy because it was our first hike since our Spring Trip back in May. We also are at 9,200 feet in elevation. 

Our hike was on the Turquoise Lake Trail to the dam, which was about a mile one way. We walked to the boat ramp and picked up the trail. The trail goes along the banks of Turquoise Lake and through the forest. The trail terrain is easy/moderate with roots, rocks and needles on the trail. We had to be careful not to trip. As we hiked we saw one guy jogging going to the dam and coming back. When we got to the dam we took a bathroom break. They had a run yesterday and had portable toilets. They also had a washing station where you pump water via a foot pump, they also had soap and paper towels. The toilets were very clean. We stopped to look at the forest. We're surprised how little damaged the forest fire had done. They were lucky it didn't take more of the forest. They had them on both side of the main road. After our break we walked down the road until it dead ended to get a very nice view of the lake. We saw four guys in a class learning how to fly fish. We hiked the trail back to our site. By the time we got home it was starting to warm up.

The forest by the dam parking lot

The area the fire was

The forest by the road, that goes around the lake

Our neighbors left at noon. Larry thought we might have to move the Minnie so they could get their fifth-wheel out. The father said he was going to try to back the truck in at an angle because he didn't want us to have to move. We watched him back the truck and he did an excellent job. He got it right there. While he was doing this we visited with his wife. She said they had been in tighter spots but he's a truck driver and knows how to back 18-wheeler trucks. We said our good-byes and they were on the road. They were out of Denver so they didn't have too far to go.

We hung around the Minnie for the rest of the day.

Larry finished a book and started another. He read in his chair for a long time and chased the sun. When he was in the shade it got cold. After I did my games I joined him until it started to sprinkle. It made a lot of noise but we only got sprinkles. This was about 3:00. We're in the mountains so we know it will get some afternoon rain showers. 

I played my games. I played the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. The event was Event: Pyramid Mini of 10 games. It took me 1 hour, 2 minutes and 32 seconds to complete, which put me in 23rd place in my group. I played Angry Birds Friends and Angry Birds 2.

After playing my game I started to read The Remains Of The Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. It's about the changing to the times in a butlers life. I had seen the movie starring Anthony Hopkins as James Stevens (butler) and Emma Thomson as Miss Kenton (former housekeeper). So far the novel is very good.

I'm happy we have solar panels because, that way I can play my games. Larry set one set of panels up before we went on our hike. When we got back he set up the other set of panels. He charged up both batteries (Lithium and Lead Acid). This works out great.

In the evening we went for an hour walk around the campgrounds for 3 miles. We walked to Silver Dollar Campground and back, which was 2 miles. Then Larry went back to the Minnie I did a log around the overflow camping area and our camping area, which gave me the last mile. 

By the end of the day I had done 17,100 steps. We had a super day of hiking, relaxing and walking.  

      

Sunday 8-23-26 Buena Vista & Matchless Campground

 

Buena Vista City Park

We had a gorgeous day with clear skies and a lot of sunshine. The skies were smoke free. 

We woke up to a brisk 54 degrees in Salida, CO Walmart parking lot. When the front came through it cooled off. We slept with the windows open. When Larry woke up 5:45 am he closed the windows and put on a lite jacket. He did his normal routine of reading the groups he follow and posting my blog. I got out of bed about 7:00 am. We put things down and had crumb cakes for breakfast. We weren't in any hurry because we didn't have far to go. Our next destination was Buena Vista, which is 24 miles from Salida.

We were on the road by 7:30 am. Before leaving Salida we stopped by Crossroads Visitor Center to top off our fresh water because Matchless Campground doesn't have water. We were here last year so Larry knew where to get the water. People had said, that the city slowed down how fast the water would fill because locals were filling their water tanks for their homes. When they slowed down on the flow this stopped the problem because people didn't want to spend hours on filling their tanks. It didn't matter to us because we didn't need a lot of water and Larry runs it slow so it wouldn't kickback. Crossroads Visitor Center is a gorgeous facility. If you want to you can stay over night in the parking lot. They also have a dump station.

Once the water tank was filled we were on the road to Buena Vista, it's on the way to Leadville. We love stopping in Buena Vista to take a shower at the city park. It cost $1.00 (quarters only) for two minutes. Today it cost us $2.00 each, which is cheap for public showers. The restrooms are clean and the shower head spray great. The water temperature is warm. While waiting for Larry to take his shower I walked around and took a few pictures. When I was walking back to the Minnie a gentleman (Forrest) asked me about the Minnie. He has an old class A and would like to have a smaller rig. He had been on the road for seven months and loves it. After I took my shower we had a little snack and then hit the road once again.

Beautiful day in Buena Vista

Buena Vista Dog Park

Minnie in the parking lot across the street from the showers

We arrived in Leadville at 10:00 am. We stopped by Safeway to pickup some gauze. Larry tapes up his feet when he goes hiking to prevent blisters and he wanted some gauze. From there we went to Matchless campground.

The site we like, which is #7 was occupied and the campground almost full. We asked the host (Bob) if he knew, which campers were staying or leaving. He didn't know. He said the family on the site we like he was sure they were leaving. We parked the Minnie in the middle of the parking lot to wait. The check-out time is 12:00 and check-in is 2:00. About 1:00 we walked over to the site and asked if they were leaving because they weren't finished packing up. The gentleman said they were after they had lunch. At 3:00 Larry finally went over and asked if they could move their vehicles so we could park the Minnie. They did move their vehicles. We parked the Minnie.

The campgrounds in this area had been closed due to a huge forest fire. They opened up Matchless about two week ago and they had some rain so the fire is almost out.

 

Our campsite more down trees due to the fire

While we waited for the family to leave we had sandwiches for lunch. We paid for three nights. We were going to pay online but it was cheaper to pay with a check. We walked down to the entrance and paid for three nights.

Larry finished a book and started another one. 

I played games. I did the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. The event was Event: World Tour Mini of 10 games. It took me 51 minutes and 30 seconds to complete, which put me in 14th place in my group. I played Angry Birds Friends and Angry Birds 2.

For dinner we barbecued hamburgers. After dinner we went for an hour walk for 3 miles. Larry walked with me for 45 minutes. We walked to Silver Dollar Campground and back. I walked around our campground. As I was walking I saw a lady riding her horse and her Great Dane was running with her. Both animals were beautiful and I told her that. When I got back I finished doing my 12,000 steps.

Turquoise Lake

A great first day of camping in Colorado.

       

      

Saturday 8-22-26 Beautiful Day, Three States, Salida & Having Fun

Sunset at Texoma Park last night

We had a comfortable night of sleeping at Texoma Park in Dumas. There were a few times it was warm I just took off the sheet and put it back on a few minutes later. We slept under the air conditioner so it wasn't bad. It turned on once in awhile. 

I woke up at 5:45 am and Larry was already awake. We wanted to get an early start because it was suppose to be another hot day. We shared a bagel and a shake for our breakfast. After breakfast we put everything down and secure before continuing our adventure. The morning temperature in Dumas, TX was 72 degrees and the high temperature in Salida, CO was 89 degrees. We were on the road by 6:15 am.

Larry drove 375 miles, which made it a long day. We started in Dumas, TX at 6:15 am (Central Time) and ended in Salida, CO at 1:15 pm (Mountain Time). We gained an hour in New Mexico because of time zone change. 

Texas Welcome Sign

New Mexico Welcome Sign

Colorado Welcome Sign

We drove in three states. We started in Dumas, TX and drove 68 miles to Texiline, TX. We picked up New Mexico at the state line. We drove through New Mexico for 110 miles. We picked up Colorado 7 miles up a mountain pass from Raton, NM. We drove 197 miles to Salida, CO. The drive was on two different highways and one interstate. We drove U.S. Highway 87 (four lane divided highway) from Dumas, TX to Raton, NM. We picked up I25 in Raton, NM and drove the interstate to Pueblo, CO. Then at Pueblo, CO we picked up U.S. Highway 50 West (four lane divided highway) to Salida, CO.

The drive in Texas was farm and ranch lands. I considered it the plains. When we got to New Mexico the scenery was about the same. We saw a lot of Pronghorns, a couple of hawks, cattle and horses. The scenery changed in Colorado, we saw mountain ranges and the Arkansas River. 

The Minnie climbed a couple of mountain ranges. One was between Raton, NM to Trinidad, CO. The other one was between Pueblo, CO to Salida, CO. It was a beautiful drive through the mountain ranges especially the second one. As you drive through the mountain pass the Arkansas River ran along side the highway. We saw people fly fishing, rafting and fishing off the rafts, people kayaking and people wading in the river at the BLM campgrounds.

Canon City Welcome Sign

Driving the highway through the mountain range between Pueblo and Salida

Beautiful day driving through the mountains

We stopped a couple of times to fill the Minnie with gas (Clayton, NM and Pueblo, CO). We stopped in Canon, CO for lunch at the Love's. We had a sandwich and chips in the Minnie. Love's had a great parking lot for RVs and Trucks, the spots are numbered and there are a lot of them. Across the street Love's had an RV park with hook ups. It was very nice. 

We arrived in Salida about 1:15 and drove around to see if we could park at the park or visitor center. It was a little early to park at Walmart and it was warm. We didn't find a place to park so we went to Walmart. We setup the Minnie for the night. Then we went to Walmart to pick up a couple of things. We're not going to have power for awhile so we wanted an easy breakfast in the morning. 

For dinner I heated up the leftover skewers and tortillas. I walked the Monarch Trail for a mile when the rain came. I was glad I had the umbrella. While I was walking I got a text from Larry to saying you're going to get wet very soon. I ignored the text I thought someone else was texting. When I got home I told Larry I received his text but thought it was from someone else. He said no one else knew my cell phone number but him. I walked for 45 minutes and had done 2.25 miles. I ended up doing 6,500 steps.

Rainbow at the end of my walk

Canadian Geese relaxing in the field by the trail

Horses and cattle I saw during my walk

Yesterday, I forgot to mention I played the Daily Challenges of  Solitaire and Mahjong. I did the event, which was Event: Medium Mayhem of 27 games. I came in 19th place in my group. I played Angry Birds Friends and Angry Birds 2.

Today I played the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. I did the event, which was Two Game Tango Mini of 10 games (5 Free Cell and 5 Pyramid). It took me 1 hour, 29 minutes and 41 seconds to complete, which put me in 18th place in my group. I played Angry Birds Friends and Angry Birds 2.

Larry read while I played games and walked. He started and finished a book yesterday and today he started another.

Just having fun

            

   

Friday 8-21-26 We're Still In Texas & Texoma Park

 

Hot Travel Day

We're still in Texas. 

We woke up in Hamlin Texas before the sun came up. It was 5:30 am and the temperature was 78 degrees. We slept well with the air condition on and a fan going. We put thing away and put a small cooler together. We were on the road by 6:00 am. We wanted to get an early start because it was going to be hot.

We drove by the local donut shop but it was closed. We kept on driving down the road. We hoped to find another donut shop open for breakfast otherwise we had snacks. 

We drove drove 272 miles through Texas to Dumas, Texas. We mainly drove highway 287, which was a four lane highway. We drove through many small towns. They were Aspermont, Guthrie, Paducah, Childress, Estelline, Memphis, Hedley, Leila Lake, Clarendon, Claude, Pampa, Amarillo and Dumas. There probably were a few smaller towns. 

We did a few stops along the way. Fist was in Aspermont at TM Donuts for breakfast. We almost didn't stop because we thought it was closed. We saw the open sign on so we did. We were glad we stopped, the donuts were fresh and tasted good. The owner was friendly and the prices were reasonable ($1.00). Larry got four donuts, which were a sprinkle donut, chocolate glazed, maple glazed and a glazed. It cost $4.00. Next stop was Safety Rest Area Donley County. The rest area was very nice. Inside the main building it had some booths setup for you to get information (Weather Information, Driving Directions, Information, Self-Service Information, Monument Locator and Places: To Go, To Eat and To Stay. It was very clean and big restrooms. Next stop was Claude to fill the Minnie with gas. Next stop was Braum's for lunch. Final stop was Texoma Park for the night.

Safety Rest Area Donley County

Weather Information Booth

Driving Direction Booth

General Information Booth

Search Information Booth

Monument Locator Booth

Places: To Go, To Eat and To Stay

 

As we were driving between Paducah and Childress we saw three turkeys flying across the highway. This was the first time we seen turkeys fly a long distance. If they hadn't flown we won't have seen them. We also saw workers working on utilities. I had never seen them pull the cables through a pipe. I just saw one of the workers hold a tape line. Larry explained what the workers were doing and the tape line was called a pull line. He said they put the pipe in and then feed the cable from one end to the other. In order to do that they have to them through with a pull line. Larry knew what it was because he had worked as an electrician.  

Guthrie Texas Cattle Drive from 2021

More of the Cattle Drive in Guthrie Texas from 2021

  

It was a nice drive through cattle country and farms. I dozed on and off through the ride. By the time we got to Dumas Texas it was hot. It got up to 102 degrees.

In the evening I did four laps around Texoma Park for a total of 1.75 miles. By the end of the day I had done 6,500 steps. 

We had a super day.       

Thursday 8-20-26 Fall Trip Begins & Hamlin City Park

 

Jones County Courthouse in Anson Texas

Our Fall Trip began today. 

It was suppose to get up to 105 degrees and we wanted to beat the heat. I rolled out of bed at 6:30 am and got dressed. We loaded a few items and double checked to see if we got everything. We had a bagel for breakfast. Then Larry turned off the water heater under the sink in the kitchen, I turned off the ice maker and Larry turned off the water to the house. We were on the road by 7:00 am. 

When we left the house the temperature was 76 degrees in Belton Texas. By the end of the day we were in Hamlin Texas, at 4:00 pm the temperature was 105 degrees. It was a hot day, we were glad we had power in Hamlin. The air conditioner run constantly until the sun started to go down. It turned on and off all night.

Hot summer day

 Larry drove 235 miles on two lane highways and occasionally a four lane highway. We drove by Gatesville, Hamilton, Comanche, Rising Star, Abilene and Angon. We drove through other small towns. When we got to Comanche Larry stopped at Donut Palace to buy donuts. We drove by the Jones County Courthouse in Angon. It was beautiful. When we got to Abilene we stopped at Allsup and filled the Minnie with gas. Abilene is 40 miles from Hamlin. I dozed off now and then. 

We arrived at Hamlin at 11:30 am. We aet up the Minnie for the night. The first night is free and additional  nights are $15 per night.  

Hamlin City Park entrance

After setting up for the night we had a sandwich for lunch. We spent the day keeping cool under the air conditioner. Larry started and finished a book. I played games.

I played the Daily Challenge of Solitaire and Mahjong from yesterday and today. The event was Event: Free Cell Mini of 10 games. It took me 1 hour, 59 minutes and 46 seconds to complete, which put me in 12th place in my group. I played Angry Birds Friends and Angry Birds 2.

In the evening I walked around the park.  I walked for 45 minutes. I did seven labs around the track, which was 2.2 miles. 

Hamlin Collegiate High School had their first Junior Varsity game against Coleman High School today. Their first Varsity game is next Thursday against Crosbyton High School. The opening night was a big success, the parking lot was full and there were a lot of people in the stands. The game was over by 9:00 pm. It was nice to be surprised by the game beheld.  

  

 

Hamlin Collegiate High School opening Junior Varsity game

A full parking lot to support the Pipers

By the end of the day I had done 6,500 steps. We had a super day. 

Wednesday 8-19-26 Ready For Fall Trip

 

Minnie ready to go on the fall trip

It was a hot day. The morning temperature was 77 degrees and the high was 103 degrees. It's hot.  

We spent the day finishing the preparation for the trip. We got an early start about 8:00 am when I got up. Larry surprised me, he bought breakfast. He took the motorcycle for a ride to fill it up with gas. On the way home he stopped at the donut shop and bought breakfast.

After breakfast we went outside and started on the finishing up preparing the Minnie for the trip. First we put the motorcycle carrier on the back of the Minnie. Then Larry wiped it down to get rid of the dirt. Next we loaded the motorcycle on the carrier and strapped it down. Then we put the cover on the motorcycle and strapped down the cover. Larry put the extra gas container on the carrier. Finally we checked to make sure the lights worked. They worked perfectly. Now the Minnie is ready.

After the motorcycle was ready we went to town to pick up a few things at Walmart and to stop our mail at the UPS Store.

When we got home we started finishing up inside of the Minnie. Larry kept me company while I finished loading the food in the refrigerator and the dry goods in the cabinet. Then I swept the Minnie out. After lunch I took the bedding out of the bags and made the bed. Now the inside is ready to go.

At dinnertime I barbecued some skewers for dinner. While the skewers were cooking I browned some pork sausage for a bake to take with us. 

After dinner Larry cleaned the drains in the master bath and the kitchen. When he finished I made the bake. I cleaned the bathrooms, dusted, vacuumed the house and mopped the kitchen floor. We watched YouTube videos in the evening because I was busy cleaning house and making the bake. When Larry went to bed I watched Aladdin from our movies collection.

I didn't play the Daily Challenges of Solitaire or Mahjong. I played the event, which was Event: Solitaire World Tour of 30 games. I only did 28 of the games because I ran out of time. I played the games for 3 hours, 23 minutes and 43 seconds, which put me in 13th place in my group. I played Angry Birds Friends and Angry Birds 2.

I played seven games of pinball in between doing my chores to relax a little bit. I played three games on the mini cabinet, which were Cactus Canyon, Cirqus Voltaire and Fun House. I played four games on the big cabinet, which were Big Buck Hunter Pro, Dracula, Nightmare Before Christmas and Star Fox. I didn't get on the board but I had a great time playing pinball.

Cactus Canyon (Mini)

Cirqus Voltaire (Mini)

Fun House (Mini)

Big Buck Hunter Pro (Big)

Dracula (Big)

Nightmare Before Christmas (Big)

Star Fox (Big)

    

Tuesday 8-18-26 More Preparation For Trip & Beautiful Day

 

Hot Beautiful Day

We had a beautiful day with a lot of sunshine. The morning temperature was 74 degrees and the high temperature officially was 103 degrees at 3:00 pm. 

We started the day off by taking the Minnie to Ace Hardware Store to get propane. While there we picked up some hose and a couple of hose menders. The hose is used for the water tank vent, when you fill the Minnie with water the water will kickback through the hole you use to fill it. The reason it does this is because there is a very small hole for vent not allowing the air to escape fast enough. Larry wanted to route the hose differently. On the way home we stopped and filled the Minnie with gas.

When we got home Larry backed the Minnie to the side of the house to dump it's tanks and fill the water tank with water. While he was dumping the tanks he noticed the hose was leaking near the end where it goes into the ground. Later he took it apart, cut off part of the hose and put it back together. After the tanks were finished he moved the Minnie back to the front of the house. and plugged it in.

Next we went back to town with the car to do few errands. First stop was the post office to stop our mail. While Larry was doing this I went across the street and took a couple of pictures. One was Italian Pastarico Inspired, which is a small restaurant. It had a beautiful entrance. The other pictures was the public library, they recently remodeled and painted a cute mural on the side of the building. Next was at HEB to do more grocery shopping. We had a home delivery from Walmart yesterday for the majority of the groceries and other items we needed for our trip. There were a couple of items that Walmart was out of stock. While picking up the items we bought some seasoned pork and other items we like from HEB. Final stop was to get cash to take with us on our trip.

Italian Pastarico Inspired

Belton Public Library mural

By the time we got home it was time of lunch. After lunch we went outside to start loading the Minnie with stuff we're taking on our trip. Larry helped me load the items into the Minnie. Then I loaded the food items in the kitchen cabinet. I put the motorcycle helmets in the shower. Then I loaded sodas under the dinette seat. After putting everything in the cabinet I filled the freezer with food and put some items in the refrigerator. Larry put some electronic items in the Minnie. After loading the food in the Minnie I loaded the clothing we were taking with us. Tomorrow we'll do the finishing touches.

I played the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. The event was Event: Two Games Tango Mini of six games (3 Spider and 3 Tri Peaks). It took me 15 minutes and 42 seconds to complete, which put me in 16th place in my group. I played Angry Birds Friends and Angry Birds 2.

I played seven games of pinball. I played three on the mini cabinet, which were Michael, No Fear and The Godfather. I played four games on the big cabinet, which were Beetlejuice, Big Bang Bar, Blizzard of Ozz and Dracula. I had fun playing pinball.

Michael (Mini)

No Fear (Mini)

The Godfather (Mini)

Beetlejuice (Big)

Big Bang Bar (Big)

Blizzard of Ozz (Big)

Dracula (Big)

We watched YouTube videos.

In the evening we watched the next super hero movie in our collection, which was Avengers: Endgame. When Larry went to bed I watched Top Gun: Maverick from our movies collection. I ended up doing 8,000 steps.