Wednesday 8-26-2026 Birthday, Hiking, Project, Camping & More

 

Happy Birthday Larry

Happy Birthday honey. 

We had another gorgeous day with the low temperature of 36 degrees. 

Larry woke up about 5:45 am, this is normal for him. He received a phone call from his mom about 6:30. He wasn't sure who would be calling that early. She told him when she wakes up she gets up, might be really early, sometimes at 5:00 am. She called to wish him a happy birthday. He didn't stay on the phone long because he didn't want to disturb me while I slept. It's an hour behind in Tucson, which made his mom's time 5:48.

Larry's also received a call from his sister wishing him a happy birthday.

I rolled out of bed at 7:00 am and made oatmeal for breakfast. After breakfast we got ready to go on a hike. 

Today we went on a 2.5 hour hike on five trails, which were Fallen Tree, Bob Fish, Lateral, Rift and Turquois Lake. We walked from the campground via the road and picked up Fallen Tree trail. This trail took us to Bob Fish trail about .75 mile. Then we hiked Bob Fish trail, part of Lateral trail and Rift trail until we got to Turquois Lake Trail, which about 2.25 miles. We hiked Turquois Lake trail back to the campground another mile. The trails took us up and down hills and through the forest and open area. In the open area we saw some of the forest starting to come back from a fire many year ago. The terrain on the trails were about the same easy to moderate. The trails had roots, rocks and needle from the pines. We saw a chipmunk, it was busy looking for stuff to eat. It one point it came very close to us thinking maybe we had food for it. We heard the birds chirping in the tree. The forest is gorgeous with tall pines and other trees. We rested now and then on a log or big boulder. When we got to the lake trail we walked to a log, that looked over the lake. As we rested we saw someone wakeboarding and a few fishermen. We didn't see anyone hiking today. When the trail intersected each other there was a trail sign and map showing you where you were and where to go. The weather was great. We had a super hike.

Turquois Lake Trail

Bob Fish Trail

One of the trail signs

By the time we got back to the Minnie it was 10:30 am. When lunchtime came around we had leftover seasoned pork for lunch. 

After lunch Larry did a little project on the Minnie. Larry had replaced the motor and seal of the air conditioner after our fall trip last October. He noticed that the air conditioner wasn't straight on the roof. After lunch he decided to straighten it. We took the motor cycle off it's carrier so he could get to the ladder to get on the roof. It took him about an hour to straighten it. It looks great.

For Larry's birthday we were going to go to the ice cream parlor in town but rain was in the area and it got windy. Instead I baked him cookies (peanut butter and chocolate chips). I made a dozen of them. We kept six cookies and I gave neighbors the rest. One of the neighbors couldn't have any cookies but her friend could so I left them four cookies. The other neighbor Ron, who's from Tucson said he could have cookies so I gave him two. 

In between hiking, walking and the project Larry read. I continued reading The Remains of the Day.

I played my games. I did the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. The event was Event: Two Game Tango Mini of 6 games (3 Pyramid and 3 Tri Peaks). It took me 11 minutes and 9 seconds to complete, which put me in 24th in my group. I played Angry Birds Friends and Angry Birds 2. 

For dinner we had a bake. When we finished dinner we went on our evening walk. I walked 3.25 miles and Larry walked a mile of it with me. We walked to Silver Dollar Campground and did the first loop. Then we came back. Larry went back to the Minnie I decided to walk back to Silver Dollar Campground and do both loops. By the time I got back I was tired. After resting I baked the cookies.

By the end of the day I had done 20,500 steps, which is a little over 9 miles. 

      

  

 

Tuesday 8-25-26 Turquois Lake Trail, Walking, Camping & More

 

Camping at Matchless Campground in Pike-San Isabel National Forest

We had a gorgeous day at Matchless Campground. 

The weather was perfect with the morning temperature of 41 degrees and the high temperature of 71 degrees. The clouds rolled in and out all day. In the late afternoon and early evening we had a few drops of rain. At times the wind sounded very strong but it wasn't. By the end of the day we had walked over 7 miles.

I crawled out of bed at 7:15 am. I made oatmeal for breakfast. After breakfast we got ready to go on a hike. Today our hike was for 4 miles on Turquois Lake Trail for two hours. We started the hike at 8:00 am. We walked to the overflow campground and picked up the lake trail. Yesterday, we took the trail to the dam and today we went the opposite direction. We hiked the trail for about 2 miles and turned around and hiked back to our camping site. The trail goes through the forest and along the banks of Turquoise Lake. We hiked by Silver Dollar Campground and Molly Brown Campground. When we got to Molly Brown we took stairs to the campground, which was a parking lot. It looked like the overflow campground at Matchless, except the campsites had tables. I am happy we are camped where we are in Matchless. As we hiked we saw a fisherman, a jogger and some hikers on the way back. One couple hiking had a cute dog, it saw a squirrel and ran after it. The dog didn't have a chance the squirrel was already up the tree way before the dog got there. The masters said it's going to be a busy day for the dog. A little ways farther we said hi to a couple. We also saw a group of people (six) our age hiking. One of the ladies were talking about the lake and the area. We said hi to them and wished them a great hike. We rested now and then. We saw a lot of views of the lake. Our hike was very pleasant and the weather was perfect. There were clouds but it didn't feel humid. 

Turquois Lake 

Once we got back to the Minnie Larry setup the solar panels. We spent the rest of the day relaxing.

Larry finished reading a book and started another one. I continued reading The Remains of the Day.

I played my games. I played the Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. The event was Event: Exports Only Mini of 5 games. It took me 1 hour, 28 minutes and 1 second to complete, which put me in 22nd place in my group. I played Angry Birds Friends and Angry Birds 2.

For dinner we barbecued hamburgers. Then we went for an hour walk around Silver Dollar and Matchless Campgrounds. We walked for 3 miles. Larry walked the first 2 miles to Silver Dollar Campground and back. I did the last mile by walking around our area four times.

By the end of the day I had done 19,000 steps. We had a wonderful day. 

   

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.