Tuesday 9-6 Leaving Big Meadow and Traveling to Ouray

 

Big Meadow Campground

Today we said good-bye to Big Meadow Campground. We spent a week there camping, hiking, barbecuing and enjoying the site. We hiked 5 hikes for a total of 23 miles. We saw a buck, doe, pika, grouse, marmot, fox and many chipmunks. We had a super time.

I woke up a little before 7:00, we wanted an early start because we were going to make few stops and we had a few mountain passes to cross. We put everything down and secured. We had a quick breakfast, a protein shake and granola bars. Larry drove the Minnie off the blocks and put them away. We were on the road by 7:40. On the way out we stopped by the dumpsters to get rid of our trash. 

By the end of the day Larry drove 180 miles. Much of the drive was through gorgeous mountain passes. The roads through the mountains were two lanes with some passing lanes and run away ramps for trucks. One of the run away ramps had an over turned 18 wheeler. We drove past Wolf Creek Ski Area.

Snow tunnel

Beautiful mountain range

 

Tunnel right before Ouray

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The first tunnel on the highway right out of Big Meadows

First stop was Pagosa Springs to take a shower at their Community Center. It was a beautiful facility. The parking wasn't good for RVs, we were lucky we had a small RV and we were there early. We were walking to the building but we weren't sure which entrance to use and a lady told us if we wanted a shower it was the other entrance. We thanked her. The lady at the desk was very friendly, she took our money and told us where the showers were. The showers were great.

Next stop was Durango. We stopped at Walmart and did some grocery shopping. After shopping I made sandwiches for lunch. Then we went across the road and filled the Minnie with gas at the Marathon. Then we went next door to Tarplay RV to dump the tanks. They had a free dump station. It was very nice. We wanted to fill our water tank but their water outlet was very close to the dump and there was no sign indicating it was safe to drink. After dumping the tanks we were on the road again.

We drove another 46 miles towards Silverton. The mountains were red rock and very beautiful. We drove to Little Molas Lake Recreation Area. The campground was a mile down a dirt road, it was  a free dispersed camping area, there was no water, restrooms or dumpsters. The road was a little rough and usually Larry doesn't like going down them but it was only a mile. It was a very nice campground near a lake and multiple hiking trails but unfortunately it was full.

Larry knew of another campground with hiking in Ouray, which was another 20 miles over another mountain pass. We drove through Silverton, which was a mining town many years ago. The mountain road had a lot of tight curves and was very narrow. At places you were on the edge of the road and no shoulders or guard rails. As we were driving through Silverton we saw a motorcycle laying in the middle of the road. The rider was ok, his buddies was helping him up and out of the road. Once he was out of the road his two buddies got the bike up. He was lucky he was riding with friends and was dressed properly. 

The road up the mountain from Ouray was very curvy. Ouray is another old mining town. The campground is called Amphitheater and is run by the National Forest Service. The campground area was created by a volcano eruption and the mountain range looks like an amphitheater. 

We arrived there at 3:00 and were thrilled to get a site, the later in the day the less likely you will find an open site. This is a small campground, there are 35 sites, some are reservable and many of them are too small even for our small RV. Larry parked and walked over to the camp host asking about available sites, the site we parked at was available and it was a great site so we took it. there were only two RV sites available and a few tent sites. The camp hosts were very nice and helpful. Our site is perfect it's right by the bathroom and very level. The sites don't have power or water but there is water at the bathrooms. It's a beautiful campground and from places you can look down and see Ouray. There are hiking trails. One of them takes you to town and while you can see the town it is way down below us. Not sure if we want to hike down that far since we would then have to hike back up.  Around 5:00 the campground was full.

Part of the mountain range at Amphitheater Campground

 

Ouray from the campground overlook 

We set the Minnie up for a few days. It was too hot in the Minnie so we setup our chairs and enjoyed the campsite. When it was time for dinner Larry barbecued hamburgers and we ate outside. 

There is a heat wave going through Colorado and for the next few days our daytime highs are predicted to be in the mid 80's. We are not looking forward to that but hopefully it will soon cool down.

After dinner we walked around and to the overlook. It didn't take us too long about 15 minutes. I ended up doing 27,000 steps, which put me in 4th place in my group.               

Monday 9-5 Happy Labor Day & Minnie Repair

 

Happy Labor Day to all

I hope everyone had great day. 

Our day started out on a low note but ended up being a super day.

In the morning it was in the 40s with a lot of sunshine. At 3:00 we had a small shower that lasted 10 or 15 minutes. The clouds stayed around and kept the temperature cool.

I woke up about 7:00 to make cinnamon rolls, Larry usually does this. I took his job away but I did let him icing them. They came out great.

Early in the morning when Larry woke up the refrigerator started beeping and had an error code (no fl) he turned it off and waited a bit but when he turned it back on the same thing occurred. We had a little internet, he found the error code meant the fridge failed to light on LP. Some people had been able to fix this by removing and cleaning the burner orifice, they did this by soaking it in alcohol and blowing it out with compressed air. We do have alcohol with us but no compressed air. It took awhile to get it apart but using tools we have carried for years he was able to remove the burner tube and the orifice. Everything looked OK but he cleaned it up the best he could and put it back together. The fridge still would not work. He thought maybe the problem was the spark that ignites the LP gas, it was sparking but the spark was not real bright. He took everything back apart and also removed the electrode. Using a bit of sandpaper he cleaned the electrode and the burner tube where it sparks to. After putting it back together the fridge worked perfectly. He was quite happy. Our other option was to go to an RV park and try and find a mobile RV repair person to work on it. We could have been down for a bit. The fridge probably would have worked with AC power so we would not have lost the food. 

I’m very lucky Larry has the skills to do a lot of the work on the Minnie.

 

Minnie Project

Before working on the Minnie we went for a half hour walk to the lake and the day area, about 2 miles. Larry wanted it to warm up a bit. The lake had some fishermen on the banks but not like yesterday. We had a nice walk. When we got back lots of people were getting ready to go home.

After lunch I went to pay for another night here at Big Meadow. As I was walking there a couple of guys in a truck stopped and asked where the boat ramp was. I told them they had to turn around and go on the other side of the lake where the day area was. I walked with them and showed the driver the road to take. They thanked me and were on their way. I paid for another night and then decided to go for a walk. I took the main road to the day area and boat ramp. There I met a young couple and their dog. I ended up walking for a half hour. It was a very nice walk because there was a breeze and this kept it cool.

On the way from my walk I asked one of our neighbors if his dog liked to chase after balls. He said Jesse loved it. I had found a dog ball while walking the other day on the old road so I went back to the Minnie and got the ball and gave it to Jesse. She dropped the ball right at my feet and her master said she wanted me to throw the ball because I gave it to her. I threw it once. I thought it was too hot for her to chase it too many times. She was very happy to receive the ball. 

I went back home and did some Sudoku games. I took a half hour nap. Larry read.

For dinner I barbecued sausage links. After dinner I put up our chairs.

Then I went for another hour walk for 4 miles. I walked down to the lake and over the dam to the day area. While I was walking across the parking lot right before the dam. A couple of guys were putting a string of fish in the back of their truck. I said to them you had a lucky day of fishing. One of them said it didn't start out that lucky. Once I got to the day area I walked the main road back to the campground. Then I walked the loops. As I walked I met a few people and a couple of dogs.

For dessert I baked some pumpkin spice cookies with cream cheese chunks. Then I went outside and finished my steps, I ended up doing 27,000 steps. This put me in 3rd place in my group. 

Larry spent part of the evening finding our next place to stay. We had not had internet since early this morning and it did not start working until about 7:30PM, even then it was very slow. The campground he wanted to stay at was booked the entire month. He found a couple of other options where there are some first come first serve sites. We will check those out.

We had another outstanding day at Big Meadows.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday 9-4 Summer Day on the Lake & Lake Trail

 

Look how big this swan is!!!!

We had a gorgeous day with no rain, just plenty of sunshine.

 

We woke up to a brisk morning with the temperature in 40s. The rain we had yesterday left the temperature a little cooler and the roads wet. The road through the campground is a well packed dirt road so it dried pretty fast. It got up into the high 70s with a breeze now and then.

 

We figured the rain would have left the trails wet so we decided to take the morning off of hiking. Instead we walked around the campground. We walked to the dam and over the bridge to the day area. When we got there we walked the campground main road back to the Minnie. We walked around for 40 minutes, about 1.5 miles. It was a very nice relaxing walk. We saw people walking their dogs, fishing off the banks and just getting up. 

 

Then we went back to the Minnie and relaxed. After lunch we went outside and enjoyed our campsite. I did some Sudoku games and Larry read. When it got too warm in the sun we went inside.

 

After cooling off I went on an hour walk around the campground and to the lake. There were people walking on the dam, walking their dogs, kayaking, fishing, using stand up paddle boards and people boating. It looked like a summer day. When I got to the bridge I got on a small trail that went right by the overflow waterfall. It started out steep until you got to the bottom of the dam, then it went up a little bit to get me back to the parking lot. While walking I took pictures. After walking by the lake and waterfall I walked around the campground. As I was walking I noticed a few people had left and went home or to their next destination. When I got to the upper loop and the sign that said Cascade Falls I took the short trail .10 mile through heavy brush. It was worth it to see a beautiful fall. I rested there and met a mother, daughter and their dog. After resting I continued my walk, which was about 5 minutes. I had a very nice walk.

 

Summer day at the lake

 

 

 

Cascade Falls

 

Keeping cool under a shade while fishing

The overflow falls

 

Fly fishing on the lake

 

Gorgeous Lake Day

 

After dinner we hiked the lake trail. We hiked 4 miles and it took us about an hour and a half. We met a few people. One lady was jogging, she's brave to jog around the lake because there are roots, rocks and mud on the trail. We stopped because Larry saw a doe in the trees. A girl came behind us and asked what we were looking at. Then she saw the doe. A little later I told her she had a very well trained dog. She said he's doing very well and a lot better when he sees a deer. I was wearing an IBM hat and a gentleman asked about it. I told him it was Larry's. As we were talking he said he had worked of IBM for 37 years. He was very nice. When we were hiking around the lake there were still a lot of people enjoying the lake with stand up paddle boards, kayaking and fishing on the banks. When we got to a giant flamingo float Larry took a picture of me standing next to it. It was huge, yesterday we saw the family of four carry it down to the lake. We had a wonderful hike.

 

The doe checking us out

 

Kayaking down the lake

 

By the end of the day I had gotten 27,765 steps, which gave me 179,365 for the week. I could sync my data so I came in 5th place in my group for the week. I'm glad I did my weekly goal of 175,000 steps.

 

LIFE IS GOOD!!!! We're having a blast.      

 

 

 

 

Saturday 9-3 Hiking the Old Logging Road & Rain

Get a buddy and let's go hiking

We woke up to a beautiful day with the temperature in the 40s. It's a great temperature for a morning hike.

I crawled out of bed at 7:15. I made frozen pancakes for breakfast. While the oven was heating up I got dressed. When the elevation is high our oven takes longer to heat up. It was close to temperature when I put the pancakes in, today I had them on a cookie sheet. They came out better but they still weren't like the pancakes made from pancake mix. But their very convenient and fast to prepare, 2.5 minutes in the oven.   

After breakfast we went on a 7 mile hike for three and a half hours. Before going on the hike Larry put out the solar panels. We started from the site and hiked .5 mile to the old logging road gate. Then we hiked the road for 2.5 miles. The road gradually went up in elevation, by the time we hiked to turn around we had gained 900 ft., which was 10100 ft. We didn’t wear any jackets because we knew once we got started it would warm up. But we both had long sleeve shirts. It started out a little cool but by the end it was warm.

We hiked the road previously so we knew where we were going, how far we wanted to go and where to turn around. The hike was challenging at times. But the road was consistent, we didn’t have to climb over boulders, go between them nor were there any muddy areas. We stopped occasionally to catch our breath and rest or enjoy the hike. During our hike we saw some grouse. They flew into the trees. They camouflage themselves in the tree and they were hard to see. On the way back we saw them walking around and doing their thing. We watched them for a long time. We didn’t want to disturb them and it gave us time to rest. We found a downed tree and sat on it until they went into the trees. The hike wasn’t as strenuous as yesterday so it didn’t take as long. The road has trees on both sides of it. As we got higher there were places where you can see and hear the highway. We had another wonderful hike. We were by ourselves so it was peaceful. 

A view of Big Meadow Lake from the old logging road

 

A grouse hiding in the trees

 

The old logging road we hiked

 

A grouse sunning on a log

On the way to our site we stopped by and visited with the hosts. They told us that a gentleman came by yesterday and told them that he was a volunteer for the National Forrest and helps them clear trees off some of the trails. He was going to be in the area for the next three weeks working on the Archuleta Trail, where the downed trees are. They told him that there was about 30 trees but he said it was closer to 100. This would be great for hikers who want to go the full 6.5 miles one way.

When we got back to the Minnie we rested and then I made sandwiches for lunch. About 1:45 a small front came through with rain and hail. It only lasted about 15 minutes. There were a lot of people on and at the lake, we saw them run to their cars. They just waited out the front. It was nice because it cooled things off. Then I climbed above the cab and took a nap. Today it was about an hour.

While I was napping Larry read.

The rain came back around 6:00 and stayed around 20 minutes. It didn’t stay long but it was hard. I didn’t get to walk around the campground but I did do 27,000 steps for the day.

 

Friday 9-2 Hiking Archuleta Trail

First off, The Internet. Our campground has very little cell signal, our cell phone is on Verizon and there is no Verizon. Our hotspot is on AT&T and while it has had a slow and spotty connection it has worked for the most part, Larry even setup our phone to work off of it. Now that the holiday weekend is here the campground has filled up and we seldom have any cell service. This makes doing my blog and tracking my step challenge very difficult and I can forget about my online solitaire games. The good news is at times we can still get some internet.

Let's go hiking

We woke up to another beautiful morning with the temperature in the 40s. Larry turned on the Wave 3 heater to take the chill away. Today we had pre-made frozen pancakes. Once the oven got to temperature I put the pancakes on the cast iron pizza pan and cooked them for 3 minutes. That was a mistake, the bottom of the pancakes came out hard. You couldn't cut the pancakes with a fork, you had to use a knife. I reread the directions, it said to either put the thawed pancakes on a cookie sheet or directly on the rack. Tomorrow I'll try one of the recommended ways. 

After breakfast we went on a 6.5 mile hike for over 5 hours. We started from our site and walked to the lake trail. We hiked the trail clockwise for 1.25 miles to the Archuleta Trail Wilderness sign. As we were hiking by the rock slide we saw a pika climbing on the rocks. Last year we saw one in the same area, apparently they live in the rock slide. When we got the Archuleta trail sign, we hiked it for 2 miles. We hiked up 700 ft in elevation. We stopped occasionally to rest and enjoy the gorgeous scenery. As we hiked we heard and saw a beautiful mountain creek running along side of the trail. We saw butterflies, bees and a lot of wildflowers. We met a guy and his Australian Shepard, that was wearing sunglasses. We got off the trail to let him pass. As he walked by we said our hellos. the trail took us through, over and around boulders, up the mountainside and across small creeks. As the creek flowed down the mountain it created small waterfalls. One place it made a deep pool of water. We saw trout hanging in the current of the creek. We were about .25 mile away from our destination when we met three people. We all said hi and we let them go ahead of us. When we got to our destination the three people were resting. We talked to them for a little bit. Then they started their hike down the mountain. We moved closer to the creek to get a better view. There was a beautiful formation and the creek formed a small waterfall as it came down the mountain. After resting we started our hike back to the Minnie. It was easier going back because it was mainly down the mountainside. We still had to watch our steps because there was loose gravel and rocks. There were a few places we had to climb up hill. When we got back to the Y we took the lake trail back to where we started. As we were hiking through the meadow we met a couple and visited with them. When we got back to the rock slide we saw the pika again. This time he was a lot closer. I tried to get a picture but I was too tired to focus. It was even posing for us. We gave up and continued to the Minnie. We got back around 2:00. We had a long challenging hike but it was a lot of fun. 

Pika

 

The meadow we hiked through

 

Deep water hole and waterfall

 

A butterfly and some of the wildflowers

 

The waterfall at the end of our hike

After resting I made sandwiches for lunch. Then I took an hour and a half nap. Larry read and took a short nap.

About 4:00 people started coming in for the long weekend. This kept us entertained. 

After dinner we had a short rain shower about 10 minutes. It was nice because it cooled things off.

In the evening I did an hour and 15 minute walk. I started walking around the campground to the old road gate. I stopped at the host site and visited with them a bit. I continued my walk. As I was walking by the couple with the lab mix I stopped and said hi to them and paid attention to the dog. Afterwards I continued to the old road. I hiked a mile of the road and turned around. When I got back to the gate I continued walking around the campground. By the time I got back to Larry I had walked about 4 miles. I ended up doing 28,000 steps for the day. I don't know where I was in my group because the internet has been up and down all day. I didn't do any of my games for the same reason.   

We had a super day.        

 

 

Thursday 9-1 Return Visit to Joey's Diesel and Towing

Camping at Big Meadows Campground

I got up at 6:00 am with Larry. We wanted to get a early start because we wanted to be at Joey's Diesel and Towing about when they opened. It's located in Alamosa, 61 miles from Big Meadows. We got the Minnie ready for the adventure. We put things away and secured. We were on the road about 6:40. On the way to Alamosa we ate a couple of granola bars for breakfast, I also had a protein shake. There is not one donut shop along the way nor is there one in Alamosa. How can a city of 10,000 people not have a donut shop?

The drive was a two lane highway down the mountain to South Fork, the scenery was gorgeous. This was about 11 miles. The two lane highway continues to Joey's. We arrived at Joey's when they were just opening, 8:00. Larry went inside to tell them we were there to get the compressor replaced. They said they would come out and check it out. We waited a couple of hours but that was ok, I played some Sudoku games and Larry read his book. Mel and another gentleman came out and checked it out. They didn't think the air conditioner compressor was the root of our problem. They were not sure what the other mechanic had observed. So we didn't get any work done but we were happy that we were able to put a few more miles on the Minnie ensuring that our problem the other day was the fuel pump we had replaced.

Before leaving town we decided to go back to the recreational center to take a shower. Afterwards we had lunch in the parking lot. When we finished lunch we continued our journey back to Big Meadows. We stopped by the Maverik store and topped off the water tank. Then we were on the road again. We got back to our site by 1:00.

We setup the Minnie once again. Larry put out the solar panels. I played my Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong. Then I did the Event: Medium Mayhem Mini of 5 games. It took me 14 minutes and 25 seconds to finish, which put me in 16th place in my group. Larry read.

About 2:30 I walked around the campground for an hour. During my walk I saw the critter from yesterday. I had no idea what is was so I asked the camp host and he told me it was a marmot. Marmots are a huge ground squirrel, they hibernate during the winter. I met a couple and talked for a bit with them.

The marmot

When dinnertime came around I barbecued hamburgers. I went inside the Minnie to get something and a chipmunk jumped on the table and got under the grill to lick the barbecue sauce off the spatula. He wasn't scared of me. I was at the grill before he left. 

After dinner I went for another hour walk. During my walk I met another couple with a very friendly lab mix. I also saw the marmot and a beautiful buck. I stopped by the host site and showed them my senior pass and that's when he told me the critter was a marmot. Both walks were very nice.

The deer checking me out

By the end of the day I had done 26,000 steps, which put me in 5th place in my group with 96,000 steps for the week so far. I'm 4,000 steps behind for my weekly goal but I think I might make it. After doing my steps I played some more Sudoku games.

     

 

 

Wednesday 8-31 Hiking the Lake Trail

Big Meadow Lake

We woke up to temperatures in the low 50s. Larry got up at 6:00 and turned on our Wave 3 heater just to get the chill out of the air. I got up around 7:30 and turned on the oven to make cinnamon french toast sticks. This helped even more.

After breakfast we went on a 3.25 mile hike on the Lake Trail. It's a moderate trail, it gradually goes up in elevation. The trail follows the shores of Big Meadow Lake through the trees and a meadow. While hiking you have to hike in between boulders and the trail is rocky. During the hike we walked by a stone structure, met a few people and a friendly lab and saw a family of ducks (mom and six babies). It took us a little over 1.5 hours. We used some bridges to cross over creeks and sometimes we had use rocks or logs to get across the small creeks. We saw wild flowers on the side of the trail. Once in awhile the trail was muddy so we had to figure out how to get around the mud. As we walked through the meadow we saw a few beaver dams. We were all most finished when we met a fisherman coming up the hill from the lake. We had a super hike. 

Wildflowers on the trail

Wild berries

Hiking trail

Family of ducks

In the afternoon we went on another hike. We hiked the lake trail the opposite direction. This time we didn't meet anyone. We saw a small boat with two people fishing on the banks and other people fishing on the bank at the day area. During the hike it started sprinkling but it only lasted a few minutes. We saw a couple of big beautiful blue birds in the trees. The hike was warmer and more humid then this morning. We had another great hike.

Boating on the lake

Campground from the trail

In between the hikes I played the last three days of Daily Challenges of Solitaire and Mahjong, which was a total of 30 games. I also did the Event: World Tour Mini of 10 games. It took me 40 minutes and 15 seconds, which put me in 18th place in my group. I played a few games of Sudoku.

While I played games Larry went outside and read. His friend the chipmunk came to visit. We have seen many chipmunks and they are used to being fed so they're not scared of people.

For dinner I barbecued hamburgers. In the evening I walked around the campground for an hour. While I was walking a saw a critter sitting on a rock. I was upset with myself because I didn't have my camera. I finished my steps back at the Minnie, which was 28,000 steps. 

We had a gorgeous day.