August 7-8, 2007.

Mammoth Lakes

to Sacramento
The End of the Road

Determined to do some exploration in the Mammoth Lakes area, we began the day with an overview---literally. We climbed aboard the Mammoth Mountain gondola and were whisked to the top of the 11,000+ foot mountain in a matter of minutes. The temperature was brisk—in the 50s---and the wind about 30 mph. Nevertheless, the views were spectacular thanks to absence of recent forest fires (which haunted us elsewhere). Looking north towards Yosemite, craggy peaks reached skywards. As pretty a mountaintop view as we had seen on the whole trip. Hooray California!

We returned to the rig, picked up Carly and headed to the June Lake Loop. Gorgeous views as we checked out a few campgrounds for future reference (somehow we’ve got to find a solution to the Norcold refrigerator that won’t work on gas over 5500 feet). Finally, we hooked up again with Mexico mates Kaye and Dee, who we last saw outside of Banff Park. They were staying at Silver Lake until the end of September, so we traded them the firewood that we had hauled around the country from Oregon. In return, Kaye emptied a bottle of Chardonnay in our direction before we all headed back to June Lake for dinner.

After sitting down for dinner, the waiter (a charming chap) told us that most of the items on the menu weren’t available, since the hood fan on the stove was kaput. We opted for Mexican food, but frankly, we’ve had better. Great to spend some final moments with Kaye and Dee, however.

Up early the next morning, we were on the road by 6:30. I headed up the Mono Pass with the rig, and Janice trailed behind, stopping to pick up lattes. We hooked up the toad at the truck turnout at Conway summit. Testing the lights, there was a problem, and fuses kept blowing. I could have spent the whole morning rewiring the rig but elected to hit the road without lights on the toad, reasoning that there were plenty of lights on the rig, traffic was light, and I wanted to get home! Foolish and stupid, yes! Fortunately we made it home safely, climbing up the pass east of Silver Lake (Hwy 88) and then sliding over to Hwy 104 west of Jackson. The last 10 miles on 104 were some of the scariest on the trip, as a Mexico-width highway with no shoulders was filled with oncoming trucks enroute to some construction project. I was certain that our 4500 miles on the road would end catastrophically a few miles from home.

Arriving home about 2pm, Carly promptly flopped down in the bushes and Janice headed to the post office to pick up the mail. Home at last!
- - - - -

Epilogue

After a few days’ reflection, the following thoughts remain:

1) Long trips are OK, but we need to simply stop in one place for a week or so to just relax. This trip was a bit ‘busy’ and we were a bit frayed at times and wound up 'weary' of constant travel. Looking forward to some time in the woods this fall. Just sitting.

2) The scenery in California matches anything we saw along the way, with a few exceptions: Waterton Lake in Canada and the Beartooth Highway in Montana. These are in a class by themselves.

3) Southern Colorado is a place we’d consider spending a few summers in. Beautiful country, rivers, mountains and nice people, including the many Texans summering there.

4) Oregon remains a special place for us, and there is a lot more there for us to enjoy and explore. Next year! We'll be going to Casey’s Riverside Resort for sure.

5) The Calgary Stampede was a whole lotta fun, and the grandstand show will remain a dazzling memory for a long time.

6) Watching the Ironman Triathlon in Coeur d’Alene provided us with a tremendous respect for the athletes (Julie included) who compete in such events. A real test of physical endurance and mental will.

August 3-4-5, 2007

From Flagstaff,AZ to Las Vegas, NV to Mammoth Lakes, CA

Homeward Bound

Leaving Flagstaff meant miles of sand, rocks and sagebrush, interrupted only by lunch at the Hoover Dam overlook. From there we ‘stumbled’ into the Oasis RV Park, missing the 215 on-ramp enroute. This gave us an unplanned tour of the north of the strip area, plus got us involved in a traffic jam. Arriving at the Oasis, we were prepared to pay $96 for 2 nights, even knowing that we were going to be staying at Casa Julie. Expensive parking! Fortunately, Janice was able to obtain 2 nights ‘storage’ at the park for $5 per night. That put us $86 ahead in Las Vegas, and we had just arrived.

The heat (108 high,90 low) was absolutely unbearable, so we just hung out, laying low, though we did catch a movie at the Red Rock. Nary a nickel was wagered there,though.

Leaving early this morning, we got the rig out of hock and hit the road by 7:30,heading for Bishop via Hwy 95 and Hwy 6. A more boring route does not exist in America. The high spots were Goldfield and Tonopah. Now, Goldfield is our “Trona” awardee (if you’ve seen Trona,CA this ain’t no compliment!) for this trip. What a hole! Nothing but collapsing doublewides (and single-wides), dilapidated shacks and a couple of time-worn brick structures. One was the old Goldfield Hotel, which no doubt could tell stories about its hey-day. Today, it is a home to rats and spiders. In front of the hotel, a singular young lad of about 10 stood, straddling a new bike. He loved that bike, oblivious to the squalor in his hometown, Poor kid! Pawn the bike and get outta town!

Moving on to Tonapah, we were ripped off by the first gas station in town, which featured regular at $3.14.9 per gallon. We bit, only to discover that the stations in town (known by the locals) were selling it for $2.99. Won’t be back here! (Even if they were giving gas away, we would not return to Tonopah!) Any town that features itself as the “Stargazing capital of the US” would rather have you looking up in the sky at night than looking around during the daytime. Ugh! Double ugh! If you are ever so unfortunate to be in the vicinity, consider stopping at the Miller Rest Area, 12 miles north of town. A veritable oasis for RVers. Along the route there were a couple of legal brothels, the “Shady Lady” and the “Cottontail Club”. No cars/trucks were parked in front of either. All were in church??? Nearby RV Parks were touting $7.00 and $8.00 “full hook-ups.” (Sorry, but I won’t comment further on that.)

Arriving in Bishop after more miles of nothingness surrounded by towering mountains, we stopped for provisions. Noting that it was about 98 degrees outside, and ther ain’t much to do in Bishop, we headed north 41 miles up steep grades to Mammoth Lakes, coming to rest in the Mammoth Lakes RV Park. Cool winds rock the rig. Our main slide was squeaking terribly when we attempted to deploy it, so we stopped halfway, waiting for a fresh day to give us a new perspective on this potential disaster. Once again our gas refrigerator will not function above 5500 feet, so our plans for a couple days of dry camping may be doomed. We may be home sooner than we thought, but I think that’d be OK with Carly, who is just plain ‘wore out’ with this road stuff.

July 31- Aug, 1 2007


From Durango, CO to Flagstaff, AZ

July 31, 2007

After two earlier, near-complete entries regarding our train ride were eaten by a Word error message and crash, I gave up, postponing the third try until today. I will “Save” frequently to avoid another disaster.

The Durango-Silverton Steam train lived up to advance billing. We left Carly and the rig at 6:40 a.m., picked up "two large non-fat hazelnut lattes" en route and were properly on the train at the requested 7:00 a.m. boarding time. We were in a covered ‘gondola car’, which meant we sat on a bench facing outwards, covered by a tin roof. No sides except a railing. These were cheap seats, but on a perfect weather day, they beat the coach seating by a mile. And we did have perfect weather: 60 to 75 degrees.

After a ho-hum first 8 miles as we escaped the immediate environs of Durango, we started climbing, going along the Animas River. The views from that point on were spectacular, stupendous, and then just continually beautiful. The first jaw-dropper occurred as we hung on the side of a cliff, 1000 feet above the river chasm. I could have jumped into the river, we were that close to the edge. And, if you ever do this ride, get the ‘east seats’ like we did, otherwise you will spend 2/3 of your trip looking at rock walls or hillsides next to the tracks. Not us, though. Just eyeball-popping views as the cars creaked, wheels squeaked and the engine chugagchugged up the grade, tooting whistles into the forests. It was a wonderful 3 ½ hour ride, despite a mixture of steam, soot and cinders that wafted our way occasionally. Pure ambiance. Could fill several pages with photos, but won’t.

Arriving in Silverton (11:15) , we mistakenly stumbled into the first restaurant for lunch, where we enjoyed excellent Reuben sandwiches. The restaurant bills itself as the last whorehouse in Silverton (where prostitution finally ended about 1950). One street over in this two street town were some pretty nice dineries. Whether they could beat the Reuben’s, I dunno, but we just kinda felt hornswaggled into the whore house as we initially walked down the sidewalk from the train. Then we had to dig through our pockets for cash when they advised, “no plastic.” Hey, we could still be washing dishes there.

With the rest of the couple hundred train riders, we walked the town, going from gift shop to gift shop. It was almost a mandatory shopping experience.

On the return trip (1:15), we had opted to take the bus, which turned out to be a really wise move. The temperature was falling and rain began falling as we headed up the hill. The bus driver was exceptionally informative, and managed to keep us awake for the entire 1 ½ hour trip back to Durango. As beautiful as the train trip was, doing it in reverse for another 3 ½ hours in the rain would have been torture.

We dined out at the “Serious Texas BBQ”, exposing ourselves to the culinary taste of the Texans who have completely invaded Colorado for the summer. Just cain’t believe how many of ‘em there are. Nice folks, but they do talk funny.

August 1, 2007

Hit the road early (8:10) hoping to cover the 370 miles from Durango to Flagstaff. There really isn’t anything in between except Gallup, NM, sage brush, large rocky formations protruding up out of the desert, Indian reservations and crumbling double-wides. One would only live in this part of New Mexico as a matter of personal calamity or unfortunate destiny. After noon, we were on I-40, the first 4-laner we had seen in a while. Had to cruise 65-70 to avoid being eaten up by the trucks, who passed us even at those speeds. It was nice to be driving on straight roads, though.

Arriving in Flagstaff about 3:00 (gained an hour), this will be our home for 2 nights. Carly is wishing for a significant drop in altitude as she has been at 5000-7500 feet for too long for a geezer dog. Short walks for this pooch. Fill the blue bag, Carly.

July 29-30, 2007
Durango, Colorado
Lightner Creek Campground

Arrived in Durango, Colorado after a ride over Wolf Creek Pass, which is about 10,000 feet. On the way up, the last 5 miles or so were a first gear, gas gulping, uphill climb. Visible in the rear view mirror were nickels, dimes, quarters and finally, dollar bills blowing out the exhaust. Fuel consumption was less than 2 mpg on this climb. Coasted downhill on the other side in second gear most of the way, which continued to suck the petrol. Exiting South Fork, we noted several nice looking RV parks on the way to the pass.
We soon noted that Durango gas was about $3.33 for ‘unleaded plus’, which is the 87 octane mix that we call ‘regular’ in California. ‘Regular’, in the Rocky Mountain states is usually 85 or 85.5 octane, better known as ‘tractor gas’. They ‘low ball’ the price on the signs to suck you in, only to shock you with a ‘regular plus’ price that is about 10-20 cents higher.

Our creekside villa here is the Lightner Creek Campground, about 2 miles north of Hwy 160, and west of Durango. I think if I walk about 60 feet to the 8 foot wide creek and kneel down next to it, I might hear the hint of a relaxing creek gurgle. Janice loves the sound of running water. I tried.

Durango appears to be a bustling town, supported by the tourists who flock here to ride the Durango-Silverton steam train. Yep, we’ll be doing that Tuesday, assuming we can ‘time’ Carly’s digestive tract. She’ll be ‘home alone’ for about 8 hours. Going to see the Indian ruins in Mesa Verde tomorrow.

FLASH!! Big news last night. Son, Jason called to announce his betrothal to gal-pal Lori. Wedding in September in Las Vegas!

July 30, 2007

Mesa Verde National Park

Carly accompanied us in the CRV to Mesa Verde, some 35 miles distant from our camp. We purchased a couple of Cliff Palace tour tickets, thinking Carly could repose in the car. However, as tour time approached, the sun broke through the clouds and it was evident that if we left her, that PETA or the SPCA would nab us for heat torture. So, Janice, having previously declared herself as ‘not a fan of Indian ruins’ was relegated to dog-sitting duties. Carly provided surrogate petting opportunities for travelers who had left their pooches at home.

The ranger-led tour of the Cliff Palace was excellent. These ruins were very similar to those we viewed near Silver City, NM in March, just on a larger scale.

After the tour, we finished the driving loop and headed back to Durango under increasingly darkening skies. Thunderclaps (very close by) and pounding rain created some excitement after we entered the rig.

We found a couple in the park (originally from Sacramento) who provide dog-walking services for train riders, so our fears about Carly's intestinal rhythm have been alleviated. We will ride the rails with a clear conscience.

You can review some of the sights of Mesa Verde by clicking here. Be patient, it'll take some time to load. Turn on the audio.

July 27-28, 2007

San Luis State Park

and South Fork, CO

As we headed from the Canon City area, it was our plan to stay near Sand Dunes Nat’l Park for a couple days. A nearby state park (San Luis Lake) had electricity in their spaces and was 10 or so miles from the dunes. The drive up the Arkansas River was beautiful, but caused a few Mexico highway flashbacks as oil tanker trucks came around the bend heading our way. It was a heckuva lot easier in Mexico just following the rig in front of us. We checked in, set up camp among the sagebrush and sand and then realized that our campsite was reserved for the next 2 nights. If we wanted to stay, it meant moving the next morning.

In the afternoon a cooling thunderstorm kept the temperatures down, so we cruised into the park to look at the dunes in the evening. Very impressive—the highest sand dunes in North America.

Returning to camp, we had hoped for a campfire, since we have been dragging firewood with us from Silver Falls, Oregon. However, a trickle turned into another downpour, so we took cover in the rig.

In the morning, we pondered our next move. The sun was already glowing hot---too late to hike in the dunes until evening, and then only if the weatherman cooperated. Since we had to pack up the rig to move, we decided to just move on down the road, and headed to highway 160, going west to South Fork, where the Rio Grande passes through town. We arrived at South Fork RV Park, where we learned this evening that the residents fired the last manager a few days ago and are now running the place themselves. There is a core group of summer returnees here (many escaping the heat in Texas), very friendly –even to us Californians. If we stay here more than a day, I’m afraid we’ll pick up the Texas twang. ‘Cain’t hardly believe I said that!

A day trip up the nearby Silver Thread highway took us to Creede, about 30 miles distant. Beautiful drive up the river canyon. (Make a note to checkout the USFS Palisades campground—rigs parked along the riverbank.) Towering haystack cliffs that I intended to photograph on the way back---but pouring rain left the canvas blank. Creede was a town suckling on the expenditures of summer visitors. At 8800 feet, there isn’t a whole lot of winter activity except snow-plowing. We contributed a few bucks for some ice cream cones just before the rain started. I am longing for the Umpqua ice cream of Oregon. Colorado has a lot to learn in the ice cream business.

That aside, this is beautiful country---just about the prettiest on the trip (excluding Waterton, Canada). We will return to this area for more detailed exploration.

July 25-26,2007

Manitou Springs to Canon City, Colorado.

Royal View RV Park

Our final day in Manitou Springs was a peak experience. Pikes Peak, that is. We hopped the cog railroad and 9 miles and an hour and a half later, we were on top---14,110 feet. No problem breathing for us, likely because we have been at 5000-7500 feet for the past several weeks. Amazingly, the cog was completed in 1889, with the only significant change being a switch to diesel from steam. The views weren’t really spectacular due to hazy/cloudy skies. Later in the day we moseyed to the city park for a farmer’s market and local music. This was thin gruel as such events go, but did enjoy a cold brew there to chase away the 90 degree heat.

On the road today, gassed up at 3.06 per gallon and felt smug as prices increased down the road. Passed through Canon City on our way to destination Royal View RV Park near Royal Gorge, arriving about noon. After lunch, we (including Carly) headed north through the boondocks on Phantom Canyon Road, which is an unpaved former (1892) RR track bed that was used by ore trains. (Little known fact was that the gold rush in this area in the 1880s was bigger than California and Alaska---biggest in the world.) To the side of the road were vacant meadows that once supported populations in the 1000s. If only the hills could talk! We drove through a couple of tunnels—room enough for one train or one car. Many narrow cuts in solid rock were also passable by one vehicle at a time. Fortunately, we avoided the rush hour, encountering perhaps a dozen vehicles in about 40 miles.

A couple of extant burgs, Victor and Cripple Creek marked the turnaround point as skies darkened and began to drip. Very historic turn of the century brick buildings in each town, but Cripple Creek has become a gambling mecca for southern Colorado, with virtually every usable building for several blocks on the main drag housing casinos---of the non-Indian variety. Saw a few folks sitting on benches in front of the casinos with that ‘tapped out’ look. The return trip (once we found the correct road) was an over hill and dale, curving, cows-on-the-road ride through beautiful country. Carly was rolling about in her ‘cage’ for the entire trip, but sleeping through most of it. Old dogs can do that.

After a buffalo burger dinner BBQ’d in cooling winds, we headed to the Royal Gorge bridge, a 1929 construction feat spanning the Arkansas River (1000+ feet below). As a ‘height-wuss’, it wasn’t pleasant walking across the wooden planked roadway/walkway. We had the bridge almost to ourselves, encountering one other couple. Glad we weren’t there earlier in the day with the masses.

July 20-24,2007

Chief Hosa Campground

(Near Denver, CO)

Pikes Peak RV Park

Manitou Springs, CO [Regular blog service has been interrupted by the lack of satellite access at the Chief Hosa Campground. Too many trees. At Pikes Peak, there is shaky wi-fi access.]

The final day at Estes Park found me blazing around the Estes Park Golf Course playing most respectably, a golf ‘glow’ that didn’t last long. Afterwards, we did the main street shopping walk, finishing with a well-earned ice cream cone.

Next, it was on to the Denver area, where we camped at the Chief Hosa Campground, about 10 miles west, conveniently located about 7 miles from the home of Janice’s high school friend Kim Rowley (and hubby Steve Ruskin). The campground dated back to 1918, and was one of the first ‘auto parks’ in the state of Colorado. We didn’t hang out there very much during our Denver stay, using it mainly as a crash-pad, so the convenience factor was a real plus.

Our first day in the area, Janice and Carly had their nails done…at different locations of course. During the evening we traveled to Kim’s for a great BBQ steak dinner. Carly was entertained by RJ, a four-year-old golden retriever who had more energy than Tina Turner. Carly made it clear that she was not into any young dog shenanigans, delivering a couple of well-placed ‘snaps’ in RJ’s direction when he got too rambunctious. Overall, they enjoyed each other.

The next day found me on the golf course again, guests of Kim and Steve at their club, the Hiwan Golf Course. Janice joined as a spectator, hoofing it around the course with us. The weather was great, the scenery beautiful. My game was a bit shaky. This was the most difficult course I had played in awhile (slope 134), and the greens were slippery and slopey. Lotsa dreaded three–putts ballooned my score beyond respectability. There was a silver lining as, late in the game, the demons were finally exorcised from my driver. Hopefully I can remember the 13 different swing thoughts that finally clicked together.

After golf, Janice and I took a short drive through Evergreen and on to the Red Rocks Amphitheater. This natural (red) rock formation was worked over by the CCC in the late 30s, and is now a (if not ‘the’) world class outdoor ‘concert’ arena. All the ‘biggies’ have played here, including the Beatles in 1964. Would love to be there when music is in the air. (Actually, on this day, only Janice went into the facility. I was staying with Carly outside. The next day, Janice and I, sans Carly, saw it together.)

We rejoined Kim and Steve in the evening for a scrumptious BBQ salmon feast, set up perfectly by skillfully blended margaritas. They are the consummate hosts and made our Denver stay a very memorable one. Carly will take a few days to recover from RJ, though.

A day of touring Denver was next. First, the obligatory visit to the state Capitol. First class. Unfortunately, the new Art Museum was closed, so we opted for the Colorado History Museum. Very well done. Even included a photo of the hospital (Fitzsimmons) where I was born many years ago. Hit the library (nice!) for an intenet fix, then walked about the downtown area until our 2 quarters ran out in the parking meter. Finished the day with a visit to Ben and Jen Grafton (Jen is the daughter of another of Janice's h.s. friends) for dinner. We provided pizza; they supplied wine from their cellar in between dealing with a 6-month-old and a 2-year-old. How well we still remember those days!

Our final morning we breakfasted with John and Corky Lopez, veterans of our Great Mexican adventure. Great to see them again before moving down Highway 25 to the Colorado Springs area. (Thanks for breakfast, John!) Carly insisted on visiting Buffalo Bill's Grave before we departed.

En route we stopped at the U.S. Air Force Academy, visiting the spectacular chapel before moving down the road to our destination, Pikes Peak RV Park in Manitou Springs.

Upon arrival, Carly was appropriately fed and walked, then readied for a nap in the rig. We headed out to explore, going south to the Broadmoor Hotel, the most consistent 5-star hotel in America. It was gorgeous, and we tried to fake it like we belonged there, but the 'Cowboy Cafe' logo on the back of my shirt branded me 'el turista'. Bought a magnet and a couple of postcards for $10.50 and headed back to camp.

Enjoyed a nice dinner at the Old Stagecoach Inn, our first dinner out since the cottonood storm in Waterton, Canada almost a month ago. Great ambiance on the deck along the creek and good wine, but the food (Buffalo and prime rib) was just so-so. Enjoyed a nice walk around town. We like this place---not overrun with tourists. Beautiful old homes. A good place to retire if you can handle a bit of snow in the winter.