October 30 Pumpkin Chuckin Time

Pumpkin Catapult

What a good day! It was in the high 60’s and sunny all day. We left just after 10 to go to the Pumpkin Chuckin Festival just a couple of miles down the road from us at the old airport. It was really something to see. They have 3 kinds of pumpkin chuckers: catapults, cannons and slingshots. They had a cannon that shoots a pumpkin over a mile. Of course we couldn’t see it land but they did have to move some cattle out of range of them before they could start. Then one of the catapults could shoot it so high and over 1000 feet. You watch them load and set the machines up to launch. It was hard to actually get a photo of the pumpkin but I managed to get 2, one from a catapult and one from a cannon. There were craft booths, food booths, petting zoo, and contests. We watched the pumpkin seed spitting. There was a trio singing. For lunch we both had Navajo Tacos and for dessert we had apple oatmeal chocolate chip bars. Not only were there tons of kids in costumes, but all of the volunteers working the festival were in costume and so many adults attending. Moab really gets into the spirit of Halloween.

Slingshot

Miniature horses at festival

From there we went to the Spanish Valley Vineyards and Winery. It’s very small and I was the only one there tasting. Left with 2 bottles of Riesling. Then we drove out the scenic route 128 that runs along the Colorado River. The high cliffs of red rock were beautiful. There are numerous campsites along the river, but only 2 places that can accommodate RV’s and only a few of those spaces for rigs the size of ours. 14 miles into the canyon is the Red Cliffs Lodge and Castle Creek Winery. After my tasting there and 2 bottles more of wine, we went to the lodge. In addition to being a hotel, it houses the Movie Museum. Starting in 1939 numerous movies were filmed in the valley and surrounding areas of Moab. There were photos collages of all of them and other memorabilia. Bill really enjoyed seeing all of his favorite western stars and things from their movies.

Along the Colorado River

On the way home we stopped in town to browse some the shops. We both got Dirt Shirts. They are dyed in the red clay so have a perpetual mud color. Once again Bill didn’t have his book list so he couldn’t buy any books.

Xena was glad to see us and ready to go out. While the laundry was washing we did some post cards and I checked on places to go for dinner. We ended up going to Buck’s Grill House. We timed it perfectly and didn’t have any wait. Bill had buffalo meatloaf and I had the elk stew. The yeast bread was delicious and so heavy and moist. I had a coupon for a free dessert so we shared a Hazelnut flourless chocolate cake that was drowning in whipped cream. Neither of us finished our meal and brought some home but we didn’t leave a crumb of dessert. We didn’t make it to the movie tonight so will try again tomorrow.

October 29 Moving on to Moab

View of Moab Rim from our RV

We didn’t really get up too early today. Xena needed to go out a couple of times to the bathroom from eating all the beef sticks and then drinking so much water. Then some time during the night the heat stopped as the propane tank went dry. It was 33 outside when we got up. Brrr! Before we left Bill took the tank up to the office and got it filled. We didn’t rush to leave since we only had about 85 miles to drive to Moab, Utah today.

La Sal Mountains from our RV

We left at 10:15 for the boring drive to the Utah border and a bit beyond to US 191 where we turned south to Moab. Those roads are pretty much nothing but high desert until you get closer to Moab and there are some nice mesas/cliffs along the west of the side. They have a couple of pull outs with scenic overlook spots.

Our campground for the next 4 nights is OK RV Park and we’re 4 miles south of Moab on the main drag and then 1 mile in. It’s a pretty nice park. There are lots of Class A’s and about as many 5th Wheels. We’ve seen one Cedar Creek like ours here and several RV’s from Florida. We have a nice tree here and small plot of grass and a picnic table if it’s nice enough to be out. Bill said the bath house is nice and we’re just across from it so that’s nice. It’s a small family owned park. The view is great. On one side we can see the cliffs of Canyonlands National Park and in another direction we can see the snowy peaks of the La Sal Mountains. I guess they cross country ski there in winter and then come down to Moab and do the Arches and Canyonland National Parks. The best thing about this campground is it’s a Passport America so we got it for half price.

After lunch of leftover chili, cheese, crackers and fruit we watched a movie while a load of wash was in. Then we went into Moab to the visitor center where we picked up several maps and brochures of interest and watched a 12 minute video about the area. Next to the visitor center is a strip plaza with a used book store. Too bad Bill forgot his list, but he wants to go back with it and see what he can find. We both remember going to the bookstore years ago when we were here and to the visitor center and the Eddie McStiff restaurant in the plaza. We stopped at the hardware store for another bolt he forgot to get at the Ace in Kremmling and checked out the small movie theatre for a possible Date Night tomorrow. They have 3 movies, one we’ve seen, one we don’t want to see and one that I want to see, “Secretariat”. We stopped at City Market to fill our water bottles that we forgot to take yesterday. They had some good looking bread in the marked down basket, a 3 cheese mini loaf that I thought would be good with dinner. Bill picked a loaf rye that he likes.

For dinner I cooked the rest of the Italian sausage and simmered it with spaghetti sauce and made whole wheat pasta, salad and sliced the cheese bread. It was nice and hardy, reminded me of the crusty bread you get in Europe. Later we had hot chocolate and a couple of cookies while we watched TV and I posted yesterday’s blog.

Time to post this one and read a while before shut eye!

October 28 On the road again ...finally

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in life it’s that every day contains a challenge of some kind. Some days they are small challenges and others are more difficult challenges. The challenge for us today was getting our truck out of Mike and Darlene’s driveway! Although the snow wasn’t so deep, it was a bit icy. Mike backed the truck up to the garage so we could get it loaded. Then the fun started! It was across the driveway and stuck. It would only move inches forward or backwards. This is all because it is only rear wheel drive. Well, Bill and Mike chipped and shoveled away the ice in the back and tried again, to no avail. Then they put gravel down, but again, that did not prove successful. It was time to bring out the big gun! Mike got his Bobcat started up and used a tow rope to pull the rear of the truck around while Bill was inside steering. It took 2 tries but FINALLY the truck was at least facing down the driveway.

Now, I was not interested in driving it out, so Mike drove me in the truck out their driveway and up their road that had not been plowed. It’s only a couple of miles to the county road that was totally cleared. Dar drove Bill out in their 4 wheel drive jeep. Relief! Whew! Bill says we will never go anywhere again that has snow! I took over the driving once we said our quick good byes and thank yous. We really had a good visit and look forward to having them visit us in SUNNY Florida!

Glenwood Canyon

We managed to get on the road at after 11:30. The rest of the drive was totally uneventful, but that’s a good thing. We stopped in Glenwood Springs for a quick lunch at Subway, then arrived back at our RV in Grand Junction at 3:30. It was a beautiful drive through Glenwood Canyon, where the cliffs rise straight up in places and the interstate is almost a double decker. You can’t see the eastbound lanes from the westbound lanes because the east are almost under the west. At one point I spotted 4 deer on the cliff. Bill insists they were sheep but they were too dark to be sheep.

The view from our campground

Once we got unpacked and settled back in Bill dropped me off at Pet Smart while he took the truck through a car wash. Then we both went to Wal-Mart. We discovered that in Colorado they only sell 3.2 beer in grocery stores and no wine. I was going to pick up a couple of bottles of Colorado wines but didn’t want to find an actual liquor store. When we got back Bill realized that Xena got into a bag of beef sticks and ate them all. Neither of us was a happy camper. I cheated and bought a rotisserie chicken at the grocery and cleaned out all the little bits of “stuff” in the fridge and finished the meal off with raw veggies. After dinner I made a batch of Fiber One cookies. Yum! This batch was a little gooier the last ones I made, but very good. We chilled and watched TV.

October 27 Our Last Day in Kremmling

We woke up to more snow today. It’s supposed to stop and begin to clear and be clear tomorrow so we can drive out, but we will see. Everyone sorta did their own thing for breakfast. Mike had a doctor’s appointment so he left just as we were getting up.

No plans to venture out the day unless it really clears up. Bill spotted some deer again and as we continued to watch we think there were 14 all together. I went out to take some photos on the deck and that prompted the birds to swoop down and think I was there to put seed or peanuts out for them. I started taking photos of the little chickadees. I got a couple of them in flight and a couple landed on the snow on the deck rail.

We left at 4 to go into Kremmling. The guys dropped us off at the Junk Trunk while they went to the post office and Ace. Junk Trunk is an antique store with everything from dishware to furniture to saddles. Saw some things I liked but not the prices. She wanted $6 for 2 cookie cutters like ones I have. The guys came back and looked a bit too, then we headed to Las Amigos for dinner. I had tamales, which not many Mexican restaurants sell. They were pretty yummy.

Our after dinner deer

There was no snow on the ground down in Kremmling and it was sunny and pretty nice when we arrived. By the time we left, the sun was going down and the winds picked up some and it was cold out. Mike said it’s always colder down there in the winter that up here in the mountains. On the way home we saw 10 deer crossing the road and in the field. I never get tired of seeing them.

When we got back, Xena had been a very naughty dog. She tore open 2 bags of trash and who knows what all she ate in there, but it was stinky in the laundry room. Time to read for a while and maybe watch some TV. Will also need to pack for leaving tomorrow.

October 26 Still Snowing but Trip to Steamboat Springs

Life in Kremmling

Bill and his new pet

Mike left first this morning for his lab appointment and Darlene, Bill and I followed shortly to meet Mike at The Moose Café for breakfast. Mike was little late so we ordered without him and then we sat and visited while he ate. Darlene had to go open the thrift store where she volunteers one day a week. Mike dropped me off there to look around while he took Bill to the Ace Hardware for a bolt he needed for the RV. I got a good deal on a bag of icing tips and Bill got some note cards with buffalos on them. We stopped in the dollar store in Kremmling and bought some frozen buffalo burgers and brats. We’ll take them back to the RV with us.

Bill loaned Abe his hat

Jump slopes in Steamboat

There was quite a bit of snow up at the house but not so bad down in Kremmling. We had discussed going to Steamboat Springs but it was definite that we were not comfortable doing the driving and might have some trouble getting down from the house in the truck with just 2 wheel drive. Mike said it should be an OK drive and he’d take us over. The way we went was over Rabbit Ears Pass and there was some snow on the road but the plows had been out and it wasn’t bad. There are places along the roads for the trucks to stop and put their chains on and off. The weather was such that it was required for commercial vehicles. We enjoyed seeing Steamboat Springs and some of the ski and jump slopes right from the main street. Bill and I went to the Pioneer Museum while Mike went to the Mac computer store. We all went to a bookstore/coffee shop where Bill found numerous books of the authors he’s been looking for, but only bought one at cover price. We’ll still try to find them at used book stores or on line. We also went to the FM Light store which is a western wear store that has been around for over 100 years. I’ve never seen so many cowboy boots. Fancy designs and colors. The clothes were really nice and I saw several things I would like but can’t really justify too many winter items in Florida. On the way out of town we stopped for gas and at Wendy’s for lunch.

We took a different way home and it was all lowlands with no snow on the roads until we approached Gore Pass. It wasn’t bad but when we got to the road that leads to the house, when Mike went to stop to make the turn and he slid for a bit but since we were in the new Jeep he was impressed at how it handled in the situation. Their road was not plowed but was OK. There was even more snow on things. It really is pretty out but kinda scary for us to think of driving.

I put an apple cake in the oven and planned to cook dinner since Darlene was working until 5. After the cake baked I made chorizo quesadillas and chicken enchiladas for supper. While I was cooking Bill did email and while at the table he spotted 2 deer crossing the yard. It’s a hunter’s paradise around here, that is for sure.

Mike had a fireman class in town so had to leave at 6:30. The three of us sat at the table and visited and eventually had our dessert and watched TV. Mike got home after 10 but the rest of us had retired to our rooms. Bill and I were reading and heard him come in. I’m almost done with my 3rd book, so have been reading more than posting blogs!

October 25 Still Snowing in Kremmling

Today's Big Blue

Xena loves the snow

It was a wild morning! Bill’s cell phone started at 6 AM, the animals woke up and they were trying to get out of the bedroom. I looked out the window and saw several inches of snow and it was still coming down. Tried to go back to bed and the cell phone rang again, so I gave up!

Mike made oatmeal for us this morning. Well, Bill had cereal, not being an oatmeal kind of guy. We sat and chatted and due to the weather determined it was not a travel day for sure. Bill and I did see 7 deer out our bedroom window. They were making their way up the hill behind the house. The chipmunks and birds were not getting fed today.

Who is that masked man?

Bill and I took turns taking Xena out. She really doesn’t mind the snow but has to get in a spot without any snow to do her business so she can squat. There were light flurries most of the day. We all ate the leftover Chinese for lunch which was yummy once again.

Darlene made chicken, broccoli and leftover mashed potatoes. I baked a blackberry crisp for dessert and we had ice cream to go with it. Then everyone settled in to watch TV for the evening.

October 24 Just a lazy day

Big Blue this morning

This morning the first thing I did was look out the window for deer and snow. There was a light sprinkling of snow on the truck, but no deer. Mike made sausage and HUGE blueberry pancakes. Great breakfast! They reminded me of pan waffles. This was a do nothing day. Bill read and watched some TV. Mike did some computer stuff. Dar and I talked and I did my letter for Kerry and some email.

I took Xena for a nice walk and we climbed back up the side of the hill. She is really enjoying the new smells here. So many wild animal smells.

For dinner we drove into Granby, about 50 miles to a Chinese restaurant they have been wanting to try but had been closed each time. It was pretty good. Bill’s chicken egg foo young wasn’t made the same way as he’s always had but other than that everyone was very pleased with their meals. We have enough leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Bill walked Xena when we got home and the rest of the evening we all watched TV, read or did the mail.

October 23 Snowy Day

Hey, baby it's cold outside

Too bad it's not a real one

The plan for the day was to drive to Walden and have breakfast at the same café that I went to 2 years ago with Mike and Darlene, then drive out to the Moose Visitor Center of the state park and track moose. We left the house just after 8 in Mike and Dar’s new Jeep and the further we got the snowier it got. There was no snow at the house but by the time we got the Walden, everything was covered. It was nice to see snow again, knowing we didn’t have to live in it or do much driving in it, or shovel it. We parked right in front of the restaurant and enjoyed a leisurely meal with pleasant conversation and no one left the table unsatisfied.

Outside the snow had stopped but as we got closer to the park, it started again. There was over 6 inches of snow and it was really pretty outside, knowing we didn’t have to stay in any longer than we wanted. We checked out the exhibits in the visitor center and then went out the back door and took some photos in the snow and of course, we had to throw a few snowballs. This was perfect snow for snowballs. Just wet enough to make a nice ball. They have a huge moose outside made of barb wire and we did some more photos.

On the ride back we were behind the snowplow for a bit. They don’t wait long to get out and get the roads here cleared. Too bad it’s not like that everywhere. Gradually as we got closer to home the snow lessened and was clear back in Kremmling. It was still rather crisp out and we had a light lunch. Bill and Mike went out and split logs and stacked them on the porch. Dar and I just visited and I did some on my journal.

For dinner Dar made fresh green beans (yummy) and fish and I made risotto for dinner. Later everyone had something different for dessert. I took Xena out for a walk and she spoofed up a rabbit. She went crazy. She was chasing and baying and barking like she never has before. She was not giving up and never cold find that rabbit again. Later we watched some TV, then Bill and I read for a while before bed.

October 22 Driving to Kremmling CO

Snow/rain clouds on the way to Kremmling

What a rainy ugly day we got up to today. After breakfast the camp office was open so I called and made arrangements to leave the RV for 6 nights so we could drive the truck to Kremmling and stay with Mike and Darlene. While I was packing things Bill drove 2 miles to the Wal-mart to get a Styrofoam cooler and fill the truck up with diesel. I didn’t want to leave anything in the fridge to spoil and wanted to take some things to do my share of the cooking. Although Mike and Darlene both graciously welcomed us to stay with them and to bring Molly and Xena, I hate to be a crasher. Want to make a couple of nice desserts to enjoy and do some of the cooking. We needed to wait for the rain to die down some too to load the back of the truck. Good thing it has the cover as there would not be enough room inside for the pets and all the “stuff”. Couldn’t forget the litter box among and pets items along with our food and clothing. It looked like we were moving in!

We didn’t get on the road until close to 11 and it was rainy on and off. A couple of times in the higher elevations along I-70 we even had tiny hale. We both agreed that some of the scenery in the higher elevations was beautiful. There was a light sprinkling of snow that made line where the temperature changed. The bottom would be totally evergreens and the top was snowy. Bill did a lot of video and tried to take photos through the windows but with the droplets I’m not sure they turned out so well.

We stopped in Glenwood Springs and had lunch at Wendys and reminisced about our last trip there when we hiked up the mountain side to see there they think Doc Holliday is buried. Of course that was in the summer and it was hot too. We drove past the actually springs today too and there were lots of people in their bathing suits and snow in the high country! Bill wants to go do that some day.

We stopped again in Silverthorne which was also where were exited the interstate to head to Kremmling. There’s a decent size outlet mall there but the darn thing is in parts in 4-5 places. I wanted to look for a new purse and some snow shoes. I only went into stores that I knew carried either of the items. I called Darlene to let her know to expect up by 5 and she said there was also a Target on the way out of town if we needed to stop, which we did. I had no luck on the shoes at the mall stores but did finally settle on a purse at Wilson Leather. Bill was very relieved as he was tired of me purse hunting everywhere we went. Since I wanted to pick up a couple of things at Target I also checked there on shoes and did find some waterproof insulated short boots that looked decent and weren’t too expensive since I don’t know how often I’ll need them.

On the last road on the way up to Darlene and Mike’s house we stopped to film about 8 deer. One was on the road and the rest were walking or laying in the field right by the road. We were a little late arriving and Mike had Bill’s meatloaf cooking.

Once we moved in we had a great home cooked dinner of meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy and peas, with apple pie and ice cream for dessert. Bill was very happy with his meatloaf and the prospect of meatloaf sandwiches for lunch. We sat and visited most of the evening which was great. By bedtime it was still light rain falling which I was hoping would not turn into snow by morning. Will have to wait and see.

October 21 Leaving Durango in our Dust

We passed Church Rock on our way to Grand Junction

A rather uneventful day. Well, I take that back. When Bill checked the tires he found a problem with a rear tire on the truck so he took it down the street to a tire place and the valve stem was bad, so he had it changed. Then we headed out of Durango for Grand Junction. Rather than take the Million Dollar Highway or one of the other routes that cross the mountains we went the long way around the west through Moab, UT to get here. It was mostly 2 lane road but it was not bad and no traffic per say.

Once we got on the interstate we were tootling along and we both heard metal hit the road. I checked both mirrors and didn’t see anything obvious missing from the sides of our RV. When we got to the campground we discovered what made the noise. It was the other landing leg pad. The pin was still in the leg and it separated at the weld. Luckily we kept the spare from the same incident this summer so we had one to put on. Once we settled in I called our RV company and even though we are out of warranty, since this was the second one to come off while driving, I was rather insistent on the message to call me and I’d let them know where to send the replacement since we’ve already bought one replacement. I’ll have it mailed to Tucson so we can replace it when we get there.

Our campground tonight is Mobile City just off Interstate 70 in Grand Junction, very convenient.  They only have 14 overnight spots as most of their spaces are workers who are contracted here on various jobs.  The managers are very nice people and the spaces are really wide with little fences to separate them.  They have full hook ups, including WIFI and cable.

We’ve been following the weather at our next stop, Kremmling, CO where we are visiting old friends of mine. The next week isn’t looking so good. Some snow, nights down into the high teens. We called and forced ourselves on their hospitality to stay with them and leave the RV here in Grand Junction. They said no problem but now we need to make the arrangements with the place here and cancel our Kremmling reservations.

Kam called with all the mail questions tonight so time to pay some bills.

October 20 Last day in Durango

Happy Anniversary Carole and Herb!

At the museum

The caboose

We both slept in and better than last night. No rush to get up, only a couple things on the agenda today. I made bacon and pancakes and once we showered and dressed it was after 10. We stopped by the post office to mail our ballots and then we went down the street to the Railroad Museum. You get free entry with your train tickets. It’s housed in what was the old roundhouse. There was a fire in 1989 that totally destroyed all but 1 wall. When it was rebuilt, it was built much larger with a state of the arts shop or restoration and maintenance for the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge trains. The museum has 2 old restored engines and cabooses and tons of memorabilia from all of the narrow gauge railroads running through Colorado in the late 1800’s. The even have a huge model train and community set up. It has 5-6 trains running. Pretty impressive.

Outside the train station

Animas River

After the museum we stopped in the used book store we were in earlier in the week. Bill found one book. There were probably more but there is barely room to move between the racks and 5 people came into the mystery area and it was kinda claustrophobic so we took the one book and left. Since we have some time left on our parking meter we stopped in some shops. Bill finally found a black tooled leather belt like he wanted at a price he was willing to pay. It was in the clearance section. I found it for him. It was too long and had to be cut down. He was pretty happy to find his belt. By then we were out of meter time and it was lunch time. On the way home we stopped at the Animas River and took some photos.

After lunch Bill washed the front of the RV and I did a load of wash and wrote some postcards. Then we went to Wal-Mart and took Xena to the vet. She was having a little problem. Just before they took her in the power went off. When it was time to leave it was still off and so they didn’t charge us. That was nice! We stopped and filled up the tank and I stopped into Albertsons for some fresh fish for dinner. They had a sale on so I got some for tonight and some to freeze for another night. I was really getting hungry for some good fish. This was barramundi, which I had never heard of. The clerk said it was similar to a sea bass but better. I sprayed it with olive oil and sprinkled with lemon salt and dried dill and fried in a bit of olive oil. Yummy! Even Bill said it was good for fish. I made risotto and a simple slaw using a teriyaki marinade for the dressing. Bill really liked that.

I took my shower so Bill could drain the tanks for our speedy departure in the morning. For some reason the internet is not working tonight so hope to post tomorrow night.

October 19 Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Train

Boarding our train car

Our steam engine

Whoa, what an early day. We were up at 6:30 and left at about 7:15. It was so cold out this morning that early. 45!!! We both layered our clothes on since it’s reportedly 15 degrees colder at Silverton. We both took gloves too. The train left right at 8:15 for our 3 ½ hour trip up the valley running along the Animas River all the way. Some of the time was for several stops along the way. The train is the only way to get to some parts along the valley although there is the Million Dollar Highway that goes to Silverton. We stopped for water for the steam engine twice and to drop off a boy who lives on a ranch in the valley and then at the Elk Camp where hunters get on and off with their coolers and gear. The view today was awesome as it was a sunny day and even warmed up quite nicely. The cottonwood trees were beautiful and cheery so bright yellow. Most of the aspens had already lost their leaves. The scrub oaks along the mountainsides radiated coppers and golds. The train crossed the river numerous times. Luckily once we reached Silverton they turned the train around so we could see the side we missed on the way up. The tracks run VERY close to the edge in many places and is secured to keep from falling into the river and valley. The higher we got we could see snow on the peaks of some of the mountains. It’s sure beautiful but not in another month it won’t be. The town of Silverton only has 350 year around residents because once the train stops running the end of October, no one will be going there. They only have 2 paved roads in town and the rest are gravel and muddy once it gets wet. There are many jewelry and native American art stores along one of the 2 mains streets. The town is surrounded by snow peaked mountains and looks more like an old western town than anything the least bit modern. There are also a bunch of restaurants. Most getting off the train went to Natalia’s, which does a lot of advertising and is the closest to the train station. To avoid waiting and the “crowd” we walked down the street a couple of blocks to what looked like a coffee shop but on the outside it said homemade cookies and pastries. That indicated to me that the rest of the food would be homemade also. We had the biggest sandwiches with a choice of soup or salad. They make it all fresh. Bill had the white chicken chili and I had the Mexican butternut squash bisque. He said his was good but had too many beans. Mine was excellent. Makes me want to try and make some. Bill’s BLT was huge and I had a cheese steak wrap but they put bacon on it. It was good but I’m not a bacon on my sandwich person unless it’s a BLT. We were both full when we left and not as broke as those up the street. We stopped in one of the old hotels to check out the lobby and went in several shops. Mostly browsing, but Bill did get some buffalo jerky and I got a new watch. It has stone inlay on the sides of the band. The colors should go with most of what I wear. I love watches!

View from Silverton

In Silverton

Of course we took pictures of the town and then boarded the train after 2 hours for our 3 1/2 hour ride back down. The view was different as this side was along the deepest ravine and again ran right along the edge. Bill read his book most of the way back and I did sneak in about a 30 minute nap.

Xena was very glad to see us so we both took her for a walk. It warmed up a lot in Durango but I hear we will be seeing some flakes by Friday. Oh no! I heated up the chili I made yesterday and we finished off the cornbread. I did 2 posts tonight and am working on weeding through all the pictures we took today. Watched NCIS and The Good Wife and time to read my book.

October 18 More on Durango

We have been enjoying some leisure time here. Although it’s been getting a bit cold at night we stay pretty warm, even hot in the bedroom. Had another late breakfast then took the empty propane take to be filled so when we go further north we pretty much have 2 full tanks. I found the full tank hose to be leaking when I changed it over so we also stopped at the RV place to get a new hose. It all depends on how it’s sitting if it leaks. Better safe than sorry. I made a pot of chili for tomorrow night after our train trip.

Tent outside Appaloosa Trading Company

We finally found the manager in the office so I paid our rent and picked up our mail packet from Kam with our absentee ballots in it and a bunch of replacement cards from our robbery. My wallet is pretty full now. After lunch we headed out again. We drove north up through the Animas valley to Honeywell, there they have bee hives and you can see a hive and queen bee and the processing plant. You can taste many flavors of honey, which we did and we each picked a flavor to get. Mine is amaretto and Bill’s is orange cranberry. We could see the dark skies ahead as we drove but it waited til we were in the building to rain. Then we kinda followed it back down the valley so never did actually get out in it. We stopped at a neat looking place called Appaloosa Trading Company. They are mostly a leather shop and do all kinds of leather tooling. Bill saw several belts he likes but not $88 worth. Bill dropped me off at Albertson’s so I could fill our water bottles and I snuck a Starbucks. Yum! Then we headed to the movies which are right in front of the mall. We were early so we went in Bath and Body Works to use a couple of coupons I had for free items. They also had a nice Pier 1, which is one of my favorites so I picked up some stocking stuffers there.

We were still early for the movie, RED, so we just talked and each emailed til it started. That was a good movie. Funny, a bit of violence but not so much blood and guts stuff. I still like Bruce Willis! Got home at 6:30 and made Asian Chicken Helper. That was a first. I bought a couple of boxes so if I needed a quick dinner I’d have something on hand. It was OK, but I should have cooked the rice a bit longer.

Got my shower tonight and washed my hair since we have to be at the train station at 7:30. Picked out my clothes as it might be rainy and we were told to expect 15 degrees colder at Silverton. Watch House and Castle and caught up on email. I called ATT today about the fact that Bill gets phone service but I do not. It ticks me off that I can do email and web surfing but can’t make a phone call. They really didn’t have an answer and then we got disconnected so I gave up. He said we aren’t in a service area but Bill must be good at getting a roaming signal.

October 17 Doing Durango

What a great day! I tried sleeping on the couch last night as our mattress is too soft. We agreed we’re going to have to get a different one. The couch is firmer but a bit narrow and short, but I did sleep better. We were not in any hurry today and being Sunday I had to make Bill’s favorite breakfast. We didn’t manage to leave the RV until about 11:30 by the time we showered and I did another load of wash. We went to the train station first and booked our trip on the Durango & Silverton Railroad for Tuesday. We have to be there at 7:30 and the train leaves at 8:15. It’s expensive and we only booked the coach class. We’ve never been on this one although we have been on several other western narrow gauge trains.

Then we just strolled up and back down the main drag of the old downtown, which is typical of tourist towns. Lots of shops and eateries. Several shops were going out of business and almost all had end of season sales, so it was a good time to knock off some of our Christmas shopping. Bill was getting hungry at one point so we stopped in a café and he had a sandwich and tea and I had a pumpkin spice latte. We sat and read the Sunday paper and just chilled a while. The sun was out most of the day and we wore shorts and it was so nice out. Any where from the down town you can look up and see mountains. The weather in winter is pretty ugly but you always have the best views. Some of the shops have the most gorgeous leather coats and purses and shoes and belts. You can smell the leather the instant you walk in the door. The one we liked best didn’t have any sales going! Plus most of the clothing is not what we’d get much use of in Florida. The last stop before heading to the truck was a used book store. Bill found some possibles but wants to go back with his list before we leave. We both enjoyed talking to the lady there. She used to live in St. Augustine. Another clerk today used to live in Gainesville.

We took our purchases home, walked Xena, Bill did his dishes and I did another load of wash and then we headed out again. Penney’s had a BIG sale this weekend and I had a 20% more off coupon and once we got there we learned if I used my Penney’s charge I could get 15% more off, so we really did well. I got several things for Shiloh for Christmas, Bill got new sneakers, I got a top and he got a baby gift for a friend. The Penney’s was maybe 1/3 the size of ours and the whole mall was pretty small. We had dinner at Serious Texas BBQ which was written up as one of the top BBQ places in the west. It was good! We got a sampler and one extra side dish and each got to have sausage, turkey, pork and brisket. Yum! Last stop was the ever present WAL-MART. It was just down the road and I had a short list I didn’t get to finish yesterday. Bill also needed a get well card for a friend and we needed cat food. Actually that was the main reason we went, oh, and of course, bananas. That is a staple in the Chambers house.

I did one more load of wash and we watched TV. Now will go out and bring in the wash and read for a bit.

October 16 West to Durango

camp

Since we only had just over 100 miles we slept in and lazed around a bit til it warmed up some outside.  We left about 9:30 and there was no traffic at all in South Fork.  The road was pretty much single lane all the way to Durango, with sections of passing lanes along the way.  The scenery was beautiful and changed at every curve.  The fall colors are getting more outspoken and now the mountains were up close and personal.  There were lots of horses and farms along the way until we got into the Wolf Creek Pass.  The road was really curvy but nice and wide with guard rails.  We cross the Continental Divide but didn’t realize it until it was too late to stop for a photo op.  The height of the pass is 10,850 ft.  There were several pull outs but most were not conducive to the size of our RV.  The grade is 7% going up and coming down.  Up was a breeze but going down was a bit nervy.  There were a lot of run away truck ramps.  I wondered if an RV was allowed to use them too.  The road down was 9 miles and believe it was a long 9 miles.

We took our time passing through the mountains and stopped for video and photos. Then stopped in Pagosa Springs and lunched at McD’s since again there were no rest areas to accommodate us. It’s a very nice town. Too bad there was not good place for us to park and check out the shops and eat in town.

Our campground, Cottonwood RV Park, is not what we expected for the price. The location really is right in town and there are cottonwood trees, but it’s nothing special. Bill said the bathrooms make up for what the park lacks. We went to Wal-mart and picked up a few things. I wanted to heads for my battery toothbrush and we needed milk and eggs. Once back to the park we met ANOTHER couple from Alaska. He said to ignore the horror stories. They don’t drive their RV back and forth but store it someplace at the border where they can fly into from Alaska. They also leave their old car there also. We set up the Direct TV and I called to change our service address but as of now we still can’t get the local stations. Will have to call again tomorrow about that.

Bill ate the leftover venison roast and veggies and I had the venison stew and we shared some toasted cornbread. I did 2 loads of wash and finished reading my book finally. It was thick with small print and I haven’t have much reading time. Think I will do that after I post this for today.

October 15 Heading West in Colorado

View from our RV

Another view in our  campground

Since we didn’t have to get up early to leave and we seemed to have an abundance of bread for some reason, I made fried bread for breakfast and fresh strawberries. It was a nice change. Bill got directions from the campground owner of how to get to Route 10. So once we got going we soon learned that the directions do no good if the country roads have no signs on them. We asked a road crew if we were at Road 26 and he said no it was 25 but if we were going to Rt 10 to go ahead on it and it would be a mile up the road. Well each intersection did not have a road sign so we ended up making a loop back to La Junta, where we saw signs leading to Rt 10. We agreed the lady should have told us to go where the sign was instead of sending us on country back roads. But, we found our way along the flat, straight, boring single lane road. Once again it was good to have a book on tape to pass the time.

Bill spotted 2 deer along the road and then later a big truck in front of us veered to the left and we could see he was avoiding 2 antelope in the road but then they couldn’t keep going because there was a fence so I slowed almost to a stop for fear they would bolt back across in front of us. That’s all we needed, but the poor things pushed themselves through the barb wire fence. They realized they couldn’t get by us so they had no choice but to go through the fence. They looked like they were OK.

We stopped at a McDonald’s for lunch in Los Alamos because there weren’t any places we could park and open the sides. We fueled up just down the road and took Xena out and got back on the road. Once we started approaching the mountains, the scenery took a drastic turn and showed great improvement. The aspen trees are all beautifully yellow and the shrubbery on the mountains in copper, yellows and golds. We crossed one pass at over 7,000 feet. No problem.

Along the way we drove through Monte Vista and realized we were passing a Best Western Movie Manor motel that we had stayed it several years ago. It has drive in movie screens that you can watch the movie through your huge room window. You have speakers in the room that you can turn on or just close the curtains if you aren’t interested in the movie.

Once we arrived in the town of South Fork, which is in a gorgeous valley, there were numerous campgrounds and cabins, all claiming to provide great views. They probably all do. Ours is Grandview Cabins and RV Resort. The camp manager is really nice and helped us get parked in a tight spot due to our slides. He’s already closed off one side of the camp sites and some of the cabins as they close up for the year the end of the month. The park is beautiful with the aspen trees all around. We also met a nice fellow camper from Texas who talked with Bill over an hour after we got set up. He told us all about driving our RV to Alaska and cautioned us on a number of things at the same time.

For dinner we had the venison stew I made last night and homemade cornbread. It sure hit the spot. Then we took Xena for a walk and on the small crest to the back of the campground Bill saw some deer. I crept up closer and there were 3 adults and 2 baby mule deer. It was getting dark and I couldn’t get close enough to get a clear shot. Darn! There was a house back there so they must feel really comfortable to roam around.

The rest of the evening was TV and blogging.

October 14 La Junta, CO and area

Boy it didn’t take long to get to Colorado today, only 20 miles up the road. The 80 miles after on single lane road through some of the most boring land was the tough part. Good thing we have some books on tape to listen to at times like this. Sure makes the drive go faster, not that we had a long drive today. We were in La Junta, CO by about 10:30. Took a while to get set up as our neighbor is from Alaska and I had to ask a lot of questions about driving to and from there in an RV. He’s lived there for 40 years and had made the trip numerous times. He winters in Arizona. I really want to make that trip some day.

Old Bent's Fort



This is our only KOA of the trip. It’s pretty nice. We’re parked in the front with great internet connection. Bill said the bathhouse is nice. I think the spaces are kinda close as we’re only about 3 feet from our neighbor. Good thing he doesn’t have a slide out or we might be touching. I packed up a lunch and we left about 11:30 for Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site. It’s about 10 miles outside of town. The fort is a total reconstruction on the original foundation. The fort was totally deteriorated and in 1925 I believe the Daughter of the American Revolution put a stone monument along the road in front of the location. Then a few years later they had a stone arch entry built in honor of the fort. It’s still standing but not used as the entry by the park service. It was not really a fort, but rather a compound built by the Bent brothers and Cerin St. Verain as a trading post. About 60 people lived there year around but at times it was way over capacity with wagon train travelers on the Santa Fe Trail and Indians coming to trade goods. There were also soldiers there escorting the wagon trains. For its time, it was really a nice place with lots of fireplaces and luxuries that you wouldn’t find so far west. There was a bar with a billiards table and a formal dining room. The biggest trade items were furs, primarily buffalo and beaver. It was to the point that they nearly became extinct in the area and the Indians realized that once the buffalo were gone, their way of life would have to change. It was a very informative stop. There were 2 costumed interpreters and the movie was excellent.

Fort Interior

DAR monumant and Arch

The fort is a nice walk back in from the parking area and picnic area so once we came out we had our lunch. Then we drove back into La Junta to try and go to the Koshare Indian Museum but it is closed on Thursdays. So we drove 20 miles east to Los Animas. Just outside of town are the remnants of Boggsville. We just about missed it. It’s down a narrow gravel road. All that is left of this 1860’s thriving town are 2 homes. Kit Carson died in Boggsville and only the foundation of his last home remains. The historical society that is maintaining the area hopes to build a reconstruction of the home. Kit’s great, great grandson still lives in Los Animas and works as an interpreter at Old Bent Fort where Kit Carson brought wagon trains through and also dealt with the Indians on behalf of the US government. Kit was fluent in English, Spanish and several Indian dialects but could not read or write. We saw a flock of wild turkeys while we were touring the place. Too bad we were not closer.

On the way back we stopped at Wal-Mart which is conveniently located next door to the KOA for potatoes. I cooked a venison pot roast for dinner and also put on a pot of venison stew to cook for tomorrow night’s dinner. The weather is changing and it’s time for some of those winter comfort foods.

Tomorrow we head west again. I really don’t like these one night stops but at least we don’t have to get up early tomorrow.

October 13 - Raton NM and Capulin Volcano

For once we actually left at the designated time – 8:00. We decided to take the interstate so we cut across Santa Fe and had no trouble through the city. We arrived in Raton, NM at about noon after making one rest stop along the way. It was a cold and dreary day. Reminded me of Ohio in the winter, gray and overcast. We checked into the Summerlan RV Park which was really conveniently located, right off the interstate on the road that we needed to go to Capulin Volcano National Park on.


Visitor Center from the top of Capulin

The campground was pretty nice. Fruit trees, level sites, nice bathhouse. Since it was kinda chilly out I made soup and fried Spam sandwiches. Then we drove the 35 miles to the volcano. The landscape was looking a lot like Kansas again. The highlight of the ride out was the number of antelope that I spotted along the way. First there was just one, then three and then I saw 2 herds. They were just out in the field, some were feeding along side of the cattle. Too bad they weren’t close enough to get some photos.

From along the top, looking into
the cone where the cinder is



You could see the volcano from pretty far away. Instead of having a pointed top, you can definitely see the crater indentation from afar. After a short video and exhibit in the visitor center, we drove to the top of Capulin. The original road was built in 1925. It is without guard rails for part of it, then it really gets curvy but the rail got added. At the top there are 2 trails: one goes to the top around volcano cone and the other goes down into the center of the cone. We did part of both. We went up around the cone far enough to get some photos of the cinders down in the center. Then we walked down in the cone to see the huge piles of cinders. It really is very impressive to be on top of and down inside of a volcano. It was pretty cold up there. I was wearing along sleeve shirt, a sweatshirt and my down vest.



 On the way back to the RV I spotted 3 standing antelope, then 3 laying and then a herd laying. We stopped along the road to photo a beautiful yellow leaf tree that has made the fall change. When I got out of the truck I spotted a spiny lizard burrowed in the ground so I got a nice photo of it also. By the time we got home, the sun was out full force and it was beautiful. We shed our jackets and enjoyed being outside.

See out the tree stands
out?



My spiny lizard

Since the RV park has a row of fruits trees, I decided I’d pick some and make an apple cake. They had apple, pear, peach and some tiny little apples. I only bake small things that will fit in my toaster oven. So it was enough for 3 meals. Very yummy! Later I went out and picked a bag of apples for the road. They were all falling off the trees and I hated to see them go to waste.

We’re headed out tomorrow but not too far, but we’ll be changing states again.

October 12 Final Day in Santa Fe Area

Sanctuary of Chimayo

No major plans today. We got a late start and drove north to Espanola, where we stopped at a Wal-Mart for shampoo. Then we headed east to a tiny town called Chimayo. They have a famous church called Sanctuary of Chimayo. The story is that in 1810 a farmer was praying and saw a light coming from the soil. He investigated and found a cross, which is now kept in the chapel. The legend maintains that the dirt around the cross has healing power. People make pilgrimages to the site to touch or rub the dirt on them for its healing powers. A small room is built on to the side of the chapel where there is a well of dirt. The adjoining room is filled with cast off crutches and braces. I got a little container of dirt to keep. It’s rather inspiring.

Chapel of Santo Nino de
Atocha

There’s also a Chapel of Santo Nino de Atocha almost next door. It has an interesting story also dating back to 1856 and parents and grandparents often come there to pray for their children or grandchildren who are ill or having surgery. They often bring a pair of baby shoes in offering to the Nino (child/baby) for whom the chapel was named.

Lots of the houses and shops in the area are decorated with chili ristras which are strings of red peppers. Some are 4 feet long. I tried some fresh ground chili powder today in a shop and it was delicious. I got the recipe to make a chili sauce that I can use for my chicken enchiladas. Also you can shake it on cheese, fruits, nuts. It tastes so different than what I buy at the grocery.

Rancho de Chimayo -
See all the chili ristras

We stopped for lunch at Rancho de Chimayo which is a very nice place just ¼ miles from the chapels. We thought it might be overly pricey but was not. It’s a very large place pretty much in the middle of nowhere. They make their own sauces and jellies to sell. I tried a new dish, Carne Adovado, oh my gosh was it ever good. It came with posoles and rice. It’s pork that is so tender in a red chili sauce that is thick enough that it doesn’t run all over your plate. Posoles is what we would call hominy and it was cooked with bits of pork in it. I almost licked my plate clean. Now I want to find a recipe for that. Bill had a huge burrito filled with shredded beef. He also said that this was the best of the 3 Mexican restaurants we’ve eaten in on our trip. They serve sopapillas with honey and they were so light and airy, I could have forced down another one.

Bill stopped for me to check out a shop where I bought 2 Christmas ornaments made of pressed paper. They’re white and mine is the Sanctuary of Chimayo and Bill’s is a buffalo. We normally pick up a couple of new ornaments when we travel but have to get light weight ones as some of the clay ones are so heavy you can hardly find a branch to put them on.

Home again and Bill started prepping the RV to leave tomorrow. I had taken chicken breasts out for dinner. Made a new recipe called Balsamic Chicken, which was excellent. Steamed some spaghetti squash and made a small dish of mozzarella and beefsteak tomatoes in balsamic vinegar and olive oil with crushed basil. Perfect!

Managed to get our antenna turned to pick up the station we wanted for the night. Shows are over and Bill is asleep and I should not be far behind!