#13 Coveys Great Adventure – June 2015 #2: Western Colorado

Colorado: Trinidad, Durango, Silverton, Ridgway, Ouray, Gunnison, Longmont

June certainly was busy and we’ve really had a lot of fun:

Trinidad Lake State Park

The trip from Amarillo to Trinidad Lake State Park, our first stop in Colorado, turned out to be a relaxing and interesting drive right up to the turnoff into Trinidad. The directions on the state park website were easily misinterpreted and we had quite a tour of downtown Trinidad via large coach. Some of the locals looked a little bemused as we went by. Kayeanne soon got us rerouted and a few minutes later we pulled into our first Colorado state park.

I’ll get this off my chest now, rather than repeat it every time we get to a new park: Colorado is the only state that we have been to so far that charges extra for towed vehicles. Despite having a prepaid reservation, they demand an additional $7 per day for the car whenever we pull in. That means that the reservation cost on their website is understated almost 30%!

I think this is at best deceptive, and smacks of deceit if not outright fraud. Every park host and ranger has received so much angry feedback that they are all gun shy, braced for yet another outraged outburst. I don’t understand why Colorado continues this scheme. There must be some political or fiscal reason that I can’t see that makes creating so much ill will worthwhile. 

To compound the situation, most of their parks only have 30 amp electrical service. All modern RVs over 30 feet need to run two or even three (us) air conditioning units in the summer and that requires 50 amp power. So, Colorado's state parks end up delivering over priced, under performing service while really annoying many of their customers. It’s a real shame, because the parks are otherwise some of the best we’ve seen. OK, rant off.

Take CO 12 west to Walensburg -
100 miles of stunning country 

Trinidad Lake is a manmade reservoir set in the mountains a few miles outside of the bespoke town. The park is surrounded by hills that offer a number of easy or challenging hiking trails. Birds of all kinds, deer, rabbits and squirrels are everywhere. The camper services building had a small laundry and great showers, both of which we took advantage of.

Trinidad has a nice vibe. From the 1880’s to the 1940’s, it was the center of the largest cattle and sheep grazing operations in Colorado. Many of the original buildings and houses have survived. The town history museum was closed the day we visited, but we did tour the AR Mitchell Museum of Western Art. Few people recognize his name, but most have seen his work. AR Mitchell was the foremost cover  illustrator of cowboy and western pulp fiction that thrived in the 1920’s and 1930’s. The museum is filled with Mitchell’s very colorful, original paintings as well as the works of several contemporaries that he collected. We went in on a whim and spent over an hour exploring the kind of art that we had never really appreciated before.

US 160 from Trinidad to Durango is one of the most scenic and most challenging roads for the coach that we have encountered. The climb to the summit of Wolf Creek Pass is over 10,000’ of steep, winding road, going up and going down. I didn't want to stop for pictures, so here's a link to some. 

Big diesel-powered trucks and motor homes climb and descend steep roads on their engines. Power is obviously used to go up, but it is engine compression braking (aka the Jake Brake) that is the key to safe descents. Trying to use just the wheel brakes on long descents is impossible, they simply overheat due to the weight of the vehicle and fail with usually catastrophic results. So, we climbed Wolf Creek Pass at 35 mph using every bit of the 500 horsepower in the engine, and we dropped down the other side riding the Jake Brake at about the same speed. Wolf Creek Pass took almost an hour.

One of the reasons we wanted to visit Durango was to get together with Cheryl and John Clement, friends from Thousand Oaks who moved to there last year, shortly after we hit the road. We had a great time visiting, walking our four dogs in the Forest, and even managed 9 holes of golf at a lovely course near their home. Cheryl’s salmon dinner was outstanding. We hope to see them again, soon. Both of us really liked Durango and look forward to returning. 

Can you spot the coach? Back to nature at Junction Creek

Junction Creek NFS Campground is on the edge of the San Juan National Forest, just outside of town. We spent a week there, enjoying the beauty of the Forest and the amenities of the campground. Well, maybe not too many amenities. We had a site with just power for three nights and then had to move to one with no utilities at all for the other four. Not a problem, the coach systems worked as designed and we were quite comfortable.

Another reason for going to Durango was to ride the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gage Railroad up the canyon of the Animas River to Silverton. The D&SNGR’s steam train trips are world renown and half the people on our train were from outside the US. The train takes about three hours to cover the 50 miles to Silverton, and about 40 miles

or so are both jaw-droppingly beautiful and a little scary. How the original engineers and builders managed to push a railroad through those canyons is beyond me. I tried to take a few pictures to show that in places the side of the coach is overhanging the tracks with a huge drop-off into a raging river.

Silverton was pretty disappointing. The town is pure tourist trap. The train returns about two hours after arriving, more than enough time to get lunch and see the place. The setting is really worth seeing, but the town isn’t worth much time.

Animus River gorge looking straight down from the train

Being a steam train, a little soot and cinders are all part of the ambiance. We rode the train both directions, but if we were to do it again, we’d ride the bus up to Silverton and take the train back to Durango. About two thirds of the passengers on our train did the opposite, so the return run was less than half full. That meant I could move freely from one side of the coach to the other to follow the best views. Needless to say, the return trip was terrific.

No railings!

Mesa Verde National Monument is a short drive west of Durango, but might as well be in a different world. The mesa rises on the horizon, stretching for miles to the south and west of the surrounding landscape. Mesa Verde is one of the most extensive collections of cliff dwellings in the country. We toured the Balcony House, which is accessed by descending a steel staircase attached to the side of a sheer cliff, then climbing a 30 foot ladder without hand rails or safety nets. That really got our attention. So did the cave we had to crawl through to get to another ladder to get out. Great fun!

Our guide was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. The site itself and the views were simply fantastic. The National Park Service has done a great job conserving these sites while making them as accessible as possible to large numbers of very interested visitors. We will certainly return when we have more time. You could easily spend a full day there and not see everything. 

There are two routes to Ridgway from Durango. The most direct is US 550, the “Million Dollar Highway”, that is notorious for its steep climbs, fast descents, and sharp curves without guardrails along sheer thousand-foot drops. It is a terrific ride on a motorcycle. It is doable in our coach but would not be much fun, requiring 100% concentration at all times. Kayeanne was understandably nervous about it, too.

Galloping Goose Trailhead, US 145, Uncompahgre National Forest

The other route, via US 160, 145 and 62 is almost twice as long, but turned out to be a great drive through some of the prettiest mountains and valleys we’ve seen, right through the Uncompahgre and San Juan National Forests. It took longer, but was much more enjoyable.

Ridgway State Park is a very nice campground located along the shore of the Uncompahgre River a few miles north of town. The Park is known for its great fishing. The sites are huge and easy to get into with lots of separation between neighbors.  About all it needs is 50 amp power, because the temperatures soared into the 90’s and stayed there.

Ripley finally gets a bath at Ridgway

Ridgway turned out to be an interesting small town, containing one of the best surprises we’ve had in a while. On Ed Woznicki’s recommendation we went to Taco Del Gnar for lunch. It is one of the most unique places we’ve been to in a long time. The menu listed a Korean short rib taco with kimchi. It was delicious!

The home made spicy lamb sausage taco was a close second, and Kayeanne said her grilled ahi taco was the best she had ever had. If you are in anywhere near Ridgway, make it a point to stop. You won’t regret it.

One of the reasons we went to Ridgway (before we learned about Taco Del Gnar!) was to visit Ouray, about 12 miles south. Ouray was fun. It’s a small touristy town nestled in a very deep, narrow valley, almost a gorge. It is a very picturesque setting. Lots of sheer rock and several small waterfalls really give it a striking backdrop. Don’t miss Mouse’s Chocolates and Coffee. They make their own ice cream. ‘Nough said. The locals also claim it is the best coffee in town, too.

Downtown Ouray

I have been looking forward to returning to Gunnison since I rode through it on a bike trip several years ago. It is one of those towns that is big enough to have most everything you need, but not too big to get to know the whole place. Located in the valley of the Gunnison River, the scenery is distinctly different from the renown Black Canyon of the Gunnison. Farming and grazing are the main activities in the fertile green valley. 

Very noisy neighbors

Lottis Creek NFS Campground is actually in Almont, in the Gunnison National Forest, along the banks of the Taylor River about 25 miles northeast of Gunnison. We had a great campsite: level, easy to get into and completely shaded by large trees. It also came with neighbors: herds of cattle and a bear. The Forest is open range and cattle move from one grazing area to another on their own volition using the public roads (really, really messy) and a series of trails through the woods. One of those trails passed about 100’ behind our coach. Cattle calling to each other in the woods in the middle of the night will certainly get your attention the first time you hear them.

Any place he wants to.....

A couple of days after we moved in, Kayeanne and Lucy were sitting outside when a young black bear ambled by about 30 yards away. It crossed the camp road and started foraging in the tall grass along the edge of Lottis Creek. It immediately got everyone’s attention. People yelled and banged pots and pans together, blew their horns, and one guy set off his car alarm. They could have been singing lullabies for all the notice they got from the bear. He hung around most of the afternoon, to the consternation of the camp hosts and ranger. We got some great pictures before he finally disappeared for good. I think we will take bear warnings more seriously in the future.

We took a couple of side trips during our stay at Lottis Creek. One day we followed the Taylor River up to Taylor Lake, another manmade reservoir located in a natural park, a really pretty natural park that was

flooded when the dam was completed. The lake is a very popular fishing destination, and is large enough to actually sail on. The river is also prime fishing country and popular for rafting and kayaking. The latter looks like great fun and I am really tempted to look into getting one.

The other trip took us to Crested Butte, a very nice town in a spectacular setting about 40 miles from our camp site. Crested Butte is one of the legendary Colorado ski areas, often on the same list with Aspen, Telluride and Steamboat Springs, but on a smaller, more personal scale according to local folks. Some of the towns we visit don’t give off much positive energy (Montrose, for example), while others give off really interesting vibes. I think if people like to live there it shows. The residents must love Crested Butte. We certainly enjoyed the time we spent there.

Leaving Gunnison we headed northeast, following US 50 to the junction of US 285 which would take us almost to Denver. US 285 turned out to be a good route choice. It was a really pleasant road with lots of scenery, and relatively easy driving until we got to Monument Pass. Monument Pass is one of the notorious high mountain passes that really test a coach and driver. It is about as steep as any in the West, with long stretches of 8% grade and many narrow turns. The scenery is just spectacular, what I managed to see in glances as I focused on getting us up and down without any drama.

We planned our Colorado travels around getting to spend time with old friends Cheryl and

St. Vrain State Park

Chet Baffa in Broomfield. We managed to get reservations at St. Verain State Park in Longmont, about 20 miles north of their house. We may have gotten the last site that fit our coach. We only stayed three nights and should have stayed a week.  It was great to spend a couple of days with them at their brand new house and to meet a few of their grandkids.

We did manage a quick trip to Boulder to restock the pantry at Trader Joe’s, and we refilled the wine cellar at a local discount liquor market so we head into the wilds of Utah with a full larder. We didn’t get to see Rocky Mountain National Park, Fort Collins or Estes Park this time, just poor planning on my part as Kayeanne gently pointed out. Next trip.

More soon.

Cheers.