Travels in the Cozy Turtle

From Silverton we headed to Durango. The aspen trees were way passed peak in this area of the state. Temps were definitely colder. The road traveled over several mountain passes and Frank enjoyed them because he collected alot of rocks. We didn't stop in Durango, we started home. We had decided to return home by the southern route. We spent the night in New Mexico and pushed home from there - - 3 more days. Next year we need to visit a state closer to the east coast! Needless to say we're always glad to get home and grateful God kept us safe. This trip I had trouble with the travel blog site, downloading photos took hours. That's why I uploaded after we got home. Even at home it took a long time. I may have ... read more

Today our destination was Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP. The south entrance, which is the most accessible, is 12 miles from Montrose. We arrived at the Visitor Center about 9:00 am. It was a windy day mostly sunny and not cold. After orientation at the VC we took a 2 mile hike on the rim of the canyon and in the upland scrub oak. Black Canyon is dark and narrow and known for the light to pinkish pegmatite layers (called dikes) that run throughout the ½ mile high canyon walls. The Gunnison River drops very steeply and quickly as it runs through the gorge. We spent the afternoon driving the parameter road and walking to scenic overlooks. The Black Canyon isn’t as pretty as Grand Canyon, but it is different. We spent the night in ... read more

This morning we visited the Maroon Bells a much photographed set of red mountain peaks near Aspen. By the time we arrived at 8:30 am the parking lot was almost full and many, many photographers were surrounding the lake to photograph the Bells. The aspen were past peak here, but the area was still beautiful. I spent an enjoyable hour photographing. We left the crowds behind and drove to Ashcroft a restored mining town not far from the Maroon Bells. The road paralleled Castle Creek and was not heavily traveled. The aspens were beautiful and the temps were comfortable which made for a very enjoyable trip. Ashcroft was fun to photograph and after Frank had made some rock collecting stops we headed west away from the Aspen area. We stopped for the night at a CO ... read more

Trail Ridge Rd was open and we were on it by 6:45am. We wanted to avoid the weekend crowds. TR Rd is the highest paved road in North America. It travels along the spine of the Rockies with the highest point over 12,000 ft. There were some good mountain views and the skies were blue, but it was cold and windy at the top. In the afternoon we left RMNP behind and traveled southwest to Leadville, the 2 mile high town. It was a scenic drive with ranch land, brown rolling mountains sprinkled with golden aspen, snowcapped mountains in the distance and several large lakes and reservoirs. We’re in the middle of ski country now. Leadville was a prosperous mining town of 30,000 during the late 1800’s. Now it’s an antique haven, tourist town and outdoor ... read more

Our last day in RMNP was sunny with bright blue skies and fluffy clouds., temps weren’t bad either. The Trail Ridge Rd was still closed so we decided to do a geological interest driving tour (Frank always finds these books) around Estes Park. Going out of the campground we saw elk grazing through the campsites. There were also quite a few at the Visitors Center in Estes Park. The drive was very scenic and took us through the Big Thompson River canyon. Frank found some interesting rocks on his roadside stops. We got back to Estes Park around noon and I did some grocery shopping. Then we checked into a campsite to wait for Gary the RV Repairman. He showed up with the part before 3:00pm and it worked!! Thank you Lord! Tomorrow we will head ... read more

This morning it was sunny and snowflakes were falling, but the sun was soon hidden by clouds. The road that travels around the higher locations of the park (Trail Ridge Road) from east to west, was still partially closed today. So we decided to do some hikes in the area. First stop was Sprague Lake which used to be a resort in the early 1900’s. It was a level half-mile walk around the lake. Snow was coming down steadily by then.(9:30). Next we went to the park and ride to take the shuttle bus to the Alberta Falls hike. Yesterday when we went to the Bear Lake parking area, a ranger told us no vehicles over 19 ft were allowed to park there. So we decided to comply with rules and leave CT and the dogs ... read more

Peak to Peak Highway September 22, 2009 This morning was cloudy and cold with snow still on the ground. We started later than usual and I had a chance to walk around the area and see the effects of an early autumn snow. Our first stop was Red Rocks Park. It‘s a famous natural amphitheatre made from ---red rocks. We also found a Colorado Visitor’s Center and a nice person who helped us route our drive to RMNP. Colorado has many scenic byways and we took one to Estes Park. It was cloudy and snow fell most of the way. Patches of gold aspen dotted the mountainsides here and there. Northern CO is not known for their aspens groves like southwest CO is. We got to Estes Park, gateway to the eastern entrance of RMNP in ... read more