Chapter 2, Colorado to Idaho

---

---

July 11-16, 2007
Photos at: http://picasaweb.google.com/Ches.Alli/Chapter2

We left Medanales on June 30 afternoon. Our plans were to leave right after lunch but our bad,bad kitty thought she was hiding under one of the sheds and she stayed there refusing the temptation of the zoom groom (magic kitty taming brush). In frustration 3 hours later I stamped on the floor of the building and she ran out in terror. She ran into the shop where I was able to corner and catch her. Safely stowed in her carry case, she awaited her fate. By that time, Ches was beside himself over what we were going to do with Rain if she escaped and hid on the road. Allison phoned several people asking if they would care for her while we traveled and our neighbor on Fayette Street, Tom offered but Ches did not want to drive back to Santa Fe - “Northward, ho!” So we raced off to Heron Lake near Chama N.M. where gnats bit Ches' ankles until he had whelps. Rain cried a little and looked wild eyed and panicked and clawed at her kennel in attempts to escape. It seemed clear she did not want to go with us, but she wasn't panting as she did on the way to Medanales.

The next morning, we rode our bikes a grueling 4.5 miles to get ice. It seemed a short distance to ride, but was all steep 45%!g(MISSING)rade hills, grinding up, up to coast down and finally to our destination, the most pitiful supply store: 3 cans of Dinty Moore, a ketchup, some flashlights, and bait. We rested a bit to watch the hummingbirds and swallows that had built nests on the store porch. Although the store had hardly any merchandise or stock, they had ice, so we strapped a block on Ches' bike and headed back to camp.
Not satisfied with one exhausting ride, we took another ride after lunch. Allison whined about the heat and pain on the way up the hill and began to turn around but didn't want to miss anything and decided to go a bit further - the goal was a swinging bridge crossing the Chama River and a hiking trail. We were rewarded with viewing the teeniest fawn with long unstable looking legs bounding across the road behind it's mom. The Chama River was cool and refreshing for a swim after stumbling down a steep path to the swinging bridge. We needed the coolness to prepare for the uphill ride back to camp and a late afternoon swim in the lake. How can every part of the ride be uphill? It seemed all our rides started uphill.

Barbara, Bill and Marissa Thornton came up to Heron Lake with a smörgåsbord picnic dinner and their canoe, so we were all able to swim, canoe and have a beer before chowing down on some yummy dinner. Parting late that night was sad - after telling Barbara our story about how we did not know if Rain would be able to make the journey with us, she volunteered to take her. Marissa was excited about the prospect also, but the decision was too big to make so suddenly - even after being mad with Rain, it was too hard to let her go and we decided to test her by taking her with us to Valley View and if it did not work out giving her to some friends that would be there and could bring her back to Barbara and Marrissa and Bill. It was an emotional moment.

The next day, July 3rd, we headed to Creststone, Colo. to camp so we would be there the next day for their annual tiny town 4th of July parade. Our morning drive over Cumbres and La Manga Passes between Chama N.M. And Antonito Colo. was spectacular. We stopped in Alamosa, Colo. for groceries, beer, ice, fuel,and had a delightful lunch at the local brew pub on main street. It seemed like a discovery only two blocks off our usual respite. Stopping at Mirage, in beautiful downtown Moffit, Colorado ( pop. 450 ?) to visit our friend Sharon who owns the store, we were told that the campground in Creststone had mosquitoes, so Ches who had been eaten alive by gnats at Lake Heron suggested we head to Valley View Hotsprings (http://www.olt.org/) a day early where there are no mosquitoes or gnats because 300,000 bats reside in an abandoned iron ore mine near by and feast on the pests nightly. It spoiled our plans for the 4th of July, but paid off in an exceptional campsite beside a warm stream with watercress and a private path to the soaking pool. Neil, the executive director at Valley View who is a pyromaniac and electronic genius, put on a great fireworks display on the 4th. We spent 5 nights there soaking, swimming, sunning, reading, visiting with friends and indulging in potluck dinners. Allison got to go to Creststone for the 4th celebration after all - hitching a ride with Lisa to check out the free music and the curry. The music was lively, but the curry was sold out. Fireworks on the 4th were punctuated with light rings for our wrists, but no music this year. All the musicians are planning on attending the Contributor Party weekend. We missed the camaraderie of the Oak House's spontaneous music jams so our evenings were spent in quiet exhaustion from the day's hike and soaks. Our last chance to pass Rain on drew closer and once again we agonized over what to do with her. We'd been parked for 5 days, so she was getting comfortable and was satisfied to look out the screens at chipmunks and only tried to get out when she wanted to use the litter box. Allison had been putting the halter on her for short stints every day, but she really hates wearing it and immediately tries to hide and then pouts for about an hour. Ches told Susie we might be asking her to take Rain back to El Rito. In the end, we once again decided to take her with us and she rode up front on Allison's lap until time to put her in her carry case. We left Valley View on Sunday the the 8th so relaxed that we did not realize that the book on hot springs of the northwest that Ches had just purchased was left behind until two days later. Neither of us has any idea how it missed getting into the van. We made the short drive to Salida CO. stopping briefly in Poncha Springs to visit our friends Jim and Toni. They tempted us with three town lots they have for sale but it is way to soon to to make that decision.

We camped on the edge of Salida at Riverside Campground which is also runs an Outward Bound for Christian youth. That evening we rode our bikes along a winding back road to the local brewpub for a hoppy IPA and dinner in this small town on the Arkansas river. Colorado is proving to have more bike paths then anywhere in NM. The next day, we safely rode along a wide sidewalk path through acres of pasture land to downtown to do our laundry. We were able to get back to the campground eat and shower before heading across the street to replace our well-worn office paper boxes with plastic boxes we can leave outside even if it rains, and to check out the health food stores. We are learning that as expensive as Santa Fe is, there is at least price competition between health food stores there and shopping for organic produce and the other items we like to eat is going to be more expensive on the road. It was incredible to see prices as much as $1 more/item. We'd find this true in the next town too.

We finally got out of town and headed towards Steamboat. Rain peacefully sat on my lap or looked out the window. Only her sweaty paws told us how uncomfortable she really was.

We found Hahn Peake Lake Campground (one hour north of Steamboat Springs, Colorado on SR 129 8500 ft. elev., 26 sites) an excellent Forest Service campground by a small man-made lake. Colorado is covered with wild flowers - lupine, penstemons, Jerusalem artichokes, pussy toes, paintbrush, delphiniums, wild strawberry, cow pin daisy and others we could not readily identify.
A bike ride up steep hills and crooked paths to a trail head or over meadow land and roots to the lake kept us active. Our neighbors, Art and Heidi (a retired highway engineer and his girlfriend who worked for the carnival) took their expensive mountain bikes on long rides and offered their canoe for our use, but we were so busy with our own rides and hikes we never used it. They kindly left us with a portion of their citronella bucket candle because the mosquitoes were impossible.

Each time we pack up to leave a campsite we have no idea if we will find one as wonderful.
Rain has settled in to coming out from her hiding place under the bed and riding up front with us in my lap. She looks out the windows and if she insists on trying to get in Ches' lap, she rides in her carry case. The wonderful thing is that she is not crying or panting, and the bonus is that she will sleep through most of the night instead of walking all over us if she is awake during the day. Her little paws are still wet. Leaving, we passed through Steamboat Springs again and stopped at the free botanical gardens. A lovely park in the middle of town with a maze of paths and identifying markers on almost all the plants and trees. We happened to visit on the weekly partnership between the city and music groups and a string quartet played on the green while families picnicked and enjoyed the show. Then we found City Market, a grocery chain that carries more organic then most. Economics plays a big factor in purchase power when on the road jobless. We were frustrated with small health food store prices even while ethically supporting them. We left not knowing if we would be in Colorado another night. A brewing storm kept us on the road and we learned that Rain is terrified of rain on the windshield and also the wipers. We ended up driving almost to our destination, Saratoga, WY.

The first campground we checked out in Riverside, Wyoming was sweet, but very expensive. we thought we could save money and not be beside the road, so naturally we asked the owner for suggestions and he cheerfully told us about the forest service campground and the goodwill campground. We made it to Bottle Creek Campground (8500 ft. elev., about 12 sites with water from a hand pump) just about 5 miles west of Encampment, Wyoming in short order.

Our campground is in tall ponderosa's but a short walk gives us a view of rolling hills. National Forest Lands campgrounds here are $10/night with pit toilets. Ours is very clean and Ches was able to hang the solar shower for a quick rinse before bed. There is plenty of space between camping spots and a bit of privacy was easy enough to find. The next day we drove to Saratoga Springs to wash laundry and visit the pools - the Hobo pool includes a large shallow pool that is quite hot (105 degrees) and drains to pools in the river formed by volunteers. It's comfortably cool weather in southern Wyoming and the only down side is that we have no cell phone reception so we had to look for a pay phone to make some business calls. Upon our return an interesting vehicle pulled into the site beside us. Ermin and Pia, a retired couple from Switzerland in their Fiat camper which gets 25mpg and which Ermin (Ches and Allison disagree on whether his name is Erwin or Ermin) designed and had built from the chassis up. Ermin had strong opinions after a career working all over the world and would say “Listen, Lady, there's...” which was a bit off-putting, but also entertaining and somehow acceptable, although Allison said she would have to tell him her name if he insisted on calling her “Lady” again. The nickname “Lady” or “Ladybug” growing up was much more endearing. Ermin said women politicians, also known as socialist do-gooders had just about ruined the world. Imagine the pleasure Allison got when over wine at Pia and Ermin's beautifully designed camper, she was able to tell them that she was one of those socialist do-gooders working for nonprofits. We learned some interesting tips from Ermin who had worked 30 years for Cummings on how to drive our automatic diesel. Both Ermin and Pia had a sparkle that defied their age. We had them both ten years younger then his 75 years. He told a hysterical story of how he would, as customary, routinely conduct business with Dutch customers in the sauna (where you do not wear clothing) and he always took the precaution of warning them not to mention that location to his prudish American boss. The story became more interesting when one day Ermin's boss came into work very excited telling how he had decided to give his wife a $30,000 fur coat for Christmas. The next morning, as he (the boss) prepared breakfast, there was a knock at the door. When he irritably answered, his wife was standing there in her new fur coat. She flung open the coat and to his surprise, was not wearing any clothing underneath. It was the first time he had seen her naked. They had two children.

The next day, Sunday we headed towards Idaho and other hotsprings and to visit with Ches' high school friend, Gus and his wife, Jenny. Wyoming transformed from Lodgepole pines through narrow mountain roads and opened to wide irrigated acres of hay and alfalfa, then to rolling hills with few trees, to stretches of desert landscape dotted with oil and gas drilling sites. We made as many cell phone calls as we could driving through the great divide basin. We crossed the continental divide three times that day. Allison finally got her chance to drive the van and rapidly became sleepy (so typical) on the long hot ribbon of highway. We would be in another exiting location before night fall.
Until chapter 3, with love,

---

Photos

Valley View Hot Springs
The soaking pool at Valley View Hot Springs