Chapter 11 Colorado

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April 25—I like to stay in the state parks. Most of the time they are reasonably priced and always have a flavor of the state they are in. Rifle Falls State Park was like that. First of all, all the RV slots were pull throughs and had privacy. Spaces were separated by trees, shrubs, etc. I parked next to a beautiful, aromatic fir tree on one side and the Rifle River on the other. (It looked more like a creek to me.) The park itself had three arms of the river in water falls. It had a great hiking trail which started in front of the falls, then wound its way up over them. There were caves for explorations. Safe caves which had been often used, probably by Indians in the past, then generations of kids. There was even a small amphitheater where a group could have meetings. I saw several fishermen, so I guess the river had trout or other game fish. Within a short drive there was a lake and another park, but it had no hook-ups. A delightful place to stay. Total cost was $15.

April 26—I got back on I-70 and this time went to Vail, one of Colorado's well known ski areas. I hadn't ever seen it before, and since I don't ski, I probably will never see it again. Nothing but condo after condo. It is no place for an RV. The streets were narrow and even at this time of year, parking was nil. What a busy place! I got out of there in a hurry. On I-70, I doubled back to Hwy 26 south to Leadville. I checked with tourist info to see if it was open, since the area has just had a big snow about a week earlier. This is another one of those fantastic Colorado roads that winds through several of the state's mountains that are over 14,000 feet. What views!

Leadville is an old mining town, turned tourist. They have kept it old looking and put in a lot of specialty shops. The whole area has a Victorian flavor, without the huge, grand houses. I don't know where the rich people built their houses, but the ones I saw looked like company houses for the workers. I had some great pastry and a cappucino at a picturesque coffee shop. The server that waited on me had a cast on her arm. I asked, half joking, if she had broken it skiing and she said yes!!

I stayed in an RV park there and was surrounded 360 degrees with snow-covered mountains. I felt like Julie Andrews in the opening scene of Sound of Music. The neighbors were lucky I didn't break out into song! It was cold at night, down in the low 30's and although fairly warm during the day, low 60's, there was still snow on the ground. Leadville has the highest elevation of any occupied city in the US. It is over 7,000 feet. Several of the 55 peaks in Colorado which are over 14,000 feet are clustered around this town. One group is called the “university peaks” because they are named Harvard, Oxford, Princeton and Yale. The most stunning one to me was the very aptly named Mount Massive.

April 27—Since it is an easy drive from here to Colorado Springs, I slept in and didn't take off until about 11 am. The highway continued to wind through gorgeous snow-covered mountains. At one point the road started following the Arkansas River. I have seen the river in Pueblo, in Kansas (where the name is often pronounced “our-kansas), in Tulsa, OK and in Arkansas where it flows into the Mississippi. It was nice to see it near the headwaters, surrounded by mountains.

I stopped for a late lunch in a little park which was, again surrounded by the snow-capped mountains. The air was crisp and clear and smelled of the many fir and pine trees around.

I finally arrived in Colorado Springs at Susan's apartment. After visiting for awhile, we went to the RV park Susan had found nearby, so I could check it out. I liked it fine, so moved the RV to “home” for the next few weeks. The park is on a hill and I have an uninterrupted view of Pikes Peak from the window by the dining table. Life is good!!

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Photos

Rifle Falls State Park
Lovely parking spots for RVs.

Window View
The river ran right by my parking spot.

Above Rifle Falls
I took the short hike above the falls and got this view.

Caves
There were several caves in Rifle Falls Park. The were shallow and one even had carved rocks for sitting areas! Great place to meet during rain!

Leadville House
A turret on one of the fancier houses in Leadville.

View from RV park
This is what the citizens of Leadville wake up to each day.

Arkansas River
The river near Leadville.

Lunch Break
Can't beat the ambiance at this location!

One More Mountain
Hope no one gets tired of mountain pictures! This was on highway 24 between Vail and Leadville.

Comments

[Glenda]

Who could ever get tired of mountain pictures?? Not me, that's for sure. They're my favorite! Looking forward to the next installment.

[Amber]

: )
Colorado is so beautiful. You show it well.