Russell, KS

The strong winds that were predicted for last night in Colorado Springs materialized right on schedule, and we listened to it blow through the pine trees all night. When we awoke it was still blowing pretty strong so we pushed our departure from nine to ten in hopes that the wind would calm down a bit as was forecast.

While waiting I checked the weather at North Platte, our next stop. Turns out they were under a high wind alert for the day. They were getting the wind that we had just suffered through. Gusts to seventy miles an hour would be way too much for the RV, so we adjusted our plan and took a more southerly route through Kansas, rather than Nebraska. It was a more comfortable and safer route, but it meant not getting to color in another state on our states visited map. Nebraska will just have to wait.

We pulled in to Russell, Kansas just after six and got settled in at the Triple J Campground. We stayed here last year when we visited my father’s parent’s graves in Great Bend, Kansas. We new it was not much, but we only needed a place to park for the night. It seems we never get here at a time that we can visit the Oil Patch Museum next door. It looks interesting, with lots of old oil drilling equipment in the yard.

One thing we did get to see is the reindeer. They are cooped up in what was once a miniature golf course. Kind of sad, really. They should have much more land to roam.

It is nice and quiet as I type this. Barbara has gone to bed, and there is just the faint sound of...MOOING from the field nearby. Yep, we are in Kansas.

Monument, CO

We spent the day in the mountains again. This time up Mt Herman Road to Woodland Park. We were foiled again due to government shutdown. Rampart Reservoir and the road back down to Colorado Springs’ Garden of the Gods was closed and blocked off. 

While on the subject of the shutdown, friends did get to see Mt Rushmore this week, but only by viewing it from the north. Steve said to share this with you.

Thank You Steve Fessler

Mt Herman Road is not a 4X4 trail, but a gravel road that a car COULD take when it is in better shape. The wash boarding will knock your teeth out today. I think it did loosen my exhaust system, since it now rattles. While not a technical off-road trail, it was fun and had magnificent views. As mentioned before, the Aspen are turning and the colors are wonderful.

I pulled all the service hook-ups except power this evening since the weather is supposed to get nasty overnight. I also added a bunch of fresh water for ballast since wind gusts tonight are called for 65 MPH. We’ll see.

We thought we would watch the AF Academy football game against San Diego State. We are close to the stadium and can hear the PA system, but it is too cold to go sit in the stands. Turns out we can’t get the game on TV either. ESPN is showing the Rutgers game here. Bummer.

Tomorrow we head east towards Forest City, IA. I know, we have been there already, but Winnebago did not fix two major problems when we were there and we need to have them addressed Monday. On the positive side, we get more of Sally’s good pie.

Boreas Pass, CO

We did a lot of driving today. We traveled west towards Fairlplay, CO and passed through the high valley ranch lands to the small (really really small) town of Como. In Como we left Highway 285 taking the Boreas Pass Road. This is part of the Colorado Scenic Drive system and follows the old Colorado Southern Railroad bed that originally linked Fairplay and Leadville. The railroad closed in 1937, and the old rail bed was eventually converted to a gravel road that provides a shortcut between Como and Breckenridge as well as access to some historic sites. I should add that this road is usually closed in winter due to snow cover. While the road is pretty rough in places, you could make the trip in a passenger car, so if you are in the area give it a go.

We stopped at the summit for a picnic lunch. Boreas Pass is at an altitude of 11,497 feet along the Continental Divide. 

Rain falling on the west side of the pass ultimately runs to the Pacific, while rain on the east side works it's way towards the Atlantic. Not wanting to mess up either body of water I found a bush right in the middle.

We descended into Beckenridge, but we were so late in the afternoon by then that we continued on back towards Colorado Springs.

Tomorrow we plan to stay local and maybe take in a movie. Gravity is getting good reviews.

Colorado Springs, CO

Sunday was a travel day as we drove to Colorado Springs and the Air Force Academy’s campground. The drive down was very nice. The winds had abated for the most part, and the view of the mountains entertained us through the entire drive. We enjoy this campground since it is very well managed, and there are enough trees to make it feel woodsy without getting in the way of the satellite reception. Actually, we had to move the coach around a bit to get reception, but we eventually got it set up. The only thing that keeps it from being perfect are the trains. There are about a half dozen each night, and they really like their whistle.

This morning we got off to a late start after a less than perfect night sleep. See above. The plan was to take an easy dirt road up into the mountains behind Colorado Springs to find a trail that leads to Mount Baldy. We tried Old Stage Road from behind the Broadmoor Hotel, but were stymied by a closure due to landslides from last month’s flooding rains. Not to be deterred, we took the opportunity to get Nia a nice walk and to enjoy the panoramic views of Colorado Springs and the prairie beyond.

We drove across town and picked up Gold Camp Road, which is another gravel road that would eventually get us to the trail. We got a little further, but eventually ran into the same problem of closure due to damage from the heavy rains. Luckily, there are plenty of alternatives. We decided to try a little harder trail out of Woodland Park. Woodland Park is about thirty minutes west into the mountains. By the time we got there it was lunchtime so we dropped into Sonic for a burger.

Pikes Peak in background

After lunch we headed out for the Schubarth Road trail that winds through forest and large boulders to a point overlooking the Academy from a vantage point 8,400’ above sea level.  We linked up with a young Air Force airman in a nice Ram Power Wagon. His truck was nicely outfitted, but pretty big for the parts of the trail that wound around the large boulders. Particularly on the return there was only about an inch on either side of the truck as he snuck through. We are much narrower and still felt challenged.

Air Force Academy below

It was a terrific day! I have no idea what we are doing tomorrow, but I am sure it will be great. We love this area.

Fort Collins, CO

Wow! What a Reuben! But, I am getting ahead of myself.

We drove down to Fort Collins today. The skies were clear and the snow was rapidly diminishing. There were a few inches on the hood and top of the jeep, but not much left on the ground. The wind has been blowing like stink all night and into the day and that helps get rid of the snow. It was a handful driving south on I-25 with the strong winds out of the west.

Our first stop was Horsetooth Reservoir in the foothills to the west of Fort Collins. It is a very picturesque lake, and the county has built picnic areas along the eastern ridge overlooking the reservoir.

Looking east you see Fort Collins and the Colorado State University campus. If you look closely in the picture you can see a trail leading up from the base of the hill. 

This area was crisscrossed with trails and there were many hikers, runners, and mountain bikers out making the best of them. The west side of the reservoir bounds on the Landy State Park, which has a boat ramp to provide boat access to the lake. This community has done a great deal to make an outdoors life style pleasurable.

We drove through the small community of Laporte as we descended back to downtown Fort Collins. This is a college town, and as you would expect there were many young people walking the very attractive main streets of downtown. There are lots of funky eateries and drinking establishments.

After finding long waits at a couple of restaurants we found ourselves in The Pub where I managed to find what might be the very best Reuben sandwiches I have had; certainly the best since working in Manhattan. What made this one so good was the corned beef. It was full of the flavor of the corning spices, strong of clove. The Left Handed Sawtooth Ale was not bad either. Barbara enjoyed a bleu cheese burger and Denver Pale Ale. We were definitely happy campers driving back north.

We are beginning to feel cooped up in the motorhome without the ability to put out our slides. With them in there is very little room and we do not have access to all of our cabinets, so it is getting a little cluttered, too. Still there are ways to cope.

Off to the Air Force Academy in the morning.

Cheyenne, WY Day Two

Not much to tell. This was a burrow in and keep warm day. While we did not get as much snow here as was predicted, we did get several inches.

By late morning in was just flurries and as the afternoon went on the wind kicked up. We have the heater on, but it is still chilly. We are thankful that the slides can’t go out, in that there are fewer surfaces against the cold air. On the other hand it does leave us in a confined space.

We each made a nest and got a book out.

Around five we could hear the PA system of the high school nearby. They were having a football game. It is 28 degress and the winds are gusting to 35! I don't know who to feel more sorry for, the players or the spectators in the stands. Hardy folks out here, that is for sure.

 

Hopefully the wind will abate and we will have a nice drive in the jeep to Fort Collins tomorrow.

Cheyenne, WY

No pictures today, sorry. Internet is spares here, so reports might be delayed.

We got an early start to get to Cheyenne, WY before the weather got miserable. We expected a lot of rain and high winds as the afternoon progressed and were happy to find it much better on the road. The countryside on the way down was beautiful. Just prior to leaving South Dakota we went through the town of Hot Springs and found it to be a nice place to visit if we had more time. Wyoming has a population of less than 600,000 so towns and people were sparse.

Can’t say much for the campground we are in. We had planned on staying on Warren AFB here in Cheyenne. We called yesterday to see if they would be open considering the government shutdown. There was no answer and no call back, so as we drove south I called a commercial campground and booked space. It is a good thing we did, since this place is about the only campground in the area and it is filling up with people trying to get out of the weather for a day or two. There is already a large population of permanent tenants here, and it is in a somewhat rundown area.

It looks like six to eight inches of snow through tomorrow, so we are just happy to be tucked in somewhere. We will likely only leave the coach tomorrow to walk the dog, so we stocked up on popcorn and reading material. If it clears up as expected Saturday we will drive down to Fort Collins, CO to check things out there. We will do that in the jeep and leave the coach here. By Sunday the roads should be fine and we will be off. Where to? TBD, but I hope it is warmer.