Weave’s World

San Juan Mountains

Time to head down the back side of the front range to Durango. From several points of interests plaques, I am now stopping to read those signs that everyone blows by while driving, here are some of the interesting things I found out.

Waldon (River Rock Café)

Stopped in for the best breakfast in 100 miles, but arrived at 10:30 am and they had just stopped serving breakfast. So, I had the best hamburger in 100 miles and it was really good. The interior decor is great with exposed timber everywhere. Staff was fantastic, the only problem was when I was going to pay my bill a thunder storm hit and power went out. Ten minutes later power in and I was off. I would recommend a stop here.

Glenwood Canyon

Glenwood Canyon is a one of those things to see in western Colorado. The canyon walls sore over 1,300 feet above the Colorado River. It is the largest such canyon on the Upper Colorado. The canyon, which has historically provided the routes of railroads and highways through western Colorado, currently furnishes the routes of Interstate 70 and the Union Pacific’s Central Corridor between Denver and Grand Junction.

Driving down this canyon was an experience in Betty, with grades around 8% and people driving 75 mph, I was a little more than nervous. On the long downgrade, I voted downshifted and placed Betty into D2 which allowed engine braking instead of using the brakes to keep my speed under control.

Grizzly Creek Rest Area

About half way down the canyon I stopped at the Grizzly Creek Rest area to get out and stretch my legs and for some quick photos of the river and the canyon.

Glenwood Springs

Glenwood Springs boasts an interesting history intertwined with railroads, gangsters and the gold rush. John Henry ‘Doc’ Holliday is buried in the Linwood Pioneer Cemetery on a hillside overlooking the town of Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Doc Holliday was with Wyatt Earp, at the shootout at the O.K. Corral, in Tombstone, Arizona. He made his way to Glenwood Springs with the hope that the hot springs would offer him a cure. It didn’t. He died from tuberculosis in Glenwood Springs in November of 1887

The trailhead that leads to Doc Holliday’s Grave, also known as Pioneer Cemetery Trail, is a uphill climb with nice views of Glenwood Springs. They even have benches for us out of shape guys.

Glenwood Springs KOA

Glenwood Springs West Colorado River KOA Holiday was the convenient stopping point on my way south. For a KOA this is a place was in a beautiful location, surrounded by views of the beautiful Roan Plateau, the Mamm Peaks and Battlement Mesa, and over 2,800 feet of frontage along the majestic Colorado River. I enjoyed my morning stroll along the banks and even cast a line for trout, again no luck but it was a great experience.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Gunnison Tunnel (history time)

Dedicated in 1909, Gunnison Tunnel was the longest irrigation tunnel in the world, and is a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. The tunnel total length is 5.8 miles and cut right through the sheer cliffs of the Black Canyon, taking water from the Gunnison River and funneling it to the semiarid Uncompahgre Valley to irrigate 146,000 acres of cropland.

Legend has it guy named Frank Lauzon, a local farmer and miner, had a dream in which he came up with an idea: dig a tunnel from the more substantial Gunnison River, which flowed in the Black Canyon beyond Vernal Mesa, and divert water to the Uncompahgre Valley. In 1900, rancher John Pelton set out to see if it was feasible and tried run a profile line down the canyon of the Gunnison River to determine whether a tunnel was feasible. The men put their two, heavy wooden boats into the Gunnison, only to crash one of them against the rocks, sending splinters and supplies downstream. Oh well, there went the dream.

Though their mission was a complete failure, it generated interest in the tunnel and a team made up from both the U.S. Geological Survey and Montrose Electric Light and Power Company set out with rubber air mattresses and waterproof bags. They emerged from the precipitous gorge nine days later with their lives as well as photographs and locations of the best sites to tunnel and build a diversion dam.

The plan was for workmen to dig two portals through Vernal Mesa, one would begin on the canyon floor and the other in the valley beyond with the goal of meeting in the middle. The first thing they need to do was construct a access road across the mesa to the Gunnison River, some 2,000 feet below the canyon rim. The road went from rim to river that it descended in places at a 30 percent grade. Drilling equipment had to be hoisted down on skids, and it wouldn’t be until 1932 that an automobile succeeded in getting to the river, although it had to be pulled back up by a team of horses.

When tunnel began in 1905, survey measurements had to be precise, since they were starting at two different locations. Using geometry, engineers were able to draw a direct line, all without computers through the mesa. On July 6, 1909, the tunnel bore–11 feet wide by 12 feet high–was “holed through” as workers digging from the West Portal and those digging from the East Portal met in the middle.

Construction was difficult on the 30,582-foot tunnel which first was performed manually. Conditions provided great challenge for this project. The drilling crews had to deal with clay, sand, shale, and a badly fractured fault zone.
Concentrations of combustible or poisonous gases, large water inflows, and cave-ins all added to the difficult conditions. Despite efforts to ensure worker safety and provide good pay and benefits, miners quickly became discouraged, staying on the job an average of only two weeks. The work paid off and the Gunnison Tunnel became the key structure in America’s first major trans-mountain irrigation system.

President William Howard Taft, vacationing in the West, dedicated the tunnel in September of 1909. Apparently, the president was impressed, and I love this quote that the tunnel will provide water to a “incomparable valley with the unpronounceable name.”

Today, with its system of canals, laterals, diversion dams, and the Taylor Park Reservoir, the tunnel project irrigates nearly 76,300 acres, making the Uncompahgre Valley rich in alfalfa, wheat, corn, oats, potatoes, beans, onions and fruit. Beginning in the 1960s, farmers started growing Moravian malting barley, used for the manufacture of Coors beer. So, all you Coors drinkers can thank Frank Lauzon for his dream.

South Rim Road

In talking to the ranger at visitor center driving the South Rim Drive and stopping at the viewpoints is the primary activity at Black Canyon. The drive itself is short, at seven miles, but there are 12 viewpoints along the way and many of them require a short hike. She told me don’t miss the big four, Gunnison Point, Chasm View, Painted Wall, and Sunset View and boy was she right.

Ridgway State Park

Situated at the entrance to the San Juan Mountains just north of Ouray, Ridgway State Park is a very stunning place and was a great place to camp. The Uncompahgre River runs through the park, though the main attraction is the Ridgway Reservoir. The reservoir is 5 miles long with 1,030 surface acres of water.

I spent a couple of days here and enjoyed it immensely. The only problem was Roxy somehow got a case of the runs, but a quick trip to Ridgway Animal Hospital and some meds and she was on the mends. But let me tell you having a cat with the runs in a RV is no fun.

Ouray

Situated in the heart of the San Juan Mountains in southwest Colorado, Ouray is known as the Switzerland of America. Its history dates back to 1876 when the city was incorporated on October 2, two months after Colorado became a state.

Ouray Riverside Resort • Cabins & Inn & RV Park

The Ouray Riverside Resort has a combination of cabins, hotel rooms, and RV sites just inside the city limits of Ouray. There is café and steakhouse on site that is open to the public and serve breakfast every morning and dinner.

They had live music at night by the Smokin J’s, who had a really good sound. A community fire at night was a great way to wind down listening to the music in the background.

My morning stroll was down the river trail was peaceful and the river was rolling. At breakfast, I had the pleasure of meeting Bombie (the head chef) at the smoke house and the stories he had about the town were great and made breakfast just fly by.

Cascade Falls

Visible from nearly anywhere in Ouray, Cascade Falls was impressive sight. I drove to the trail head leads to Cascade Falls (east up 8th Avenue) to Cascade Falls parking lot. From there it is a short, the sign said moderately steep, ¼ mile walk to the waterfall, but damn it was tough but worth it.

Drive to Durango (Million Dollar Highway)

It’s one of the most scenic drives in the USA, offering breathtaking mountain, valley, and gorge views. The Million Dollar Highway is one of the most beloved roads in the country. The highway, cut from the side of the mountain, delivers jaw-dropping vista after vista. This classic stretch of two-lane blacktop snakes its way through the San Juan Mountains, the wildest and most rugged peaks in the Rockies.

This road is not for the faint of heart. This is the second time I drove it and in a RV it’s a real breath-taker and made my palms sweat. There are a number of turns around mountains that I took at 10 mph, and pulled over numerus time to let people by. Though the entire stretch has been called the Million Dollar Highway, it is really the twelve miles south of Ouray through the Uncompahgre Gorge to the summit of Red Mountain Pass that gains the highway its name. This stretch through the gorge was challenging, it is characterized by steep cliffs, narrow lanes, and a lack of guardrails; the ascent of Red Mountain Pass is marked with a number of hairpin “S” curves used to gain elevation, and again, narrow lanes for traffic—many cut directly into the sides of mountains.

The Million Dollar Highway, also known as U.S. Route 550, is a 25-mile stretch of highway that runs from Ouray to Silverton in southwestern Colorado. The highway was originally constructed in the late 19th century as a wagon trail to transport miners and supplies to the area’s rich gold and silver mines. The best views I found were between Ouray and Silverton.

The highway allegedly cost $1 million to build in 1880. That’s $30 million today. Other sources state EACH mile cost $1 million; others say there’s $1 mil worth of gold underneath and maybe the name even came visitors saying they would only drive the highway if someone paid them $1 million dollars

Durango

I have been to Durango a few times and its really a neat place. I understand why my friend Jeff and his wife love this place. I stayed at the United Campgrounds of Durango which is north of town and right on the trolly stop. This made it convenient to down town and I did not have to break down the RV every time I wanted to go into town.

It had been a month of so since I had a hair cut so after I set up, I headed to Bucks Parlor for a clip. It was the only place in town that did walk in’s and cut my hair cut by Myla. She was delightful and we had a great chat about what was going on. While young this girl has lived an amazing life. Hiking the continental divide trail, to climbing all the peaks around Molas Overlook on route 550. Ah to be young again.

From there I stopped at Frida’s Mexican Restaurant & Cantina, a favorite of mine in Durango for dinner. I was immediately greeted and sat with a smile. Chips are made fresh on site and the salsa fresh delicious. Food was piping hot and made with care and detail. This is definitely a spot I will never miss when coming through Durango.

The next mourning I was woken by the sound of the Durango & Silverton steam engine coming by the RV park and I was off to the train station for a trip up to Silverton. I have ridden this before and really love the ride. I was lucky the next week I read that a rock slide took out part of the tracks.

When I got back, I rented a jeep for the next day for a ride to Engineer Pass.

Engineers Pass (come on I am engineer so I had to)

According to the points of interest sign Otto Meers, an Estonian-born engineer famous for constructing the Million Dollar Highway, built the original road over Engineer Pass. Meers, who was nicknamed the “Pathfinder of the San Juans,” built some of the earliest operating toll roads in Colorado quickly after it was declared a state in 1876.

The pass saw considerable traffic from people traveling between Lake City and Animas Forks. About 12 miles east of the pass, the Ute and Ulay mines were explored near Henson, Colorado. It is estimated that by 1903, $12 million of minerals were produced from the mines.

Mesa Verda National Park

When I set out on my big summer trip, Mesa Verde National Park was on my list. It was in the general direction I had planned to go, and it was actually one of the few places I visited before with Glenn on our big road trips years ago. Mesa Verde National Park is located in southwestern Colorado, west of Durango so it was a short ride in the RV.

Mesa Verde National Park was created to preserve the archeological heritage of the Ancestral Pueblo people, and to educate the general population on the lives of these incredible cliff dwelling tribes. The park contains 600 cliff dwellings that date from 600-1300 AD, and are located near the top of Mesa Verde, aptly named for being a lush (relatively speaking) table rock formation in an otherwise dry area.

I arrived before lunchtime and stopped at the visitor’s center. I was hoping to get on a guided bus tour but they were all packed, but I still wanted to see what I could see. Trailers and towed vehicles are not allowed past the Morefield Campground (which isn’t too far from the visitor’s center), and I noticed several people with campers unhooking in the main parking lot. I decided to ask a park ranger about what was going on and he told me they don’t allow trailers on the access road. A little worried I asked if I would be ok, he asked my length (26’) and height (11’-6”) and I was good to go.

The first thing I did was the Mesa Top Loop Road Auto Tour on Chapin Mesa. This drive takes you to several pit houses, cliff dwelling overlooks, and gorgeous views, all accessible from short paved paths. I saw a story board about downloading the national park’s app to listen to an audio narration. This made it even more enjoyable.

After the loop tour, I drove along the main road, stopping at all the lookouts to see the cliff dwellings from a distance. Eventually I arrived at the Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum, that has a video about the park and the people.

People have lived in and around Mesa Verde for at least ten-thousand years. The first evidence of human habitation comes from points and flakes dropped by Paleo-Indians. The Archaic people left the first evidence of permanent or semi-permanent structures.

Hundreds of years before building cliff dwellings, a new culture developed that is now called Basketmaker III (500 – 700 A.D.). Their signature pit-houses are all over the southwest.

Around 750 C.E, the Basketmaker culture evolved into a Pueblo culture that has four distinct phases. Pueblo I (750 – 900 A.D.), Pueblo II (900 – 1150 A.D.), Pueblo III (1150 – 1300 A.D.), and Pueblo IV (1300 – 1600 A.D.). The height of culture at Chaco Canyon occurred during the Pueblo II period. A major dry period from around 1130 – 1150 A.D. possibly caused the collapse of civilization at Chaco Canyon and a rapid increase in population at Mesa Verde.

Mesa Verde’s high point of civilization was during the thirteenth century. Another major drought forced inhabitants to leave around the 1280’s. Most of the structures built during this time were for defensive purposes. The late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries were times of severe unrest on the Colorado Plateau. Evidence of chronic warfare, violence, and cannibalism is present throughout the southwest.

Well, I am out of the heat finally, and time to explore Colorado. I going to spend the next 3 or so weeks in the state to do a couple of things. The main thing is to see family, both my nieces and nephew have settled in Fort Collins and I want to visit and catch up. The next thing is to get solar installed on Betty, so I can do some boondocking. Then the final is just to enjoy the Rockies and all they have to show me. Do off from Trinidad State Park in the south head north.

Muller State Park

My first stop on this leg of the trip was Muller State Park which sits at the base of Pikes Peak where elk, black bear, eagles and hawks are able to roam amongst the 5,100 acres of natural land. When I stopped in at the visitor’s center, I was informed that the park was going to be crowded especially on the trails since they were holding the Great Divide Ultras which are 100m, 100k, 50k and 25k trail races. The ranger asked if I was planning to race I would need to sign up quick. I looked at the ranger and said the most I am going to do is stroll, running is out of the question. The state park sits at an altitude of 9,200 feet and this east coast guy gets winded just walking to the RV.

I spent some in the visitor’s center finding out about this area. It was first settled by the Ute Indians and was one of their popular hunting grounds. The area was also known for the Ute Pass Trail, between the prairies and the mountains by the Ute people. The Ute, a nomadic tribe, depended on the resources of both areas. Around the 1860s, settlers (mostly homesteaders, ranchers, and farmers) started moving into the area.

Then gold was discovered by a guy named Robert Miller “Bob” Womack Cripple Creek on October 20, 1890, and in the next couple of years over 50,000 people moved into the area. The town of Divide came in to existence to supply the miners with saw mills, lumber and supplies. Farmers soon found out the area was good for growing potatoes and lettuce. Called “Pikes Peak lettuce” it was packed in lake ice from Coulson Lake, by Divide and shipped as far away as Chicago. I was wondering what the terraces I saw driving into the park and now know they left from growing the lettuce. I would never have guessed you could grow lettuce at 9,200 feet.

W.E. Mueller started buying up ranches and homesteads and created the Mueller Ranch. In the 1980’s, the Mueller family designate the ranch as a game preserve. Later the ranch was purchased by the Nature Conservancy, Colorado State Parks and Division of Wildlife and became Mueller State Park.

Fort Collins

A quick drive up I-25, well not quick the traffic makes the Schuylkill expressway at rush hour look tame, I arrived in Fort Collins. After checking into the Days Inn (for 5 days), and a quick shower, I headed over to Darrin’s and Nicoles home for dinner with the kids. This was such a delightful dinner and even a surprise retirement cake.

Mayla, my grandniece, is such a hoot. She entertained us till she started getting sleepy and Jamie and Ben headed home. They only live two blocks away, while Kyle lives a couple of miles away.

Kyle handed me an apple air tag and I was informed that I must keep it in Betty. Apparently, people want to keep track of me. First an apple air tag, I am a windows guy and would never be caught with a apple product. Second, I am a grown man who does not need to be tracked. But it is nice that people are worried and just want to be sure I am safe.

Rocky Mountain National Park

After dropping Betty off to get my solar installed, I rented a car and headed to Rocky Mountain National Park. One of my favorite places in the world and I love to drive Trail Ridge Road, it is one America’s Byways in Colorado and also a national designated All American Road.

I arrived at the Forest River Park Entrance 20 minutes early for my 12 pm entrance time and was told I had to wait until noon. Now you know I like this park, because I am never early. The ranger did suggest I go back to the visitor’s center and get one of the chocolate chip cookie. She informed me they were one of the best she ever had and I would enjoy one. I took her up on the suggestion and had not only one there, I bought another one for the drive.

This entrance takes you around Sheep’s Lake, where I have seen big horn sheep before, but not today. Then up the mountains. It a quick drive up 4,000 feet, to the alpine and tundra areas of the Rockies. Although I decided to take my time, hey I retired and don’t have to rush. The views were great as ever and since they started the timed entrances it doesn’t feel as crowed. I was amazed how much snow was still at the top and they even had the alpine center closed for snow removal.

I headed down the mountain to the area I normally see moose and was not disappointed. Down pass the Holzwarth Historic Site is a open marshy area that the moose like to graze. I glanced over and was not disappointed, there were a couple of moose’s grazing. I pulled in and to my surprise I saw a mother with her calf. I spent a good 15 minutes there until other people started parking and walking up to the animals. I decide it was time to leave before I saw someone get hurt. Why are some people so stupid.

Back over the mountains then the drive back to Fort Collins. I am amazed how high and fast the rivers were running. While driving back I heard on the radio how many people have drowned this year rafting and fishing.

Solar Install

I decide to get solar installed on Betty, when I thought about traveling this summer. When I bought her she had lead acid batteries and only powered the d.c. power on the rig. If I wanted to do some boondocking or dry camping I would need 120 volts to power things like my cpap machine so the decision was made. I even found out I could get a 40% tax write off since she is considered my second home.

In researching what I needed I found Solar Power My RV on youtube, who were located in Fort Collins. All the writeup’s and reviews were good and talking I got a good feeling. So, I had them install four solar panels (800 watts), a 12V 300Ah lithium battery, an inverter to power all of the 120 volt appliances in the RV, a dc-dc charger that will charge the batteries when driving down the road. David and Roland were great to deal with and I even had them install a soft start motor started on the AC and a outside connection for my starlink so I don’t need to run the cable out the window.

After checking out of the hotel, Roxy and I picked up Betty and said good by to Fort Collins. While have dinner with Jamie and Ben, they told me to drive Poudre Canyon which was on my way to my next spot and they were not wrong.

Poudre Canyon

The Cache la Poudre River (pronounced pooh-der) is Colorado’s only nationally designated “Wild & Scenic” River. From its headwaters to the South Platte River east of Greeley, the river drops some 7,000 feet and boy it was flowing full.

Colorado state highway 14, follows the river between Fort Collins and the town of Walden where I would be spending the night at State Forest State Park.
I stopped at information pull-off and found out that Cache la Poudre River was the place where French-Canadian trappers hid their gunpowder during a blizzard in the early 1800s, and the name stuck.

About 50 miles up the canyon, we came to Cameron Pass, at elevation 10,000, then down to North Park Valley. Visitors will want to stop a moment and take in the view of Nokhu Crags

State Forest State Park

Camped in the Bockman camp ground and it was beautiful and remote there. Arriving after dark and could not see much, but the next morning was different. After setting up it was time to try out the new solar installation. Everything worked perfect and when I woke up I still had 73% left on the battery. When I got out for my morning stroll there was snow on the ground and this was June, amazing.

The visitor’s center was worth stopping in to reading about the area. When Colorado was admitted into the Union, the federal government gave, in trust to the state of Colorado, approximately 4.5 million acres of land for the specific purpose of generating revenue to support state schools. (Congress granted lands to all western states for use in establishing and maintaining public schools.) This provided the state with incentives to pursue land exchanges and sales or exchanges of “in-holdings” of state parcels within federal lands for contiguous blocks of federal land. The Colorado State Forest (CSF) officially established on December 2, 1938, by President Franklin.

I didn’t have much luck seeing wildlife with only a few deer and a bald eagle. I also found out State Forest is known for moose, according to the ranger “Moose is our claim to fame” and I was disappointed I did not see any.
Time to head down south through the center of the state.

Heading south down the spine of the rockies next

It was it to get out of the heat and looking at the storms in north Texas I knew it was going to be quite a drive. I left late from South Padre and started my trek north, but first I stop at a DXL store in Brownsville to get some more shorts. Then off I went with Roxy sleeping soundly we drove for about 5 hours till I hit Jourdanton south of San Antonio and had it. I was supposed to stay at Garner State Park, but had it and need a good shower and to wash my cloths. So off to a La Quinta Inn for a night stay. One good thing about the stop was Restaurante Chile Bandera a great Mexican place where I had a great meal. So if your ever in Jourdanton stop in.

We started early the next mourning so we would miss the storms and headed to Abilene State Park.

Abilene State Park

Abilene State Park and the groves of oak, elm, and pecan trees, sit along Elm Creek and Lake Abilene. I found the park was developed in several stages—fall of 1933 through September 1934 and then June-September 1935–by two distinct CCC companies–one a mixed-race unit of World War I veterans, the other an all-black veterans’ group. Pool building built by Company No. 1823 of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) from native sandstone in 1933 and is really a neat building. I spent the next mourning checking it out. The stone work was amazing.

This park is nothing like the CCC parks in Pennsylvania. The sites were really cool driving down tree lined roads and my site was tucked in a secluded section. At night I was lulled to sleep by the sounds of owls hooting and a gentle rain fall. The storms did not get down this far.

I started off walking the short trail from my site to the hub of the park where the Pool building is located. From what I was told by the ranger this is the main draw of the park, all original CCC constructed buildings with exception of the swimming pool which was just renovated. I really enjoyed the architecture and the walk there and back was shaded and cool in the morning.

I got a late start from the park due to some exploring and again headed north to Caprock Canyons.

Caprock Canyons State Park

I arrived at the park around 3:30 and was checked in, during that process the ranger told me where the storm shelter was, since they were expecting high winds and thunderstorms. Great, my site was on the rim of the main canyon, while great made me nervous

Driving to my site I saw a heard of bison. Apparently, bison roam freely throughout the park, and I was told they are accustomed to being around people, they are still wild animals and stay at least 50 yds away from them. All around the park, I could see piles of evidence left by the bison that showed me they truly do roam freely throughout the park.

That night the storms rolled through and the gusts were up to 60 mph. Really made the RV rock and roll and I got a little nervous when the flashes of lightning lit up the camper. We made it through the night although Roxy stayed under the covers.

After an early break down of camp I was ready for a long drive to Trinidad Lake State in Colorado to get out of the heat and humidity finally. Its time to get out of Texas.

On the way out as I rounded a corner, I saw what appeared to be a herd of lounging bison, right on the road, where I needed to go. Caprock Canyons State Park is home to the official state Texas bison herd, and they were in my way.

Escape and the storm

During the time driving the RV I have found that it drives much differently than my Terrain. One of the reasons for this is that it’s a rear-wheel drive and acts like a big sail. I have been told It’s best to drive slowly when driving through a rainstorm to prevent slipping and sliding on the road.

So armed with this knowledge I headed off. After a quick thunderstorm in the morning the afternoon sky turned bright and started to heat up. From my time living in Kansas, I know this is a bad omen and around 3 pm I started seeing the clouds form in the west. The pan handle is flat and you can see these monster storms coming. After getting off the phone with my brother at a rest stop the storm hit. First there was the wave of dust and high winds, my RV actually was pushed from the right-hand lane to the left by a gust of winds. I slowed down to about 30 mph and the storm hit. The lightning was all around me and the rain was coming so hard I was at on time going 5 mph. Damn I never want to go through something like that again.

You know I really need a weather radio.

Trinidad Lake State Park

The storm stopped when I got to the New Mexico boarder and after short way I finally made it to Colorado. I arrived at Trinidad around 7 pm and got set up for a short stay. The park sits above the lake and I had a great view.

Located in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains Sangre De Cristo Range at an elevation of 6,200 ft. on the Purgatoire River, and bordered by the historic Santa Fe Trail. Trinidad Lake is a multipurpose project for flood control, irrigation and recreation, authorized by the 1958 Flood Control Act. The dam protects the city of Trinidad, Colo., from flood waters and sediment, and holds irrigation water for the Purgatoire River Water Conservancy District.

If I had some more time I would have loved to go down to the lake and do some fishing. The lake is stocked annually with rainbow trout and offers largemouth bass, channel catfish, crappie, and walleye. But I needed to get a fishing license and was leaving at 10 am.

On the way out I stopped at Bob & Earl’s Cafe for one of the best breakfasts I have had in a long and highly recommend it.

Next Colorado

LAKE SOMERVILLE STATE PARK BIRCH CREEK UNIT

The Birch creek unit felt like a small state park. The visitor center is secluded down the curved road from the entrance. The trees surrounding the camping sites gives overall feel of camping in the wooded areas near water. I loved the fact that the area was so wooded and secluded, you can’t see your neighbors, unless you want to.

The only problem was the heat. I got up for my morning walk and it was already 90 degs making the walk down to the lake really uncomfortable. One back in Betty I hunkered down in the AC for the day.

SOUTH PADRA ISLAND – MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND

Interesting fact, bordered by the Laguna Madre on the one side and the Gulf of Mexico on the other side, Padre Island stretches for 113 miles down the southern coastline of Texas. It’s the world’s longest barrier island, and home to South Prade, a shore community. It’s also habitat for 16 wildlife species with federal or state conservation status.

South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center

The nature center in 2009 and in 2019 became an alligator rescue center that has over 43 acres of coastal wetland habitat comprised of both saltwater and freshwater marsh. Due to this duel ecosystem it attracts a multitude of different birds as well as other animals such as fish, turtles, crabs, dragonflies, mammals, and alligators. In the center there is a 3,300 foot boardwalk trail that’s loops through the wetlands with viewing blinds and a rescued nuisance alligator sanctuary, where Big Padra a 56 year old, 12’-8”, 800 pound alligator lives.

It offers 43 acres of protected coastal wetland habitat comprised of both saltwater and freshwater marsh. The dual wetland ecosystem attracts an incredible diversity of birds as well as other animals such as fish, turtles, crabs, pollinators, dragonflies, mammals, and alligators. A three-quarter mile raised boardwalk trail loops through the wetlands with five shaded viewing blinds and a rescued nuisance alligator sanctuary along the way.

I arrived in time to hear Gator Jacob Reinbolt talk about alligators and what actually is a nuisance alligator. According to Jake once a human feed an alligator, it immediately loses all fear of us and associates all humans with providing food. So major lesson is don’t feed gators, except if your Jake putting on the show.

During my walk on the board walk I spotted all types of birds, gators, and butterflies with no noise except from the animals. Really a peaceful stroll.
I opted out of the snake talk and headed over to the Sea Turtle rescue center.

Sea Turtle Inc.

There are also opportunities for watching the sea turtles during feeding time, as well as talks given on the turtle residents. One turtle named Gerry, a 200-pound sea turtle, has a daily snack to simulate how sea turtles would dine on sea grass beds in the Laguna Madre in the wild. This is done to maintain the physical and mental health of the turtles.

Gerry stranded on South Padre Island during Hurricane Allen in 1980. Funny story Gerry originally was named Geraldine. Apparently green sea turtles mature in their mid-20s; and when Geraldine reached about 25, she grew a long tail. That’s when they found out that she was not a she, but a he! Geraldine then became Gerry.

SpaceX

So, I got to see Elon’s Starbase. This place is totally amazing, you can get within 500 yards of the lunch site and they had the ship fully stacked for the wet dress rehearsal which was scheduled for Tuesday. The lunch is scheduled for June 5 so I will miss it by a week.

Unfortunately, I visited on Memorial Day and not much activity was going on. All I have to say is if I was 30 years younger, I would try to get a job here and be part of the future.

So, what’s it like traveling with Roxy (adventure cat). I was a little worried that I would have a basket case of a cat traveling all over the country, but she has turned out to be a great traveling companion so far.

On travel days she up like a trooper and is absolutely no help packing up the RV, although she tries. Once on the road she settles in either on the bed or on her bed above the cab. When we stop, she right up in the cab looking out the window checking out the new views.

Strayhorn Landing

This was just a quick overnight stop on southeastern shore of Tenkiller Lake which was absolutely gorgeous. The lake is located near the town of Paradise Hill and I had a nice drive into the camp ground. When we arrived and were setting up, I found out why people recommend the Power Watchguard. It is recommended that you plug it in then turn the power, before you plug in the RV. When I plugged the watchguard in and it went bright red, according to the code it indicated loss of the neutral. Talked to the park staff and changed of camp site and everything was ok.

Many of the camp spots were empty, but in talking to my neighbor, who camps here several times a year, he expects that to change, since Memorial Day weekend is approaching. He plans on staying at the park until next week and told me that if I had time, see if I could do boat trip on the lake, too bad it was an overnight stop or I would have. We sat and talked until sunset when I walked down to the lake for so photos.

I stopped by the dam and locks and saw a whole bunch of speed boats getting ready to enter the lake from the locks.

Driving out of the park I noticed a strange looking statue off on a side road before I hit I-40 and wandered over to see it. Apparently on May 26, 2002, a barge struck the I-40 bridge at Webbers Falls, and a 600-foot span fell into the river. Fourteen people lost their lives and are memorialized with this monument.

Buffalo National River

After a great drive we arrived at Buffalo River Campground located on the Buffalo River. This park is located a short walk from the river and is calm, quiet and clean. The drive down was steep, over 10%, which was a little scary with a six-ton camper. I bottomed out at the end of the entrance road, which was a little scary, but we pulled through.

Spent two days, without cell or internet service. I literally did nothing, I got up and thought about what I was going to do for the day. After breakfast, walked down to the river and tried some fishing, got some small bass, watched boats float by and just did nothing. I was totally unplugged and felt in a completely different place. I think everyone needs to get unplugged.
This trip is about decompressing after 40 years of work.

North Toledo Bend State Park

After a very long drive, 410 miles, I arrived at the campground at 8 pm. It was a 9 hour drive am I am not going to do that again.

After a quick setup I started the air conditioner to cool the camper down. Had a great call with my brother, Lynne and my sister talking about the trip so far, then my niece Nicole called and had another great call.

I saw fresh hog tracks throughout my campsite when I went out for my morning coffee and when the ranger came by, I asked what he thought they were. He told me that they were probable wild hog which are throughout the area. So, on my morning walk I was cautious.

When I got back to the RV, I was drenched with sweat. So, after the walk and a quick shower, I decided to do a little work and write my blog. The weather is calling for thundershowers tonight so I am hunkered down for the night.

Hamburgers for dinner and then a night of watching movies.

Some things change some don’t. Topeka is one of those places that have not. Spent Friday tooling around town. Instead of a 1983 Cutlass Calais, two doors with tee tops, I am in a 2021 Sprinter PV. The handling is so much different.

I am camping at Lake Shawnee, just a couple of miles from the first and only home I ever owned, and the sunset last night after the storms was great.

Today was a day of education, time with some old and a visit to my old house.

First education, Brown v. Board of Education National Park. Amazing place with some real history and to be there on the 70th year anniversary of the court decision (which I did not know). Our guide was excellent in explaining the NAACP 4 cases before that failed and this one that exceeded.

So, Kansas, which was a free state, had only segregation in elementary schools in cities with populations of 15,000, which Topeka was one of. They centered the case around Monroe Elementary School, which had a PhD as the principal, the science teacher also had a PhD and most of the teachers had Master’s. The school out performed all of the other elementary schools (all white) and the facilities were better than most of the other elementary school (all white). So, one would think why did they pick this one.

Shout out to the park ranger, Lawson Nwakudo, who explained to us, that the NAACP wanted to focus on Topeka, was because there was that level of equality. If they could prove there’s something inherently wrong with a place like Kansas, that would mean that there’s something inherently wrong with everywhere else.

The case happened because the Board of Education refused to enroll local black resident Oliver Brown’s daughter at the school closest to their home, instead bussing her to a segregated black school farther away. The case went all the way to the supreme court. The ruling was 9-0 which led to Chief Justice Warren, stating, “We conclude that, in the field of public education, the doctrine of “separate but equal” has no place.”

Next stopped by the old house and was really disappointed in the way it looked, the tree I planted so long ago was down, the grass looked bad and the placed really need a paint job.

Finally dinner with some old friends that I have not seen in forty years and we chatted until just before dark.

Well, here is my first post. Started out on Saturday a couple hours late and its off. The first couple of days it was raining and yesterday it rained all day long, sometime heavy. Makes driving really hard. So far over 900 miles on Betty (my RV’s name) and I getting around 15 mpg which is great, but its diesel and the price per gallon is higher than gas. However, one out of PA, the priced dropped to about $3.85 per gallon.

Roxy, adventure cat, has been great. When we are driving, she’s back in the, resting and when I stop for fuel or minor shopping, she hops up into the cab to look out at the world. She sleeps all day and is up most of the night. She has explored everywhere and now when I have the camper door open with the screen door closed, she sits and looks at the birds and squirrels.

I am going to have to get use to the shower, really small and as a big guy it tough to turn around. One modification I am glad I did was the toilet. I went with a Dometic 320 Series Standard Height with Elongated Ceramic Bowl, which is so much better that the one that the RV came with. When I get time I will post a video of all the mods to the camper.

Even with all the planning there is always something missed. I am keeping a shopping list of things I need, like a measuring cup or aluminum.
Here are some pictures that I just took at the park I am at, camped by the lake.

Off to Topeka tomorrow.

Just getting started