Black Canyon of the Gunnison North Rim

This morning we headed off to see the north rim.  We knew going into it that going to be a longer journey than to the south rim but we figured it would allow us to see some different territory.

The road took us up, up, up winding this way and that.  We came upon an overlook that provided us with this view of Morrow Point Reservoir.

As we made the turn towards the north rim road, we noticed this interesting monolith near the town of Crawford.

You leave pavement after about eight miles and travel on good gravel road to and throughout the park.  They say that the south rim gets several hundred thousand visitors a year; the north rim must get decidedly fewer as we only saw maybe a dozen vehicles while we were there.

 Kneeling camel watching over the canyon.

Chasm and painted wall.

So was the north rim worth the drive?  Probably not.  The south rim has a lot of viewing opportunities which lends itself to more photography opportunities.  The north rim was of a more direct down view rather than across the canyon as from the south rim.  Still, the views of the narrows, chasm and painted wall were fantastic.  We did get to see a golden eagle from afar soaring down into the canyon along the painted wall looking for a meal we presume.

We decided that we really didn't want to go back the way we came so we decided to  make a loop out of our trip.  After a quick stop in Crawford for something cold to drink, we were back on the road.  Our journey lead us through Crawford, Hotchkiss, Paonia, Bowie, Somerset, Crested Butte and finally home.  Whew, it was a long day of sightseeing for us - 8 hours from the time we left to the time we got home.  

We were surprised to see that the towns of Bowie and Somerset (next door neighbors) both have coal mining operations.  We didn't realize that the state of Colorado was a coal supplier.

We took the drive over Keebler Pass on Co Road 12 that was mostly gravel once you left the highway.  Thankfully, the gravel road was a good one for all the miles (24) we drove on it.  We did get to go through large stands of Aspen with wildflowers still in full bloom that made it a very pretty drive.  We didn't see any wildlife or elves LOL.

As we drove away from Crested Butte, I noticed this interesting shadow that the clouds cast on the mountainside.  

We were tuckered out and after dinner (thankfully I had the crockpot going before we left), we just pretty much settled in reading or watching TV.  Life is good.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison South Rim

As we had to go to Montrose today for the truck to get its new sensor, we decided to visit the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.  This magnificent canyon was so named because the canyon is so deep, so sheer, and so narrow that very little sunlight can penetrate it.  "The canyon was created by hard rock uplifted through volcanic activity and then cut through by fast-moving water."  The river has cut through the hard core rock for two million years or an inch a century.  Now that dams upstream have lessened seasonal flooding, the carving of the canyon has slowed.  It was surprising how loud the sounds of the river was from the rim, we can only imagine how deafening it must be at the water's edge.

After a visit to the Visitor's Center, we took the drive to the various lookouts.  Here are some of our favorites pictures of the canyon:

We came across this interesting plant.  It looked like spider webs have been weaved all around it.

Here is a picture of the actual feather-like blooms.

This is a picture of the Painted Wall.  Can you see the body of a dragon or serpent?

Here is a close-up of the dragon's/serpent's head.

When we drove up to one of the look outs, we saw this Aliner sitting in the parking lot.  When we came back from the look out, the couple (Chris & Sally Mendota) were getting in to their car.  We spoke with them about their Aliner and than we had previously owned on.  It seems that they know John's sister and bil, Bonnie and Butch.  One of them must be an artist because their prior Aliner had a Snoopy theme to it and this one was totally different. 

As we were finishing up the the last few lookouts, a light rain started.  We could hear thunder off in the distance.  The last couple of lookouts were shrouded in clouds; it was amazing how quickly the clouds rolled in.  We even had the opportunity to see some Golden Eagles soaring on the canyon thermals.  

Soon it was time to head to Montrose and the Ford Dealer.  About an hour later we were back on the road.  The Service Writer advised us that a strong storm was heading our way.  We were pretty hungry so we stopped at a restaurant called The Red Barn; weather be darned.  Our meals were very good.  John was especially happy with his beef stew that they brought out in a cast iron cauldron (he ate every bit LOL).  It was loaded with big chunks of tender beef and was was flavorful he said.  

As we headed back to Gunnison with light rain falling, it soon became apparent that the area had received some heavy rainfall.  We came across a traffic slowdown where work was being done to clean up a drainage area that had washed out, causing water to wash over the road.  When we got home, it was apparent that a heavy downpour had just gone through.  Looks like we dodged all the heavy rain that came through the area today.  Local weatherman says tomorrow will be a repeat of today.  

As we did the south rim today and we still have access to the park for a week, we plan on touring the north rim on Thursday (weather permitting).

Still kicking II

Nothing much to report as we have been sticking close to home until the truck gets repaired on Tuesday as John doesn't want to be on a gravel road somewhere and have us breakdown.  We are both starting to get a bit stir crazy.

We have been down to the rapids a couple of times and watched rafters and a couple of kayakers maneuvering through the rapids which is always interesting.  The river flow has come down quite a bit in the past week.  One guy in his small whitewater kayak got caught in the depression where the upper rapid flowed in to the lower rapid.  It was fascinating watching him work his kayak to get out the depression without rolling the kayak.  Once he was free of the depression and into the boiling water, he did end up rolling his kayak.  He wasn't upside down too long (must have been really cold on his face; he was wearing a dry suit) and was right side up again and floating down the river.  He and his buddy rode through the last rapid, floated a short way down the river, and paddled back up to the rapid to ride it again.  This was repeated several times as we watched.  They really looked like they knew what they were doing.

We attended today's potluck where the main dish was turkey gumbo (turkey that was left over from their turkey fry on Thursday which we missed) along with all the side dishes and desserts everyone brought.  We had fun table mates and sat for a while after dinner just chatting.  From the amount of food present, if anyone went home hungry, it was certainly their own fault.

We have been having issues with our new Samsung Hotspot internet device and are now on our second unit.   We got the replacement on Friday and all was well until this afternoon.  Spent an hour on the phone with tech support.  The device was showing we had connection, the computer showed we had connection, but we couldn't connect.  When we came back from the potluck, we were able to connect again.  Maybe it was a Verizon issue and not the device.  However, this evening, we keep getting bumped off both off the laptop and John's phone.  So frustrating.

Since we are being boring with nothing new to write about, I thought I would include some pictures of our local fox and doe from yesterday as well as the awesome sky we had this evening.

We haven't seen red skies like this since we left Tucson.  Gorgeous.

Still kicking

Not too much to blog about as we have just pretty much been hanging around the rig doing a whole of nothing lol.  

We did get the opportunity to meet fellow bloggers, Jo and Fred Wishnie, the other evening.  I read on their blog that they were in the area so I sent them an email (so unlike me lol) about meeting.  As it was, they were coming in to town for dinner that evening so they swung by and we had a very nice visit.  I'm glad that we were able to meet as I enjoy Jo's writing and Fred's photography.  Fred also has wise, practical wisdom he shares on a RV forum we read.  Another nice RVing couple we hope to see again one day down the road.  

Made a trip to Montrose today to visit the Ford dealer.  The MAP (Manifold Absolute Pressure) sensor is a goner.  Seems this part blends the fuel based on barometric readings.  As the part had to be ordered, we have to make another trip to Montrose on Tuesday.  The plus for John today was that he was able to have another wonderful burger at Cowboy Ciao which is within walking distance from the Ford dealer.

Random thoughts

My sister, Jan, thanks to the arrival of Giovanni (6 lbs 8ozs) this morning, is now a great-grandmother.  Holy cow!  Both mom and son are doing well.  

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John says we have hit a technical glitch area here in Gunnison.  See what you think:

1. Both of our small electric portable heaters (have had for 2 years or so) died within the last three weeks (since we have been here in Gunnison).
2. In an earlier post, I mentioned that our Motosat satellite for both internet and TV had a brain aneurysm.  Even with support from Motosat, we could not get it to stop going around and around and lock on to a satellite.  Motosat support gave up so did I.  So I cancelled our service.  Interestingly, they weren't at all interested as to why I cancelled.  No decision on remedying the TV situation as our TV antennae works well here.  Working on internet access.
3. Yesterday, John's Kindle (Christmas gift 2009) died.  A call to Amazon's Kindle support confirmed diagnosis.  We can get a retrofit 2nd Generation Kindle for $40+ and a 90-day warranty or buy a 3rd Generation for $139 with a one-year warranty.  I just know if we buy the 3rd Generation, they will shortly come out with the 4th Generation.  No decision on which direction to go as John can read from his iPhone for now.
4. Truck's engine light came back on, went off, and then came back on in the past few days.  We are thinking that it is related to poor quality diesel in the area.  The service tech at Ford in Montrose mentioned it and we have read it several times as well.  We used a different fuel source when we filled up yesterday morning and the light went off yesterday afternoon.  Light came back on later this morning.  We will give it three cold starts once again and will use a different fuel source for the next fill-up.  Who knows, we maybe going back to Montrose to visit the Ford Service Dept.

All I can say is enough already!

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John and I found a spot on the Gunnison River were you can watch watercraft go over some rapids.  After putting our hands into the water, we most certainly would not want to get dunked in the river - very cold. 

First set of rapids

 2nd set of rapids

 3rd set of rapids

 Rafters having fun going over rapids #2 and #3

 This is what happens when your raft doesn't make it over the first set of rapids.

Thankfully the three guys were fine but cold, wet, and lost all their gear.

So much for my random thoughts for tonight. 

Kaleidoscope of color

We headed for Crested Butte this morning to see the beautiful colors that the wild flowers have brought to the area as they appear to peaking.  The camera (or maybe the photographers) just can't begin to show you the layers of colors but we are going to share our pictures anyway.  To truly embrace the beauty for yourself, come to Crested Butte in mid-July if you can.

Lake City and Creede, CO

We set off on a little road trip to Lake City and Creede.  The drive found us driving along the scenic Lake Fork of the Gunnison as we headed to Lake City.  On the north side of Lake City sits a pretty lake called Lake San Cristobal.  The area is known to have moose but alas, no sightings were seen by us.  We would have to get up to that area way to early for any possible sightings LOL.  As a matter of fact, the only wildlife seen was a marmot and a doe.

We were told about a beautiful waterfall south of Lake City.  We pulled up to the area to discover that the area was under reconstruction and they weren't letting anyone in. Darn it - I so enjoy the sights and sounds of a waterfall.

We even got to see the headwaters for the Rio Grande which makes it winding way down to the Gulf of Mexico.  The Rio Grande is the third longest river in the US.  The first is the Mississippi and the second is the Missouri.

As we proceeded to Creed, we drove through an area that was badly dying due to bug infestation.  What a shame to see all those beautiful conifers dead or dying. The area reminded us the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park where so much of the forest was destroyed by beetles.

Not sure what we expected going to Creede but I guess it was safe to say that we weren't impressed.  The town does have the Creede Repertory Theater which draws good reviews.  As we drove through the town, we recalled the suggestion to keep driving and we would see the remnants of a large mining town.  The road up to the mine was closed so we hiked up to get a closer look.  From there we headed into town and picked Tips Grill for lunch where we had a good lunch.

After being fortified, we headed back home.  As is typical, we got sprinkled on.  However, none of what we've experienced compares to what the Denver area is being bombarded with: 8 days of hail, wind, lightning, rain, and lots of flooding.  Right now Denver is about 3.2 inches above normal for the month of July and more rain on the horizon.  To bad some of this rain couldn't be shared with other areas that so badly need the moisture.

Technical Difficulty

We are having technical difficulties.  First, the park's wifi is only half functioning (and not at our site) due to a lightning strike.  Secondly, our Motosat satellite has decided to have a brain aneurysm.  We had the Motosat stowed for days while we have had afternoon thunderstorms.  All clear this morning so I went to put the Motosat up and it would not lock on.  After 4+ hours with various Motosat support staff, downloading firmware, sat file, and changing various settings - all the darn thing wants to do is spin around and around.  Even Motosat's support staff doesn't know what to do now and wants time to think about it.  I guess it is time to put the Motosat down permanently and go to an aircard or mifi for internet access.

Yesterday, we headed out to Crested Butte to see wildflowers but with such an overcast sky and threatening rain, we decided to take the drive over Ohio Pass instead.  We were sure happy that we did as we saw wildflowers and so much more.  We also stopped at Irwin Lake and were surprised at the number of people that were there recreating.  

We will let the picture slideshow tell the story:

                                                                                                              

Change in plans

After watching the weather report last night, we decided to forego our exploration today as foul weather was on the horizon.  The monsoon moisture has been coming up from Arizona and has been providing us daily with rain, wind, and thunderstorms.   Yesterday, the Denver area had 10,000 lightning strikes and today wasn't much different. A number of houses have been struck by lightning and have burned. Glad we aren't in the Denver area.  Thankfully, it does look like the middle of the week is going to be bringing nicer weather so we will be happy to venture out then.

We did some geocaching before the weather turned sour.  We were able to find the cache that we couldn't find the other day - whoo hoo.  Easy way to entertain ourselves and get a little exercise at the same time.  It was a fun day even if we didn't venture very far.

Just hanging around

We haven't done much this weekend other than to make a trip to the grocery store.  This evening we took part in the Sunday hamburger/hot dog potluck.  We had a nice time visiting with neighbors.  So many of them have quads and talk about going this place and that place.  It does appear to be a beautiful area for a lot of back country exploring.

Tomorrow they are doing some roadwork between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.  If we don't get out before 7 a.m., we may not be able to get out at all.  So we've decided to set the alarm clock (gasp) for 5 a.m. so that we can be out the park and set about exploring some unseen territory before 7 a.m.  We were given some suggestions that have got our juices flowing so off to a new adventure tomorrow.  Stay tuned.

Taylor and Spring Creek Reservoirs

This morning we stopped at the store to pick up some goodies for a picnic as we were heading up to Taylor Lake.  We also took the Garmin with us as I had downloaded some geocaches to find while we were out and about.  Found all but one; darn it.

The drive out of Almont was a pretty one along the Taylor River with the strong smell of sage along with pine.  We had been told about this drive by our neighbors, Dean and Janis, so we knew that we would be coming to a popular fishing area where big trout hang out.  The area is at the headwaters as the water comes out of the Taylor Dam.  When we stopped, there were a number of fly fishermen on both sides of the river.  Almost everyone said that they weren't catching any as the fish were too smart.  The water was so crystal clear that you could easily see the fish.  All the fishing in this area is catch and release using flies or lures. 

We found a pretty spot on Taylor Reservoir to have a picnic lunch.  The view was gorgeous. We drove down to the marina to see how much it would cost to launch our pontoon boat and were told no charge.  Really?  There is a campground near the lake that we didn't drive through but it did look like there were good sized rigs parked in there.  Lots of trails for quading and trails for jeeping.

Our pictures were so pretty that we couldn't pick just a few so I redesigned the blog to allow for a slide show with larger pictures.  Hope you enjoy the beauty of the area as much as we are.

Maintenance and Pitkin, CO

Yesterday, John had some maintenance items he wanted to complete so we hung out at home.  I took advantage of the down time to do some laundry.  

Later in the day, from our back windows,

First there was one:

 Then there were two:

 Then there were three:

 No worries:

Today, we took a drive to an old mining town called Pitkin that then lead to gravel road and National Forest.  A lot of original old buildings along with many newer homes.  If you are in to quading or four wheeling, this place could be for you.  We saw more quads on the road than vehicles if that tells you anything.  Once the road narrowed down, we turned ourselves around and headed home. 

Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte, CO

We took the very scenic drive up to Crested Butte with a stop at the Visitor's Center.  We then walked about the town looking at the cute buildings most of which are retail or food related.  A quaint little town with a lot of history as it began as a placer gold mining town.  The town became a supply center for the silver camps that surrounded the area.  The town sits at an elevation of 8780 feet and is pretty much surrounded by beautiful mountains.  The area seems to embrace culture and right now through August 14, Crested Butte is hosting a music festival that includes symphony, opera, dance, chamber, bluegrass, and jazz; a little something for everyone.

Crested Butte is also considered the wildflower capital of Colorado and the town puts out a nice pamphlet as a bloom locator.  We were happy to see that the blooms have already begun as we were told that mid-July is the optimum time for viewing.

From there we drove up to Mt. Crested Butte which is now a premier winter ski and summer tourist resort.  The ski slope was opened in 1960 and the town was incorporated in 1974.  There is a lot of money up on that mountain.

The area was so beautiful that I have created a slide slow of some of our favorite pictures.  We plan on returning in a week or two when there will be even more wildflowers blooming.  Hope you enjoy the pictures.

We can't wait to see more that this area has to offer!

Gunnison, CO

We hope everyone has/had a wonderful 4th of July.  We celebrated with a wonderful meal here at Palisades Senior RV Park and are now off to watch the fireworks.

To those in our military, past, present and future, we want to say thank you for your service.

Wow, wow, wow.  Gunnison puts on a wonderful fireworks display.  I think just about everyone in town came out to watch but one didn't feel cramped sitting in the park.  Patriotism was rampant by those in attendance.  We had seats front and center (lucked out) and enjoyed ourselves tremendously.

My little point and shoot did a nice job capturing some of the fireworks.  I was even running low on battery power.  Note to self: check battery level before using.

Hot Air Balloon Surprise

As we were out of everything to do with breakfast, we decided to go out for breakfast and we were sure glad we did.  As we approached the stoplight, we several hot air balloons in the sky.  We have seen an occasional one here and there in the mornings but not a dozen.  Here are a few pictures of what we saw.  It was sure neat to walk down main street and look up and see and hear the hot air balloons just above the buildings.  

From what we were told, some businesses sponsor a ballooning club to put on a show today in Gunnison and tomorrow in Crested Butte.  We certainly enjoyed it.

Breakfast was excellent at W Cafe.  John got his breakfast and went to sprinkle on some pepper and the lid came off and doused his meal with pepper.  The server saw it when it happened and she quickly took his plate away and said she would come back with a fresh plate.  She said they had had a problem with kids loosening the salt and pepper shaker lids but thought they had gone around and tightened them all down.  We got a laugh out of it and John will now check the salt/pepper shaker lids to make sure they are on tight.  

After a visit to the grocery store, we pretty much hung out at home.  John did go up and wash off the roof because the rain and wind we received a couple of days ago pretty much made a mess.

With all the red flag warnings and wild fires in several states, we were a little spooked this afternoon to see smoke from a grass file up over the hill from us.  Luckily, we learned that it was a controlled burn and they did keep it under control.

My sister texted me that it was 108 degrees in Palmdale, CA; I texted back that it was 80.1 degrees here.  She called me a brat - imagine that lol. We much prefer these temperatures to those.

We had heard that there was a little red fox that appears most nights in the field behind us.  Tonight we got to see him for the first time.

Another beautiful day

Time sure is flying by as the first six months of 2011 are gone already.

John and I went exploring on our walk and made it down to the Gunnison River.  There is a nice little park with a pond with small trout we could see, picnic tables, and bathrooms.  The river is running full and fast.

Along our path was this beautiful blooming bush.  I have no idea what it is but it sure was pretty.

After cleaning up after our walk, we decided to head to Montrose and kill some time by having lunch before our appointment at the Ford dealer.  Got in the truck, started it up, and the engine light goes off. We look at one another - great.  The Owner's Book says if the light goes out after three cold starts, you can just go on with your life.  We both agreed that we wanted to know why the light came on in the first place so off we headed to Montrose.

We stopped at this little restaurant just up the street from the Ford dealership called Cowboy Ciao.  What a good call.  John had their Friday special burger and said it was the best burger he has had in years.  He said it reminded him of the burgers his Aunt Mary and Uncle Moe use to make in their drive-in diner.  I had a pastrami sub which also was very good; pastrami was lean and tasty.  John helped me out by finishing off my sub and agreed that it was very good. They also hand-cut their own french fries and sweet potato fries.

So we get to the Ford dealer and they take the truck in for diagnostics.  They find nothing other than it appears that the dealership in Cortez didn't remove the code for the failed thermostats.  We have put on almost 2,000 miles since that happened and the OBD computer just detected it?  There were no other explanations; truck is  running fine and there is nothing wrong. Great news but sheesh.

On the drive back to Gunnison, we saw a number of RVs and vehicles towing boats on the road headed both east and west but nothing like we thought we would see.  We had only two RV's pull in today and the park is only half-full considering it is a major holiday.