Black Canyon South Rim and Crested Butte

Thursday May 24th we went back to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. Last time we went to the north rim so this time we headed for the south rim to hike and check out the sites. I think the views from the south rim are just as, if not more, spectacular than the north rim.

The north rim does not have a visitor center but the south rim does so it was our first stop. Whenever we go to a national park visitor center we buy a hiking medallion as you can see from our hiking sticks. Our memories are failing so we use the sticks to remember where we've been.

We get quite a few comments and interest from the other hikers about our sticks. Many of them don't realize these medallions are available.

At the visitor center we viewed a video of the history of the canyon which was very interesting and informative.

The Black Canyon, as a geographic feature, is 48 miles in length and 2,772 feet deep at Warner Point. The Canyon is managed by both the National Park Service and Bureau of Land Management.

In just 48 miles in the canyon the Gunnison River loses more elevation than the 1,500 mile Mississippi River does from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. The river drops an average of 96 feet per mile in the national park. We are able to hear the roar of the river's white water from the rim.

"Some are longer, some are deeper, some are narrower, and a few have walls as steep," writes geologist Wallace Hansen. "But no other canyon in North America combines the depth, narrowness, sheerness, and somber countenance of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.

The visitor center is located at a very scenic part of the canyon with an awesome overlook.

As we drove along the south rim road there were many areas to stop and hike out to the overlooks. One thing that surprised us was the number of bikers pumping their bikes up the steep road. I like to bike but not these roads with the steep up and downs. (Pete, you would like the steep roads. Wayne and I would not.)

The trails to the overlooks range from 100 yards to a couple of miles and along the paths we were treated to the sites and smells of the wild flowers. At each of the overlooks we were again amazed by the awesome views.

It was a great day although my foot did get sore on the last trail but it was worth it. We were both glad to get back to the camper and prop up our feet.

Friday May 25th we took a road trip to Crested Butte which is up in the mountains with the ski areas.

It is a quaint little town for artists, tourists, and of course skiers. Bev and I walked up main street to check out all the little shops and viewed some interesting art along the way. We did stop in one place for ice cream. (Life is good when your eating ice cream.)

We headed further up the mountain towards the ski area, the place is loaded with high priced houses and many condos.

This was another great day. The weather was clear and the temperature comfortable.

The great thing about living and traveling in an RV is you wake up to new scenery out your front window on a regular basis. There is so much to see and do in this great country of ours that we will never be able to see it all no matter how long we live. Other countries are great and we have seen some but why go elsewhere when we have the best to offer right here.

Many people need consistency in their lives and need to wake up in the same place everyday, seeing, and doing the same things everyday. I can understand that and we have that consistency because we wake up in our home every day but with new and exciting scenery out our window.

Bev and Tom Livin and Lovin the RV lifestyle.

I'm back! I haven't posted a blog lately because we just spent our time visiting Pam, Kent, and Elisabeth along with relaxing around the camper. We started our touring again so now I have something to say.

Monday May 14th Bev, Holly, Kevin, and I went to the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. We checked out the visitor center and drove around the campus taking pictures.

Inside the Visitor Center is a glider hanging from the ceiling. The cadets can go up in gliders like this one to view the academy from the air.

We didn't spend much time there because we had to drop Holly and Kevin at the Airport for their flight home.

We really had a great time with Holly and Kevin while they were in Colorado for Elisabeth's graduation. The highlight was when Kevin made us all steaks at Pam and Kent's house. He used Fillet Mignon cuts and grilled them to absolute perfection. This was the best steak dinner we ever had. The proof was that everyone cleaned every morsel of food from their plates. Thanks again Kevin it was fantastic.

A couple of days later Bev and I returned to the Air Force Academy to see the chapel. Bev had seen it a few years ago but I have never seen the chapel. I'm glad we returned.

This is a court yard looking from the steps of the chapel.

Wednesday May 16th Bev and I went to the Garden of the Gods which is a Colorado Springs city park.

Bev thinks the Perkins in this plaque could be a distant relative. Yeah, sure.

The amazing Balanced Rock. Amazingly, the narrow pedestal supporting Balanced Rock has held the 700-ton weight for thousands of years.

Here is a brave sole climbing a rock. The park issues permits for people that want to rock climb. They are first checked out to see if they have the right equipment and are experienced climbers.

Around 300 million years ago, the Ancestral Rockies once stood here. Over time the magnificent peaks eroded into swift streams full of sediments. These sediments were eventually pressed and cemented into solid rock. The new rocks took the form of sands full of iron oxide creating red sandstone rock, muds forming softer, more delicate shales, and a mixture of sand and pebbles called conglomerate.

The rocks were exposed more than 60 million years ago when the existing Rocky Mountains rose. As the mountains rose the pressure forced the rocks to crack, break, and to stand on end. What we see today are the rocks that were subject to the forces of wind and water.

Thursday May 17th Bev and I decided to hike to the summit of Pikes Peak which is over 14,000 feet high. It was quite a hike but we made it to the top.

Actually we did hike up to where the viewing platform is but only a short walk from where the Cog Railway car stopped. We like to hike but 14,000 feet? I think not.

This makes the third Cog Railway we were on. The other two are the Cog Railway on Mount Washington in New Hampshire, and the Cog Railway up to the Matter Horn in Switzerland.

Here is a photo of the Cog Railway station (front and back) at the bottom of Pikes Peak.

We are still climbing.

We are getting close.

We made it to the top.

We hiked from where the Cog Railway car stopped to this viewing platform. Hey, that was enough hiking at this altitude! The air is thin up here.

I know, this is an awful lot to cover in one blog but we were always on the go and I didn't have a chance to post a blog.

Tomorrow Saturday the 19th we are back on the road again. We will be heading to Gunnison, CO and the Blue Mesa RV Resort. We have been there before and liked the area so we are returning to see the sights we missed.

Tuesday May 8th Bev and I picked up Holly and Kevin at the Denver International Airport. After getting them settled in at their hotel we all headed to Pam and Kent's house for more food and fun. We always have a great time with Pam and Kent and Bev just loves being with her sisters. It was too bad that Bev and Pam's middle sister Linda wasn't here to complete the family but she had to stay home to recover from knee surgery. (We love and miss you Linda, you are in all of our thoughts.)

Wednesday May 9th (Oh it's my birthday - happy birthday to me) Holly, Kevin, Bev and I did some sight seeing. We headed up the mountains to visit the casinos at Central City, CO. It is a great old mining town of yesteryear which is now dedicated to the casinos. We all played the slots but didn't win our fortunes. Kevin treated us to my birthday dinner at one of the casinos so I came out ahead of the game (thank you Kevin). The scenery heading up here was awesome.

Check out the sign at Annie Oakley's dispensary in Central City. No wonder the people here are so happy.

I didn't post any pictures of the spectacular mountain scenery because pictures just don't do it justice. You have to come to Colorado to enjoy this beautiful state.

Our next stop was Buffalo Bill's Museum & Grave. By his request, Buffalo Bill was buried on Lookout Mountain in 1917, overlooking the Great Plains and the Rockies. It is only thirty minutes from downtown Denver.

I did not realize that he was a MEDAL OF HONOR recipient.

Holly and Kevin blocking the view of the valley. Hey, Kevin took us out for my birthday dinner so I have to give him and Holly some space on the blog.

Thursday May 10th back to Pam and Kent's house. Today is Elisabeth's graduation from the College of Music, University of Colorado Boulder. We took pictures at the house before we headed out to Boulder. We were so sad that Linda was not here to be in these pictures but she is definitely in our hearts and minds.

Mom and Dad with Elisabeth

Holly and Kevin with Elisabeth

Bev, Me, Holly, Elisabeth, Kent, Pam

Notice I am hiding in the back. That's what happens when you get to fat, you hide.

Next we headed to the University of Colorado Boulder where she received her Bachelor of Music Education. Congratulation Elisabeth!

This is the moment

Linda got to see the ceremonies though because Pam "skyped" Linda using Elisabeth's IPad. Isn't technology great? Between Bev and Pam they held up the IPad capturing the feed during the whole ceremony. I bet their arms were tired.

This phase of the ceremony is over but tomorrow we will attend the main graduation ceremony with the whole university.

Friday May 11th back on the road to Boulder, CO. Bev and I were up at 4:15 am, picked up Holly and Kevin 5:45 and hit McDonald's for breakfast (oh yes, I had a Sausage McMuffin with Egg & medium coffee - life is good).

We arrived back in Boulder at 6:45 am because the stadium opened up at 7:00 am. The graduation ceremonies started about 8:30 am. We arrived early because the crowds were expected to be enormous and we wanted great seats. We were right on the first row close to where Elisabeth would be sitting and was able to see her as she filed in to her seat. Once the throngs of graduates were seated though we lost view of her.

We were seated on the opposite side from this view and it was filled to capacity.

With around 5000 graduates they didn't call out each name individually but conferred the Degree by each of the individual Colleges as a group.

The temperature was in the low 40's with a breeze so it was cold sitting in the stadium. We were prepared though and was dressed for winter. The speeches were interesting and we had a great time at the commencement ceremonies. Thank you Pam, Kent, and Elisabeth for inviting us.

Congratulations Elisabeth, you worked hard for your Degree and we are all very proud of you. Good luck on your next phase working for your Masters.

Tuesday May 1st we hit the road again heading for Colorado to attend our niece Elizabeth's graduation from college. It has been a couple of months since we were on the road and Bev and I really had "hitch itch". We were also looking forward to getting away from the cold Connecticut weather.

There are two options for heading to Denver, the northern route I-80 or the central route I-70. I-80 is 33 miles shorter but the tolls are wicked so we opted for I-70. It only cost us $4.25 for tolls in Kansas which was a whole lot better than what we would have paid heading out I-80.

It was a great trip out and only took us 5 days and 4 nights. I don't like to cover so many miles in such a short time but I was in the traveling mood so we pounded the highways. The weather was great and most of the trip was in the 80's with warm comfortable nights for sleeping. As for sleeping it didn't cost us a thing because the first 2 nights we spent at Flying J Travel Plazas. I have their loyalty card so we get 2 cents off per gallon and they have great RV parking spaces. They also have a Denny's restaurant on site for our evening meals. What more can you ask for, a break on gas, free parking for the night, and a place to eat. Life doesn't get any better than this. (By the way the price of gas was a lot cheaper as soon as we left Connecticut.)

The next 2 nights we spent at Walmart because there was no Flying J when we were ready to stop. Walmart is a great place to spend the night. It's quiet, has security cameras, restaurants in the area, and there are always other campers to keep you company. Walmart is great for RVers because the majority of stores let you spend the night and it's convenient to pick up the supplies you need. (We always spend money with them getting our supplies.) Proper protocol dictates that you check with the store manager, park where they suggest, and keep a low profile. It should not be treated as a campground, dropping leveling jacks, running out awnings, and setting up grills & lawn chairs.

Saturday May 5th (Bev's 70th Birthday - happy birthday Bev) we arrived at our destination the Colorado Heights Resort, Monument , CO where we will be for the next two weeks. We usually park at Cherry Creek State Park in Aurora near Pam and Kent's house but we are cheap and didn't want to spend the money. Colorado Heights Resort is part of the ROD campgrounds where we camp for free. (Free is good, although we do have to pay annual dues but it still costs a whole lot less.)

The site is small but it is a great level wooded campsite with full hookups. It was a bit of a job getting a signal but I finally got our Direct TV antenna pointed through the trees. Most of us full time and long time RVers need our TV.

Our Campsite Colorado Heights, Monument, CO

The last couple of days we have been visiting with Bev's sister Pam, her husband Kent, and of course Elizabeth whose graduation we came to attend. It's a 40 minute ride from our campground to their house but it is still cheaper than camping at Cherry Creek. Kent took us all out to supper at BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse for Bev's birthday. The food and beer was great, thank you very much Kent it was an enjoyable evening. Pam and Kent are great hosts and we really enjoy visiting them.

Yesterday we had supper at Pam's house and Kent was outstanding, he supplied me with Stella Artois beer which is my favorite. Pam your supper was great but Kent was the star supplying the beer.

Our trip was nice and warm in the 80's but as you know the weather is random and will eventually change. Well did it change! The temperature dropped like a rock! Last night it was down below freezing and today, Monday, we are sitting in the camper watching it SNOW. The snow is not sticking because the ground is warm but it is still SNOW! I disconnected the water hose and will use the on-board water tank until the temperature gets warm again. (No sense in letting our water hose freeze solid.) Well it is only May and we are in Colorado so I guess we should expect it.

Tomorrow we will be picking up our daughter Holly and friend Kevin at the Airport and of course hanging out at Pam and Kent's house. We have two graduations to attend Thursday is Elizabeth's Music School graduation and Friday is her College graduation.

While we are in the area we also plan on seeing the sights before we move to our next location someplace north. Our plans are always set in Jello.