Trip #36 (4): Estes Park, CO

June 4 - 14, 2011

Colorado: Bent’s Old Fort, Lathrop State Park, San Isabel Lake, Cherry Creek State Park Denver, Estes Park East Portal Campground (Wool Market), Carbondale (V10)

A pull-through at a smoky Lathrop State Park.

4 Saturday - Left a beautiful cool Durango about 10am and after a couple of stops made it to the  Walsenburg area. First two nights at Lathrop State Park (#79, electric with water on site, $20) one mile west of Walsenburg, situated on two lakes. Not the most beautiful park in the world, and the smoke from the Arizona fires really hazed out the distant mountain scenery. Got set up around 4pm the first day so just did a short hike up the hogback for the overlook. Pretty cool but didn't take the camera.

5 Sunday - Warm and windy, summer came fast over here. Heading over to Bent’s Old Fort today, driving east into Colorado's plains and into the vast nothingness. Just needs a buffalo herd and the scene would be complete. About 80 miles later we arrived in old La Junta and found the fort a few miles out of town. It was  reconstructed in the 1970s by the national park system from drawings made by a visitor back in the day. Excellent job. Must have been quite the place on the Santa Fe Trail in the 1840s. Kit Carson was a friend of the Bents and often was a visitor; one of the Bent brothers later became governor of New Mexico, with a bad end. We caught the tail-end of an annual re-enactor's weekend so we saw glimpses of period costumes which helped set the scene for how it might have looked (in a highly sanitized, modern way I'm sure). By the time we left it was 94 hot, dry degrees. Came back and took a three mile walk around one of the lakes.  

The History of Bent’s Old Fort “Castle of the Plains” -- William and Charles Bent, along with Ceran St. Vrain, built the original fort on this site in 1833 to  trade with trappers and Native Americans, primarily the Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, for buffalo robes. The adobe fort quickly became the center of the Bent, St.Vrain Company’s expanding trade empire that included Fort St. Vrain to the north and Fort Adobe to the south, along with company stores in Mexico at Taos and Santa Fe. 

For much of its 16-year history, the adobe fort was the only major permanent white settlement on the Santa Fe Trail between Missouri and the Mexican settlements around Santa Fe. The fort provided explorers, adventurers, and the U.S. Army a place to get needed supplies, wagon repairs, livestock, good food, water, camaraderie, rest and protection in the vast “Great American Desert.” The famous Western scout Kit Carson was a hunter for the fort from 1831 to 1842. During the war with Mexico in 1846, the fort became a staging area for Colonel Stephen Watts Kearny’s “Army of the West.” Disasters and disease caused the fort’s abandonment in 1849. Archaeological excavations and original sketches, paintings and diaries were used in the fort’s reconstruction in 1976.

In the center is a press for compressing buffalo hides and furs for transport.

No doubt discussing who they lost in the last indian attack.

A large painted elk hide called a “Winter Count,” contains a Cheyenne picture history. The painting depicts events such as a meteor shower in 1833 called “the night the stars fell,” the murder of Charles Bent, and outbreaks of
measles and whooping cough which ravaged the Southern Cheyennes.

It might have looked like this... in Hollywood maybe.

6 Monday - Today we’d drive a whole 20 miles north for the next stop, San Isabel recreation area. Supposed to be 96 in Pueblo but since we climbed into the mountains it was in the 70s up here. Nice small lake, we got one of the few spots left, surrounded by aspens, very nice. and very windy. and so quiet. Spot #26, with electric and water across the road, $19 a night. Went for a drive back into the mountains and found Squirrel Creek, which signage made mention of the Ludlow labor strike so need to look into that. We see that Ludlow was south of here, the signage wasn’t very helpful with context. Then we found Bishops Castle, WTF is this, not quite sure, will have to google. But Mr. Bishop was there, still building his castle since 1969; today he explained to Bill he was working on his moat bridge. He allows visitors and hopes for donations. A short conversation quickly went into anti-government, Illuminati, etc. Well ok then. Quite a place; I’ll let the photos speak for themselves. Came back and walked around the lake. Half way anyway. Sat outside in the wind for happy hour, ate and watched a movie. No cell service here.

This is the real deal. This really exists in Colorado.

Here is Bill, trying to find words...

Bill with the man himself. Doesn't take long before you hear what he really thinks.

7 Tuesday - Didn’t sleep much on account of Mr. wheezie-allergies made noise all night. Super windy but real sunny. The wind has not blown the smoke over yet. I was too tired so Bill hiked about 4 miles without me; said it was mostly uphill so kinda glad I missed it. Beautiful beautiful clear day though still a bit breezy. Later went to “town” to Rye on the Old San Isabel Road to check e-mail and go to the store. It was a windy dirt country road, but nice scenery, saw a deer. Also saw some fires out on the eastern horizon toward LaJunta. The Arizona fires are still burning at this time, so far they say it’s the state’s third worst in history. And zero contained.

8 Wednesday - Got an early start to head for Denver. Sunny day, but overcast in the Big D after we arrived. Left early enough to stop at the Castle Rock outlet mall but didn’t do a lot of damage. Also missed the worst of the traffic as we arrived to Cherry Creek campground in the SE part of town. Huge park surrounded by the city, even saw three deer in there. We had a nice corner spot in Coyote Loop that must have been the magpie nursery, non-stop squawking. The only thing noisier than a magpie is a baby magpie. The last day I saw the baby. The mother would wait for cars to go by and disturb the bugs then she could catch them; talk about a product of the environment. And speaking of bugs -- huge moths would invade the trailer somehow and come out flying during our evening movie. Like one at a time, five times a night. A real pain, because I was knitting under the light getting bombarded. I should have let in the magpie. Bob and Sue are in the midst of packing and closing on a new house but were able to meet for dinner. Unfortunately they had to put Tiger down today so not the best of times. She was 14. RIP Tiger. 

Navajo inspired sculpture at the Denver Botanic Garden

9 Thursday - An overcast and cooler day, and we got a slower start today beginning with lunch at Applebees (not bad actually) and a little shopping at our favorite place: The Container Store, then on to the Denver Botanic Gardens. Fabulous gardens and really enjoyed seeing all the native plants, just wished they had out more identifying signage. Hoping Bill’s inspiration lasts until we get home. After that, stopped for cookies to take on our visit to Bill's uncle, 94-year-old Frank, who continues to amaze us, still pretty darn sharp. Ended up at Bob and Sue's for pizza and helped with some packing. The china and crystal cabinet -- agh, the scary stuff!! Finished at midnight, good and tired.  

Bill and Frank, June 2011

10 Friday - Finally we head to Estes for the Wool Market tomorrow! Weather a little better, low 60s and sunnier. What a difference from last year upon arrival in Estes (rain for four days). Our campground was literally just outside the park at the east portal. Small site with a streaming puddle, but water nonetheless. Hummers buzzing around until they finally found my little travel feeder. Arrived early enough to get in a 5.5 mile hike right here by the camp, another vertical hike, not my fave, but pretty in the trees and perfect weather. Saw a deer, not elk, which is unusual. Stuck around here for dinner and had an early night.

Found my campground.

Finally a squirrel that looks like the Florida kind.

11 Saturday - Wool market! Beautiful weather, no rain, no mud and pavement! And brighter inside the fairgrounds building, and crowded at 9:30 am. Stumbled around for 2.5 hours filling my new bag (from the container store) and Bill came and got me and we went for a mexican lunch. That was good, I was hungry, worked up an appetite opening my wallet so many times. The town was packed so we didn’t stick around -- went back to camp for a hike, same start, different path; this time to Sprague Lake. Weather now clouding up but kept dry and we made it the 4.2 miles UP and back to the lake. That was a tough climb. Two groups of horseback riders passed us and the horses looked to be stuggling down the hill so that made me feel better as it was a bee-otch to climb. Again stayed in for dinner and watched a movie with the moths. They are huge but I get them. Tomorrow we head for Glenwood Springs to prepare for the V10 car deal.

Sprague Lake. All that snow still in July.

Saw lots of lady elks and their bambinos too.

12 Sunday - Up early and out of Estes on a very beautiful day. It’s biking season around here, sheesh, every town was having a bike race. Lyons, Golden, Boulder. We headed south to hit I-70 where they were biking on the interstate’s shoulders... whaa?? sounds quite dangerous to me but they were all over the place. I looked for big horn sheep, as I always do, around Idaho Springs, but didn't see any. As we went along (and I was knitting) suddenly Bill says, “There’s some sheep!” And there they were, RIGHT ON THE HIGHWAY munching grass along the shoulder. I couldn’t believe it as we zoomed past at 55. They were big and as I recall, bright white. It happened so fast I didn't have time to get a shot, dang it. The poor VW worked hard up those big mountains. We made our way to Glenwood Springs, and with no decent campgrounds ANYWHERE we went south to Carbondale to a great expensive $35 spot but at least on a roaring river. I guess the snow melt is high just now so flood warnings are out, and of course, here we are along the, what looks to be, permanent sandbags.

Bikers on the interstate. hmm. They wouldn't last 2 minutes in Fla, that's for sure. This was near Vail.

Nice spot outside Carbondale.

Anyone looking for a fixer-upper? There was a field of five toasters in Carbondale, not sure why but someone is collecting.

13 Monday - Early to Glenwood Springs, but the gal selling wasn’t ready until about 11am, as she was having a new windshield installed. But after many stops and starts (she lost her cell phone too), we finally finished the deal by 2pm with the wire transfer. So since we had time to kill in the morning, we took a mile walk up to the Doc Holliday memorial. They say he’s buried somewhere in this cemetery so he has a nice marker now, and lots of visitors, such as ourselves. Later we went back to the trailer; nice day but we just took a 2-mile walk down the road so Billy can ponder what he just did...

What you do when you're in a cemetery without a pen.

A very happy camper. That's the new one on the left. The old one's in the middle HAHAHAHAAA

14 Tuesday - Left Carbondale early, thinking we’d go as far as Ridgway, but were there by 1 pm so kept going all the way home. Beautiful day for a drive in a 2007 v10 following a big honkin’ Airstream. I had to pass him at least once. OK, maybe twice.

Almost to Ridgway, and then kept going "wee wee" (literally) all the way home.

Trip #35 (3): Viva Las Vegas, and points between

April 22 - May 3, 2011

Arizona: Flagstaff & Route 66

Nevada: Las Vegas and Valley of Fire

Utah: Zion, Kodachrome Basin, Capitol Reef & Natural Bridges area

Friday, Apr. 22 - Left a cool and breezy Durango by 9:30 am, it was in the 40s. Took 160 west out of Dodge and arrived at Cameron Trading Post in Arizona, our original destination for day 1, pretty early at 3pm and, with Arizona's no-daylight-saving  time, it was only 2. Shopped a little at the big trading post and decided to move on to Flagstaff for the night. There in Flagstaff we stayed at Woodland Campground on Route 66. Very tired, but we did unhook and go to town. Had dinner at the Beaver Street Brewery, very packed on a Friday night, good thing we arrived early. Afterward we walked around town and, of course, there was the cursing town lunatic in our path. I thought he had come out of a store cursing someone out, only to find he just walks the sidewalks doing that. We veered off to a side road, escaping his wrath. It was a pretty cool night. 
 

Saturday, Apr. 23 - Weather good, windy of course. Took the interstate from Flagstaff to Peach Springs, and then to Route 66 through Seligman (the birthplace of the famous road) and Kingman. 

A rather strange yet familiar greeting when you arrive in Seligman.

The cactus bloom were spectacular around Kingman.

Again decided to keep going (explaining why we don't plan a lot in advance) and ended up camping at Lake Mead at Boulder Beach campground. Drove over the new bridge to here, but with the high walls you can't see a thing. Will have to come back to see Hoover Dam. Weather getting warmer now in Nevada, and the campsites were lined with blooming oleanders. It was Easter weekend so it was pretty busy, but after a few laps we finally secured a nice spot, tho not down by the water. Actually there weren't any spots on the lake anyway. Took a nice walk down to the beach, which was packed with families for the weekend.

If you ask, you get the tree.

Sunday, Apr. 24 - Arrived in Las Vegas Oasis RV Park early in the day. Oh my, this place looks like Disney World, huge. And just a few miles off the strip. Very, very windy today. Since Vic et al were still on their tour, we used this day to tour Hoover Dam and the new bridge. Later that night we had dinner at a neighborhood Thai place, not bad. Finally we went to Mandalay Bay to meet up with everyone, who were just finishing up their tour farewell dinner. Went up to the room and caught up. Tomorrow we shall hit the town...

Hoover Dam generator room

The dam and the bridge all in one -- thanks Dad for the photo stitching.

The beautiful new bridge.

A display to show how the dam was built in sections.

(I gave this a good swift kick as I went by.)

It was the 30s -- they wanted a deco-look on the terrazzo  floors.

Check out that line by the door.

 

Monday, Apr. 25 - Today it was decided that we should see Las Vegas. But first, the guys went to get a rental car. Then we all piled in the van (six of us) and drove toward the other end of the strip to see the Pawn Stars place. Just an ordinary place, but with a line at the front door to get in. So we just took pics and passed on our chance to see Rick, Chumlee and the Old Man. and Big Hoss. Their loss. Took the car back to the Four Seasons then headed out on foot. Pretty warm, but beautiful day as we trecked on up the strip as far as the Bellagio. Earlier we had a mexican lunch in the Luxor, that was pretty good. Got to visit the M&M store, the Coke store and all the major hotels in between. 

The real reason I wanted to go to Vegas.

Toured the beautiful gardens in the Bellagio, as well as rested under the Chihuly ceiling in the lobby. The place was packed, and so many families. What recession? Later we cleaned up and went to the Gold Coast Casino to meet up with D for dinner. It was here we discovered the nickel slots. A lot of action for the loss of a few dollars. But wait, I did cash out with $4.65, with money on loan. Not a bad deal.

The Chihuly glass art ceiling in the Bellagio.

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

just cool.

 

Tuesday, Apr. 26 - Today was a road trip, with seven now crammed into the van, to visit the Valley of Fire, about 50 miles away. Nice place, good visitor center, hiked a wash and saw lots of petroglyphs. The gang had moved to the Palazzo so we later dined at Valentino's in the Venetian and took some time to walk around the Venetian. WOW is all I can say. That was really huge and amazing with the canals and all. However, the nickel machines sucked. Later we went up to their room and watched a slide show and said our goodbyes. Time for them to go; time for us to hit Utah. 

Those ancient ones really knew dog behavior.

Entirely inside. Pretty amazing this side of Orlando.

Wednesday, Apr. 27 - Our next stop would be Zion National Park, our second visit. Weather was fantastic, 60s and breezy, but the camp was another story: it was completely invaded with catapillers. I mean ALL OVER, hanging off tables, crawling all over campsites, hanging in the trees, dropping on you... gross. It was so bad they refunded our prepayment and we only stayed one night. 

About as gross as it gets.

I deserve some credit -- we stayed one night and flung them away the whole time. gross. way gross.

We were able to get a more open space, but they were still crawling on the ground. Get me outta here. Again, sometimes it's tough to plan ahead, you never know what you will find.

Thursday, Apr. 28 - Fortunately, Kodachrome Basin State Park had a full hookup opening so off we went as soon as we could. This park is just south of Bryce. We arrived to perfect weather but slowly it got windier. Did the 11 mile drive to Grosvenor Arch and checked out the scenery (rocks). Did some short hiking around the campground.

That's us. Quite the setting, eh?

"Sixty-seven monolithic stone spires called sedimentary pipes accentuate multi-hued sandstone layers revealing 180 million years of geologic time.  The color and beauty found here prompted a 1948 National Geographic Society expedition to name the area Kodachrome after the popular color film."

The surrounding scenery, just beautiful.

Grosvenor Arch a few miles south down the rocky road.

Friday, Apr. 29 - Our second night at Kodachrome. Today we drove over to Willis Creek to hike a slot canyon. Turned out to be very wet so we went back to the car to change into our dive booties, the only way to go. Very nice hike but Bill had some sore feet due to his thin booties, and walking on the rocks. Note to self: water shoes. Later it got so freakin' windy we drove around the park a little more and got sand-blasted checking out some notable areas, but went back to the trailer and watched some movies. Just too nasty to sit outside. That's fine, we were pooped anyway.

Willis Creek hike. Water the whole way.

Oh yeah, just the sign I want to see before heading out.

Here's the start of the hike, out in the open, then you go IN.

Saturday, Apr. 30 - Alert: Last day of National Park Pass! Time to move on to Capital Reef National Park, one of my favorites. On our way there we drove through Escalante and stumbled on the new Shooting Star Drive-In: a man and his vision of fixing up old Airstreams and renting them as hotels. They were a week away from officially opening (and had a long way to go), but a nice lady took us all around to see what they were up to: specially themed 30-footers showcasing Hollywood stars and characters such as The Duke, Marilyn Monroe, Indiana Jones, and many more. He was also collecting old convertibles to park permanently in front of a drive-in screen for evening entertainment. Quite the idea, let's see if it works. Their website is great: shootingstardrive-in.com. 

Here are just a few of the trailers on hand, with the drive-in theatre screen in the background.

Arrived at Capitol Reef just as the skies were clouding up -- even saw some snowflakes crossing a big mountain to get there. Arriving at the campground it was nice to see the fruit trees were in flower, very pretty. Drove to the Capitol Gorge and did a 2 mile hike to the pioneer graffiti along the canyon walls. With the sky clouded, it was kinda cool the the windy gorge, it was around 45 degrees. I had on four layers and could still feel it with the wind. It would dip into the 30s that night.

Not sure if these are apples or what, they were just pretty.

This park lets you drive in the wash.

Sunday, May 1 - As I'm updating this journal this morning, Bill has gone to the little settler shop to get some scones. How cool is this to have a nice little country store with jams and salsas and ice cream and baked goods a mile way. Pretty cool I can tell you. Filled the Las Vegas dispenser yesterday, destroyed a bag of BBQ potato chips yesterday too. And now scones. Not good, but yeah, it was all good. It is 38 as I write this at 8:19 am. Pretty busy campground.

Makes you wonder what happened here to create this.

Brilliant red indian paintbrush along the road.

Capitol Reef's Waterpocket Fold. What is that, you may ask? It's this: "The Waterpocket Fold, a 100-mile long wrinkle in the earth's crust known as a monocline, extends from nearby Thousand Lakes Mountain to the Colorado River (now Lake Powell). Capitol Reef National Park was established to protect this grand and colorful geologic feature, as well as the unique natural and cultural history found in the area."

Waterpocket Fold looking south. Can you believe this formation has been on our earth the whole time and nobody told us?

Our hike would be in Upper Muley Canyon (or something) so this is the climb to get to it on the other side. It was from the trailhead area that we got the overview of the fold.

Here we are on the edge of the gulch, there on the left. See you later.

Monday, May 2 - Thank you Capitol Reef, it was lovely; time to move on. Stopped to check out Bullfrog Marina, at the northern end of Lake Powell in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Considered camping here, but it was rather desolate and unpopulated so we decided to move on rather than fearing for our lives all night. It wasn't bad, just...desolate. We went to Natural Bridges, but the whole of their 13 spots were taken so we went to the overflow camping, a few miles down the road. Again fearing for MY life, Bill didn't care, he loved it (it was free) -- we did set up there and it actually turned out to be great. We were right on the edge of a gulch which I explored until I had to come home for dinner, and followed the sounds of the Doors 'till I found the trailer again. What a cool place, dry and rocky in one place, then wet and full of trees in another. I was an 8-year-old boy on an adventure. Thankfully I didn't run into any squatters out there, ya never know... This would be the last night of our journey. We headed home the next morning. (But it still say it was still kinda creepy there.)

Natural Bridges overflow camping had a view of the Bear's Ears.