Adventure Travel Photography Blog
I went to bed with a deer outside my window and woke up to an elk just a few campsites away. He was enormous! Little did I know that at the visitors’ center situated just before the entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park, I’d find a whole herd of elk, including babies. What a way to start the morning!
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
I met Mike last night while watching the Mavs win the NBA Finals! He was rooting for the Mavericks along with everyone else at the bar. Mike is from Colorado Springs and recently graduated from college. He and his friend operate a landscaping company. When he’s not working he likes to go dirt biking.
This morning I drove south, through Fort Carson and then west through Canon City to the Royal Gorge. I had visited the gorge about 25 years ago, so I didn’t have a burning desire to go again especially since it has become more like an amusement park with a $25 entry. Visitors may walk on the bridge, but also take a variety of different rides.
Since I had only planned to stay about 30 minutes, I found a different option…a 3 mile, 30 minute scenic train ride. The train was like a kiddy ride at the carnival…small, open air, and didn’t go faster than 10 mph. The best part about the ride is dogs were allowed, so it seemed appropriate, though it didn’t appear that Petey enjoyed himself. While it was a perfect option for me, I think first time visitors should experience the real deal.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
We started our morning in Canon City. One of its first mayors, a poet, wanted to name the town Oreodelphia. The miners insisted they could neither spell nor pronounce it, and exclaimed, “The place is a canyon…it’s going to be called Canon City.” The Walk for Hope was taking place at a nearby park when we arrived. The event raises money for the Orchard of Hope which supports area cancer patients.
Petey and I took a brief stroll through the park on the way to a few geocaches. I probably only found about half of the caches I set out for today, but it was mostly due to muggles.I found one cache on the far end of the park where there wasn’t much activity, but another cache was placed alongside the track where the Walk for Hope was taking place. Given it had a three out of five ranking for difficulty and I was in the vicinity of 100 people, I had to skip it.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
From Monument Lake we climbed Cucharas Pass which tops off at 9,941 feet before descending into valleys of farmland situated beneath dramatic dikes. One dike looked like an incomplete jigsaw puzzle with jagged rocks resting on one another with spaces in between. On our way to La Veta, both directions of traffic were stopped due a car that had rolled into a pasture. I heard no one was seriously injured. By the looks of the SUV, I would have guessed differently. It was totaled with the roof crushed in and the tires turned sideways.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
Sugarite Canyon State Park is an interesting place as it encompasses the abandoned mining town of Sugarite which was established in 1912. Sugarite was one of seven towns in the Raton area built by the St. Louis, Rocky Mountain and Pacific Railroad. People from twenty different nations came to live in this coal camp. The camp included housing, a ball field, a school, a clubhouse, the company store, and a doctor’s office; not to mention the mines, related buildings, and a railroad.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
We changed the pace a bit today and spent most of our time stopping at overlooks or wandering around old mining towns once I figured out Petey could hardly walk this morning. I planned a short hike, 0.6 mile, at Animas Overlook about five miles up the dirt road from our campground. The paved path led us along a nature trail to a view of snow capped mountains and the Animas River below. I had to coax Petey along and when I left the path in search of cache, he stood staring at me like I was crazy.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
So Torrey has about three restaurants, three motels, a few RV parks, two gas stations and TWO coffee shops. I’m amazed a small town and through traffic could support two coffee shops. I guess that’s why a shot of coffee is three bucks! We took advantage of the free wi-fi at the RV Park across from the Days Inn this morning, so we got a bit of a late start. VANilla wound past groves of leafless aspen, startled a few mule deer, and chugged over a 9,600 foot summit patched in snow before we finally reached Boulder, Utah where we briefly stopped to gather some information about the Grand Staircase Escalante area.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
The average precipitation in Moab for May is 0.8 inches of rain…I think I witnessed most of it the last two days. Saturday, however, was simply glorious…sunny with a cool breeze. The weather and weekend invited plenty of visitors to Arches National Park. It required some patience, quick reflexes, and geometry to snap photos of the arches without people in them. I understand wanting to stand beneath the arches to look up in awe, but enjoy them and move on so others can do the same. It seemed like one couple sat down for a picnic in the middle of an arch which left others waiting tirelessly for a photo without them in it!
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
Petey and I got an early start today. We left our campground at 7 am to get to Devils Garden Trailhead in the northernmost part of Arches National Park by 8am. I’m not sure if it was my early arrival time or the light drizzle that helped me beat the crowds, but either way, VANilla was one of only four cars in the parking lot when I started my trek.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!
I’m not even sure how to start this blog about the Grand Canyon’s South Rim. When I originally plotted my course around the USA, I simply glanced at the number of stops and miles on each scenic drive in my Reader’s Digest book. For every four stops or 100 scenic miles on average, I allotted one day. After reviewing the plan the night before I depart, I mentally determine general stopping points. Factors that go into my decision making are interesting locations, shower and food needs, and cell service availability. With this in mind, I adjust my tour accordingly.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN!