Day 6
This morning was yet another glorious day in Colorado! Pikes Peak was calling us. We decided to do the railroad this afternoon & take a hike this a.m. After breakfast, we put on lots of layers & headed out to our 3 mile hike. David “eagle eye” Sheets lead the way. We were hoping to see some wild life this a.m. The boys did a great job keeping up. Gabe took some photos & Grayson looking was for another good spot (wildlife). The valleys were green & beautiful. We saw old cabins & shelters from hikers. There was a small stream we crossed at the bottom of the valley with snow capped mountains around was completely phenomenal & inspiring. I could live here! You guys might not get me to come home. Grayson was wearing down about ½ way through. Of course it corresponded with starting up hill! As we slowly walked through a tight trail with woods all around, we stayed together just in case. We arrived at Mueller just in time for the last week of elk calving season & even though we were on a trail that was open & not known as an elk trail we were still careful & mama bear may just be around the corner. We came out into a larger road & sure enough we had an elk cross right in front of us. A bit farther up the trail a mule deer ran across – spotted by Grayson. After seeing an animal, we all get a little more energized. Grayson wanted down & walk. At the top, we took a breather & David gave the boys a map lesson.
We had all worked up an appetite. After we ate lunch, we headed off to Pikes Peak. We had reservations for 1:20 – after a major time miscalculation, we squeaked on the train right before it took off. Grayson had fallen asleep on the way there and woke up as the train pulled off. This is a cog railroad that has been running since the late 1800s. The first person to try to take advantage of this incredible mountain carried guests half way up on horses and the rest of the way on burrow because the burrows were less effected by the altitude. The trip took 3 days. Even on the cog railway if took us about 4 hours to make the up and back trip. Once we got on top, the views were breathtaking. Being at over 14,000 feet and looking down at Colorado Springs made the Garden of the Gods look like pebbles. As we progressed to the top, we saw the yellow bellied marmot, the air increased its crispness, the snow deepened and the views just kept getting more and more fascinating! At the top, it was a poor demonstration of organized chaos with trying to get the boys to the restroom, a snack & back to the train in 40 minutes wrestling will all of the other people that were trying to do the same thing. On the way back down, Gabe made a friend with a 10 year old who was there with his dad, sister who lived in the area & his grandparents that were visiting. They played I spy & other games. It kept them entertained. Gabe said the cog railway was like having the RV on a treadmill.
Once we got back, it was steak & veggies over the fire. YUM! Thanks David.
Day 7
This morning greeted us with a snow cloud hovering over Pikes Peak. It was beautiful. We all were hating having to leave this beautiful place. If it did not take 3 days to get here, we would be back every chance we got. The boys were taking their last turns on their bikes before we started our next journey. The trouble with traveling is that I never want to miss anything, so I always want to see what is around the corner, but I have learned that my children enjoy the road trip part, but absolutely love the sitting in one spot (the RV – NOT their bodies!), riding their bikes & cooking over the fire. So, I have tried to limit our site seeing between the arrival destinations so we don't get to the campsite so late.
On the way to Gunnison, it rained most of the time. Sighting & taking pictures of animals wasn't as easy, but we saw more prong horns, buffalo & a few elk. The peacefulness of the surroundings here are so amazing. It is great to be back. After talking so much about Colorado & my love for this state, I began to believe it may have been a bit of hype on my part longing for that time in my life, but after being here again, I realize, that it isn't hype but truly a love for this part of the country. Now, don't get me wrong, I am glad that I had to move back to Virginia after a few months of not being able to land a steady job – because I met David several months after that. I am glad though that I am finally able to show him “my” Colorado! He hasn't been disappointed!
Right after we left Mueller, we saw Florissant Fossil Bed National Park. So, we decided to stop since we did not have a long travel day today. Gabe wanted to do the Jr. Ranger program, but we did not think we were going to stay there for an hour. After we took a little walk out and saw what the park was about, we probably could have stayed longer than that. I think it was about 65 million years ago, this area was lush & resembled the redwood forests of California. A volcano erupted near this site & buried many of these giant trees. This area since then had become a potato farm. The local tale is that a man with hook for a hand was out digging potatoes. He hit something really hard and started digging out this huge tree. The story has been confirmed by local oral investigations that this man & the farm existed & it was this farmer that dug out several of the petrified stumps with dynamite. They are now held together with large metal bands because they were fractured by the blasts. The tubes created inside the tree when it was living allowed the volcanic matter to enter in and over time hardened to become rock. Even today, the petrifying process continues, so there still remains some of the tree matter. The ranger said that the process is continuous. We went out through a small ½ mile trail & saw a stump where we saw at least 4 saws still stuck in the stump where the owners were trying to take off part of the stump to tour with it at the fairs. Obviously there efforts were only rewarded by people being willing to come & look at the stumps were they were now & not at the fair!
Our plans were to head to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison today and then head out in the morning, but with the rain, we opted for a stop in Gunnison and a tour of their prairie museum. The boys loved it. They had entire buildings of old cars, homesteading, music & numerous other great examples. The car collection was impressive! They had a car like mom learned to drive in, a bulldozer like grandaddy drove, a buggy like we had and many other things. It was fun.
Once we got to the campground, it was time for the boys to get on their bikes & ride. Luckily, the rain had stopped and they had a great afternoon, until, Grayson who had just gotten in trouble for not putting his helmet, ran into the side of the wooden little bridge (luckily we had just made him put his helmet on) & busted his lip, got a knot on his head & put a dent in his helmet (Mendy – don't tell Granny! She'll make us fly him home. :-). It really scared him, but other than a nasty scrape on his face & being a bit stiff the next morning, he is fine.
Mom and I went for a spin to see if we could find some firewood. We saw more chipmunks, cottontails & evidence of prairie dogs, but none sighted so far. The campground was located on beautiful Curecanti Reservoir lying underneath incredible red Mesa type canyons. Most people there had boats. It wasn't rowdy, but it was a different atmosphere than most campgrounds. Just interesting to see how different groups of people really put a different spin on how the feel of the campground is. We had a nice dinner & let the boys ride their bikes & skateboard until they were exhausted & ready for bed! David pretty much sat in one spot with his binoculars & gazed at the mountain because there was a dead deer on the side & he figured there had to be more there, but he did not see anything be claimed to be able to sit there forever. It was truly amazing & peaceful! I am so glad David appreciates this state like I do!
Day 8
We packed up after letting the boys ride a bit, even though Grayson wasn't too eager to get back on his bike – but he did. We at breakfast and headed out. We decided to take Route 50 instead of 92 after a ranger who did not look old enough to even drive described 92 as beautiful but would take a long time in a car because it stuck closely to the canyon the entire way. We are glad we listened. The road was beautiful but much smoother than how we entered Elk Creek yesterday. The canyons were so beautiful coming up to the National Park, we could not believe that Black Canyon of the Gunnison could get any more beautiful! Boy, were we wrong! It was a really steep climb up to the park entrance. During this entire planning, mom, Granny, me, and everyone else wanted Grayson strapped down because this is the deepest chasm in the world. He is so quick, skinny & unpredictable, we felt like this would be the riskiest place for us to take him. He survived but only because David was diligent in holding his hand & someone always had a grip on him. The first overlook was unbelievable. You see pictures that look completely unreal & then you see it in person & you still can't believe your eyes. No pictures can do this justice! Then we made it to the visitors center & the views from there were even more breathtaking! We met a Ranger there named Gabe. Gabe was thrilled! We went in and got the information to do the Jr. Ranger program. They had a separate booklet for Grayson which was perfect. They went out to Ranger Gabe and he led them through a program describing which animals had horns vs. antlers, the adaptations, and more. Both the boys enjoyed this, especially doing he stamps of the different types of animals on their papers. We drove all the way to the end with Gabe & Grayson completely engaged with the park. The painted wall was beautiful. The dragons that were formed by the pegmatite sparked G&G's imagination so they started pointing out all different kinds of pictures that were painted on the wall. It was gorgeous.
We came back to the visitors center & the four of us went back into get the boys their Jr. Ranger badges, mom fixed sandwiches so we could continue on to Glenwood Springs. The boys received their badges after taking their pledge to protect the plants, animals, and rocks of the National Park. Emerson was the ranger. Then, we had to go back out to the porch where Ranger Gabe was to say good-bye. He really enjoyed hanging out with the boys.
We all got settled back in and headed to Glenwood Springs after much discussion as to which way to go. Wayne recommended us to stay in the higher Rockies. I had seen the Mesa Mountains, so I stayed neutral. David decided he would like to see them. So, we headed to Grand Mesa. We are glad we did. It was a great drive & beautiful drive. The wind was a bit much, but the views were worth the side to side!
Once we arrived at the campground following a visit to the grocery store, we realized our site at the campground was located DIRECTLY on the Colorado. I am not talking about the nice little leisure part of the CO River either! IT was rushing water! All of us were quite concerned. Mom and I walked up and asked if we could at least move across the road, which we did. It was still quite unnerving. We let the boys ride their bikes just around the tree & back. A little too confined for Gabe. Grayson was much more involved with setting up our fire & chairs with David. Gabe made some friends & then showed them the ropes of what it takes to be a Jr. Ranger. He gave them the training & offered them badges (pretend of course). I was fun to watch.
We decided we would do another load of laundry. There were few positives about this campground. The laundry was completely outrageous, the wireless did not work where we were & there was little to do for the kids. I have to say though, the laundry was the worst. Mom & I started way too late & it took us until almost 2 a.m. To finish. We were whipped! The worst thing is, they weren't even dry so we had to spend more time & money the next morning. So, we decided this wasn't the place for us & we called Stillwater & asked to see if there would be a space for us. This was supposed to be 2 nights for us at Glenwood Springs, but man are we happy we moved on.
Day 9
On the way out, we were mean......we did not tell them we were leaving because we did not want them to be able to rent our spot. This was an expensive place to stay with little benefits. I know mom felt responsible & guilty about this, but I don't think we are doing too bad seeing that this is the first negative experience in over a week, especially planning the entire trip on the web!
At Stillwater, we had beautiful Lake Granby, Grand Lake or Shadow lake depending on which one of us you ask, to kayak on. David was out & early on spotted an Osprey. They were so graceful and elegant as they swooped down to catch their fish! We had an electric & water hook up this night, but we decided it was worth the sacrifice to be on the water right near a place to put the kayaks in the water. Me, Mom and the boys got on the water as soon as we had everything set up. The lake had a lot of ripples but was still pretty easy to navigate around.
As we were coming into the park, we spotted a large white bird. Mom thought it was a swan. I said it was a pelican even though I had never known of a pelican that far away from the ocean. As we kayaked around the lake, the boys loved it when the boats went by & would paddle with all of their might to get to the waves as fast as they could. Then Grayson would tell me – Mom stop paddling – just relax & enjoy the waves! He said it using his most endearing voice! So, of course I had to obey! Since we were going to be here for 2 nights, it was great to just relax & let everyone do what they wanted. We were in a spot where we could let the boys ride their bikes without direct involvement & we could take them down to the edge of the water for a dip. It was windy & hot in the afternoon sun since there weren't any trees to shade us. The pine beetle had taken a toll on the trees here. The campground was wooded in the pictures on the web. But, the beetle had killed all of the trees & we were left to our own resources to stay cool! David fixed us another delicious meal. Mom is not going to know how to act when she gets home & doesn't have someone cooking for her! :-) With all of the activities every day though at least mom and I aren't packing on the pounds!
In the afternoon, a cool breeze came through. We started watching the beautiful clouds rolling in. Then they started to look a it dark & scary. There was lightening, thunder, snow showers & rain, but never quite reached us! Check out the pictures on my Facebook page, because I truly can not do them justice! The storm continued & David & watched the lightening over the lake. It was behind the mountain,but I actually had to close the blinds to be able to sleep because the light was so bright. If anyone of you have ever experienced North Carolina heat lightening, this was similar but was literally continuous, without a break. The clouds were like strobe lights!
The next morning, the sun was shining and the clouds had dissipated. The show was still playing over and over in my head. The colors were something mother nature could have only created herself!
