2020-26
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| we got snow at higher elevations so the mountains were covered in snow for a few days. Cool |
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| they haven't gotten too far on preserving this historic hotel in Dolores. But at least it has a good roof and some plaster siding |
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| McPhee reservoir, very low |
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| view from inside Zippy |
Durango Colorado
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Dolores Colorado
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Bluff Utah (story will follow in next blog)
Campground: Ute Campground, National Forest. Basic, no hookups. Picnic table forest site. $10 senior rate. One night.
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| in the forest, UTE |
Campground: Durango, Fairgrounds, in-town. Reservations required. Full hookup, 30 amp. Note: this place was originally set up for 12 campsites, two sites per power post. They’ve reduced it to only 6 sites, more space between campers. Next to walking/bike paths. Two nights, that’s all they had available.
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Campground: Dolores, Circle C Rv Park. $20 per night Passport America rate (two nights) $40 one night, weekend no discount. Full hookups, 30/50 amp. Good Verizon signal. No over-the-air TV. Caution: their electric is weak. My volt meter is reading anywhere from a low of 111V to 114V. (should read 120V) Passport America rate, 3 nights required.
Campground: McPhee, BLM established campground. 30 amp Elect. Water available, but not to fill you holding tanks. Dump station hasn’t been operational in years. Cost: $12 senior rate +$8 electric. This campground is run by a concessionaire. Only a few miles down the road, 3 nights. Would have stayed at Circle C if they didn’t charge full price over the weekends.
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Campground: Bluff Utah. Cadillac Ranch Rv pk. Pay online, $25 +$3.40 taxes, full hookups, 30/50 amp. Basic pull-thru sites. One night, just passing through. it’s hot or I would have gotten a free campsite in the area.
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After leaving Creede, I had planned on staying overnight in Pagosa Springs, but darn it was the Labor day weekend and so crowded, I didn’t stay in the area. Checked out a couple of free parking areas for overnight camping, crowded. Tried out their walking/bike path. In town, very narrow and crowded. Once out of the town center, the newer sections was wide and enjoyable but unfortunately very short. Do you see a theme here?
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| Labor day weekend, and the place is crowded, holly molly |
So it was onto plan B, find a campsite in the national forest, either free dispersed or designated campground. Even over the holiday weekend, I was able to get a nice official campsite for the night. With the weather turning rainy and cold, I’m glad I was able to get a couple of nights in Durango at the fairgrounds with full electric hookups. With electric, I don’t have to run the propane furnace, and instead use the heat-pump. Nice warm heat.
Durango has the nicest bike paths/walking paths through town and out to the surrounding area. They are continuing to expand it and I look forward to coming back and enjoying this wonderful feature. Since getting the E-bike, I’m really enjoying the rides along established bike paths. I see so much more in these wonderful western towns. And the added benefits are that I’m getting exercise without even knowing it. The e-bike sure makes it easy and enjoyable.
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| note: I was only able to get a two day stay in Durango, I had hoped to be here for a full week. So no pictures or exploring the downtown area. |
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| a great bike path and coffee along the way, couldn't get any better |
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| miles of great bike paths Durango Colorado |
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| this is as far as I got. Dark clouds quickly formed and as I started to head back, a few drops became a downpour, which turned into hale! |
Repairs or educating the owner?
Well, I had the idiot engine light come on over the past week or two. Then it would go out. Decided the second time it came on to have the engine diagnostics done. A great small diesel engine shop in Durango was able to check everything out. I got some valuable information of the operation of the Mercedes engine/Sprinter as well. Worth the charge and now I know a bit more.
Checking out my options for the next couple of days, as the weather is continuing to be cold and just yucky, I found a Passport America campground, that’s half off for most nights only about an hour west of Durango. I’ve discovered, when the weather is going to be especially yucky (cold) I prefer to find a campground with electric hookups. Comfort is worth the bit of extra $$.
RV TIP:
I use a small Hughes Volt meter, plugged into a regular A/C outlet. It lets me know if the voltage has dropped to unsafe levels. Currently it has been reading 111-114 volts which is very low and could easily cause damage to many appliances, microwave, A/C or heat-pump.
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| plugs into any outlet and tells you the volts Should be close to 120V |
Use the voltage meter to determine if you should use any electronics that could get damaged by low voltage.
Notes:
Back in Alamosa Colorado, I noted many of the men wear guns. Not sure if it’s a sign of virility or was I actually in a dangerous area.
While in Salida, at the visitor center checking out possible dispersed campgrounds, the gal mentioned a couple of campgrounds north of town, then retracted them, as she said their were unsavory types living in that area.
While in the Cortez area, which had closed down their town to outsiders this past spring due to heavy Covid 19 cases in the area, I did some checking and at first thought it was still high, but after rechecking the internet, come to find out the County has recently had 4 cases so far in Sept, 2020.
Of interest, the Indian Reservations in the area are all closed to outsiders. Not sure if their Covid count is included in the counties numbers, doubt it.
Moving more frequently:
a friend online asked about my moving more often from site to site. I had noticed that myself and had started to give it some thought. Though I’m not necessarily traveling great distances between campsites, I sure have been moving around a lot. This weeks list of campgrounds is no exception. Except for my months stay in Kanab, which I really enjoyed, I think with the Class C camper, I’m finding it so easy to move on, that I often just say to myself, just move on down the road.
I would like to get back to the time frame of staying at each campsite for at least a week before heading on out. We’ll see what the future travels have in store.
Telluride: a miss adventure
Oh, and I didn't even talk about the journey to Telluride! Which right up front was a major disappointment for me. Arrived on a Monday, figuring it would not be crowded. But, the place was so crowded, nary a parking spot could be found. Tons of people, all with face masks, but way to crowded for me to enjoy. So it turned out the drive from Dolores to Telluride, with a short stop in Rico was the main attractions.
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| the famous hydro power facility above Telluride made into a private home. Angel falls almost dry this time of year |
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| scenes from the small mining town of Rico |
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| all these flowers were in front of and yes even inside the building someone likes flowers as much as my Sister Ann. |
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| just a side note, part of my not getting into Telluride, besides it being unbelievably crowded, was that my back has gone out again, lots of pain which usually lasts about a week, while I take pain pills like they are candy. ps.... feeling better (about a week later) |
PS I'm way behind writing and editing....
More photos:
Ride to Telluride, but more pics of Rico, hwy 145
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