After a spectacular scenic drive from Moab, we arrived at Alpen Rose RV Park. We have stayed at this park before so know it is conveniently located near Durango. Our campsite there was a little too close to our neighbor, but we made the best of it. We would be meeting up again with Mike's family at this stop too, so we were looking forward to that.
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| Alpen Rose getting into the Halloween spirit |
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| Enjoying a cocktail and a fire |
The first couple of days were quiet and we explored Durango a bit and watched the Bills same at Cuckoo's, on Sunday. They were nice enough to put the game on a television just for us. Lynn and Keith were kind enough to leave their side-by-side at Alpen Rose on their way back from Moab to Albuquerque for us to use until they joined us. We planned to go the Aspen Loop Trail but found one of the tires were flat. Mike took it to be repaired and we decided we would to the trail the next day.
Aspen Loop Trail was recommended for its groves of Apsen trees which just happened to be exhibiting their renowned shimmering golden leaves. The trail was fairly smooth for a bit, then pretty rocky, then very muddy, dusted with snow and frequently dotted with cows in the meadows or in the road. Overall it was a stunning 4 hour ride.
Our next outing was to visit Pagosa Springs, CO for lunch then head out onto Turkey Creek Trail for an afternoon ride. We ate at a little Tequila's Mexican restaurant overlooking the hot springs. Seemed like a good afternoon for a Margarita, so Lynn and I had one. We walked the main street and ventured into a few shops before heading back to the trailhead. The trail was a bit dusty but but the scenery was outstanding and we saw a deer and turkeys, bonus!
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| I took a picture of Mike's sister taking a picture of me enjoying a margarita |
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| Hot springs that flow through Pagosa |
The next day was a planned ride to Engineer Pass. The ride starts with trailering the side-by-side to Silverton, CO. Just the drive there is an experience with curves, elevation gain and idyllic mountain views. The day started a bit cold and gray with possible rain/flurries forecasted. We bundled up and started toward Engineer Pass. The rocky landscape led us up and up and up. We passed a snow line just before reaching the summit. The top of the pass was extremely windy and cold. We stopped for photos then headed back down to warm up.
Back in the valley, off of Animas Forks Trail , we happened upon an old historical mining town. We toured some of the preserved homes there and then headed up to California Gulch to California Pass. The weather was looking progressively worse as we reached the top. The wind was probably about 40 mph at the top of the mountain. We agreed it was time to head back before we got wet or snowed on. I am no longer used to that kind of cold. It was a very fun day of riding
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| Old mining remnants |
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| Mountain lake at California Pass 12,960ft |
We walked through the local Farmer's Market in downtown Durango then took a drive to see Vallecito Lake. As we rounded the corner to get the first glimpse of the lake, we were taken aback by its level. Much of the water was gone. Turns out that this late in the year they are using the water elsewhere and the lake gets very low until the snow melt returns it to full in the Spring. It was actually very eerie to see it like this.
Our epic trip just about to an end, we capped off the weekend with a Bills victory over Kansas City. Tomorrow we de-provision Ruth with the things we have to take back to St. Petersburg and ready her for a few months rest in Albuquerque. We have had a great time and Ruth was pretty good to us.
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