An Exciting Drive Across Southwestern Colorado or "You can't get there from here"

It seemed like a good plan at the time. We would depart Fountain CO and head west towards Westcliffe CO and camp at Alvarado CG in the San Isabel National Forest, which looked like a very nice site.  From there it was only a short hop south (or so we thought) to Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve for a short day visit. And then a fairly long drive across southwest Colorado to Durango where we would spend the next 7 nights.  So much for good plans.

On Monday July 30 we departed the Colorado Springs KOA at about 7:30 am, pretty early for the Whitley's. We drove CO 115 south to Penrose and CO 96 west to Westcliffe and finally south on CO 69 to a cutoff to Alvarado Campground. The campground was about 5 miles off CO 69 west on an unpaved local road.  Today's drive was largely uneventful.  We didn't have a reservation at Alvarado, but the reservation web site suggested there would be plenty of sites, and we had arrived before noon.  Site No. 12 was vacant and looked inviting, so we made camp.  Alvarado has no hookups, but at EL 9030' the temps were cool, and we didn't miss the air conditioner.  It was every bit as nice as we expected.

After such a busy week in Colorado Springs it was nice to have a whole day in a quiet forest site to do nothing.  Amazingly we had a great 4G data signal, so I was able to work on some internet chores, including updating this journal.

Our camp at Alvarado Campground 

Our site had a clear view of the sky, so satellite TV reception and solar gain were very good.  In fact I was seeing peak solar gains of over 28 amp-hours, the highest I have ever observed from our 400 watt solar array.





Overnight the temperatures plummeted to 42 degrees, the lowest we have seen on this trip. Altitude good!





On Wednesday our destination was the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.  As the crow files it was only about 20 miles from our camp to the visitor center.  Unfortunately, we are not crows. cannot fly and had not carefully studied our route.  In order to get to our destination we would have to loop well east and south of our destination and then loop back north.  Google maps predicted a distance of 96 miles.  Oh well, that's the way it goes.  We're retired. We have nothing but time and every day is Saturday. We headed south on CO 69 and soon discovered our intended route included a series of unpaved rural county roads: CR 555, CR 570 and Pass Creek Road connecting Gardner and US 160.  We were skeptical, but hey, Google maps would never lead us astray.  Right?  When we got to the right turn onto County Road 555 there was a sign indicating "To US 160".  It was an unpaved road, but it looked like a decent road and the Colorado DOT suggested we go that way, so why not?  What could go wrong?  All was well until about 10 miles in when we came across a big sign across the road saying "Road Closed".  CRAP!!!  Why would the sign off the paved road direct us this way to US 160,  if the road was closed 10 miles in?  We had 2 options: turn around and backtrack to CO 69, or ignore the sign, hope for the best and continue on into the abyss.  There were tracks around the sign, indicating others had gone that way.   However, Dorcas vehemently vetoed the 2nd option.  Thankfully there was a place there to turn around, so we unhitched the Pilot and turned the beast around.

Road Closed?????   WHAT????

About that time a pickup truck pulling a large farm trailer came up from the way we had come.  The lady driving the truck had hoped to take the same route we had.  I talked with her and she told me the road had been closed because it had washed out after the recent fires.  She had seen a road grader in the area the day before and had hoped the road had been reopened.   She was going basically the same way we were and said we could follow her.  We would need to backtrack to CO 69 and Gardner and continue south on CO 69.  There was another gravel cutoff to US 160 about 15 miles south of Gardner that she was going to take.

It is a dusty place following a motor home on a gravel road

Looking back from our road-closed turnaround

We made it back to the paved highway and continued to follow the lady in the pickup back to the south.  When she turned right onto the next unpaved cutoff to US 160, a road grader was sitting at the entry.  I said that was a good sign, but Dorcas proclaimed it was NOT a good sign.  We had made it back to a nice State paved highway, so... we (Dorcas) decided we should continue south on CO 69 to pick up US 160 at Walsenburg, which is all the way back at I-25 (See map above.  It was a much longer route, but our luck had not been running very good this day, and I suppose it was best not to push it.  In hindsight the best strategy would have been to skip Alvarado CG altogether and driven directly from Colorado Springs down I-25 to Walsenburg, and then cut over to Great Sand Dunes National Park.  But then we wouldn't have enjoyed the great site at Alvarado CG and experienced such a great adventure.  When served lemons, make lemonade. In the end the 20 miles, as the crow flies, and the 96 mile Google route ended up being 157 miles to Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.

You can't drive anywhere west of Denver without summiting a pass

Approaching Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

Panoramic view

We don't know these people; they were just there hogging the sign.

We do know this guy

GSDNP has a pretty neat Visitor Center

Dorcas on a trail near the Visitor Center

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve encompasses 233 square miles in the San Luis Valley and the San de Cristo mountain range.  At 750 feet it contains the tallest sand dunes in North America.  The dune field covers an area of about 30 square miles.  Click HERE to read a discussion on how the dunes were formed.

In addition to hiking, sand boarding and sand sledding are popular activities on the dunes.  Sleds and boards can be rented outside the park.

Kinda reminds me of a huge ant hill

We tried a hike on the dunes, but the sand was very hot and Matilda quickly decided she wanted nothing to do with it.  Dorcas agreed. The sand was also very soft and walking on it took a lot of effort.

The dunes can be a barren place

After a short visit on the dunes we made a lunch in the coach and bugged out.  We still had many miles to go before reaching our destination this day, Durango CO.

The coach engine temperature had been running higher than normal this day, peaking at 210-215 degrees.  Technically not overheating, but a concern nevertheless, because it usually runs closer to 190-200 degrees.  I suspect that the radiator may be dirty from the dusty roads we had been on the last few days.  In Alamosa we stopped at the Walmart for some groceries and distilled water, in case the coolant reservoir was low.  Unfortunately, the Walmart was sold out of distilled water.  However, we found a Family Dollar Store in Monte Vista, the next town down the road, and they had 4 gallons on their shelf.  I considered it an omen, so I bought them all.

Later. I determined that the coolant reservoir level was adequate, but by analyzing the coolant with a refractometer, I determined the ethylene glycol (antifreeze) concentration was greater than 65%.  This high concentration by itself is probably not harmful, but it is much higher than necessary.  While providing excellent freeze protection (-70 degrees F) a concentration closer to 50/50 would provide more efficient cooling.  The coach has a huge coolant reservoir, so I added 2 gallons of distilled water to try to bring the antifreeze concentration down a bit.  The first chance I get I will try to rinse the dust off the radiator and the charge air cooler.

Fire evidence on US 160

Southwest Colorado has experienced a number of fires this summer.  They seem to be mostly out now, but we did see evidence of their damage.

These folks were very very lucky

This was a prominent and interesting peak along US 160.  Unfortunately, we can't determine its name. 

Tunnel portal on the east side of Wolf Creek pass

It was a vey nice tunnel

Wolf Creek Pass is a significant pass on the Continental Divide.  It was made famous in 1975 by country music star C. W. McCall's humorous spoken word song, in which the pass is fondly described as "37 miles o' hell -- which is up on the Great Divide." In the song, two truckers drive an out-of-control 1948 Peterbilt down U.S. Highway 160 to Pagosa Springs—a 5,000-foot drop in elevation.

     I looked at Earl and his eyes was wide

     His lip was curled, and his leg was fried.

     And his hand was froze to the wheel like a tongue to a sled in the middle of a blizzard.

     I says, "Earl, I'm not the type to complain

     But the time has come for me to explain

     That if you don't apply some brake real soon, they're gonna have to pick us up with a stick and 

     a spoon..."

("Wolf Creek Pass" written by Bill Fries and Chip Davis, sung by C.W. McCall)

Click HERE to hear C.W. McCall perform "Wolf Creek Pass".

After a very long day and 349 miles of driving we arrived in Durango Colorado.  We will be parked at Junction Creek Campground in the San Juan National Forest, just 5 miles north of Durango, for the next 7 nights.   

A Very Busy Week in Colorado Springs

This week has been perhaps the busiest week we have ever had while traveling in our motor home, and this post will describe our numerous activities this week.  See pictures galore!

Faithful readers will know that we are parked at the KOA Colorado Springs, which is technically in the town of Fountain, about 10 miles south of Colorado Springs.   Colorado Springs is a lot larger than I realized, with a population of almost 500,000.  It is the 40th largest city in the country, and it is predicted it will exceed Denver in population by 2050.  We are here to attend a rally with Country Coach International, the national manufacturers club for our coach.  We will be here until Monday July 30.  People often ask "What do you do at a rally"?  The answer is we meet old friends and make new friends who share our love of traveling in their Country Coaches, and socialize and explore the local area with those friends.   A proud accomplishment at this rally was to raise at least $2800 (I'm not sure of the final tally) to be donated to the Colorado Springs Police Department Cadet Program. The money was raised through a charity auction of items donated by rally attendees, as well as additional cash donations.  19 coaches attended the rally, and we knew perhaps a third of those folks from previous rallies.

As I said, we are camped at a KOA.  I have always had an aversion to staying in a "Kampground", for reasons that I can't explain.  The only times we have ever stayed at a KOA was while attending Country Coach rallies.  I think they are a little more resorty than I like. This KOA allowed day visitors to use their water park.  We were parked at the far end of the park and away from most of the tourist action.  Actually, it was an OK park.

Water slide and pool at the KOA

We spent Tuesday July 24 regrouping from our travels and making repairs after the horrendous storm before the nigh. Remember the big hail storm I described in my last post?

Fountain Creek before the storm

Fountain Creek after the storm

A kind neighbor loaned (gave) me a roll of Flex Tape, which is fantastic stuff.  I used the tape to repair both air conditioning shrouds.  Both shrouds will still need to be replaced at some point.  They are  pretty brittle and likely to crack again.

So sad!

I used all the whole roll of Flex Tape on the AC shrouds, so I repaired the satellite dish with Gorilla tape

On Wednesday, we visited the Garden of the Gods.  The Garden of the Gods is a public park just north of Colorado Springs, and is popular for biking, hiking, rock climbing and sightseeing.  It consists of a number of unique red sandstone formations. In 1879 Charles Elliott Perkins purchased 480 acres of land that included a portion of the present Garden of the Gods. After Perkins' death, his family gave the land to the City of Colorado Springs in 1909, with the provision that it would be a free public park.  Perkins and his heirs were devout Quakers, and consequently they stipulated that no alcohol be allowed in the park.

Balanced Rock

Balanced Dorcas, my rock

I'm not sure I would be standing there

White Rock, unique because it is not red

Myron torturing his ruined knee

The Siamese twins

The Siamese triplets

View of Pikes Peak through the window at the Siamese twins

A herd of sleeping bicycles.  See how they all sleep facing into the wind?

Three Graces

This salt and pepper holder was cute, but it tended to fall over 

On Thursday the group took a chartered limousine bus to Old Colorado City for lunch at Jake and Telly's.  It was a pretty tasty Greek restaurant. 

Lunch at Jake and Telly's in Old Colorado City

Getting down in the party wagon

Then we took the limo to the Royal Gorge Bridge near Cañon City.  Royal Gorge Bridge is the highest bridge in the US at 955 feet above the Arkansas River.  The bridge was built in 1929, and the total length is 1260 feet.

Our party bus

The bridge is nearly 1000' above the Arkansas River

Ah, come on now!

A number of rafters were floating the Arkansas River

Aerial trams traverse the gorge.  One could also ride a zip line across the gorge.

On Friday morning Dorcas and I drove to the summit of Pike's Peak.  We got an early start so we could drive all the way to the top. Parking is limited at the summit and by mid-morning cars were being stopped at various stations below the summit and folks had to ride up the rest of the way on shuttle buses.  Pike's Peak is named for American explorer Zebulon Pike, who never actually reached the summit.

The summit forecast was for frigid, not even counting wind chill

I have told Dorcas a thousand times to always have her camera ready in case we see Big Foot.  Well, we saw Big Foot, but she wasn't ready, and we missed the photo.

The road above timberline

Clear but "undercast"

The Pikes Peak Cog Railway has ceased operation and will not be open in the foreseeable future until the train and the tracks are replaced. What a shame!  Click HERE for a description of the necessary repairs and the obstacles to completing them. 

Pike's Peak Cog Railway tracks at the summit

Cyclist having a bad day

As we were coming down the mountain we found ourselves following a group of cyclers who had been shuttled to the top for the ride down.  Shortly after leaving the summit one of the bikers did a forward flip, for no reason I could see.  It's a good thing he wasn't near the edge when he did his header. When he flipped he had only traveled about a half mile from the summit, and it was more than 18 miles more to the bottom of the mountain.  He got up and seemed to be OK, but this guy may be in for a long day.  Click HERE to see the video.  Keep your eye on the second guy in front of the van wearing a yellow vest.

Switchback on the Pikes Peak road

Bighorn family

Marmot posing for the camera.  "Aren't I cute?"

After coming off Pike's Peak we toured Miramont Castle in Manitou Springs. The Castle was originally built in 1895 as a private home for Father Jean Baptist Francolon, a French-born Catholic priest.  About the same time the Sisters of Mercy operated Montcalm Sanitarium at Miramont, sharing the property with Francolon.   Popular folklore has it that the castle is haunted with various apparitions and unexplained phenomenon as reported by visitors and staff.  The house is now a Victorian-era historic house museum that is owned and operated by the Manitou Springs Historical Society. Visitors can tour 42 furnished rooms and gardens.

Miramont  Castle

Historical Manitou Springs bottled water

The Grand Staircase at Miramont Castle

Friday was a particularly busy day!  After driving to the summit of Pike's Peak and touring Miramont Castle, we attended the Iron Springs Chateau Melodrama Dinner Theatre in Manitou Springs for dinner and entertainment.  

Dinner at Iron Springs Chateau

The play was titled Disturbance at the Delta.  Particularly note the names and descriptions of the characters:

As expected the acting was cheesy and melodramatic. The audience was coached to cheer, boo, hiss and hubba hubba the appropriate characters. 

Helena Handbasket and Led Robster

Sallie Walker sang and told jokes after the play.  She was a very funny lady with a dry deadpan humor.

Finally the cast sang sixties pop hits and TV theme songs in their Vaudeville style Flower Power Olio.

Sonny and Cher

Flower children singing 60s hits

On Saturday we toured the US Air Force Academy.  Our tour guide was Nathan, an academy graduate and son of our rally hosts, Gary and Debbie Glenn.  The USAFA is the newest of the US military academies, established in 1955, with the first class graduating in 1959.

The Cadet Chapel and other buildings in the cadet area are made of aluminum, glass and steel, commemorating the materials used to build modern aircraft.  The architectural style is modern to represent looking forward, rather than backward.  The chapel includes 4 separate chapels: the Protestant Chapel, the Catholic Chapel, the Jewish Chapel and the Buddhist Chapel.

A motley crew of Country Coachers at the iconic Cadet Chapel

After the tour of the academy we had lunch at CB and Potts, where I had the Sgt. Peppers burger.  It featured a number of peppers and chilies and was smothered in chipotle sauce.  I know food pictures are cliche, but this may have been the best burger I have ever eaten.

Sgt. Peppers burger

Finally, on Sunday, the last day of the rally we drove back to Cañon City and rode the Royal Gorge Route Railroad from Cañon City through the Royal Gorge.

We rode on the 1st class dinner car with observation windows.  What a view!

Royal Gorge Bridge viewed from below

We actually spent most of the ride on an open-air car

There was no shortage of rafters on this Sunday

Full moon over the Arkansas River

After the train ride we drove up on Skyline Drive outside Cañon City.  Not a drive for the faint of heart.

"Myron, keep both hands on the wheel!!!"  "Don't look!!!"  "Eek!!!!"

Click HERE to see a harrowing video of our drive on Skyline Drive.

And finally before leaving Cañon City we stopped at the Royal Gorge Brew Pub for a brew and a tray of mini chicken tacos.

Before leaving the KOA Matilda met a blue merle miniature Aussie.

Matilda and friend

On Monday we depart the greater Colorado Springs area and head south and west towards Durango.   Stay tuned.