Note: this post is a tad late in finding its way to the site. Don’t really know why but a couple posts are gonna hit within a couple days. Read on.
The drive north over Red Mountain and Molas Passes on the Million Dollar Highway is always a thrill. I’ve mentioned before I’d only do this with a fiver in tow in good, dry weather. Nothing has changed. Approaching Ouray crews had the narrow highway down to one lane with alternating traffic halts and flows. The concrete barriers had the one lane down to maybe 10’ wide. My rig is 8’ wide. I spent half the time looking in my mirrors as I rounded curves making sure all was clear of the cliff side.
Spent a couple uneventful days in Ouray. I had managed to misjudge the distance from my seat to the ground when I stepped outta my truck on a slope so my knee and lower leg were sore enough to discourage hiking. I’ll get over it hopefully in time for some light treks at Beaver Creek.
Visited Red Mountain Brewing and Ouray Brewery. The Tropic Thunder English IPA and the cole slaw at Red Mountain were delicious—and I’m a slaw snob. The IPA I had at Ouray . . . Meh. I headed back to camp to watch the RNC.
A 2-3 hour drive to Gunnison included a stop at Horsefly Brewing for lunch and their Hop 101 pale ale. Decent on both accounts. I cut it short because I was parked along the highway and more than a couple degrees out of level, side to side. That’s hard on propane reefers and I didn’t want to overwork the system. It was warm enough (80, lol) that the reefer would be cycling on while it sat there.
My second stop along the way was for road construction—a 30 minute full stop just 2.5 miles from my campground turnoff. Oh well . . . it was a nice day sitting there listening to the thunder roll. After checking in some moderate rain started just as I was setting up. Oh well . . . it cooled things off ten degrees!
The Gunnison KOA is nice because most of their sites are on soft, lush fescue. How they keep the grass in such good shape with RVs driving on it is a mystery to me. But I love stepping out and sitting on grass. So much nicer than dirt or gravel!
Friday dawned chilly and turned showery. Decided to clean house and futz with a couple minor repairs. Successfully adjusted one drawer catch so the damn thing wouldn’t slide open during travel and, stopping just short of fixing it with a sledge hammer, decided another drawer needed a new catch. Going magnetic this time.
Having no real food on board, I went into town and landed at The Dive for lunch and to stay out of the light rain. During the couple hours I was there the temp on the bank across the street dropped from 62 to 55. Not too bad for a day in late August. I taunted friends in Texas that I was enjoying a full 40+ fewer degree day. Despite their colorful responses I know they still love me!
From Gunnison I headed east over the pass to Salida. I’d been through Salida many times and always wanted to stop so this time I did. Enjoyed a beer or two at a couple breweries. Nice cool August day. Scratch that. Nice cold August day.
In the morning after watching church online I headed a few miles north to Buena Vista, another drive-thru town I’ve never stopped in. Met up with Rob and Mere for lunch and a walk through town with their cool dog, Hank. Good time.
My next destination was Beaver Creek to join Shelley & Brett for a few days. We’ve played this game a few times before: a couple hikes, a couple visits to local breweries, a couple visits to local favorite restaurants in Avon and Edwards. Fun times, always.
My next stop was Laramie to hook up with Julie & Brad for a couple weeks. We were going property hunting. Well, at least location hunting. I’d like to have Plan B in my pocket for when the shit hits the fan in our great country. The Left is doing everything they can to ruin this country. I’m fighting back. But a Plan B just makes sense. I wanna be in a fairly remote place where I can see the enemy coming. My favorite road sign reads, “Private Road. Owners have guns and backhoes. Turn around now.” Yup. Xactly how I feel given the bullshit the Left is bringing.
Next up: a week in Wild, Wonderful, Maskless Wyoming!
