May 6, 2015. Back to Ouray, Switzerland of America

CAMPGROUND:  4J RV Park.  We will stay here a week.  Full hook-ups, nice gravel sites on River. Beautiful bathrooms/showers. Wifi. TV lounge. 4 stars. $36/night with 10% discount for a week's stay

LOCATION:  Ouray in south central Colorado.

WEATHER:  Rain on and off.  Highs in 40s

We left Dolores and drove about 150 miles northeast to Ouray.  We had made a day trip here via the Million Dollar Highway before and decided to return, as it is a cute town.  We were able to get here on a highway that isn't so scary.  We did have to climb to about 10,000 feet on some of the mountain passes.

The rain we've been getting in the valley was snow up here.

We drove past pretty mountain lakes and fabulous log cabin homes.

This town, like Telluride, fills  with tourists.  In the winter, they ski and ice-climb, and in the summer, they hike, go rafting, fish and kayak.  This time of the year, however, is very quiet.  There are just a few other RVs here.  We walked around the town, checking out a nano-brewery and the public hot springs.  

We will use this town as a base and make day trips.  

DINNER:  I made a soup, starting with a can of sausage gumbo, and added pieces of leftover grilled hamburger, onions and garlic.  I spiced it up, of course.  Side was sautéed cabbage.  

May 5, 2015. Rain, rain in Colorado

CAMPGROUND: Second night at McPhee Campground NFS

LOCATION:  On McPhee Reservoir outside of Dolores, Colorado in SW CO

WEATHER,:  Rain!!  Cool. Highs in 50s

It rained all night last night and all day today.  The weather forecast is more rain all week for Colorado, with snow in the higher elevations.  

We sprung another leak!  This time, around the ceiling vent.  We covered it with a tarp.  What a bummer!  

We stayed indoors all day.  I started and finished a 500-page novel!  We did computer stuff and watched some TV....old shows like MASH and All in the Family. And, of course, some cooking shows.  There wasn't anything outside we could do.  At one point, George decided to work on the gas stovetop in the camper as sometimes it is hard to light.  He took it apart, then had a hard time putting it back together.  I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to cook!  He finally got it back, with the same issue.     He always has to tinker!  

DINNER:  I sautéed zucchini slices and onions, and added the leftover pork chops. I mixed in some cream cheese to make a cream sauce.  I served it over grilled polenta slices.  George loved it. 

May 4, 2015. Rainy day in Dolores

CAMPGROUND: McPhee National Forest Service Campground.  Selected site with electricity.  Nice wooded sites. Decent bathrooms. No showers. 3 stars. $16/night

LOCATION:  Outside Dolores, Colorafo in SW Colorado

WEATHER:  In a word.....rain. Highs in 50s

We drove about 10 miles outside of Dolores to a very nice reservoir area.  The campground just opened for the season, so it is mostly empty.  We quickly got set-up between showers.  We took a short hike and saw several deer walking nonchalantly around.  

We had a decadent lunch....some delicious gourmet cheese and salami I had found in the Dolores Market. 

Even though we are way out in the country, we surprisingly get about 50 TV channels, likely because we are on a mountain top.  We watched PBS, read, and did computer work while it rained.

It cleared up enough to make a fire to cook dinner.  

DINNER:  Spaghetti.  I used some  of the hamburger we had grilled yesterday, adding onions, spaghetti sauce, and garlic.  Side was sautéed summer squash.

It is supposed to rain tomorrow, too.  Good news......no leaks!  

May 3, 2015. Hanging out in Durango

CAMPGROUND: Another night at Dolores Outpost Cabins and RV

LOCATION: Dolores, Colorado in SW part of state

WEATHER:  Nice in the valley; cold and rainy in the mountains

We drove into Cortez for a Wallmart necessity.  I stayed in the car, out of general principles.  It was 72 degrees and sunny there.  We drove about 10 miles, mostly straight up, to Mesa Verde National Park, where there was a rain/ice mix at 42 degrees.  We had already visited the famous cliff dwellings, and had planned to hike in another part of the park today.  We nixed the hike and drove back to Dolores, to the coziness of the Dolores River Brewery.  We bought a growler to stock up.

We did grocery shopping at the Dolores Market.  It is an interesting store, with lots of organic food, gourmet items, and local food.  

George made a fire in one of the park's grills, and we enjoyed the absolutely perfect weather for an outdoor fire.  

DINNER: Grilled hamburgers using a mix of ground chicken, chorizo and ground chuck.  I made a potato salad for the side.  

May 2, 2015. Telluride ski area

CAMPGROUND: Another night at Dolores Outpost Cabins and RV Park

LOCATION: Dolores, Colorado, in SW Colorado

WEATHER:  Nice. Highs about 70 in Dolores and 40 in Telluride

We stopped at the lovely Dolores Public Library to print some documents.  They had a fund-raiser, selling bags of old books for $3 a bag.  We loaded up!  

We took a drive to a Telluride, about 70 miles north from here, high in the mountains. The drive there was beautiful, first following the Dolores River Valley, then into the mountains, at which point George made me drive!

Telluride is a ritzy ski resort town.  There are lots of new condos, huge log cabins, and mega-mansions in the hills.  The ski slope is at 12,000 feet with the gondola station right in town.  It reminded us of a small Aspen or Snowmass.  Most of the houses/condos are empty now, in the off-season.  

We stopped at Smugglers Brew Pub for lunch.  It is apparent that this town is more high-end than the small towns where we have been.  There was a truffle hamburger on the menu for $18; bottles of wine for $500!  The bartender was talkative.  He told us that even the row houses being renovated are $1.4 million.  The median income of the people who come here  to ski is $850,000.  He said it is really hard for workers to find affordable housing.  He showed us around the brewery....

There is an old mine outside the town.

We got back in time to watch the Kentucky Derby.  ( I won a $1 bet from George!)

After Prairie Home Companion on the radio, we made a fire in the firepit and enjoyed the nice evening. As we were sitting in the commons area, a wedding car came roaring and honking in.  There had been a wedding on the deck at the Riverfront Bar and Grill  where we set last night, and the wedding couple came  here afterwards.  Small town life!

DINNER:  Using some leftover grilled pork, I made a good Indian curry.  I added onions, carrots and green beans. 

May 1, 2015. Quiet day in Dolores

CAMPGROUND: Another night at Dolores Outpost Cabins and RV Park

LOCATION:  Dolores, Colorado in SW 0part of state

WEATHER:  Sunny. Highs in 60s

We spent the morning working on computers.  We have been considering house-sitting/pet-sitting.  Each day, I receive an email from homeowners all over the world looking for sitters from a house-sitting company's website.   One day, we would like to house-sit in Europe or New Zealand or Australia.   For now, we are looking at ones in the USA, Canada, and Mexico, where we could take our camper.  I saw an assignment for a home in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  We are heading in that direction, and want to spend some time in that area, so the assignment seems perfect.  I spent the morning writing our application, seeking references, and working on the Trusted House-Sitters website.  We will find out soon whether we are selected.

I took advantage of the sunshine and read a book on the RV park's river deck.

George spent the entire day working on the underside of the camper, repairing the damage caused by the tire blow-up about a month ago.  Then, he climbed to the top of the camper to spray some anti-zeal stuff all over, as a preventative measure.  I'm always afraid that he will fall off!  

Late, We walked to the nearby Riverfront Bar and Restaurant for dinner.  There was a band playing in the bar area, and it was packed.  We had a nice dinner, then watched people dancing.  Most of the guys are cowboys, wearing cowboy boots and hats.   

 

April 30, 2015. Day trip to Mancos

CAMPGROUND: Another day at Dolores Outpost Cabins and RV

LOCATION: Dolores, Colorado in SW Colorado

WEATHER: Nice.  Highs in low 70s

On our way to nearby Mancos, we stopped at the Public Land Office to inquire about campgrounds once we leave Dolores.  We learned that many of the Forest Service and BLM (Buresu of Land Management) campgrounds are still closed for the winter.  Many are at higher elevations and are still snowed in.  Seems strange, as it is warm here in the valley.

Outside of Mancos, we went on a 2- mile hike in the San Juan Mountain Forest.  We selected this trail as it is labelled "easy".  I beg to differ.  The 8000 foot altitude makes any hike more challenging.  The trail was not marked very well, and I was afraid we were lost.  All ended ok.

Mancos is another cute town.  It is amazing how these towns seem to be thriving.  We bought coffee beans at a local coffee roaster, then stopped by the local tiny microbrewery for a beer.  George wanted to buy a sheet of metal to fix something on the trailer.  We stopped at this metal works shop.  Surprisingly, the owner and welder is a woman...

We rode our bikes to the Dolores River Brewery for a pizza dinner.  We had their daily special.  It was very unusual.  The sauce had a hint of lemon.  It was so nice that we ate outside.