Tin Cup Pass and Mount Antero

This trip has to be the highlight of our Jeeping trips!! As we leave the town of Tin Cup we start climbing and drive by Mirror Lake then on up to the Pass at 12,154 feet. This is a pretty road with lots of trees and a back drop of high mountains.

But the best part is the drive up to the top of Mount Antero! It was steep from the beginning and not technically difficult but challenging with lots of large rocks, narrow roads and sharp turns. We crossed 3 creeks. As we drive past the tree line, the vista opens up for us. Such majesty! We can see the road we will take crossing back and forth the side of the mountain. It looks intimidating and it is! But we are determined. At 14,240 feet we all stop to take in the view. But Mike, our leader, wants pictures of Jeeps going all the way to the top of Mount Antero and Jeeps crossing over to Mount White. We are part of the 4 Jeeps that went to the "top of the world"! We had to be near 15,000 feet and the view was awesome! So many mountain peaks, the continental divide, the haze of far off vistas and the clear blue sky! Our God is a Mighty God!!

Back to earth it took us almost 2 hours to drive back to camp AFTER we got off the mountain. Oh, well, it was worth it!

We wish we could post pictures but the only internet out here is John's phone and it is just too slow for pictures. Myabe we can post a few pictures this weekend.

Cumberland, Hancock and Williams Passes

There are two couples with us from Steamboat Springs who are very new to this sport. They found yesterday to be intimidating. So one Jeep starts out with us today, but has to leave the group early on due to mechanical problems.

The drive up Cumberland Pass is mostly dirt road and easy, climbing to 12,000 feet. It takes us thru two tiny mining towns -- Tin Cup and Pitkin . At Pitkin we turn onto Hancock Pass Road and it becomes very narrow and rocky. This road used to be the old railroad bed that led to the Alpine Tunnel. We pass by two old water towers and a side loop that stills has the RR ties and rails. This road really feels like a railroad track due to the narrowness of it. At the end we stop and walk up to what is left of the Alpine Tunnel which collapsed in 1910. They are doing some amazing restoration work here. Hancock Pass was at 12,140 feet.

We back track a short distance to take the road over Williams Pass. This road is only open to travelers in August. Partly due to the wetness of the meadow we cross and partly to preserve this meadow. It is a beautiful trek but torturous. We go thru lots of mud and over some very large boulders. We banged our Jeep pretty hard several times but no damage. One Jeep got stuck! But it was lots of fun! And guess what? We went all day without the ominous red warning light coming on in our Jeep.

Italian Creek to Crested Butte

We had an ominous start to the day. As John sat in the Jeep with it idling while he was getting his email, it started to run really rough and 2 red lights came on. Not knowing what else to do, he turned it off and then restarted it. The red lights went away.

So we join up with the 11 other Jeeps and head out over Italian Creek, Reno Divide and Cement Creek. John and I actually did this trail last year by ourselves. This is the one where we had to use the winch to move a tree off the road. But this time we are driving from Taylor Lake to Crested Butte. It is a pretty drive, but difficult at times. Some large rocks to navigate, other parts fairly easy. We lunch on the road near the same place John and I had lunch last year. The drive down is pretty because it runs next to a very fast moving creek. The bad part is that the red light in the Jeep comes on 3 more times so we leave the group in Crested Butte and find a mechanic who can't do anything for us. Several phone calls later we decide that we will drive the Jeep no matter what happens.

It rains off and on the rest of the afternoon and evening.

Taylor Park Reservoir

Before we left Frisco, we had to grocery shop and stock up for at least 5 days because where we will be staying at Taylor Lake does not have convenient shopping.

The drive to Buena Vista where we turn off to go up Cottonwood Pass was short and uneventful. But as we turn to go thru town we find we have to take a detour because of a parade. Then we have to find a place to pull over for lunch and unhitch the car because Cottonwood Pass is over 12,000 feet elevation. Going up (westward) is not too hard as the road is paved but as we cross the pass, the road turns to gravel and it is all downhill, lots of switchbacks and tons of traffic. Although it is only 30 miles to Taylor Park, it is a 2 hour drive.

The park is on top of a hill overlooking Taylor Reservoir and the mountains rimming the continental divide. All 9 Born Free's arrive about the same time and we are clustered together. We have a hamburger BBQ welcoming dinner and get acquainted we everyone. Most we know from last year but there are some newbies.

Click Here for a map of our location at Taylor Park Reservoir.

UP to Copper

Another beautiful day in Frisco. This area has arts events going on all summer long. This weekend there was a Guitar Town at Copper Mtn., Keystone had theatre, in Dillon we could have listened to Blue Grass and tonight in Frisco was Booker T plus two other bands in concert.

So this morning I did laundry and then we took off on the bikes for Copper Mountain Ski Resort. Not necessarily to listen to the music (which was very good) but for the challenge of going UP the mountain so that we could coast down later. It was a long ride up, about 7.5 miles from Frisco (plus the 3 miles it took us to get to the trail). If it weren't for the sights along the way, such as the river, wild raspberries and rock climbers, it would have been a grueling bike ride. There was a fund-raising bike ride in the Summit area so there were lots of bikers -- all of them passing us! But this ride was what we expected -- up hill all the way so that we did not have to pedal coming back. We rode for 21 miles round trip.

Tomorrow we will head to Taylor Lake and meet up with the Born Free group of Jeepers for a week of off-roading. The campground is out in the middle of nowhere so we will not have internet nor maybe cell phone. I will blog when I can get an internet connection and let you know about all our exciting adventures on the Jeep trails.

Bike Ride to Keystone Ski Resort

The weather was just about perfect today, just a bit too windy but the right temperature for riding our bikes. This area has some wonderful bike trails that connect several towns. The trail connects Vail, Copper Mountain Ski Resort, Frisco, Dillon, Breckenridge Ski Resort, and Keystone Ski Resort. Eventually they will have a trail all the way around Lake Dillon. We went cross country from our campground to get to the bike trail because of new road construction. We then rode from Frisco to Dillon across the Dam and then up the "hill" to Keystone. The trail took us along the lake, past the marina and thru the wetlands natural area. We rode a short distance on the road before crossing the dam. We were in Dillon only a short distance before we headed up Hwy 6 to Keystone.

You would imagine that going UP to a ski area is all up hill but in this case there were several places where we went DOWN and then back up. What that meant to me was that it was going to be just as hard pedaling down from the ski area as it was going up to it. Keystone doesn't promote itself in the summer as much as places like Vail so it was pretty quiet. After lunch we napped on the park bench before heading home. It was a long ride. Our odometers showed that we rode almost 33 miles round trip.

Frisco and Breckenridge

We made the short trip to Frisco and were lucky to find a campsite on Dillon Lake. It is a national forest campground so no electric or water but it is a lovely place.

We drove up to Breckenridge, mainly to check out the bike route and ended up hanging out at a wine bar because of a sudden rainfall with hail! This city has grown tremendously. I only recognized a few places from our days of skiing here. We hope to bike up to the ski area or take advantage of the bike trail to Copper Mountain area or down to Silverton or Dillon. They have great trails if I can only bike UP them.

We had a great pizza dinner tonight but I am still tired from our hike yesterday!

Click Here for a map of our current campsite.

Lulu City

Today we explored the western side of the Rocky Mountain National Park by driving up to the Alpine Visitors Center. Not far from here is the highest part of the road at 12,183 feet. We thought about taking a short hike thru the tundra above the tree line but it was just too cold and windy! The drive up was beautiful and we stopped several times to take it all in.

On the way down, we stopped at the Colorado River Trail Head and hiked into the wilderness for 7.5 mile round trip to a site where Lulu City used to sit. It was there between 1879 and 1885 with a population of 200. Lulu City did not have much you could see so we had to use our imaginations. We saw the remains of mining equipment and a couple of old log cabins. The change in elevation was a rise of only 350 feet, but it happened often! The forest was lush, the mushrooms and flowers colorful, and the river cascaded beside us part of the trip. This is actually the head waters for the Colorado River. At one point there was a large rock fall where we saw a yellow-bellied marmot.

This was a very long hike for us and we were bushed by the end of the day. So John was kind enough to take me out to dinner. Thank goodness!

Golf

We played golf at the Grand Lake Golf Club today. It was a beautiful, challenging course, surrounded by mountains but, unfortunately, they had so many people on it that play was painfully slow! Thus we both did not play well.

Afterward we stopped by the Grand Lake Lodge and had a beer. The picture is of the lake and city right below the lodge.

Rocky Mountain NP

It took us awhile to make up our minds, but we finally decided to go to Grand Lake which is right outside the Rocky Mountain National Park. We are staying in an RV park that is on the west edge of the park, its entrance across the road from the Kawuneeche Visitors Center. This RV park also caters to horses. Not only do they offer trail rides and horse rentals, they have campsites with corrals just for people with horses.

There is a big sign as you enter the national park that instructs people to not approach animals but to stay on the shoulder to take pictures. A short way past that sign, we came across several cars parked on the road with people out photographing an anterless moose! Probably a female. Later this afternoon, John and I took a short 2 mile hike from the visitors center and encountered a female and young male elk and a female and baby moose! I tried taking pictures but there were too many tree trunks and bushes between me and the animal.

Better get to bed as tomorrow we will play golf and do some park explorations. Supposed to get into the 40's tonight!

Click Here for a map of our current campsite.

Hiking and Hot Springs

After a lazy morning, we drove up to Fish Creek Falls. There were two short walks to different viewing areas for the waterfalls (which were pretty neat) but what caught our attention was the 5 mile trail up to Long Lake. No, we didn't go the 5 miles but we did hike up the mountain for over 30 minutes (which should have been about 1 1/2 miles UP) and then turned around and came back down. It was a pretty hike, not too hard but fairly steep. The mountain side was covered with some type of wild raspberry bushes and wild blue berry bushes. Another couple of weeks and we would have scared bears out them.

After lunch at the RV, we put on our swim suits and drove up to Strawberry Park Hot Springs and partook of the hot waters. We could see the steaming water running down the hill into one of several layers of pools. One was VERY hot, the next was hot and the third was tepid and the fourth was icy cold! There were several small, personal sized pools as well. They had put out lots of heavy log chairs, some tents, and then there were rock ledges, rock lodges, massage areas and picnic areas. It was a very busy place with lots of sunburned people.

RJ and Erin may remember our visit to this spot in the dead of winter about 12 years ago. Lots of snow on the ground and some falling from the sky. They wanted to swim but we hadn't brought our suits. It hasn't changed too much.

Bike along the Yampa River

This morning we took off on our bikes and rode almost 20 miles altogether. I led the first leg and took us along the Yampa River thru Steamboat and to the east side. It is a lovely ride that follows the river the whole length. When we got to the end, John took the lead and we back tracked a short distance and then headed up the hill towards Gondola Square at the ski resort. But first we had to stop for iced coffee and to read the local newspaper. The ride up the hill to the ski resort wasn't too bad, we have done worse! They were busy getting ready for the wine tasting part of the Wine Festival.

When we came back down, we stopped at a restaurant/bar on the Yampa and had lunch while watching people float in tubes on the river. It was a very pleasant time until the clouds started rolling in as usual in the afternoon. So after napping to the sound of rain on the roof, I got my laundry done before supper. It's Saturday night and we were too pooped to do anything!

Steamboat Activities

We got to our campsite on Thursday morning so after lunch I went to the grocery store while John did some computer work. We then jumped on the bicycles and rode to downtown. They have a really nice bike trail that runs along the Yampa River thru Steamboat and then up to the ski area. Maybe later this weekend we will ride all of it.

After the ride we drove into town and went to a nice restaurant that had a 1/2 price happy hour. Our intent was just to have all 1/2 price small plates for supper but we were still hungry after trying 3 of them so we stayed for dinner too. Our bartender was very talkative so we learned that this is considered "monsoon" season for Colorado meaning rain storms build up and come in mid to late afternoon every day and then it clears up for the evening.

Today we walked a 9 hole golf course then goofed off the rest of the afternoon. I played okay, shot a 51 but John did better!

Steamboat Springs

We have moved into town to a RV Park with electricity and water. This is the first time we have been 'plugged in' since July 25th.

Click here for our map location. We will be here until Sunday, maybe longer.

Stagecoach Pictures

Here are a few pictures from our stay at Stagecoach State Park.

Mountain Climb

When John left this morning to fish the trout stream below the dam, I donned my hiking books, grabbed by hiking poles and headed up the small mountain just north of our campsite. It has beckoned me all week! My goal was the tall peak but as I climbed, I changed by goal to the tall hill in front of the peak. From a distance the ground looked to be covered with sage brush and grass. Up close it is covered by sage brush, tall grasses, small bushes, weeds, and wildflowers. Rocks are hidden by the brush, roots catch my toes, the grass reaches to my arm pits and the trees are so short they almost don't have any shade. AND it is much steeper than I anticipated. After climbing for an hour and fifteen minutes, I came to a fence that cut me off from my goal. I tried following it for a short distance but the grass, weeds and steep hill wore me down. So that is what I did -- started walking down.

The trip down was faster but the fun part was following animal trails. Most likely it was deer or maybe just my imagination but it was challenging to try to stay on it. I'd lose it, make my own and then pick up another one for a short distance. Who knew this could be so much fun!

John did catch a fish this time. Just as he got back from fishing the sky opened up with rain -- AGAIN! That is why we are at the library, using their wifi and blogging.

Red Sky at Night

Tuesday morning John fished from the kayak at the opposite end of the lake and still didn't catch anything. I extended my hike from the day before by 2 miles. Not much to see as it is open prairie land. After lunch we napped, read books, and then drove down below the dam and explored that area more. John found a couple of good places to go trout stream fishing tomorrow.

Just as we were sitting down to supper, another rain storm moved thru the area. Luckily it was short. When the sun peeked thru we witnessed a brilliant rainbow and I actually saw the pot of gold on the opposite hillside. We got a good campfire going and then Mother Nature put on a wonderful light show for us. The clouds were lined with reds and oranges, then the hillside across the lake lit up in bright greens and reds with a dark grey sky behind it. Shortly after that the tallest peak in the east turned bright red as if it were on fire or maybe an erupting volcano. What a wonderful evening!

Stagecoach State Park

After we set up camp we took the short 20 minute drive into Steamboat Springs. We did some exploring and shopping before driving back and trying to beat the rain that was threatening. Unfortunately, I left my purse at the diner where we got a soda and had to drive back from the campground to retreive it (all in tact). So a late supper prepared between rain falls. Then in rained in earnest most of the evening.

Today John fished from his kayak in the deeper part of the lake near the dam. No luck. I took a hike this morning up and over a hill and then explored the whole campground. The area has no trees but lots of sage brush and wildflowers.

It rained again this afternoon so we drove into Steamboat to use the wifi at the library. Wow -- a really nice, new building.

Click Here to see where we are camped.

Lazy Summer Dazes

Friday was a day off -- we slept late, caught up on email, phone calls, and house keeping chores. We both got our hair cut, and I went to the grocery store. It was nice to cook at the RV site and then we took a leisurely stroll thru Vail Village. We also met some nice people who also own a Born Free RV. We actually were camping in "their" site (they live in Evergreen and come up here often.)

Saturday we played golf with our friends John and Susanna at the Eagle Ranch golf course and had a lovely day! All the rain went north or south of us. That night we dined in Vail Village -- what a great evening.

Sunday we got going early so I could go to the laundromat while John took the RV to Edwards to dump tanks and fill up with water. We were then ready to head to Steamboat Springs area.