Fran and Bettie
At Cottonwood Pass
We were fortunate to have good friends from Loveland, CO here for a couple of days. Fran and Bettie are friends from our Alaska trek in the summer of 2012.
Before we got off work Monday evening, they had just time enough to get their Arctic Fox fifth wheel set up. What a great looking rig with the beautiful 2013, Dodge Ram one ton to lead the way. (I'm jealous) Anyway, we got a fire started and visited with them and our fulltimer and workamper buddies Mike and Christa. Soon it was time to retire.
Next morning after a couple cups of coffee and a sweet roll at one of the local shops, we headed off to the old gold mining town, now ghost town, St Elmo. I have posted pictures of St Elmo here before so today I'll only post one of the Sheriff. I stopped her to ask the present day population.
She said the population is 3. She also explained that there is a certain amount of petty crime there. Many tourists miss that last outhouse back down the road a piece, before descending into town where they want to unzip and/or drop their drawers. One woman didn't like the smell of the old school outhouse and started to drop her pants right in the sheriff's front yard. After being threatened with arrest, she pulled up her britches and moved on.
There's also lots of bikers and ATVers driving through town too fast and not stopping at the one stop sign in town. Stirr'n up dust too. Ornery lawbreakers every place it seems nowadays.
Arriving back at Buena Vista, we were tired and getting kind of lank so we decided on Quincy's for dinner. Good steak filet, baked potato, and salad for ten bucks. Can't beat it.
Something was mentioned about Cottonwood Pass and contrary to my instincts, Fran indicated they had NOT been there. They had been to Taylor Lake on the west side of the mountain but had come from Gunnison, in the opposite direction.
It must have been nearing the seven o'clock hour, when we were approaching the summit, that I noticed what looked like a huge set of antlers waving just above the top of the shrubs, off to the right side of the road.
Is that what I think it is?
Wow, he must be huge! I pull off toward the shoulder of the road just a bit, shoved the gear shift lever into "park," and bailed out, iPhone camera in hand. I heard Sharon say, "you aren't getting out there, are you?"
After clicking off several pictures, other vehicles began to stop. He just nonchalantly grazed in the shrubs as people gawked in amazement, but he did not come where we could get a great picture.
He loves those bushes.
Sharon, wise and cautious, stayed near the truck, ready to climb back to relative safety if he charged our direction. As some vehicles drove off, others stopped, probably five or six now.
We watched and clicked photos for maybe twenty minutes before he headed slightly away from us. What an exciting opportunity, to see a huge moose in his home environment. This was our fourth trip up to the pass since we got here in April. As Sharon said, it makes all this summer work worth it. It was bigger than any moose we saw in Alaska, and exciting like seeing the huge whales and the glaciers on that adventure.
Pics can't capture the
size of this monster.
Moving on, each of us reliving this awesome moment, we arrived at the summit to a breezy 46 degree evening. It is always an amazing experience to view the sights from 12,000 feet.
A few photos snapped and we are headed down. Just three switch backs down and only a short distance from where we saw "BULLWINKLE" was a lush green meadow with two large female moose. What a picture that would be with the light from our backs.
As Fran and I jumped out to capture this image, a truck with loud pipes rounded the curve and sped up the hill. Oh no! The moose both lumbered off into the brush, now out of sight. What a let down.
We would have loved to capture that sight, and we did, but only in our mind's eye. Sorry I can only show you with words. Difficult to adequately describe but memorable. I should have snapped a shot of the little meadow and you could have imagined the two big cow moose with their long legs. Now you can only envision it all.
We did see a deer half way down the moutain but that seemed routine after what we had encountered. It was a full day with good friends to help us remember. Without them and their visit, we would not have been "in the right place, at the right time." Thanks friends, for a great fun-filled day.
WHEREVER YOU ARE IN YOUR LIFE AND TRAVELS, ENJOY THE JOURNEY.........WE ARE!
