MT PRINCETON/ST ELMO, CO

MT PRINCETON

On this Saturday afternoon we decided to take a ride and ended up on Mt Princeton, a 14,000 foot mountain near Buena Vista.

WELCOME TO MT PRINCETON

We drove up to the hot springs resort and just kept going. I knew I was headed toward St Elmo, but Sharon didn't have a clue. We drove until the blacktop road turned to dirt and kept going.

I don't know where Sharon thought I was headed. She never did say anything about turning around even though it was becoming more and more remote. It wasn't so far, about 17 miles from Hwy 24, but it is a winding mountain road.

On the way we saw many mountain cabins and met just a few cars heading down the mountain. Also, a mountain stream rushing down hill next to us, a mountain lake,

Mountain Lake

deer, and more and more snow as we got closer to the ghost town of St Elmo, CO which was once a town Iof about 2,000. Now, only empty buildings. I read online that a General Store is open during the summer months. We also saw a Bed and Breakfast which I just assume is open during the tourist season.

FORMER STARK BROS STORE AND ST ELMO, CO POST OFFICE

It was a fun way to spend the afternoon. It was a scenic mountain drive which Sophie is not fond of. She doesn't like the twisty, curvy mountain roads. We had a great time, just a fringe benefit of our summer in Buena Vista.

ST ELMO GENERAL STORE

There are several buildings similar to these at St Elmo. Oh, we didn't see any ghosts but it was a little eerie being the only ones in town at 3:00 on a Saturday afternoon. And Sharon finally said, "I'm glad we kept going and didn't turn around. We would have missed this cute little town". Spooky!

For more pictures "GOOGLE" St Elmo, CO.


             WHEREVER YOU ARE IN YOUR LIFE AND TRAVELS, ENJOY THE JOURNEY.

48 HOURS LATER

MINTURN, Colo. (AP/CBS4) – A rock slide that brought down more than 150 tons of rock onto a roadway early Tuesday has closed Colorado Highway 24 near Minturn.

(credit: CDOT)

The rock slide occurred about halfway between Minturn and Redcliff and caused significant damage.

(credit: CBS)

The Colorado Department of Transportation has no estimated time for reopening the highway but it's expected to be closed at least all day Tuesday, creating a long detour between for those traveling between Minturn and Leadville.

Sent from my iPhone

ROAD TRIP

Easter Sunday here was a partly cloudy 50 degree day as we left Buena Vista, headed for Leadville and Interstate 70 to the north. One of the first things to catch our eye was the Arkansas River. We had seen it several times on our way here and it was mostly very small with little water. North of here it seems to be a mountain stream, sometimes wide enough, with enough water to raft.

Arkansas River

Leadville is much higher than BV and the temperature finally dropped to 36 with snow flurries. There was much more snow on the ground from recent snows there and to the north toward Tennessee Pass.

Welcome to Leadville

                               Tennessee Pass is a high mountain pass (10,500 ft) with ski areas.

Hwy Bridge near Tennessee Pass and Red Cliff, CO

Here are some more pictures along Hwy 24 heading toward I-70. Pictures just don't really capture the true vastness and beauty of the scenery.

Hwy 24 through the Rocky Mtns

Pretty Rugged

On the way back I saw a car pull over to turn around. This was the reason:

Mountain Goats

We arrived back home just in time for the weekly staff meeting at the RV Park. Every Sunday afternoon we have a meeting to plan our work priorities for the week. We enjoyed the ride and need to do a lot more road trips while we are here.

                         Wherever you are in your life and travels, ENJOY THE JOURNEY!

SPRINGTIME IN THE ROCKIES

Just across the Hwy from our park.

When we arrived last week it was in the low 60's and sunny. It looked like spring time in the Rockies had gotten here ahead of us. Last night we saw the other side of spring time in the Rockies. Snow began late yesterday afternoon. It was blowing and blizzard-like.

Late spring snow 04/13/14

This morning it was much colder than we expected.

Surprise-Welcome to CO

At noon today, it is 24 degrees and the sun is shining bright and melting the snow off the roads. It made some pretty scenery and all is well even though it is more winter than we bargained for. 

Our row of sites.

A lady downtown this morning said not to get excited about spring until May. That is only a couple weeks away so maybe spring flowers will be blooming soon. We are looking forward to warmer days but at least we have gotten to experience the beauty of spring snow in the mountains.

MAKING MEMORIES

MEMORIES

I know not nearly all of my good memories will be made on the road. You are all a part of the great memories of my life and I am thankful for you and the memories from our relationships. Every day, wherever we are, we make memories. Sometimes they are just not good memories and we try to let go of as many of those as we can. This collection of memories is just life. 

As we contemplated retirement and looked forward to it, we thought about what we wanted to do and how we would enjoy (or not) the "Golden Years" of our lives. Certainly, we wanted them to be fun and we wanted to see some places and things which we had not seen before. As more and more seniors seem to be discovering, we learned that full time RVing is a way to do the things we thought we were interested in doing. 

Already, we have lived three years in an RV. We have traveled thousands of miles, seen many beautiful mountains, oceans, landscapes, wildlife, and best of all made many great friends. Don't worry, we never forget you guys. Some how our hearts always expand and make room to love more individuals. 

To each his own, but we feel the same way.

We (especially me I think) love the western states. I really don't have much interest in traveling east of the Mississippi River. I know many of you do and you can tell many places we should visit. You are probably right but I am not into the "city traffic and the noise of man". I love the wide open spaces and drive a lot of extra miles just to avoid those big cities even in the west.

We are adding to our memories with our travels and love the lifestyle. If we don't want to stay in one place, we don't have to. However, staying in one location for a period of time cuts down on travel expense. We have learned the work camping lifestyle works well for us. We get a place to stay free, usually with free electric, water, sewer, wifi, sometimes propane, and ice. And while we are in that location, we have time to explore and make more memories.

Make Memories

Everyone decides what is important to them and how they will live out their lives. I wouldn't want to tell others what they will like or won't like but for us, we love the traveling and experiencing life in different locations. We have found people everywhere to be helpful, welcoming, and fun to be with most of the time. We have made so many friends, some days the emails and texts are almost too much to keep up with. Sharon says the hardest part of the lifestyle is leaving the good friends we make.

We have been here in Buena Vista, Colorado, only four days and have already made several new friends and celebrated work, play, and happy hours together. Last night we went to Deerhammer distillery downtown with owners and workampers from the park. It was a fun opportunity to get acquainted and learn more about the places right here near us.

DEERHAMMER Distilling Company

Happy Hour at Deerhammer

Now there is one more sight that has been pointed out to us since we have been here even more unique than the other things we have seen.

Of course, all the mountain peaks are pretty and really awesome to me. I am always in awe at their size. Some are so rough and jagged with rocks and boulders. Others so green with trees up high and snow at the top. This one just to our west appears to have the letters  "G-O-D" near the top and the locals say it will become more visible and apparent as the snow melts. Can YOU see it? The G is difficult at this point. This does seem to be God's country. The letters are naturally there and not man made. Wow!

GOD'S COUNTRY?

        WHEREVER YOU ARE IN YOUR LIFE AND TRAVELS, ENJOY THE JOURNEY.

SNOWY PEAKS

As most of you know, but some may not, we will be working this summer at Snowy Peaks RV Park in Buena Vista, Colorado. We are located north of Salida about 25 miles and south of Vail about 45 miles. 

The Collegiate Mountains, the tallest of the Rocky Mountains are just to our west. It is a beautiful area and I think we are going to like it a lot. We arrived Tuesday, April 08, and so far the temps have been in low 60's and low 30's at night, with breezy days. The elevation in Buena Vista is 8,000 ft so it is taking some getting used to. Several of the nearby mountains are over 14,000 ft.

 Pretty awesome. 

As the summer gets into swing here we will be busy but I will try to do a better job of updating the blog. I know there will be a lot to see and do. We will be working with three other workamper couples and the owners, Mike, Mark, and Cathy, and their daughter, Emma.

Mike, Emma, Cathy, & Mark

We traveled here with Mike & Christa, our friends from Kansas, who have worked here the past two summers. They have been a great help in not only guiding us here but helping us to get acquainted with the area and the people in the park. Thanks guys.

Mike & Christa

We are all adjusting to our new home. It has been pretty windy and we hope that will get better. We may see some snow this weekend.

Site 47

Sophie likes the front yard in the sun.