Mon-
There were only a few puddles left from the rain last night and a 4
inch high water mark on the 5th wheel tires which were on
a slight incline above the stream running down the road. We had an
uneventful drive heading north to Colorado. We stopped at a really
nice truck stop in Raton – easy access, nicely marked pickup diesel
island, friendly employees, clean and a nice cafe to have breakfast
for lunch. We got off the highway to check out a couple of RV parks
in Walsenburg, drove past and immediately got back on the highway –
YUK! We ended up in La Vita which is on Hwy 160 just west of I25.
At this point we just wanted a spot to spend the night and ended up
at a motel/RV park with a very scary clerk to check us in. The
weather was cooler and it was nice to sleep without AC running.
Tues
– We started with a huge climb over North La Vita Pass (9413
ft) and didn't descend a lot on the other side but remained in what I
refer to as high plains. I have an app on my phone to check altitude
(don't have that on our current GPS) so I kept track often. Once
again a lot of construction to keep drivers alert. We passed to the
south of Great Sand Dunes Ntl Park where we have been in the past so
didn't stop. There were lots of big RV parks in the area near South
Fork and we finally figured it was because of fishing, hiking &
off-road vehicles. Shortly after that we crossed the Continental
Divide at 10,856 feet. We had to deal with torrential rains,
lightning & thunder which was a little tense as we navigated lots
of hills & curves. We didn't stop for lunch and checked into La
Mesa RV park in Cortez just after 2:00. It is a small park with a
very nice, knowledgeable owner. When I called to get a site, she
said she had one pull-through left but we would have to back into it
as we were too long to make a corner. When we got here, she had
shuffled things around and put us in a pull-through that we could
drive through – just had to keep an eye on an overhanging tree
branch that had been damaged by previous visitors. We unloaded the
bike, had a late lunch and were relaxing when it started to rain
again – after the park owner said rain often bypasses Cortez!
Wed
– We started with a shorter version of our usual coffee &
games and then went to the Anasazi Heritage Center which was really
interesting. To quote from a visitor guide “the museum displays
the history and the methods that modern archaeologists use to reveal
the past, and preserves artifacts and records from excavations”.
Sounds less interesting than it actually is!! The McPhee dam was
delayed for over 4 years so artifacts could be removed from the
reservoir area. Next was a visit to Mesa Verde Ntl Park which is
just a few miles from our RV park. We stopped at the welcome center
to pick up a map, headed into the park and started climbing the
winding road. We had been to this park many years ago but I didn't
remember the road. Very scenic, no clouds to obscure the view. Mesa
Verde is known for the ancient cliff dwellings and you can take tours
of some of them. However, I do not particularly like tall ladders
and I would not voluntarily crawl through a tunnel so that was out.
There were lots of areas to park and take pictures, sometimes with a
short walk. I walked UP a path to a fire tower where there was an
amazing, nearly 360 degree view. When we came out of the park, we
went to Dolores which is a small town a few miles from Cortez. We
had a late lunch and then found a place to buy oil for the Spyder
which is why we went there. We stopped at the park to switch to the
motorcycle and went to WalMart for a few items. We wandered around a
bit too long and rain started as we came out of the store. Only a
short trip back so we didn't get too wet. Tossed on the bike cover
and relaxed!
Thurs
– We were only going to stay here for 2 nights but discovered a
casino about 10 miles away. The casino has an RV park so we
discussed moving but I suggested that we ask the owner here what rate
we could get for another night and it was the same as at the casino
so yesterday we booked another night. We got a special here with one
day ½ off and the owner was smart enough to give us a rate of half
of what we paid for the original 2 days. We took the truck to the
casino as rain showers were forecast again. We played a long time
but eventually gave them our money! We stopped at KFC on the way
back to pick up a very late lunch. We loaded the bike in case the
weather isn't nice tomorrow morning. I figure the evening will be
uneventful (just heard thunder!) so will post the blog.
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