July 2021
Travel Blog 356: 4 Travelers at the 4 Corners
From the time my last blog was published, we spent a couple more days at Chatfield State Park, enjoying the weather, seeing a few birds, sniffing a few flowers, and savoring the experiences at the off-leash dog park.
From Chatfield we took our time cruising on 470 West, and then up and downing on Colorado 285 through the mountains and over the passes. We spent a night at Woods and River RV Park in Del Norte, CO, with our site overlooking the Rio Grande River. The next day we continued west, going over the Wolf Creek Pass at 10,856 feet, continuing our journey like a caterpillar on a milkweed as we dealt with hairpin curves, tunnels, and a few serious ups and downs. The views made it all worthwhile. We continued on through Pagosa Springs, and then Durango, Mancos, and by Dolores to our month-long stay at The Views RV Park.
Not as high as Wolf Creek Pass, but our RV site is 7,996 feet of elevation. Very nice place. For a location out in the boonies, we have decent Verizon signals and the campground has excellent Wi-Fi.
What is especially cool is that we are within a spit and two hollers from some of the most impressive national parks, national monuments, and other inspiring places just dripping with the soul and continual presence of the Ancient peoples and the places they lived. Close by is Hovenweep, Mesa Verde, Canyons of the Ancients, Yucca House, etc., bordered on the north and east by the San Juan National Forest.
Drought
Seeing is believing. Directly across from our RV Park is the McPhee Reservoir with the water so low it showed shoals only experienced boaters would know about. When one hears that eastern Colorado depends on western Colorado for water, many should be concerned.
Short Road Trip
One afternoon we headed up Highway 419 the 28 miles to Dove Creek. Not much going on there so we headed west on dirt roads (decent by dirt road standards) to the Dolores Canyon Overlook. This is one of those places much prettier than photos show. With shaded picnic areas and trails around the rim, it would be a great place to take a cooler and a lunch basket and enjoy a half day.
Dolores River Trail
We are very close to the small and quaint town of Dolores. The trail along the Dolores River is a great place to walk the pups, listen to sounds of the moving river, and take in the wild sweet peas along the way.
Cortez Framers Market
Every Saturday morning, Cortez has a Farmers Market right off of Main Street. The small local stands were displaying and selling a variety of goods, from vegetables to breads to sweets to meats to herbs to spices to photographs of worms. Jan bought us some garlic rosemary bread, some homemade tortillas, and a photo of wild horses.
Great start to a great stay.
See you next time.
From Chatfield we took our time cruising on 470 West, and then up and downing on Colorado 285 through the mountains and over the passes. We spent a night at Woods and River RV Park in Del Norte, CO, with our site overlooking the Rio Grande River. The next day we continued west, going over the Wolf Creek Pass at 10,856 feet, continuing our journey like a caterpillar on a milkweed as we dealt with hairpin curves, tunnels, and a few serious ups and downs. The views made it all worthwhile. We continued on through Pagosa Springs, and then Durango, Mancos, and by Dolores to our month-long stay at The Views RV Park.
Not as high as Wolf Creek Pass, but our RV site is 7,996 feet of elevation. Very nice place. For a location out in the boonies, we have decent Verizon signals and the campground has excellent Wi-Fi.
What is especially cool is that we are within a spit and two hollers from some of the most impressive national parks, national monuments, and other inspiring places just dripping with the soul and continual presence of the Ancient peoples and the places they lived. Close by is Hovenweep, Mesa Verde, Canyons of the Ancients, Yucca House, etc., bordered on the north and east by the San Juan National Forest.
Drought
Seeing is believing. Directly across from our RV Park is the McPhee Reservoir with the water so low it showed shoals only experienced boaters would know about. When one hears that eastern Colorado depends on western Colorado for water, many should be concerned.
Short Road Trip
One afternoon we headed up Highway 419 the 28 miles to Dove Creek. Not much going on there so we headed west on dirt roads (decent by dirt road standards) to the Dolores Canyon Overlook. This is one of those places much prettier than photos show. With shaded picnic areas and trails around the rim, it would be a great place to take a cooler and a lunch basket and enjoy a half day.
Dolores River Trail
We are very close to the small and quaint town of Dolores. The trail along the Dolores River is a great place to walk the pups, listen to sounds of the moving river, and take in the wild sweet peas along the way.
Cortez Framers Market
Every Saturday morning, Cortez has a Farmers Market right off of Main Street. The small local stands were displaying and selling a variety of goods, from vegetables to breads to sweets to meats to herbs to spices to photographs of worms. Jan bought us some garlic rosemary bread, some homemade tortillas, and a photo of wild horses.
Great start to a great stay.
See you next time.