Pictures from Ten Mile Springs trailhead road

This is where we ventured to on the last day of June, located in Gunnison County (as opposed to Hinsdale, where Lake City's located), north of here on highway 149, then east into the hinterlands.
This snowswept area provides a view of mts. way back there that probably are in the Crested Butte region. The pictures doesn't do it justice, I'm sorry to say.

Self-explanatory, sign at the top of the trailhead, where the sign-in box resides. Like good wilderness travelers, we signed in to let people know we are in the vicinity, should something happen to us and people have to look for us. When we take off for a destination like this, we always let someone at the rv park know where we're going, should we not turn up again before dark. Going 10 mi. on a 4wd drive does leave the possibility of vehicle problems, and hiking around the rough areas leaves the possibility of a twisted ankle or worse. But, as said, we take precautions, and that's all you can do.

We want to go back here sometime to explore more, and see if the flora have changed a lot with the season's changes.

So, here are all the photos believed worthy of notice, found at the roadsides and adjacent slopes on the way to and from the Powderhorn Wilderness.

I especially loved the wild iris, most of which were already dried up, but this one survived in the shade.

In the Powderhorn valley, just before we started up the road to the wilderness area, there's a group of buildings that obviously were home and outbuildngs to early ranchers. All are in a similar state of disrepair, and wouldn't it be wonderful if these buildings could talk? I get a sad feeling whenever I see these and similar other deserted pioneer buildings....there have to be so many stories there. The valley is absolutely stunningly beautiful, and it's apparently being worked as a ranch, but it appears no one lives there anymore except for a cluster of homes around the post office.
This guy was very cooperative; I got about a dozen shots (set the camera on sequential shooting), and these 2 are the best of the crop.

View from the top, aspens frame the background mts. across the valley toward Gunnison and Crested Butte.

The Latest

Right now it's raining like crazy, and we're wondering how it will be tomorrow evening this time when we have tickets for the Michael Martin Murphy concert, open air venue. Hope it's not like this! I may take my bright yellow Goretex rainjacket with hood, got it for ATVing, but it may come in handy for other events.

Sat. evening we had a very nice evening with Will Quinn, our young fly fisherman friend. Hungarian goulash, noodles and corn filled us all. Turns out Will is going to be at Prescott, AZ next year for his next year of pilot training. Needless to say, we've invited him to spend some time with us, as much as he can spare. He is indeed an extraordinary young man.

Sunday was a lazy day, I started on a new blog to document our Danube River cruise adventure. Will let you know when it's far enough along to take a look. We did take a walk into town in the morning, and in the afternoon went to the gym at the Armory for some dedicated exercise. It's even more important, with the type of activities we enjoy up here, to keep the legs strong. I find many reasons to SQUAT, mostly at 10,000+ ft. elevation, only one of which is to take photos of the lovely wildflowers, and getting up from that position isn't always easy!

Today we set off early (7:21 am) for Powderhorn Creek, a spot Will has recommended for fly fishing. E wanted to find it and see if it's somewhere he and E. Hovasse can go in late July.

We found it...at the end of a 10-mile 4 wheel drive road, just as Will described it. The drive was rough, but beautiful. Evidence in the next segment. We decided this would be a great ATV ride. We had our lunch at the parking area marking the trailhead, it was so quiet and peaceful, though there were 2 other vehicles parked there, not a sign or sound of humans. We walked down the slope to where we could see the creek, but I wasn't equipped with boots to hike down further; we're very cautious about climbing around on rocks these days.

Tonight we've enjoyed left over goulash and a quiet evening. Tomorrow we'll try fishing again at San Cristobal lake. Good luck!

We Flunked Fishing, Again!

Yesterday morning we had lines in the water just before 9 am, on a San Cristobal Lake bank, where small fish were hitting the surface like mad. E did catch two that were too small to keep, casting a gold spoon lure. C, on her usual powerbait effort, was totally skunked! One maybe bite, or nibble might be more accurate, and otherwise it was a wipeout.

Actually, it was such a beautiful morning that it was a pleasure to just be there. And more and more we internalize just how lucky we are to be able to do what we're doing. Walking down the relatively steep bank, full of opportunities to slip or twist on rocks, we're very cautious but able. So many of the folks who're as much as 15 years younger than E simply can't handle it...and this serves to motivate us even more to stay in shape, and to do all we can, while we can.

Last evening we had dinner out for the first time all week, at Southern Vittles, where Fri. night is shrimp special night. E had cajun grilled jumbo shrimp; C had a combo of shrimp and catfish. All served with f.fries (of course, but these are really good ones), cole slaw, and hush puppies. E gets my hush puppies, I get his cole slaw. And I swear, this is the best fried catfish you'll find anywhere. It was all very good.

Tonight, our young friend Will (fly fishing guide) is coming to us for a supper of Hungarian goulash on noodles. E will pick Will's brain about fishing and they'll talk about flying (Will's just finished his first year at Emery Riddle and gained his private pilot's license). We look forward to the time with Will; he's an extraordinary young man.

Today C succumbed and bought yet 2 more of the Columbia Tsunami shirts she loves, in new colors. They are the most wonderful thing for travel!

It's another beautiful day here, weather is sparkling. We've ordered 2 loaves of cinnamon raisin bread from the local bakery, we've become hooked on this to eat with our oatmeal for breakfasts. This is our first try from the bakery, at $5 something a loaf it'd better be good!

Icing on the Cake

On our ride back, thanks to Ed & Kay for spotting these bighorn sheep, ewes and babies, a family of 6 altogether. It was a great moment.

The largest sheep is a ewe; the bucks have the more significant, curled horns, but these are pretty notable, yes?

More of the same.

And last evening we were privileged to hear the 101st Army Band, Colorado National Guard out of Aurora, CO, in a free concert at the local Armory. They were great, and as a bonus we had the opportunity to chat with one female band member who is a middle school band teacher in Boulder, and who has participated in the Army band for 30 years. These folks, probably 1/3 of whom are music teachers, obviously LOVE what they're doing, and what a wonderful thing to enjoy on a beautiful mountain summer evening!

Who knew?

Yes, who knew that the lowly dandelion could be so beautiful?

Here's where we had lunch, and nature had wind-seeded the meadow and slopes with dandelion seeds, providing a yellow blast of color along roadsides as well.

Kay takes a look at Henson Creek as it bowls along its course toward our home base near the junction of the creek and the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River, which then flows eventually into the Gunnison, into what is now Blue Mesa Lake.

Alpine Jewels

This sign really tells it all, and the alpine tundra is now in bloom, a precursor to the later blankets of wildflowers that we see at slightly lower elevations. These delicate plants produce the tiniest of flower heads, some no larger than 1/4" in diameter, and with beautiful interior structures that are marvels of nature.

The forest floor is also bursting with new growth, some of which are in their earliest part of the lifespan; others in the sunnier spots are already blooming.

This photo gives a little perspective. The characteristic water trickle is only about 10" wide, so you can get an idea of the midget size of the white flowers. These water courses cover the upper reaches of the mts. as the snowmelt water finds its way down to the creeks and rivers below.

These are the tiny guys in the above pic.

And these, one of my favorites, have faces the size of a dime, and awesome coloration.

Yellow is everywhere...more on that later.

And again, one of my favorites, in a closer view.

Surreal Scenes

Typical snowmelt scene. Often the water stream isn't visible, being buried under the snowpack, only to emerge as a waterfall where it breaks through or a rock ledge pushes the flow out from under the snow.
This view is from the top of Engineer Pass, over 12,000 ft., pretty much the top of the world around here. The scenes on all sides are kinda surreal.
As the roadside banks are windswept, melt, and recede, strange natural snow sculptures result.
Like these "hoodoos". And yes, the sky really IS that blue.
And here's C, at the top, 12,800 ft. Wearing all the colors of the rainbow? It's what's in my closet, guys. And there was yet another jacket, bright yellow Goretex, that was shed a while earlier at lower elevation. The wind started to pick up, air got cooler, and the spot was getting congested with other adventurers, so, we drove back down to Rose's Cabin for our lunch break (next segment).

First ATV Ride of the Season

On Wednesday we did our first ride of the summer, to the top of Engineer Pass and back, with friends Ed & Kay. We started out at 9:30 am and were back at camp @2:30 pm. It was long enough to make us a little stiff and sore at the end of the day, even though some of the time was lunch break and the trailering required at the beginning and at the end.
We saw many signs of the above average winter snow pack, but this avalanche victim was a startling reminder of the power of "white death". This shambles was once a 4-story building, a historical landmark at one of the old mine sites that had survived countless previous winters.
Break time! Notice E's helmet; we're committed helmet wearers, even though they're top heavy and hair style destroyers! C gets frustrated (hates the helmet) with trying to get photos with all this gear on, but has decided that her intact brain is worth all the lost pictures in the world. We saw 2 deer beautifully silhouetted on a large patch of snow, a great photo op that was lost because of leather gloves and helmet face plate in the way. Oh, well....
This shot of Ed and Kay advancing through a snow tunnel, aka road, gives some idea of the snow depth, even now. Around May 1 the tunnel sides were as high as 30 ft. Now the deepest is around 10'. The temperature was quite noticeably colder as we reached the alpine tundra level where the snow melt is creating lovely waterfalls and rather surreal scenes of nature's snow sculptures and snow hoodoos (next segment).

Drive to Gunnison

We had a successful shopping trip to Gunnison, did Walmart and the grocery in record time, which left us enough energy and time to hit the golf driving range there in Gunnison. On the way out of the golf course area C spotted a fox, hunting in an overgrown & unmowed large empty lot. Neat, but couldn't get the camera out quickly enough.
On the way home we drove into an area where we've fished in the past and captured this landscape photo, though. You can dimly see the snow on the mtns. in the background.

And these first harbingers of summer were growing by the roadside.
Back at camp...every year the sight of this "71" on the mountain signals the beginning of summer. The snow melt progresses gradually, and then suddenly the numbers appear. It's a shame the numbers aren't "21", as this usually occurs right around the summer solstice.

Getting more settled

Yesterday was a day of accomplishment, more organization of the camp site, and then blustery weather in the afternoon. We went to the local gym and worked out a little, read the Denver newspaper at the Mocha Moose over coffee, watched "Alexander", the movie, on TV, and crashed.

Today was another good day, the small portable freezer we ordered (fits into the "belly of the whale") arrived, so we plan a shopping trip to Gunnison tomorrow to stock up on meat and other things we have on our list, including power bait for fishing, of course.

We developed a plan for our "sewerscape", a term we borrowed from an imaginative neighbor camper, a term that describes whatever you can figure out to camouflage your neighbor's sewer connection. Next to us this year we have an extraordinarily ugly sewer connection, complete with 1x2's holding down the hose and more unmentionables, so we're into sewerscaping.

We've devised a plan that involves a lot of blooming plants (which we both enjoy a lot), so we visited a local nursery shop today. Tomorrow we'll come home with additional pots and soil, and soon we'll have a better view.

In addition, we both worked out at the gym again. C's more motivated to get into better condition, E's continuing his dedication to keeping fit.

Forgot to mention!

Sorry, guys, but in the segment about our trip to K.C. C forgot to write about visiting with Mike & Breeana Moore, and Deb Allison and her family. Deb was quite sick with a virus when we first arrived, so it wasn't until our last evening that we got to see her and Bob, Michael and Jacob. We all enjoyed dinner together at the Cracker Barrel after a few hrs. of visiting in their home. In the meantime, we spent as much time as possible with Mike and Bree, including a good look at the house they were moving into soon. Mike sold his place at Lake Lotawana and purchased another home, which they're now enjoying. It was, all in all, a good visit with everyone, given the limited time and circumstances. Never enough, though! We always part with these families with more to say and do together.

First days in Colorado, the good, the bad and the ugly

The snowpack in the mts. around here was more than had been seen in a number of years, and as a result, Henson Creek, just behind our trailer, along with other creeks & streams, are flowing hard and heavy. This picture shows the conjunction of Henson Creek (brownish water) with the Lake Fork of the Gunnison (greenish). The Lake Fork flows out of the dammed San Cristobal Lake, so silt has already been settled out. Henson Creek flows unrestricted into the Lake Fork.
This is a closeup view of the spot where the waters merge.
Yesterday we went fishing for the first time at this beautiful spot, Browne Lakes, some distance south of L.C. In years past we've caught some of our largest trout here, and the lake gets weeded over as soon as weather warms up. So we gambled, drove there and endured a full day of no bites (almost), wind gusts that required we stay in our chairs lest they be blown into the lake, facial windburn, and frustration. E did catch one trout which we gave away to some worm fishermen, C lost one good one that broke the leader about 4 ft. from the bank.
This is the scene upstream from just behind our rig. By late July the creek will be half this size.
This scene is looking down into the valley where L.C. lies.

Today we successfully moved our rig over, got the awning up, our patio rug down, the site policed up and more organized. This evening we enjoyed steaks cooked on the grill on a hickory board (delish!), a bottle of Walmart's $1.87 wine, and are now cruising into bedtime. Last night C slept 11 hrs. after our fishing venture.

All's well, we're situated comfortably, everything seems to be working, and that's a beautiful thing!

Now in Colorado

This brings us up to the point where we left Arizona for Colorado, except for our trip to Eastern Europe and the Danube River Cruise. We will treat that as a separate section after all the pictures have been culled and edited, hopefully in the next weeks.

We left home on June 15 with our planned stop at Gallup, NM. However, we started out very early, and when we got to Gallup it was just too early to stop, so we cancelled our motel with intention of stopping in Cortez, CO.

When we arrived in Cortez it looked like Tent City! Unbeknownst to us, Cortez was that night's stop for the "Ride the Rockies" bicycle rally. After checking several motels, we finally got one of the last two rooms available at a Days Inn, had a good night's rest and proceeded into Lake City, CO on the 16th.

We were met with a lot of hugs and howdys, the RV Park is already virtually full, though the town is still very quiet. Henson Creek, right out our big back window, is running high and fast; last evening was the highest many of us have ever seen it. It still has 5-6 ft. to go to get high enough to impact us, so we're not concerned about flooding.

Gas prices are horrendous, almost $5 in some of the more remote places, $4.59 for regular here. General opinion is that this will be a summer of less tourists, but as already said, this RV park is full. Of course, many of us leave our rigs here now, but others are still pulling. We haven't looked around as yet but we're told that the outlying camping areas are being well utilized as well.

We've spent a lot of energy trying to remember or figuring out how everything in this rig works. We were in it a fairly short time last summer, and even our coffee pot that we bought late in the summer was a slight mystery the first morning!

We're going through the effort required to move our 5th wheel slightly. When it was put into place last summer it wasn't moved over far enough on the side where the utility hookups are, so our patio area on the other side is just that much smaller, making it difficult to put out our awning (much needed during rainy season). So while a friend is still around with his big truck and hitch, we'll move it and get it placed more properly.

This morning we even went to the local gym for a workout. Interestingly, though we both had some elevated blood pressure and C had a slight headache the first couple of days, we haven't felt the "spacey" effect that often has occurred in our first few days at this altitude. Even with the workout, our reaction to altitude is less than last year, so far. Actually, C thinks even her headache was more stress-induced than altitude! I mean, the TV is a technological monster and no amount of work made it function. Finally the Park Mgr. got it going, and doesn't know how he did it! Then, you should SEE the number of keys we're keeping track of; no matter how well organized you THINK you are, how well labelled everything is, there's always one lock where you can't locate the key. Really! it's enough to drive a sane person crazy sometimes.

But today everything has smoothed out, we have our fishing rigs ready to go, and if we don't move the trailer tomorrow we'll go fishing. Either one will be a pleasure.

The weather's gorgeous, very cool nights and 80 degree days. Today is shorts weather, tonight is grilled brats, mashed potatoes from a box, and a can of green beans. The eating out options are fewer this summer, several restaurants haven't opened as yet, and may not, from what we hear.

We have tickets in hand for a Michael Martin Murphy, "The Lone Cowboy", concert late this month. If you haven't heard of him, one of his more famous songs was "Wildfire."

Mary Stacy's birthday lunch

To honor cousin Mary's 90th birthday, family members from Arizona, Colorado, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, and of course, Missouri, gathered for lunch in Lee's Summit, MO, just before her 90th on March 5.
There was a whole lot of talking going on, much reminiscing as well as in some cases getting more acquainted with the youngsters of the family.
It'd been over 10 years since C saw Betty (Ball) Prouty; neither of us has changed a bit!

Edmund met some of the Ball/Grainger connection for the first time, Betty & Mel Prouty.

Mary's granddaughter Tiffany and her daughter Brittany were able to get Mary to the lunch without spilling all the beans...she was quite surprised, as we hoped, to see so many family members, and several of us told stories of what Mary's meant to us over the years.

All in all, it was a grand occasion, honoring a lady of great impact on us all, and the matriarch of the family at 90 years young!