SANTA FE TODAY

We love this place. It's a little windy up here on the top of the hill but the air is fresh and clear and the altitude is only 7000 feet so we can actually catch our breath for a change. Oh, and there are rabbits, lots of rabbits running all over the place. I've been chasing a few, but haven't caught one. Yet.

While I was watching the rabbits from the front window today everyone else went into Old Town  Santa Fe. There are lots of shops with everything from Native American jewelry to chili powders. At the plaza they looked at hundreds of handicrafts laid out on blankets by the artisans. They had already seen and purchased so much stuff at our other stops that there wasn't much incentive to buy anything here. I think they came home with a few trinkets, some Nambe serving pieces and a Kokopelli flag, but nothing very exciting from my point of view. Except for that bag of treats from Petco.

They visited the very famous Loretto Chapel with it's "miraculous staircase."  It was built of wood in 1878 by an anonymous carpenter using wooden pegs instead of nails. There are two 360 degree turns and no visible means of support as it reaches up to the choir loft.

ALMOST A PROBLEM

We left Angel Fire this morning and headed back toward Taos on the"not so" Enchanted Circle.  Lots of hairpin turns and switchbacks on highway 64 until we reached 68 which was supposed to be a nice straight shot to Santa Fe. Not so much. We never really got up to speed as we went through the Rio Grande Gorge. Beautiful scenery, but halfway to Santa Fe Warren and Kathy started to have problems with their engine. We pulled over to the side of the road and Jim and Warren put their heads together and realized that the engine needed a regeneration. That means the engine needed to burn off soot but since we were not going at  highway speed it wasn't doing it automatically. So, we sat on the side of the road for about an hour and a half while they called Freightliner and figured out how to fix the darn thing.

We arrived here at the Santa Fe Skies RV Resort and it's a cool and windy afternoon. The air is clear and there is no rain in sight for a change. Just chilling tonight after a day of drama on the road!

Pictures are of the Rio Grande where lots of people were enjoying floating down the river and a shot of the red rocks of the gorge along the way to Santa Fe.

TAOS PUEBLO

Today was our last day here in Angel Fire, so a trip back to Taos was planned. The road back into Taos is very curvy and narrow and I didn't think they would want to travel back there, but I was wrong. Kathe and Jim had never been to the Taos Pueblo and wanted to visit it before we head on to Santa Fe tomorrow morning.

The Taos Pueblo is an adobe settlement situated in the valley of the Sangre de Cristo mountains along a creek that flows from the sacred Blue Lake. The Red Willow Pueblo people have called this area home for more than 1000 years and they live here following the ways of the
ancient people. It is the only living Native American community designated both a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and a National Historic Landmark. They live much as their ancestors did in an adobe village with no electricity and no running water. Bread is baked daily in traditional Horno clay ovens. Most of the village is open to explore and they were able to learn a lot about the community from a guided tour.

After the tour they stopped for lunch at one of the adobe homes and two native american women made fry bread for Kathe and Indian tacos with chili for everyone else.

RED RIVER

It is really beautiful here, but if you ask me, five days is too long to stay in one place. Especially when it rains cats and dogs every afternoon. I understand this is the monsoon season, but enough is enough!

Kathe and Jim are running out of things to do here, so today they decided to travel on the Enchanted Scenic Byway to the town of Red River.

They passed through Eagles Nest on the way and today they had a big craft fair in the middle of town. Warren bought a giant cowboy hat that is so big that it provides shade for not only his head but his whole body. No more sunburned ears. Kathe and Kathy looked at all the jewelry and Kathy bought a bracelet made from antique spoons. That sounds strange, but it's really pretty. Jim and Kathe bought a CD from a guy playing an Indian flute. I must admit I'm getting tired of hearing Dean Martin every night. This might be a welcome change.

Once they arrived in Red River they did some shopping and walked the whole main street. Red River is a ski area in winter and a destination for people from Oklahoma and Texas. Lots of young families camp here during the summer. We saw kids riding the ski lift to the top of the mountain and tubing down the slopes on the grass.

After a stop at the end of town to see Fawn Lake and check out the fishing, it was time to turn around and get back to Angel Fire before the next rainstorm.

THUNDER MOUNTAIN

As I write this tonight, it's raining like crazy and the thunder and lightning is crashing all around us. It's 49 degrees in the middle of summer! All I want to do is hide under the dining room table, so I'll make this quick. Unfortunately, I have to go outside ran or shine.

Today was the final day of the week long fishing license that Warren and Jim bought so they figured they better go fishing. They got the local scoop about two state parks close to Angel Fire that were supposed to have been stocked recently. The first stop was Eagle Nest Lake where Jim caught a trout and Warren caught 3 good sized perch.  It started to rain so they
packed up the gear and headed for Cimarron Canyon State Park for another go. They spent several hours before they were crowded out by the other fishermen and the rain and thunder started in earnest. It poured all the way back to the campground.

As soon as they got home I HAD to go out so I'm sitting here a trying to dry out in front of the fireplace. I feel sorry for the two Great Danes that I saw this morning here in the campground. They are camping in a pop-up tent trailer with their humans. Now, that must be a wet mess!

HAIL, HAIL THE GANGS ALL HERE

Not much to report today. Kathe wasted the whole morning at the beauty shop, so the rest of us just hung out, waiting until she got home. I must say it was worth the wait, her hair was so long she looked like a golden retriever, and now she looks human again.

The big excursion today was a drive into Taos for some shopping and lunch. I don't think they bought anything but groceries and dog food. While they were gone we had another big hail storm. Everyday day it's usually a torrential downpour so this was a little different and louder too.  There are great mud puddles for me to run through and even a little snow, so the weather is not a total loss in my opinion. Did I mention the dog park is fabulous here, even in the rain. Today I played with 3 Yorkies and a Border Collie, it doesn't get much better than that.

I wish I had more to report, but this week is supposed to be a resting week. Nothing much except laundry, grooming and shopping. Oh yes, and resting! Here's a picture of me in front of some of the flowers in the campground.

HER BIG IDEA

Kathe saw this travel log about a drive called the Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway and of course we had to incorporate that into our itinerary. Well, getting from Chama to Angel Fire might be enchanting in an automobile, but it sure wan't too enchanting in a 40 foot motor home towing a jeep. We made it, but everyone's nerves were shattered by the time we pulled into the Angel Fire RV Resort this afternoon. Sharp turns on country highway 64 with thousands of potholes and no shoulder, not my idea of enchanting.

Good news! This Resort is really beautiful. It's brand new and the sites are wide and planted with lots of shrubs and flowers. We just barely got hooked up when there was a tremendous rainstorm.  Thunder, lightning, and pouring rain. When it finally let up we went into the town of Angel Fire. Not much of a town, but there is a lot around that we will explore.

BITTERSWEET DAY

Many of you know that when I started this blog in 2011 it was originally for my Grandma Norma, Kathe's Mom. She was very interested in our RV trips and since she had a computer I thought it would be a great idea to let her know what we were doing everyday. She always encouraged us to enjoy life and to travel, and she loved to hear about our trips. In later years when she could no longer use the computer we would sent her our blog by snail mail each week. Sadly, today we learned that  Grandma has gone to heaven to be with the angels. We all loved her very much including me. I will always remember sitting next to her on the couch while she was sewing or reading one of her cowboy novels, she was so toasty warm and loving. We're all a little sad today, and will miss her so much.

I stayed home today with a babysitter while my humans went on a previously scheduled all day rail road excursion. They had tickets for the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad. It's America's longest and highest narrow gauge railroad. This rail line began in 1880 and was a critical factor in the development of southwestern Colorado and northern New Mexico. It climbed to 10,015 feet in the Cumbres Pass and then chugged down into Chama.

WHO KNEW

This morning while Kathe and I were walking around the campground after breakfast we met a man from New Mexico that told us about a couple of interesting sites not too far from Chama. It seem that we were only about 40 miles from the Ghost Ranch where Georgia O'Keeffe found her inspiration for many of her landscape paintings. And he also told us about an unusual natural rock formation near Ghost Ranch called the Echo Amphitheater. We had already planned a day of  fishing at Heron Lake State Park, so unfortunately we didn't think we would be able to go there today.

Well, the fishing turned out to be a total bust. Not even a nibble because the Lake was so shallow, 50 feet below normal depth.  Jim and Warren spent several hours trying before giving up and going home for lunch.

So Kathe, Kathy and Jim drove out to see both the Ranch and the Amphitheater. The afternoon monsoon poured on them on the way out and back, but held up for a little while, long enough to see the sites and take theses pictures.

CHARMING CHAMA

We had a very nice drive today from Durango to Chama, New Mexico on some really beautiful two lane country roads. Never heard of Chama? Well, it's on the way to Taos and we stopped here because there's supposed to be fishing right out in front of your campsite. Maybe that was so back in May, but the "river" is drying up and we haven't seen any fish yet. But this is a very quiet and peaceful area for us to relax for the next few days. They guys are going to try their luck fishing tomorrow.

I'm a little under the weather today. Last night I got so excited that Warren and Kathy were coming for dinner that I was jumping all around, up and down on the furniture and into people's laps. I kinda overdid it. And I got yelled at too! After my time out I realized that I pulled a muscle on my driver's side front leg. So, today I have to be carried outside and I'm not allowed to climb the stairs into the coach. Hope it gets better soon so I don't have to go to a vet here in the middle of nowhere.

SWEET DAY

This morning began with a trip to the Durango Farmers Market where Kathe and Jim bought all sorts of local fruits and vegetables. They got there too late for the Palisades peaches they were after but scored some later at a roadside stand. When we got back, Warren did some exploring on his own and found a guy picking choke-cherries across the highway. He picks them for wine and jams and has been picking them for the past 37 years.
Warren also discovered "Honeyland" a store about a mile north of our campground. They had everything honey! Honey wine, Vodka, and Whiskey, honey lotions, honey jams, honey barbecue sauce, mustard and dressings. I guess you get the picture, a whole store dedicated to honey stuff. They even had a live honey bee hive in the store. The bees enter through a tube on the roof and you can watch them through a glass wall in the store. Amazing place, it's been in Durango for 100 years!

After that adventure they drove to Haviland State Park to check out the Lake and the fishing. Neither of the guys looked too interested in the fishing prospects, but it was a pretty drive. This is a picture of the cliffs that run all along the highway across from our campground and around the area of Haviland Lake. 

IN SICKNESS AN IN HEALTH

I'm sorry I wasn't able to blog these past couple of nights, but Kathe got very sick and I had to take care of her.  She got some sort of gastrointestinal virus and spent several hours in the emergency room because they thought she might have appendicitis. Jim and I took good care of her and she is almost tip top today. Jim took a picture of her in the hospital for me, but I'll spare you that one.

Anyway, today things sort of got back to normal and they all went out to tackle Red Mountain Pass and have lunch in Silverton. You remember, that was the road that they were afraid to take from Montrose because everyone was telling

them horror stories about it. It was a beautiful drive but there were lots of switchbacks, and hairpin turns and a whole lot of traffic. It's a good thing they were driving the Jeep.They only drove as far as the Red Mountain which is 11,017 in elevation. Everyone agreed that it wouldn't be so beautiful driving in an RV. Red Mountain was once a great area for silver mining, but now it's just a  tourist stop on the road from Silverton to Ouray.

The town of Silverton looks much like it did back in the old mining days. It's really very cute.  There are T-shirt shops and restaurants, but several interesting craft and jewelry stores too. A steam train travels between Silverton and Durango everyday. The passengers spend a few hours in Silverton and then head back to Durango.

THE EASY WAY DOWN

Well, after much discussion and many horror stories we decided not to take the 550 Highway from Montrose to Durango today. It might have been the U-tube videos or maybe the guy next door telling Jim about his friend that was forced off  the road and died on Red Mountain Pass. Anyway, we took the easy way down through Lizard Pass which added 3 or 4 hours to the drive, but we arrived safely in Durango.

We drove the San Juan Scenic By-Way and it was a very beautiful trip through the mountains. I took the best pictures that I could from the coach window, but nothing can compare to the actual sights we saw. We had a little mishap on the way, we missed a turn on the 2 lane highway and had to un-hook and make a U-turn. Pretty frightening, when you have not one but two 40 foot coaches to turn around the middle of the road.

We are here now in the very beautiful Alpen Rose RV Resort in Durango and will be here for 5 days. I have already seen deer hopping over the fence in the 2 acre dog run which I am not ever going to use.

HOORAY OURAY

Another day of exploring, this time they drove to the town of Ouray, Colorado. Yet another beautiful small town filled with lots of tourists. There are steep mountains on either side of the main part of town which has shops and saloons from one end to the other.  A completely different experience from yesterday's drive in the National Park.

Ouray was established by miners looking for gold and silver and at one time had over 30 active mines. Because of the alpine environment it is now known as the Switzerland of America, and the entire economy is based on tourism, focusing on mountain biking, hiking and four-wheel driving. Of course, my humans helped the local economy by having lunch in a pub and shopping for T-shirts, hats and jewelry.

Much discussion about the next destination, Durango, Colorado. They were planning to drive the million dollar highway which is known as one of the most beautiful drives in America. Unfortunately, it is also one of the most dangerous as well with 3 mountain passes and no guard rails. We will probably opt for the longer route which takes several hours longer, but will be safer.

BLACK CANYON

Today Jim and Kathe left me home here in the dog patch RV resort while they went exploring in the Black Canyon National Park. We have stayed in worse places, but this one is on the second or third page of places we would stay again. The only redeeming grace is the close proximity to the Black Canyon and the Russell Stover candy factory.

Black Canyon is a breathtaking, awe inspiring granite masterpiece. The dark canyon walls plunge 2,700 feet to the Gunnison River below. A geological event known as the Gunnison Uplift raised the canyon rock from deep within the earth. Two million years ago the Gunnison River carved the canyon, cutting through the uplift core eventually forming the deep canyon bottom. Pictures cannot show the spectacular views at each of the pullouts along the South rim. After traveling the entire rim, they took the East Portal road and experienced the canyon from below, looking up at the canyon walls along the river.

After this fantastic adventure, they stopped at the Russell Stover Factory. Some of the more fragile candy is manufactured here in Montrose. Cherry cordials and coconut creams tend to explode if not made at this high altitude.  News flash: they make hundreds of different candies, but no dog treats!

MONTROSE

We only had a short drive today from Gunnison to Montrose, Colorado. We drove to the end of the Gunnison Lake and down hill through some really spectacular canyons. We're camped very close to Black Canyon National Park which we will visit tomorrow.

We are at a lower elevation here so it's much warmer and we needed to turn the air conditioning on as soon as we hooked up. The couple in the trailer next to us scared us with dire warnings of little black bugs that were getting into "everything." They warned us not to open the door or we would have thousands of bugs in the coach. We have been here since noon and only seen one bug. Guess they didn't want our big coach parked next to them for three days.

The campground is a little disappointing, kind of dusty and the dog park is really only a weed patch. But the town is larger than any we have stayed in since Flagstaff, so we will take advantage of the many stores and I guess that means haircuts for all the humans and grooming for all us doggies. Ugh!

CRESTED BEAUTY

The sun came out again this morning and everything is dry and beautiful here at the campground. There are lots of doggies and fishermen here, and it looks like most of them are here for the whole season. There are supposed to be huge salmon in Lake Gunnison, but you need a boat to catch them.  The lake is 21 miles long and 334 feet deep in some places. Guess we will have to buy our salmon at the market.

The ski area of Crested Butte is only about 50 miles from Gunnison and this weekend is the wild flower festival. While I stayed home and watched for the rain to start, they all went on another adventure without me.

Crested Butte was really very touristy with the main street filled with shops and restaurants. All of the buildings in town are painted to look like an authentic town of the old west. Here's a picture of Mt. Crested Butte and one of the city hall. Although they went into many stores, I didn't see any purchases except a bicycle horn that looks like a parrot. It squeaks like a dog toy and is driving me nuts!

WET DAY

Not much to report today. Bella, Gianni and I all had to have baths this morning. And now it's raining! Everything and everybody is wet and muddy. Serves them right, we didn't need baths!

Jim and Warren spent the day fishing. They tried several areas and Warren was successful and caught some more trout. Jim just drowned worms, but they had a fun day anyway.

The Kathies went out to lunch together and shopped the whole downtown of Gunnison, getting home just as the monsoon began. Apparently, this is the monsoon season and it's rained a little everyday that we've been here. But today it's pouring and there is a river of mud running down the road in front of us. I just hope that Kathe doesn't think I need another bath. Isn't rain water supposed to be good for your hair?

It's really hard to get any pictures because of the limited internet. Here's one of the Lake which is right across the highway from our campground. 

GUNNISON PIONEER MUSEUM

It's really nice here in Gunnison, except for the internet. Yesterday with my little post and 2 pictures I used up our daily allotment of 300MB bandwidth. Really upsetting to Jim because he couldn't find out what Megan and Harry were doing last night.  Luckily, this morning Kathy and Warren gave us a booster for our own MIFI, so we are back in business. It's great, because we are staying here for four nights and we are all so used to our devices that we wouldn't know what to do with ourselves. No TV, no phone, no internet, we are practically in the wilderness.

Today, after a late breakfast, everyone left us doggies and went into town. Destination: The Pioneer Museum. There have been other Pioneer Museums on our many travels to the West, but this one was really one of the best ever. There were 24 buildings with artifacts and memorabilia dating back to 1880 when the pioneers first settled in Gunnison. Jim and Warren liked the huge narrow gauge train exhibit and the antique cars. The girls liked the antique dolls, the telephone display from 1800's, and the house with the early-day furnishings. They spent several hours there and really could have spent days there were so many interesting exhibits.

TWO PASSES ONE DAY

I better make this quick as they don't have real internet here at the Gunnison Lakes RV Resort. They limit your usage everyday and it's slow and unsecured.  So, here are a couple of pictures taken on the ride today from Central City to Gunnison, Colorado. It was a very long and exciting drive.  Over 200 miles of winding narrow roads. We drove over two passes that were both over 11,000 feet high.

First, was the Freemont Pass at 11,320 feet followed by Monarch Pass at 11,312 feet.  What a ride it was!

We're all happy to be here at the Lakeside Resort, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow for a picture of the lake. 

HIGHER THAN PIKES PEAK

No, we're not talking about all those Colorado Dispensaries! Today we took a drive up to the summit of Mount Evans. It's 14,265 tall and it is the highest paved road in North America. The road was 28 miles long and very narrow, but the scenery was like taking a trip from Canada to Alaska.  They say every 1,000 feet gained in altitude was equivalent to traveling 600 feet north in latitude.Originally the Mount Evans road was to go over the west side of the mountain and connect to the  Peak to Peak Highway.  This was to link Pikes Peak to Mount Evans by roadway, but it proved unfeasible.


Climbing this high we were able to travel through continental regions such as the Subalpine zone and the Alpine zone. The views were amazing. We saw tiny wild flowers, bristlecone pines and glaciers as we drove higher and higher up the mountain.

You can see some of the glaciers beyond these
rocky mountain goats in one picture. I especially liked the fat yellow bellied marmots hiding in the rocks. They look like mean, overgrown squirrels!

FISH TALES

Another day, another adventure. Today the crew decided that they wanted to go fishing. Our next door neighbors told us that they caught 8 trout at Golden Gate State Park yesterday so that got Jim and Warren's attention.  When they asked about that Lake when they were purchasing fishing licenses, no one had heard of it. So they went to Urad Lake as recommended, where "everyone" catches fish.

It was up another rocky and bumpy road for miles, then there was a steep hill to climb, but it was worth the effort. As soon as they got settled Jim threw in a line and pulled out the first trout. It went on like that with Kathy, Warren and Jim pulling out fish after fish until they caught the limit. They caught enough rainbows and cutthroat trout for a nice dinner tonight. Kathe took some pictures!

Just now as the fish and potatoes are about to be fried there is a hail storm pounding down on us. Don't worry it's only pea size hail, but it sure made enough noise to scare us all. We have had a rain storm every night at about this time, it just lasts for a few minutes and passes over the mountains. Hopefully

this storm will pass by quickly.

RICHEST SQUARE MILE IN THE USA

Today was Jim's birthday so he got to choose the excursions for the day. The area around here is a very famous gold and silver mining area. There is a sign in town that states that more gold and silver came from this area of Central City than anywhere in the USA. So, they went to the Hidee Mine to find some of that gold today.

Since they arrived too late for the 11:00 tour, the miners let Jim try his hand at panning for gold at no charge before the next tour because it was his birthday. It's not as easy as it looks but he did get a few flakes to take home. Gold was discovered in this area here in the 1850's and they are still mining here today.  At the Hidee mine tour they went into a tunnel 135 feet underground and were given picks and chisels to carve out gold specimens from the main ore vein. It was dirty work but Warren and Jim really had a good time.  They came away with two little bags of ore.  This kind of mining is very hard work, not like the nuggets you would expect, but it was still a lot of fun.

After lunch they went on a jeep tour on the Apex Road up to an altitude of 10,000 feet and could see St. Mary's Glacier in the distance.  The road was really rocky and bumpy, just the way Jim likes it.  All in all, a great birthday. Time for the cake and ice cream now.

RAMBLING AND GAMBLING

I really like it here in Central City.  It was so cool this morning that Jim had to put on the heat before we could get out of bed.  I think I could stay here forever. Did I mention the millions of chipmunks running all over the place? Paradise!

This whole area was once a huge gold and silver mining district. Rich deposits were found in the 1800's and many saloons and gambling establishments were soon built here. While there are still several historic mines to visit here, the area now known for it's many casinos. There are seven casinos in Central City and twelve a mile away in the town of Blackhawk.

Today Kathe and Jim took Warren and Kathy down the mountain to check out the tiny town of Central City. There's a narrow brick Main Street with a few stores, a post office and many casinos. The first casino they went into still had old style slot machines that actually took and paid out coins. Haven't seen that in a long time.

Later they drove to Nevadaville, a ghost town above Central City where an old mine is still standing, you can see many piles of mine tailings on the hillsides here and all over the town. The highlight of the afternoon was at a casino in Blackhawk where Kathy T. won $804.00 on a poker machine. Champagne for everyone!

FINALLY COOL

Tonight I'm a little late in posting because I've been sitting by the campfire.  Yes, you heard right, a campfire. We are in Central City, Colorado at almost 9000 ft. in altitude and it's cool and damp enough to allow campfires.

We left the heat of Glenwood Springs this morning and drove about 100 miles on the I-70.The first part of the drive was through Glenwood Canyon along the Colorado River and the scenery was breathtaking. We drove up and over many high passes and through several tunnels and a rainstorm to reach Center City.  It's an old mining town just west of Denver.  Our campground is a green and beautiful spot on top of a mountain. We look down on the little town of Center City, and it reminds me of pictures of Switzerland.

After so many days of air conditioning and
temperatures in the 90's and 100's it's a wonderful 50 degrees tonight. We had a campfire and roasted marshmallows. Cuddle up weather at long last!

QUIET HOLIDAY

This has been the best Fourth of July of my life! Fireworks are banned here due to the extreme fire conditions. I'm very happy, no thunder shirts required and absolutely no calming pills needed. Just a nice quiet evening in camp. There is a laser light show in town with virtual fireworks, but no one wants to go anywhere tonight. It's just too nice here.

And no one wanted to go anywhere during the day either. It's so nice that we stayed home all day and just relaxed. We walked down to the river several times to watch the river rafters, kayaks, and paddle boards glide by. Tonight after supper we saw some deer drinking on the other side of the river.

There is a fire burning twenty miles away from us tonight, so as great as this place is I'm glad we are moving northeast tomorrow. Hopefully there will be less smoke and lower temperatures in the Denver area.

FROM RED TO GREEN

We left the red rocks of Colorado National Monument today and headed to the beautiful green canyons of Glenwood Springs. This morning before we left our campground the humans took a bike ride along the Colorado River pictured here. It was a really nice bike path and everyone enjoyed the cool morning ride. Kathe took a little tumble off her bike (standing still) and skinned her elbow, but they rode back and started the journey east at 11:30.

It was only about a 2 hour drive, but it's much cooler here and there are lots of green trees in the canyons. Our new RV Resort is also along the Colorado River, it's a little hike down hill to the water but not too much for me. There are signs saying to watch out for bears, but I'm more worried about all the big doggies roaming around off-leash. Their humans always say, "He's friendly", right before he tries to bite me!

There was a Farmer's Market in town tonight, so of course Kathe had to go.  She bought peaches for a cobbler and two quiches for dinner.  I had a little piece of the broccoli one.  What's the big deal? It tasted like scrambled eggs to me.

Tomorrow is July 4th and they said that there will be no fireworks here. It's against the law. Keep your paws crossed that it's true.

SLOW POKES

I woke Kathe up this morning at the usual time, but everyone went right back to sleep. I don't think Kathe even moved until 9:00. Jim got up and went for a bike ride along the river all by himself. No one else wanted to do anything. They all sat around talking about what they "might" do today until it was 12:30 and they decided it was too late and too hot to do anything today.

Finally, someone mentioned lunch, and they left me alone in the coach. From the looks of the bags, they went shopping instead of sight seeing. Cabellas, Walmart, Hobby Lobby, and Office Depot, but nothing for me.

Here are a couple of pictures from yesterday. Jim and Kathe on top of the world, or on top of the
Mesa. Also, in town they saw this sculpture, Rusty's Dream, a monument to a dog that lived in Fruita.
 

A MOUSE AND ANOTHER MONUMENT

Most exciting morning ever! So, Kathe's taking me out this morning and I smell something really interesting behind a rock. It's a little mouse, so I bite it and turn around to show Kathe what I found for her. It was hanging out of my mouth a little but she screamed and that scared me so much I dropped it. Darn little thing ran away. But, it was sure was fun while it lasted.

After breakfast, while I was recovering,  the rest of the group took a bike ride to the Starbucks and planned their day. First up was a trip to the Colorado National Monument. We are camped about a mile from the entrance. They drove the 23 mile Rim Rock Drive and stopped several times to enjoy the views overlooking the canyons and rock sculptures.

After that it was a search for the famous peaches in the town of Palisade, Colorado.  They found several fruit stands and brought home some bags of peaches, peach jam and peach salsa.

Still wish she would have let me keep that little mouse.