Motorhoming to Colorado and Beyond 2011

I took Jewel for an early morning walk and ran into Dot our neighbor from MA. Had a great conversation with her and do plan on touching base once we are all back home.

We left the KOA around 10:30 am  and had our propane tank filled before leaving. We were not sure if we would be  dry camping so made sure we had enough propane to heat the camper in the high elevations of the park.

Then it was off to buy gas for both the MH and car. Then to the grocery store. We actually didn’t get on the road until after 11:30 am but whose rushing.

As we were driving we could see the mountains ahead of us. Quite spectacular to look at but not so wonderful to drive over. Ron doesn’t like pulling mountains but there was no choice. We pulled 12,000 feet in Vail without difficulty so 10,000 feet should be no problem!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

Wolf Creek Pass has a notorious reputation with the truckers so we were not really sure want we were in for. Ron’s plan was to take it slow and not push the MH.

Well, the pull was a lot more difficult then we could have imagined with a very steep grade. Although we pulled the pass over Vail  at 12,000 feet, it was a gradual grade and less stressful on the MH and us.

About  three-fourths of the way up the pass we realized we probably should have disconnected the car, but at that point it was too late. The MH was beginning to show signs of  strain – along with us, and when finally at the top the temperature gauge was starting to climb. It never got to hot  but it did go up one notch. That had never happened before. The temp gauge on the mirror which tells us the outside temp and the temp from the engine read 131. Yikes, not good.  Ron opened the hood and you could here the cooling system gurgling. Again – not good.

At the top of Wolf Creek Pass is the Continental Divide.

We sat for a while, had lunch and when engine sufficiently cooled we headed down the pass. Going down was not as bad as the climb and thank goodness  no  more difficult passes to go over.

Ron checked the entire rig and car and everything looked OK. Our only regret is that we didn’t disconnect the car putting less strain on the MH.

web site

http://www.motorcyclecolorado.com/wolf_creek_pass.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf_Creek_PassWaterfall

 

Waterfall Along the Way

Tunnel Through Mountain Pass

The  Road from Hell

 

 

 

 

 

By the time we finished our drive over the pass we were drained. Sounds crazy, but it was not a fun drive. Coming down the pass wasn’t as bad but the pass was 16 miles  long and the first 8 miles was at least a 6-8 % grade up.  Really tough. The maximum speed limit, even for cars was  35 MPH and we were going 22 MPH. There was a State Patrol Car pulling people over who were exceeding the 35 mph limit.

We decided we would catch a CG down the road. I had walked back to the BR and noticed that the MH was not riding as smoothly but didn’t think much of it at the time. The roads were a little rough so I thought that was the issue.

Around 5 PM we pulled into the Lathrop State CG for the night. We had only driven 200 miles but it felt like 400. It was a difficult 200 miles with rough terrain and really low speed limits.

 

 

We had dinner, settled in and just had to discuss our drive over Wolf Creek Pass. Despite all the research  and  discussions Ron had with people who knew the area we were still not prepared for the difficult pull over that GOD-AWFUL PASS.

 

We decided we had to take a break and stop for a few hours to catch up on the blog and laundry.  Ron also needed  to do some research and planning for our visit to the Rocky Mountain National Park. So we drove 49 miles from Mesa Verde to Durango and stopped at the local KOA.

I was able to do laundry, clean and blog. Not a very eventful day, but sometimes that is OK even on the road. LOL We aren’t used to hanging around too long so it will be back on the road  and off to Rocky Mountain National Park over 400 miles away tomorrow.

While at the KOA,  a Fifth Wheel pulled in next to us. When Ron took the dog for a walk he noticed that the plates on the truck were MA plates. We hadn’t run into many MA people during our trip and here we were parked next to someone from MA. Ron didn’t notice anyone around the rig otherwise he would have stopped to talk.

I was blogging and Ron was organizing his “Stuff.” when someone knocked on our door. It was our neighbor and his wife wanting to meet us and chat. Dot and Don told us they were from Longmeadow and the people traveling with them one site over were from East Longmeadow. We spent some time with both couples ( Rod & Ester were the second  couple ) chatting and discussing the best route to RMNP. The passes in the area can be very difficult to get over so we were looking for the least of all evils.We enjoyed our visit with our neighbors from MA and plan to get together with them back home.

Ron decided on the route we will take to Rocky Mountain National Park.  After much thought we will take the Wolf Creek Pass. At 10,000 feet we were told it was the least difficult of the passes that we would have to go over.  Can’t  seem get out of Colorado without going over the mountains.

We both got a good nights’ sleep after the long involved day. We didn’t have to get up as early since our tour of the Long House wasn’t scheduled until 11 AM.

The temp had dropped into the 50’s and the sky was overcast. A good day for a long hike. We left around 9AM and once again there was little to no traffic so we were early for the tour.

The ranger recommended we take the one-mile trail loop to the Step House. Again there were steep steps and grades down to the Step House.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After completing our tour we headed back  to the pick up point to catch the tram to the trail to Long House.

While waiting for the Tram there were two beautiful wild horses eating nearby. There are herds of wild horses that live on the Mesa.

 

Another long downhill trek.

Longhouse has 150 individual rooms

 

Another two 14 foot ladders to climb. In our group was a 79 year old woman who made the climb. She received a  resounding applause from the group when she reached the top.

 

 

 

 

 

Our tour guide was Park Ranger, Adrienne Foster, who just happened to be from Maine. She has a Masters in Social Anthropology and is leaving next month for a two year stint in the Peace Corps. Her goal is to become a full time Park Ranger. She was certainly well versed in the history of the cliff dwellers and made the tour very interesting and fun.

View inside Long House. Grinding stones left behind.

 

 

 

 

After completing the tour of Long House and the hike back up to the Tram we toured several other excavation sites.

 

 

View of Longhouse from an overlook

We stopped and had a picnic lunch with the view of the valley below us.

We ended our day around 3:30 PM. Early for us. Back at the MH we caught up on some cleaning and organizing that we had been neglecting.

Later we went to a ranger talk but it got rained out so we were back at the MH by 9:30 PM. Bed seemed a good option so off we went. A good end to a great day.

After completing the loop we headed back to the visitor center to purchase tickets to the Balcony House and Long House. We were both a little hesitant at first because of the 32 foot ladder and the tunnel crawl but then said – “Just Do It”

We were scheduled for the 1 PM tour and again arrived early. We had done the overlooks that required additional walking so the legs were getting a little tired.

The trails to the different cliff dwellings are all very steep and difficult. Not for the faint of heart.

As usual the trail down was easy –it’s the getting back up that is the most difficult.

The 32 foot ladder. Yes, indeed it was high but I was determined to climb that baby.

Looks pretty high.

Looking Down

Small Spaces – Big People!!!

The Balcony House was not as well preserved.

Kiva’s found in every cliff dwelling in multiples. Believed to be used as a ceremonial room or for family gatherings. The roofs have caved in so the open pit is all that is visible.

Getting through the tunnel was a trip. Ron had to go in sideways as did many other people. But it was a blast. Now to conquer some additional 16 foot ladders looking over the canyon 600 feet below. And to think the Pueblo residents did it with hand and toe holds –no ladders!

More water please.

After finishing the very challenging balcony House Tour we decided to continue on and catch the views and other dwellings or remnants of dwellings along the Mesa Top Loop.

There were examples of several Pit Houses along the way that were used to cook and make utensils.

The Square Tower House Overlook

Of the thousands of cliff dwellings believed to be in the Mesa Verde area 600 sites have been excavated with numerous artifacts on display in the museums around the world. The people who lived in these cliff dwellings did not just disappear. They moved out of the cliffs into the valley below and their descendants the Hopi Indians and other tribes live on today.

After completing our two cliff house tours and doing the Mesa Top Loop with several involved hikes we headed back to the CG. It was a long day with lots of activity and we were both tired.

Ron wanted to attend the evening ranger program but I couldn’t keep my eyes open. At 9:30 we were both in bed dead to the world.