My last posting had my stay on the mountain by Monticello ending. I did a very short drive to McPhee reservoir and sprang for an electric site for 1 nite. A nice campground but a bit pricey for a Federal site but very popular and it is scenic as well Insert pic of McPhee

 

Then it was on to Ouray for 4 nites at the Amphitheater campground which is about 700 ft above the town on the side of the canyon the town is nestled in.

 

The campground is at 8800 ft and the peaks surrounding the town are 10000 ft and up. The town is noted for it’s Hot Springs and is tourist oriented year round. It’s a very small town but it had 3 Breweries that I saw, the Irish Red Ale at Colorado Boy brewery was excellent and for a price worthy lunch of a mighty fine cheeseburger I highly recommend Maggie’s Kitchen. I’d guess it was a ½ lb burger that cooked nicely and was tasty for $9 which in Southwest Colorado’s tourist environment is a good deal. It’s a no frills place and you wait on yourself but it had seating on the street so I got to eat and people watch at the same time.

 

I took the photo of the town from an overlook a 2 minute walk from my campsite. Early one morning I was out and a gentleman approached me and asked if I was going down to town anytime soon then he explained he had driven up late in the day and there were no available campsites but he was too afraid of the road to the campground to go back down in dim light. He had a significant fear of heights and had decided to sleep in his car at the overlook parking by my campsite. He told me he was from Philly and I encouraged him to make the trip down slowly and when he got to one of the hairpin turns just act like a New Yorker and blow the horn. He went off to have coffee with the camphost and I never saw him again.

 

The weather wasn’t the best, all the nearby high peaks did a great job of capturing the Monsoon moisture coming in from the Southwest. We had significant rain 3 out of the 4 days I was there. The waterfalls along the canyon walls were very active. The bartender at the Colorado Boy brewery said it was the wettest summer he could recall in the 15 years he had lived there.

 

From Ouray I had another short drive to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park for 3 nites with an electric site within the park. Campsites with electric are a rarity in National Parks. I visited this park briefly many years ago when it was still a National Monument. The Park is just below 9000 ft so I was still dealing with altitude sickness. I started taking a supplement to enhanced red blood cell production which in turn will aid oxygen getting to your body. I’ve had some improvement since then with daily use. Insert pic of cloroxygen

 

Then I was off to a place I was looking forward to, Silver Jack NF campground a little east and south of Black Canyon. It’s at 9100 ft and around 20 miles back a dirt and gravel road. If you Google map Silver Jack Reservoir you’ll see my campground at the north of the lake. It was my 3^rd time camping here in the last 10 years. It sits in a huge Aspen forest with a few Pine and Colorado Spruce mixed in. There are Deer in the campground at all times of the day. It may be my favorite campground. 

 

I took a drive up and over Owl Creek Pass about 5 miles from the camp, it tops out at 10100 ft and going down the west south you see a major rock formation know as Chimney Rock and there is a meadow the road goes by and 10 years ago when I first saw it I was sure I recognized it. I’m not a big movie buff but I soon remembered where I had seen it but had to wait a while to confirm my choice. There is absolutely no cell service at Silver Jack.

 I’ll give you a hint, a gunfight on horses charging across the meadow and a pit of snakes…………..any ideas????????????

 

 

 

 John Wayne, Glen Campbell and Kim Darby in the original True Grit and Deb's Meadow was the site of the gunfight between the Marshall and the Bad Guys. Here's a You Tube video of it.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8EbkzlOa5A

The days were moderate with some Monsoon rains and it got down to 49 3 of the nights I was there. There is an abundance of Hummingbirds and they are big, about 5 inches in size and there are plenty of curious Chipmunks as well.

 

 

 

So I’m typing this at Elk Creek watching a really big thunderstorm to the north and I think it may come here. The weather here is very different for me, The storms move very slowly compared to back home and there are very few big changes due to systems moving through. I get the impression this area is cut off from some of the normal weather patterns. The lake I’m on is very popular for fishing.

 

I’m leaving here tomorrow and going up to Taylor Park and Lakeview campground where I hosted 2 years ago. I remember the toilets well but I won’t be cleaning them this time LOL. Don’t expect to post any of this until I can get to the library in Leadville later this month.

 

 

 

Well I didn’t post anything from Leadville, the day I had planned for the library got interrupted by a bad truck battery. I removed the battery from the trailer and jumped it to the truck and it still wouldn’t start. I carry 2 battery chargers so I fired up the generator and put the batteries on a charger and 45 minutes later I was off to the autoparts store.

 

So now it’s over 2 weeks later, Sept. 2, and I’m at Cottonwood Lake National Forest campground about 10 miles west of Buena Vista, Colorado. The campground is very nice with great views and a beautiful alpine lake a 10 minute walk away.

 

Upon arriving at Lakeview campground in Taylor Park where I hosted briefly in 2020 I was pleasantly surprised to find that the folks I had co-hosted with were still there and into their 3^rd year of hosting so I got to catchup a little with them. The views in Taylor Park made me want to be back there hosting. 

 

 The nights were cool and the days wonderful. I had numerous Deer visit including a group of 6 bucks no does. I spent 4 days and the time flew by. It was the peak time for the Perseids meteor shower but it was a full moon that rose early and set after dawn so forget seeing meteors. I had a neat visit from a Hummingbird who flew into my Gazebo then looked around while hovering a few feet from me then circled the insides and flew out.

 

After Lakeview I went to Twin Lakes area just east of Taylor Park for 3 days. The campground is in the shadow of Mt. Elbert which is the highest peak in Colorado. The views in the area are excellent but all the National Forest campgrounds in the area had no water this year. I spoke with the campground host and the company he works for is very frustrated with the Forest Service allowing the water systems to go without maintenance. It is becoming very common to find the water systems in National Forest campgrounds out of service. I do a lot of research and have been aware of the water problem and plan accordingly. The campground I’m currently in has no water this year and I expected to stay 8 days so I came with a full 30 gallon fresh water tank on the camper and I filled my 6 gallon jug. Over the years I’ve learned how to be very frugal with water and 36 gallons will last me 8 days. Twin Lakes is at 9500 ft so the effect of the altitude was similar.

 

From Twin Lakes I went about 25 miles north to Leadville and camped for 10 days around Turquoise Lake in both dispersed and a regular NF campground

 

The area is heavily used and has little to no underbrush and as a result very little wildlife. The area is just outside of Leadville at 10,000 ft and the extra altitude didn’t help me but I really like the area and the town. After 10 days I finally cried uncle and headed slightly south and a little lower. The weather at Leadville was cold and wet. It rained 8 out of 10 days and was between 36 and 39 six mornings. The area needs the rain, Turquoise Lake is low.

 

So now I’m at Cottonwood Lake NF campground. 

 

I just discovered it in my research a few weeks ago when I was seeking alternatives to 10,000 ft LOL. It’s a 25 site campground all first come first serve so I hightailed it here on a Sunday morning hoping to catch the weekend campers leaving and it worked, I had about 15 sites to choose from. It’s in a narrow valley with the lake a 10 minute walk from the campground and it’s surrounded by mountain views. 

 

 The first night was 39 and mid 40’s since. I’m staying until Labor Day when I move about 50 miles south but stay above 9000 ft. I got lucky and found a little campground on a lake, O’Haver Lake, and 1 site was open for Labor Day the 5^th so I reserved it. The next day the whole campground go first come first served so nobody can kick me off.

 

I’ve had a few visits from a flock of birds feeding on grasses that I believe are Grouse. 

 

 They look cute but one of the little cuties did a #2 on the outdoor carpet in my gazebo!!!!!!!!!!!! I almost lost my cookies cleaning it up, what a foul order……pun intended. I’ve been using that carpet for at least for 15 years of camping and it now has 2 stains to remind me of the birds. The night sky here has been incredible, no light pollution. The weather with the lack of rain has been a big improvement over Leadville. The mountains surrounding Leadville seem to catch a lot of moisture. I’m only 30 miles south of there. I found some down wood that I cut and split so I’m having nightly fires. It is so quiet and peaceful here. I expect the campground will be full tonight, the Friday of Labor Day weekend.

 

I’m hoping to use the library in Buena Vista and upload some new photos and a fair amount of blabbering.