Writing today presents an especially difficult challenge because not much happened.
Knowing we had less than a 4-hour drive allowed us a relaxing morning. We enjoyed coffee and breakfast along the river (in our regular mugs instead of travel ones – a welcome treat on these trips). It was less than 60 degrees but the sun was already so strong we moved the picnic table into the shade to keep from sweating. It was lovely taking in the river one more time.
UPDATE – Karen just reminded me that she forgot to mention something about Riverbend RV Park. When we arrived, the camp host let us know that the grounds were well-patrolled and very safe (even a gate at the entrance). We were told we could leave our hoses, lines, etc. at our site when we went to the park for the day and assured us they would be safe. They were. It was liberating to be able to disconnect a drive away without stowing everything away only to bring it back out in the afternoon. We could get used to that!
We got on the road, sorry to say goodbye to such a wonderful campground, and started making our way south to Mesa Verde. The route cut a Z-shape up through the San Juan National Forest. We passed the very cute and rather upscale town of Ridgway, seemingly a mountain oasis for the outdoor lover, as well as quite a few interesting bars and restaurants. The roads gradually climbed out of the 5,300-foot level of our last two nights, headed for yet another pass across the Rockies.
About a third of the way along our route we passed Telluride Ski Resort. It is definitely a remote location to ski, yet its neighboring slopes and the town of Mountain Village certainly had their fair share of beautiful homes. The ski slopes towered over the road and I can only imagine how great the view would be on the way down! Of course, Karen would prefer the view back UP the mountain from the lodge.
Yet the road continued to climb. Slowly, Livvy made her way up and up until, finally, we reached Lizard Head Pass at 10,222 feet. There was still substantial snowfields off the roadway, given the altitude. We stopped at the very top of the pass to allow me to take the wheel for the extended descent to Mesa Verde. It was equally as magnificent on the way down.
I will take a tangent here to talk about gas. No, not the impolite kind that sometimes gets me in trouble. I am talking about fuel for Livvy. Our RV has a diesel engine, which neither of us has ever owned. Being the mildly “detailed” person I am (no, hot really OCD, but close…), I have been using an app to track every single fill-up in the RV since we took ownership. I can see average MPG each time we fill, plus overall MPG. To be fair, drastic reduction in MPG can usually indicate a problem, so I will stick with that defense.
What I continue to find interesting is that we do not see a big decrease in gas mileage when we have big climbs during our travels. Instead, our worst MPG comes on the wide open roads when we are traveling 70 MPH. I suppose the diesel engine likes the grunt work more than the speed.
Okay, that detour was likely of no interest to anyone, so I continue with our day.
After a fuel-up (I guess I wasn’t completely finished talking about gas), we made a pit stop at our favorite travel store – Walmart. Picked up some fresh veggies and other goodies and proceeded to our campsite for the next two evenings. When I booked this site I knew it was close to Mesa Verde National Park. I didn’t quite realize we were only 1.25 miles from the park entrance and visitor station. Not a long drive there tomorrow.
Tonight we are relaxing inside due to winds strong enough to make outside a little uncomfortable. That’s okay because we had LOTS of great outdoor time already, with more to come for sure. “Uneventful” is not a negative when traveling in this moving home, believe me!!
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