Our Little Guy Travels

Took us three hours to drink coffee and soak up the warm sun. It was cold last night but we were both toasty warm. The sun hit the campsite around 8 and felt so good. It was still so quiet.
We decided to go fishing at the reservoir we stopped at a couple of years ago. We took the road we thought was the way to it but all we saw were antelope and a big valley. Maybe it was down the main road a bit further? No luck as we headed into Little Cochetopa canyon. No place to turn around easily so we kept going and decided to go to Gunnison. There we could get firewood and go fishing.
Got firewood, did our mandatory stop at Gene Taylor ( didn’t spend any money this time👍), went fishing (Rick caught one so we stopped after that), bought a picnic lunch at city market then headed back. We were both ready for a nap and did just that.
Tonight we are enjoying our fire and our last night here. Stars were stunning last night and did we mention that the aspens are in their glory? We are so lucky to live in Colorado.

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The sky last night was unbelievable. We could see the Milky Way across the entire sky. Susan believes you can see it in the photo Our fire was hot and mesmerizing. Thanks to the absent campground host for the extra firewood 👍 We are all packed up and heading home. Probably our last trip of this season.

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We’ve only been out two times this season because of yard/house projects and our hobbies so we thought we’d better get out one more time. Tonite we are at Buffalo Creek campground in site 16. It’s about an hour or so from home but it’s off the grid and amazingly quiet. There are 3 other campers tonite and no generators! Best deal around for $5😃👍
We found a portion of a clay decoy in the shape of a chicken when we got in our site. We decided to keep it as a good luck passenger. We named him Jimmie since Jimmie Kimmel is in the news alot these days over the issue of free speech.
We took a little exploration drive after we got set up and found a very cool area up Bear Creek road about a mile east of the turnoff to the campground. We scrambled around the base of these interesting cliffs and then found our way around the back to the top. It was moderately difficult and a bit scary for Susan!
While we were walking we talked about how we would survive if we were suddenly caught in a thunderstorm with lightning all around us. We decided that taking cover under the tallest tree was not the best choice. We are sorry for two hunters who died recently after being struck by lightning very near where we are. It’s best to know how to survive in that situation.
We are prepared for a cold night with plenty of blankets and a down comforter. Simon is not eating tonight 😑. He doesn’t seem to be sick or uncomfortable. Tomorrow we may go back and explore or who knows what? Stay tuned.

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Just when we were cleaning up after breakfast a huge black cloud appeared complete with thunder and lightning. And then it rained. We hunkered down in the camper to wait out wondering if it would continue for a while. About 45 minutes later the sun came out!
We headed up to Leadville and had a great ride around the Mineral Belt trail. We took our windbreakers off around the two mile mark. The wildflowers were beautiful! We got back to the car and it looked ominous again. A quick trip to Safeway and by the time we got to camp it was raining and cold 🥶. Back inside to wait it out and about an hour later it was clearing up. Rick tweaked his back getting Simon’s out of the car so we will wait till morning to start tearing down our site.

Last night’s nature show

Waiting out the rain

Storm clouds

Top of the trail.

We started out fishing and this time Rick caught a beautiful rainbow trout ( and Simon helped😉). After that we decided to head up to independence pass. We did the tourist trail and then Rick and Simon climbed down to a snow field where Simon rolled in it like it was January! He has always loved the snow.
We then went to the North fork trailhead and got as far as the creek. But only Rick and Simon could cross it. Susan didn’t want to end up in the water!
We came back to camp and had a quick lunch before we all had our afternoon nap. Life is sure good 😊 Tomorrow is bike day!

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Beautiful columbines ❤️

We’re still finishing yard/home projects so camping has taken a back seat. We finally said “enough”! Time to go camping.
Tonight we are at Lakeview campground above Twin lakes. This was after a brief trip through turquoise lake campgrounds (not for us) and the disbursed camping nearby (our favorite spot was taken).
Loops G & H are FCFS so we had fun choosing which site to take. We chose H-3. We can see both the lake and the mountains from here. Simon is bored with the whole idea.
Tomorrow we ride bikes (not sure where) and fish (not sure where). But we will certainly be doing what we like to do together. Stay tuned.

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We took another drive around the area looking for places to ride our bikes but didn’t like anything we saw. Headed back to the reservoir to try our luck at fishing. Rick caught a beautiful big rainbow trout and Simon “helped.” He ended up slipping and swimming back to the action. The video is fun to watch but can’t be posted here.
We walked over to the dam and tried again for one more hit. Came up short. We were whipped by the time we got back so took turns napping and just hanging out. Lovely.
After dinner we took another drive and found a very cool road that seems like it’s used mostly for horseback riding. Lots of trailers along the road. It dead ended at Poison Park trailhead. We will look it up when we get home. We really like it here at Williams Creek campground. Very quiet and relaxing.

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We took a drive down the road from our campground and found a lovely lake as part of the Teal campground. Smaller than Williams Creek but a little more expensive. Rick (and Simon) fished for a while but no bites. The birds were fun to watch as they swooped over the water.
We continued down the road to two more campgrounds and one at the of the road for campers with horses only. We decided that Teal was the only one we would consider staying at.
We enjoyed some quiet time around camp but by 3 it was time for a bike ride. We took turns riding the road we drove since we did not feel right about leaving Simon alone in camp (frowned upon).
Tomorrow we will take another drive to find the reservoir and more places to ride. Why didn’t we know about this place before now?

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First trip of the year! We had family commitments and have been working around the house/yard/garden so we are getting a late start. We are 23 miles north of Pagosa Springs in a USFS campground (so half price for us seniors 👏) for three nights. Lovely views from our site although we didn’t explore the whole campground yet. The sites are well spaced out and private. Everyone in this loop is quiet and we didn’t hear any generators!
We got rained on at home while packing up, dumped on heavily in the San Luis valley and a little rain after dark. The camper has some mud splash on it so we will clean it off today.
Plan on going to the nearby reservoir to check out the fishing and the gravel riding trails as well. No cell service (😊).

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We made it home today after 25 days on the road, 16 states and 5300 miles. It was a trip full of memories and family. Not going to forget this one for a long time.

We called the number online for the state park but no one answered. Thinking it was closed, we called the Lawrence KS Chamber of Commerce and were told it was in fact open. We were given two numbers to call. When we called the new number, the message said to make camping reservations at recreation.gov. We tried the first number again and the message told us to make reservations at reserveAmerica.com. What? When we called recreation.gov we were told there were no available sites. We decided just to go to the park and check it out for ourselves (after trying to maneuver Lawrence with a trailer attached-not a good idea.).
We found the state park and that’s when we realized that they are in fact two different places physically in the same area. We found the campground at the state park (plenty available), found a suitable site and called it good. By this time it was nearly dark and not wanting to go back to Lawrence, we pulled out all our survival provisions and had “dinner.”
Lights out at 8:30 with a plan to hit the road early and avoid the campground host and paying for our site. We didn’t feel bad about that since we didn’t use any of the services there.
On the road by 6:00 seeing another large full moon and bright sunrise. We are excited to make it home today.

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Not much to say after we left the Flight 93
Memorial other than we decided to see how far we could get. We made it with no surprises to Dayton Ohio where we spent the night at a comfort inn. Got a shower and a good nights sleep (even though Simon had to stay outside due to the No Pets policy). He slept half the night in the trailer (a first). We were up early and on the road to see a spectacular full moon set and the sunrise at our backs. Our destination goal today is Lawrence KS (a bit ambitious). We can make it to Salida from there.

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We saw the sign for this memorial and decided to go there. Brought back a lot of memories about that day. Glad we saw it. Never forget.

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We are definitely in a conservative part of Pennsylvania. The guy behind us read the Bible the whole time he was there. And a group that looked just like the Proud Boys were gathered at a large table. We had a huge meal and are very ready to be in Colorado or at least a blue state.

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The drive to Altoona PA was so beautiful. It’s hard to capture the beauty and it seemed that another spectacular scene was around every corner.
We decided to stop for the night and after checking out the local Walmart and the prices at the Hampden, we opted for Cracker Barrel. We were the only ones in the lot until 5 am when the trash truck came by. Good thing we went to bed early! Ready to roll just before 6. Heading west!

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It was too cold, too windy and too damp for even these two diehards to ride bikes today. Instead we visited with Michael, Rick’s army buddy from the Mountain Skills Survival Training Team. He has a myriad of history facts from cycling to biathlon (he still competes). We both thoroughly enjoyed the time spent with him. Rick showed him his model motoring cars and gravel bike. He was impressed with our hitch/ bike rack setup.👍
We decided to keep traveling west and south. Not sure where we will end up tonight.

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The drive through NY although mostly cloudy was spectacular. The leaves were really showing off!
We made it to Elmira about 30 minutes from Watkins Glen but with all the state parks closed we opted out for the local Walmart. Simon hunkered down on his bed and we settled in for the night. We all stayed warm even though it was chilly outside – 36 when we woke up 😳. We had neighbors this morning but they were quiet and respectful. An oldie for sure! On to Watkins Glen and some cycling for Rick with Michael.

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We traveled the back roads to Stockbridge, MA. The fall colors were so pretty as was the quaintness of the area. There were alot of “wows” and “look at that” from both of us. The camera cannot capture the beauty of it all.
The Norman Rockwell museum was showing was a special exhibit on MAD magazine. After we viewed the Rockwell section ( fun to see the old magazine covers) we launched into MAD magazine. We chuckled along with everyone else at the satire and wittiness of the writers and artists. At times there were loud outbursts of laughter. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and the museum store too.
We are now on our way to Watkins Glen and to visit Rick’s army buddy Michael. Not sure we’ll make it that far tonight.

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We crossed the Hudson going over the Mario Cuomo bridge and could see NYC when we did. This was a new route for us.
We arrived at Rick’s mom’s house to the usual warm welcome. Even Simon settled in quickly. It was non stop visits from his sisters, cousins and nieces and nephews. We did manage a couple of bike rides on the nearby Rails to Trails system. We really enjoyed those rides. And we even went to the movies (Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice). Time went by pretty fast since it was filled with so many commitments. And the trip wouldn’t be complete without a visit with cousin Mike who is also into slot cars. Rick even got a new car from him for his birthday. We departed with lots of memories and food for our return trip to Colorado.

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There is a cycling velodrome here that Rick’s daughter raced on years ago. He knew the area and knew we could spend the night on the grounds. After date night at Applebees 😂, we settled in and had a restful night. Up early to make the drive to Connecticut.

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We spent over three hours visiting the battlefields on a self-guided audio tour. There are more than 1300 monuments to the soldiers who fought there. Some are quite elaborate especially the one for Pennsylvania. It was sobering to see the places and listen to the stories of what actually happened right there. 750,000 people died fighting the Civil war. It’s clear that some are still fighting it.

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The drive from Petersburg towards Washington DC was not ideal. So much traffic in such tight lanes. Looking at the map, Susan thought she saw Bull Run battlefield park in Leesburg and we got off the main interstate and headed in that direction. When we got there, Rick was fried from driving and needed a break. We pulled into the local hospital parking lot and while he rested, Susan researched the area. No Bull Run here but there is a Balls Bluff 😂. By the time he woke up it was too late to head to Harper’s ferry and Antietam and mostly because there was no place we’d like to stay. Susan did find Catoctin Mountain Park on the way to Gettysburg and that’s where we are tonight. National park so 50% off the price of the site. Only 7 of the 50 sites are being used so it’s really quiet and very dark. The sky is filled with stars but the trees are so thick it’s not easy to take it all in. Not like Colorado! There was a huge pile of firewood for campers and after several attempts we finally got it going.
We saw this sign along our route – a “no mow zone” because it was a breeding field for monarch butterflies! Way to go, Virginia!!
Tomorrow we will take in Gettysburg and then continue east to Connecticut. We’ve been on the road for two weeks and still like each other! And Simon is living his best life too ❤️

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Mostly stayed on the interstate but did take one detour to Wilson, NC and saw this awesome guy along the way. Nice town but not enough to want to stop.
We did stop for the night just outside Petersburg at the South 40 Campground. Our site was under construction due to recent rains and had just been loaded up with soft sand. We made the best of it trying to keep our things and Simon free of dirt. To bed early. Tomorrow Harpers ferry and Antietam.
There was an interesting collection of toys and artifacts on the site. Looked like kids had made some sort of shrine or something. Glad to be on our way.

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There’s no photos of the two dogs together because we had to keep them separated. We tried taking them for a walk together. It was ok until it wasn’t and we didn’t have enough time to get them to tolerate each other. Simon did get introduced to Lexi’s food and loved it so much we bought some for the rest of the trip. We’ll see if he continues to like it now that we’ve left. Stay tuned.

We arrived at Rick’s sister’s house and enjoyed three full days in the area. We rode our bikes the full length of Holden Beach (17 miles) gawking at the beach houses that are mostly vacation rentals. We had wonderful seafood at Swains with Dee and Steve and their friends Bear and Myra. Dee cooked an amazing dinner using fresh caught shrimp and clams. We wanted seafood and we got it! The weather was perfect with temperatures in the low 80’s with manageable humidity. We learned that there are flights into Wilmington just 45 minutes away. Maybe we do that next time.

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We started today at the Stones River Battlefield in Murfreesboro. A major battle was fought here that changed the course of the civil war. It was surprising to learn about this battle and the numbers of soldiers lost on both sides. It was humbling to walk on the ground that so many men died on.
We stayed off the interstate and traveled the back roads through towns with names like Peeled Chestnut and Prices Switch. Beautiful countryside side and a stress free drive.
Once back on the interstate, we saw signs for Buc ees, a chain where you can get gas ($2.42/gallon) and just about anything else you need (or don’t need). Neither of us had been to one so of course we had to stop and check it out. Amazing slice of Americana in Hobart, TN.
And that’s when we realized that hurricane Helene has caused so many roads to be closed that we have to take a long detour into Virginia and then back south to NC to proceed with our plan to see Rick’s sister. Probably will add an extra day to our travels.
Tonight we are in Warriors Path State Park in a nice quiet spot. Maybe ride our bikes tomorrow!

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We ended up in Murfreesboro, TN tonight after driving most of the day. We decided to stay in a motel rather than deal with trying to find a campground or perhaps a Walmart.
So tonight we are in a low budget Econolodge. We walked to dinner at the Farmers Friendly restaurant after we learned that the Outback Steakhouse was closed 😠.
Tomorrow we will visit the Stones River civil war battlefield before heading towards Knoxville.

It took us some driving around to figure out where everything was but we finally did! We decided to forego Graceland due to the $82 entry fee and we’re not really Elvis fans. Instead we went to the National Civil Rights Museum. It did not disappoint. There was so much history there (it’s located on the site of the hotel where MLK was assassinated.). We went through a range of emotions from awe to anger to sadness. Highly recommend going there if you are in Memphis.
Afterwards we had a huge slab of ribs and all the fixins then enjoyed the downtown Tom Lee Park along the Mississippi. We were surprised at how much litter was thrown on the roads everywhere we went. Even at the park food was left on the grass apparently for someone else to pick up. Overall that tainted our impression of Memphis.
We are having to avoid Asheville and a visit to our friend’s home but hurricane Helene has made that impossible. We are detouring to Knoxville then south and east to Rick’s sister near oak island, NC.

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We are outside Memphis in this lovely state park. Bathhouse with showers, electricity, water for $15 (with our senior discount.). We plan to visit the Civil Rights Museum and Graceland while we are here. And do some biking. Not sure how long we’ll stay. Hurricane Helene hit Asheville hard and our route to the coast of NC is now in question. This is not a bad place to be while we figure it out. Hope our friends outside Asheville are safe.

JP told us about a bike trail around Little Rock so we thought we’d get exercise while exploring. There was a century bike ride happening on the trail that we couldn’t avoid. As we rode through the staging area, we were given a participation medal! We finally got going in the right direction and rode for 27 miles crossing the Arkansas River (yep, it’s BIG here!) on the longest bike/pedestrian bridge in the world, the Big Dam Bridge. The weather was perfect for riding. A little humid and in the 70’s. We found Little Rock very friendly and easy to find our way around.

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Little Rock is home to Susan’s niece Roseann and her husband,JP. We stayed with them for two nights dining on wonderful food and enjoying lively conversation. Susan spent good quality time with Roseann sharing family stories and making memories. Their hospitality was over the top. Hope they come to Colorado so we can pick up where we left off. On to Memphis.

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The word of the day was Detour. Seemed like everywhere we wanted to go, the bridge was out. We finally got going in the right direction for our destination Brush Creek Park, a C.O.E campground about 20 miles west of Tulsa.
For $12.50 (with our senior pass) we got a shaded site, electric hook up, water at the site and hot showers! We both were able to take a short bike ride around the path surrounding the park and on the adjoining road. We had a nice view of the dam and watched a beautiful sunset
We were next to the self appointed “leash police” so we had to keep an eye on Simon. He kept a low profile.
Tomorrow we head to Little Rock to visit Susan’s niece. Hope the hurricane weather stays away!

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We stayed in the city camping area at the football stadium. Six free spaces with electricity and flush toilets. Even a shower though no hot water. Only us and another camper.
We got here early enough to each get in a ride before sunset. Nice not to feel rushed. Dinner at a local restaurant was not a good experience. Poor service, less than average food and then we got overcharged by almost 30%!
Woke up to so much humidity that we need to dry out before leaving. Apparently we are missing the biannual peace treaty celebration this weekend but we’re ready to move on. We’re heading east towards Tulsa and a C.O.E. campground Brush creek park. We’re also wondering if our latest hitch configuration will work. Stay tuned.

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Humidity not rain!

After visiting Amache we headed east towards Holly where we stayed in the rest area on the CO/KS border. This is a free spot with a park like setting with flush toilets too! We were the first ones there but by morning we had several other campers nearby. We never heard them arrive. The stars were amazing and the coyotes were noisy!
We are still trying to figure out the trailer with the hitch extension and bike rack. Will stop at an auto parts place for yet another hitch ball. We gotta stop hitting the jack on the ground when we go over a bump or go into a parking lot! Stay tuned.

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This was an internment camp for Japanese Americans following the bombing of Pearl Harbor. It was quite distressing to see how we treated them calling them inmates and watching them from a guard tower. The racism towards them made me cry. There were storyboards explaining what used to be there. 7300 families including small children were sent there from their homes in California. The cemetery is beautifully done and honors the lives lost including those who died in the war (that’s right, they served the USA even though they lived at Amache. We were the only ones there at sunset and it was quite solemn. Recommend a visit should you ever find yourself out by Lamar. Hope history doesn’t ever repeat itself.

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All packed up for a big trip east to see family and friends along the way. First stop is Little Rock to see Susan’s niece. Then Memphis and Graceland and the civil rights museum. Across Tennessee to see civil war battlefields then near Asheville to visit friends from monarch ski school. Heading further east to see Rick’s sister who lives on the NC coast. Finally heading north to Harper’s ferry, Antietam and Gettysburg. Then northeast to CT where Rick’s mom and sisters live. From there we head west. Not sure which way so you’ll have to keep reading to find out. So what were we doing at a Harley store?

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In anticipation of our long trip east, we wanted to test out our new setup. We can now carry our bikes between the car and trailer with a dual hitch and an 18” hitch extension. We have also added a skybox to the roof of the Jeep. We’ve learned a lot about the physics of towing and wanted to try our setup out.
We went over Poncha pass to Saguache and then highway 114 to Buffalo pass campground. We were there last fall and were familiar with the layout. Site 16 worked well for us.
But more importantly the setup seemed to work. We were concerned that the trailer would sway or that the Jeep wouldn’t handle well. Neither seemed to be a concern.
We had time for a quick dinner and a fire in our pit before climbing into our bed. It was cold but we were prepared.
We decided to go home over Monarch pass because that would be a real test for our setup. The drive through Cochetopa canyon was so pretty. We have not been on that section of road in a very long time.
We came over Monarch pass successfully feeling some sway but not enough to feel like the tail was wagging the dog. We do need to get the brakes done before we leave.

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Today we went to the dam at Twin Lakes and success! We both caught two fish but only kept one for Rick’s snack. See those clouds building? It started raining on and off around 2 pm and around 7 it was a continuous rain until about 10pm. Nice to be dry and warm in the camper but everything outside is soaked ☹️. Hoping for sun in the morning to dry us out before we head home.

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Where’s our Colorado sun? No luck. It’s cloudy and damp. We have decided to pack up and dry everything out at home. Ugh.
Oh well, it was a fun trip doing things we like to do. Relaxed, away from the news (mostly) but it’s time to go home.

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At camp we used our fire making skills to build a fire hot enough to heat up a pan of water so we could wash up. Nice to feel clean after a busy day. Also Rick used his fish cleaning skills to have a snack before dinner. Then it started raining again, this time hard and steady so we used our camp maintenance in the rain skills to stow away everything we could and climbed into the camper where it was dry and cozy. What a day!