Wanderlust

We’re Back in the High Desert

American RV Albuquerque, NM

We traveled over 300 miles today from Colorado City, CO to Albuquerque, NM. We originally planned to camp in Santa Fe, but I screwed up and waited too long to secure reservations for a weekend in a popular venue. I managed to get reservations here, so we’re happy and relaxing after a long (for us) drive. We tend to keep it under four hours, but today was in excess of five.

We stopped in Las Vegas for provisions (the New Mexico Vegas) which extended our time a bit, but we now have things we need to continue. Damsel had some items she needed for a recipe she wanted to try and we both had some things on a list we keep as we go along. All is good.

The scenery was wonderful driving down I-25. Unfortunately, although we had scrubbed the front windshield clean of bug carcasses, by the time we were an hour into the trip, the view was cluttered with splats galore. Earlier in the trip, Damsel got this nice shot of Spanish Peaks (Huajatolla) before the bugs had completely taken over.

spanish-peaks-southern-colorado.jpg

Relaxing in Colorado City, CO

Weather

Damsel took this photo today while we were taking a walk around the RV park. We have seen this kind of weather for the past couple of days, but it hasn’t cramped our style much unless you consider grilling in the rain a cramp. The linked photo is of me preparing country-style pork ribs on the grill, in the rain.

There is always something to do when traveling in a motorhome, so today, I washed the giant front windshield, dispatching bug carcasses and other road crud. I also hooked up the sewer line which I left until today to do. So there isn’t 100% relaxing, but we still feel relaxed.

We grilled again today, this time it was dry outside and we got the job done in the usual fashion. Today’s food faire was Grilled Filet Mignon Steaks and Damsel fixed a wonderful cucumber, lettuce and cherry tomato salad. We could eat like this all the time.

Steak Dinner

Family Memorial Day

Pike’s Peak

Our travel today took us from Limon, CO to Pueblo South KOA near Colorado City. As we passed Colorado Springs, Damsel took this photo of the famous Pike’s Peak (named for Brigadeer General Zebulon Pike). General Pike was ordered to explore and discover the headwaters of the Arkansas River, which brought him and his regiment to Colorado. The rest of it is a long story – click the link to learn more about Pike.

Our main stop along the route was Mountain View Cemetery in Pueblo, where several of my relatives are buried. These include (on my Dad’s side), my Grandmother and Grandfather, an Uncle and Aunt, another Uncle who died in infancy, my Great Grandparents and several other same surname as me relatives who I did not know, but we honor them anyhow. Damsel and I placed eleven wreaths and a couple of American Flags in their honor today.

Family Plot in Pueblo

After the cemetery, we drove some 20 miles down I-25 to the campground where we are currently parked and will be until Saturday. As of this stop, we have met our visitation objectives by virtue of today’s decorations and those of last Saturday in Montrose. The rest of the trip is relaxing and sightseeing all the way back to Arizona.

Camping in Limon, CO

Stormy Skies

We traveled from Laramie, WY to Limon, CO today under mostly fair skies. However, after we arrived and set up camp, the sky to the west of us started to look threatening. Damsel took the photo above as the sun was showing through the stormy looking clouds towards the end of daylight. Luckily, the storms subsided as the evening went on and we are currently not expecting anything serious.

By far, the favorite part of our trip today was the opportunity to visit with DrJim, a long time friend, fellow blogger, Second Amendment enthusiast and Ham Radio buddy in Fort Collins, CO. Jim showed us his house, dog “Pebbles” and his numerous projects. We had a nice, albeit short visit before heading back out. Fort Collins looks like a very nice place to live. Damsel took the photo below just before we departed.

W7GD and KQ0EA

Click on either image to enlarge.

Relaxing in Laramie

Grill and Gardenia

Since we have been on the road for over a week now, we decided to slow things down a bit and extend our visit in Laramie to two days. We enjoyed taking the dogs to the Kampground Dog Park, shopping at the little store here in the park and cooking up some thin ribeye steaks on the outdoor kitchen grill. Damsel added a Broccoli, Cauliflower and Cheese dish as a side. Very delicious (and healthy).

Steak Dinner

Click on either image to enlarge.

Colorado to Wyoming – Week 2 of Our Trip

We left Northwestern Colorado this morning and are in Laramie, Wyoming tonight. We saw a lot of interesting things along the route including many pronghorn antelope just a few yards from the roads we were on. Damsel took this photo of a pair of antelope near Baggs, WY, along Hwy 789 just north of the Wyoming State Line.

Pair of Antelope

Keeping a long day to a short summary, here is our campsite for tonight. We will be relaxing here for a couple of nights before heading back down to Colorado east of the Rockies on Wednesday.

Camping at Laramie

Northwestern Colorado

Colorado Hoodoo Rock Formation

There was so much beautiful scenery along our route today, that it is difficult to pick one out of over 500 images that Damsel took from the motorhome today. Finally, we selected this unusual rock formation taken along CO Hwy 13 near Hamilton, CO.

Colorado River scenery and rock formations aren’t the only interesting things out here. In addition to livestock (cattle, sheep, horses and goats), there is wildlife: we saw a herd of Antelope lounging in a field next to the highway.

Tonight, almost two years to the day since we traveled to the Great American Solar Eclipse of 08/21/2017, we are again camped at the Craig Colorado KOA. This time, we will be headed to the other side of the Rockies for some more visits to ancestors. More on that as we get there. This is our campsite this time:

Craig KOA Campsite