Durango day 3 & 4

You can click on the pictures and maps and they will enlarge---all the better to see us!  :)    So.......
Durango weather report says 25 degrees for the next two nights--that's a problem with RV because water pipes can freeze--so instead of going to lower altitude to warm up, Pete decided to add a little antifreeze so we should be good to stay up in the mountains.  We are loving this town!  So off to Walmart for antifreeze.  We also picked up a metal crate  to confine the wild and crazy Bailey!  Now we are off to the Colorado trail--10 min from town.  So beautiful!  We followed a creek up the trail that some younger people were riding up on dirt bikes!  It is hard enough walking up there with less oxygen at this altitude!  We were lying down to rest and thought we saw some buzzards flying around us overhead.  They must have thought we looked close to turning belly up!  We pulled ourselves together and continued on this gorgeous trail.




Loved the bike trail in town and along the Animas so much that we rode it again in late afternoon.



Today we did Animas mountain trail--listed as "easy" in guide book.  It was NOT easy.  It was a rocky 8 % grade up the mountain with switchbacks.  We know this because son Steve told Pete about the app My Trails that calculates all this and maps your trail so you don't get lost.  It is great help!  Young people coming down told us "it was SO worth the view"----NOT!

 We are walking so much that Pete's 30 year old hiking boots are falling apart so he decided to spring for new ones.  I was grateful for this because he was about to duct tape the old ones together!  So now he has even more of an advantage when hiking with me in tennis shoes so I had to even up the odds a bit and go for some hiking shoes also!  Hope they last another 30 years!

Pete went on tour of Durango railroad yard that was wonderful. It has quite a history.

 Durango historic downtown reminds us of old Westerville but it is about 12 blocks long with neat stores--not the typical tourist stuff.  We went to two art galleries tonight with artists there along with snacks, wine and live music.  Very nice.  Wish we had another day here.  Tomorrow we go up the mountain to Ouray.  Goodbye to the hotel and hot tub on the roof!

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Durango Installment One

Loving Durango!   Our grocery bags of stuff  from the RV frig, laundry and clothes were casually brought into the Wyndham resort lobby.  We walked straight ahead and didn't look anyone in the eye!  The room has a small kitchen so we can cook and small living room.  We stashed Bailey in her new canvas crate in the bedroom and took a walk around this great rustic town.  When we came back Bailey met us at the door looking very guilty.  She chewed her way our of her new canvas crate!  Pete and I couldn't believe it.  So we disciplined her and fixed up the crate so that she couldn't get out.  We came back again later and she had escaped again!  She chewed out the other side!  Bailey will be getting a new metal crate soon!

We are right next to the railroad station that takes tourists up the mountain to the historic mining town of Silverton--it is so neat.  There is a beautiful bike and walking trail right next to the river in town.  We walked partway last night and biked about 8 miles today.  It is my all time favorite bike trail.  It goes right along the river and a lot of the time the narrow gauge railroad track is right there also.  Pete was able to get pictures of the train coming back to Durango as we were riding along.  The pictures can't even show how beautiful it is! Perfect temp of 75 degrees and sunny.

This morning we left on a jeep tour up in the mountains from Durango to Silverton and the driver was quite a character--Wild Bill--(a retired drug enforcement officer from Texas)--he took us back into silver and gold mines and explained the whole process.  It was definitely "off road"--snow in parts and lots of rocks and so beautiful.  We even picked up silver rocks in an abandoned mine!  Five hour trip and well worth the money. Tonight out to dinner and then to the hot tub on roof of the hotel overlooking the mountains.  What a way to end a great day!

Although we are loving our Roadtrek RV, we think we need to upgrade to something a bit more sporty!  The picture show what we are planning for our next trip.  This elderly couple has put 110 thousand miles on this.  They even have heated seats and cups holders on it.  How do you think we'd look on this?

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Route 66 to Santa Fe

Sunday morning left the gambling bunch behind (we didn't bet one penny) and headed out Route 40 and old Route 66 with old gas stations and boarded up restaurants of another era.  Camped at a high desert campground with big lake that was brown with all the flooding from Colorado and local rain.  We hiked on rocky trail and saw beautiful desert flowers that bloomed with the rain.  We also saw a jack rabbit and it was huge!  We completed Bailey's flea treatment with a bath in Dawn soap--see the picture and no more critters!  Can you even believe she got fleas!  On to Santa Fe and spent the afternoon in old part of city and in several beautiful churches.  Lots of local artists in the plaza.  Tomorrow we leave for Durango, Colorado and switch from camping to luxury Wyndham resort.  I'm trying to figure out how to carry the laundry and food in surreptitiously so we don't look like country bumpkins!

The weather has been beautiful around 70 to 80 degrees most days and cool at night.  My hair is not frizzy in the low humidity!  We are taking showers, using deodorant and looking presentable in our classy jeans.  You would all be proud.  Gas prices are low--today $3.09 so we're keeping the Bailey Buggy up and running.  Froze about 10 dinners and they taste great warmed in our microwave.  We've only eaten out three times but we are not wasting away---plenty of snacks and that $29 worth of candy we bought the first day!  We are having a blast--this is so much fun and we wish you could all do this some day!

From Branson to Shawnee, OK

Our first day in Branson (Wed) was spent orienting and relaxing. Second day we hiked, biked, ate at Mel's Diner where the waiters and waitresses provided the entertainment. They are aspiring performers at the local theaters and have great voices. They intersperse waiting on tables with grabbing a mic and entertaining the guests. One of their previous waiters went a long way on American Idol. Went to a show after dinner. Last day in Branson went to Dogwood Canyon, started by the owner of Bass Pro Shops. took a tram tour and was great ... beautiful scenery, great trout stream and fishing, and wild animal park where the elk and bison came up to within a foot of the tram.  Friday night we saw the show "Six"--6 brothers who had only their voices and it sounded like a band back-up.  It was amazing and fantastic show.

Left Branson for a long day drive to Oklahoma.  We decided to stay at a casino in Shawnee, OK. Watched the OSU vs. Wisconsin game in the sports bar and stayed the night in their parking lot with lots of other RV's.  We have had some slight misadventures--some how Bailey picked up fleas--now that was a joy!  Got that taken care of and discovered Pete's email was hacked. While trying to straighten that out,  realized the turn signal on RV was out so trip slightly delayed getting new circuit board for that!  That was all in the last 24 hours but we are all fixed up and happily pressing onward to Santa Fe!

Branson

Up the next morning and hiked 3 mi. to the lake and restored cabin of a tanner in the 1800's. Nice 1 mile interpretive hike in the woods surrounding the cabin.  Planned to stay at Ozark National Scenic River in Van Buren, MO but campground closed. Walked around the beautiful grounds with Bailey, drove a few miles down the road and stayed at a truck stop for the night. Next day was an easy drive to Branson. Stopped at the Wyndham welcome center for discounted tickets to a couple shows. Learned that Wyndham at the Meadows is the nicest Wyndham in the Branson area ... just redone, sales office, and tickets all on site. Drove to Table Rock State Park and loved the campground and decided to stay there for three days. Bike ride along a lakeside trail just behind our campsite    that ended at the visitor center. Got our itinerary for the entire stay  figured out and enjoyed the rest of the day at campsite.

Remember the red pushpin on the map is our current (or last known) location.

Pete is doing great job organizing this trip--all I have to do wear my tight biking outfit, look adorable and heat my pre-done frozen dinners in the microwave!  I have already managed to throw out all the info he had copied ahead for Branson and cut up his chamois into wash rag for me--didn't realize he planned to use as towel!  He is still smiling and found another chamois cloth---all is wonderful in our world.

Louisville, the candy factory, and Celina

. Carrie, Anna, and Willow sent us off Monday morning when we drove to Louisville and rode the Louisville Riverwalk after parking in Lannan Park near downtown. Then drove across the Ohio River to Jeffersonville, IN and Schimpff's candy factory where we enjoyed a great tour and demonstration of how they make their world famous red hots ... of course with warm samples at the end. We had a sandwich and chocolate soda from their old fashion soda fountain. $29 worth of candy later we hit the road for our campsite in Celina National Recreation Area.... wonderful campground with nice sites and few campers on a Monday night. Nice hike in the woods, dinner, campfire .... and the end of a successful first full day on the road.

 Pete forgot to mention my hot pink and black biking getup---I got a lot of smiles from on-lookers!

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And Away we Go

The time has arrived. The RT is loaded, farm chores are finished, bikes are secured,  Bailey is psyched, and we are leaving to see Carrie and Nate for the night where they will send us on our way Monday morning.

The trip to Cincy was uneventful. Picked up Chipotle on the way with apple pie for dessert.... a fitting send off. Stay tuned.

If you are following our route on the map, Points ahead of our current location represent the projected trip. Points at or behind us are the actual dates, locations, and events.