Colorado

Thursday, July 17, 2014

We arrived home around 12:30 PM yesterday after a five-hour, 350 mile drive from Baker City, OR.  It’s been a fun and varied two weeks.  As with other trips, it was good to go, and even better to be back.  We logged over 2800 miles, and all but 150 were pulling “Jackson,” our beloved Airstream.

We like to plan ahead, but much of our best life experiences have been the result of spontaneous decisions.  One of them was deciding to drive seven miles off the desolate highway in NE Utah to see Dinosaur National Monument.

Our Campground on the Green River

Turtle rock @ Dinosaur

Morning Bike Ride

What a nice surprise! Very laid back, beautiful, not many tourists, and HOT!   Oh yes, it had authentic dinosaur bones, and the rock formations and petroglyphs were impressive.  We camped along the Green River and went for an early morning bike ride before heading to Steamboat, CO.

Before our insane descent down the mountain

Steamboat Springs , CO is a delightful resort town with an economy that doesn’t depend just on tourists.  We spent three nights there, hiked in a nearby wilderness, rode the many miles of bike trails, enjoyed the hot springs, wine bars, and coffee shops.  We also did something crazy by riding our wimpy cross-bikes down Mt. Warner.

I snowboarded down many of the black diamond slopes 12 years ago, so how hard could it be to ride down a green ski trail on a bike?  Turns out,very difficult, as the mountain bike trails are completely different from the ski runs.

We should have taken a hint when we saw many buff jocks 1/3 our age in full X-Games protective armor on high-end mountain bikes going up the mountain in the gondolas.  Our skills and low-end cross bikes were no match for the curvy 2,000' 7-mile descent, but as we neared the bottom the trail leveled out, the adrenaline subsided, and we started enjoying it. We survived, and now remember it fondly now that the aches, scrapes, and pains have since gone away.

The annual Kelemen Family campout with my four sibs, two nephews, assorted significant others, and eight dogs was the best ever.  No drama, just lots of good conversation around the campfire and beautiful scenery at Sylvan Lake State Park, 15 miles of mostly dirt road south of Eagle (between Vail and Glenwood Springs).  It’s interesting how after 40-55 years, we all have our own perspectives on the family, our parents, and each other.

Sylvan Lake

My little brothers--Neal and Mark

The Kelemen gene pool, minus our daughters

Our campsite at Sylvan Lake State Park

Putting on the hunting jacket to set a mousetrap

Mark and I tried our luck fishing.  As always, the fish  won. After out-of-state license fees, my one little 6" catch-and-release trout came out to be about $175 per pound.  Time fishing and time with one of my brothers?  Priceless!


At age 14, the Denver Post published my letter to the editor protesting the construction of I-70 through the Glenwood Canyon.  With the passage of time, I can now see how necessary the Interstate has become, and I can appreciate how the designers went out of their way to preserve the spectacular scenery of the Colorado River and the canyon.

Along the Colorado River under I-70

Start of the Glenwood Canyon

Glenwood Hot Springs--It's HUGE!

Brothers Mark and Neal dropped us off to ride the beautiful 16-mile bike path along the Colorado River to Glenwood Springs.  Unfortunately, part of the path was washed out by high water. But a nice dip at Glenwood Hot Springs more than made up for it.




So, it’s back to reality, but a good one. Today we clean out the trailer and put it into storage for a few weeks. I  am shipping more books to Amazon fulfillment centers and Kathy gets ready for her Assistance League board meeting in Burbank on Sunday.  Meanwhile, we’re looking forward to the 65th Annual Salem Art Festival and a wedding on Saturday.  Life continues to be good--very good!