Hey! How are you? I've missed you lot guys! We honor ourselves a calendar week downwards the route since our lastly chat, at ane time located inwards Alamosa, Colorado, merely exterior Great Sand Dunes National Park. It's been quite a calendar week of adventure, in addition to I'm going to select deal of you lot upward on what we've been doing via a serial of time-traveling posts. There's thus much to tell you, in addition to I wishing I could receive got been keeping upward all along. We had no wi-fi inwards Taylor Park (our previous destination), in addition to nosotros had a real weak prison theatre cellphone signal. Anything I could create on my phone, I could create online, but that precluded whatsoever variety of blogging. So let's merely encounter what we've been upward to. I'll start amongst today's travels from the fourth dimension nosotros left Taylor Park.
We had a brusque 24-hour interval of driving, in addition to nosotros back-tracked the means nosotros came from Canon City until nosotros reached Poncha Springs when nosotros turned southward to caput toward Alamosa. We've seen some breathtakingly beautiful scenery hither inwards Colorado. This kickoff paradigm was taken on the route leading out of Taylor Park.
We crossed the Taylor River.
This is ranching country, in addition to thus nosotros saw some interesting barns inwards our travels along amongst lots of separate rail fences.
When nosotros started heading southward on the lastly leg of today's trip, a sign informed us in that location were wildfires ahead in addition to instructed us NOT to telephone outcry upward 911. We alone saw smoke inwards this ane region, virtually fifty miles from where nosotros are staying for the side past times side ii nights.
And that's pretty much all I receive got to tell you lot virtually today's drive. So let's go through time, dorsum to lastly Sat when left Canon City on our means to Taylor Park. We kickoff had some line of piece of occupation concern to accept attention of inwards Canon City. I shot this side past times side paradigm every bit nosotros went downwards the road. You tin privy encounter the modest town of Canon City inwards the middle of the image.
They had their ain dinosaur statue.
On our means to Taylor Park, nosotros passed through some charming niggling towns. I particularly liked this niggling town of Salida, Colorado. I tin privy alone imagine why this moo-cow is located on the roof of this building...a butcher, possibly?
But it was merely a cute niggling town all around. I dearest these former buildings.
Check out the engagement on the top of this side past times side one.
Most of the day's get looked similar what you lot encounter inwards the paradigm below. We were upward in addition to over several times. In fact, thus far on this trip, we've crossed the Continental Divide 3 times. Colorado doesn't grade these passages, but I'm watching them on the map.
Now here, things were getting screwy, alone nosotros didn't know it yet. Our navigation unit of measurement was taking us on a wild goose chase. We were on some modest county roads. Even ATVing was permitted on these roads. We passed through forests of aspens.
Also, forests of Ponderosa Pine.
Eventually, nosotros were on an unpaved road, in addition to constitute ourselves inwards the ghost town of St. Elmo. This was our kickoff inkling that nosotros were headed inwards the incorrect direction. We had planned to ride our ATV's to St. Elmo from Taylor Park, in addition to thus nosotros were real surprised to honor ourselves here. (I'll tell to a greater extent than virtually this inwards a time to come post.) Mike went out investigating in addition to was told nosotros could accept our ATV's off the trailer in addition to larn to our lastly destination, but in that location was no means nosotros were taking our dually truck in addition to camper over the roads inwards between. While he was out investigating, I took some pictures.
St. Elmo is at 10,000 feet of elevation inwards the Sawatch mount range. It was founded inwards 1880 in addition to grew chop-chop to a population of 2,000 citizens. The depict was golden in addition to silvery mining. The mining manufacture reached its peak merely 10 years downwards the road. The Denver, South Park in addition to Pacific Railroad line ran through town in addition to in that location were over 150 patented mine claims. Four decades later, the mining manufacture began to decline, in addition to the railroad stopped running inwards 1922. After that, the town was tardily abandoned.
People even thus alive inwards St. Elmo in addition to it relies heavily on tourism. There were signs posted inwards diverse places virtually efforts to rehabilitate these former buildings.
There were a lot of people hither on this Sat earlier Labor Day. I wanted to larn a improve painting present of the church, but the crowds discouraged me.
So nosotros had to retrace our path...a 60-mile circular trip of a incorrect turn...but eventually, nosotros were on the correct route leading to Taylor Park. The scenery was thus beautiful, nosotros barely noticed the guess 2-hour delay. We crossed over the Taylor River.
And eventually, Taylor Park Reservoir came into view.
We were driving on opened upward range, in addition to indeed, nosotros rode ATV's on opened upward attain almost the entire fourth dimension nosotros were there. Cows, calves, in addition to bulls were wandering everywhere, similar community pets. They were completely blase virtually cars, ATV's, in addition to people. At times nosotros rode our ATV's inside feet of them, in addition to they merely stood looking in addition to chewing, non the to the lowest degree chip concerned virtually our presence.
In the paradigm below, you lot tin privy encounter where the RV commons is located on the extreme left.
We were fifty miles from the nearest town amongst absolutely goose egg some us except beautiful mountains, forest, streams, in addition to wildlife.
So I'll halt for today past times telling you lot that the kitties receive got been cool cucumbers virtually our travels. They've done extremely well. Whenever nosotros achieve a novel place, I intend they are virtually every bit excited every bit nosotros are. When it's fourth dimension to pack upward in addition to motility along, they accept it all inwards stride, moving to the bed where they ride for the duration.
I receive got a few miscellaneous images I'd similar to share. First, Sadie gets all the toys out of her toy handbasket every night. What I desire you lot to notice virtually the paradigm below is the gap nether the door that leads into the bathroom. There is virtually a 3-inch gap, in addition to she is thus tiny, she tin privy come upward in addition to become nether the door every bit she pleases.
Also, I started in addition to finished Block #6 of the Appalachian Memories quilt. Sorry virtually the wrinkles. I receive got no Fe amongst me. One of my Facebook friends said the wrinkles made it await similar a snowfall scene, in addition to thus I'm going amongst that.
So I may or may non post service to a greater extent than than ane time per 24-hour interval until we're caught up. For now, I'll merely tell that we'll live visiting Great Sand Dunes National Park tomorrow, in addition to and thus we'll live on to our side past times side destination on Monday. We're having a wonderful time. I can't hold off to tell you lot virtually all the riding nosotros did.