Van-Tramp adventures 2017

[Putts]

Welcome to the West.

As a n00b Montanan (30 years here is nothing) I can surely say there is a line out there....somewhere. But it's there.

 

[Passing Through]

Bummer you are so negative about CA always. Ruins your "image" you try to portray.
I think it is really small minded and rude to continually blame a state for your failures.
I believe this forum is for all, even us horrible CA people.
Ps, sugar K is from Grass Valley. That's in CA FYI.

 

[Van-Tramp]

Bummer you are so negative about CA always. Ruins your "image" you try to portray.
I think it is really small minded and rude to continually blame a state for your failures.
I believe this forum is for all, even us horrible CA people.
Ps, sugar K is from Grass Valley. That's in CA FYI.

Kerri and I are both from CA... 37 years I spent living in the Bay Area, so my dislikes are from actual experience, not just hearsay. Only when I left for a free state did I realize how poor the CA government operates that state. It is not the state I dislike, it is the people voted into office. I simply express my opinions on the matter, nothing more. Take that as you wish.

Im not sure what type of image I am trying to portray other then being myself, which I will continue to do. You are, of course, not obligated to read my posts. Feel free to stop at any time.

 

[highdesertranger]

I have also been a resident of California my whole life. I am moving out, California is way to expensive. I could go on and on but I won't. highdesertranger

 

[masterplumber]

Hey Van Tramp, I was only able to go to the get together for the weekend, but there are still a few there. It's on the road that connects Tarryall Rd with Lost Park (can't remember the number) about a mile from the cattle guard. It's also posted on the gatherings sub forum. If you get down to the Monument area give me a shout and we'll grab a cup of something.

 

[Van-Tramp]

Back into the mountains, finally!
http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/back-into-the-mountains-finally/


[size=large]We spent a full week down on the front range, visiting with my son and running my necessary paperwork errands needed to leave Colorado for an extended period. The heat of a July on the front range is pretty extreme, so an RV park with electric hookups was a must. That worked all fine and dandy until the AC in the trailer started tripping the circuit breaker by mid-week. Multiple days in 90+ degrees without AC is not fun at all. We had ideas of what the problem may be, and tried to fix it over a few days, but nothing worked. We were forced to run for the hills to get into cooler temperatures. Not that I mind, I desperately needed to get into the Rocky Mountains anyway. 

Peaceful Valley Campground, my ‘home campground’, came to our rescue. The place is usually full during the high season, but a spot opened up for us just as we pulled up. Up here it is 25 degrees cooler during the days than down in the Boulder area. We didn’t need AC anymore, and the mountains out our window brought sighs of lifted weights off our shoulders. We were back in the mountains again, woot![/size]
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Way back in July of 2013, I went on a hike to Lake Isabelle in the Brainard Lake Recreation Area. It was one of the most enjoyable places I have ever hiked, so much so that I did the sister trail out to Blue Lake a year later, with Moose. So when Kerri and I were talking about where we could go hiking now that we were up in the mountains again, either of the Brainard Lake trails were top on the list.[/size]
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We had to wake and get moving very early that morning. I kept telling Kerri that by 8am – even on a weekday – all the parking would be taken, so we had to arrive before then. We are camped only 25 minutes away, but we arrived at 8:20 (for reasons best untold) to find all but two parking spaces occupied, and those two were at a different lot another half-mile down the road. The hike would be six miles round trip now, which wasn’t too big of a problem for us.

Moose came along as well, as he did in 2014 on the Blue Lake hike. He loves these longer hikes, and seems to never tire no matter how hard or long the trail is. He is all business on these longer hikes, walking right past other people who have hands extended towards him looking to give him some attention. Good luck with that, he has a trail to hike. Across rivers and jumping over rocks, he marked his way back, every 50 feet or so, the entire length of the trail. After an hour of hiking we reached our destination at Lake Isabelle at just under 11,000 feet, sat for a while enjoying lunch and the scenery, and snapping some pictures before turning around to repeat the hike in reverse.[/size]

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[size=large]more images at http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/back-into-the-mountains-finally/[/SIZE][/size]

 

[highdesertranger]

outstanding pics. still a fair amount of snow for more then midway through July. highdesertranger

 

[AbuelaLoca]

Simply gorgeous! I love all your pictures... my heart and soul just ache to be out there!!

 

[Van-Tramp]

Frolicking about Colorado
http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/frolicking-about-colorado/

[size=large]We have a few weeks to meander around before we are wanting to be in Idaho for the eclipse, so we chose to visit an area of Colorado that we have been missing in recent years; the South  and South West of the state. Since we were already up in the mountains, the plan was to simply ride the continental divide south and stay out of the main heat of the front range.[/size]

[size=large]Embedded Instagram images at http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/frolicking-about-colorado/[/SIZE][/size]
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Four hours later we arrived at our podunk RV park in the middle of no-where-Colorado. It was chosen for it’s $25 price including full hookups, which turned out to be $32 a night. We needed the water and sewer hookups so we could do a proper bleach and flush of the clean water tank is the Airstream. While the RV park was very average to say the least, the next morning felt just right with cool, crisp air and the mountain peaks surrounding us. The flushing of our water system went as planned and we were back on our way South the following morning.

Only an hour down the road we pulled into what was a State Park campground but has been somewhat abandoned by the State. It is now a State Wildlife Refuge and the camping is free, including electrical hookups.  We stopped here so Kerri can add another National Park to her ‘seen’ list; Colorado’s Great Sand Dunes National Park. I’ve already been here in 2014, and so has Moose in fact. This National park doesn’t take a lot of time to see to be honest. If you can find a place to park, the walk onto the sand is only a few feet away. One could opt to hike out to, and up, the dunes themselves, but that is for younger folks than me. Instead, we took in the view, then drove around the campground to see what it had to offer. Within an hour we were heading back to the free camping where we BBQ’d and had a drink while watching the sunset paint the dunes right out our front door.

It is hard to pass on free camping with electric hookups, but we did just that, pulling out the next morning on our way to a National Forest boondocking spot near Pagosa Springs, CO. It is here that neither of us have explored so a week’s stay was going to remedy that. Unfortunately, the only spot we could pull into with the long truck and trailer setup was taken. We tried to scout out another but the lack of a working cell signal made that point moot. We simply can not stay in a location without a working cell signal for work. We had to call it, moving into town itself so we could connect to the Internet to see what our options are. As it turned out, there was no workable Internet even within the town of Pagosa Springs! Our phones were useless, it was getting late, and our frustration-levels were increasing. We accepted that even if we find a place nearby, the Internet will still not be up to snuff.
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Our next possible place was Sauls Creek near Bayfield, CO, nearly an hour away. We arrived tired but hopeful, but that hope was quickly squashed. The established dispersed camping area has been over-run by the oil industry. Any level patch of ground had no trespassing signs and an oil rig in place. We were barely able to get the trailer turned around – twice – without getting stuck, and only found a horrible spot to camp. We moved on again, further frustrated.[/size]

Another hour drive brought us all the way into the Durango area, which was our planned stop for the following week. Not that we found ourselves in any better shape in Durango! After an all day drive, and more than our fair share of frustrations, we pulled into the only National Forest campground in the immediate area, just praying there would be an open spot. Thankfully, an extremely helpful camp host fixed us up with one of the two spots still available, but the Internet signal was weak to the point of nearly worthless. We decided to stay the night so we did not have to drive anymore, then assess our situation in the morning. After a good night’s sleep, life was looking a lot better and the signal turned out to be *just* enough for Kerri to work. We are staying put for a few nights to recoup and assess what to do next. Hopefully it will be less frustrating in the future weeks.

[size=large]Embedded Instagram images at http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/frolicking-about-colorado/[/SIZE]

And actually, the campground turned out to be quite nice. Quiet, clean, and well operated to say the least. Lots of trees, sounds, and smells welcoming us back to a forest. It feels good to be back after the long day.
[size=large]PS – This has been our first real bad day in two and a half years together and the reality of it all was that not much badness was really happening… in the whole scheme of things. Our tolerance of things not going well may be a little low… and honestly, I guess that is a good thing. It says things have gone well for a long time. I suspect that trend will continue. I guess I can handle the one bad day every two years.[/size]

 

[Van-Tramp]

[font=Arial, Georgia, sans-serif]Meeting the San Juans[/font]
http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/meeting-the-san-juans/

[font=Arial, Georgia, sans-serif][size=large]We moved on after only a few days camped just outside of Durango. We didn’t move far, but we did move a few thousand feet up the San Juan Mountains to get back to free camping in the wild. Our spot, only a short hop from the first pass in these here mountains, was Old Lime Creek Road.  It is not far off the main highway but the spot we were lucky to get (thanks to another couple just packing up to leave as we pulled in) commanded one helluva view out our window.[/font][/size]
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[font=Arial, Georgia, sans-serif][size=large]The weather has been on the wet side for the past few days, with daily rain coming in the early afternoon and lingering throughout the night. No complaints though, the mountain rain is welcomed over the heat of the high desert that surrounds the San Juans.[/font][/size]
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On our first full day off we took the dogs on a short hike. Just 2.5 miles up a rocky and pitted road is the Potato Lake Trailhead, which leads out to Potato Lake (or Spud Lake, depending on where you are looking) only 1.2 miles out. Although not a long hike it starts in the 9,400 ft elevation and my lack of exercise (and age) showed itself. The dogs loved it, with Moose hauling ass up and down the trail like a madman and Byron taking to the lake waters, also like a madman. It is just what we needed to start our weeks stay in the San Juan Mountains.[/font][/size]


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[Van-Tramp]

Visiting more Colorado Ghost Towns
http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/visiting-more-colorado-ghost-towns/

[size=large]Kerri planned a nice day of exploring for us. Not only were we looking for a place to boondock not far out of Silverton, but there were two ghost towns within reach as well. That made for a whole day of off-road adventures.[/size]
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The boondocking ended up a bust… the three places we looked were legit, but massively over-crowded and muddy. I just can’t imagine why anyone else would want to pull in there only to squeeze in, only feet away from the neighboring rigs. It was worse than an inner-city RV Park, spacing-wise. instead, we decided to just stay exactly where we were, in a nice peaceful meadow on the other side of the mountains.[/size]
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On the North side of Silverton, Colorado, up a long and bumpy (and wet thanks to the weather) dirt road sits the old ghost town of Animas Forks. As are most towns in this area, it was a silver mining town in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Only a few structures remain today, and thanks to the Forest Service and BLM, they are open to the public for exploration. So we did, as well as lines and lines of others in their OHVs, Jeeps, Quads, and motorcycles. Considering the length of rough-ride of the road to get out here, there was no shortage of people wanting to come visit the old town.[/size]
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[size=large]When we finished exploring we dropped into Silverton for a meal and continued exploring by hopping over another mountain pass to the old ghost town of Ironton, Colorado. At first the GPS coordinates sent us on a wild goose chase, but eventually we found our way down the right dirt trail (it was barely wide enough for the truck) and pulled right into what seemed to be the center of town. Of course, Ironton was another town that sprung up due to the silver mining, but did not last long into the 20th century. Dozens if structures still stand – barely – with the surrounding forest nearly completely taking the town back. Trees have grown so thick in the town now that you do not see one building from another. It made for a very exciting hour or so exploring around. Something new was popping out of the trees every few steps.[/size]
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[Cammalu]

Very cool. Thanks for all your posts


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[SoulRaven]

Back into the mountains, finally!
http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/back-into-the-mountains-finally/


[size=large]more images at http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/back-into-the-mountains-finally/[/SIZE][/size]

At first glance I thought that was the Maroon Bells.  I need to visit that spot!

 

[MrNoodly]

I think the crowds at Animas Forks aren't really there to see the ghost town. I think their main interest is riding/driving the roads up into the mountains, and Animas Forks happens to be along the way.

 

[SoulRaven]

Monsieur Van-Tramp, 

I've lived in Colorado for 21 years.  You've managed to see many places that I haven't yet.  I basically picked about 10 places over the years that were within a 2-3 hour drive and went there.  Keystone for boarding, Mt Bierstadt for hiking, I went as far west as Mt Princeton and another time Mt Elbert.  Have driven out to Montrose, taking landscape photos along the way, stopped at Silverton ski resort , been to Cortez and Mesa Verde and then back ... 

I still feel like you've seen more of Colorado than I have in all my years here.  

Good job, mate! 

Pat

 

[Van-Tramp]

I've lived in Colorado for 21 years.  You've managed to see many places that I haven't yet....

I am the same way about Colorado. Took me until last year to finally get out and see a lot of the mountain areas. Same with California for me. I lived there 37 years, barely saw any of it. So, in 2018 I made sure to have a travel plan that focuses on just the three West Coast states.

 

[Van-Tramp]

Revisiting the Sawtooth Mountains
http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/revisiting-the-sawtooth-mountains/

[size=large]It involved two big days of driving – solely by Kerri, I might add – but 770 miles were conquered solely to avoid having to stop for a work week in Utah where daytime temps where higher than we would have been able to tolerate with our re-broken AC unit. Sure, we arrived a week earlier then planned, but at this time of the year a two or three week period of sitting still sounds great. More so when you factor in that where we were going has daytime temps in the low-80s. And mountains![/size]
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We came here specifically to watch the eclipse later in the month. Obviously we are not the only people who thought of this idea, but an early arrival means we get more choices of where we will call home until the big day. An unmarked dirt road, hidden behind a closed gate, should provide a bit of security from the masses who will be descending on the Sawtooth Mountains in the coming days… we hope.[/size]
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For now, thanks to numerous fires in the nearby area as well as neighboring states, we are just relaxing in this mildly smokey meadow enjoying the company of some friends who also came out to Idaho for the eclipse. Heck, we have even seen out first sunrise in some time. Laziness is a bitch.[/size]

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[Van-Tramp]

A weekend in the mountains
http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/a-weekend-in-the-mountains/

[size=large]We have been here a week already. That usually means we are on our way out. But, here we remain a full week after the wheels of the trailer came to a rest, and we have two more weeks of exactly the same in the future. Normally the itch to get traveling again takes over, but after this year’s running all around the USA and back, it is nice to sit still for a little bit. Although, this past weekend we did exactly the opposite.[/size]
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We left the trailer behind and drove off with just the dogs and the truck loaded with out usual compliment of backpacking supplies. We planned to tent-camp along the river near the old ghost town of Custer, ID (we visited there last year) for a night, possibly two. Problem was, we were not alone in that thinking and for the first mile or so of gravel road past the ghost town, all spots were occupied by other campers. Kerri, staring out the passenger window exclaims, “if only we could get to the other side of the river, there are great spots over there.” Then just a few seconds later demands, “turn here!” I do, without question (not my normal behavior I must admit) and we drive a few hundred yards down a path way too tight for an RV and right into a sweet little spot all for ourselves. Right on the river, and totally alone.[/size]
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[size=large]Camp was setup while the dogs played (Moose chased squirrels, Byron splashed in the river) and then only hardcore reading ensued for the remainder of the afternoon. With no cell service or electronic devices we winded down off the 21st century high that is everything-with-a-screen-shoved-in-your-face-at-all-times. No news. No social media, and no Trump (or Anti-Trump) BS to elevate the blood pressure. Just full on relax before the sun set and we took to the tent to call it a night.[/size]
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We packed up the next morning, unsure if we would camp another night or not. We spent the late morning and early afternoon just driving around the Eastern Sawtooth Mountains, exploring and sight seeing. A brown sign told us that another ghost town was just 4 miles up a dirt road, so we set out to check it out. The old mining town of Bayhorse, Idaho  was then explored, and similarly photographed. We stopped to read some of the placards, but most gave only the most general of information. “This building was made of stone”, or “we do not know what this building was used for”, and so on. It seemed the state didn’t really care to find out about the true history of Bayhorse, content with keeping a few buildings erected to collect the $5 entry fee to walk around the place. In all honesty, $5 was a fair price and worth it. The lack of information on the placards became humorous more than anything. After exploring the ghost town, and the next few miles further up the rough dirt road for a good spot to camp, we decided not to camp another night and just return back to the trailer parked in a meadow near Stanley, Idaho.


As our plans go, they always change. So, half way back Kerri once again exclaims, “turn here” and once again I do. Again, miles and miles of gravel-then-dirt road lead us further away from the asphalt of civilization. Eventually coming to the end of the road where we were forced to take the last quarter mile or so on foot. And at the end of that path was a secluded natural hot spring right along side the river coming off the mountains behind us. It is here (or just back on the road) that we decided to pitch our tent again and relax with some snacks, a beer, and our trusty Kindles while we waited for the sun to start it’s set. Once that began, we packed a bag and hiked out to the hot spring where we sat in a hot pool for a couple hours while the sky darkened. Just us. No one else came out this cloudy and sprinkling eve to take part in the spring. It was perfect.[/size]
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It was easy to sleep that night, and sleep we did. Both of us getting more than 8 hours sleep before waking, dressing, and starting the day. Bypassing breakfast (but not coffee) we chose to just pack up and started heading back to the trailer. A few errands along the way slowed our pace so we arrived back at the trailer closer to noon then 10 AM if we drove straight through.[/size]
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Another successful weekend of tent-camping and solitude. Just what the doctor ordered.[/size]

[size=large]More images at http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/a-weekend-in-the-mountains/[/SIZE][/size]

 

[rvpopeye]

Kerri must be some kind of campsite whisperer???
Hope you're saving the GPS on those spots !

 

[Van-Tramp]

Gathering for the eclipse
http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/gathering-for-the-eclipse/[/SIZE]

[size=large]Unless you are living under a rock – a possibility if you read this blog – you have heard about the solar eclipse happening on August 21st. Well, so have I (and Kerri too). So our original route changed a bit when we heard about a get-together of a few friends in the the Sawtooth Mountains, just outside of Stanley, Idaho. Now, I would have already jumped at the opportunity to return to the Sawtooth Mountains, but toss in a few good fellow full-timers in the mix and things are sounding great. Then add in that it would be in the path of Totality for the eclipse? Yea, I’m there! (Kerri too).
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We arrived two weeks before the eclipse, ensuring that we would be able to find a spot in the forest considering the town was expecting to grow from a few dozen year-round residents to somewhere between 20,000 and 40,000 people over the weekend. We overstocked our fridge and water tanks the week before so there was no reason to drive into town for days on either side of the big event, of course.[/size]
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Over the two week period leading up to the Eclipse, the gathering swelled to about 15 RVs occupying this small parcel of public land. We are packed in fairly tight, as you can see, but we had this road all to ourselves – protected by a closed gate a quarter mile closer to the road. And it is here that we all got together each night for our annual helping of socializing, drinking, eating, and a whole lot of laughing.

On the day of the eclipse, we were gathered before 10AM – early than many of these people even crawl out of bed on a normal day – and started the celebrations. It took about an hour for the moon to slowly inch it’s way to the full blockage of the sun, where we all kept busy eating, drinking (yes already that early in the morning), and occasionally looking up into the sky with out eclipse glasses.

 
The difference between a 95% eclipse (a minute or two before) and totality was night and day, literally. The forest was darkened and the temperature dropped more than 20 degrees, not that it stopped anyone in our group from the enjoyment of it all. I did not even attempt (very hard) to take any photographs, leaving that to the professionals. Instead just keeping my face to the sky and enjoy it to the max. I hear that another is expected in the USA in 7 years. If you missed totality this time around, I fully recommend making plans to be at a location that provides 100% coverage when that one comes around. It will blow your mind! And it is here I will stop this post. Not because I do not care to write about it, but because it is simply impossible for *me* to put into writing just how crazy-amazing the experience of that 2 minutes and 11 seconds was. I am man enough to admit that it brought me to tears as I stood there with my jaw on the floor of the forest (thankfully no one stepped on it).[/size]
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Here are some Instagram photos from others in the gathering and one, from Gus [not in attendance] at the bottom that does a great job representing what is in my memory; http://www.van-tramp.com/wp/gathering-for-the-eclipse/[/SIZE][/size]