The Mountains of Western Colorado

Monday, July 2, 2012--Ouray, Colorado (Continued)

Orvis Hot Springs is a fantastic resort!  It has a huge, absolutely beautiful outdoor pool fed by hot springs.  The pool has stones around the sides and gravel on the bottom.  The stone walls around the side have plants that are blooming.  There is a small cold-water sprinkler made of bamboo spread across one part of the pool.  People stand in the middle or along the sides and enjoy the hot water.  Many visit with each other.  I visited with a young man (30?) who was there with his parents and briefly with a woman and a couple of other men.  I returned to the pool that evening at 10:00 before going to sleep.  The full moon was out and it was just delightful being there.  In addition to the pool, there is an indoor sauna, a cold pool, and a super hot pool.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012--Gunnison, Crested Butte, and Onward

I wanted to stay another night at Orvis Hot Springs, but they said it was a 7-8 hour drive to the Denver area, so I knew my time was too tight.  Instead of going to Gunnison and Crested Butte and returning to Orvis Hot Springs for the night, I continued onward toward Rocky Mountain National Park to get me closer to Denver.

I've always found Gunnison to be rather interesting due to the fact that they so often get cut off from the rest of civilization by snow in the winter.  I expected it to be in high mountains, but it is really surrounded by rather low rolling mountains and a beautiful lake.  It's an attractive town and is home to Western State College of Colorado.  I walked the campus and the downtown street before heading out for Crested Butte.

Crested Butte is the nicest of the tourist towns I have visited on this trip.  Although the shops are mainly for tourists, the town seems authentic.  I think that's because of all the outdoor cafes and restaurants.  It's nice to see people sitting out enjoying the weather and their food.  And in the winter, I'm sure the skiers are all there, too.  I walked up and down the main street taking photos and watching people

From there, I took the best drive I have had on the trip so far.  It is along a mostly non-paved road through the mountains looping around to Carbondale.  The scenery on the route was beautiful.  Although the road was unpaved, it was rather smooth and had lots of pull-outs that allowed me to stop and enjoy the views.

After completing the loop, I started looking for a place to camp for the night.  I found nothing by Glenwood Springs where I stopped to see a street market set up for the holidays.  I continued on IH 70 where I was surprised to see signs at two exits listing Costco Food Court as a restaurant choice available at them; I guess Costco is building them in gas stations or something.  I exited on the road aiming up toward Rocky Mountain National Park and found nothing.  I continued on another unpaved road through the mountains to the first town where I stopped at a Mexican restaurant and had a HORRIBLE meal--chiles verdes made with dry pork, rice that was cooked until dry itself, canned refried beans with yellow cheese melted over them, and bought tortillas.  Yuck, and it cost $11--$14 plus with tax and tip.

By then, it was 19:45 and I needed a place to sleep.  Fortunately, not far out of town, I saw an RV and a couple of tents beside a river.  I pulled off and found a spot under a tree where I set up my tent.  By 20:30 when it was getting dark, I was in my tent using the flashlight to read.  It was my first night NOT to camp at a private campground.  That means it was my first night to camp for FREE!

Steps Walking:  8,246

Distance Driven:  326 miles (525 km)