Rocky Mountains Roaming: Celebrating Retirement

What better way to celebrate retirement than to roam one of the most gorgeous places in this big old world? Bernie and I both love the Rocky Mountains, and we’ve logged some great memories and fantastic hikes in the Rockies. Most of our time together has been spent in Rocky Mountain National Park and the surrounding national forests. Bernie has also been elk and mule deer hunting in Colorado. On this trip, the goal was to expand our geographic roamings, find new favorite places, visit other National Parks and ease the stress of COVID, cancer and work. To just be. Together.

My last day before retirement was a Tuesday. On Thursday morning, we hit the road in our camper van, Flora the Explorer. Our Great Dane, Bella, is our canine co-pilot. Even though I didn’t feel prepared to take a month long trip to the Rockies, I threw caution to the wind and made sure to check the most essential boxes. (Camera, iPad, charger cords, clothing for warm and cold weather, sunscreen and toiletries, and dog food. The rest we could pick up as needed.) While I am embracing this new phase of retirement, I loved my work (mostly), and during my career, I was lucky enough to work with some of the most compassionate, creative people on earth.

The drive to Colorado is challenging. We spent one night in Columbia, Missouri, and the next day, we drove to Limon, CO, elevation 5377. After a while, plains and high desert landscapes begin to look the same, so we were happy to see the Rocky Mountains looming ahead of us. When traveling with a dog, dog-friendly accommodations are a must. On days where we were racking up the miles, we didn’t want to camp. The popularity of motor lodges has grown, creating a time warp of motels that existed before super highways and large chains dominated travel options. These family owned, small operations often allow dogs with a minimal surcharge; even a supersized Great Dane.

Blue Mesa Reservoir

We wanted to ease into higher elevations, and not further stress Bernie’s lung function. After leaving Limon, we drove the southern route around Colorado Springs towards Grand Junction. SInce we left on August 27 and anticipated a Labor Day camping shortage, Bernie booked a few sites to make sure we would have a place to stay. We needed to be flexible, but covered. We were open to boondocking as well. Since we made such good time heading west, our first night of camping was unplanned. We found a site at Blue Mesa reservoir. It was windy and there was no shade except the shadow of the camper van, but it was a good place from which to launch our explorations. Vault toilets? Sure- we didn’t expect anything else. We took a long walk by the lake and planned out our next few days. Bernie is a trip planner extraordinaire!

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

The next day, we packed up early; our destination was the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. https://www.nps.gov/blca/planyourvisit/southrim.htm The North Rim access road was closed, which makes this a repeat visit in my book. The views from the South Rim overlooks document the geological history of the gorge, while providing long range views on the horizon and vertically into the steep canyons of the Gunnison River. It was HOT and dry, with a few trails for hiking. Most trails were short, leading to overlooks. I imagine that fall, winter and spring seasons are best suited for hikes involving distance.

The canyon walls were impressive, with steep, craggy rock faces lined with veins and cracks. Some of the veins running through the granite walls are pegmatite, which has a pinkish hue.

The canyon is both deep and narrow, with the river barely visible. At its deepest, the Black Canyon plunges 2,700 feet, and at its narrowest, it spans 40 feet. The lichens on the rocks were bright splotches among the shadows. iNaturalist has a great catalogue of lichens, fungi and other life forms found in the Black Canyon. https://www.inaturalist.org/places/black-canyon-of-the-gunnison#taxon=47170

The Black Canyon of the Gunnison is definitely worth a repeat visit. It is also an International Dark Sky Park, so astronomy opportunities are another draw for visitors who want to fully explore the areas around the Rockies. Surprisingly, it is one of the least visited national parks. That worked for us!

Vega State Park, Colbran, CO

Our next stop was Vega State Park, situated at 8,000 feet on the western front of the Rocky Mountains. This campground had nice sites, and we were right on the lake, with easy access to hike around the lake, or up in the aspen groves. We learned very quickly to park the van so that it would cast a shadow in the afternoons, as shade is a rarity. We also learned that the winds could easily turn the van’s retractible Fiamma awning into a giant parasail, so we used it very little.

I awakened early the first morning of our stay, and was able to capture the sun rising over the mountains and casting rosy hues over the lake.

Traveling with a dog means you strive for the “happy dog, happy people” vibe, and for Bella, that means setting up the BellaDome. The BellaDome is a clamshell screen tent that pops up with very little effort, creating a 9 foot by 9 foot safe space for her majesty. It is a great set up- we don’t need to leash her and we all get to relax. She eats and naps there, in between walks, and when bedtime comes, we take her bed into the camper van. It’s a win-win for all of us. And there’s room for us to hang out in there too!

Aspens and wildflowers at Vega

On our last day at Vega, we went for a hike in the aspens, walking under the leaves shimmying in the breeze. We saw no one on the trail. We listened to the aspens, and were rewarded with a few wildflower stragglers along the trail.

We packed up, and drove back down the Plateau Valley, feeling small beneath the tall jenga-like towers. It was a beautiful day for travel, and we were looking forward to our next stop in the Rockie- Telluride, the town nestled in a box canyon.

Until next time….

There are more posts to come; I hope you will stay tuned. Our travels took us as far north as the western entrance to Yellowstone and as far south as the southern San Juans and Mesa Verde National Park. I intended to blog along the way, but we rarely had cell coverage, despite having a “we boost” and a hot spot. That was a good thing in many ways, because the focus was on enjoying the present. Here’s to getting out there, wherever you are, to be rejuvenated by nature and her gifts. Please join us for the rest of our Rocky Mountain adventures.

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