Incidents

 No camping trip goes without incidents, and this is no exception.  Part of the journey is to deal with what befalls you.  I've already mentioned that our converter broke (and Sean fixed it) and gout (which almost miraculously cleared before even 24 hours of steroids were complete--going from non-weight bearing to hiking in no time), and that Humsfr was unhappy with the road to Chaco.  I didn't see a small ditch on a sharp left turn into a driveway and suspended the passenger side wheels by the frame.  A passing neighbor guided me out.  A trip to Durango's Ace Hardware and a restless night had me repairing cabinetry at 3 AM--and it worked!  Alhumdulillah!  

Durango.  We have a dear long time friend, Kimberly Washburn, that we have known since U Az residency days in the late 80's who, with her husband Steve, lives on a ranch in Durango with gorgeous views of the 14,000 foot peaks (Fourteeners, in the lingo of Coloradans).  Steve was fishing in Alaska but we were able to catch up with Kimberly, do a laundry, Joyce to luxuriate in a bath, and this gave me time to fix and wash HUMSFR.  Kimberly took us on a beautiful hike (my first day of the gout clearing) on Tuesday evening followed by dinner at a Nepali food truck Sherpa Momo, since we all have a taste for Asian food!  Wednesday after work we were treated to a bike ride along the beautiful Animas River.  They built a kayak course near downtown that was very popular and fun to watch the kayakers navigate the rapids.  

Kimberly and Joyce 

Bike ride on the Animus River

Thursdays are travel days, and we headed north through awe inspiring Silverton for an Ice cream stop and then on through Ouray passing over 10,000 ft. mountain passes.  The truck and rig handled well (aside from the smell of burning brakes).  We stopped at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.  

Black Canyon of the Gunnison

This part of the journey had no camping reservations and the south rim camping site was full, but we found a beautiful campsite at Elk Creek Campground overlooking the clean, beautiful and big (largest in CO) Blue Mesa Reservoir. 

I worked Friday AM and after lunch and an short nap, Joyce and I hiked the Curecanti Creek Trail with steep canyon walls with a crystal clear burbling creek 850 ft below the rim.  We are astounded with beauty at every corner, silent deer, elk, black billed magpies, silvery lupine, sulfur buckwheat, big sagebrush (names provided by the Seek App!).  Near the creek, at the foot of an impressively large scree field, we could feel cold air coming from within the open spaces among the boulders.  Who knows how many animals seek shelter in these spaces.