As we crossed the border from Utah into Colorado, I searched Spotify, found one of my favorite songs from years gone by, and cranked up the volume. Singing along brought me back to the 1970’s when John Denver was popular. In fact, John Denver was the first concert I ever attended. I was in 8th grade.
Seeing the snow-capped Rockies was stirring. After weeks of red canyon views, the brilliant white adorning the mountain peaks was accentuated by the depth of the blue sky. The wispy cloud looked like a dusting of powdered sugar was gently falling from heaven above. I started singing under my breath as I took photos.
He climbed cathedral mountains, he saw silver clouds below. He saw everything as far as you can see.
John Denver – Rocky Mountain High
We spent our first Colorado night boondocking in Clifton, Colorado at the Colorado Valley Hemp Farm. Didn’t look like much… just a dirt parking lot adjacent to an unkept field. There was no host to greet us, no tour or explanation, just a free place to park. In the morning we left our rig behind so we could visit the Colorado National Monument. We hiked up Serpent’s Trail, climbing 741 feet in elevation. Enormous balancing rocks were the unique feature along the hike. I had a sudden urge to push this rock to see what would happen, but I resisted.
For our second night, we enjoyed a Harvest Host location at Palisade Pies. It was tight parking for our rig but worth the effort. We indulged in a slice of Caramel Apple Pecan pie for me and Blueberry Cherry for Skip for dessert after dinner. In the morning, a warm peanut butter cookie somehow found its way into the truck (imagine that) as well as a small two-person cheesecake for Tuesday evening’s dessert. YUM! Thank heavens for serious hiking to mitigate the caloric intake.
I have one curious observation I’d love to share from our short time in the towns of Clifton and Palisade, both just east of Grand Junction. Their street names suffer a deplorable lack of creativity. Primary streets are named by letters, such as D Road and E Road, or numbers, such as 29 Road or 31 Road. Note, it is not 29th Street or 31st Boulevard. Here’s the funny part. Many of the in between roads are named with fractions. For example, we saw D 1/4 Road, then D 1/2 Road and later D 7/8 Road. We drove along 32 1/4 Road for a short stretch. Can’t you just hear someone saying, “I live at the intersection of D 7/8 Road and 32 1/4 Road?” Still makes me giggle.
With time to burn on Tuesday before we could check-in to our next campsite, we sauntered our way south along Hwy 50 to the town of Ouray. It’s dubbed the “Swiss village of Colorado.” With the San Juan mountains as a backdrop, we wandered up and back along the town’s main street, which was built on a hill. I half expected to bump into Maria and the Von Trapp children! The old buildings were so charming. The Ouray courthouse claims to be “the highest court in the US” due to its elevation. Apparently, it is famously known for a scene in a John Wayne movie. Later, as we returned to our truck, I smiled as I looked across the street to see Wright’s Opera House. What a classic building. I could just imagine finely dressed couples in the early 1900’s coming to see a show.
We have just one final adventure to share with you next before we shift gears from touring to serving with a SOWER team. Hope you’ll come along for the last few miles of this incredible ride!
These pictures are so beautiful! What a gift!
Love it all!
Rod’s grandfather worked in “Yoo-ray” in the olden days for a time, and we were recently there with dad, as well! I also have a specific memory of it when I was in 2nd grade. Interesting place – thx for the memories.
And John Denver does springs to the lips – perfectly understandable!
I called it “oouu- ray” until a local corrected me with “yoo-ray” 🙂 Glad this stirred your memories.
Me, too!