Sylvan Lake State Park, Colorado

Oct. 17- 26, 2014

As we left Denver heading west on I-70, we hoped to get over Eisenhower Pass (11,000 ft.) without hitting snow or bad weather, and even though the weather cams at the Pass looked fine, you never know. In this case, however, all went well, and we sailed up and over the Pass without hitting the brakes or the gas. I just set the cruise to 60 and the truck did the rest: the built-in engine brake worked like a charm—really saved the brakes. We were heading for Colorado National Monument, a Monument Valley-esque area about 4 hours west of Denver. After about 2 hours, though, we felt like stopping to stretch our legs and gawk at the mountain beauty, so pulled off at the Eagle-Vail rest area and wandered inside the Visitor’s Center. As we admired the photos for sale, Leah struck up a conversation with the Volunteer at the Center, Steve Taylor—who also happened to be the photographer. In addition to recommending restaurants in Eagle, Steve mentioned that one of the most beautiful campgrounds in the state, Sylvan Lake State Park, lay only about 1/2 hour up a twisty road at 8500 ft, a gem, he claimed—and showed us photos, as well as an article in the Denver Post, to prove it. Well, that was enough for us. After jotting down the best restaurants in town, we started the drive to Sylvan Lake. The paved road became narrower the higher we climbed, until no more pavement. Just a curvy dirt road leading up…and up some more. Would we get a good site?…with a view…any generators or noisy neighbours? Our thoughts were interrupted by a sign: “This is bear country. Behave accordingly.” 

OK...

Almost there...

On the way to Sylvan Lake State Park

Sylvan Lake:

You can just see the campground mid-right in photo above. This is a campground mostly for fisherman, so there are many sites right on the lake; however, they are cheek-by-jowl close together. But the campground was nearly empty, so from our site on the lake we could only see one other camper and it was quite distant. 

Our site, Sylvan Lake State Park, Colorado

Beautiful... but cold (8500 ft.)

 We even had our own private dock:

Even from inside the trailer, the view was lovely:

Sylvan Lake from inside the RV

In the next few days, hikes around the lake revealed the remaining fall colours:

On a walk near Sylvan Lake

Walk around Sylvan Lake

This guy (below) hung around our campsite. I think he's a Stellar Jay??

More fall colours from a drive in the nearby mountains:

Near Basalt, Colorado.

Lonely tree on a lake.

The cold finally chased us out of Sylvan Lake, but we'll be back. 

Barrie, Ontario to Bear Creek Lake Park, Denver, Colorado

October 1-16, 2014

Left Barrie on Sept 30th, about 5 PM, and spent the 1st night of the trip in the Walmart parking lot, Port Huron, MI. From there, spent about a week driving more or less directly southwest, and landed in Denver at Bear Creek Lake Park, near Morrison.

On the way:

...good food at Cracker Barrel,

...quiet sleeping spots at various Walmarts:

Walmart for the night...

...very quiet.

While parked at a different Walmart, perhaps in Nebraska, we struck up a conversation with a couple in an old Hitchhiker 5th wheel. I complimented him on what good shape it was in. The guy had been a drummer, but was now semi-retired, and they were heading southwest. Seemed like a nice guy, interesting, pleasant, even showed us inside his Hitchhiker, which he bought for about $15,000. It was a 1999 model, but well-made. Anyway, all was pleasant until the guy started badmouthing Obama: "I read that he's plotting to take over America; he's found a loophole in the law that will allow him to be reelected for a third term!" ...and other such conspiratorial stuff. I didn't ask what he'd been reading, but wouldn't be surprised if it included Fox News. Not sure what to make of it. And not the first time we'd heard rabidly anti-Obama sentiments. After that, we kind of disengaged as quickly as we could without offending. However, we'd already exchanged e-mails, and some days later, he sent Leah a Facebook friend request. She hasn't responded yet--not sure what to do. I get the sense that Republicans are so vicious and short-sighted that they've lost sight of one of the hallmarks of a successful democracy: compromise.

Anyway, it's good to be back near the mountains. Each visit, as we approach from the east, I get a little shiver when I first sight them, which, depending upon the weather, is about 50 miles out on I-76. This year, once in Denver, we decided to use Bear Creek Lake Park, just outside the city, as a base to explore some old haunts before we headed over Eisenhower Pass to get farther west and south for the winter. Bear Creek closes for camping at the end of October, and we were able to snag a discounted annual pass, which, combined with the already reasonable camping fee, got us hot showers, flush toilets, and electricity at the site for $15 a night.

During the week or so we stayed there, we walked and biked through the park, itself; and drove up into the mountains to revisit favourite haunts in the Front Range: Estes Park, Smokin' Dave's BBQ (best we've ever tasted) in Estes, the Peak-to-Peak Highway, Brainard Lake (10,000ft), Allenspark, Lyons, Nederland, and of course, umpteen thrift stores along the way. And Gavin: we even stopped at Camp Dick! Just wonderful to be here! Weather is mild and sunny in the day and cold (40 or so) at night--perfect sleeping weather.

Some photos:

Bathroom buddy, restaurant in eastern Colorado

Mural on abandoned gas station wall, Sterling, Colorado

At Bear Creek Park, Denver, our site:

Out for a walk, Bear Creek Park, near Denver

Fall colours, Bear Creek Park, near Denver

Riding on bike path, Bear Creek Park, near Denver

Fall walk, Bear Creek Park, near Denver

Leah, Bear Creek Park, near Denver

A chilly visit to Brainard Lake, about 10,000 feet, 45 minutes from Bear Creek Park

Took a chance on a pizza buffet in Golden, and it was the best I've ever tasted:

...Woody's wood-fired Pizza, Golden, CO. (Sorry: night shot with camera phone).

Visited an 80-acre flea market in Denver with some interesting items for sale:

Leah walked all the many aisles, but was a bit disappointed. I got bored with what was for sale, but found some mildly pleasing graphics:

While Leah roamed thrift stores, I tried my hand at street photography (don't think I have the stomach for it; feels like treating people poorly) in a rundown, but rapidly gentrifying area of downtown Denver:

Conversation

I did find an interesting detail at a bar:

 Back at the trailer, the sun set on another wonderful day:

Hope all is well with you.

Salton Sea State Recreation Area

Feb. 10, 2014

We arrived here about 2 weeks ago, just after a 3 day 'vacation' (from boondocking) at the Oasis Palms RV resort in nearby Thermal, CA. Met a few other Canadians at the Resort, attended a happy hour gathering one afternoon, soaked in the hot tub, did laundry, played ping pong. Also loaded up on tangerines and grapefruits, which we could pick at our campsite, as they grew on trees throughout the Resort. Most were delicious! Generally, we just restocked and cleaned up before we headed out to our next dry campsite. We were headed for Anza Borrego Desert State Park, 600,000 + acres of free desert camping. However, the Salton Sea was only a few miles out of our way, so Leah insisted we check it out. As we drove the last few miles to the park, we experienced that now-familiar mixture of excitement and tension: Will it be beautiful, crowded, expensive, cheap, clean, noisy, quiet? And of course we were hooked the moment we stopped at the Salt Creek primitive camping area. And the price? $8.00 a night. Not bad for right on the beach!

Our site (near center of photo) at Salt Creek Campground, Salton Sea State Park

Here's a photo looking from the beach back at the trailer:

Of course, not all was ideal: there was a highway behind us, and running parallel to the highway, railroad tracks. However, the highway was not busy, but trains did go by several times a day (and night). That gave me pause, but, interestingly, the train noise turned out to be more like a romantic accent than an irritant. Another possible irritant was the occasional whiff of something rotting. Didn't happen often enough to chase us away, but did occasionally intrude. It would likely be far worse in the summer heat.

And the migratory birds and the sunsets more than made up for it:

Great Blue Heron off our campsite, Salt Creek primitive campground, Salton Sea State Park, California

 

Great Blue Heron off our campsite, Salt Creek primitive campground, Salton Sea State Park, California

A bit of background on the Salton Sea

The Salton Sea is really just a huge accidental lake created in the early 1900s when the Colorado River broke through a poorly built levee and flooded the Salton Sink, a valley 200 feet or so below sea level. The river's full volume flowed into the sink for 16 months before engineers eventually stopped it. By then, the resulting Salton Sea was 40 miles long by 20 miles wide. For a while, the Sea provided a convenient inland lake that became a major irrigation source, as well as a water playground for boaters, fisherman, and water skiers. Naturally, towns sprang up along the shore to cater to the sudden influx of tourists. However, the new Sea had no outlet to the ocean and was only fractionally replenished by agricultural runoff. As a result, its water gradually evaporated, its shoreline shrank away from the new towns, and the increasing salinity killed most of the fish, causing a rotten smell along the beach. No longer situated on an inviting water playground, the Salton Sea towns themselves began to shrink as tourists stayed away. The towns also began to rot, since the Sea had a habit of flooding low-lying areas--the very ones closest to the beach where all the restaurants and tourist services were.

Bombay Beach is one of those towns. When we visited, we saw that a dike had been built to protect the part of the town closest to the shoreline that hadn't already been ruined by the repeated flooding. And though it does keep the water out, the dike couldn't bring the tourists back. And so today the whole town looks post-apocalyptic: roughly 10 or 15 square blocks of abandoned, dilapidated, or rundown trailers or shacks with dirt and sand yards, rusting cars and car parts, broken fences. And no one on the streets. I'd say at least 25% of the houses are abandoned: some boarded up, some falling down, others rotting in place. Virtually all the buildings seem to be from the 40s to the 70s...very little newer construction, though there were a couple of relatively prosperous and well-kept places.

On the flooded side of the dike, it was even worse. The area was now dry, but what was left told a story of devastation.

So much for decay.

But if I point my lens the other way--out toward the water--I see migratory birds and sunsets:

American Pelican, Bombay Beach, California

Great White Egret with dinner, Bombay Beach, California

Same egret fleeing a marauding gull

View from long-dead pier, Bombay Beach, California

That's all from the Salton Sea. Next post will be from Anza Borrego Desert State Park, California.