2009 – Week 4



May 7, 2009, Thursday:
We had a good night, and Daisy seemed better when I took her for her walk, but she wasn’t well enough to eat her breakfast. We gave her some meds and let her rest. We cleaned the RV and left the RV Park at 11:00am. By that time, Daisy was well enough to eat her breakfast. We stopped at a pet shop and bought more meds, then on to the gas station for a refill and finally to Cid’s, a small grocery store to buy lunch to take to Ham Brown’s and Martha Worthington’s house in Arroyo Seco (near Taos NM) where we’ll be spending the next 2 nights. We had lunch and then took their four dogs and Daisy on a walk. All the dogs were well behaved and had a good time. Returning home we just gabbed and learned more about the area. The road leading to their house has apple trees along it, and the bears come to pick fruit during the fall. One day, they were in the house, and a small bear poked his head through the dog door to find 3 dogs. The bear pulled back and that was the end. More excitement than I’d want. Ham has become an ardent geologist and has been able to increase our knowledge of the mountains. He has also made several hikes in the Grand Canyon into areas not well traveled. He made spaghetti for dinner, and then we went back to the RV. The full moon rose over Taos Mountain to the east and the few city lights came on in the west.

May 8, 2009 Friday:
Another beautiful day and as I was walking Daisy we heard a group of coyotes singing up in the mountains. Their good morning call lasted about 2 minutes. Ham’s dogs are inside the fence, barking and waging their tails at the RV and Daisy. Daisy is acting as if she is over the altitude sickness, and we have our fingers crossed. We went up and through the Taos Ski area in an attempt to hike the Williams Lake Trail (top elevation 11,087 feet) but were either 2 weeks too early or 2 weeks too late as snowmelt had undermined the remaining snow. I, being the heaviest, fell through the snow up to my knees several times. Susie, being the lightest, had the easiest time, and Ham was in the middle. Susie and I wore long pants, but Ham, being much tougher, wore shorts. Ham, taking pity on Susie and me, decided that we were not going to be able to complete the hike so we turned around. On the way down we saw 2 women trying the same trail but don’t know the results. We also saw a young man who had climbed to the top of Kachina Peak and skied down. We came back to Ham’s, had power naps, and then Susie and Martha went into Arroyo Seco to walk the shops while Ham and I reviewed the maps to show me placesnot listed in the guide books, to visit. We had dinner, and Susie requested that Ham tell us about his hikes through the Grand Canyon since 1965 or 1966. He has done numerous hikes over the years, some taking as long as 8 days. The stories were fascinating, and we enjoyed the entire evening.

May 9, 2009 Saturday:
A few low clouds obscured the tops of the mountains behind Ham’s house, but they were a nice touch. We talked, had breakfast, walked the dogs and then realized that there was really no time to dive to the top of the mountain behind their house and hike to the falls. The streams are flowing full as the snow continues to melt. We took our leave at 12:30pm and as we headed north from Taos towards the Great Sand Dunes NP, we were in the Punche Valley, crossed into Colorado and entered the San Luis Valley. We received a phone call from Diana who told us that she would not be able to get away from home until Monday due to pressures of her thesis and grading of student papers. We’ll meet them in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park instead. The San Luis Valley is between the Sangre de Cristo (named by a priest severely wounded by the Indians or a severely wounded priest who saw a bright red sunset, take your choice) Mountains and the San Juan Mountains and is the result of many millennia of erosion of the mountains carried by rivers and streams as they flowed down the mountains. Beneath the surface is a giant aquifer that supplies the area with water. As we were driving to the Park, we noticed several dust devils and dust from a plowing and planting operation. This valley must be irrigated from the aquifer. We came across a road information kiosk that I will try to summarize. Just to the northeast of the intersection of US160 and CO150 (leads into the Park) is Mount Sierra Blanc with a top elevation of 14,345 feet. This mountain is one of four sacred Navajo mountains through which the life spirits enter and leave this world. The others are Mt Hesperius (CO), Mount Taylor (NM) and the San Francisco Peaks (AZ). Dinetah, the home of the Navajo, t is almost centered on the area that is now ‘The Four Corners’. It was home until the Utes chased them to the west. In 1598, the Spanish arrived with horses, and the Utes became excellent horsemen, making them even more dangerous. There were no permanent settlements in this area until after 1851, and the Utes managed to keep the area in turmoil until Geronimo finally surrendered in 1886. A few other key dates: 1000-1200AD the Athabaskan and a bit later the Shoshonean Indians moved from the north into this area; 1300AD the people from Chaco (remember them?) visited the San Luis Valley; 1400AD there were Ancestral Pueblo (remember them from Bandelier?) villages along the Rio Grande River. All this history is starting to pull together. As we approached the Park, we could see the sand dunes, and while they looked big from the distance, it wasn’t until we reached the edge of the Park that we realized the real magnitude. We were able to take some pictures as the sun went down, and they highlight the size of the waves of sand. We attempted to camp in the Park, but the campground was full so we moved to a near-by commercial facility. We were a bit surprised, but after all it is Saturday. The sun has gone down, and the horizon was full of dust as the winds blew from the southwest, blowing more particles on to the dunes and moving them against the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

May 10, 2009 Sunday:
I had hoped to take more pictures as the sun rose, but there were clouds and the light was just not strong enough to highlight the shapes of the dunes and the snow-capped mountains behind. Susie drew, and we eventually departed the RV Park and headed to the Visitor Center. We were told that the Park was full because many scout troops and school groups that usually came to the Park in April had been delayed by 2 feet of snow, plus this was Mother’s Day weekend. We selected a wonderful campsite. As Susie was preparing for lunch, she saw a big German Shepard walking around loose. Before she could catch him, he had disappeared. We started up the RV and drove around the campground, eventually finding him. After asking a few questions, people that that he came from a handicap-designated site a bit away. We walked down and after searching, found a chain leash wrapped around a bush with the collar attached. We secured the dog. The collar had a phone number. I called, hoping it was a cellphone left a message. We moved on to the parking area nearest the dunes and had lunch. Daisy was so excited because between the parking area and the dunes was water. Medano Creek runs down the east side of the dunes and carries sand and small stones from the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. It is snow fed and very cold. Daisy wanted to go swimming, but the creek was very broad and less 6 inches deep. Off we went and climbed up about 350 feet in elevation in 3/4-mile. Once we left the creek bed, the sand was as nice as we have experienced. Several times Daisy dug holes trying to bury a stick without any success. There were lots of ups and downs, some severe, but it was fun. Kids of all ages were sliding down the dunes and then scrambling up to do it again. Often they slide on pieces of cardboard brought with them. There were even some snowboards. The winds were blowing hard from the east, and there were signs of rain. NOAA weather had forecast rain in late afternoon and evening. We headed back, but Daisy had to have her last run in the water. When we returned to the campsite, she was dried off and Vaseline was put on her feet. They seem to be very sore, maybe dried out from the low humidity over the last weeks. She fell asleep immediately. She still doesn’t seem to be fully acclimated to the altitude. We stopped to check on the lost dog, and the people in the campsite had no idea that he had been lost. Oh, well. We took a rest, the winds died, and we thought we’d take a bike ride. However, as soon as I had the bikes ready to take from the rack, the winds restarted and the temperature dropped. Cancel that idea. We tucked in the RV and read for a while. Daisy still slept. We have a beautiful view of the dunes and the mountains behind. It would make a beautiful picture if the sun came out. The winds rocked the RV. Finally it looked like the clouds were clearing, but it fooled us. I guess that this area, trapped between 2 mountain ranges, can be fickle.
Susie went out to take a picture of the sunset, and it came out well. It appears that several of the tent campers around us have gone to town for dinner. As Ham Brown said to us, if you want to be a real tenter, you must expect some discomfort.

May 11, 2009 Monday:
This morning was beautiful. All the clouds had gone away, and the sun was peaking over the mountains. Daisy and I had such a good time that she told Susie that we should take a bicycle ride along the trail to the ‘Point of No Return’. This trail was actually a road suitable for 2-wheel drive vehicles, but when they reached the ‘Point of No Return’ the 2-wheel drives must turn around and the 4-wheel drives can continue with the recommendation that they have shovels and reduce the tire pressure to 15 psi. We though our new fat tired bikes would be great, and while they were better than our old hybrid tires, it was still difficult going uphill. When we got to the Point of No Return, we climbed a small hill and were able to see a great view of the Dunes and the snow-capped Sangre de Cristo Mountains beyond. There was also a very old and damaged Ponderosa Pine towering above the other trees. Ponderosas are one of our most favorite trees. The ride down was much easier, and we packed up to leave the park and take showers. We headed west and stopped at an information kiosk that detailed the travels of Lt Zebulan Pike who was exploring the area to determine the new boundary with New Spain. He discovered Pike’s Peak in December 1806 and the Great Sand Dunes in 1807. When we reached CO17 we turned north up the San Luis Valley before entering the Sawatch Mountains. At Maysville CO we turned west on US50 and started to climb, eventually crossing the Monarch Pass at 11,342 feet. This was also the Continental Divide. It was then downhill for many miles eventually arriving in the town of Gunnison where we had lunch and filled the gas tank. We also received a phone message from the lady who owned the German Shepard thanking us very much for our efforts. The ride along US50 was wonderful with terrific scenery including cattle pastures, overflowing streams, mountains and valleys. West of Gunnison US50 was on the north side the Blue Mesa Reservoir that is actually the route of the Gunnison River. US50 crossed to the south side of Blue Mesa Reservoir, and at that point we saw the Dillon Pinnacles. 30 to 35 million years ago significant volcanic activity occurred in the area forming West Elk Mountains to the north and the San Juan Mountains to the south. Later volcano activity in West Elk Mountains laid down a 600-foot deep layer of West Elk breccia on the older sedimentary rocks in the area. The West Elk activity was followed by eruptions of hot incandescent ash from the San Juan Mountains that formed ‘welded tuff’ and created a caprock protecting the breccia. Erosion eventually created the Dillon Pinnacles. There was a small sailboat in the Blue Mesa Reservoir, part of the Gunnison River.
We continued on to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP and checked into the Campground. While talking to a neighboring family who are home-schooling their children as they travel around the country, a sage grouse flow to the top of our RV then to the ground and walked away. Unfortunately we couldn’t act fast enough to get a picture. It wasn’t afraid of humans at all. AI took Daisy or her last walk of the day as the sun set. The sky was clear and the sky dark so many stars were visible. Only in the west do we get to see these wonderful sky views. Diana and Paul arrived at 11:45pm after an 8-hour drive from Sedalia CO. They spread a blue tarp on the ground, unrolled their sleeping bags and quickly went to sleep with Conrad, their German Shepherd, under the moon. We’ll see them in the morning.

May 12, 2009 Tuesday:
Conrad woke Diana at 6:00am as the sun rose, and they took a walk. When they returned I was up and ready to take Daisy for her walk, they return and the four of us took another walk. This was the first time they had seen each other, and there was lots of dog talk, probably waking some of the other campers. By they time we came back, they were pretty good friends, and everyone at our site was up. We talked, and Diana made breakfast. We prepared the bikes and started our biking tour of the Park. Susie and I did his in 2003, and it darn near killed me then because I was on a heavy beta-blocker regimen. I thought this year would be a snap. Wrong! We rode 7.5 miles from the Campground (elev 8,320 ft) to the Visitor Center and then to High Point (elev 8,289 ft) at the western end. It may appear to be a relatively flat route, but Diana’s GPS said there was a total 2,400 foot vertical rise by the time we returned to the Campground.




Susie and I walked quite a bit of the last section from the Visitor Center to the Campground, including a shortcut through the sage trees. The trip was wonderful. There were 10 viewpoints along the South Rime Trail, and we viewed all of them, just as overwhelming as they were in 2003. The viewpoints took us to the edge of the canyon, and we were able to see both ways. The view from Gunnison Point, just behind the Visitor Center, was one of the best, probably why the Visitor Center is located there. The trip took us approximately 5 hours and when we returned to the Campground, I took a nap. When I awoke from my nap, we talked as Susie prepared dinner. After dinner we walked the dogs and played cards. Closing quickly at the end, I managed to win. A bit after 9:00pm, Paul, Diana and Conrad headed to their sleeping bags, read a bit and fell asleep. So did we!

May 13, 2009 Wednesday:
A beautiful morning! Diana and Conrad took a run this morning towards the Visitor Center and return. It was about 2 miles, uphill and down. Ah, the energy of youth! We had decided last night that we travel the East Portal Road down to the Gunnison River at East Portal, a drop of 1,793 feet from the Campground. This time we used Paul’s Honda Pilot. We stopped at location of the Gunnison Diversion Tunnel that was opened in 1909. This tunnel is 5.8 miles long and drops just 8 feet. The tunnel still provides irrigation water to the Uncompahgre Valley, just south of US50. We were lucky enough to find a group of new National Park employees who were being given a familiarization tour. One year ago, a large rock fell from the cliffs above, missing the equipment and house of the person who maintains the diversion equipment. That’s Susie, Paul and Diana standing next to it.Returning from there, we returned to High Point hiking out to the end of Warner Point. We had a great view to the east of the entire canyon and to the west to the green fields irrigated by the diverted Gunnison River water. We returned to the campsite. While Susie, Paul and Diana took the dogs for a walk, I took a nap and was awakened by on old hippie motorcyclist on tri-wheeler touring through Campground with the golden oldie ‘Great Pretender’ playing full blast. The perfect end to a wonderful day. After dark we played cards again, and while I was leading Paul won on the last hand. Everyone went to bed!