Chicago Trip (2) 2010

9-16-10
Today we put our home on wheels at the Elk Creek Campground in the Curecanti National Recreation Area.
Many of the people in the campground have boats and use them on the lake.
By 11:00 AM we were on our way to Crested Butte, another beautiful ski resort.
We had lunch at a Mexican restaurant. All the help, including the cooks, were non Mexicans. Coming from California, this is something unusual to see. In Carlsbad, even in the German restaurant the cooks are Mexicans.
The aspens are showing fall colors. It was a glorious day with the mountains on both sides of the valley, and the colorful trees, the blue and yellow flowers along the road and in the meadows.
The high for the day was 79 degrees F.
On the way back we stopped for a short time in Gunnison.
Doreen took care of her shopping fix today.



















9-17-10
We moved this morning to Clear Creek Reservoir, near Buena Vista, Colorado.
I had stayed here several years ago.The road from the highway to the camping area is now terrible. The motorhome was shaking going over the washboard.
It is very beautiful here though.
The afternoon we spent in Breckenridge, another top ski resort area.It is one of the prettiest in Colorado.
We liked the River Walk very much.




















9-18-10
This morning, when I woke up, it was 37 degrees F in the motorhome. The reservoir is located at an altitude of 7,500 feet.I am glad I bought the large catalytic heater, instead the Wave 6.
I had the motorhome cozy in no time.
We had in mind to drive to Canon City and then visit the Royal Gorge Bridge, but when we came by the park, at about 10:00 AM, we went in with the motorhome. They have a large parking area for RVs.
We spent several hours there. First we went on the Aerial Tram over the canyon, then we went down to the canyon with the Incline Railway.
To see all the other attractions we jumped on the trolly.
When we were done we did not stay in canon City, we went on to the Elks Lodge in Colorado Springs.
I have two problems with my new laptop computer.I can not copy from Microsoft Word and paste it in my blog. With XP it was easy.
Another big problem is, when I am writing the cursor jumps away from the line, and I do not catch it right away. I have to erase and start over again.















9-19-10
In the morning we went to the Garden of the Gods. It is a very beautiful park. There was harp music among those red stone formations. A lady comes every Sunday and plays this instrument.

















In the afternoon we visited the Chapel at the Air Force Academy. It got very hot. Colorado Springs registered the hottest September 19. The temperature rose to 97 degrees F.
We were lucky and arrived at the Chapel between services.















9-20-10
To beat the heat we left early for the Seven Falls. The canyon and the water falls are worth the small price for admission.
We took the elevator to go up to the outlook, from where one can see all seven falls.























On the way home we went to Old Colorado Springs. There are a lot of stores and restaurants.

9-21-10
We left Colorado Springs at 8:45 AM and arrived at the Moose Lodge in Longmont at 10:30 AM.
After lunch we drove to Estes Park, the tourist town at the gate of the Rocky Mountain National Park.
Unfortunately the Aerial Tram was closed for the season, so we went to the Stanley Hotel, where the movie, The Shining, was filmed.
The hotel was built by the inventor of the Stanley Steamer automobil.
















9-22-10
When we left Longmont for the Rocky Mountain National Park the sun was shining. As soon as we got at higher altitudes, in the park, the weather changed. First we had fog and then it started to rain.
At the Alpine Visitor Center road construction was going on.
We had to wait in line to go in the parking lot. Instead of stopping we turned around and headed back.
At the Moraine Park Visitor Center we parked next to the river and ate our lunch.
I took some pictures but they are dark. The picture with the blue sky is from the 2005 visit to the park.
It continued to rain all day.














In the evening we were invited for dinner by Robyn and Martin. Martin is the son of good friends of mine. This visit made up for the bad weather we had at the National Park.
I always enjoy visiting them. Doreen had fun with the dogs.














9-23-10
In the morning Martin came to the motorhome and brought Doreen's jacket. She had left it at his house. He stayed a while and we had a wonderful conversation.
Later, Doreen and I drove to Boulder and took the plant tour at the Celestial Seasoning company.
No pictures were allowed inside.











Our next stop was The Leanin' Tree Museum and Western Sculpture Park.
They have beautiful paintings of the West, but again no pictures can be taken.
On the way home we stopped for a short while at Pearl Street.
Pearl Street is blocked off for automobile traffic. There are fancy restaurants and stores.