Somewhere in the San Juan National Forest
Today is Tuesday the 10th of April 2018.
We have found a beautiful wilderness camping area in the San Juan National Forest near Mancos, Colorado where we actually have good cell phone service.
We arrived here Sunday afternoon after journeying from the Santa Fe National Forest where we camped for several nights. After seeing the welcome to colorful Colorado sign I could think of nothing but Orvis Hot Springs.
This is one of my favorite places in the world. So rather than hang around on the Front Range or in the middle range I headed directly over to Orvis and arrived about four o'clock in the afternoon on Friday. They have a camping area so I arranged to spend the night set up my tent took Duchess for a walk and went in to soak in the most wonderful lithium filled Waters I've ever experienced.
Later while cooking dinner in their microwave in the kitchen a husband and wife came in and the woman said "You look just like Jeff Bridges."
That was a new one to me. As usual at the hot springs we sat in talked and exchanged histories.
The next morning before the sun came up I took Duchess for a walk and went in and sat in the hot pool all alone one of my favorite experiences and watched the sunrise.
After a nice hot shower I filled my coffee cup with their delicious Isis blend and headed out for Dominguez Escalante National Wilderness Area.
I really didn't find a decent place to camp there and probably wasted two hours wandering.
At that point I should have headed Southwest to where I am now but instead I went back towards Blue Mesa Reservoir taking a route I have never taken before over and around by the north rim of the Gunnison Canyon. It was an absolutely beautiful drive that was so tedious because of tight tight curves drop offs steep steep inclines which led to steep steep declines.
It was beginning to rain when we got to Blue Mesa Reservoir and pulled into a
Curacanti National Recreation Area Campground that had no fee box so we spent the night there for free in the pouring rain. I only set up the small tent and got the rain fly on before the rain started much but then a drip occurred. So I had to go out and find a tarp in the back of the truck quickly and drape it and tie it and got the inside of the tent mostly dry. Luckily it was not very cold that night.
The next morning instead of folding wet blankets and sleeping bags properly I just showed everything into the back of the truck at the very end soaking wet and headed this direction.
I had taken the road from Ridgway to Telluride several times before but never gone past that cut off.
This also was an amazingly beautiful winding Mountain Road
that brought me all the way into Dolores, Colorado. I saw numerous National Forest access roads but all of them were at extremely high elevations over 9000 feet. I was hoping to find something a little lower to be a little warmer. I came across to Mancos and saw the sign that said Mancos State Park and National Forest access and realize it Mancos is only about 7200 feet so hopefully I could find something close to that.
About ten miles in we passed a sign that said entering the San Juan National Forest and started looking around for little roads that went off to the left or right. I passed the one that led to the campsite where we are now and went a little further looking around and didn't find something I was looking for so came back to this first one and it's close to perfection. There's a stream across the road were there are a couple of other excellent campsites but it's very muddy over there.
We have about 11 gallons of water left and enough canned food for at least a month and a little bit of fresh fruit and vegetables so we're pretty well set.
It's been getting below freezing at night but with sleeping bags and thermal blankets and duchesses many many blankets that I'm having trouble keeping her under we're staying warm.
We're thankful to have a propane tank and a little buddy camp heater
that I fired up this morning for the first time at seven o'clock while waiting for the sun to hit the tent.
Each day we're taking little hikes not too far because we're both old and decrepit and spending time sitting by the fire
or in the sun.
Being homeless this way seems to me a lot better than being homeless in a city living under a bridge.
I'm on social security so after paying my credit card debt I have a few hundred dollars left each month to put towards gas if we decide to move around or an occasional Hot Springs Excursion or maybe a cheap motel for a night in a bed and a hot tub to soak in.
And if you can help in any way please go to our go fund me page.
https://www.gofundme.com/an-old-dog-an-old-man-in-an-old-tru?pc=expt_em_co_shareflow_m_89_2&rcid=r01-152234437093-30a939fb467b49af
We have found a beautiful wilderness camping area in the San Juan National Forest near Mancos, Colorado where we actually have good cell phone service.
Later while cooking dinner in their microwave in the kitchen a husband and wife came in and the woman said "You look just like Jeff Bridges."
That was a new one to me. As usual at the hot springs we sat in talked and exchanged histories.
The next morning before the sun came up I took Duchess for a walk and went in and sat in the hot pool all alone one of my favorite experiences and watched the sunrise.
After a nice hot shower I filled my coffee cup with their delicious Isis blend and headed out for Dominguez Escalante National Wilderness Area.
I really didn't find a decent place to camp there and probably wasted two hours wandering.
At that point I should have headed Southwest to where I am now but instead I went back towards Blue Mesa Reservoir taking a route I have never taken before over and around by the north rim of the Gunnison Canyon. It was an absolutely beautiful drive that was so tedious because of tight tight curves drop offs steep steep inclines which led to steep steep declines.
It was beginning to rain when we got to Blue Mesa Reservoir and pulled into a
Curacanti National Recreation Area Campground that had no fee box so we spent the night there for free in the pouring rain. I only set up the small tent and got the rain fly on before the rain started much but then a drip occurred. So I had to go out and find a tarp in the back of the truck quickly and drape it and tie it and got the inside of the tent mostly dry. Luckily it was not very cold that night.
The next morning instead of folding wet blankets and sleeping bags properly I just showed everything into the back of the truck at the very end soaking wet and headed this direction.
I had taken the road from Ridgway to Telluride several times before but never gone past that cut off.
This also was an amazingly beautiful winding Mountain Road
that brought me all the way into Dolores, Colorado. I saw numerous National Forest access roads but all of them were at extremely high elevations over 9000 feet. I was hoping to find something a little lower to be a little warmer. I came across to Mancos and saw the sign that said Mancos State Park and National Forest access and realize it Mancos is only about 7200 feet so hopefully I could find something close to that.
About ten miles in we passed a sign that said entering the San Juan National Forest and started looking around for little roads that went off to the left or right. I passed the one that led to the campsite where we are now and went a little further looking around and didn't find something I was looking for so came back to this first one and it's close to perfection. There's a stream across the road were there are a couple of other excellent campsites but it's very muddy over there.
We have about 11 gallons of water left and enough canned food for at least a month and a little bit of fresh fruit and vegetables so we're pretty well set.
It's been getting below freezing at night but with sleeping bags and thermal blankets and duchesses many many blankets that I'm having trouble keeping her under we're staying warm.
We're thankful to have a propane tank and a little buddy camp heater
Each day we're taking little hikes not too far because we're both old and decrepit and spending time sitting by the fire
or in the sun.
Being homeless this way seems to me a lot better than being homeless in a city living under a bridge.
I'm on social security so after paying my credit card debt I have a few hundred dollars left each month to put towards gas if we decide to move around or an occasional Hot Springs Excursion or maybe a cheap motel for a night in a bed and a hot tub to soak in.
And if you can help in any way please go to our go fund me page.
https://www.gofundme.com/an-old-dog-an-old-man-in-an-old-tru?pc=expt_em_co_shareflow_m_89_2&rcid=r01-152234437093-30a939fb467b49af
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