Dennis Weaver Park

Since Rick and JoAnne had worked as Camp Hosts at Ridgway some years ago they were a wealth of information about the area and things to see and do.

You know how Dave and I love to have lunch by the water whenever we can, so we took their advice,  packed up our midday meal and headed for Dennis Weaver Park.  Yes, THAT Dennis Weaver - Gunsmoke Dennis Weaver, McCloud Dennis Weaver. The 60 acre park and wildlife preserve is situated along the Uncompahgre River corridor between the State Park and the town of Ridgway.       Evidently there was much more to this man than his tv and movie rolls.    He was a passionate environmentalist and this beautiful,  quiet park is dedicated to his memory.

It is a serene and contemplative place with a short walk along the river, a tree shaded picnic area, and a huge, magnificent cast bronze eagle soaring over an astronomically aligned medicine wheel.

an internet picture showing the
medicine wheel shortly after
completion.

All around the park, especially near the eagle, people have placed cairns.   As we walked quietly around looking at them we wondered what they meant to their creators.   Were they dedicated to someone lost, were they built to hold hopes, regrets, wishes, or were they simply markers....

We turned down a path, following the sound of the river.   It was the only sound in the park, other than a slight wind through the trees.

We found a table near the rushing water and enjoyed our lunch under the protection of the eagle flying above us.

After lunch we left our own cairns in a special spot beside the river.

As we walked back up the steps and out of the park we wondered if they would still be there, beside the river, when next we return.

Friends

RV friends, Rick and JoAnne (rjrvtravels.com) were at Ridgway State Park at the same time we were.  We took the opportunity to spend a bit of time with them, one of the many luxuries of this lifestyle.   Late one afternoon they came down to Beluga (they were camped at the Elk Ridge section of the park), yummy appetizer in hand, and we shared a very pleasant happy hour.

Thanks for the picture Rick

We made plans to get together on the following Thursday for lunch and an "activity".     An activity that both Rick and Dave had never tried but often thought about.    They figured if they made fools of themselves, neither one would tell!

 They took the jeep and went into Rigs Adventure Co. in Ridgway and rented two lime green paddle boards, life jackets and the required whistles.     Dave dropped Rick and the equipment on the beach at Ridgway Reservoir and drove back to Beluga to collect me and the dogs.    JoAnne met us at the water's edge.

While the dogs checked the stony beach out, JoAnne and I got our camera's ready to record the hopefully exciting and amusing learning curve.

Should have known......Even though they didn't "pop right up" as the girl at Rigs had suggested, they both got to their knees then to their feet with minimal effort and no hilarious slips to entertain us.

So, off they went out into the Reservoir and then down the creek and out of sight.

JoAnn waits with her camera

Joanne and I sat in the shade of the cars and kept Lewis amused by throwing his tennis ball into the water, over and over and over.

out he goes

in he comes

She and I had a nice time visiting and learning more about each other and our families.    Sasha snoozed on her water proof bed in the shade while we waited for the boys to paddle back in sight.

It looked like fun so we prevailed upon the guys to take us for a ride.    Wonderful husbands that they are, they agreed and we waded out and very gracefully plopped ourselves on the boards in front of them.    We rode around like that for a bit, then relieved the poor paddlers by suggesting lunch on the shore.

Another borrowed picture

After lunch and a bit more paddling, we returned the equipment, cleaned up a bit and had a delicious pizza dinner together outside at Panny's in Ridgway.

Thursday's outing was a delightfully unexpected and thoroughly pleasant way to spend an afternoon.    Thanks Rick and JoAnne!

Million Dollar Highway to Silverton

Once again we left Ridgway and drove south into the San Juan Mountains.   Our destination this time was the rustic town of Silverton.   It turned out that the journey was much more exciting than the destination, as is often the case.

 The gateway to the mountains this day was obscured a bit by a smokey haze driven towards us on north east winds.   Its hard to believe that the terrible Pacific Northwest fires could affect us in south west Colorado,  but the distant mountains were almost hidden by the fire's haze.

To get to Silverton we had to drive on the Million Dollar Highway, part of the scenic San Juan Skyway.   Yep, another story about me taking us to places that induce near panic.    Dave is a saint, that's what you're saying right now.  I know it.    He is - I won't argue.

The 12 miles between Ouray and Silverton are the hairy parts of this drive, especially doing it in this direction.    You go through a tunnel, under an avalanche shed, over a very high waterfall and then drive along the very edge of a cliff for miles.

I took this picture from the internet -
I could not hold the camera and cringe at the
same time

Did I say right along the very edge of a cliff for miles?   Did I say there was construction in one spot (one of the most dangerous spots) that necessitated us stopping - on the edge - for 10 or 15 minutes.    Did I mention that my side of the jeep was the side next to the vertiginous drop into the valley?

Once we started moving again I slowly regained my composure.   A mile or so after, however, Dave had to slam on his brakes to avoid hitting two female Bighorn Sheep that suddenly appeared,  slowly strolled across the road in front of us and then walked straight up the sheer side.

The picture isn't very good, forgive me.   I was flabbergasted by the fact that these two evidently just climbed up the ridiculously steep mountain side, the one that was right next to my side of the jeep, as if it was a walk in the park.   And by the thought of where our little jeep may have gone (no guard rail, no shoulder) if Dave (the saint) hadn't been on the ball and been able to stop in time.    Or the thought of what could have happened if a semi coming the other way hadn't been able to stop in time.....

So, moving along.    The excitement of the ascent to Red Mountain pass was somewhat mitigated by the stunning views of these colorful mountain peaks and by the fact that we now were on the inside lane.

The brilliant colors of Red Mountain l, 2 and 3 are the result of the reddish iron ore rocks that cover them.   They range in altitude from 12,225 to 12,896 feet above sea level.

Silverton was a bit of an anti-climax for us.   It is a small town that made us think of what an Alaskan town might look like.   The main street was paved, but most of the others were dirt.    We saw a few restaurants and shops and lots of ATV's and trailers pulling trailers of ATV and OHV's.    There were a few interesting buildings on the main drag and a couple houses had pretty flower gardens in front.

Knowing we had that exhilarating Million Dollar drive back home waiting for us, we really didn't spend much time in little Silverton.    On our way out of town I decided I'd keep an eye out for wildlife, as a way to distract myself....

Look what I saw!  Two female moose dripily grazing in a stream that cut through a beautiful green valley.

The girls were watched over by a big male.   He was under a nearby tree and I couldn't get a good picture of him.      We sat and enjoyed them and the view for quite awhile before continuing on home.

Cascade Falls in Ouray

We turned off Main Street in Ouray, past the old Ouray County Court House, onto 8th street and into the small dirt parking lot of Cascade Falls Park.   There were only a few cars so we hoped we wouldn't meet a passel of people at the falls.   The sign said the hike to the lower falls was an easy one, short (1/2 mile) but steep.    Right up my alley!

We climbed along a trail that was sometimes dirt, sometimes rock alongside the falling stream.   We really didn't encounter anyone until we arrived at the bottom of the falls.   There was a small family playing around in the water so we waited a few minutes until they decided to leave.   We had the place to ourselves after they scrambled down.

Since it was August, the falls were not running at full force but we were glad to see that it still had a fairly decent drop.    This is the last in a series of seven falls carrying snowmelt off the mountains and down one of two flumes through Ouray.

This trip had given us plenty of jaw dropping scenery and overly exciting experiences so I was really happy to be able to enjoy this quiet and peaceful side to nature.   Sometimes the beauty is hard to capture on "film".   Beauty often is the sounds, the smells, the textures beneath our feet and hands, things that you can't see.

We sat with our feet in the pool for awhile just listening to the falling water then climbed back down the way we came.

Dave went ahead of me (my choice) and at one spot I had to step down from a fairly tall rock.   There was a sturdy tree directly in front of me so I reached out and steadied myself by holding its trunk.  Immediately I realized that this tree was in the perfect spot for everyone climbing down from this particular rock.  The place my hand naturally rested on was rubbed smooth from countless hands
touching that exact spot for exactly the same reason.   The rest of the trunk was green with no other markings to make it stand out.    But this tiny spot was marvelous.....

Sometimes man's unthinking use of nature reveals unexpected beauty.  I wonder how many people noticed it.  

We came down off the trail and decided to take a different route home.   We crossed the creek and drove along a dirt road on the opposite side heading toward Ridgway.

We usually take rt. 550 which is a beautiful road but this little county road gave us some fun wildlife viewing.

Deer were eating apples in a house's side yard, oblivious to us watching.

Well, not all the animals we saw were wild.     There were these two fields of bovine that we'd not seen before....I've never seen a herd of Yaks before, have you?

There were about 50 Longhorns in this pasture.   I wonder if they ever stab each other while grazing....   Dave says they should wear safety glasses.

Ah, but it looks like those humongous horns are useful in itchy situations!