I love to travel. COVID sidelined this blog, but we still were able to travel a bit earlier in the summer to Tennessee and a camping trip to the lake a time or two. For the most part, I thought our summer travel was done with those. However, one afternoon in the pool Dad mentioned Fun Valley in Colorado had some cabins available. So we planned a last-minute mountain trip!
Brandon and Jennifer could not go because she is back to work, even though Corsicana ISD isn't planning to start until September 8. Stephanie starts back on the 10th, so it was an available option for us.
August 2 (Sunday)
We woke up before the alarm and got the last few things into our Subaru Forester (which we have named Tennessee Traveller). We were on the road by 6 am.
By late morning we were in Childress, and I wanted to find the final resting place of my great-great grandparents. Stephanie found their gravesite in the Childress City Cemetery.
Tennessee Traveller at a West Texas rest stop
I'll do that!
John Alexander Ford was born in 1856 in Alabama. His father was a Civil War soldier. There is a blog on the family on here several years back.
The trip across New Mexico to Santa Fe was uneventful. It is a barren land, but starkly beautiful. New Mexico is locked down due to COVID, so it was straight to the hotel with supper takeout from Taco Bell. Stephanie commented that we went all the way to an area with great Mexican food, and due to COVID we have Taco Bell.
August 3 (Monday)
I love Santa Fe! Hopefully, we can go back when the world returns to normal.
Driving North we passed through some of the prettiest country. Stephanie was upset that we could not stop at the Georgia O'Keefe home and museum (due to closure from COVID) but did see where she painted her Red Rocks painting.
Storms over the mountains
We stopped for a roadside picnic just over the Colorado state line, just short of Pagosa Springs. Then on to Fun Valley Resort in South Fork.
The cabin was old, built in 1959, and was in desperate need of renovation. Dad was most disappointed, however, that there was no television. There was also no cell service and limited wifi. Stephanie and I felt it was nice to unplug.
August 4 (Tuesday)
We got up early and drove over an hour to the Great Sand Dunes National Park. It was an interesting, and very fun, outing.
August 5 (Wednesday)
We had planned today to be a simple, quiet, uneventful day, but instead, we rode with Mom and Dad to Creede. It was only 45 minutes or so from South Fork. It is a cute, historic town. We started to drive the Bachelor Loop to see the old mines, but there were warnings against 2-wheel drive cars. Dad's pilot started to slide so we did not drive the road. We did tour the underground mining museum. It was a very good museum.
Downtown Creede
Feeding the critters outside the museum
August 6 (Thursday)
Since yesterday we have been thinking about that road in Creede, so today we took the Subaru, which is all-wheel drive, to drive the Bachelor Loop. About halfway through we hiked the Hobbit Trail to the top of Campbell Mountain. It was a tough hike, but probably the most unusual trail I have ever hiked.
Mom and Dad went to Lake City. It was a nice town, but at a high elevation. We just happened to meet them in Creede as they passed through.
August 7 (Friday)
Last Day. I visited with several fly shops yesterday, and the consensus is that fishing is slow due to warm water. Fish can be caught, but it takes work. I bought a license, and Stephanie and I went to the Rio Grande. I fished while Stephanie read. I caught a small Brown Trout. It was nice and quiet. A nice way to end the trip.
Sadie went fishing in the ponds at Fun Valley while we were at the river. She caught a small Rainbow but lost it from the stringer. She was disappointed that she did not get to show us. We went fishing later in the day and ended the day with s'mores around the campfire.
August 8 (Saturday)
It was a long journey home today; Thirteen hours. As the temperature rose we wished we could go back to Colorado. We are already planning to take the RV there next summer. I know for a fact that I plan to do a lot more fishing.
