Where Have We Been?
Colorado Summer 2023 Trip Logs
Arrival in the Southwest kicked off a new chapter in our travels as we figure out what to do about a base camp. One town we thought might suit didn't grab our imaginations, but one town, and one little cottage in particular, actually did pique our interest.
Our new base camp is centrally located to explore the Rockies, so that's where we headed this summer.
CONTENTS
North to Colorado, April 2023
Just a couple of quick stops on our way up and over Raton Pass to Colorado. One fun little diversion out in the middle of nowhere provided a nice dinner and beer break, and eavesdropping on the cowboys at our breakfast diner in Raton brought the bleak Colorado water situation up close and personal.
Central Colorado, April 2023
Uphill into the front range foothills, we climbed a bumpy, steep grade to snag a campsite with a panoramic 360° view. Exploratory forays into Canon City without the trailer bumping along behind opened up the prospects of a home base here in the hills.
Canon City, Colorado, April 2023
Is this town a place we could call home (-base)? Punctuated with more hikes and museums, our continued exploration of this cute little foothills town produced an offer on a little cottage. Then it was the deep dive into the real estate process: offer, contingency, inspection, final offer, and wait and wait until the owners agreed to a price.
Pueblo, Colorado, April 2023
We made an offer on a tiny cottage in Canon City. Instead of sticking around champing at the bit for the real estate wheels to turn, we headed downhill 45 minutes to Pueblo, where we entertained ourselves with a museum, a river walk and of course some hikes.
Base Camp, Colorado, April/May 2023
Countdown to closing on the little Canon City cottage that will become our base camp. From Lake Pueblo, we dragged our feet as much as possible so we’d arrive back in Canon City the day before closing -- two Harvest Host stops in-between filled the gap marvelously! Then we took possession of our quirky little cottage and started planning projects … and our summer trips.
Up the Arkansas River to Leadville, June 2023
From our little cottage on the river in Canon City, we followed the Arkansas River upstream to its origin in the snowpack of the Sawatch and Mosquito mountain ranges near Leadville at nearly 11,000 feet.
Saguache and Buffalo Camp, June 2023
From Buffalo Pass Campground just west of the little burg of Saguache, the plan was to meander in a loop through North Pass toward Sargents, then head back east on Hwy 50 and over Monarch Pass at the Continental Divide. However, because of a slight oversight, we cut this trip short and never completed that loop.
Monarch Pass to Black Canyon, August 2023
We continued the route along Hwy-50 that we missed last month, and pushed farther west through the Sawatch Mountains, up and over 11,312-foot Monarch Pass on the Continental Divide, then down into a high valley where we followed all the little tributaries running with their snowmelt into the Gunnison River through Black Canyon.
Poncha Loop and Salida, August 2023
With an invitation from a Salida friend to mooch-dock at her place and explore the town, we leapt at the opportunity. Temps in Canon City had been in the 90s, so we gladly hitched up the trailer, threw the cats in the truck and headed for the cooler hills.