Gatherings of Friends in Colorado

At Goldfield RV Park, Colorado Springs, Colorado...

After an uneventful 300-plus miles from Santa Fe, we settled in at Goldfield RV Park here in Colorado Springs. We don't normally stay at parks of this stripe, but suffice it to say that beggars can't be choosers. We made these reservations a few months ago after failing to find any other long-term accommodations here in the Springs. Apparently, if you don't make reservations here at least six months or more in advance, the more desirable parks will simply be unavailable. 

Goldfield RV Park in Colorado Springs

Goldfield has only one positive that comes to mind, that being close to Old Colorado City with all the attractions a short drive away. The main problem is that RVs are parked incredibly close together--so close that I think we could hear someone sneeze in the coach next door!

There is a woeful shortage of RV parks in the Denver-Colorado Springs-Estes Park areas, and the owners of the ones that are here know it: A space at mega-crowded Goldfield runs over a grand a month; Dakota Ridge in Denver is around $1800, and some campgrounds in Estes Park soar to over $2000 per month! Now I realize that the summer season is short and that this brevity has a significant effect on pricing, but this seems pretty breathtaking for a place to park! On the other hand, the law of supply and demand hasn't been repealed; they can charge a big price because they can get it.

Okay, enough ranting; let's move on to the fun part. While summer here on the front range is a little warmer than I had hoped, being with old friends and making new ones is a warmth to which we have looked forward. The day after we arrived, we joined a familiar group of RVer friends at Ed and Marilyn's Mountaindale campsite for snacks and laughter as nonstop harassment ensued among the guys; there was no place to hide. One cannot survive in this group with a thin skin, that's for sure. 

On our first Saturday here, we strolled around the farmer's market in Old Colorado City. This market, occurring every Saturday in the summer, was a much larger group of vendors than we had anticipated, and there was a crowd of onlookers moving slowly among the tents. We bought some fresh fruit and vegetables, along with some homemade sausage and pickles that we have really been enjoying. 

Fresh Colorado Peaches.  Yum!

Wares from the La Baguette French Bakery. So good, it's truly sinful.

 Soon thereafter, we met some new friends right in our RV park, by virtue of their stopping and chatting with us upon noticing Phannie's Texas license tags. We learned that Joy and Glenn are from a small town not far from my ancestral homeland of Nacogdoches in east Texas; they are headed to Estes Park for the rest of the summer.

Joy and Glenn and their beautiful Phaeton 

We hit it off so well that we went out with them several times to nearby restaurants. We happily add these fine folks to our constellation of friends whose paths we love crossing from time to time. 

We also visited with friends Vicki and Phyllis, who introduced us to a really good Chinese restaurant that served good-sized portions at a bargain price. It was exactly the kind of mom-and-pop joint that we love to discover:

These two delightful sisters are longtime residents of Colorado Springs--friends whom Sandy has known since high school. It was good to connect with them again.

At another lunch gathering, we met at Nairi Siam, a great Thai restaurant with some of our Mountaindale friends to enjoy fellowship with Trent and Teresa, who were visiting from Canada. By the way, this restaurant appears in my "Favorite Restaurants" page in this blog. (Few are able to achieve that honor.)

Marilyn, Teresa, Janet, Jackie, Denny, Bob, Ed and Trent

I found time one afternoon to replace one of Phannie's windshield wiper assemblies that was giving trouble. After having the driver's wiper deconstruct itself during a rainstorm on the way up here, I called the Tiffin factory in Red Bay, and their parts people sent out a new assembly to me right away. One of the nice things about Tiffin is that I can still order the exact part I need for Phannie, even though she is 12 years old now. 

On a recent Saturday, Bob and Janet invited us out to Mountaindale RV Resort for a wonderful taco salad lunch at their campsite. Most of our merry group were there, and we had a fine time sitting around and swapping stories. The 78-degree mountain breeze made for a delightful time there among the pine trees:

I suppose one could get the impression that all we do is eat and visit and, well, that's not far off the mark, I guess. However, we do make frequent excursions on our own or in small groups to see the beautiful scenery or visit the local attractions that appeal to our varied interests. Colorado Springs seems to have evolved into a summer gathering place for this group, and there are certainly worse places to enjoy our summer-long escape from the hot Texas weather. 

During the next couple of weeks here in the Springs, we'll be joined by several other RVing friends from Texas, and we'll be able to show them around to all the local discoveries we've made and introduce them to the Mountaindale group of friends; a good time will be had by all, for sure. After that, we will be heading to beautiful Estes Park, Colorado, where we hope to see Joy and Glenn again. 

Thank you, Lord, for this wonderful life; 

please forgive me if I don't appreciate it as I should each day.

You don't stop playing when you get old; you get old when you stop playing.