Phannie

Phannie
Photo taken near Monument Valley, Utah

Friday, June 17, 2022

Colorado, At Last!

 At West View Resort, Cortez, Colorado...

Seeing Edgewood, New Mexico in our rearview mirror was a relief (see the previous post). I eased Phannie onto I-40 and set the cruise control on 62 mph, the old gal's sweet spot. The tranny doesn't shift into sixth gear until 57 mph, so that gets her a little cushion against downshifting while maximizing her fuel economy, if you could call it that.

I chose a somewhat longer route to Cortez to avoid the mountain driving that would have been required going through Santa Fe and Durango. We've done quite a bit of mountain driving over the years, but it's not a favorite of mine because the management of the steep grades is nerve-wracking and hardly easy on Phannie. That having been said, I continue to be amazed at the incredible stamina and dependability of this old motorhome; I can tell no difference between now and the day we bought her.

Our route took us to Gallup and then northbound on New Mexico 491 through Navajo Indian territory; the last few miles cut through the Ute reservation. It is a lonely, boring highway that is in rough shape in some spots. The scenery was that of a bleak wasteland--that is, except for passing by Shiprock, an interesting rock formation somewhat resembling a sailing schooner:


If one lets his imagination get out of hand, he can easily catch himself looking atop ridges across the badlands to see if an Indian war party has amassed on horseback to attack our wagon train. (That's not me losing it, you understand...just a hypothetical. I'm glad we cleared that up!)  It is pretty easy, though, to see why the Indians would be mad at us; just look at the wasteland we gave them after the Indian wars!

So why southwestern Colorado instead of the more cosmopolitan big-city areas on the eastern slope of the Rockies? Well, I think it's because this is the jumping-off point for some of the most beautiful mountain scenery that is fairly close to Texas and relatively free of urban influence. Besides, we've done the eastern slope many times, and we love the relatively undiscovered San Juan mountain area.

Making it through the New Mexican badlands without an Indian attack, we finally arrived in Cortez, Colorado, a good-sized town of around 20,000. The elevation has risen to around 6,500 feet here, so the temperature is 15-20 degrees cooler than the triple-digit furnace that was Texas. The elevation rises steeply to the northeast as the majestic peaks of the San Juans are in full glory:


We had a bit of a shock on our first morning after arriving:


Yes, I turned on the heat right away, still pinching myself after baking in triple digits for the past ten days!

Looking west from our area, we captured a wonderful sunset with some low hills visible about 12 miles away:


The West View Resort is easily the nicest facility anywhere around these parts. The park is quite full of RVs, which was a bit of a surprise, as we were expecting more people to stay home during these ridiculous fuel prices. A local couple owns the park, and they have spent much time and treasure making it beautiful:




Old friends Jackie and Steve will be joining us tomorrow, and we will be here a couple more weeks until traveling to Grand Junction for Phannie's "well-woman" check. From there, we will be moving to higher ground as the summer heats up. Our final destination, Gunnison, is at 8,000 feet, and we expect the same wonderfully cool summer we've enjoyed there before.

Our recovery from Covid?  Going great--just an occasional cough now; we're 99 percent back to normal.

Stay tuned. The next post will contain a Starlink update.

Thank you, Lord, for this wonderful life; 

please forgive me if I fail to appreciate it each day as I should.

We don't stop playing because we get old; we get old because we stop playing. 
 ---George Bernard Shaw

"I get up every morning, and I just don't let the old man in." ---Clint Eastwood





12 comments:

  1. Every time we see certain upcoming Mesas (Mesi?) we contemplate a possible Indian attack... you questioning your sanity gave me a chuckle... we got to be crazy !

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    1. Having just had Covid and with the craziness going on these days, it's no wonder I think I'm nuts!

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  2. Having trouble again in responding. Used to be able to respond through our Google account, that doesn’t work anymore. They just keep changing so much stuff! Anyway enjoyed your post. We have been to Cortez as well. Where do you stay in Gunnison. We love staying in Montrose! Grand junction is north of Ginnison. Are you going up there and then back to Gunnison? Safe and fun travels!

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    1. I know about the responding problem on Blogger. I had the same issue but, somehow, it cleared itself up. Yes, we are going to Grand Junction for annual maintenance on the bus, then to Gunnison, where we're staying at Palisades. We like Montrose as well, but Gunnison's high elevation makes it more pleasant in the summertime.

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  3. That photo of Shiprock is gorgeous, Mike! While we generally favor public campgrounds over private ones, I have to admit that the patio at West View is very enticing. By any chance, do you recall where you bought your weather station? I like the look of that one and the info it provides. Alan has been interested in one for a while, and I'm thinking that it might be a good, although belated, Father's Day gift. Speaking of which, I hope you enjoy a delightful Father's Day!

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    1. While we love parks in the types of locations served by government-sponsored parks, but they rarely comport with our spoiled-rotten glamping obsession. We like civilization nearby, full hookups, a good sky view for Starlink, unlimited stay, and God forbid if we should encounter an insect! Like I said...spoiled rotten.

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  4. I found your weather station - thank you for the idea!

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  5. We would much rather wake up to weather in the 40's than endure triple digits anytime. We have yet to spend any real time in Colorado even though it is only a few hours away!

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    1. Oh my! Beautiful and cool surroundings await you in the mountains. Try not to think about the fuel cost!

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  6. Looking forward to Starlink update, especially since Hondo is not scheduled to get service until 2023 per their map.

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    1. Well, what do you know? I suppose they need to update their map!

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