~Thursday, May 5, 2022~
Day 690 (Travel Day)
Sad to be leaving behind such a beautiful area. Those San Juan Mountains captured our souls for sure.
Today we’re headed for Carbondale, CO, not so much as a destination, but a stopover for a reasonable mileage day. It might just be the perfect place to get Hank and Billie Jean washed as well. We shall see what’s available.
It was nice on I-70 to enjoy occasional glimpses of the Colorado River. As we were getting closer to Carbondale, we couldn’t help but gawk at the area’s prominent feature….Mount Sopris. At 12,965 feet, this mountain is not part of any mountain range, but is one of the largest peaks in Colorado.
Nice to see it still in its winter glory. We also took notice of a beauty of a town…..Glenwood Springs. We’d never heard of it before, but immediately inquired about its real estate and retirement desirability. Well, it ranks high with retirees, but too expensive for us I’m afraid; the median price is $750,000, at least for now. Darn!
We arrived at our campsite of Gateway RV Park where, for the first time since Tucson, we’ll have full hookups. This always takes some getting used to in trying to switch from propane use to electric for things like the water heater and the water pump. However, I don’t think I’ll need reminding that a little longer shower will be permitted. As our camp host Bill greeted us, I mentioned how I didn’t think the sight would be long enough to fit our trailer. Our reservation said 34-foot site. Our rig is 29 feet. He assured us it would fit and that the spot next to the trailer is for the tow vehicle. In the end, we fit, though barely. Even though our timing was good for the resort’s May 1 season opening, Bill mentioned that it would be a full-house this weekend. Evidently there is a LaCrosse tournament this weekend, with every other site full so I guess we were even lucky to get our last minute reservation (the other lodging we had booked, sold to new ownership, so we had to scramble).
Once we got settled in, Bill came back to inform us of the internet not working until Friday afternoon since they are revamping the system. He also pointed out a few activities nearby. The Roaring Fork River runs parallel with the resort and has a few access points for rafting/kayaking and swimming (perfect for our Sadie girl). And there is a bike path called the Rio Grande Trail that runs along the Roaring Fork River. This 42-mile route was completed in 2008 and links Glenwood Springs with Aspen. There’s also the highly rated Mushroom Rock hike with the trailhead only minutes from our campsite. Gee, we hope we can fit everything in, in our 3 days.