T'Dubing the Four Mile/Buena Vista Area

Friday, September 5

An overcast and rainy day, no riding and basically just staying inside the VRRV to stay warm.

I woke to 51° outside and 58° I side so need to fire up the catalytic propane heater to warm things upon awakening.

Watched less than three camping rigs drive by, heading further up the valley to the campsites that are closer to the overlook points with a view of the Collegiate Peaks.

Saturday, September 6

I woke to 40° outside and 43° inside, not too bad but yeah, ran the heater for a little bit 

It turned out to be a clear but very hazy day.  Still, I decided to ride out as planned to check out Cottonwood Pass, about 22 miles west of town.

Traffic wasn't too heavy which was good since my TW200 was going through high altitude hiccups since I hadn't put in the high altitude jet in the carburetor.

The summit parking area was full of tourists, but the spots I like to use for pics were just big enough for Yagi only:

The view from the pass summit parking looking back the way I came up.

Rode back the way I came, tanked up in Buena Vista and rode back to camp by way of County 315.  I wanted to check how many campers had come in for the weekend.  Surprised to see less than 25% of the sites were occupied.

Sunday, September 7

A nice sunny morning that changed to partly cloudy but warm in the afternoon.

I rode out after lunch after a morning of lounging at camp.

I rode the Lenhardy Cutoff aka County 376 all the way to the Turtle Rock campground area.  Lots of whoop-de-doos on this "road", definitely not RV-able!  Still, not too technical, the only parts that gave me trouble were the deep sand sections where the road used dry creek beds.

At the high point section of 376:

Ended up near one of the camping sites I'd used before.  All sites in the area are now "designated" by signage now, to prevent idiots from making their own sites.

I then rode through the Midland Tunnels to pose Yagi:

The thumb shaped rock at the north end of the Midland Tunnels, there's a small campground there.

I also checked out the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area north of Buena Vista and on the western side of the Arkansas river.  Not bad sites, lots of trees and all the sites were occupied...so apparently popular.

Rode back to camp using the US285 Highway.  Didn't bother auditing site usage along County 315 this time 

Rest of the afternoon was mostly cloudy but nice and warm overall.

A View of the Collegiate Peaks

Wednesday, September 3

Didn't do much of anything except listening to an audiobook and enjoying the nice temperatures when the sun shone.

It would feel a little cool when cloudy but not bad at all.  The fact that there was only a light breeze helped of course.

The campsite is home to at least 5, possibly more, chipmunks.  Cheeky little buggers, they run about everywhere including under the VRRV.  I've propped the hood open to discourage them from nesting in the engine area 

Thursday, September 4

Rode the TW200 onto US285 and headed West towards Buena Vista.

I wanted to get pics of two of the Collegiate Peaks:

Mt. Antero on the left,

Mt Princeton on the right 

Mt. Princeton 

Less than a mile further from the above pic, I went to the Collegiate Peaks Overlook.  You're supposed to have a Colorado State Parks Pass but the ranger let me have 5 minutes:

Pano of the Collegiate Peaks

Mt. Princeton again

 

Boondocking near Buena Vista, CO

 I left the I overcrowded cesspool that is the Metro Denver area around 10:00 a.m. today. 

Shortly after 1:00 p.m., I was in Buena Vista filling the propane tank on the RV.  I had first tried to fill up the propane tank in Pine, but apparently the heat of the tank prevented the propane dealer from putting more gas in due to pressure inside.

By 3:00 p.m. I had procured that desired campsite off of Forest Road 305 and had setup camp.

It took longer than usual to set up camp, I was also learning to use a couple of driveway alert sensors and how to position them effectively. I'll be testing them over the next few days to see if they are worth anything.

Martha will be joining me in about 9 to 10 days. By then, the Fall Colors should be starting to show, so far nothing was seen as I drove.

Camping at 8924ft altitude, mostly cloudy skies and a brief rain sprinkle.  When the sun is out, it's really nice.

Chores and Relaxation on the Rampart Range.

I like my current campsite, it being atop a hill and at the apex of a switchback, it provides nice sight lines for approaching traffic. 

Here's a view with a campsite with some background rain clouds just prior to Sunset yesterday, Wednesday: 

Sunset was meh.

One thing about not using a real camera with a adjustable shutter is the inability to capture sun rays.  My camera phone just makes it out to be a blob.

Thursday, August 21

Spent the morning working on fixing the case on the Predator 2000 generator.  It had gotten bent and bits had to be reinforced due to my using straps to secure it to the rear bumper when traveling. 

It proved to be a warm day, with a high of 83° f.  I just relaxed under the awning with associated shade screens since the breeze wasn't very strong.  I couldn't quite motivate myself to go riding in the heat.

My view of Pikes Peak this morning:

Tonight's sunset was "mo better":