Day Three:

I wake up early in my Rio Grande hideaway. My wanderlust pushes me to get going, so I forgo breakfast in anticipation of a smothered breakfast burrito in Taos. I continue on the narrow riverfront road rather than retrace my tracks back to the main highway so that I can inspect the other small campgrounds. Each is different. Suddenly, I cannot go any further on this road, which is closed from a massive rock slide, and I turn around, back to Pilar and the main highway. From there, the drive inito Taos is brief. As I see the basin, winding Rio Grande gorge, and mountains, that harmony from being back “home” in the Rockies takes over once again. I ignore the blanket of gray clouds forming up ahead.

Brunch in Taos surpasses my expectations and I take a slow wander through and out of town. I pass the Earthship Community and drive slowly so I can check out the houses. However, it is now time to connect with US 285, which will take me to visit friends who live at the base of the 14,000 foot Collegiate Peaks. Can’t wait to see them, and I am jumping for joy as I cross the NM/CO border. Yippieeeee. In plenty of time for dinner! It dawns on me to check in with them so they know I am on track and to hear about the weather. Oops. Turns out the weather will degrade every day this week. The forecast at that elevation includes snow and nighttime temps in the teens. I have been told to never camp below 29-30 degrees because the RV pipes are somewhat exposed and could freeze. It seems clear that my visit will be delayed until I return south again.

I check out weather maps and realize that I don’t have many choices if I want to get out of the storm’s path. Friends in NM report high winds there, so no sense in going back. North will be socked in. No way I would go east and travel up the Front Range. That leaves one option: head west over the Continental Divide and get into Utah, which has a better forecast; still cold but over freezing at night.  I reroute myself to Moab, UT, another happy place for me. Rather than travel over Wolf Creek Pass, I backtrack a few miles to CO 17, which takes me over the San Juan Mountains. This road is new to me, and I discover it follows the same route up and over the mountains as the Cumbres-Toltec Scenic Railroad, which runs from Antonito towards Chama.This is a classic CO high country road, with snow at the 11,000 foot summit. On both slopes I see fir trees and clusters of still dormant Aspen trees. I notice how comfortable I am driving mountain passes. This was not the case as a young woman when even a relatively mild pass made me nervous.

Tango and I stop for hot organic coffee from the Chama market and picnic in a park. The day is bleak, but the sun blesses me throughout the day with a few warm rays. No more high passes today, just a beautiful trip through Pagosa Springs to Durango and Camp La Wal-Mart. I felt unnerved when I pulled into the Wal-Mart and saw signs with these words: No Overnight RVs. Hmmmmm. I counted 4 smaller RVs already parked along the perimeter. I looked for comments online and learned that the city has an ordinance about RVs that Wal-Mart does not enforce. Just to be sure, I checked inside and the manager played dumb but still conveyed to me I would not be bothered.

Day 4

Indeed, I had a restful sleep but moved on early. I had another pass to cross so, zoom, off we go, up up, up on the last mountain pass for now. Near the top, we encountered snow on the ground already and ongoing snow showers. Down down down. Finally out of the mountains and away from the heart of the storms. I connect with Hwy 191 just before crossing into Utah, which will take me into Moab from the south. I arrived from the north during previous trips and was eager to see this new terrain. Gorgeous. Lots of the red rock formations and snow-capped peaks.

I was hoping that the weather would keep people out of Moab; however, it was a big weekend, with a classic car show. The place was crawling with people. Every time I visit, Moab gets more crowded. Another problem: the ranger at the entrance gate to Arches National Park told me that the one campground there is closed all season due to road construction. The RV parks I saw back in town were cramped and probably pricey, so I drove on, feeling confident I would find a resting spot.

Only a few miles later I saw a sign to Canyonlands National Park and made a quick left. The road wound up to a mesa overlooking the entire region – a breathtaking view of red cliffs and canyons. Between there and Canyonlands (20 miles further) BLM allows dry camping on the side roads. What a find! I drove about 5 miles per hour on a washboard side road and, eventually, Tango and I found a place that was not too soft and had enough room to turn around in the morning. I passed up other dispersed spots because the road looked too sandy and lacked any way to turn around while towing! 

After settling in, we walk. Many BLM lands are also leased to ranchers, including these. Tango loves all the cow poop on the range. I steer us to a small dirt road for the rest of our walk. Somewhere, Tango injures his paw, and when we return to the camper he could not walk. That night I carried him to a potty spot several times and checked his paw, but I could not see a wound.

I slept soundly again and I awoke early to a beautiful red rock country sunrise. Back to sleep after that. No reason to hurry on.

Day 5

When I awoke, the area around me had turned into a staging ground for ATVers! They were all over – trucks, flat trailers, ATVs and dirt bikes. People were unloading, fastening helmets and zooming off around the gorgeous mesa. I discovered this backcountry is prime off-road territory and that the weekend riders were ready. As I wound back down the Mesa, a steady line of trucks, RVs, and ATV trailers headed up. I am happy ATVers have specific places to go, but I was eager to get away from the dust and mayhem.

Where will I go next? I am winging it here, following an unplanned route. 

I was ready for a real shower, and I wanted to wash dishes and drain holding tanks. I also needed two RV repairs: for days I had dragged the cord that connects the camper to my van (and provides running lights on the camper) and it was non-functional. Also, the plug on the end of my shore power line, which I plug into an electric box, was damaged. I had been able to plug into regular receptacles but not into the generator that my friend Ron loaned me for the summer. Since I hope to use the generator to run my computer and sewing machine, I decided that the electrical cord repairs were a high priority or I would be miserable in my off time up in Montana.

Green River, UT seems big enough to get repairs done, and I find a small, quiet RV park with full hookups. I see a sign on the door: Repairs Needed? Check at Front Desk. Okay! So one of the managers is a certified mechanic and knows all about the electrical cords. While I do absolutely nothing, he runs off to get high-quality parts and fixes everything. Parts and labor: $100. End result: happy sewist/writer.

The weather is cold but with hookups, I have my heater running, and at night the pile of sleeping bags and blankets keeps Tango warm and sometimes even me if I can push him to the side for a few hours.

Today, Day 6

I am in super lazy mode and the wind is howling this morning. I decide to stay one more night/day. I hear from friends and read on Facebook about all the snow in the places where I was headed. Even Northern NM had snow. My meandering route to the west was a good choice.

Where to go next? I have extra time because I did not stay with my CO friends – a whole week! To stay roughly on course, I will head again soon into mountains and unknown weather. Hmmmm. Just not sure yet.  No matter, yawn. Tomorrow will reveal itself tomorrow.