US 50/US 285, CO (8/22/2017) and Hennepin County, MN (8/23/2017)

A plan to visit Pam in Minnesota finally came to fruition on Aug. 22.  I left home at 5 am, driving the LRJ rather than the motor home, and made good time, eventually covering more than 1000 miles before stopping for the night.  Near Gunnison, CO, I was treated to a lovely sunrise, which I captured through the window without slowing down at all.

Nearing Fairplay, CO, the strong early light lit up the mountains to the west, which I snapped through the side window, again without slowing down.

Once I hit the Interstate system, I maintained good speed and didn't bother to take more photos during the remainder of the drive to the Minneapolis area.

Since I arrived early on the second day (despite the delay of being pulled over for speeding), we decided to head out for a little touring.  A quick visit to the beautiful town of Excelsior gave us the chance to view Lake Minnetonka, one of the larger lakes in the area.  It was also a good time to buy ice cream cones to enjoy while driving around.

The Carver Park Reserve was our choice for a couple hours of bird watching.  Although there didn't seem to be many birds around, possibly due to the windy conditions, we did capture a few barn swallows and what I think is a prairie warbler.

We finished the day by stopping at the Coon Rapids Dam to watch the sunset over the mighty Mississippi River.

It was a good outing for us, not so sure about Pam's little Bichon, Jesse.

San Juan Mountains (7/23/2017), Montrose (7/29/2017)

Too busy being Grandpa this summer to travel very much, but I did make one trip into the San Juan Mountains.  My neighbors and good friends Butch and Jayne were able to join me, which made it a much more pleasant trip.

After driving through Ridgway and Ouray, we took a quick spin through the old ghost town of Ironton before heading up Corkscrew Gulch.  I've made this trip more than a few times, as it is one of my favorites.  I never tire of the views you get of the Red Mountains.

Butch and Jayne didn't seem to be bothered at all by the mountain roads, they appeared to enjoy the drive and the views.

It was a beautiful morning and the wildflowers were blooming nicely.

We left the main route and turned toward Gladstone, an old mining area that still has one active mine.  We forded a stream where a young man had driven his Suburu beyond the point of good judgment.  He told us he had gotten hung up on a large rock and had to jack up his car to get free.  He walked ahead to scope out the remaining road, then turned around and retreated back to Silverton.

Next we hung a left and drove up to Velocity Basin, a beautiful area I had not visited for nearly ten years.  Butch and I took a short hike up the hill to get a better view.  Last time here I walked all the way around the lake, but we agreed to skip that today.

It's easy to see where the heavy snows, and avalanches, occur and stop vegetation from growing.

 

From there, we took the good gravel road to Silverton and enjoyed a lovely lunch at the Grand Imperial Hotel.

Unfortunately, bad weather rolled in while we were lunching.  We stuck it out, however, visiting Animas Forks ghost town, California Pass and Hurricane Pass before joining Corkscrew Gulch again for the return trip.  Too bad the rain prevented any serious photography, but I will share a photo from a previous trip.  This is Lake Como as seen from California Pass. 

A few days later in Montrose, I went out for sunset as one of our frequent thunder storms came through.  The rainbow is worth sharing, and the sunset that followed wasn't too bad, either.

FUNC Festival, Montrose (7/22/2017)

FUNC (Fun On The Uncompahgre)

Montrose is fortunate to have the Uncompahgre River running through town and long ago built a large park next to it.  Several years ago, the river was modified to provide a white water course used for kayaks and Stand Up Paddleboards (SUPs). 

This has given rise to an annual festival that features river races and other family fun,  As you might expect, there was music and various vendor sites for food, drink and accessories related to river running.

On a hot summer day, kids and dogs always find interesting ways to keep cool.

Races were staged in several different classifications, with cash prizes for each class.  Negotiating the buoys marking the course was part of the fun, especially when multiple entrants arrived at the same time.  Survival was the name of the game.

Spectators had the "boulder bleachers" and the bridge to offer good views of the action, and cool off between races.

Even those not entered in the races had the opportunity to enjoy the cold water, which was snow in the mountains just a few hours earlier.

As I walked back to the parking lot, I passed the skateboard area and enjoyed watching some of the kids showing off their skills on various devices.