The Old Man and the Lake

Post by Barry-

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. ...... Oh wait, that has already been written. .....
We started out early today to get out on the lake before the wind got up. It was one of those days when I couldn't help but catch fish.I spoke to some older fisherman
& they showed me a lure they had success with in the past. I found a similar enough lure (a small spinner with some ratty feathers & a small hook. I just trolled it behind the kayak & set the pole in it's holder. I caught my limit rather fast in spite of losing many (5-6) more before I could get them in the kayak. I didn't have a net. Twice I had set the rod down to do something else (birdwatch, pee, clean fish) and when I reeled it in I had a fish. One looked like a small bass which I threw back. Again, when we were getting out, I spent 5 minutes unloading the kayaks while a girl was throwing frisbees in the water for her dogs to retrieve. When I realized my line was still out (not sure how the dog avoided getting tangled), I reeled it in & there was a trout on the line.







Jan: I actually think that the fish caught Barry rather than Barry catching the fish.
Jerry made Trout Alma-dine tonight and it was delish.

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Wednesday

Yesterday we spent the day fishing, kayaking,and going up a jeep trail.
Ollie loves to kayak.


Barry and I heading out on the kayaks.



Barry was the only one who caught a fish.


Later in the afternoon, We took the jeep up the Yankee Boy Trail.



It was a totally different view from our other jeep trip. The igneous rocks were rugged and filled with waterfalls. It was very pretty.




Barry and Jerry don't really listen to Kathy and me. (or each other for that matter) Here is Kathy saying "Didn't I just say that?" from now on we will refer to the not listening as "marshmallow". I will explain later.


The higher we went the narrower the road became.



Just like a ride at Six Flags ( or Astroworld for you Houstonians), we drove beneath waterfalls.


If this view looks familiar it is because these are the twin falls that appear in the Coors Beer ads. ( the falls in the background are actually the Twin Falls and the ones in the foreground are those falls coming through the rock. It was beginning to rain ( for the first time), and we opted to head back. We weren't really sure how close we could get to the Twin Falls either.







This is an example of the road. See the little rock and grass on the right. That's the edge of the mountain. (elev. around 12,000 feet)



So, now you need to know about Barry and Jerry on this trip.
Kathy is terrified of roads like this and I find them real scary. Kathy was a real trooper to even come along. So when Barry started making jokes about going off the side, I told him it was not funny when you were scared and to not to make comments like that. Then it was like he couldn't stop himself. One popped out of his mouth about every five minutes.

In between Barry's observations about how close to the edge we were, Jerry was asking Barry one maintenance question after another.
Don't you need bigger tires on this jeep?
Have you checked the radiator fluid?
Have you checked the transmission fluid?
Do you have a guard under the jeep to protect it from the rocks?
You need new windshield wipers.
Did you take the awning down on your RV before we left in case of a storm?

A fun time was had by all.





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Belated Tuesday

Yesterday morning, Jerry and Barry went kayaking.


Then Kathy, Jerry, and the Aycocks from Houston went to the Black Canyon. Barry and I hiked around the state park. Actually, we did not go around the park we went about two miles. That might not seem like a lot but at this grade and altitude it was enough for us. Plus we were going the opposite direction from where we intended to go.


I don't think I have mentioned the weather, either. I know you are seeing those snow covered mountains but, it is warm here for Colorado. Not like Texas, but we haven't needed any warm clothes yet.




Barry kept the dogs hydrated by teaching them to drink from a bottle. That's Ollie, the Bergers dog. He's a cutie.


Barry makes me walk twenty paces behind him all the time. Where did he get that idea?


Everyone had a fun day. Then Barry and Jerry decided to empty the gray water in the Cozy Cottage. Jerry had bought this portable grey water tank, and they were really happy with how wellit worked.







After filling this tank, they hooked it to Jerry's truck and pulled it to the gray water disposal. Barry told passerby's they were B and B RV Repair and Gray Water Removal. They were really enjoying themselves until they got back in the truck and it wouldn't start. A policeman stopped by and a fellow RVer who was a mechanic to help them try to start the truck. They ended up having to remove the batteries and drive to Montrose to buy new ones. Around 10:00pm they were changing the batteries.

Now they will have to add truck repair to their business name.

Monday on the Mountain

This morning Barry and I headed out for (can you guess?) some birdwatching. We are actually hoping to spot a Lazuli Bunting.


It would be a lifer for us. Wait, wait don't leave yet. I'll stop talking about birds.

We didn't spot one but enjoyed our morning. We were on the Uncompahgre River.


We watched some fly fisherman.






Saw a chimpmunk.



Then I took this picture to see if you could tell what is was.



The Bergers went over to the national forest for breakfast with some of their friends that are staying there. When we all returned back to the campground, we loaded up in the jeep for a ride over the mountain to Telluride.

This ranch is for sale. Do you think the view is nice enough?


All I can say it was beautiful on the Last Dollar Trail. There is no access in the winter in this area, but the people who have ranches up there are in paradise a few months a year.

Pastures of flowers.


This lady just happened to ride by. How idyllic!








This was a canopy of Aspen trees over the trail.




















Telluride was not really what we were expecting. I think Tom and Katie Cruise and Oprah don't want a lot of people hanging out there. It really is fine. Just seems like a new town, not a mountain town.

There was a pet shop selling cord leashes for $51.00.Barry was appalled.

Then we ran into some bicyclist going cross country. How do they do it?




One more observation. It is bright, sun daylight here for at least fourteen hours a day. The locals say it is dark here during the days in the winter and cabin fever is bad. Think about that before you buy the ranch.




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The Long and Windy Road

Yesterday was another long day of driving. We left Santa Rosa, NM and drove to Ridgeway State Park in Colorado. The prettiest part of the drive was through the pass from Durango to Ouray. However, that was the hardest part of the drive also. There were steep grades that made us wonder if the Cozy Cottage would make it. At times we were barely going ten miles per hour uphill and trying not to go over that downhill! Barry commented he had never seen such a long stretch of road without guardrails. It was a sheer drop off.

One good thing about going so slow is that I could take photographs for your viewing pleasure. (ha)







































Barry and Jerry were especially beat by yesterday evening. So, we all agreed today would be a "take it easy day". The morning started out hectic as Barry decided to change sites.


However, it was worth it because we are closer to this view.




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