Thursday, September 29, 2016

2016 Western Trip – Wrap-Up

The primary reason I wanted to make this summer trip was to go into Rocky Mountain high country for some relief from the east Tennessee summer heat and humidity and as it turned out it was above 90 degrees nearly every day while we were gone.  We ended up spending from Aug 10 through Sep 19 in areas where the temps would occasionally creep above 80 and it was between 45-55 at night and as a bonus the humidity was also low.

On the way to the high country we got to visit with friends in Kansas City and Denver which is always a highlight of our trips.  


While we didn’t make any new friends, we met and enjoyed visiting with many folks in campgrounds and businesses.

We saw some spectacular scenery, some new country, but very little wildlife.  The Black Canyon of the Gunnison was particularly impressive as was the really high country of the San Juan’s during our jeep trip.




We ate some delicious food and would have eaten out more, especially Mexican, except Bev is having a medical issue that has made her mouth very sensitive, especially to spicy food.  We visited one brewery and several vineyards where we drank some very good wine and purchased plenty at Colorado’s western slope wineries – Grand Junction was Bev’s favorite stop.





 
I believe Bev and Pat visited nearly every available farmers market and always came home with something – they prefer the ones that have stuff other than food – arts, crafts, cosmetics, jewelry, etc.


We traveled 3523 miles in the Sweetie and many in the car as we used our standard process of camping within a 100 mile radius of places we wanted to visit then making day trips.  I was pleased to finally determine that the auto odometer does not record miles during towing.  We stayed in 14 different campgrounds and I would use all of them again – Mesa (Gunnison) was probably my favorite due to our nice site, lack of road noise, and proximity to town.


We were gone for 68 days and have all agreed that this is a couple of weeks too long so we’ll likely limit our trips to 7-8 weeks from now on unless we are spending the winter somewhere.

I found the high country of the Rockies a great place to go to beat the heat and we visited several places I could live but Bev has no desire to live where it is so dry and harsh to her skin – and so dusty.  But we both agree that it is a great place to visit.  

While we had the usual amount of small fix-it items, the trip went safely, Sweetie performed very well, sustained no damage, and now she needs to be washed and waxed and thoroughly cleaned inside to prep for our FMCA rally next month.

Photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

7/20 – 9/25/16 event dates

12 comments:

  1. It was a nice way to escape the heat for you, and a fun time from your postings. As you know we left home over 10 years ago, and are not ready to settle down yet. Enjoy your next adventure.

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  2. What a lovely wrap-up Larry. Glad all is well and you're back home safe and sound.

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  3. Great wrap up. Sure hope Bev's mouth heals so she can get back to that Mexican food. Looking forward to your FMCA rally posts.

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  4. Larry, Love that photo of the Grand Canyon of the Gunnison! We've never been there but now its a must... You sure were gone a long time...and you logged a number of miles worthy of one of our road trips, especially if you were to add in the miles driven in the car. That breakfast photo made me regret having biscuits and jam for breakfast this morning! Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

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  5. Such a good road trip with lots of tasty grub. Glad you made it back home safely.

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  6. Great roundup photos. Love that photo of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. And all that food. Made me instantly hungry. I'm sure glad we were on the list of stops - Such a good visit.

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  7. How wonderful to be able to escape from the heat and see such wonderful sites. I love the low humidity in Colorado too.

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  8. What a fun trip. Farmers markets and breweries sound like my kind of trip. Lee Ann Brown may have root for a lousy football team and hangs out with Elway but I know she is a fantastic cook and photographer extraordinaire. Good times.

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  9. I'm with Bev on not living where the air is dry and harsh, but it sure is nice to visit for a while. I'm glad the trip was trouble free. Welcome home.

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  10. So pleased that your trip out west worked out so well. And yes, it's a welcome change from the South's scorching summer. I'm with Bev on not wanting to live where the air is dry and your skin is uncomfortable. I thought I would love it, but it didn't turn out that way. And there's Pat with her new doggie Frankie. He's adorable. Welcome home.
    Sam

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  11. I get tired just reading how far and long you went! Holy smokes, you guys logged some miles this year but how fun.

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  12. So glad that you all had such a nice time and are safely back home.

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