2013 Western Trip – Heading On To Buena Vista

After five days in Durango, CO, we finally left the mud and water of Alpen Rose RV Park and headed northeast to Buena Vista, CO.  Our original plan had been to go directly from Durango to Denver, but we couldn’t get into our Denver campground and since I’d recently read several blogs from folks who had enjoyed the area, we decided to spend a couple of nights in the valley between the Mosquito Range to the east and the Sawatch Range to the west.

The drive involved crossing the famous Wolf Creek Pass, then driving up the valley to Buena Vista, at times going for long distances without turning the wheels.  At one point we could see the Great Sand Dunes off in the distance (about 30 miles) and the area was an interesting mix of cropland where irrigated and near desert where not.

We pulled into Snowy Peaks Campground with very modest expectations, after our Alpen Rose experience, and were very pleasantly surprised.

The lady at the office was friendly, helpful and check in was quick and easy – other work campers came by the next morning to welcome us.  Our site was large and level with nice grass edged with landscaping timbers.  This is our site and  shots of the campground.

It was also a very dog friendly park and I was told they could go anywhere I could go.  Plus they didn’t try to rip us off on firewood, charging only $4 for a bundle that some parks charge $6 – $7 for.  My understanding is the park is under new ownership and I hope they only make things better, but I would definitely stay here again.

The next morning, from the campground, I got a few shots of the sunlit mountains in the Sawatch Range which include the Collegiate Peaks in the central part of the range.  The Sawatch Range contains fifteen 14ers (more than 14,000 feet) and similar to the Tetons, they rise up from the valley floor without foothills.  This is MT. Princeton in the first shot.

This is MT Yale on the left and Mt. Columbia & MT Harvard on the right - MT Oxford is a little further north – note the moon and the gorgeous blue sky.

Bev and Pat went up to Leadville for a little shopping I (have you picked up on the pattern yet) and got a shot of  Colorado’s highest, 14433 foot,  MT. Elbert with its first snow of the year.

Photos best if enlarged by clicking on them.

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

Larry

9/20 – 9/21/2013 event date