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Saturday, August 20, 2016

2016 Western Trip – Days 22&23 – Randy’s, Montrose & Ridgeway

After seven enjoyable days in Grand Junction, it was time to move on down the road so after getting Sweetie ready to pull out, we decided to give nearby Randy’s Southside Diner a second try for breakfast and we all had chicken fried steak as it was highly touted by the locals.





It was as good as advertised and a huge portion – I ate half for breakfast and the rest for a late lunch.

After breakfast, we hooked up the car and made the 70 mile drive down to Centennial RV Park located about 8 miles south of Montrose.


When we made our reservations in February, we got the next to last available site, #53, and I’m glad we did as I like the park with its long pull-thus and plenty of space between sites.


It actually has all buddy sites so we shared a green space with a neighbor but there is plenty of room and I like the concept since we ended up with neighbors we like.  The campground is well run by a manager couple who have been doing it for many years and all of the utilities and amenities that we used worked fine. 



It is obviously a campground full of off-roaders as we were one of the few sites without a jeep or ATV.


These shots are east and south form the campground of the San Juan's




Our first full day in Montrose we decided to just drive south to Ridgeway (pop. 932) to see what was there and stumbled into a farmers market so while the ladies shopped I drove around town – which didn’t take long.  This is the drive into town and we're obviously closer to the mountains.



The main road and a couple of others were paved and the rest were dirt so it was easy to see why there were very few clean cars in town.






It appears that the town is starting to reinvent itself as a tourist stop as it is on the way to Ouray, Silverton and Telluride plus there is a popular State Park just north of town.

On the way home and just north of town, we also drove thru what used to be Dennis Weaver's (Chester on Gunsmoke and McCloud) ranch.  Dennis dedicated 175 acres with spectacular Rocky Mountain vistas for a wildlife preserve and recreation area along the Uncompahgre River.  Today that land incorporates River Sage, an eco-friendly real estate development surrounded by 130 acres of green open space and the 60-acre Dennis Weaver Memorial Park.  This flying eagle sculpture is in the park.



Photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

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

Larry

8/10 – 8/11/16 event dates

7 comments:

  1. Love exploring small towns, looks like a beautiful area.

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  2. What an incredible trip you are having! I love this area and can't wait to see your photos from Silverton. The eagle sculpture is amazing - it looks real.

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  3. Now that is a fun little town. Love those old buildings.

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  4. Larry, Nice photos around the town of Ridgeway! The countryside is certainly spectacular and I'm getting the itch to drive west! As for the chicken fried steak, unfortunately if I'd ordered it, there wouldn't be anything left for lunch... Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

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  5. I didn't know Dennis Weaver had a ranch here. I think he also owns land in New Mexico. Great photos. Makes me so proud of my state. In September we're going to visit a bonafide ghost town around Mt. Princeton. I'm hoping for some great photos like you've taken.

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  6. Be sure and visit Black Canyon of the Gunnison. We just passed through that area at the end of July but were only able to stay 3 nights, which is never long enough in that part of beautiful Colorado. The True Grit restaurant in Ridgway is novel. Anything "John Wayne" and hubby's all over it.

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  7. Looks like a nice town. Love that flying eagle sculpture - the last shot is incredible!

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