Going higher
We left Buena Vista’s 8000 foot elevations to burrow deeper, and higher, into the Rocky Mountains. Deeper and deeper… deeper and deeper (see Office Space reference) to Crested Butte, Colorado, a place I have driven past many times, seen the photos of the wildflowers every summer, but it had never made my itinerary before this year. Happily, that is all in the past now that we are boondocking in Washington Gulch (at 9,700 feet elevation).
On the way we had to conquer the 12,126 foot high Cottonwood Pass. We had the choice of Cottonwood or the 11,300 foot Monarch Pass and the extra miles. We chose the shortest, though tallest, route from point to point with a little more risk. Kerri’s 1/2 ton pickup has hauled the Airstream for many years, but a climb over the Continental Divide is always one to be wary of, especially when you are on a County Road as opposed to a State Highway or Interstate.
Fun fact; the Continental Divide is simply the mountains dividing the country based on which way the water will flow down those mountains. Basically, any rain/snow fall on the East side of the mountains will flow east, and any rain/snow on the west will flow west. Oddly enough, this was something I learned only after I started traveling in 2010… damn public schools.
So, anyway – Crested Butte – We arrived and Kerri picked her spot in the green sea of wild grasses and skunk cabbage (PS – do not eat, poisonous, danger!) sprinkled with more than a few of the early-bird flowers to the mountain side. Here, we setup camp and got right into a cowboy super, complete with pit fire cooked kabobs, while the sun set behind us.
So here we now sit, in top of a small hill, surrounded by trees, grass, millions of flowers, a few small creeks, and of course the mosquitoes that come with this environment. Kerri is stuck inside most of the day – she is mosquitoes cat-nip – but once the sun sets I can get her out for a few minutes of nature before bed time. Our plan is to be here two full weeks. We will see…
Good choice. I’m down around 7,000 ft, and this heat wave is killing me.
It is still pretty warm even at nearly 10,000 feet. In the shade it is perfect, in the sun is a whole different story. Just happy to be way up here.