Bonnie's Blog

I’ve wanted to write this for a while, but mom had computer and connection problems, so my stuff got pushed to the end of the line! It really isn’t fair! I am a member of this family and I have fans as well and they want to hear about my part of the adventure!!! So here it is…

I was so lucky to see so many cool animals right up close and sometimes up to nose to nose, like I was with my buddy phantom, one of our horses. I also got nice and close to other animals, a deer and a couple of baby cows (calves if you insist!). Early one morning, I even got to watch some bears (a mother and a cub, getting big now) right in front of the motorhome eating the trash!! I just don’t understand it though, there they were in plain daylight and no one did a thing! They dragged all the trash out and sorted through it to find some good stuff, and what a mess they made dragging it all around! Boy, back home, if I even sniff the air near our trash, I get yelled at. SO WHY DIDN’T ANYONE STOP IT???? All my mother did was call me to see them, grab her camera and take pictures!

Oh well, maybe someday I’ll understand it! At any rate, I do have more for my blog, we did a lot of “off roading” and again I got to see some more cows, it was called “open range” and they let the cows roam on the National forest land. Another day, I got to see a deer under a bush next to the road. I am really good when I see other animals, I don’t bark, I just watch them and smell the air. We went for lots of rides in the Jeep and I found Colorado to be really “dog friendly”. I got to go to 2 restaurants, both outside cafes. I got to go into quite a few stores, and lots of strangers gave me dog treats! I love Colorado, the people there, the animals, and best of all the smells! They have so many different kinds of poop there, I got to smell deer, bear, horse, cow, moose, goat, sheep, and lots of other animal poop…it was great! I got to go “swimming” which was more like wading in the Rio Grande River, and hiking in the San Juan Mountains! I went to breakfast and dinner on mountain tops, and hung out at many campfires back at Cottonwood Cove.

One night, some of the local coyotes were howling and I got to answer them back…Mom didn’t like me talking to them and I got yelled at. She was afraid I was inviting them to join our campfire…but we were just talking and I was telling them I was from Florida!!

I got to meet lots of other dogs and all “my” horses at Cottonwood Cove. We had all three of the horse wranglers over for dinner in the Motor Home at different times, and I liked to smell them. The other people there were all nice to me and once I got to stay home with one of the wranglers so Mom and Dad could spend the night in Durango. That was fun and she spoiled me! It was the 1st time I was ever without one of my parents for a night!

While we were planning our trip home, I got a bath in the Motorhome. The shower is great because it has a tub, so now I smell good for the long rode home! One thing that Mom and Dad found were some animal skulls, they were pretty cool, and my uncle who makes knives is going to get them. They found them in the mountains and I liked the way they smelled as well, there were some deer, a moose, maybe an elk, a bear, and I don’t know what else! What I didn’t like about this trip was the leash! I had to wear it everywhere, and I can’t wait to get back to my own yard so I can run free! I also miss the pool at home and the kayak, I like to ride up front! Oh well, I guess that’s all for my share of the adventure and my blog! I hope you enjoyed it!

PS- the one picture that is dark, is hot enhanced, you can click on any of these pictures and enlarge them, and maybe even brighten them. It is of the 2 bears right in front of our motorhome enjoying the trash...notince, no one is telling them to stop!!!!

Sunset at Wolf Creek Pass

Top 2 pictures are of a cross in the mountain cliff along Hwy 149 between South Fork and Wagon Wheel Gap... sometimes you just need a sign! :) The next ones are of a sunset at Wolf Creek Pass!

Pictures from Cottonwood Cove

Here is an example of some of the great sunsets we were treated to and a picture of the "Wall" right behind the lodge!

Four Miles Falls hike

Pictures from Brown Lakes and Black Mountain Lake

9-6-08 On our way home!

Well, we have lots update! Since our last posting, we again have to report on lots more activities and events. One day a group of us went hiking to Pagosa Springs 4 mile falls. It was a tough hike and took most of the day, but again we were rewarded with some really nice scenery and Chanterelle mushrooms! We had them in a stir fry the next day!

2 times we went up to the Brown Lakes and Black Mtn. Lake. On the way we passed big horn sheep and some hidden waterfalls. One of those times we watched a coyote eating a fresh kill. Then we came upon another skeleton, of a large animal, cow or elk? And we came across a large flock of mountain Blue Birds. And at the top we were treated to another breath taking view and a hidden mountain top lake!

Another day we went to a wild life center outside Pagosa Springs. Here they have grizzly bears, black bears, elk, mountain lions, bob cats, wolves, coyotes, a porcupine, goats, an emu, and more! If you plan a visit there, you should get there at 4:00 for the feeding. The girl there was great and explained all about the animals, just about all of which we had scene in the wild on our trip, with the exception of the grizzly bears, emu, mountain lions and bobcats. It was really cool to see them up close and learn about each of them.

Two times we went to the scenic overlook in Wolf Creek Pass. This took us to the top of a mountain and once we got there for the sunset and the second time we were there while a storm was in the mountains off in the distance and we watched the lightning.

One night we took a ride up to the top of the mountains right there by Cottonwood Cove and looked at the stars! It was a clear night and we were able to see the Milky Way galaxy, and some shooting stars! Since there were no lights, the sky was jam packed with the stars, a great memory.

We have had many occasions to celebrate in Colorado, Kate turned 50, and some of our friends also celebrated birthdays. This was always a reason for a party, which meant a campfire, a cake, and occasionally singing with guitars. We have begun to say our “good bys” to some of the greatest and most interesting people! They, like us, prefer to put all the stress of the real world behind them! The people who have taken to Rving are all so much fun and relaxed! They are the first to lend a hand, and tell you about other cool places to go and see, and since many of them are “fulltimers”, meaning they no longer have a home (called “sticks and bricks” by them, they are free to travel the country wherever they chose to go)!

Sunday, August 31st, Cottonwood Cove had a thank you cookout dinner for all the employees and workampers. There were about 30 or so there, some had already left for their homes. We could not have had this great adventure if the previous owners of Cottonwood Cove, Tom and Mona, would not have allowed us to come there. We thank you for this opportunity of a life time! And the new managers, Brenda and Edy (Eddy), thank you for your appreciation of us! Every time we volunteered and helped out, you were the first to say thank you! Good luck as you take the reins! We suppose we should explain to you who these people are. Tom and Mona purchased Cottonwood Cove 12 years ago. As the owners, they put their heart and souls into the business, 30 cabins, a restaurant, and RV Park, a large gift shop, a picnic pavilion, a laundry facility, horses, rafting and Jeeps for rent! True to their nature and desire for Cottonwood Cove to continue to be the great success it is, and great escape for so many, they stayed this season and taught Brenda and Edy the ropes! Tom & Mona gave Cottonwood Cove it’s great reputation, and are now moving on to be with their family in Oklahoma, and we wish them well! We were fortunate to meet 3 of their grandsons and enjoyed them and loved to watch them as they worked and played there with the horsed.

Brenda and Edy are two special people, and we got to meet 2 of their daughters as well. This whole adventure was even better thanks to the people we shared it with. The family values, and positive attitudes made it a joy to be a part of! We have been blessed and lucky enough to realize it!

We could never tell you all about our adventure, since there are things you just can’t show with pictures…for example, the experiences involving our 5 senses! The colors we saw can’t be totally shared with the pictures. The way the sky lights up like a changing neon sign at sunset, the lush green valleys and fields, thanks to all the snow they had last winter. (Cottonwood Cove had a total between 300” – 400”!) Then there are all the brown shades seen in the forests, from the pine needle grounds, to the pine cones, the bark of the trees and all the various mushrooms, (again we saw probably over 20 varieties!). The brilliant blue the sky above, there is little pollution and with the air is so crisp, the sky seemed to go on forever! We experienced a different kind of “blackness” of the nights, again without any lights from cities. And of course all the various wild flowers we came across, we were told that there are over 200 types of wild flowers there and we saw so many of them! By the way…who decides what is a flower and what is a weed…we saw some really pretty weeds along the way too! We were treated to the various colors of the mountain rocks, from reds, to various browns, to tans, to grays, all depending on the types of minerals in them. We saw the purples in the mountains, referred to as “the purple mountains majesty”, and we got to see unbelievable streaks of lightning in the distance from atop a mountain.


Next the sense of smell was also an important part of our experience. We were treated to lots of great smells that nature gives us; to begin with, the fresh air that hits you first thing every morning. When on hikes, we often would walk through the pine trees and on the soft pine needle beds; here the smell of the pine needles was the best! When we went mushroom hunting, we could smell the musky aroma some of the various mushrooms give off. One day we drove down the road and passed a recent skunk attack, a smell we just don’t seem to have in Florida. Then there is the smell of the campfire, Kate really liked it so much that she would hate to wash her clothes after a campfire. Another one was when we hiked to the water falls, the smell of the fresh water running down from the melting snow atop the mountain. In the pasture behind the lodge, there was wild thyme growing there, and when you would hike up that hill, it just clung to the air, making you giddy! The smell of the wild raspberries found along our hikes. And there was the smell of the horses; that smell makes you believe you are in the “old west”! Helping keep the “old west” feeling was the smell of the leather saddles while riding along listening to the cracking of the leather. The scent of a fresh rain shower, was always so clean smelling. There was a smell of old wood and antiques in the Creede museum, this only helped you feel as though you were among the pioneers back in the 1800s. And lastly there is the smell of “Colorado Cologne”, as our friend Debbie called it, it is the smell of the bug spray “Off”!

Sounds are another thing we can’t show you in pictures. As we mentioned there was the sound of the cracking leather from the saddles. Other sounds were of; the Rio Grande River and it flowed over the rocks by the campsite, the horses who would yell when they were left behind in the coral, or the huffing they would occasionally do on the trail rides, and the clip clop of their hooves. The sounds of; the coyotes calling at night, the hummingbirds humming at the bird feeders, the waterfalls and creeks along our hikes, the crack of the falling trees in the forest, (one right by the coral one morning), the thunder as it echoed around and off the mountains, the crackling of the campfires, the twigs snapping as we hiked, the clank of the rail cars as they passed our campsite, the Jeep tires crumbling sound as it climbed over the “off road” trail rocks, and the sound of hail as it hit the roof of the Motor Home, fence, ground and trees.

Then there are the feelings; the chill every morning as we woke up to temps usually in the 30’s and 40’s, the heat of the campfires, the cool mist under the waterfalls, the warm sun on hikes, only to be quickly changed by the cool shade in the forests, the warmth of a large rock that has been basking in the sun, and the warmth felt from the horses on the trail rides.

And lastly the tastes…there is nothing better than campfire cooked hot dogs, smores and marshmallows! We also enjoyed an elk roast slowly smoked (over 6 hours) in a friends smoker, and the steaks at the BarD Chuck wagon outside of Durango! The taste of the fresh wild raspberries, and we could not talk about the tastes without talking about the homemade pies, one of Cottonwood Coves signatures! They specialize in Chocolate Cream pies, Coconut Cream pies, Apple pies, and cobblers! And if that weren’t enough, their Friday Fried Catfish dinners are famous among the “natives”!



We left Cottonwood Cove on Tuesday morning, the 2nd and like you have to expect with an RV, boat, home or car, we had a problem. As we pulled out, the generator would not go on, (we hadn’t needed it for the whole time we were there). As it turns out, the fuel line was old, dried and cracked. Since it is not necessary for the MH to run, we looked for a garage. We found one 3 hours later, in Walsenburg, Colorado. To make a long story short, it took 4 ½ hours to drop the gas tank on the MH, replace the line and put the gas tank back. We had altered our route and decided to go through Kansas, so we would stay clear of the hurricane wind, rains and to avoid taking a campsite the evacuees would need. That, plus the repair slowed us down a little, but we are now in Arkansas. The first night we stayed in Lamar, Colorado, the second night in Shawnee, Oklahoma, just East of Oklahoma City, the third night in Corinth, Mississippi, and the 4th night in Montgomery, AL. Currently we are still traveling and will end up in Florida today, probably to finish our adventure and journey Sunday!

Some of you may wonder how we chose our routes and where we stay, the answer to that is guided by many factors! First, we chose our route home to avoid the hurricane wind, rain and evacuees. Then, we try to find campgrounds that are in the Passport America system, we belong to Passport America and we get an average of 50% off using their program, (that makes our nights usually $10.00 to $15.00 for a night. Also, we like to go to casino campsites, they like to cater to RVers, and again we stayed in a casino RV site for free. Then we went in, signed in, and got $10.00 off a buffet for Dave having a birthday in this month, and Kate got a 50% coupon, giving us dinner for just over $6.00. Then we had the $.99 breakfast in the morning. We did however spend the night playing the penny slot machines, and got a fun night of entertainment thrown in! The next night we stayed at another Passport America site close to Red Bay, Alabama. Yesterday, we toured the Tiffon motorhome plant, (our dream of owning a Tiffon motorhome is confirmed by the craftsmanship we saw there)! Tonight, we will look for a campground somewhere along Rte. 19. We could take the interstate 75, but we prefer the more scenic route.

Another part we haven’t told you about is the terminology. Like everywhere in our country, each area has their own way of saying things. We quickly learned that there were very few animals; mostly there are critters and vermin! They don’t think about doing something, they are “fixin’” to do something. Directions are always, “down the road a piece”. When it rains there may be “gully washers”! When the views were pretty it was called “eye candy”. One friend, when asked how old his mother was, said she was, “beating the shingles off of 92!” We also learned that there are 2 parts of Texas, “East Texas” and “West Texas!” On Sundays, everyone wore their “goin’ to meetin’ clothes”! And we took “vittles” up to the mountain for “Supper”! Here are just some examples, and now we are on our way home, so, if we ask you…”ja eat?” and you say, ‘naw, ju?” and we answer, “les gweet!” and we’ll have “wooder with that”, then you’ll understand we are really from “Philly” (that means the Philadelphia area in Pennsylvania)!

Since this is long enough, we will review our photos and add any as we travel home and review our adventure. We hope you enjoyed your “Virtual” travels with us, thanks for coming along! We will probably have one more edition or update to this blog after this, and that will include what we have learned on this trip of just short of 3 months! Kate, Dave and Bonnie.

Pictures above; BarD Chuckwagon show, the next 2 are of the train ride from Durango to Silverton

Top picture, Caboose at Wagon Wheel Gap railraod station, Cottonwood Cove in the background and our mountain, "the wall". Next picture; our group at the station, next picture the "Cowboy" in the wall that watches us. He is a natural phenomenon! Pretty cool! The next picture is Dave at the museum in Creede and the last 2 are of the campfire for Kate's birthday!

Since our last posting, Kate turned 50!! The night before her birthday, we had a group campfire with 15 of our new friends and coworkers! 2 of the guys got their guitars out and we sang songs, told stories and just plain had fun. One of the ladies made a cake and another couple made homemade ice cream!!! The 13th, which was Kate's birthday, we went touring locally, visited a museum, came back early, and went to a farewell party for the former owners of Cottonwooc Cove. This party was held next to Cottonwood Cove at the Wagon wheel Gap train station. The owners, (a couple we had met before), graciously gave us a tour of the historic station! It is 125 years old, completely resored, and is chock full of history and neat stories, including former holes in the wall by a bed...a result of a failed love affair! There were lots of fascninating and historic individuals who passed through there.

The owners, Doug and Ginni also have a caboose that they use as a guest house and a couple of "rail cars". Rail cars are small cars that travel on the tracks and are individually owned. Currently, there is not a train that travels these tracks, except those individual rail cars and the maintenance car. Upon our return to our motor home...we walked the tracks to and fro, there was a package waiting for Kate! Dave knows how much Kate likes lobsters, so he ordered some directly from Maine! Within minutes they found themselves in hot water and shortly there after on Kates dinner plate!!

One day, Kate and David (one of our neighbors), decided to try to get some gold out of our river. The Rio Grande runs about 150 or so feet from our campsite. They say there is gold in it, but it is hard to get. Kate and David set up our sluice in the river and ran lots of material from the river through it. They did get lots of concetrates, heavy material containing gold, iron, and more. After the material is run through the sluice, you take the "concentrates" and further process them. They did see gold in it, but it is called "flour" gold and is as fine as flour and very hard to process. So, the bottom line, is they found gold, but not enough to get rich, so it's back to work in Florida for Kate!!!!

Other adventures we have had include another dinner of hot dogs on a campfire on top of a mountain to watch a sunset, again with a group of friends. Once we arrived, while others set up the fire, and chairs, Kate and one of the other ladies went "mushroom hunting". This is a pretty big thing to do here, once the rainy season begins. The "rainy season" has begun, and it is not terribly awful, most afternoons, there is a shower and every few nights, it rains during the night. It's not enough rain to wash out any roads or cancel any plans. At any rate, Kate and Carol did strike gold, when they got a bag of "Hawks wings" mushrooms! On our way home that night, we stopped in the RV park here and showed them to our local mushroom experts, and we were right! The next morning, Dave, Kate and another friend went into the mountains wild rasberry hunting! Within an hour, we had a large bowl full, so we stopped at the local market and got ice cream. Once back at Cottonwood Cove, we cooked the mushrooms 2 ways; battered, and deep fried and sauteed in virgin oil with garlic and red wine. The lady Kate found them with, Carol, made a chicken dinner and before we knew it, there were 14 of us for dinner; chicken and mushrooms followed by ice cream with fresh rasberries!!

One of the "must see and do" things here is to ride the Durango Silverton train. We made plans with 3 other couples and went to Durango on Monday, went to the BarD Chuckwagon dinner and show, slept the night in Durango and rode the train on Tuesday! We boarded early on Tuesday for the 3 1/2 hour journey over the mountain tops and along the Animus river. We then arrived in Silverton and walked the old historic Western town, shopped a little, had lunch and road a bus back to Durango! Once back in Durango, we drove the 3 hours back to Cottonwood Cove through Wolf Crrek Pass! This is a beautiful pass through some magnificent mountains filled with deer , views, and great waterfalls! This pass is well known for its steep grades of 7% going for more than 7 miles at a time. This road has lots of runways along the sides for tracker trailers who have burnt their brakes! It is exciting, and a little scarey at times!

We are down to less than 2 weeks here, and then we head home and back to work! We want to thank you all for your concerns during the hurricane this week, our home is fine and everyone back there is safe! Thanks for all your prayers!

August 9, 2008 more pictures!

Pictures of Alpine Loop (and old mine town along the way) and town of Silverton!!

August 9, 2008

Wild flowers and Dave changing the flat tire!!!