Salida CO

Salida Colorado was our last stop at the end of our 2014 summer trip.

I have posted before about Lynn and Jackie our dear friends that invited us to store the rig on their property and take care of it during the winter,we had great time with them both before they kindly drove us to the Denver Airport (it is a long drive…)

Lynn enjoying Turkish Coffee

I also wrote about helping Rick and Connie together with other to put a concrete floor for a garage on their property, which will the Church community.

Now that Salida is obviously our 2015 starting point we were able to meet again with our friends and do some catching up.

We found the truck  in good condition  as it was stored in the garage and Lynn made sure to start it from time to time ,the trailer that was stored out side was also in good condition except some damage done by mice,we followed the trail of poops and finally found 3 dead mice in a compartment under our bed,no big deal except some torn bed sheets and a a damaged pillow…

The area is just fantastic like taken from a movie set,at least it is for us,I do not know if the people that are living here can appreciate being surrounded by this beauty.

Our hosts Lynn & Jackie helped us get things on the way ,we picked the trailer batteries from the shed where they were charged during the cold winter,other stuff that also was stored in their house made the way back to the trailer.

After putting last year the concrete floor for the garage ,Rick invited me to come over at the beginning of 2015 and service the truck at his garage and just get the parts…he said and it sure was a great surprise for us,but it only shows that things come around and by helping them we got new friends and great service.

Now the garage is almost finished and it looks just fine.

The truck service included:engine oil and filter change,fluid checks,brake check and bearing adjustments,tire air pleasure and Rick was “happy” to let me start pulling the trailer only after he made sure that the truck is ready, what a guy…

We are almost ready to hit the road just need to stock the fridge with groceries get some beer ,hook up and head North ,see you all down the road.

The beginning of Foliage in Colorado

The weather was too perfect to stay indoors ,so Lynn suggested to jump on the ATV’s and take one of the many routes in the area ,enjoy the clear visibility and watch for leaves color change.

After half an hour drive on a tough gravel road we suddenly saw the yellow leaves on the Burch trees while the sun beams are coloring them in gold…

The scenery all over this mountain range is so beautiful ,I really hope that people living here appreciate that and never get used to it and take it for granted.

  

Mean time Jackie’s son built a fire next to the creek and we all enjoyed sitting around it zipping beer waiting till the ribs are ready.

 

Sitting near the fire after a tough ATV ride relaxed our muscles and put some in a sleepy mode , only the smell of the ribs on the grill kept us awake .

I do not know how many ribs there were but I know that there were no left overs.

What a great finale to a great day,friends,nature,colors,smells ,good weather and fantastic food,wawawiwa…..Thank you Lynn and Jackie for being such a good hosts.

Helping to put a cement floor for a friend

On the next morning the plan was to take another ATV ride to a different place to see some more of the Colorado mountain beautiful vistas,but as we were getting ready Lynn got a call to come to help to put a cement floor for a garage.

Rick & Connie Missionaries from Poncha Springs are building a garage to serve the community and do some car repairs for free , you bring the parts and Rick will do the work (what a guy),the garage floor was to be cemented and some help was needed.

Lynn & I drove down there leaving the girls at home to prepare dinner and joined other volunteers .

   

Needles to say that I have never done this kind of work but was happy to be a part of it,I meet great people that came together for a cause and even though we had to be on an ATV trip, I had a great time .

 

After the work of the day was done we were all invited by Connie to a long table to grab a plate and fill it with goodies that were served.

Despite a pain in my back from “hard labour” I felt like a part of the group that gives back to the community (even if it it is not mine),and it is a good feeling- an ATV ride can be done in another day….

   

It was great to see how people and kids come together from all over the place to help,one had to drive 10 hours one way….

Thank you Rick and Connie for this experience.

ATV day trip

It did not take a lot of arm twisting to except Lynn’s offer to do an ATV trip in the mountain range near their house.

It was a perfect weather ,sunny,cool with no wind and good visibility,so while Lynn and I took a ride with a trailer to pick the second ATV from his son’s place the girls prepared a picnic basket for the road.

 

Every road in this area is a scenic road but driving of the beaten path is breath taking ,my English is not good enough to describe our feelings while driving the ATV in the mountains with the sun and the light breeze on our faces…

Wow, people actually live like this …wake up in the morning and take a drive through this kind of nature in a matter of minutes from home….what a great gift for those who know to take advantage and enjoy the opportunity.

After a while I got the “feeling” of this powerful ATV ,relaxed enjoying the ride ,we stopped at few view points to take picture and give the drivers the opportunity to see the panoramic “picture” at full.

  

The sun and the driving made us hungry ,so we found a good spot next to a creek to have our picnic , the whole trip for us was like taken from a movie set and we tried to take it slow as if to make this experience last as much as possible.

Lynn and Jackie made every effort to make our stay unforgettable and they sure succeeded to do so.

Just before the last sun beams hit the ground we celebrated this fantastic day on the porch with Beaw(their beloved dog) and margaritas wishing it will never end.

Every day is the first day of the rest of our lives,live it in full as a minute that passed will never come back again.

Salida Colorado

At the same afternoon that we finished our hike in Palo Duro TX the winter appeared….one minute it was hot and dry and on the other wet and cool,it rained cats and dogs creating large water paddles around our trailer that made it difficult to move ,the special soil in this area could not observe the quantity of water falling from the sky-it was time to move on.

As we got closer to Colorado the blue skies appeared revealing the mountains with clouds at their tops

 

A huge change of the flat scenery we just came from.

We made a few stops along the  scenic route that ran along the Arkansas River before reaching Salida CO.

 

Salida is a home to Lynn & Jackie ,people we meet 9 years ago for maybe not more than an hour while hiking near Crested Butte CO ,but stayed in touch through the years hoping our ways will cross again.

They kindly invited us to visit them and store our rig at their place for the winter,from the first minute they made us feel home with their warm hospitality.

It was a great long evening with food and a lot of catching up .

Salida is a small beautiful town nestled between high mountains all around it and when the weather is good the scenery is just great.

            

It is a friendly town, even the buck feels at home….

I might be repeating myself here but meeting friends as Lynn & Jackie on the way is enriching us as we travel through this great country enjoying the nature ,wild life and the people.

Getting the rig into the place was a bit challenging but we made it with no harm done,it will be the home for the rig till we pick it up in Spring 2015 what will give us an opportunity to meet with our friends again.