Colorado Springs,Canon City,Train Ride to Royal Gorge CO

It is said that bad things happen in threesomes ,we found mice in the trailer after the winter storage and it took us 2 days to get rid of them,as we were on the way to Jim’s Tires in Canon City we blew a tire just few miles fro the shop ,one of the two  tires that were to be replaced and one of the two batteries gave up….it was a rough start….but now we are good and do not expect any more problems.

On our first night in Mountaindale C.G near Colorado Springs we experienced a strong storm with hale,luckily we were already settled down and could watch the storm from the window.

In the following day it was like nothing happened and we woke up to a beautiful day

and decided to take a train ride to the Royal Gorge,it takes 2 hours and follows the Arkansas River all the way ,then passes under the Royal Gorge bridge,the scenery was just exceptional.

   

Although we had designated seats it was possible to walk to the open carriage and have a gorgeous view all over the gorge

There were a few small waterfalls along the route and the train stewardess warned us  to get the cameras ready just before we got to see them.

Getting back to the depot we found out that in the park close by an event is going on,some music food and beer,but before going there we decided to eat our food and not be tempted to grab some fast food,a great place near the river was just perfect.

 

Later in the park we had fantastic cold beer while listening to the band.

On the way back we stopped and soaked  in Hot Pools where the clothes were optional ,and that is why I have no pictures to show….it was a great finally to a great day and all the problems were just forgotten.

It was awesome driving “home” at the evening when the sun is low surrounded by beautiful views and colors while Frank Sinatra is singing “I did it my way” ….

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.

7 Falls Colorado Springs-CLOSED,so….

We planned to hike up the 7 falls but found out only when arriving to the site that they are closed due to floods last Spring,they will be opened in a year or so.

I pulled the map out and realized that we are not far from Helena Falls  and made our way to the Trail Head.

The parking area was full because of the weekend and there was no way to park on the side but eventually some one pulled away leaving us the spot to park

The hike is only 3/4 miles straight up the hill with comfortable steps and very moderate.

The scenery is outstanding and it is worth the effort to get to the peak.

 

At early afternoon after the hike to drove to Old Colorado City and strolled the beautiful ,colourful main drag,after a while we found a Mexican restaurant and made acquaintance with Dan and Dee a great couple living in the area, and although we just meet we shared a table,beers ,hugs and photos, I love these small unplanned events.

As we came back to the C.G we decided to “bring Israel” to Colorado

Peace,happiness,laughter and good health to you all.

Manitou Springs Area

Manitou Springs old town is just 30 Miles from our C.G,10 years ago we visited this part of the country and liked it very much .

We have this “game” between us –where would we live in the US if we decided to move? and we both agreed that one of the places would be Colorado because it’s central location, the nature and the different activities in different seasons.

To day we drove at first around and through the mountains in the area,and were fascinated by the rock colors,the snow on top of the high places and the beautiful houses .

Then we took a stroll in the old part of Manitou Springs ,enjoying the main drag,the beautiful small shops,restaurants and bars,

The town is surrounded by mountains which give the place a very special atmosphere.

As we were walking it started to rain but this did not stop us from having a taste from the local brewery,and as we did not know what to have to decided to taste them all…and it was gooood.

Just started our 14th RV summer trip

Our first stop was and is always Toronto, to visit our youngest son family,it was a great 8 days visit,we enjoyed our grand daughter Ellie (1 year and 4 months) making her fist steps as I described in my resent posts:

 http://danyshula.blogspot.com/2015/06/forks-of-credit-provincial-park-ontario.html

But also good times come to an end and starting our “journey” towards the Rig that is stored in Salida CO,I say “journey” because first we had to fly from Toronto to Denver and then get from Denver to Salida a 5 hour drive…so we decided to break it down and visit our dear friend David in Colorado Springs before heading South to pick the rig.

But first comes first: we were on stand -by on a morning flight by UA from Toronto to Denver,luckily we got our seats and the plane made its taxi to the runway,when the Captain announced that there is a problem with the A/C and we have to get back to the gate, after an hour not able to fix the problem that  meant  flying all the way   in a lower altitude and because of that will use more gas.

The solution was to reduce weight and guess what?  we were taken of the flight with our luggage….and booked on stand-by on the afternoon flight.

I am NOT complaining ,this is the risk we take when we use our reduced flying rates as an ex airline employee, so waking up at 5AM to catch the morning flight and landing after 12 hours in Colorado Springs is part of our lives,and it is OK.

David is the owner of Mountaindale Cabins & RV Resort near Colorado Springs www.campground1.com ,we have know him since 2005 and are enjoying his friendship since then,and it all started from one phone call I made in 2005 to reserve a site for 2 weeks just before the 4th of July.

I had a list of Passport America C.G but I chose the second on the list and talked to David,somehow he recognized from where I come from just from my accent and all the rest is as you say “history”, we connected immediately being both Jewish we found allot in common.

So this great guy send his wife that works in Denver to pick us up to his resort,we meet her for the first time and immediately fell in love with her, they make a great couple.

As we still are with out our “home” David put us in one of his lovely cabins.

It has 2 large bedrooms with Queen size beds,one bedroom for the kids with 2 beds,large living room,balcony with a barbeque grill,fully equipped kitchen attached to a dinning area and 2 bathrooms,good WiFi and a lousy AT&T reception.

The C.G got a huge uplift since 2005,it’s located out of town but close enough and has beautiful spacious RV sites with FHU and some P/T ones.

The place is full of friendly and welcoming people as this sign says.

I have gone on http://www.rvillage.com/home and found 4 members in the same C.G but still did not meet them.

If you are in Colorado Springs area and are looking for a GREAT C.G ,dog friendly-THIS is the place to come.

Forks of the Credit Provincial Park Ontario

While visiting our son’s family we decided to take advantage of the great weather and drive one hour to hike with our Grand Daughter (she will of course be in a royal seat on my son’s back) in Forks of Credit P.P

Forks of the Credit Provincial Park, located in Caledon, Ontario, Canada is part of the Ontario Parks system and is part of the Niagara Escarpment biosphere. The park is on the Bruce Trail. The Credit River runs through the park.

When we arrived to the park we found out that some trails leading to the falls are closed and so is the viewing platform , so we decided to take the ranger’s suggested longer route to where the falls can be seen.

The one and a half mile one way had up hill stretches but most of the way it was levelled and beautiful.

Ellie was very alert all the way and pointed to the birds,butterflies and planes that were seen and herd as we hiked.

I was surprise that during the week end with such a good weather there were only few visitors but that of course made the whole visit more pleasant.

At half way we found a nice place next to the river and had our snacks.

This girl is always in a good mood no matter what or when she is full of smiles,try to make a serious face next to her and she will make you smile,what a blessing.

On the way back she fell asleep comfortably on her fathers shoulders smelling happily to this world.

It sure was a great day where 3 generations got lost in the right direction….