Silverton

We have a soft spot for Silverton, CO.

This marks our fifth time camping here.  There is just something about the massive peaks and passes, the smell of the pines that keeps pulling us back.

We dropped the teardrop along the tedious, yet familiar Lime Creek Road and made our way into town to see what passes were open.  It was a hellacious snow season for this area, so many passes are still closed.

Since we spent so much time in the Jeep yesterday, we kinda wanted an easy day.  We mosied down Lower Mineral Creek to peek at the waterfalls.

Third photo down in this post from 2016, shows you how 3 years can change a waterfall.

We then went into Silverton to restock on mosquito coils.  Lime Creek is wonderful to camp along, as long as you're prepared to be swarmed.

After a tiny bit of shopping, we motored our way back to camp for a lazy evening of dinner and Sailing Lavagabonde.

North Rim, Lees Ferry and Colorado

One could easily spend a week in Kaibab and not see everything.  We merely scratched the surface.  But, by moving on, we've saved many more trails and overlooks to look forward to in the future.

On our way east, we stopped in Lees Ferry.  No schedule means, we'll get to Colorado when we get to it, and camp wherever is most convenient.

We dipped our toes in the cold river, saw off several rafters then made our way through the painted desert into the nothingness of northeast Arizona.

We motored through Cortez and camped in the NF outside of Mancos.  We struggled to find a quick, tucked away spot, and ended up right off a main road.

But we needn't worry, as no one other than cattle passed by the campsite til morning.

North Rim: Day 2

Rarely do we spend so much time in a National Park.  But the North Rim is different.  Kaibab NF offers so many different vantage points to see various parts of this geological wonder.

We left the trailer for the day and wandered to the end of the NF road we were camping on to see the valley.

After a quick refuel, we headed back into the park proper to see the Rim from the other vantage points the NPS offered.  I've been told by many that the South Rim doesn't compare to the North, but you don't fully appreciate how wildly different and breathtaking the North Rim is until you make it there yourself.

At Angel Window, dogs weren't permitted on trail, so Mike set up a chair in the shade of the Jeep and read while I wandered down to see the canyon.

Sometimes when something is so vast, so large, you need to change perspective and remember to look for the little things.

I took a turn in the shade with the girls so Mike could go see the window.  

After leaving Angel Window, we hit a few side viewpoints on our way down.  And saw a beggar on our way too.

We made it back to camp, cooked up dinner and squeezed into bed for our last night in Arizona.

North Rim via Dirt

We woke to find that the ant situation we experienced the night prior didn't get any better in the morning.

While they weren't bitey, they were annoying.  So we packed up and headed along NF roads to Fire Point.  It was quite the jaunt to get there, but once at the canyon's edge, we had the place all to ourselves.  We set up our chairs, I made lunch and we spent an enjoyable mid morning relaxing in the breeze.

One dirt road to a canyon edge not being enough, Mike decided we needed to get to Sublime Point.  It was a haul.  Towing the pig of a teardrop behind us, we slugged along roads that required 4 low until finally reaching our destination.

The overlook was amazing.  Storms were rolling in, so the trio of dirt bike riders that followed us up left just prior to us.  It took us just as long to get out as it did in, via a different route that dropped us back into the park.  Just prior to pavement, we paused in a grassy clearing to get the 4 low rattle out of our bones.

On our way out of the park, we finally spotted a herd of bison.  We stopped along the road to watch them graze, cross the road for water, and run back to the west side to join up with the rest of the herd. It was the highlight of the afternoon.

Deciding to try NF roads on the east side this evening, we again lucked out with a disused alfa offshoot and hid in the trees, away from the road.

It was a long day, but sometimes the best ones are.

Vacation Mode Activated

It has been over a year since we've taken a proper vacation.  Off the grid, out in the wild, vacation.  And we both needed it.  I spent 6 months away for work, and we've been working our butts off on the Revcon renovation, it was past time.

This year we had no plan.  Pack up the teardrop, load the pups into the Jeep and point north.  We had a vague idea of starting off in the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.   So up I-17 we went.  Mike had never been to Sunset Crater, so we decided that would be a good stopping point to stretch our legs and make lunch.

Once through the park, we found dirt...well loose volcanic soil, and made our way into the Cinder Hills ORV area for a quiet lunch.  The geography of this area is pretty incredible and we decided that a fall trip to relax and explore is in order.

Once back on pavement, we continued north into the Wuptaki National Monument.  It has been 10 years, but since I've been already, I stayed in the Jeep while Mike explored around.

After our quick detour, we slabbed our way north.  We motored into the North Rim park around 5ish. Went to the visitors center overlook, stretched our legs, then left the park to find camp in Kaibab.

We headed on a NF road, found a disused alfa offshoot, and stowed away for the evening.

It was an amazing day spent adventuring with the girls.  Getting long doses of mountain air and curling into bed in the cooling temperatures is just what I needed.