Grand Lake, CO at Winding River Resort, Thurs. June 14 Day 29
Language changes, Inside Small Places and Horse Lovers
We are noticing that our manner of speech is changing.
Helen: How long have we had this bacon?
Chris: Since Oklahoma
Helen: Well it smells like Mississippi.
Life in a 17 foot camper.
The other night we got our feet tangled in the same pajama bottom.
"Is that your fork on my side of the bed?"
"How in hell did you get coffee grounds inside my tennis shoe???"
"I'm driving to the bathroom. I can't make it on foot this morning."
"We brought only one set of bed sheets????"
This is our third day at Winding River Resort. It should be called Horse and Moose Ranch Resort. The owners are very accommodating and easy to talk to. We voted their showers the best yet. Early in the morning we awoke to the sound of many horses hooves and wranglers yelling eeiah-eeiah (best I can do). The other morning a horse came flying into the corral at full gallop, stirrups flapping in the breeze and skidded to a stop. I assumed an early morning horse show was about to start. The owner Wes and several of his wranglers started running in the direction the house came from. Apparently the rider had fallen off some distance away and the horse was "heading back to the barn." A young man walked up beside me watching the action. I asked him if horses were programmed to do that, you know, return to the coral if the rider falls off. He said, "You bet. They know where there're fed." Turns out he's one of the wranglers on his day off. He just graduated from High School from North Alabama and a friend got him a job here at Winding River Resort several weeks ago. I said, "Even experienced wranglers fall off once in a while?" He said "Yes, absolutely". When horse does this"…and he hops quickly to the right… "and then you go left". Sounds simple enough to me partner…And I didn't know horses hopped.
The people here love working with horses. Each day they take visitors on trail rides in the Rocky Mountain National Park along the headwaters of the Colorado River. Many people bring their own horses here and corral them behind their campers. The resort sets up portable corrals in different configurations. The horse trailers are over 40 feet, shiny and chrome, and the riders live in the front part. They cost over 1/2 million each including the tractor. I just spoke to one of the drivers. They are from Missouri and caravanning with three other rigs. These people travel around herding cattle and moving hay during the cattle season. He was bitching about the quality of diesel and how the corn bio diesel clogs up the fuel injectors.
The camp has ice cream socials, a Chuck Wagon Breakfast I'm not allowed to eat, hayrides, and moose poop.
The other morning a mother moose passed by the camper.
The "lodge-pole pines" in the area, are being devastated by pine beetles. The mountainsides are brown and forest fires are of grave concern. Landowners are cutting them down as fast as they can and selling them for lumber. Wes, the owner, said the resort has cut down over 1000 already. Aspens are moving in fast.
Grand Lake, CO at Winding River Resort, Wed. June 13 Day 28
White Knuckle Driving and Snort'in Elk at 12,000 and a wrong turn at Whatsitville.
We're going though Rocky Mountain National Park this morning. The 45 mile "Ridge Road" through the park is very high, in fact the highest road in north America and it just opened the first of June. We will see lots of snow.
Later: I've nipped a hole in our leather seat covers!!! This was one of the scariest white-knuckle drives of my life. This is worst than flying. In addition, they're doing road repairs "up there" and you have to pass large trucks and other equipment. Going around one sharp curve we uncounted a very large Elk in the center of the road about 20 feet away. I slammed on the breaks. He snorted at me. Helen grabbed the camera and started firing. I think we got one good shot. This drive was so scary we took a 200-mile detour from Estes Park around the whole damn park so we wouldn't have to return the same way. Helen said, "I'll drive…doesn't worry me." Be it as it may, I croaked, "I don't even want to watch you do it." Thank god we weren't pulling the camper, although we did witness one fool towing a Casita from the other direction. The experience was real. It was fun. But it was not real fun. The pictures tell all. On the drive back to Grand Lake we got turned around near Lyon Co and had to double back. Our route took us through the town of Ward. What a trip! Like going back in time, more like time out of mind. Pretty close to "Dog Patch".
From Helen: We had a nice lunch and visit with Betty. She looks great and hasn't changed at all. We both forgot pictures to share so plan to e-mail them to each other. Although we haven't changed or aged one bit, it seems that our children have.
