One week near Buena Vista, Colorado…
Why we came…
Mostly for appointments and hopefully a little fishing.
Taking a break at Poncha Pass, elevation 9,010 feet
The campground
The Buena Vista KOA was nice. We loved the view from our site, #P48. We were at the top of the hill and overlooked the Arkansas River Valley and Collegiate Peaks…it was a post card view! The packed gravel access road and campsite were a little tough due to our overall length. The site was unlevel, and the truck even more unlevel, making hitching and unhitching a challenge. We just had to make sure that we were well chalked.
We had full hook-ups, a reliable Verizon 4G cell phone signal, and really good wi-fi. The campground owners and their sizeable staff were friendly, hard-working, and very accommodating. Our section of the campground was peaceful though other sections temporarily had rambunctious kids and noisy guests. The laundry/shower/bathroom facilities were kept clean and in good order.
The location was good for our purposes centrally spotted between Salida, Frisco, and Spinney Mountain Reservoir. The KOA was the third campground we’ve stayed at in the area. We prefer it and would gladly return, especially if we can get the same site.
We had a great view of Mount Princeton, elevation 14,196 feet, and Mount Antero, elevation 14,275 feet
Our post card-like view of the Upper Arkansas River Valley from our front door
Nearby towns…
Buena Vista (BV), population 2,617 and elevation 7,965 feet, is in a sweet spot in the upper Arkansas River valley back-dropped by the lofty Collegiate Peaks. The area is an outdoors mecca attracting rafters, fisherpeople, hikers, backpackers, mountain bikers, ATV’ers, hunters, and snow enthusiasts. The little town is very busy during summer when it’s overrun by visitors. The main grocery store, a small City Market, needs to double in size and get a much bigger parking lot to keep up with demand. There are a few other small stores, a good selection of restaurants, and a variety of outdoors oriented shops.
Salida, population 5,236 and elevation 7,083 feet, is the main supply center in the area and located 25 miles to the south. It has a Walmart, Safeway, a couple of good hardware stores, roughly 40 restaurants, and a small hospital.
We tend to migrate back to this area. We’ve made three visits in the last four years. Salida, Buena Vista, and the Upper Arkansas Valley draw us. Not only have we established a dentist and doctor there, but we always enjoy returning.
We went into town on three different days for medical, dental, nail, and hair appointments. Plus, we thoroughly resupplied. Salida is the perfect sized community where it offers all the services we need, yet is still small enough that we can park near the center of town and walk to most of our appointments. We like Salida and Buena Vista and could easily settle in the area someday.
Adventures…
On 5 June we did a short hike…
It was time for a nostalgic walk and a little exercise… We spent the winter in the Buena Vista area four years ago, and while waiting for snow, did a lot of hiking around Midland Hill, a rocky ridge east of Buena Vista.
We parked at the Midland Trailhead, 1.5 miles past the Collegiate Peaks Overlook, and north of Highway 24. We walked along the historic railroad route and appreciated the view of the Collegiate Peaks.
Arleen’s goal was to see a house, perched just above the east side of the Arkansas River, that was for sale. We found the house but discovered later that there was already a purchase offer. We’d love to wake up to that view every day! That’s all right. The house was way too big and way out of our price range…
Hike route on the Midland Trail / Overlooking Buena Vista
On 6 June we turned a necessary appointment in Frisco into an adventure…
Unfortunately, we weren’t in Buena Vista to play. We were there for responsibilities: doctor and dentists appointments. The first appointment was to see my endocrinologist in Frisco. We left early in an effort to turn the day into adventure.
We drove north on highway 24, up the scenic upper Arkansas Valley and through the historic mining town of Leadville, elevation 10,152 feet. The highest peaks in Colorado line the west side of the valley, and the impressive Mosquito Range lines the east side. Leadville is in a beautiful a spot!
Just north of Leadville, we veered right onto highway 91 and climbed even higher to 11,319 foot high Fremont Pass. We crossed the now tiny Arkansas River near its headwaters and were wedged between the dramatic 10 Mile Range and Gore Range.
We had more than an hour of spare time that I wanted to spend fishing. My first choice was Clinton Gulch Dam Reservoir, just north of Fremont Pass. Though there was still a bunch of snow on the north side of everything, we were a bit surprised to see that the lake was 95% locked in ice.
I spotted some open water near the highway pull-out as we drove across the dam. Minutes after we parked, I eagerly scrambled down the rocky bank, fly rod in hand.
The target was hungry cutthroat trout eager to feed after spending eight months sulking under the ice. I tried everything in my bag of tricks without any luck. I theorized that the trout were spawning at the east end of the reservoir near the primary creek inlet. While I fished, Arleen enjoyed walking around the area and capturing images of me and the scenic lake.
We hopped back in the truck and descended rapidly to Copper Mountain Resort. Then we headed east on Interstate 70 and drove through the narrow canyon to Frisco. We love when a good chunk of spectacular Summit County comes into view. If it wasn’t such a busy place, it would be near the top of our “Places to Settle” list!
I hadn’t seen my endocrinologist since last September. I happily told the doctor that he was meeting the “real me” for the first time! My Graves Disease is being controlled by medication, but is “active” and I still struggle at times. Much of the last year has been rough, but thankfully, things are slowly improving. The doctor appointment went well. I’m at the point where I have to seriously consider having the thyroid removed. For now, I’ll pray that the medication continues to work and that I continue to improve. Until then, I will continue to do lab tests every six to eight weeks to make sure things don’t get too out of whack.
After the appointment, we loaded up on hard-to-find groceries at the Whole Foods in Frisco. Instead of driving the same way back, we chose to complete a spectacular 140 mile loop through the heart of the Colorado Rockies.
We drove south through Breckenridge, over 11,542 foot high Hoosier Pass, descended through the quaint towns of Alta and Fairplay, skirted the west side of expansive South Park, and dropped down Trout Creek Pass to the Arkansas Valley. As highway 24/285 twists and turns down the narrow desert-like canyon, 14,196 foot high Mount Princeton eventually dominates the view ahead, and we feel like we are returning “home”.
Clinton Gulch Dam Reservoir, elevation 11,076 feet, is right along highway 91. It was 95% frozen!
Casting from the ice. We saw no signs of fish.
On 4 and 9 June we fished Spinney Mountain Reservoir in South Park…
Spinney Mountain Reservoir is a special place and we always look forward to returning. Our anticipation grows as we slowly drive across the dam and try to spot the huge trout that Spinney is known for.
We like to fish a spot we named “Brian’s Point”. The first time we took him out there, he schooled us. We always enjoy fishing there, but it’s best when Brian is with us! We coordinated with him a few weeks in advance to make sure that he could be there.
We met at the usual spot like we’ve done many times in the past. While we donned our waders and organized gear, we got caught up on each other’s lives. By the time we “hit the trail”, it seemed like it was just yesterday that we did this very same thing!
We arrived at “the spot” and made a few observations: The weather was almost too nice for fishing, a bit warm, very sunny, and uncharacteristically calm for South Park. The lake was about eight feet low which actually works to our favor because we wouldn’t snag the willows. There were quite a few adult chironomids buzzing about…trout food. Only a few trout rose to feed, and they were well out of our reach. As always, there was a wide variety of birds. There was still a bunch of snow on the surrounding high mountains!
After nearly 30 minutes of walking, we arrived at “Brian’s Point”, waded knee deep into the water, and started stringing out some long casts. Arleen hooked a good fish within the first fifteen minutes. The heavy trout stripped line out three times before getting off. It was a good sign…We might be in for an epic day!
We fished hard for the next four hours. Arleen had one more hit and Brian had a few opportunities, but unfortunately, that was the closest they got to a fish. I had five hits, and landed just two nice rainbows.
Success can be spotty at Spinney. Hours of effort are worth it when one of those strong Spinney trout hit your fly and take off! Besides, the scenery is outstanding and we enjoy the antics of the Canada Geese, American White Pelicans, and other birds. Spinney is always a full experience and we’ll be back.
There are a bunch of people fishing Spinney on a perfect weather weekend
We love seeing American White Pelicans at high mountain lakes
Lots of Canada Geese hang out at Spinney. Pikes Peak is in the left picture. That’s the most snow we’ve ever seen on the 14,114 foot high mountain during the second week of June.
Brian and I fly-fishing Spinney Mountain Reservoir. The lofty Mosquito Range is in the background.
Arleen hooked a couple but didn’t land them
This fish peeled off a hundred yards of line!
A 21 inch long rainbow trout and a fat 19 inch long rainbow trout
We always see pronghorns in South Park, and there are often a couple of hot air balloons in the mornings
Bison and mules in South Park. We’ve also seen deer, elk, and bears.
We met four new friends…
We belong to the Northwood RV Owners Association and communicate with other folks through the web based forum. We were contacted by Craig and Lucinda. They hit the road “full timing” just a month prior.
We eagerly met and shared a few stories and plans for the future. Craig and Lucinda, we wish you many years of adventures and safe travels. We look forward to a real adventure with you somewhere down the road.
New friends, Craig and Lucinda, along the Arkansas River in Buena Vista CO
Arleen went to Las Manos Therapeutic Massage in Buena Vista for a massage on her still ailing back. She came away with two new friends after a lengthy discussion of our lifestyle with the owners, William and Colleen.
We met them for dinner at our favorite BV restaurant, the Asian Palate. We chatted for several hours, and swapped travel stories. William and Colleen are a fascinating couple and we look forward to seeing them again when we return to BV.
Move day shenanigans…
Move day route
“Move Day” was a short 73 miles from Buena Vista to Westcliffe. We had a couple more appointments in Salida and decided that it would be best to stop in route with the trailer in tow.
Arleen noted on Google satellite that the parking lot behind the high school was a perfect place to park the truck and trailer. Not only was it convenient to our route, but we’d easily be able to walk to appointments.
Well, in the last few months the school had installed solar panels that double as parking overhangs. They were not evident on the satellite image.
We arrived in a bit of a hurry and made a hasty decision to park partially under the overhang. As we slowly pulled out, we got too close to one of the support beams. We got closer and closer with each maneuver. Uh oh…We were stuck!
We called Good Sam for assistance. They mentioned that since we were on private property, they could not help and that we needed to call the authorities. Our next phone call was to the Salida Police Department.
Two very nice officers came out to evaluate the situation. While I discussed options with the officers, Arleen called Lance at Holiday RV. Even though they do not offer road assistance, they were very curious about our predicament. Arleen emailed pictures and it fueled their desire to solve our unusual puzzle.
The police hurriedly left after receiving an emergency call. They told us that they’d be back later to verify that we did not damage school property.
The guys from Holiday RV arrived, Arleen signed a release, and they eagerly went to work. It was a nail-biting show! It took Lance about an hour to figure it out. He even let air out of the tires to just squeak our home under the structure. We held our breath but he got her out! Finally, we were on our way to Westcliffe, just a few hours behind schedule. The only damage was done to our wallets and pride. Even after five years of living on the road, we still make mistakes!
We got ourselves wedged under a parking overhang at the Salida high school. Arleen is calling the police in the left picture.
Next…
We have been playing near Westcliffe CO for the last month and will head to Crested Butte CO for two weeks. After that, we will spend two weeks in Ouray CO, three weeks in Silverton CO, and five weeks in Pagosa Springs CO. We love summers in the Colorado Rockies!
Parting shots…
We had a bird box by our door and enjoyed watching mommy and daddy bluebird bring snacks to their youngsters / Thunderstorms brewing over South Park. It’s time to go!
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