Tuesday, June 7
Ranch north of Dolores, Colorado
The crew and I leave Bradfield Campground on the Dolores River and head for Cortez.
Before we search for a new camp, we need to stock up on supplies!
For those of you who like to follow our route on your map . . . Road 16 takes us south to Route 491, where we head southeast to the Wal-Mart in Cortez.
Bridget and Reggie enjoy a brief walk-about in the parking lot. As I’m loading them into the Perfect Tow Vehicle, a man approaches.
I know from his smile what he’s going to say.
“You must be RVSue!”
He tells me he and his wife are longtime readers of my blog. They’re from Mesa, Arizona, and camp in a fifth wheel.
“You’ve inspired us,” he says warmly.
Later, upon my return to the PTV with a load of groceries, I find a note on my windshield.
Paranoia kicks in.
Oh great, some busybody left a note . . . “It’s cruel to leave dogs in a vehicle. You should be ashamed of yourself. I hope you rot in hell!”
I open the note which says, “It was cool to finally meet you and the canine crew. Happy trails.”
Well, isn’t that nice.
From Cortez the PTV takes us north on Route 145 to the lively town of Dolores.
My plan is to drive on 145 as it traces the Dolores River into San Juan National Forest. I’ve heard there are boondocks along this road that goes to Rico, Colorado. I don’t know how many miles we travel on this road, but we don’t arrive at a boondocking area before I begin to react to the altitude.
Although we’re within the boundary of the national forest, homes and ranches dominate the river valley. All the private property makes boondock-hunting difficult.
Well, I don’t know how much further we have to climb to find boondocks. Maybe they meant these pull-outs along the road. We don’t do roadside camping. I’d better not take us any further. Bridget looks okay and I’d like to keep her that way . . .
We backtrack to Forest Road 535 which follows the West Dolores River.
I know from studying my Benchmark atlas that there are campgrounds along this road. I choose Mavreeso Campground.
My first impression of the campground is less than positive.
Electric sites are side-by-side with no separation. Yuck.
The camp host comes out to greet us. He’s happy to answer my questions.
The camp fee is $19, half that price with the senior pass. Electric is an additional $6.
He glances up at the solar panel on top of the PTV.
“I know the perfect site for you. Go all the way to the end of the loop. There’s a pull-through site, not electric, and you’re right by the river. It’s the best site in the campground. You’ll like it.”
“Okay, thanks! I’ll take it!”
Wow! It IS a beautiful site.
Our view of the campground is mostly blocked, giving the feeling that we are camped by ourselves. Standing in the doorway of the Best Little Trailer, I see the river chugging by.
The water is high up the riverbank. It makes a constant roar. Lovely.
Shortly after I complete camp set-up, the host comes by with his clipboard.
“Thank you for sending us to this campsite. It is beautiful,” I remark as I hand him a check for $19 for two nights.
“You have good timing. This site is usually occupied,” he replies, smiling.
Bridget, Reggie, and I chow down on the rotisserie chicken purchased earlier. I sit at the picnic table watching the river. After lunch I turn to Bridget and Reggie with a suggestion. A trail goes into the forest, alongside the river, starting at our campsite.
“C’mon, crew! Let’s take a river walk!
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rvsue
NOTE: I’m not able to respond to comments at our present camp (I haven’t shown it to you yet) which is where the crew and I are going as soon as I finish this. Please answer questions and welcome new people. Thank you.
I’m excited! I found a boondock up on this ridge near where I parked for internet connection. It’s absolutely gorgeous and I should be able to go online, post and comment from this place. Here’s hoping nobody grabs it before tomorrow morning when we leave our present campground (two camps after the one in this post). I’ll be able to catch up this blog in a lovely, natural, quiet setting and we’ll be camping for free! — Sue
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