We must have been really wiped out from our grand tour in the park, because we didn't do much in the two days we were there. We did make a friend. Isn't he gorgeous? I'm guessing he's a collared lizard because our friend Lloyd identified one on his blog awhile ago.
Leaving McPhee Reservoir, we headed north on CO 145, part of the scenic San Juan Skyway. Boy, is it ever. The aspen leaves were just coming out and bright green.
Now for my rant. There are a couple of national forest campgrounds along this road that we thought sounded inviting. Since they were listed as being open from May to September, I called the ranger district office to ask if they were actually open. It turned amusing when she told me to call the national reservation number for that information. Really?!? Well, I did and was told yes, they are open. Imagine our surprise to find both campgrounds securely closed. Grrr.
So we went on. We wanted to check out Telluride, a pretty little mountain town, surrounded by snow-covered peaks. We unhooked the car and left the RV at a pull off outside of town. (actually where this picture was taken.)
The only other time I was in Telluride was when I went to the doctor there for shingles. I only had three spots, but knew the medicine only works if you catch it quickly. Although the doctor wasn't convinced that I had shingles, he gave me the prescription and the spots went away without spreading any further. Seems to be a confirmation to me.
I love these cute alpine towns. Look how quaint.
Did these people move from San Francisco?
We even found a partially frozen waterfall.
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Soon we hitched back up and continued on our way, with me snapping more pictures out the front window.
But the stress had taken its toll and when we came across this really wide pull off, we felt it calling our name for an overnight stop.
Nice pictures of Telluride. And it looks like as nice a place as any to spend the night even if it was just a wide turn out. Sure had a pretty view.
ReplyDeleteI thought you said you were done taking lizard pictures. Glad you changed your mind!
ReplyDeleteI love your lizard. Scooter would like to chase him even more. The whole government thing is ridiculous any more. The Ranger should have said no, we haven't been able to get them open yet. How hard is that. Drives me crazy. Beautiful area you're in.
ReplyDeleteI can understand why the campgrounds might be closed. But neither the district ranger nor the reservation office know it? Give me a break.
ReplyDeleteGreat lizard. What a lovely place to just pull off for the night.
ReplyDeleteSO tell me, does lizard really taste like chicken??? :c)
ReplyDeleteNice lizard, and a good free stopping off place. You must feel safe just stopping off at places like this. Here "free" camping is not legal, but in Europe it is, but there are reported problems with break ins.
ReplyDeleteMaybe they did not get word when the sequester ended last year! Sometimes you just have to wonder about these federal agencies. Sure is a pretty area in that part of Colorado which I hope we can explore ourselves one of these days. --Dave (GoingRvWay.com)
ReplyDeleteHard to believe the local office didn't know if the campgrounds were open yet. We had the same problem with getting different information off the reservation site and calling the state parks in CA. Guess it gives us something else to do!
ReplyDeleteNice pics of Telluride. Wish there was a good place to camp near there.