Second Spring in the Rockies

After round #2 of the Moderna vaccine (thank you National Guard), we made our farewells to friends in Marathon, prepped Casita Grande and took one last trip down to the Bend, before heading off on the next adventure. Fortunately, we were able to soak in a little of the first spring in West Texas because our journey carried us north, back into wind and snow.

April had us cruising up through New Mexico with stops in Carlsbad (side trip to Guadalupe Mountains National Park), Roswell (so many alien photos) and Santa Fe (if you like to hear opinions, ask Khara about Meow Wolf). The powerful winds had us a little wary of which days we drove the house, so we remained flexible with the schedule. We did make it safely to the Cool Sunshine RV Park in Alamosa, where we found plenty more wind, freezing nights and also, as advertised, beautiful daytime sunshine. From this home base in a non-Texas Rio Grande valley, we enjoyed day trips to Great Sand Dunes National Park, Zapata Falls, nearby wetlands and hot springs. It was also a special treat to visit Tina & Brian in the cutest li’l mountain town of Salida. So glad we can be “neighbors” for a while and squeeze in some adventure together this summer!

After some scouting, we chose a route over the Continental Divide and drove Casita Grande over her first mountain pass to land in our destination of Almont on May 1^st. We got her parked and took a week to explore and get oriented to our new home. Driving trips took us to the eclectic and picturesque mountain town of Crested Butte, along the Taylor River to the snow-covered reservoir from which it originates, and out to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. This last spot had us hiking the rim and soaking up incredible views of a dramatic canyon landscape all day. Wow!

Eventually we found our grocery store, tennis courts, library and WiFi-sharing coffee shops. Isn’t it funny how this seemingly free-wheeling lifestyle requires a structural set up at each new location?! It does bring us balance. Then, we started work at Three Rivers Resort, our summer season workamping gig. Jesse has been kept busy installing new floors, washing windows and running floor shifts at the Smokehouse restaurant.  Khara has been learning the ins and outs of keeping the Raft Desk running for trips on the Taylor River. This place is already hoppin’ and we haven’t even hit peak season of July!

The staff at Three Rivers has been so very welcoming and friendly. While I’m sure the summer won’t be without its hurdles, it feels nice to have a solid team around you. The resort is named for the three rivers which meet in Almont. The East River originates near peaks in Crested Butte. It meets up with the Taylor River, managed by dam flow from Taylor Reservoir. Combined they become the Gunnison River, which flows south and then west through the Black Canyon. It then helps form the Colorado River heading further west through the Grand Canyon and eventually out to the Gulf of California. The oldest structures on the resort were built in the twenties, when this crossroads of a town housed a post office, small store and dance hall. They added a couple Conoco gas pumps and slowly grew their lodging. The Schumacher family bought the property in the early 1980s, made renovations, expanded housing, added outfitting for rafting and fishing and a restaurant. As their main business is filled with summer tourism, Three Rivers winter lodging is often filled by long term rentals for those who work at nearby ski resorts.

We are absolutely tickled pink to spend our long summer in this region, working at the resort and exploring landscapes unfamiliar… rocky mountain peaks, green canyons, tall conifers and aspens, cold rushing rivers for white water rafting, an array of new-to-us wildflowers and birds, and hiking trails galore. While the freezing nights in May were still a bit off-putting for these Texans, second spring has really arrived for us in the Rockies now. Spotting the new growth on trees and oodles of colorful flowers popping up have been a delight. And did I mention how excited Jesse is to be out of Texas for a summer? Colorado spring (and now summer) is such a dramatically different experience than what we have been accustomed to these many years in the south. The waterfalls, streams, creeks and rivers appear full and rushing to us, though we are told they are on the light side this year. Bright sparkly mornings with strong high elevation sunshine are often followed by afternoon pop up showers, rainbows and cool evenings. It certainly provides us fresh perspective to live in a mountain season so new to us.