Anxious to be on our way, we rose early and began preparations to leave camp. That old saying about a stitch in time rose up to bite us once again. We know from experience that doing tire checks thee night before saves us precious time. Alas, when we finally checked the tires we found them in need of air. Bless Jim, he pulled the compressor and began the task. While he did that chore, I took the girls out for a final walk before the long ride ahead. Once the tires were filled, we were ready to head out.
The KOA, like many camping grounds built 10 years or more ago, was not built to accommodate today's larger rigs. Thus, getting into and out of spaces in the park are a challenge. We had to cross three rows of sites to reach a spot in the road big enough for us to turn back toward the exit. That done, we had to maneuver another tight turn to gain access to the dump station. Our site had water and electric but no sewer, making a stop to drain the tanks necessary before hitting the road. It has been a long time since we had to use one of these stations and Jim was nervous about the process. As a matter of fact, getting the system organized for easy use was one of the things on our list of the previous day. The time invested paid off. It went smoothly and we were on our way.
Our route took us past Sunset and on out into new territory. This area is ranch country with lots of horses. The herds were beautiful with individual horses in many shades and variations of colors. As we past, some of the animals would run across the pasture as if they were enjoying the pure joy of running. In this area, we saw our first elk. It was running across an area as if something or someone was chasing it. Our first wildlife.
We drove through areas of the Painted Desert and on toward the unique landscape of Monument Valley. We recognized the formations we could see from a distance from our trip of last year to Utah. Further along, the land began to change with large mesas covered in green grasses and tiny yellow flowers. It was truly lovely.
While the road was surrounded by all this beauty, the road itself was a beast. Highway 160 proved to be a good lesson in driving for when we get to Alaska. While it was mostly straight, the surface undulated at times gently and others with vigor. Driving anywhere near the speed limit of 65 was impossible and we were sure everything inside the RV would be like scrambled eggs! Further along, there was lots of construction to repair the rough road surface. As we approached work, signs warned of unpaved road surface ahead along with signs warning of bumps. Let's just say these were not suggestions. Not slowing to a crawl netted severe bumps that would no doubt jumble the RV. Poor Savannah would react every time we entered one of these sections as the rumbling sounds made her nervous. She would sit up and pant heavily until it passed. Poor thing.
Finally we passed Four Corners - the place where Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Colorado come together. There is a monument there but it had started to rain so we did not stop. We were anxious to be out of Arizona and into Colorado. As we crossed, we could see in the distance a snow capped mountain range rise, glowing in the sun. Finally, after six hours of driving, we arrived at our destination, Dolores, CO.
Dolores is a quaint town located in a valley on the banks of the Dolores River. Our campground is pretty and well laid out. There are three ponds and of course, the river. Our site sits right on the largest of the ponds. The couple that own the park greeted us and Billy, the husband lead us to our site. Everything looked pretty level and there is a concrete patio where we can sit and enjoy our surroundings. Parking went so well, we decided to do it twice. 😉 The site is narrow and we have three slides. After everything was set and the truck disconnected, we found that the living room slide could not extend fully without striking the electrical tower. So, we disconnected everything, reconnected the truck and moved the rig over to gain room. What is the joke, wash and repeat? In the end, we finished just before darkness began to fall bringing with it a fall in temperatures. Definitely cooler here with tonight's low expected to be in the 40s. No matter, we will be snug as a bug in a rug inside our rig. We were certainly glad to be in camp. The long drive was tiring but good conditioning for the trip ahead. On thing is for certain, sleep will be welcomed after a light supper. Tomorrow, we can explore this beautiful area.
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