Return Home from Crested Butte & Trip Summary

We departed Crested Butte and headed south with a few stops planned on the road home from the Mountain Words Festival (see blog). On our way out, we stopped at this fence for a quick photo of the clear sky and snow capped mountains.

South edge of Crested Butte, CO

We made our way down to Penitente Canyon. This is on the western side of the wide San Luis Valley in southern Colorado. It's across the valley from Great Sand Dunes National Park. Penitente Caynon's rocks were volcanic in origin and associated with the San Juan volcanic field and the collapse of a caldera 20 million years ago. The area is popular with rock climbers. Our campsite was tucked into the rocks, similar to a spot we had a Joshua Tree a few years ago.

Camper van tucked into the rocks

We hiked the Penitente Canyon loop trail through, and up above the rocks. There are pictographs in the area, including one at the trailhead.

Hiking into Pentitente Canyon, CO

When the rocks look back at you. Look up Bebop!

Up above the canyon with a great view of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in the distance

Pictograph at the trailhead

We followed the Rio Grande south and camped along the river in the Orilla Verde Recreation Area at the Rio Bravo campground. This is a bit southwest of Taos, NM. We hiked a few trails - one overlooking, and one along, the Rio Pueblo de Taos.

Along the Rio Grande

Bebop enjoys a swim in the Rio Grande

Flowers along the Rio Pueblo de Taos

Overlook at the Rio Pueblo de Taos

Next, we made our way south to Santa Rosa Lake State Park. Similar to many western areas we've visited in recent years, climate change is taking a toll on the water level. It was less of a lake and more of a large brown puddle. The campground was nice, and we took a hike along the (former) lake edge trail. That evening we had threatening clouds, but the rain missed us. The storm became tornadic about an hour later.

Storm forming overhead

Sunset clouds

The drive becomes pretty dull after that as we made our way toward Lubbock to visit Elena's mom. We monitored the weather, as Texas has been repeatedly pounded by storms while we were gone, and they were forecast to pop up near Lubbock again. We avoided the heavy storms and made our way to Lubbock, then back to the DFW area. 

Trip Data Summary:

Miles Driven: 1,933 miles

Average miles/day: 193

Time Driving: 39 hours

Avg Speed: 49 mph

MPG: 17.6 (vehicle calc); 16.8 (actual)

Gas Used:  115 gallons, average of 11.5 gallons/day

Gas Cost: $355 ($35/day) - avg of $3.09/gallon

- Paul

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Mountain Words Festival in Crested Butte, CO

Elena wanted to attend the Mountain Words Festival in Crested Butte, CO over the Memorial Day weekend, so we loaded up the camper van and planned a 10-day trip there.

The first day was a long drive day - our longest yet at 540 miles. It got us through Texas (just ahead of a some bad storms) and to the Sierra Grande rest stop in New Mexico. Sierra Grande is the tallest extinct volcano in New Mexico at 8,723 feet.

That left us with about 325 miles to drive the next day - mostly up and down mountains. It was a pretty day, and we enjoyed some beautiful scenery along the way. We had lunch along the Arkansas River. We stopped at Monarch Pass (11,312 feet) and Bebop found out that a deep snow pile would not support her weight. 

Elena and Paul near Westcliffe, CO

Our lunch spot along the Arkansas River

Monarch Pass - Bebop is playing king of the snow hill

We arrived in Crested Butte by mid-afternoon and settled into our campsite, less than three miles from downtown. 

Our camper van is dwarfed by the mountains

There was a free event the first night. Rebeca Boyle gave a talk about her book "Our Moon: How Earth's Celestial Companion Transformed the Planet, Guided Evolution, and Made Us Who We Are." I'm a science nerd and know a lot about the moon, but she opened up some new and interesting areas of thought about our orbital companion. Here's a review link. Book link.

That evening, a cold rain moved in, and it turned to snow overnight. Very light at our campground, but the hills above us had a fresh white coating the next morning. That morning, Elena had booked a geology Jeep tour. We were unable to go up into the mountains due to the overnight snow, so we headed a bit south and viewed and discussed the local geology from there.

Geology tour overlook

Elena attended the festival for the remainder of the day, while Bebop and I hiked around various local trails. Bebop found a few sticks to chew.

Stick transporter

Stick shredder - that's Crested Butte in the back

That evening, we attended another free talk by Kevin Fedarco, author of "The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon." Book Link.  He has a new book out called "A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon." Book link. His talk covered both books and featured some spectacular photos and video clips.

Kevin and his friend, National Geographic photographer Pete McBride, set out to hike the entire length of the Grand Canyon. It's 277 miles on the river, but due to the difficulty of finding your own hiking path in the heart of the canyon, it became a 750 mile, year long hike. This could have ended as one of those stories of how people died in the Grand Canyon. But instead, he returned with new wisdom and even more reverence for our wild, natural spaces. He met with members of native tribes who have lived in and around the canyon for 10,000 or more years. He saw signs of their minimal impact habitation. And he saw the threats - from the Hualapai skywalk and helicopter tours, to the proposed tourist tram to the confluence of the Little Colorado. He also heard the wisdom of the people who have been stewards of the canyon - and that we should listen to, and learn from, them.

Kevin said in the dark of night the river was below and the river of stars was overhead. One of the things he most remembered was the silence, and how we've lost that in our modern world. And probably the biggest lesson was that we shouldn't just protect the Grand Canyon, but all the natural wild and beautiful places that have somehow managed to evade our constant encroachment and development. The canyon can make people seem insignificant, yet people wield great power to destroy these amazing places.

On our final full day, Bebop and enjoyed an 8-mile hike and some great scenery. It was mostly flat - only about 500 feet of elevation gain.

Crested Butte

Bebop on the trail. The snowy mountains blend into the clouds.

Paul on the trail

- Paul

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Central Texas for Thanksgiving Week

We are visiting relatives in Harper, TX for Thanksgiving, so we planned a central Texas trip to four Texas parks over a nine-day period. We departed on Thursday, Nov 16th and headed to Dinosaur Valley State Park for one night. The first afternoon we waded in the Paluxy River to view some of the many large dinosaur tracks in the park. We saw a baby bobcat hunting a bird near our camp site just before sunset. The next morning, we did a few miles of hiking in the hills above the river and along a small, clear creek - and we were the only hikers out there.

Dinosaur Valley SP

Dinosaur Valley hiking

The second night was spent at Inks Lake State Park. We hiked to the Devil's Waterhole and along the Devil's Backbone Trail in the evening, then we hiked on the Lake Trail the next morning. The pink and gray granite is really striking in some sections, and we even got a little taste of fall color in a few areas.

Devil's Waterhole and Backbone at Inks Lake SP

A touch of fall color at Inks Lake SP

The next two nights were at Garner State Park. We arrived and walked along the Frio River, then hiked up to Crystal Cave, which is a very small cave - but Elena still had to climb in it. The trails here are often steep with loose gravel, so it was often slow-going - and going down with great caution to keep it as a controlled descent. 

The second day started with drizzle and fog, and the clouds didn't lift much during the day. We walked along the river a bit in the late morning. We waited until mid-afternoon and hiked up to Old Baldy. Again, it was a steep trail, and the moisture made it quite slippery. We took a long route back after the summit and visited another small cave.

Hike up to Crystal Cave at Garner SP

Hike along the Frio River in Garner SP

On top of Old Baldy at Garner SP

Our final park was Lost Maples State Natural Area. This park is in a unique microclimate valley with numerous bigtooth maple trees - which is fairly unusual in Texas. The maple leaves are quite small, which is certainly an adaptation to this hotter climate. The many springs and seeps in the shaded valley areas help the trees survive. These are holdover trees from the last ice age, but the current human caused climate change might finish them off. Many had already dropped leaves in September due to the record heat and drought of the summer. Normally, this week would be peak fall color, but there was only minimal color to be seen. 

We hiked two different trails. The East Loop on the first day - about 6 miles and 660 feet of elevation gain. The second day we hiked the west loop for about 6.6 miles and 550 feet of gain. It was a nice hike and some nice limestone terrain, but the maples, and their fall color, might be in long term decline.

At Monkey Rock and Bebop showing a maple leaf.

Views from Lost Maples.

A few colorful maple leaves.

Here are the trip stats:

Trip Duration: 9 days
Miles Driven: 840 miles
Average miles/day: 93
Time Driving: 18 hours
Avg Speed: 47 mph
MPG: 16.5 (vehicle calc); 15.6 (actual)
Gas Used:  54 gallons, average of 6 gallons/day
Gas Cost: $140 ($15/day) - avg of $2.59/gallon

- Paul

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Fall 2023 Trip Summary

Wrapping up our fall 2023 road trip. Our 2022KL Winnebago Travato (The Bebopabago) performed well for us again, but we did have one issue this time, which I'll detail below.

The primary impetus for this trip was a return hike to the Havasupai reservation in AZ. My permit was delayed two years when the reservation closed due to COVID. It was so nice to finally get back to, what I consider to be, the most beautiful canyon in the world. That four-day adventure has become my new favorite hiking trip of all time. It was also fun to be on the grounds of the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta for 3 nights. 

I posted a few blogs during the trip, and there are numerous photos in each. And, I added a few favorite photos below as well.

Our blog site: https://westbrooktravel.blogspot.com/
- Trip Plan and Map
- Caprock Canyons State Park (TX)
- Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta
- Indigenous People and Places
- A Canyon So Grand
- Return to Havasu Falls
- Bebop Blogs About Sedona and Subway Cave

The one issue we had with the van this trip was with the Truma heater. We had 3 nights at the Grand Canyon. The morning after the first night it was a bit cool, so I tried to turn on the space heater using propane. I could hear it click and start, but then it would shut down after about 10 seconds. Fortunately, we were able to change campsites the next two nights to a site with electricity, as the lows were supposed to be near freezing. The heater ran fine off electricity.

We had plenty of propane and I checked the intake/exhaust port for blockages. I found a small wasp nest, but still had the same issue after I removed it. I suspect a bad propane regulator. Night temperatures moderated, or we had electricity at our subsequent campsites, so I'll address it when I return home. Everything else operated as expected. *UPDATE* Turned out to be the simplest fix of all. Fuse #7, which powers the propane detector and the solenoid valve, had blown. Slid in a new 5 amp fuse and all systems are go again.

I do enjoy data, so here are the trip stats:

Trip Duration: 20 days
Miles Driven: 3,007 miles
Average miles/day: 150
Time Driving: 62 hours
Avg Speed: 48 mph
MPG: 17.6 (vehicle calc); 16.8 (actual)
Gas Used:  179 gallons, average of 8.9 gallons/day
Gas Cost: $636 ($32/day) - avg of $3.55/gallon

A few photos from this trip:

From our boondock site at Bosque Redondo Park in NM

Caprock Canyons State Park (TX)

Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta - So Many Balloons

Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta - Early Morning

Coal Mine Canyon - Elena kept telling me to take a step back, but I didn't fall for it.

Paul & Elena at Ohh-Ahh Point - Grand Canyon Kaibab Trail

Relaxing at Havasu Falls

Family photo at the Subway Cave in Sedona

- Paul

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Bebop Blogging on the Subway Cave

We are near the end of our three-week trip, so it's my turn (it's me Bebop) to write the blog. While dad was at Havasu Falls, mom and I went to Flagstaff. They have a lot of pine trees and sticks there, and the weather was nice.

After we all reunited, we went to a town called Prescott, where we met some friends for dinner. I didn't know them, but my parents did. It was a restaurant with an outdoor patio that allowed dogs. My parents friends fed me some food from the table, so they are now my friends too. We hiked to a lake called Watson Lake. It's in the middle of some granite rocks, which mom really liked. The water was a little low, and it was a bit stinky.

Bebop at Watson Lake in Prescott

The next day we drove to a park called Dead Horse Ranch State Park. I don't know who is in charge of marketing, but I could have come up with a more attractive name - and I'm a dog. Fortunately, we didn't see any dead horses. We didn't see any live ones either, but we did see their horse hoofprints on the trails. We walked along the Verde River and around some lagoons.

Bebop at Dead Horse Ranch State Park

Our final major stop was Sedona, AZ. Our campground backed up to Oak Creek. Dad has hiked here many times. We hiked an old favorite - the Secret Slickrock Trail. On our second day, we decided to do a hike that dad has not done before. It's called the Subway Cave. It was about a 6-mile round trip, with 1,100 feet of elevation gain. We started early in the morning because it's popular and can get crowded. This was not mom's favorite time of day, but she hung with us.

Bebop on the Secret Slickrock Trail in Sedona

Elena in Oak Creek

At one point, we came upon at least six deer just off the trail. One of the deer was a bit aggressive toward me, as there was a baby deer a bit back in the trees. I assured her we meant no harm, but she actually followed us down the trail a bit to make sure we were leaving.

Deer on high alert

We finally got to the base of the cave, and I thought dad was a little nuts with this selection. We had to climb and claw our way up a 45 degree slick rock to reach the cave. I'm very brave, so I took off first up the south edge of the chute. At one point it was so steep that my claws slipped, and I fell down a bit. I caught myself, but I decided I had enough and shot past dad and went the other way. Dad coaxed me back in front of him and gave me a butt boost to get up the slick rock. Then I went over to say hello to a lady coming down the other side while dad tried to scramble up and hold my leash at the same time. We both made it, but mom was still down below. She waited for down traffic to clear and clawed her way up the north edge of the chute.

The steep slot up to the Subway Cave. Elena is climbing in the middle picture.

Bebop keeps an eye on Elena at the Subway Cave

Family photo at the Subway Cave

When we got up there, it was an interesting cave. It had ledges on both sides of the chute and looked like a keyhole. There was already a local cave with that name, so this one was called Subway Cave. After we took a few photos, dad and I crawled around the ledge to some Native American cliff dwelling sites. Mom didn't like the tiny ledge and slid back down the chute on her bottom (in a controlled manner) to wait for us. We made it around the edge to some simple cliff dwelling areas and petroglyph. Dad and I took the alternate route down, which was a little less steep. 

Exploring the Sinagua cliff sites

Overall, it was a fun adventure and an interesting cave. Four paws up. Until next time.

- Bebop

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