Book Review - Russia Against Napolean

Finished reading Russia Against Napoleon by Dominic Lieven a Professor of History at the London School of Economics. The writing is a bit professorial at times but his research pays off in a tremendously detailed account of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia and the allies subsequent defeat of Napoleon in Paris. The conditions (e.g., winter, lack of food, disease, etc.) under which these armies fought and the tremendous loss of life (hundreds of thousands) is almost unimaginable especially in today's wars (e.g., Iraq and Afghanistan). This book provides interesting background to understanding modern Russia, France, and Europe; I gained a new respect for Russia's Alexander I and maybe a understanding bit of why Putin acts the way he does towards Ukraine. 

When reading this and other history books, I feel soft; men and women back then, and even as recent as my parents generation, were tough and resilient people. I wouldn't want to go back to live in the past, but for me, history books like this clearly demarcate the difference between wants and needs. Don't get me wrong - I love my comforts. For example, when I see people camping in tents, especially in cold, windy weather, I am very grateful for my Airstream:) On the other hand, while I miss my Miele dishwasher, refrigerator, clothes washer, and dryer, I'm getting along just fine without them. 

Cheyenne, Wyoming

While camping at Curt Gowdy State Park, I made a couple of trips (30 minutes east) to Cheyenne to visit the library, stock up on supplies, and to walk a few neighborhoods. I've always liked the size of Cheyenne and although it is only 2 hours north of Denver it feels light years away. The small town feel of Cheyenne seems like a place where one could live downtown without the high level buzz and stress of a bigger city (e.g., Denver). There are not a lot of touristy shops downtown so even on a weekend, downtown traffic is not bad.

I was surprised by the number of sidewalks that were installed to avoid trees.

Downtown Cheyenne on a Sunday

Laramie County Public Library; free WiFi!

These boots are all over downtown; they sorta function as billboards with lots of information about different facilities (this one is by the library).

The most accessible State Capitol I've ever visited.

Boot by the State Museum

How to comment on and follow my blog

Several people have told me they are not sure how to comment on my blog so this post is a "how to".
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Thanks to everyone who follows my blog and for the comments received to date; I enjoy hearing from you! If this "how to" post is not clear, doesn't work for your, or you still have questions about how to comment, please email me.

Wyoming Weather

Camping at Curt Gowdy State Park (or anywhere in WY) provides a good test of my Airstream. Since I arrived last Wednesday, the area has experienced stormy weather with mostly cloudy skies, cool nights, intermittent (sometimes intense) rain, and strong gusty winds. I've seen several campers lose their tents due to the winds  and while the gusts sometimes rock my AS, I feel safe and secure inside during these storms. The lack of sun for two full days caused me to worry about having enough power but the system is working fine and my 4 6-volt batteries have enough juice to power critical 1500 watt appliances (e.g., tea kettle and induction stovetop burner). Last night the furnace ran much of the night because the lack of sun during the day and strong winds at night cooled night time temperatures (Laramie was 48 this morning). When I think about the options I considered (e.g., truck camper) and see other campers in tents, I'm very thankful to have my AS:)

Happy Hour at Curt Gowdy

While at Curt Gowdy State Park, a very good friend of mine (Alan) from Cheyenne, stopped by with his friend Max to say hello. Alan and I had lunch in Cheyenne earlier in the day and it turns out Curt Gowdy is his favorite fishing hole so after an afternoon of fishing, Alan and Max stopped by my Airstream and brought a couple of beers to share - thoughtful guys! Max was kind enough to take a photo of Alan and me (on the right). One of the many things I like about this new lifestyle is the flexibility to meet with new and old friends.

Cooking Outdoors

After 13 weeks on the road I have yet to cook outdoors. Initially, I thought I would be doing a lot of outdoor cooking and even purchased a new Volcano grill at the beginning of my trip but that turned out to be a waste of money - I donated it.

There are a couple of reasons for not cooking outdoors. First, I don't eat beef, pork, or chicken so the traditionally meat grilling doesn't work for me. Second, when cooking for one, grilling is a lot of unnecessary work. I'm finding that my eating habits are fairly repetitive and can easily be taken care of inside the Airstream.

Fruit and yogurt, cereal, or granola is my typical breakfast menu. I usually have a mid-morning snack of more of the same. Lately, lunch is a salad, omlette, or some type of veggie wrap or burrito.  Dinner is typically more of the same. I grocery shop 1-3 times a week depending on where I am; buying lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. A favorite pass time is visiting local farmers markets or coops where I can purchase fresh, organic produce.

Wildlife

While jogging at Curt Gowdy State Park this morning I saw a Pronghorn (http://www.nwf.org/wildlife/wildlife-library/mammals/pronghorn.aspx) and white-tail deer in the space of a minute. There aren't too many places where one could see these two species in the same area. Pronghorn are a species native to range while white-tails are more often found in wooded and/or riparian habitat. Seeing these two species together is a result of the diversity of habitat at Curt Gowdy.

Check out the link above if you're not familiar with Pronghorn; they are an interesting species which tourists often incorrectly refer to as antelope.

Curt Gowdy State Park

Finished business in Denver yesterday (Wednesday) so headed north to Wyoming and camped at Curt Gowdy State Park between Cheyenne and Laramie. Beautiful park with reservoirs and rolling hills with a mixture of pine trees and open rangeland. Free wifi at the visitor center but it didn't reach my campsite; only 1 bar Verizon service at my campsite; 2 at the visitor center.

This is a great park - only $11/night (no hookups) with an annual pass ($53); $17/night without an annual pass. There are full hookup sites at the Tumbleweed and Twin Lake Campgrounds but they are booked for the weekend.

There are plenty of first come first serve sites but they don't have hookups (utilities); full hookup sites require reservations (via phone or website). Plan to stay here a few days.

Where am I?

Back in Denver metro (staying at Chatfield State Park) this week for a couple of days to take care of a few things that require my presence; will be leaving Wednesday night or Thursday morning. Not sure where I'm headed next but am thinking Wyoming is a good place to spend July. The annual Airstream   Rally is in Gillette, WY next month so that is a possibility.  There are a lot of great places (better than Gillette:) in Wyoming and the temps are cooler.

My job required frequent travel to Wyoming from 2002 to 2012 so I'm pretty familiar with the state; my favorite town is Lander, which they call the "banana belt" of Wyoming. While I suppose some winters might be a few degrees less frigid there compared to other places in the state, it is still way too cold for me; a great place to visit in the summer and fall:)

Thought I would head directly back to the Western Slope after this quick stopover in Denver but now am more inclined to see new places than return directly to the WS. I've also been rethinking my 2014/2015 winter residence. Initially, thought I'd spend the winter in AZ but now wonder what it would be like in southern FL near the beach! Ahhh... the freedom of choice is a beautiful thing:)

Mueller State Park

Staying a few days at Mueller State Park south of Divide, Colorado. Those following my blog may have noticed I've been making my way east in the last week. I need to make a quick stop in Denver (again) next week and will then return to the West.

Mueller is a beautiful park with nice facilities and a thoughtful campsite layout; it is nice to be above 9000 feet where the evenings are cool and the days are perfect for hiking and jogging. The park has the most extensive trail system of parks I've visited; about half are closed through tomorrow for elk calving season but the remaining open trails are sufficient for a couple of days of hiking and jogging. The campsites are relatively large and distant from other sites. There is one camper services bldg. for the campsite; it has 3 showers each for guys and gals as well as 3 washing machines and 3 dryers. This campground is very popular and it is difficult to get a site without a reservation ($10).

Verizon cell coverage is 2 bars so I've made a few calls and connected to the Internet.

historic cabin at Mueller State Park

Boulders with Pikes Peak in background

Back (west) side of Pikes Peak from Mueller State Park

Campsite  86 at Mueller State Park

Book review - Lawrence in Arabia

Just finished this wonderful book by Scott Anderson, a veteran war correspondent. Although focused on the remarkable life of T. E. Lawrence, Mr. Anderson's objective description of other key players in World War I is fascinating. The book provides great background for understanding the modern Middle East. I learned so much; strongly recommend!

Thanks to my friend Catherine for loaning me this great read.

Salida

Camped about 5 miles west of Salida, CO at Heart of the Rockies RV park; can't recommend it but only one night. Salida has grown since my last visit. Great year for river runners and the town was swimming with tourists. Thought about Salida as a place to live but it is too touristy for me; nice place to visit however and the location at the crossroads of Hwys. 50 and 285 is ideal for outdoor activities, especially mountain climbing, hiking, and rafting!

Stopped at Monarch Pass on the way to Salida

Heart of the Rockies campground is pretty barren but can see the mountains and it is close to Salida

Elk Creek Campground

Moved from Ridgway State Park to Elk Creek Campground today. The campground is located about 10 miles east of Gunnison on Highway 50 in the Curecanti National Recreation Area. The campground is located on Blue Mesa Reservoir; no trees and a bit windy today. Most people using this any other area campgrounds are focused on fishing or other water activities. I plan to just stay the night and move to Salida tomorrow.

Elk Creek Campground about 10 miles east of Gunnison.

Montrose Real Estate

Visited several rural properties yesterday in the Montrose, CO area with a local realtor. Prices for small (1-3 acres) acreage properties with irrigation water vary widely - $11k-$50k/acre; the more expensive properties are flat and have views of the San Juan and/or the Cimarron Mountains.  The area southwest of Montrose seems to have the best water and best views.

My thinking is that one could live in this area from May 1st to October 1st (enough time for a garden:) and then travel south for the winter. At this early stage in my journey, I don't know whether I'll end up buying property but the process of looking at real estate and visiting different small towns in the west is fun and interesting; I'm meeting interesting people, seeing different places, and always learning:)

Ouray, Colorado

Visited Ouray, Colorado this week; beautiful little town near the San Juan mountains. Its proximity to Telluride and the mountains probably contribute to the relatively high cost of living in this town. Real Estate is priced too high for my bank account but a beautiful town to visit.

Uncompahgre River through the downtown Ouray.

Main street downtown Ouray.

I can relate to the name of this store in downtown Ouray

Ridgway State Park

Staying at Ridgway State Park south of Montrose off Hwy. 550. Nice park with reservoir and view of the San Juan Mountains; also has several miles of trails which I've been jogging and biking.

Very large park with over 200 campsites; I'm staying at the Elk Ridge Campground. The facilities are newer and cleaner at Crawford SP, but Ridgway does have laundry facilities - Crawford does not. Ridgway also has an order of magnitude more people and the associated issues. Good cell coverage; the park doesn't provide WiFi but I'm able to use my Verizon hotspot via the cell signal.

Ridgway reservoir in foreground and San Juan Mountains in background; from Ridgway State Park.

Campsite #126 at Ridgway State Park.

Living in Montrose

Another blog about where to live. Rode my bike around much of Montrose, CO yesterday. Like just every other town, there is a sign pointing to "Historic Downtown"; is there any downtown in America that isn't historic:) Typical shops one would find downtown - real estate offices, ice cream shop, bakeries (2), restaurants, tourist stores, etc. There is a farmers market every Saturday; bought fresh whole wheat flax bread and a muffin - yum!

The town builds out along Highways 550 to the south and Highway 50 to the east and west. Rural areas still exist close to town so theoretically, one could have a house on several irrigated acres on the outskirts of town - my ideal. Did see a couple of places like this for sale but nothing for rent. Neighborhoods are a mix of old and new; as with many towns, not much zoning in the older neighborhoods. Saw a number of houses for sale as well as for rent. Prices are less compared to the Paonia area; including properties with irrigation water.

I like Montrose and will keep looking.  One idea is to rent for awhile to get a better feel for which neighborhoods are best and to wait for the right opportunity to present itself. I'm not in a hurry.

living in paonia

Based on several factors, including the relatively high price of real estate, Paonia is out of the running as a place to settle down.  Hotchkiss and Crawford are also probably out for similar reasons. I like the Rogers Mesa area west of Hotchkiss but again, prices are outside my range. Moreover, there is no Verizon cell coverage in this area. I'm focused now on Montrose and the surrounding area.

Back in Montrose

Returned to Montrose today with the Airstream; staying at Cedar Creek - same RV Park I stayed in last time through. Resupplying and looking at real estate before taking the southern route (Highway 160 to 285) back to Denver (last full week of June) to address (again) AS and computer maintenance issues. 

Montrose is a nice town.  I like the size and it seems to retain its agricultural and western roots.  Lunched at Gurus today; advertises as the first Indian and Nepalese restaurant in Montrose. Ordered Vegetable Chili from the menu; it was ok. Arrived around 1:30pm; the buffet was pretty well depleted at that time and I typically order from the menu anyway. 

Lunch buffets seem to be a common business model adopted by many restaurants these days. Too bad; in my experience, cheap lunch buffets tend to attract a type of customer that may be more interested in quantity than quality. Seems like a race to the bottom for restaurants that follow this model. I'm not criticizing; just an unscientific observation. Tough to make it in the restaurant business under any business model; I wish them well.

Downtown Montrose boasts two bakeries across the street from each other on Main. One is a Great Harvest franchise; the other - Daily Bread Bakery and Cafe. Haven't purchased anything from either but imagine it must be tough for both to survive in a town the size of Montrose; especially given their proximity to each other.

Book Review - The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

After Les Misérables, I was ready for a short book. Since I happened to have "The Picture of Dorian Gray " on my Kindle and no Internet connection, I read it yesterday while at Crawford SP. It is a relatively short but interesting story about a good-looking young man in 19th century England who wishes to remain young and beautiful. He gets his wish but at a terrible price. Fiction is typically not my "go to" literature but this was a fun and easy read; the character Lord Henry Wotton is a hoot.

Musings

At the Paonia library today to make a few calls and post to my blog. Tonight will be my last night at Crawford State Park; plan to move to Montrose on Friday to resupply, do laundry, and reconnect with civilization:) Camping at Crawford SP without cell or Internet service has been good for me. I still feel a pang of guilt when I lounge around the Airstream but as time goes on, living without a schedule or agenda becomes more liberating.

Each day, I remind myself when I'm present and try to focus on the Now; it is a life-long journey. My ego unfortunately is always trying to get me to focus on the past or worry about the future. Focusing on the Now is helping me recognize how trivial many of the things I used to (and of sometimes still) think about truly are. Noise is a good example of what has been a major source of irritation and stress in my life.

Most people camping in RVs bring their dogs. These dogs frequently bark and this used to (still does at times) irritate me to the point of frustration. While I would prefer people trained or didn't bring their dogs to campgrounds, neither is likely, so there are really only 3 choices - accept it, ask the people to stop their dogs from barking, or remove myself from the barking environment. Accepting the situation is really the only viable choice and I'm working on being transparent so the barking noise can go through me without causing frustration or irritation.

Another source of noise is traffic. Most of the campgrounds (including state parks) I've visited are near roads. In addition to the typical large semi-trucks and vehicles without mufflers, the summer brings out many motorcycles; Harley Davidson motorcycles seem to be the loudest. I love silence, which is impossible to experience unless one remains in Wilderness areas; even there, the occasional airplane disrupts the silence. Unless one can remove oneself from the noise, it is best to focus on transparency, presence, and acceptance - easier said than done but nevertheless, my goal:)

I've worked so hard for too long to control my life and the environmental conditions (e.g., noise) around me; a stressful and impossible goal. Took me a long time but I'm finding is is much less stressful to accept and go with the flow:)

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Visited the south and north rims of the Black Canyon NP; so named because the canyon's depth and steepness of its walls make the inner canyon appear black from above. The south rim is more popular, probably because it is where the visitor center and primary campground are located; however, for these reasons, I preferred the north rim. It is a beautiful area and another good example of diverse geology (and erosion) in the west.  Having visited the Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion, and Colorado National Monument in the past couple of months, not many superlatives remain to describe the Black Canyon. To me, the best attribute of Black Canyon is the relative (at least when I visited in early June) sparsity of people compared to other western NPs and Monuments I visited.

Yesterday I hiked to Green Mountain (really just a hilltop with a view:) and to Exclamation Point along the north rim; I also drove the north rim road. Saw a couple of climbers and couple of tourists; otherwise, had the park to my self! My limitations as a photographer don't allow the photos to exhibit the true depth of the canyon (over 1700'); stuck my foot out in some of the photos to help get an idea of depth:)

Near Exclamation Point.

Note my shoe:) One false move and it is a long way down to the Gunnison River!

Les Misérables Book Review

Finished reading the Kindle version of this book by Victor Hugo - whew! This book is huge and while it dragged at times, the story tugged on all my emotions - sad, happy, thankful, angry, anxious. It was a very long book; prolonged by some of the songs and verses being in French and the author’s frequent digressions (e.g., history of ancient sewers) for entire chapters! Despite these drawbacks (in my humble opinion:), the story is wonderful and when the author is on point, the writing is superb. Don’t think I’ve ever used Kindle’s dictionary more than I did with this book:) While reading, I caught myself reflecting on my enlightenment journey, wondering what I would do faced with Jean Valjean’s life changing decisions, and fighting the egoic urge to be cynical of human behavior.  Great read!

Cell Service

I'm experiencing low to no Verizon service in Crawford State Park, Paonia, and surrounding areas. Learned today that Sprint purchased a local company/towers in this area a few years back and hence they are the only ones with service in the area. Highly unusual; in my experience in the west, Sprint typically has the worst cell coverage and Verizon the best.  For example, I'm sitting in the Paonia library (very nice!) today using their WiFi and I have no Verizon cell service here. Need to take this into consideration as I look for places to live:)

Living in Hotchkiss

Yesterday a nice realtor in Hotchkiss showed me a few properties in the Hotchkiss and Paonia areas; didn't see anything worth getting excited about but the experience was helpful.  For example, it confirmed that Paonia is probably out of my price range - saw a lot about 1 acre in size for $200k - ouch! Also learned that Rogers Mesa, west of Hotchkiss, is an agricultural area that warrants further exploration; more on this area later.

Sunset from the door of my Airstream at Crawford State Park!

Crawford State Park

Staying at Crawford State Park just outside of the small town of Crawford, Colorado. The campground is a beautiful setting on Lake Crawford and my campsite is about 100 feet from the lake. Plan to be here for several days; unfortunately, no cell or Internet service so I'm in Hotchkiss, CO today posting this blog and making calls.
Crawford SP is $20/night for electric and water.  Sewer connection is not available at any of the sites; however, there is a dump station. There are no laundry facilities and showers are $1 for 4 minutes which is plenty of time for me:) The restrooms and showers and the cleanest and newest I've experienced at any state park visited during the past 10 weeks in CO, UT, AZ, and NM. There are no shade trees at campsites; however, some site picnic tables are shaded by a sort of metal lean to.

The lake, clean/new facilities, low camping density, and all contribute to make this my favorite state park!

Lake Crawford

Site 30 Crawford State Park