What a wonderful Christmas with the family. Emmi’s ballet performance was outstanding, I got to ride my bike in a t-shirt on Christmas Day and our boxing day celebration was just as entertaining as it’s always been. That was on a Tuesday and by Thursday I was restless. I had nearly three weeks before my next commitment so I decided to spend it – you guessed it – snowboarding.
In the down time, I’d finished off my pantry drawer faces, adjusted the latches to perfection (thanks again, customs lady) and fixed the water heater adding a fancy new drain tap to prevent future freezing issues. Berta was ready for another round.
Meteor Camp
After a day of debating, I decided to take Cleo with me. How could I leave her behind? I’d gotten so used to life on the road with her, I couldn’t imagine doing it without my right-hand girl. We got together in front of Berta for the token goodbye photo, then we were off.
It was mid-afternoon when we filled up on the outskirts of Phoenix and I was happy to give a calm nod and a “yes” to the question from a guy, “Is that your house?”
We stopped at Payson for a Walmart shop. When I’m in there I’m going at full speed while others are strolling along. I overheard two women trying to decide which onion to get in the time it took me to bag four different veggies. With that done, it was already time to look for camp.
There was only a bit of snow on the ground heading up from Payson but it sure got cold quick. I talked to Kev with my Starlink on, getting all the Christmas updates, then it was Dad’s turn.
We turned down a dirt road and passed on the first option to look for something a little further off the highway. A cow in the middle of the road made me honk the horn at him twice to let us past. After about a mile and a few spots that were taken by other campers, we turned around for the original spot. Bloody cow again! This time Cleo tried to get through the windscreen at him. Idiot. A bit more honking and we were past.
The sky turned beautiful colors and Cleo had a nap but didn’t quite settle down. She was hearing things outside. Well after dark, we went out for a pee and an investigation. Cleo saw it first and I was looking at Cleo so that’s what made me look. It looked like a rocket coming in to land and firing its engines, but it faded before it hit the horizon. A meteor! The thing had lit up the sky for only a few seconds but wow was it powerful. Thanks Cleo! If that wasn’t a sign that we are meant to be on the road together, I don’t know what is.
Durango MTB
Up at sunrise, we took a walk down the road we’d parked on. Poor Cleo had diarrhea again. She always seems to get it at the start of a trip. We drove off without breakfast, then stopped at a rest area just inside the New Mexico border.
With the door open to the sun, I had another bystander ask about Berta. “How much does it cost to do all this?” I gave him a number but explained that she was a special case so it wasn’t relevant.
Only an hour down the road, Cleo started whining at me. Oh no. I pulled in at Jackson Lake and she immediately de-vanned for a liquid poo. Poor girl. At least she knows to tell me. I wanted to give her a proper rest from driving so we walked to the lake and back. It turned out to be a great spot to throw rocks and I managed to skirt them past the middle where they made a funny sound as they skittled across the ice.
Cleo was thirsty so I had to dislodge a rock so she could get to the water underneath! After another bout of diarrhea we were back in the van.
Listening to Aussie Motley Fool Money to decide what to do with the money from my house sale made the drive go quickly. In Durango, southern Colorado, I was ready to get out for a walk. At the trailhead, I saw the trails and figured we might as well make it a bike ride.
If I’d walked a hundred yards down the trail for some recon I would have left the bike in the van. It was muddy, then snowy, then icy and Scottie, Cleo and I got filthy dirty. But we were in it now! It was a challenging route but Cleo was up for it despite her tummy issues. It didn’t seem to dampen her energy or enthusiasm!
We got some stunning views of Durango as we climbed and slid up switchbacks then I was able to get some steady pedaling in once we were in the forest.
The ridge trail was a lot of hike-a-bike, thanks to very rocky terrain and me being scared to stack and hit my knee, but it was worth it for the nice ride down.
The way down was steep so I was cautious to not slide off the edge and I managed pretty well. Corners were out of the question – I always had my foot down for those. Cleo only started to slow at the very end as we did a bit of climbing along a power line road back to the trailhead. What a satisfying way to spend an afternoon!
Unfortunately Berta was no longer in the sun for the bike wash down and the sun was going down quick – the temperature with it. After giving the couple parked next to me a jump start with my battery pack I got into cleaning Cleo Scottie. I was stoked to have my newly installed outdoor heated water line and after getting Cleo washed down and dried, I figured, why turn the heat off? Scottie got a hot shower and my hands stayed warm during the wash.
I would have to stay filthy until camp, I was losing light fast and this trailhead wasn’t an option. I had to stop and fill up and there weren’t a whole lot of options around Durango so I drove north towards Silverton.
The trailhead access road was straight off the single-lane highway so as soon as I turned onto it, I was committed. We climbed a short hill then turned onto a flat road that had about a foot of old snow on it. Thankfully there were some tracks, but this was going to be a challenge.
I kept my foot in it and hoped. The traction control symbol flashed at me a few times but I coaxed Berta with a few “come on baby”’s and she got me to the turn around area. I parked it level and called it good. I’ll deal with turning around in the morning. I was kicking myself for not considering an urban camp – still something I’m yet to do – but with Cleo and her shit situation, I knew we’d be in and out of the van all night.
I tried not to think about getting stuck during the night. Tomorrow it would be light, I’d have all the time in the world and I had great chains and a shovel. My hot shower was lovely.
The Scenic Drive
As I thought, we were out for bathroom breaks a few times in the night so I was happy to be in the forest and not in front of someone’s house or in a Walmart carpark. I was also pissed off that I’d forgotten to use the drain tap and my water had frozen. Exactly why I’d installed the bloody thing. Fingers crossed it wouldn’t burst the new water heater on the first go. It didn’t.
Cleo and I walked all the way to the highway to scout the route and I decided my best chance was to reverse all the way back the way I’d come instead of risk getting deeper into the shit by turning around. Right. Chains time. I’m still a little rusty at putting them on – I seem to always get them backwards – but I was patient. I had to dig a bit of snow out from around the tires to get them in position, then I was ready to go.
Berta had been warming up the whole time I was doing chains so she was ready for it. I adjusted the mirrors to look at my rear wheels then set off. I spun my wheels a few times to get lined up in the wheel tracks, then I moved off steadily keeping up a constant pace. I kept up my momentum over the few humps and made only small corrections on the steering wheel, trying to let the wheel tracks guide me. I wouldn’t say my heart was in my mouth but concentration was high.
Near the end, I increased speed to plough into fresh snow, then turned down the hill towards the highway. Successful mission. I took the chains off and rolled onto the highway feeling good. Typical, the very next forest road we came to would have been fine but without any privacy from the road.
The short drive up to Silverton was beautiful. Engineer Mountain made me smile every time I saw it. It was 12,792 feet tall and without any snow on it! As we came up to Silverton, I was annoyed that I didn’t think to ask Jon for Stoney’s details. Jon and I had been here in 2017 and visited his mate who was the local paramedic and we’d had such a wonderful time with him I’d have liked to see him again.
We searched old-school. I found the fire and medical vehicle house and parked up. Wow was it cold. The -16*C air caught in my lungs as we walked over to investigate. It wasn’t a regularly manned station but I peered through the windows for anything Stoney-like I might recognize.
No luck there, so we started walking the alleys trying to find his house. I remembered taking Stoney’s old blind dog out walking from the back alley of his house and thought that I might just recognize his place. I found a house that was my best guess but it didn’t look occupied with snow built up all around it. Oh well, I’d tried.
We’d been out for maybe half an hour and Cleo started stopping at every store front looking for a way in. It was cold. Back in the van, I made some hot breakfast and put diesel additive into the tank, scared of the fuel “gelling” in the cold.
When we left Silverton, I was heading north and into new territory. When I’d planned my route towards the ski mountains, I knew this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to drive on scenic roads that would normally be impassable in winter. The winding road through the mountains was stunning and I enjoyed the signage pointing out each dominant peak and its height.
We stopped in at Box Canyon Falls, just outside Ouray, lured in by a busy carpark and lots of people around. It was an ice park! Basically a climbing crag but on man-made ice structures.
I wandered onto a viewing platform and met Brian, a new home owner in Ouray who explained that the ice park had opened only yesterday and agreed with me that ice climbing was a silly thing to do. Not according to the people before us. There must have been at least a hundred people out smashing ice with their axes and toe picks.
We wandered around to the other side of the canyon to go see the waterfall. We could hear it but I head to leave Cleo behind at a metal walkway (her paws aren’t into it). I ran along the walkway built into the rock that led right up to the gushing falls.
You could even take some stairs down to the river floor to experience the power from there but I didn’t stay long. It was raging in the middle of winter so I can only imagine what it does in the spring time.
When I got back to Cleo, I found her patiently waiting for me and we completely a short loop back to the climbing area. There was one more metal walkway to navigate so I carried her a little ways until the snow coverage was enough for her to walk on.
It was late morning now and the crag was positively buzzing with people. Cleo was popular, getting pets from everyone and that got me talking to a couple tied into an anchor right by the bridge. They were from San Francisco and were into ice climbing for the sport of it, not because they were training for an Everest-like ascent. They were also regular climbers and suggested I give it a go one day. Nope!
We carried on north. I was sick of making camp late and was determined to park up by 3pm today. When we hit the major town of Montrose I stopped for supplies which included a few big water bottles for when the plumbing would inevitably freeze again. I spoke to Dan in the Walmart carpark and we made a plan to meet up the next day.
I had a choice to either continue on the scenic route or switch to a major highway and despite the self-imposed camp time limit, I still chose scenic. Twisty bits were my friend and the lack of snow was just such an opportunity for the less-traveled roads.
I was so happy for my choice. The changing views kept me entertained throughout the whole afternoon without much of a need for stop.
We did pause at the Gunnison River for a liquid poo stop and wandered around for a while. There were a bunch of people out on the frozen water! People were ice skating, playing ice hockey and ice fishing. I didn’t get it. There was no ice along some parts of the shore yet it could be so frozen elsewhere!
The ice hockey puck made the ice sing as it scuttled across the surface and I just watched in awe. These people were a different breed. None of them fell, or even looked like it was a possibility. They’d obviously grown up doing this. Some were wearing life vests which I guess makes sense but I didn’t want to think about the pain or fear I’d feel if I heard an almighty crack underfoot.
I was properly excited for camp now and I was rewarded with a beautiful BLM campground nestled between country homes. Of course the place was deserted (and normally wouldn’t be accessible in winter) so I had my pick of the sites.
We enjoyed a long walk around camp where we found an errant dog who quickly wandered off back to his farm after a few barks. We then wandered up the road into the “neighborhood” and found more dogs about. They all seemed happy off in the bush doing their own thing.
As we walked back to the van, I enjoyed a beautiful view of the sun fading behind the snow-tipped mountains. Once I got my water for the night, I used my drain tap like a good girl!
Copper Mountain
I was out of camp just before 7:30am to make sure I made it to Copper Mountain around opening time. I was definitely colder than yesterday morning.
I passed by many 14,000+ ft mountains on the drive east and then north. Driving through Leadville, it took me a minute to figure out why the town name sounded familiar – it’s the site of the famous 100 mile mountain bike and foot race. At the next town, I laughed out loud when I had to stop for a pack of deer crossing the road and they were using the only pedestrian crossing in town!
I got to Copper Mountain just before 9am and parked next to the road right at the entrance to the free parking. There were waves of people coming in and I kept an eye on my mirrors for a familiar white van. I’d only been waiting for five minutes, then there he was, lights flashing. I pulled out in front of him, drove into the middle of the lot then turned around to be facing the sun.
Dan parked his van next to mine. Just like old times. We had an emotional hello and both of us were surprised that Cleo didn’t go ballistic to see him. We hugged inside Berta, then took Cleo for a tour around the carpark. Poor girl’s tummy still wasn’t right.
Back at the van, Dan made himself comfortable with Cleo up front and we caught up while I made egg sandwiches for breakfast. We took another Cleo walk then head up the mountain around 11am. We were in no rush. Having just regaled the story behind my busted knee, Dan found a knee pad at the bus stop. It was a nice start to our day on the mountain together.
We got on the bus to the village and enjoyed the singles line for the first lift. I talked to some recent college grads doing a big trip from New York and of course the guy next to me was a mechanical engineer. There’s just so many of us.
It was an icy run down and after another chair, we went down a small hill to get to the next one and Dan twisted his right knee. Not a great start! He was down for a few minutes and felt sore the rest of the day. This was only his second day on the mountain so he was kicking himself.
We talked about venturing over to a t-bar we could see but decided to stick to the safe stuff and did a couple more runs from near the top. We managed to find a few powdery spots but were happy to call it after a couple of hours. Just there to get wet.
Cleo was ready for another bathroom break when we got back so we’d timed it well. The sun was out blissfully, just long enough for us to get our chairs out, but it was short lived so we got into Berta for lunch with the heater on. Cleo was starting to remember Dan again now.
Hanging out in the carpark brought us up to camp time. Dan wanted beer so we ventured to the nearby gas station then drove back up the hill to a spot I’d seen on the drive in. It was a large trailhead parking area only ten minutes away and legal as far as I could tell. Great!
With a bit of light left, we went for a walk up the trail. It was very pretty at sunset and Cleo was happy to run around in the snow. There were a few others on the trail in skis and snowshoes, but our boots did just fine.
Back into Berta for the night, I made dinner while Cleo was happy to get some rest in bed. Dan stayed the night, enjoying Berta’s luxuries. I drained the water system and saw the temperature approaching the magic -14*C so put some anti-gel in the fuel tank and ran the engine for five minutes. Hopefully that will do it.
The Challenges of Winter
Dan had his best sleep of the winter and wasn’t ashamed to admit it. He took the first turn taking Cleo out in the middle of the night, then I did the rest (three trips total). One of them was at 12:30am so that was my happy new year and wedding anniversary.
In the early morning, I read my book in bed waiting for Dan to wake. When he was up, we got the heater on, had breakfast and got ready for our days. That meant hiking gear for me and Dan collecting his things so he could head off to work. The Club Wagon started right up and once I put Cleo’s jacket on her, we said goodbye and set off up the trail we’d walked yesterday afternoon.
It was a beautiful secluded hike up Mayflower’s Gulch with old mining equipment dotting the way. It was a steady incline and I wondered where the trail would end as we left the forest behind for a wide open valley before a wall of mountain.
Being New Year’s Day, there weren’t many people out this early but as I passed by the old mining cabins, I saw a hiker carrying skis up through the snow. I was happy to call it a day at the first mound below the mountains, but Cleo trotted off in the skier’s tracks so I followed. I’m glad I did because the view from the actual end of the trail was stunning.
I could see Copper Mountain glistening in the sun and tried to pinpoint the anchor point of a steel line that still ran from an old structure at my level up to the towering rock wall. I greeted the skier and she said she’d follow the lines that were already carved in the snow to head back down to the trailhead.
We turned around and I was excited to get into the same sun that was showering Copper Mountain in gold. It was a quick walk down and now the crowd had showed up. I must have passed at least twenty groups heading into the gulch.
Back at the carpark, it was 10:30am and the lot was nearly full. I was happy with the way I’d parked because it meant most of the frost had melted off one side of Berta. I got in and cranked the engine but no joy. I tried again and still nothing. The crank was healthy, but the engine wasn’t turning over. Bugger. I assume the fuel is gelled.
I made breakfast and sat outside to eat and read, willing the sun to stay out and wishing I’d parked facing south so that the engine bay was in the sun. That’s two mistakes I made – not adding the anti-gel stuff when I filled up and parking in the wrong direction.
I tried again at 11:30am under an intermittent sun and still no joy. Oh well, I settled in to spend most of the day at camp. I resolved to wait until 1pm. I read, I blogged and a 12:40pm, I gave it another crack. After a few goes, Berta roared to life. Beautiful. Her idle was rough for a minute, but she was ok. What a beautiful sound.
Down the hill, I parked at Copper and head up the mountain. There was a bit of sun so Cleo happily fell asleep in the front seat but I put the heater on just to be sure.
Some of the runs were so thin, I couldn’t believe they were open. Rocks and sticks and dirt were getting thrown up everywhere. I’d never ridden in conditions like this.
Clouds took over again but I stayed warm but exploring the mountain a bit. I didn’t mean to stay up all afternoon, but I stuffed up getting down and ended up on the last lift. I felt bad sitting on a slow lift getting further and further away from Berta. She was clearly visible from most of the lifts and I just hoped Cleo wasn’t busting.
Finally back at the car, it was nicely warm inside but she was happy to get out. I chatted with Nate and Tyler who were at the back of their Ford Transit van. Cleo introduced us when she walked over to rub her back on their open door. I told them about my camp at Mayflower Gulch and they told me about Lot G at Winter Park, it was a great exchange of tips!
I changed, packed up and drove up the mountain. I’d messaged Dan and said I wanted to see him again and promised that the heater would be on. Once I got into position, it was, but then I got an error code and it shut off. Bugger!
Dan arrived not long after 6pm and I made us dinner, we swapped stories about our days and stayed rugged up. After a light day yesterday, we ventured carefully into talking about our future and it went well.
Arapahoe
I had Berta on my mind this morning. The heater worked, so that was a win, but she still didn’t start. When I let Dan have a try though, he got her going. He hasn’t lost his magic!
That put me out of sorts really. Dan noticed how fretful I seemed and in talking about how the cold was probably getting to me, I realized that I’m scared of it. It’s scary being in such cold conditions, especially with all my systems failing. Dan wished me a good day and drove off to work while Berta warmed up.
I drove past Copper Mountain and the familiar Dillon Dam which holds Frisco Lake, then continued along memory lane as I drove past Keystone Resort with its icy slopes. Not this time! I ventured further along the highway than I’d ever been and found a small carpark at Arapahoe Basin (or A-Basin). I parked facing south, in the full sun. Yes.
With the windscreen copping a full load of bright, I had a late brunch and took my sweet time getting ready. Cleo was stoked to be in the sun, barely able to keep her eyes open sitting up in the passenger seat. I left her to it and trotted off to the mountain. It was as small as it looked which was a nice change from Copper.
I had some lovely conversations with holidayers and rode most of the chairs, but within a few hours, I’d covered all that was open, including a short walk to the top for a lookout.
I still wasn’t feeling quite right. Too much on my mind probably and I just couldn’t find the right music to flow to. I told myself that was ok and got excited for a warm van and a hot shower at the base.
Cleo was happy to see me and was no longer desperate for the bathroom every time I saw her. After a glorious wash, I stretched out next to Cleo on the driver’s seat with my legs up on her side and read my book. I was starting to feel better.
Wanting to take Cleo on a walk, we left A-Basin while there was still some sun shining and I drove to a lookout point over the dam. The path was crowded with tourists but we found our way along the icy/snowy path to enjoy the view. I’d have enjoyed a walk in the sun but we’d left it too late.
Dan and I had agreed to camp at Walmart that night but when I drove through, there was “no overnight parking” signs all over so I wasn’t game. Instead, I went back to where we’d first learned about diesel’s incompatibility with cold temperatures – a rest stop just off highway 70. I told Dan where I was and got settled in for the night – with the heater running.
Once I’d talked to Nick, Kev, then Dad, I was back to being myself. Thanks boys.
I had dinner ready by the time Dan opened the door and I’d started conserving propane. I was having to wind the adjustable regulator up a lot which meant I was near-empty. We had a nice night in the heated van and looked forward to a day together tomorrow.
A Great Day on the Mountain
Errands were our first order of the day. I had enough propane to heat some water for a wash but that was about it. I walked Cleo and left Dan to start Berta without me. His magic works better that way. I was happy to see white smoke coming out of the exhaust as we walked back up the hill.
Dan stopped at Exxon for petrol while I went in search of propane. The filling place was closed and Dan told me about Walmart’s automated propane exchange so we drove over to give that a try. Thinking it would be a bust because I didn’t have an Amerigas-brand tank, it was seamless! I put my credit card into the oversized vending machine, plopped my empty tank on a platform when a door opened, then took a full tank from a different door a few seconds late. Brilliant! Even better was that I managed to install the full tank without too much trouble. Dan wanted to help but I didn’t let him. I had to be able to lift the tank and install it myself and I was satisfied with how easy it was.
It was an hour’s drive to Winter Park with only a little bit of highway 70 and the last bit took us up a very winding steep grade. Dan was happy that he’d filled his tank. We found the promised Lot G as recommended by my Copper Mountain carpark friends and we parked up next to each other.
We had a late breakfast, then geared up and went up the mountain via the carpark bus. I put the windscreen shades up halfway to give Cleo a choice of sun or shade and Dan convinced me to open the fan vent so it didn’t get too hot. I would regret that at the end of the day because the sun was in and out most of the day.
We had a great day on the mountain, spending a solid four hours on the snow. When we reached the top of the mountain, we unstrapped and hiked up a little ways to get a view over the backside and we were rewarded with a gorgeous view of mountain tops peaking through the clouds. It was nice to have a special someone to appreciate a view with after months of traveling solo.
After a particularly long ride from top to bottom, my legs were feeling it so we stopped in at a mountain top lodge for a pee, which turned into a couple of drinks at the bar. Breaking all the rules, I bought a side of fries for $12. After all this time snowboarding every season, we were finally doing it. We were spending money.
With a beer under our belts, we were good for a few more rides down and enjoyed them. On our last run, we made a plan on how to get down the mountain but I stuffed it up and we got separated so I had to go up again while Dan rode all the way down.
I rode a very long catwalk to get back and it was tempting to take a few shortcuts but I didn’t want to delay getting back to Cleo again. I speed walked through the village and took the lollipop lift to get back to Berta. I couldn’t stand the idea of standing and waiting for a bus.
When I got back to Berta, I was so focused on Cleo that it took me a while to realize that Dan’s van was gone, but his snowboard was sitting there. My mind went wandering. I’d messaged him about where I was and called but got no answer. He showed up ten minutes later, having gone into town for supplies since he knew I’d be a while.
We got dressed for a walk into town for some water. IT was a good excuse to get Cleo out and about and make the most of the last sunlight of the day. With her jacket on and my water bottles in my backpack, we made our way back to the lollipop. I knew the ride would be interesting with Cleo and it was. We used my jacket as a mat for the mesh floor and Dan man-handled her onto the thing as it moved slowly past us. Needless to say, she didn’t relax for any of the journey.
The village had a nice ambience with restaurants filling and lights coming on and Cleo got a lot of compliments. I planned to dip into each restroom we saw and in the second one, we found a water fill station so I got to work. We wandered the rest of the way through the village to soak up the atmosphere and snagged some mismatched gloves for Dan so he could pinch the wrist bands for his.
On the lollipop ride back the liftie supplied us with a mat intended for dogs so we had a better time of it. How kind!
Dan planted the seed of an idea to make pizza so that’s what we had for dinner with a cheat’s crust. We tried again for a serious talk and this time it didn’t end well. After I took Cleo for a walk, we were able to come back together and laugh about it so that’s progress. We’re trying.
Snowboard Dancing
Dan had a wild idea to leave the heater going all night and he was onto a winner. He controlled the heater using the remote from bed and kept us comfortable all night. I was out of bed at 6am to start work of all things!
I didn’t try and achieve too much, it being my first day in weeks, but it felt good to get back in the saddle. I took Cleo out around 7am, then Dan rose around 8am. He liked my office set-up and offered to make breakfast while I worked. That suited me just fine! Cleo got back into bed. With the first half of my day done, we were ready to hit the mountain around 10am.
Wow did we find the magic run today. Freshies! Just like we used to do, we wove through trees and put our hands up in question – why wasn’t everyone out here doing this?
Back on groomers, I wanted to see if we could join hands and twirl together and we managed it a few times. I was excited to start a new thing – snowboard dancing?
With our eye on the clock, we started down the mountain at 1pm, repeating my catwalk home from yesterday and managing to stay in sight of each other. We enjoyed a beautiful day at Winter Park.
Our last lollipop ride took us back to Berta and a happy Cleo. Dan had a good run around with her and we both laughed when she perked up at a cat traipsing along the front dash of a Ford Transit across the carpark. I heated up some curry for a quick lunch while we got changed then Dan had to go.
It wasn’t a sad goodbye, but a happy one and I made sure he got a good look at my butt cheeks as he drove out tooting his horn. I tucked myself back into Berta to do a bit of work, then Cleo was hounding for a walk so we ventured into the village taking the long way (without the lollipop) to fill our water bottles.
By the time we got back to camp, snow was falling lightly all around.
Eldora @ 20mph
I woke to a few inches of powder on the ground and I’d heard the snow plough come through in the night. I was up early-ish to work but decided I’d rather get on the road. Berta started up nicely and I didn’t have to worry with chains to push through the snow the plough had pushed up around me. I sat still in the carpark for a while watching cars on the main road and saw enough two-wheel-drive cars go past without chains to convince me I didn’t need them so set off.
I took it easy over the pass, settling in behind a train of cars. It was slow going but that suited me just fine.
We descended from clouds and then into the sun. As I drove over to Eldora, I was on the lookout for camp and saw a few forest roads that looked promising enough that I didn’t bother checking them out.
The wind gusts were obvious from the snow swirls up the road to Eldora Mountain. When I got to the carpark I immediately felt sorry for the parking attendants. It was blowing a howling gale. I pointed the van south, made breakfast and got to work.
Around noon, I broke away, got dressed and took Cleo for a jaunt around the carpark. We’d been spoiled in the van warmed by the sun, it was properly windy out there. It was that wind that carried DJ music from the base of the mountain over to me.
I got Cleo situated then walked over to the music. As I rode up the main lift, I was cold. I’d put warmers in my boots to try and start warm, but it hadn’t helped. The wind cut straight through me.
I went down a groomer, got a lift, then another groomer and another lift. I spoke to a pair of Boulder university locals and they didn’t mind the harsh conditions one bit. It was a normal day for them.
Of all the mountains I’d been to, this had the thinnest coverage. This really was an El Nino.
Needing to warm up, I ventured into the small “hut” at the top of the mountain. I went for a pee, rubbed my hands together a bit, then decided that I could call it a day on Eldora. Tree runs were closed, the groomers were icy, it was way too cold. There was nothing here for me.
I enjoyed my last long run but the DJ vibes at the base just didn’t match the conditions. It was my shortest snowboarding session at just over an hour.
Back at Berta, I kept my gear on to do errands – empty rubbish and fill up water containers. I didn’t bother taking Cleo out again because camp was so near.
What I thought would be an easy camp-hunt turned into a forest road adventure. All of the national forest had been turned into residential lots so it took me a solid hour to find a nice trailhead to call home for the night. Complete with a bathroom!
I worked for an hour or so, then Cleo was pining so we went for a walk, despite it getting a bit late. We set off down the trail and the icy conditions meant I did some hand-waving to keep my body upright. We followed the path laid by the people before us and Cleo crossed the iced over creek multiple times without realizing it.
We made it to the reservoir which was nice, though I’m always sad because they never seem full.
I went at full speed to get back to camp before dark. We didn’t have any mishaps but a lot of scenarios crossed my mind (fear of the cold). I felt very isolated because we were but thankfully the forest thinned just as it got properly dark so I didn’t have to get my torch out.
Another car pulled up at camp just as we got back and still feeling a little scared from our late-day adventure, I pretended to talk to someone as I got into the van, just in case.
It was a bloody freezing night. -18*C outside, but I only kept the heater on until bed time.
Browns Canyon
I started Berta as soon as I got out of bed to give her a good chance of warming up. Despite having worked only two days, I was relieved for the weekend. I drove off my leveling blocks, packed them up (I dread the day I leave them behind) and off we went.
I stopped at the first interesting spot (some triceratops front paddock art) for breakfast and some route planning. Our next stop was to fill up and I was interested to learn that the diesel heater hadn’t consumed a whole lot of fuel. I gave the windows a thorough clean but had to leave the rest of the van dirty. I was sorry to see Berta so filthy again thanks to the snow driving out of Winter Park. Dirt and grit and salt all the way up the rear doors.
After a couple of hours driving through bright sun and snow, I crossed over my original path at Buena Vista and stopped for a hike. I knew I didn’t want to drive all day and with the sun out, I was excited to get out and walk around. Cleo too.
It was a nice walk, with some icy bits but not as much as yesterday. Browns Canyon was nothing glorious but there was some nice rock formations and the river spot at the end was lovely.
I sat in the sun, ate some lunch (Cleo helped me with my peanut butter sandwich) and just took it all in. Now I was happy to be isolated.
On the way back, Cleo was going at her own pace and got a ginormous prickle in her foot and consequently her mouth. Poor thing. I got back to her and managed to pluck it all out then she was off again.
The van had warmed up nicely in the sun (still not warm enough to thaw the water system) and we hit the road again. After half an hour I was feeling tired so was excited to find an early camp. The UFO watchtower was just the ticket.
I’d driven past on a previous trip and maybe even paid the $5 admission to have a look but this time I forked out $15 to camp for the night. The place was deserted. I called the phone number, got no answer, so let myself in at the gate, paid my fee and parked up. It’s the most level spot I’ve had in days!
Now I had something to really get excited about – the Dakar Rally! I haven’t used the TV since the F1 season finished so it was nice to get it out again.
I think my body has come to its’ limit of cold weather. Either that or I have finish-line syndrome. After walking around camp, I ate a bowl of hot noodles and a hot chocolate with the diesel heater running full blast. I’m so ready for that Phoenix sunshine.
Thank You Turn 1
Not surprisingly, no one else showed up at camp overnight. I got on the road early and drove in snowy conditions for the first time this season. I was heading towards my friends Andy and Sarah in Los Alamos, New Mexico and they advised to be careful and take the truck route into town if I was uncomfortable.
After the first snow storm, I pulled over to have breakfast and watch some Dakar. I was getting to the last of my food now but I was happy my one shop had lasted this long.
Los Alamos is a town up on a Mesa and the winding road that led me up to it was narrow but mostly clear of snow. If I thought Berta was dirty from Winter Park, she was sure getting disgusting now thanks to the heavy use of red-salt.
I found Andy and Sarah’s house easily enough and was delighted to see a brand new Ford Transit in the driveway! I parked up along the street and managed to stay upright on their slippery driveway to make my way to the front door. I hugged my mates, it had been a while! I met these two at Turn 1 of the 2022 Austin GP and after racing with Andy to the hill, we’d made camp together and shared the race experience. I’m glad we kept in touch.
We got straight into the Berta tour. They’d taken delivery of their new van, Sabine, in December 2023 after four years of trauma with Ford so they were excited to finally have a clean slate to start with. Shame about the internal body damage, but that wasn’t going to stop them. They were wide-eyed and question-filled as I went through Berta’s features. Andy took heaps of photos and they were both suitably impressed with my home. I loved that Andy asked me what mistakes I’d made and what I wished I’d done. It really made me think about what I would change.
Mid-tour, I noticed Cleo was standing to attention just outside the van which made me nervous. When I poked my head out of the van, there was a huge buck standing only a few meters from her. I looked at her and said, “Don’t move.” Then she was off. Dog chased buck, I chased dog shouting “HEEL! HEEL!” but she was deaf to commands. She ran across the road (thankfully no cars) before she turned back. Idiot. Andy knelt down to welcome her back and she was clearly chuffed with herself. We finished the Berta tour with her inside.
All vanned out, we head inside and caught up a little at the dining table over some snacks. Cleo situated herself at the top of the stairs so she could look out over the bottom level. Without much sun left, we figured we’d better go for an adventure.
Andy and Sarah had mentioned we could hike up their local ski mountain and ride down and I’d said, “that sounds like fun!” when really I thought it was a stupid idea. Always keen to try something new! They advised me on how to dress (normal snowboarding gear) and I got ready in the van. I had to pull clothes from my dirty laundry because I didn’t think I’d be doing any more snow activity.
Cleo was happy to be left in a warm house for a change as we put all our gear into the truck and drove out. At the hill, Sarah and Andy put skins on their skis and Andy essentially put my snowshoes on for me. I felt like a total noob but that I was in very good hands. They also had a backpack that I could strap my snowboard to so with that on, I was all set for a new experience.
Pajarito mountain is a small resort with chair lifts and I felt properly silly as we started hiking up the hill next to one of those lifts. We started up, cautious of skiers and riders coming down. When the incline began to steepen, Andy helped me to flick up some heel stops under my boots which made the hiking easier work for my calves. This was fascinating!
Despite the uphill effort, we managed to talk the whole way. Once we got onto talking F1, we couldn’t shut up about it!
We’d gone past the top of the first chair and pushed on upwards on fresh powder now. The lift that serviced this part of the mountain was closed. That was good news for us because it would mean fresh powder coming down.
Nearing the peak, despite the white-out conditions, we made a loop out to the famous blue bench where A&S described the view you’d normally see from this point. My left cheek was going number from the sideways wind, but I was smiling ear to ear, I’d had such a blast hiking up and could imagine doing something like this on a regular basis to get your heart rate up in the winter.
Back at the top of the closed chairlift, we were out of the wind while we changed into downhill mode. Sarah called this hike-and-ski exercise with dessert and we were about to dig in.
Andy advised me to fully strap in and he gave me his poles so I could push myself along the catwalk. What a weird way to move a human body! When he told me to stop, I looked down and we were at the top of an untouched run! Andy seemed disappointed that there were some bumps from moguls formed days before but to me, this was the best run I’d seen all season.
I wouldn’t wipe the smile off my face the whole way down. I could barely ride through the powder because I’d forgotten how to turn in such thick stuff. We stopped multiple times, me mostly just because I was in awe at how much fun this was. I was already asking if we could go again near the bottom. Alas there wasn’t enough time. When we grouped up at the base, I said a thank you to Turn 1. If we hadn’t been sat next to each other on a grassy hill for a full Sunday, we wouldn’t be here now.
Alas, there wasn’t enough light for another run so we de-geared and head back to the house. I took Cleo for a quick walk around the neighbourhood on a tight leash, then we settled in for the night. We talked until late over a yummy chilli soup dinner but called it before it got stupid late because we made plans to rise early for another run up the mountain.
Snow was still lightly falling outside when I took Cleo out for her night walk.
Work Day Antics
Cleo woke me at 4am to warn me that a snow plough was near camp. We’re in a house silly! She can’t really turn it off.
The house rose at 5:30am and for the first time ever, I got out of bed and got straight into my snowboard gear. I took Cleo out, then got Berta warming up. Andy and Sarah shoveled their driveway like the pros they are and I wiped the snow off my windscreen. I said goodbye to Sarah then followed them into town. I followed Andy’s instructions and waited on the main road while he dropped Sarah off to work at her physical therapy business.
We drove through Los Alamos National Lab, where Andy and 40,000 others work. You could tell it was a Monday morning, the stream of traffic was just crazy. I handed over my license to be let in but Andy had already warned the gate guard that I was a tourist. We parked in a worker’s lot and it was still pitch dark so I put Cleo’s jacket on and blasted the heater before I left her.
We drove up to Parajito in the truck and I was happy Andy had suggested I didn’t drive. The road hadn’t been ploughed and there were only two sets of tracks in front of us. A hike-and-ski before work was a regular thing for Andy and it was abnormal for him to be the third car in the lot. I strapped my own snowhshoes on this time and the dawn light was enough the we didn’t need our head torches.
I was feeling fatigued today (no surprise there) and could feel a tickle in my throat. There was powder all around and with a few skin tracks ahead of us, Andy taught me about etiquette – don’t snowshoe in ski tracks. I felt it was much slow going this morning but I think it was just the hour of the day and the silence.
There were a few others like us around, some in front, some behind. Somehow we beat everyone to the top so we can’t have been going that slow! On the way up, Andy told me about a day he’d come up for a pre-work run and got a text declaring a snow day and therefore no work. He stayed on the mountain all day – he did 12 laps. Wow.
As we neared the top, Andy warned that it would be windy and cold when we peaked so we should hustle to get into downhill mode. That was good advice and I’m glad he gave me early warning because it gave me time to think about the order in which I’d do things. All suited up, he gave me his poles again and we took a different run down.
It was insane. We were in 1-2 feet of powder the whole way down. I couldn’t help but to stop just so I could take it all in. I couldn’t stop yelling and carrying on.
Once we got to the second chairlift, I really got into a groove and started making huge turns in the snow after Andy. This was just too much fun. I didn’t want it to end. I suppose that’s what motivates you to do another eleven laps!
We glided to a stop at the bottom and my smile was huge as we unstrapped and drove back down the hill. Berta was just where we’d left her with Cleo on lookout and not shivering. I got my board out of the truck and we said a quick goodbye. It was a work day and Andy had a meeting to get to! What an experience he and Sarah gave me, it was a window into their life. It made me believe that I could live in a winter town and thoroughly enjoy it with adventures like that on my doorstep.
I changed in the van then we got going. I went a little ways back into town to fill up and with limited food, I treated myself to a Maccas breakfast. That filled me up proper.
Driving back through Los Alamos Lab, I took the scenic drive west out of Los Alamos and the sky cleared so I could enjoy the views. It was a gorgeous area.
I spent a bit of time on highway 40, attended a Zoom meeting while driving, then got off at a rest area to do a few hours of solid work. That rest area closed at 2:30pm (weird) so we moved on to camp. I was feeling poorly so didn’t really want to drive much more but geared up to do so when I figured the El Morro National Monument free campground wouldn’t be ploughed.
I was pleasantly surprised to find the entrance road was well ploughed, as well as the road to the campground and the campground loop! Even the paths to the bathroom had been cleared. Weird then that they hadn’t bothered to clear a few parking spots. I did a couple of laps then nosed into some snow that had been pushed away from the disabled campsite. I was level and far enough off the road to call it good.
I took Cleo out for a bathroom break then shut up shop, turned the heater on, ate some hot food and watched Dakar. I finished my work day as the sun set then tried to ignore the dropping temperature outside.
Coldest Night to Warmest Day
-25*C. The coldest night of the whole trip. It was the first time Cleo’s water dish froze solid. What a way to celebrate out last camp. My head cold made me feel rough. The first thing I did was try to start Berta. It took two tries, but she eventually coughed into life. Thank goodness. I was ready to get home.
We did a quick bathroom walk while Berta got settled into a rhythm and I felt better once I’d splashed some hot water on my face. A lot of scraping was required to clear the windows and windscreen. My hands were cold, my feet were cold. When I snapped the coin in a Wonderpax to warm my hands, it sprung a leak and spewed goo all over the kitchen. It took me a bit to clean that up and I was grateful for the lifetime warranty but my hands were still cold!
I drove out and as soon as I was in service, I called in sick to work. If I wasn’t well enough to go into an office, I wasn’t well enough to work.
I was thankful for the blue skies and though the roads were snowy for the first 200 miles of the drive, it only got better the further west I went. I pulled over at a junction to have breakfast. Hot oats and fruit warmed me up nicely. My feet were starting to get feeling back too!
I enjoyed beautiful scenery and managed to find a road I hadn’t driven on to take me south west towards Phoenix. We stopped in at Salt River Canyon rest area for a walk and managed to get all the way down to the water and sit in the sun for a little bit. There were still snow around but the air was starting to feel warmer.
With no food left in the van, I did another Maccas run for lunch in Globe. I took my time there and blogged a little as I dined in while Cleo stood watch from the van.
I had an easy drive back into Phoenix and though it’s always a shock to go from the lonely two-lane highways to the eight-lane jobbies in the big smoke, it felt good to be heading home.
Cleo started pawing at me as got onto McDonald Drive. We’d only been gone two weeks and she knew what was coming. We parked up and snuck into the house to find Deb in the kitchen. She saw Cleo first, then me. Good to be home.
Dec 28, 2023 – Jan 9, 2024
