Animas Forks 4WD Trip

Yesterday we took a Jeep trip to the ghost town of Animas Forks.  The road to Animas Forks is one of the mlidest four-wheel drive roads around here.  The photos below were taken along the way.

The houses in Animas Forks were built in the 1900-1910 era by people who worked the booming mines and mills in the Silverton area.  They are remarkably well preserved considering the severity of the winters up here.

Silverton, Colorado

We arrived at Silver Summit RV Park in Silverton on Sunday afternoon.  There are two major passes, Coal Bank and Molas, between Durango and Silverton.  These passes will really test your equipment.  The CAT diesel on this motorhome did better than any other I have owned, maintaining 35-40 mph on the steepest grades while pulling the Jeep.

Campsite at Silver Summit

View From The Campsite

Another View From The Campsite

The D&S Narrow Gauge Train Passing By Our Campsite

It has rained here every day since we arrived, more than on any previous trip here.  The cloud cover has prevented the solar system from achieving a full battery charge for about 1 1/2 days now.  The batteries are at about 88% full charge this morning and I am stubbornly refusing to turn on the 120V AC battery charger.  There is hope for some sun today, we will wait and see.

The photos below were taken while walking around the town between rain showers.

Solar Update

The solar system that was installed on the motorhome earlier this year is really working out here.  We have hours of direct sun each day in northern New Mexico.

The battery charger that normally charges the coach batteries from the campground electric hookup has been turned off since we arrived here on Wednesday.  All 12V power that we consume is being replaced each day by sun power.  The Trimetric monitor shows us to be down about 50 amp-hours each morning before the sun rises.  By about noon to 1 pm these 50 amp-hours have been replaced by the solar panels and the batteries are back up to full charge.

When we are in Silverton CO next week we figure to be using solar power more extensively as air conditioning should not be required there.  The daily high temperatures in Silverton have been running in the low 60s!

Local Vendors

There are some very interesting locals selling jewelry, food, etc in the parking area on the east side of the highway 64 gorge bridge about 7 miles west of Taos.

Gorge Bridge Vendors

We bought a few things such as dried apple slices, cinnamon almonds, a necklace and a blown glass pendant.  The glass pieces were being sold by the rather interesting fellow in the photo below and were made by his sister.

Local Sales Outlet for Sara Chatfield Glass

The lady below was selling various spices for $5 a bag.  She has a web site www.riograndechile.com.  She informed us of a road just a few miles further west that will allow you to drive down into the gorge.  We are going to try it later.

Eske's Brew Pub

Some photos of us enjoying cool outdoor dining in the shade at Eske's Brew Pub.

Eske's also operates a hot air balloon ride service.  An interesting combination of businesses.

Balloons Over The Rio Grande Gorge

This morning there were two hot air balloons visible just west of our campsite.  The balloons are operated by local companies that offer rides into the Rio Grande Gorge.  Our neighbor here at Monte Bello took one of the rides with his wife.  At one point the balloon basket actually drags through the river for a short distance!  We were somewhat interested, until finding out that the cost is $220 per person for about a 45 minute ride.  You do get free champagne at the end of the ride though.

Balloons Over The Gorge

Taos, New Mexico

We pulled in to Monte Bello RV Park in Taos, NM just after 5 pm on Wednesday July 6th. The park is located about 2 miles west of town on Highway 64 which goes out to the Rio Grande Gorge.  It is a very nice clean park that we had always passed on the way out of town but never stayed at before.

The photos above were taken in the park just before sunrise on Thursday morning.  The highest mountain in the background is Taos Mountain.

We will stay here three more nights before moving on to Silverton, CO on Sunday.

Palo Duro Canyon State Park

We are making the second stop on our 2011 summer vacation trip in Palo Duro Canyon State Park after spending three days in Wichita Falls visiting my folks.  The location is site 87 in the Mesquite Camping Area.  The weather is hot, but not quite as hot as Wichita Falls.

It appeared to have rained quite a bit Monday afternoon before we arrived as there was a lot of red dirt washed up on the water crossings and some standing water.  There were some clouds and a little thunder Tuesday afternoon, but no more rain.

After taking a partial hike to Lighthouse Peak on Tuesday we just stayed at the campsite and enjoyed the nice view from this part of the canyon.  We packed up and departed for Taos, NM on Wednesday morning.