Bogan Flats Campground and beyond - September 2021

My first night at Bogan Flats Campground I had a campsite off the river, but the 2nd night a riverside site opened and the host allowed me to move my reservation to it. In the morning, after settling into my new site, I walked and fished the Crystal River down stream of the campground. I spooked a number of fish, had a few fish interested in my flies, but did not manage to land any. My after thought was that I should have been walking upstream, since then I would be approaching the fish from behind.

                                        Riverside Campsite at Bogan Flats Campground

I returned to camp for lunch, relaxed and then drove out looking for other fishing locations. I came across a small pond with a labeled fishing access and stopped. Hooked two, but again none in the net.

Four different people had recommended the Slow Groovin BBQ in Marble and so I headed there for dinner. It was awesome, great food, a wide variety of local beers and outdoor dining with a great view of the mountains. I selected a Left Hand Milk Stout and the Cadillac Cuts, Smoked Turkey Breast, Brisket, sausage. a rib and the pork with a side of onions rings. Everything was delicious. Although this BBQ joint is a very popular spot, it’s not the only reason people go to Marble. Marble, CO is home to the Marble Quarry that produced the marble used to build the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. 

                                                        A chunk of local Marble.

I had left a table cloth, clothesline, a chair and my homemade wooden leveling blocks in my site, to signify it was occupied. When I returned, everything was gone except my tablecloth. This is the first time I have ever had anything stolen from a campsite. After walking the entire campground looking for my stuff, I decided none of the stuff had any real money value and tried to shake off my sour mood.

The next morning, I headed out to fish the Frying Pan River, near Basalt. On the way I stopped at the Redstone Coke Ovens. Back in the day, coal would be converted to coke then shipped off to steel plants. 

                                         Some of the Coke Ovens have been restored.

The drive to Basalt was back tracking towards Aspen but short. After stopping at the local fly shop for information and to buy a few recommended flies, I headed up the canyon towards the Gold Medal designated section of the Frying Pan. I spent about 4 hours fishing and caught one Rainbow and one Brown. The river is a fast moving, high volume tail water fishery and both these guys put up a good fight. I was meeting my friends Phil and Mary at the Silt KOA, so I had to call it a day at 2pm.

                                                               Cruising in the golf cart 

They had made a reservation at a local restaurant that provides a free golf cart shuttle from the KOA to the restaurant. We had a few glasses of wine before hand, cocktails at the restaurant and a great meal, then headed back to the KOA in the golf cart.

Saturday, the three of us went to the Iron Mountain Hot Springs in Glenwood Canyon. I’ve been to a number of Hot Spring Resort, but this is the first one that not only lets you drink in the hot tubs but has an outdoor bar right next to the 16 tubs.

                                                                     Iron Mt Hot Springs

                                                          Phil & Larry just relaxing

                                                  View from Iron Mt Hot Springs

 The views from the terraced tubs were great, we met some nice people and had an excellent time. One of the couples we met, told us about the Crystal Mill in Marble. It is one of the most photographed places in Colorado. After much discussion, Mary convinced me that we should go on Sunday, since it was sort of on my way home. 

Sunday we took two vehicles and drove to Marble. I have to thank Mary for the photos of Enzo on the road since I don't have any, plus she gets credit for the majority of the photos in this post.

My truck is a two seater, so Phil, being the sweetheart that he is, told Mary that if she really wanted to go he would wait for us in Marble. So Mary got in my truck and we headed up the 5.5 mile 4WD road to the mill. There was a race happening on the road, so every so often I would stop to let an on coming runner go by. I’m glad Mary convinced me to go, it is quite the spot, with a few summer cabins, and a small store. The road was probably one of the roughest roads I’ve been on with Enzo. I actually got out and scouted a few spots along the way. 

The road to Crystal Mill

                                                A runner on a good section of road.

The return trip was much faster because we were heading in the same direction as the runners and I didn’t need to do any scouting. It only took us 45 minutes to drive the 5.5 miles back to Marble. By this time it was close to noon so we headed to the Slow Groovin BBQ for lunch. While we were waiting for a table, Mary picked up a rack card for a jeep tour to the Crystal Mill. The price was $500 round trip, which prompted Mary to say, I guess we’re buying lunch. 

After lunch, I said goodbye to Phil, Mary, the town of Marble and started the drive over Independence Pass and back to CORA. It was a great 6 day mini vacation.

Tight lines and safe travels

Maroon Bells by eBike 9-15-21

I’ve wanted to go to Maroon Bells for a number of years. It is a highly visited and very pretty place. Because of its popularity and close proximity to Aspen, visitation is highly regulated. Personal vehicles are limited and shuttle buses are available, but anyone can bike in without a reservation. My friends Phil and Mary told me that there were shops in Aspen that rented eBikes, so on Tuesday afternoon, 9/14/21, I left CORA with the plan to eBike to Maroon Bells. 

The forecast was for sunny, smoke free days in Aspen. Lately, due to the wildfires in other states, Colorado has had some very smoky days. I drove Enzo over Independence Pass, which is a spectacular drive in any vehicle less than 35 feet long and turned onto a dirt road on the western side of the pass. There is a fee campground within a 1/4 mile, which costs $25, for a very primitive campground. My goal was Portal Campground on the shore of Grizzly Reservoir 6.4 miles further up the road. The first 1 1/2 miles is very rough and steep in a few spots, probably drove 5 mph, then the road improves to a rough 15mph dirt road with a few rough spots. There are 22 free, designated primitive, wooded, campsites with bear boxes spaced along the first 4.5 miles. Camping is only allowed at these designated sites on this section of road. The last 2 miles before Portal Campground is no camping. There were a number of nice empty sites, so I knew if the Portal Campground was full, I could double back and grab a site for the night.

The road follows a small creek, with some little waterfalls and works its way uphill through a very pretty mountain pass. After about 45 minutes I came to the little dam, a small group of dam support buildings and finally, Portal Campground. Not only did I get a campsite, but I got one of two which are actually on the shoreline. There are about 8 campsites, two were occupied. I couldn’t believe the other campers didn’t take a shore campsite. It was about 4 pm when I backed in to my spot, I geared up and went fly fishing. By 5 pm I had caught four 10-12” Rainbows, two on an olive wooly bugger and two on a black wooly bugger.

                                                           Portal Campground

After fishing, I settled in with a glass of wine, some warm clothes and a steak dinner. Life is good and I’m grateful to be able to do this. There wasn’t much of a sunset. The sun just dropped behind the mountain on the opposite side of the lake.

Friday morning it was 31 degrees outside and 38 in Enzo. I fired up the furnace, and by the time I made coffee, it was 65 degrees in Enzo. By 9 am, I was packed and driving towards Aspen. Aspen Velo Bike Rentals opened at 10 am and I arrived a few minutes later. By 10:30 I was on the eBike and heading up the bike path to Maroon Bells. These bikes are pedal assist eBikes, no throttle, so you have to pedal. Aspen has a very extensive bike path system which takes you throughout town and to the base of the road to Maroon Bells. It was a beautiful day. The aspen trees appeared to be almost peaking, my luck held out again. 

                                              Aspen on the way to Maroon Bells

I really enjoyed the 16 mile up hill bike ride, but I was surprised at how tired my legs were when I got to the top just before noon. I had planned to do a three mile hike, but opted for the short walk to the first lake and just relaxed, had lunch and enjoyed the view for the next hour or so.

                                                                          Maroon Bells

Even with all the restrictions, Maroon Bells is not totally protected from idiots. After lunch I went for a short walk around the lake and suddenly, this woman tosses a banana peel into the grass next to the trail. I was beside myself with anger, but calmed enough to say, excuse me did you just toss a banana peel into the grass. She said yes, but she said I thought it was okay because it’s biodegradable. I told her it wasn’t okay and that the ethic was to leave no trace, which means you are to leave nothing. I turned and walked away, hoping she would pick it up. Later, I realized I should have waited and if she didn’t pick it up, then I should have.

The return ride was quick. The eBikes have digital speedometers. My top speed on the descent was 35 mph, but I probably averaged around 20 mph without pedaling. The road is paved and mostly devoid of vehicle traffic. I think I saw more bikes than cars and the shuttle buses are infrequent, so I was able to ride in the middle on my lane and just cruise. I did have to stop for a deer crossing the road. Once back in town, I got a little confused on the bike paths, but finally made it back to the shop around 2:15. The rental cost me $120 with tax, I thought it was well with it, not only for the Maroon Bells but the awesome speed ride down the mountain.

This was my first time in Aspen and it is crazy busy. It makes Breckenridge look like a sleepy little town. I didn’t stick around and headed “down valley” to find some peace and quiet. I stopped at a parking area next to a river to see if there was any fishing access. After parking the truck, I walked up the bike path, there wasn’t any fishing access due to the steep bank, but I did come across “Goats at Work”. These are four legged brush hogs. A “shepherd” erects an electric fence along the river and this herd goes to work. Once they eat everything they can reach he moves the fence and the herd. I think it’s a great way to clear unwanted vegetation without the noise and environmental impact of a machine.

I had made online reservations at Bogan Flats Campground, which is a medium size NFS campground, on the Crystal River. Once I had enough goat watching I headed down the road towards Marble, CO, which is where the white marble for the Lincoln Memorial was obtained. About 11 miles from the campground, traffic came to a dead stop for 30 minutes. There was a motorcycle vs camper accident. According to the locals hanging out near the road, a motorcycle rear ended a camper. The rider must have lived because the ambulance headed out with lights and siren at a very high rate of speed. I believe they wouldn’t have done that if the rider wasn’t alive. Finally, they opened the road and I arrived at Bogan Flats Campground around 4:30pm.

More as it happens.

Tight lines and safe travels

Overland Mt West Expo, Aug 2021

Last month I attended the Overland Mt West Expo in Loveland, CO. A few months ago, I applied to be a volunteer and just before I left on my Idaho trip, I received my acceptance email. I needed to commit to at least 11 hours of work in exchange for free admission for the entire event, free camping, t-shirt, and many of the same benefits as the premium Overland Experience package.

This was the third Overland Expo I've attended, but the first as a volunteer. Previously, in 2016, Nancy & I attended the one in Flagstaff, AZ, and in 2019, Harvey & I attended the one in Gunnison, CO. These events are geared to Overlanding, they even have a length limit for campers and they discourage typical RVs. Most campers arrive in Vans, pop-up truck campers, tents and some pretty wild overland rigs. 

According to the recap on the Overland Expo website, there were over 17,000 attendees, 270 exhibitors and 87 presenters & instructors. It was a huge event with 65 staff and 40 volunteers. I arrived late afternoon on Wednesday, and was escorted to the designated camping area for volunteers and instructors. I was able to grab an end spot along the fence. We had port-a potties and an air conditioned shower trailer in our area. They even had hand washing stations. 

                                                              The shower trailer

The camping area was nothing more than a large field, with 20’ x 20’ spaced marked off with orange paint. I was happy to be along the fence because I had a view and a breeze. The non-volunteers were packed in double rows, with just enough room between the double rows to drive through, true rally style camping, far from overlanding. 

 

My first shift began at 8:30 am on Thursday, at the registration booth. I worked with a great group of staff and stuffed bags, and waited on registrants. They divided registration into two areas with different responsibilities, but it was still very confusing at times. The people arriving for the event were great, very patient with us and it was fun to joke with them. The staff did a great job handling the few problems we encountered and for the most part, everyone walked away with a smile and their credentials. I even got lunch. Later in the day, I was asked to relieve  one of the gate attendants so he could go get dinner. While I was on the gate, the staff from registration brought my dinner to me. How cool was that. I managed to chow down in between vehicles.

My shift ended at 6:30pm, and I headed directly to the Oasis Bar, which was a tent setup near the vendors. As a volunteer, I was entitled to a free beer each night, but usually I was able to get at least one more, sometimes two. My close friends, Harvey and June decided to attend the expo to visit with camper van builders, of which there were at least eight. So I hung out with them at the bar and enjoyed a number of bands playing each night at the Oasis.

Friday was a free day for me, so Harvey, June and I walked the vendor area. I needed to buy a 12 volt, DC to DC battery charger for Enzo, and was able to view three different products before settling on a 25 amp model by Redarc. They did a 10% show discount, but didn’t have inventory, so I’m waiting for it to be shipped to me. Harvey & June looked at a number of van conversions and the three of us attended two Alaska seminars. The seminar were more about the speaker’s adventures and less about Alaska, but it was still enjoyable, albeit, I really wanted to learn some cool things about Alaska. Of course, at 5pm, we headed to the Oasis and Happy Hour.

Saturday my shift started at 8am at the same gate I staffed on Thursday. I was supposed to pass out maps at the day use entrance, but there was some screw up with the contract security company and they forgot they needed to staff the gate. By 10 am, two security personnel arrived to relieve me and I went to the day use entrance gate hand out maps. 

This is some of the day parking area, which filled and then the staff had to scrabble to open another parking area and a second gate. At $25 a person the day use was quite the money maker for the organization.

At noon, another volunteer relieved me and told me to head over to headquarters for lunch. I had fulfilled my work commitment and was a free man with a free lunch.

So I headed over to the Dodge exhibit and drove a couple of different Dodge 4X4 pickup trucks on an overland obstacle course, with a Dodge representative as my co-pilot. First, a Dodge 2500 diesel Power wagon and then a Dodge 1500 gas Rebel. Both were tricked out with all the off road stuff. The course was a blast, logs, rocks, steep embankments and a very steep hill climb. I was impressed with the Dodge trucks, but I’m still a Ford guy. 

Next stop, the Kenda tire exhibit. They had another obstacle course setup, but this time I was driving Jeeps, first a Gladiator and then a Rubicon, but no co-pilot. They had spotters on the course who talked you through the course via radio. This course was designed with less obstacles, but more steep embarkments and hill climbs. 

On both courses I had one wheel off the ground and got pretty high on the embankments, much higher than I would have done in my truck. By then it was close to Happy Hour, so I headed back to my rig to freshen up before meeting up with Harvey and June at the Oasis for some more free drinks.

After dinner, an old college buddy, Gary, who now lives in Ft Collins, picked me up and we went bar hopping in Old Town Ft Collins, needless to say, it was a late night. Some tings never change. LOL 

Harvey & June left Sunday morning and I headed over to the Ride With Us booth. They had a sign in front which said: “Learn to ride a motorcycle in 45 minutes”. I accepted the challenge. After signing the obligatory waiver, they outfitted me with pants, shirt, helmet, gloves and a 200 cc Yamaha motorcycle. I started out with short rides, practicing the clutch, throttle and brake. Next thing I knew I was cruising the dirt oval, granted I never got out of first gear. Who knows, there might be a new toy in my future.

After that  experience, I attended two emergency first aid seminars. The first was about dealing with the usually backcountry injuries, the second one was dealing with rare, but life threatening injuries. Ones that I might never encounter, but ones that if not dealt with immediately would most likely make the Personal Locator Beacon a recovery tool, rather than a rescue device. 

At 3 pm on Sunday, all the vendors began tearing down their booths and packing up. I headed back to my camp and watched the show. I had already decided I would spend Sunday night camped at the expo, avoid the mass exit, and then visit my cousins Lou and Kathy in Aurora on Monday. Lou, Kathy and I went to a great BBQ joint for lunch, where I had all you can eat ribs. After lunch, we hung out at their house and then around 3pm I headed back to CORA.

I had a great time and packed a lot of activity into six days. It’s amazing given the current state of the world, that over 17,000 people , mostly strangers, can come together and have a good time. We just need to find common ground or at least put our differences aside. 

Tight Lines and safe Travels