They finally found a home for him but in Bellingham, WA and I didn't want to stick him in a cargo compartment in the summer and I was planning to head North anyway so we agreed to make the hand off in Thompson Fall, MT. And then I bought a motorcycle in Denver so I was going swing through there on the way North.
I sought some local advice from Stew
and he pointed me to Cordova Pass as a good stop, West from Walsenberg CO by the Spanish Peaks Wilderness. A simple campsite, 11,000'+, nice trails
In the morning took two of the pooches for a hike, then the bad happened, trip changed
The foster dog, a young and energetic boy, was racing around as he can be prone to do, then disappeared, which he is not prone to do. Turns out he ran into a log, or a stump, or something and ended up like this
Obviously needed some help so down the mountain, onto the internet, and we located a weekend dog hospital in Pueblo. 70 stitches, a few staples, general anesthetic and 2 hours of surgery and a lot of $$$ and you get this
And a few hours later
Not knowing what was going to happen I aborted the trip to Denver and after telling the new doggie parents what happened headed to Montana. Pooch was pretty good, down on energy but at times too much. Anyway that night we camped along the Arkansas River
and the next day headed up Independence Pass, all paved and busy at the top but a very pretty spot. On the way up, yes I do travel with quite a few dogs
And then my camera started to crap out
now off for repairs. Some suggestions from this trip.SE Idaho, Nice camp, Palisade, just off 26 West of Jackson, WY. Good for avoiding the Jackson tourists.
Montana/Idaho border, Lost Trail Pass, nice campground on the Montana side. Surprised that no one else was there, forest rats everywhere.
Thompson Falls State Park, went there just as a reliable meet up place to hand off the dog. On the river but also by road construction and a busy railroad track
Best camp spot award goes to Seven Devils in the Hell's Canyon rec area accessed from Riggins ID by an 18 mile 5000' upgrade. The trailhead was full, the campground nearly empty (on a Saturday night) beautiful views and hiking, little lake by the camp, visited by a very curious Black/Red Fox combination, started chewing on the dogs line. Here is a pic from someone else.
Idaho/NV border on 225 has a nice little camp along the river, decent stop over, North of Wild Horse Res.
Spent a night at Great Basin NP, great views but busier than the other places we stayed.
Same at Colorado National Monument, a beautiful park people often pass by, busier than I prefer, campsites do have great views but strange in that a few thousand feet down and a few miles out you are looking at civilization, Grand Junction, CO.
From there I was headed back to Denver to pick up the motorcycle and figured going through Rocky Mountain National Park would be nice. It was, nice Elk herds, wonderful vistas, and of course during the peak season plenty of tourists. The campsites in the park, at least as you come in from Granby and the West, looked sucky for sure. An open field full of campers. Instead go to Willow Creek Res just a few miles South of the park and a couple miles West of 34. No boat motors, quiet campground, very nice stop
Stew had recommended the older Fall River road, one way East to West, but it was closed from avalanche damage (now open )From there I just headed to Denver, picked up the trials bike, and headed out of town asap on 285 and camped in a FS site at Kenosha Pass. Surprisingly to me all the sites were reserved for the weekend but since we were just there for the Thursday overnight we were good. I guess it is close enough to Denver to be very popular.
Made it back to S. NM the next day. Man there is just a lot of great territory out there. Best spots of this trip, Seven Devils Mountains and Hell's Canyon, Cordova Pass and the Spanish Peaks, Independence Pass, of course Rocky Mountain NP but best not in summer, and I almost forgot, Fossil Butte National Monument off US30 in West WY.
