Our start out was around 10:00 AM—we wanted to get over Monarch Pass around noon in order to have the most heat available. Gunnison and the surrounding area is the coldest part of Colorado and I’ve seen instances of SNOW in July over Monarch. I have never crossed Monarch Pass on a clear day. Every instance has been cloudy. I’m sure those days exist; however I’ve never seen them!
Before we pull out of Pitkin, we get Jake to snap our group photo. I’m the last dragging out…and Steve points out the church behind me and how he thinks I need to go.
Huh? It’s City Hall, silly…..Besides, can you take someone who acts this silly seriously??
Mr. Bad Boy himself--Steve!I think he’s implying something….I’m not sure what it is..and I don’t think I want to know…those biker people…..
Our group picAt any rate, we mount up and have Monarch Pass to conquer. The weather is predictable—it is typically cloudy and cold.
Our next stop is St. Elmo, which is out there in the middle of nowhere. It does require to ride on dirt which I’m fine with. Unfortunately, it’s not completely hard packed and I’m not crazy at all on sand…so I’m puttering down the middle of the road very slow…
The ride to St. Elmo is worth it! This is a little mountain town and we set out exploring. I think there’s one store open to the public; everything else is either a private cabin with campers or vacant. The display outside of the general store pretty much says it all!!!
The chipmunks are pretty tame; there are kids feeding them almost by hand.
We piddle around and I do a bit of shopping. I find a gift for a musical friend of mine. Cool!!!
Once back on the road, it’s time to head to the stop for the day. This day’s ride is a short one; the plan is to go white water rafting! Half the group goes to raft, the other half (my half) decides we’d rather eat. Sounds good to me!! Eat, nap time, and visit.
The others get back and of course—we are full….they are hungry. They decide to go eat and we’ll walk down and join them in a few for a margarita. We never made it. Instead, we headed down to Buena Vista for ice cream. Ice cream beats out a margarita nine times out of ten!! LOL!!!
Besides, had gone, we would have missed the opportunity for more goofiness! One being Steve in the general store being the town sheriff. The picture is priceless! We spent forever in this store because it was so highly entertaining….Steve running around cutting up…trying to pick up a mannequin (no, I’m not posting that pic)….and other things. Oh, we can’t resist bathtub lounging, either (I’m not posting that one, either)!!!
It’s an early night in and I’m beat. We want to set out early Friday.
One more night and I’ll be back in the Springs and home home home!! It’s always good to travel—because of coming home!!
Keep the Shiny Side Up!
~The Rainbow Wahine
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