Our Journey to Mouflon Lodge, Colorado
(June 2008)
After many years talking about it, we finally decided to join friends Floyd and Diane for a trip to their Mouflon Lodge near Gunnison, Colorado. It's Saturday (June 28) and we're approaching the bridge that crosses the Blue Mesa Reservoir several miles from town. Gunnison is the home of Western State College. It's green and beautiful this time of the year, but extremely cold during the winter months.
Diane's waving to us. We reached this spot about the same time they did. Pretty good timing. They drove up from their home in El Paso, Texas, and we from California. We followed them to the Water Wheel Inn where they'd reserved a room. We spent the night in our motor home. Their 5th wheel flatbed trailer is loaded with supplies for their lodge and mining operation.
Following breakfast at the Inn, we headed for Mouflon lodge located about twenty rough miles from the main highway. The road's dusty, rutted and winds up, down, around, on and on....over some beautiful country as you'll soon see.
This was the Volcon mine, once the largest in Colorado. Some people think there are millions left in the tailings. Floyd wanted us to see it, and shows a piece of quartz like rock he picked up.
There are all kinds of wildflowers everywhere. Mel gives me a special flower he picked.
We stay far behind to avoid the dust.
As we round a bend, Diane is walking down the hill towards us. Their pickup has stalled on the steep, rutted hill with transmission problems. It's losing fluid and smoking.
We turned around and then drove the nine miles back to town to get (3 1/2 gals) transmission fluid.
After returning and adding fluid, Floyd backs the trailer down the hill and parks it. He decides to drive back to town and leave it at the shop to be worked on.
It's stop, fill and go until it quits altogether. We leave it by the road and head for Gunnison where we'll meet up with some of their family members who travel to Mouflon annually for their Fourth of July celebration.
Gunnison River where it flows into Blue Mesa Reservoir.
Their daughter Tammy, husband Andy, children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and three dogs were waiting. Andy wryly commented, "Another midnight challenge." This young man is always smiling and helping. They loaded the groceries and left for the lodge. Floyd went with them. He and Andy will return to the pickup and tow it to town. We take Diane back to the motel. We'd started about 8:30 am and it's now 6:00 pm. It's been about 9 1/2 hours and we're all feeling it. Poor Floyd. Hope his vita drink comes through.
Meanwhile, as we're driving back to our favorite parking spot on the far side of the motel, we spot this beautiful motorcycle that appeared to have a trailer behind it. "Look at the engine on that thing!" I tell Mel to stop and jump out to take pictures. Owner Don and his girl friend Cheryl were getting ready to leave on it. Cheryl's Harley Davidson was parked next to it, so naturally I had to tell them I met Mel when I asked to have a ride on his Harley many years ago. We had fun visiting, and even got to sit on it. The bike is a Honda Gold Wing. One solid, magnificent machine. I told them they'd be on our website. Some clouds rolled in and it started to rain. We parked our motor home and Cheryl came running over to take our picture. "Turn a bout's fair play" she laughed.
After breakfast at the Inn, we took Floyd and Diane around to get prices to fix his pickup. While we were waiting in our RV at the Ford garage, I asked Diane if she had any words of wisdom. She replied, "Yes, but I forgot 'em." Then she laughed and added, "Live for the day and enjoy every minute of it." We were all telling stories and jokes, when suddenly the front left door opens. I couldn't see who it was, or what was going on, so I asked, "Who's that? What's he doing?" Then a smiling young man raised up and asked, "Isn't this the one that needs an oil change?" Glad we were there to set him straight. After that we drove to the airport where Floyd rented a pickup. They had some more things to do so we headed back up the hill.
Here we go again. Evidently workmen were working on the first part of the road.
The cows gave us that curious look as if to ask, "Wonder what they're doing here again?"
Here's the trailer....We stopped and had lunch, and then proceeded up the hill from there.
We're waiting for them at the top of the mountain. What a beautiful view. In the distance to the left of the picture you can see the road we traveled five times since yesterday.
It looks like they made it back to the trailer, and are picking up a few things. While we're waiting I take pictures of the many wildflowers. They catch up and we're off and running again.
We reach an old cabin above the canyon. Shortly the rocky road starts downhill. Mel's wondering if we should camp here. The motor home has a higher geared automatic transmission, and doesn't hold that well going slow down steep grades. Also it wobbles back and forth on the ruts and rocks getting dangerously close to leaning trees and hanging limbs. So far, he's done a great job crawling over loose rocks and maneuvering deep ruts. Once again his years driving log trucks has paid off.
Floyd reassures Mel that the road's okay, but this view of the lodge's location on the valley floor gives an idea of how steep and rough it is.
Mouflon lodge comes into view.
The only phone that works here was the automated phone built into the car.
The boys are contemplating how to get the raft down to the water.
The girls (and boys?) made use of their artistic skills. Mom's say they like to come here to get them away from video games so they can realize there are other ways to entertain themselves. Some were hunting butterflies with nets. Others fished, swam, or paddled their rafts.
Playing more games inside the lodge. The boys really like the dart game.
They were really getting rowdy, so I asked them to be quiet for a photo.
These children are so much fun. This boy (Casey?) enjoyed talking with the adults. The grand kids call Diane and Floyd "Grandma and Papa Bear." This evening Diane told them how they got that name. It was their little son Steve and their big dog Bear. He was a huge Rottweiler. (Somewhere, we have a picture we took of him years ago). Anyway, Casey was very animated about the story. He began to tell us four things "Grandpa Bear" needed to do. At this point I can only remember two. "He shouldn't work so hard on his vacations, and not live where the trees (he's allergic to) are killing him...."
Andy displays his gigantic flash light. We spent a nice evening in the lodge with the family. More were expected for the Fourth of July. It rained pretty hard that night. I wasn't feeling that good, and thought it might have been the heart meds I took earlier. Sort of sick to my stomach and dizzy. The next morning Mel felt dizzy and like vomiting when he got up. After breakfast he slept until noon. Diane later told us that many people who come here experience similar symptoms. She had to drive one man to the hospital, because he couldn't breathe. The altitude is over 9,000 feet above sea level.
Floyd and Mel went to look at the dam and gold extraction Floyd was planning below the overflow. There was a small water-wheel leaning against the bank that he plans on using to generate electricity for his operation there. Nearby, in the dam is the overflow with netting around it. The beavers plugged it up with debris floating down from their dam's upstream, and one time when Floyd was removing it, the water sucked his leg into the pipe pulling his shoe off. He barely got out. Diane's wisdom and sense of humor really tickles me. Referring to their yearly Fourth of July adventures, she wryly recites..."Second verse...same as first. Could be better, or a whole lot worse."
When it was time to leave, Mel worried about being able to climb the hill out of the valley, so Andy and Tammy (who were going to town anyway) went ahead in case we needed to be towed, and Diane and Floyd followed behind. We made it okay, so they went on to town over what they call a rougher-than-heck short cut, and would meet us later.
Then we ran into a hail storm.
Back to Gunnison where we say goodbye to Floyd, Diane, Tammy and Andy, and continue on to Cheyenne, Wyoming to see Ray and Donnie (and family).
I'll be adding more to this later...
During our travels this song kept running through my mind.
When I Need You - Leo Sayer
When I need you ...I just close my eyes and I'm with you. And all that I so want to give you. It's only a heart beat away. When I need love... I hold out my hands and I touch love. I never knew there was so much love keeping me warm night and day.
Miles and miles of empty space in between us. A telephone can't take the place of your smile. But you know...I won't be traveling forever. It's cold out, but hold out and do like I do
When I need you... I just close my eyes and I'm with you. And all that I so want to give you Babe. It's only a heart beat away. It's not easy when the road is your driver. Honey that's a heavy load that we bare. But you know I won't be traveling a life time. It's cold out but hold out and do like I do...Oh I need you.
