Full Time RV Travel–Trinidad Colorado–Trinidad Lake State Park–Carpios Cove Hiking Trail

What a beautiful place Trinidad Lake State Park has turned out to be. . .

a little pricey at $33 per night by the time they add in all the fees. . .

but for full hook ups and a great location. . .we’ll take it.

Last night I did one of those fancy dancy hikes. . .where there’s a sidewalk all the way around. . .

with nifty little placards telling you what everything is. . .above is the beautiful view of

Fisher’s Peak overlooking Trinidad Lake. . .which as you can probably tell. . .

is suffering from the severe drought Colorado is experiencing. . .

Another interesting stop on my hike. . .

A Horno (pronounced oar-no) outdoor oven. . .made from clay and used by

Native Americans in past culture. . .

Also visible from my hike was the Spanish Peaks. . .located about 20 miles away.

I’m sure you’ll be seeing them again. . .as I just know the sun setting behind them

will be absolutely breathtaking. . .I’m heading over there shortly for the experience.

 

Today. . .about two o’clock. . .not sure what I was thinking?  I decided we should

go hike the Carpios Cove Trail. . .it’s only 1/2 a mile right. . .no problem. . .

and Dave was dumb enough to go along. . .LOL. . .

more beautiful views of Fisher’s Peak. . .

Originally, five mining towns were located in the valley where Trinidad Lake is now. . .

and mine tailings are still visible in the area. . .here is a not so beautiful view of one of those.

and another, much larger one. ..part of the process. . .

We’re having a great time. . .I’ve lost 12 pounds this summer

just by hiking and walking. . .so I need to keep that up. . .

Lots more to see and do here in Trinidad. . .so stay tuned!

Janice

Full Time RV Cooking–One Chicken–Three Meals–Plus Chicken Stock

Now that’s what I call a deal. . .

 

I bought one of those rotisserie chickens for dinner. . .it was a delicious meal, but there was a lot left over. . .so, I took the rest off the bone. . .saved the bones and skin in the freezer for making stock later. . .

 

then using Iron Chef Michael Symon’s recipe for pizza dough

3/4 cup AP flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp yeast

1/4 cup water – maybe a little more

Olive Oil for pan

Proof the yeast in the water. . .I add a smidge of sugar to help the process

Add wet ingredients to dry – mix until incorporated – knead for a few minutes – then allow to rise – shape dough and add toppings – cook in 425* preheated oven about 20 minutes or so. . .

(I decreased measurements to make one crust)

To the top of this dough I added bechamel sauce (cream sauce or alfredo sauce will be fine). . .

did I mention I made the bechamel sauce using bacon fat?   Yum!. . .

Shredded Chicken

a sprinkle of dried thyme or whatever seasonings you might like

parmesan cheese

mozzarella cheese

whatever sliced veggies you like or have available. . .this is tomatoes, bell pepper, green onion, and red pepper flakes.

 

Another delicious meal. . .but I still had quite a bit of chicken left. . .so I shredded it and made Chicken Salad for lunch tomorrow. . .

 

How cool is that. . .

 

How many ways can you use one $6 chicken?  Please share. . .

Full Time RV Travel–Rocky Mountain National Park with the Grandaughter

Catching up on the blog. . .

it’s hard to believe it’s only been a month since we did this gorgeous hike. . .

Not really being an outdoor, nature girl,

we were concerned about taking Bree

hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park. . .

She seemed to love every minute of it. . .

hiking with her Pa. . .

hiking with me. . .

Enjoying the view. . .

Posing for pics. . .

crossing the river. . .

the REWARD. . .

more pics: Alberta Falls Album

It was a glorious hike. . .so worth it!

Full Time RV Travel–a visit from the Grand

We offered all the grands a trip to Colorado to visit. . .

but, due to work schedules, sports schedules, and camp schedules,

(it’s crazy how busy these kiddos are,)

only one, our oldest grandaughter, Breaunna,

was able to take us up on the offer. . .so we picked her up at the airport on Saturday. 

This was her first solo flight. . .and even with four delays she did beautifully. . .so proud!

Since getting out in a tourist area on the weekends is not usually a great idea. . .

we took it easy on Sunday. . .and started Breaunna’s sightseeing adventures on Monday. . .

First, a picnic lunch at a beautiful sculpture park in Loveland,

Benson Sculpture Park is an amazing place. . .

we only saw a small fraction of the sculptures. 

Art Castings of Colorado is located in Loveland,

so sculpting is a huge part of the local economy,

which is obvious everywhere in the city. 

Being an artist, I loved it all. . .and so did Bree!

 

She asked me to teach her to paint. . .ha ha. . .no small task mind you. . .

but we spent lots of time “painting” when she was little and I had a workshop.

I would hang a long roll of paper out on the fence. . .

pull an old t shirt on over her clothes. . .and she would go to town. 

She got really good at the Donna Dewberry style painting. . .

I’ll be getting all those tapes back out,

so she and I can practice while we are in Texas.

My favorite. . .

More beautiful pics of our grand and the sculptures at
Benson Sculpture Garden in Loveland Colorado

.

Full Time RV Travel: Mt Evans Colorado–We Gotta See It!

Curtis and Brenda’s last day before we took them to the airport

also happened to be our favorite sightseeing day. . .

You didn’t think we could be in the State of Colorado

for the entire summer. . .

and not make it to see Mount Evans did’ya?

It was a great day. . .

There are 54 fourteeners in the State of Colorado. . .

Mt Evans is the closest one to Denver. . .

and beautiful Echo Lake. . .

which is considered an alpine lake. . .so pretty.

We were at about 10,000 feet elevation here at the lake. . .

and did not do the final 4,000 feet to the summit. . .

but one of the ladies we talked to at the gift shop, 

said the wind was blowing about 45 mph up there. . .fun!

I would have love to have gone up there. . .

but, alas, the airport beckons. . .

so off we went to Denver. . .

Curtis said that on the Capitol Steps was a placard 

indicating one mile above sea level

Well. . .I gotta see that!

the State Capitol Building is under construction 

with this ugly wrapping around the top. . .

so I bought me a postcard. . .

and Dave took this shot with this kind of cool effect. . .

not sure how he did that. . .but I wanted you to see it. . .

There’s his brother at the right of the steps. . .

We thoroughly enjoyed our week with the fam. . .

Now it truly is time to head to the airport. . .

drop off Curtis and Brenda. . .and pick up our oldest grandaughter. . .

It’s her first solo flight. . .so stay tuned. . .

Full Time RV Travel–Cripple Creek Colorado

Ah. . .Friday. . .one of our less successful days of playing tourist while Curtis and Brenda were visiting. . .

Cripple Creek Colorado. . .

We brought our boys here in 1988. . .and loved it so much,

I just had to go back and see it again. . .or so I thought.

After driving about an hour or so from Colorado Springs to the original

World’s Greatest Gold Camp. . .

this was the view of town with the Rockies in the background. . .beautiful, isn’t it?

and a pretty historical area. . .what you can’t see in this picture

is that every other storefront is now a casino. . .

so, if you are into gambling. . .you would probably enjoy a day in Cripple Creek. . .

We enjoyed the architecture and the setting of the town. . .

but it was so different than what we remembered. . .

we didn’t stay very long.

 

 

This is the Baptist Church, located about a block off Main St. . .

established in 1898. . .beautiful building.

The Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine still does tours. . .

This is one of the things we had done with the boys

all those years ago. . .so didn’t really feel the need to do it again. . .

but if you are interested in how things work. . .you would really like it. . .

and if you are 10 years old. . .like our boys were at the time. . .

you would, of course, love it. . .

 

If you are close to Cripple Creek, you should go and see it. . .

If you’ve been to Cripple Creek, we would love to hear your

thoughts about it. . .so leave us a comment. . .

 

Have a great day. . .and happy travels. . .

Janice

Full Time RV Travel–Manitou Springs Colorado - Chapel at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs and Focus on the Family

After we finished our jeep tour of

Old Fall River Road in Rocky Mountain National Park,

we headed straight to Colorado Springs

where our friends have a beautiful home on eight acres . . .

with this gorgeous view from their back patio. . .

where we sat and drank coffee each morning.

These wild turkeys wandered through every afternoon while we were there. . .

and they said they normally see elk in the pasture. . .

and even a resident bear makes a pass through. . .

We certainly enjoyed our stay with them. . .

and although we love everything about RV’ing. . .

I must admit, the private bath in every bedroom was a huge bonus!

First thing on the agenda Thursday morning,  well, after we visited the Focus on the Family Campus, 

was to take Curtis and Brenda out to the Garden of the Gods Visitor Center. . .

where there is a postcard quality view of Pikes Peak from the balcony. . .spectacular!

although not quite as spectacular this trip as it was when we saw it in early May. . .

Next stop. . .Manitou Springs. . .

What a beautiful little town, right on the edge of Colorado Springs.

Town Square Clock

and a little history. . .

and being an artist. . .I loved this mural.

Although mostly tourist shops, (very hippie style tourist shops)

Manitou Springs is also where you need to go to

take the Cog Railway to the top of Pike’s Peak,

and is also famous for it’s Soda Water Springs.

Since we are taking our grandaughter there next week. . .

I’ll get more pics, and tell you a little more about all of it.

our last sightseeing stop of the day. . .

the Chapel at the Air Force Academy. . .gorgeous!

the cross hanging over the altar looked like a sword to me. . .

and I always, always find pipe organs intriguing. . .

the glow from the stained glass windows added to the ambience. . .

and the sunbeams breaking through the clouds,

as we came out of the Chapel, certainly seemed appropriate. . .

It was a wonderful day with our family. . .

but it wasn’t the end of our sightseeing. . .

we’re doing more tomorrow!

We love to hear from you so leave us a comment. . .

and if you’ve visited Manitou Springs

or the Air Force Chapel in Colorado Springs,

include the link to your posts. . .

we’d love to read your impressions. . .and see your pics.

Safe travels everyone,

Janice

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