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We left Lake City on Sunday, August 9 following 149 north to Gunnison then we turned west on US 50 to Poncha Springs. From there, we turned north on US 285 to Nathrop where we settled into Chalk Lake campground for two nights. We had hoped to see our old friends, Ron and Jane Newman, but our schedules didn’t jive so we made plans to see them on our way home in a few weeks. On Monday, we visited the old ghost town of St. Elmo (it’s not really a ghost town as there are 8 year-round residents), noted as one of Colorado’s best relics. We traversed Tin Cup Pass over the Continental Divide, perhaps the rockiest and bumpiest pass we’ve encountered. In fact, it took us over an hour to make the 6-mile trip to the top. There were signs that warned that high-clearance 4WD vehicles were needed to reach the pass yet when we reached the top, there was a BMW coupe stranded with a busted oil pan. Duh! The wife was waiting in the car while the husband caught a ride into town to try to find someone to help them. People amaze me . . .

On Tuesday, we traveled north to Leadville and checked into Baby Doe campground for 5 nights. We are now in the Arkansas River Headwaters area as it is here that the river has its beginnings. The river is small and really beautiful here.

Leadville has a truly colorful history as the frontier West’s wildest, richest silver mining boom town. Once called Cloud City, the town still boasts that it is North America’s highest incorporated city at 10,430 feet. Fortunes were made in silver here by the likes of Horace Tabor, David May, J.J. Brown and his wife Margaret (the unsinkable Molly Brown), the Guggenheims and the Boettcher family. Many other famous people spent time in Leadville, including Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. Self-described as quaint and absolutely original. Leadville has been designated as a National Historic Landmark District. Seventy square blocks of Victorian architecture and the adjoining twenty square mile mining district distinguish Leadville as having maintained its character without exploiting its treasures.

While in Leadville, we ran Mosquito and Weston passes, both 4WD trails, and loved both. We also attempted to follow the Route of the Silver Kings, a road meandering through the old mining district but we got lost and ended up back in town. Oh, well. The weather is becoming cooler. In fact, when we awoke on August 15, it was 44 degrees outside and 46 degrees in the motorhome . . . brrrrrrrr! Thank goodness for gas central heat, as this campground had no hookups.

From here, we’re headed to Central City, then on to Grand Lake where we will meet our friends, Sam and Maggi Brown from Houston, TX.

Until next time, happy trails to you . . . til we meet again!