Ginger Goes Glamping

Colorado Rocky Mountain High

Posted on July 10, 2011 by Carol

We started our Colorado adventure in Mesa Verde National Park. I loved hanging outside and watching the deer, they would come really close. Then all of a sudden one of my humans came running out of the silver bubble and chased the poor deer off. I was shocked, but it turns out she saved me from being stomped. Those mule deer were actually stalking me! For a minute there I thought I was back in Hollywood.

Next stop was Durango where I met my first real cowboy and then up into the mountains to Silverton with an elevation of 9300 ft.

What a great little town. We had a wonderful time at Handlebars Restaurant and Saloon though I didn’t quite understand why they have all those dead animals hanging around.

I hope that’s not how I’m going to end up, stuffed and nailed to the wall.

We loved the incredible town of Ouray, the inspiration for the utopian secret hideaway in Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged”.

And also nearby Telluride, which figures prominently in Thomas Pychon’s “Against The Day”. I love Pynchon, my favorite is “The Crying of Lot 49”, probably because it’s his shortest.

The highlight of the trip was renting a jeep at the Silver Summit RV Park and driving the Alpine Loop through the San Juan Mountains. If you ever get a chance this is an experience not to be missed. There are many great jeep trails in the area but we did the 80 mile loop from Silverton past the ghost towns of Eureka and Animas Forks and through Engineer Pass which sits at 12,800.

At the top there were 10 ft snow banks on either side of the road which were welcomed after the terrifying sheer cliffs we’d been inching our way along. I had to pry my paws off the steering wheel after that part.

But hey, I did get to play in the snow!

Then we wound our way down to Lake City, which is a very cool town that I had never heard of. Then back up and over Cinnamon Pass at 12,600 ft on what I swore was nothing but a goat path! Now they called it a jeep road but it was more like a trail of boulders. I felt lucky to have come through it alive. So much so that we had to celebrate that night with our neighbors Boo and Gracie, the most gorgeous chocolate labs you’ve ever seen, and their humans from Denver. Chewy was there too with his humans from Oklahoma City. They were all very camera shy and made me promise not to post anything on facebook (I have my own page you know) so there are no pictures to show you. But let me tell you… a good time was had by all!

“WTF! Where’s my sunglasses?! I’m feeling a little fuzzy this morning!”

After we recovered from that night and at my insistence we were off to Molas Lake, the highest campground in the United States at 10,300 ft. You know me, I couldn’t resist a little swim in the freezing cold lake, it’s good for sore muscles you know.

But my titanium knees must have thrown me over the edge. Having been at high altitude for over a week I thought I was all good, but soon the signs were there… and they weren’t pretty. Luckily my humans had some altitude sickness pills with them and after a quick Google search they knew just how much to give me. I was back to my old self in a half hour and able to enjoy the wonderful filet mignon we had by the campfire that night. Yum yum. That’s our spot below!

But our CO adventure was not to end there. We very sadly left the Durango area and stopped along the way at The Great Sand Dunes National Monument where I just about had a cow over how hot it was. I thought we’d left the desert finally, remember?

Thankfully, the next day we were off to Denver to get that pesky awning fixed. We had not been able to use it since Lake Powell and the high altitude sun was taking its toll. But alas the news was bad, very bad. It would take $9500 and a couple of weeks in dry dock to properly repair the damage done to the aluminum skin. Luckily for us we have Progressive as our insurance company because they jumped right on the case and cut a check immediately for an emergency repair. A big shout out to Dave in the service department at Windish RV in Lakewood, CO for getting us in and out right before the big holiday weekend. They did a fabulous job on the patch and our awning works again! Yay!!

While the Airstream was in the shop we drove up to my grandparents house in Beaver Creek, CO.

They have a new baby boy, Tobey who we hadn’t met before. And of course I was so glad to see my ole pal Jake again. I love both my uncles!

Unfortunately for me, I thought Tobey needed some discipline, he is a puppy after all. But my humans didn’t agree and I spent a lot of time downstairs away from the boys while they all went to one fabulous dinner after another.

© 2011 Richard Broadwell - Beaver Creek Golf Course

My humans even went out and chased a little white ball around a bunch of hills without me, the nerve! But I did discover Antler dog chews, they are 100% natural and organic AND they are a great source of Calcium, minerals and other nutrients. Every one should get some. Thanks Papa Stew and Linda!

Coming up Next: Good Times in the Bad Lands

Posted in Airstream, Camping, Dogs, Travel, Travel photography | Tagged airstream, Beaver Creak, Colorado, dogs, Great Sand Dunes National Park, Mesa Verde National Park, Ouray, RV's, SIlverton, Telurride, Travel | 2 Comments

Adios Desert

Posted on June 30, 2011 by Carol

Since I am a warm water beach girl it was very strange that I ever moved to a desert environment in the first place. But I ended up loving it and the desert was very good to me. But alas the time has come to leave it all behind because even though we left La Quinta, CA just a couple of weeks ago we’ve still been traveling through a desert. And it’s been hot hot hot!

We had stopped in Page, AZ for some R&R at Lake Powell. Finally my humans were listening to me. We romped and roamed and swam in the lake!

A good time was had by all… until a sudden microburst of wind on an otherwise calm day took out our awning. It pulled the screws right out of the skin causing damage to the body and bent one of the arms like a pretzel. Wow, the dealership was right when they said that the awning would be the first thing to go. It lasted exactly 8 days.

Next we were off to Monument Valley for the full moon rise. Of course I tried to veto this, it looked like a bunch of red rocks to me and where’s the lake?

But since we were only staying one night (a wind storm was on the way) I didn’t protest too much. And I have to admit it was one fine moon rise.

So now we leave the desert for good. Colorado here we come! Do you think they have any lakes there?

Coming up Next: Colorado Rocky Mountain High

Posted in Airstream, Camping, Dogs, Travel, Travel photography | Tagged airstream, camping, dogs, Lake Powell, Monument Valley, RV | 1 Comment

Canyon De Chelly – Navajo Nation, AZ

Posted on June 24, 2011 by Carol

So my humans were hell-bent on seeing Canyon De Chelly National Monument. They said it’s in the book “A 1000 Places To See Before You Die” but my only question when we got there was, where’s the lake? Luckily we stayed at the wonderful Spider Rock Campground near the rim owned by a local Navajo named Howard (I called him Roy) and his dog Boy.

The next day they let me stay home instead of taking the jeep tour through the Canyon so Boy and I could get to know each other a little better… if you know what I mean. I really do miss my boyfriend Charlie but a girl’s got her needs. Anyway Charlie and I were never exclusive though his human did think we were engaged. But he never put a ring on it, so there.

My humans couldn’t stop talking about their tour when they got back, about the amazing Puebloan ruins they saw dating back to the 13th century that were built by the Anasazi (the Ancient Ones) and about the cliff art and how old everything is. What is this fascination with old things? Who wants old anyway? I prefer brand spankin new myself. But this ancient stuff really seems to turn them on.

On the second night the moon was nearly full and we had a nice camping spot way off from anybody else. Thanks goodness steak was on the menu that night, I was really getting sick of all the pasta they’d been having. Those humans had been too lazy to even set up the BBQ until now and we were finally going to have a great dinner al fresco. We had been moving around a lot, setting up and breaking down camp every day so we were all exhausted. Or so I thought. But I came to a realization at Canyon De Chelly that I wasn’t tired from over-exertion, or moving all our stuff into storage, or anything else. I was just relaxed.

So as I was saying we were enjoying the full moon rising, the steak and some wine outside when another RV comes roaring down OUR road, invading the absolute quiet and solitude of OUR canyon. They pulled into the spot directly across from us where the huge orange moon was lifting itself into the sky. I just about had a fit. But then something happened; I said oh well, so what, big deal. Me… I said that? There had to be six of them crammed into that rented El Monte RV and they were all taking French non-stop in loud voices right in front of us. But it didn’t bother me one bit.

It must be this thing called relaxation.

Coming up Next: Adios Desert

Posted in Airstream, Camping, Dogs, Travel, Travel photography | Tagged Antelope House, Canyon De Chelly, Rock Art, Spider Rock, Spider Rock Campground, White House | Leave a comment

I Get My Kicks On Route 66

Posted on June 22, 2011 by Carol

So we’re barreling down the road and I spy The Road Kill Cafe in Seligman, AZ. I beg, I plead, I whine… please stop! I want to eat here!

But noooo! I’m outvoted and so I mope.

Seligman has everything a modern day roadie like me could ever want; period autos, authentic coffee shops, cheap motels, burger joints and tourists… plenty of them. A large gang of French Harley motorcycle riders roared through town just as I was relieving myself on Route 66 and scared the shit out of me. Don’t worry, I’ve trained my humans to pick up after me.

But hey, I did get a do rag AND I had an Elvis sighting.

Coming up next: Canyon De Chelly – Navajo Nation, AZ

Posted in Airstream, Camping, Dogs, Travel, Travel photography | Tagged airstream, dogs, Route 66, Seligman | 2 Comments

Glamping at the Grand Canyon

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Carol

We parked the silver bubble in the Morefield Campground right inside the south entrance and just a short walk to the rim. This time we had a pull-through spot so no backing up or hand signals required, thank you very much! We didn’t call for a reservation until the day before but miraculously we got a space. My nerves with my humans not planning ahead but I must admit it all worked out!

It felt so good to be in the crisp cool air that once again I overdid it on the “Trail of Time” along the rim at sunset. I didn’t realize I was a mile high. On this trail each meter equals one million years of the Grand Canyon’s geologic history. We had to keep stopping to look at various rocks along the way. They counted down the years; this one from two billion years ago, another one from a billion, yet another from five hundred million years ago. I was like who cares? You’re breaking my rhythm here. I could smell many exotic creatures nearby and I was hot on their trail.

The next day we moved to the Desert View Campground at the East Entrance. I loved this campground, right on the rim and just a short walk from the Watchtower. The tower opened in 1933 and harmonizes with the environment perfectly.

I was just sitting on the rim minding my own business when this gorgeous Russian girl accosted me and started whispering sweet nothings in my ear. She told my humans that dogs understand all languages but I couldn’t make out a single word she was saying. Finally she switched to English and began telling us about her trip.

She grew up in Moscow but now lives in the Philippines. She and her boyfriend were on their way to the Dominican Republic to do some diving and decided to see a bit of America along the way. She and hundreds of other foreigners must have all had the same idea because English was the least spoken language on the rim.

She was totally amazed by the United States, how big, clean and well maintained everything is. And especially how nice the people are. She said she feels safe here and knows that if she ever needed help she could find it quickly. She was not used to this… qualities we all take for granted.

Coming up next: I Get My Kicks On Route 66

Posted in Airstream, Camping, Dogs, Travel, Travel photography | Tagged Desert View Campground, Grand Canyon, Morefield Campground, Trail of Time, Watchtower Grand Canyon | 2 Comments

Girls Gone Wild in Lake Havasu

Posted on June 20, 2011 by Carol

So when my humans first started talking about buying a new 27′ Airstream trailer and taking off to who knows where I was like… yeah right, I’ll believe it when I see it. But holy shit, they are actually doing it! Thankfully my opposable thumb slaves do most of the work as the chores associated with the silver bubble are tedious at best. But “lucky” me gets to tag along and endure all their squabbles, especially when they are trying to back the damn thing up. Doesn’t she know how to use hand signals? Thank goodness they got that satellite dish… it’s called the “marriage saver” for a reason.

The first stop was Lake Havasu, AZ and boy was it hot hot hot. And I don’t just mean the temperature. It was the perfect place to discover the air-conditioner doesn’t work as promised. They were told it would drop the inside temp 19 degrees but that didn’t happen. Outside 103 – inside 94. A bit of a problem for a hairy girl like me but luckily there was the LAKE.

I love to swim so much I went cray cray. Thank goodness controlling me is one of my human’s greatest pleasures. As it was I could barely walk the next day.

My friend Bella came to visit and our humans rented a pontoon boat. That wouldn’t have been my choice, I would have preferred a Donzi so I could go wild in style, but I wasn’t consulted so nor did I contribute to the rental fee.

We motored to the spot where they film Girls Gone Wild and of course I had to jump off the rock sans bathing suit top… and bottom!

That night we had a candlelit dinner under the stars, and a sleepover as Bella and her humans stayed the night. I was so thrilled to have company because it gave me hope that I wasn’t going to be stuck with just my own humans all the time. I like them and everything but a girl needs some new blood occasionally!

Coming up next: Glamping at the Grand Canyon

Posted in Airstream, Camping, Dogs, Travel, Travel photography | Tagged airstream, camping, dogs, girls gone wild, Lake Havasu, RV's | 3 Comments