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We left Monument Valley on Sunday, July 5 with Colorado in our sights. We drove to Durango and checked into the Junction Creek Campground about 5 miles northwest of town. This was our favorite campground to date, complete with electricity – a rarity in forest service campgrounds. Of course, Bubba is well equipped for “dry camping” or “boondocking”, as it is called. We simply run the generator for a couple of hours a day to recharge the house batteries and we’re good to go all night for TV, lights, electric blanket, etc. Our hot water tank operates on dual fuels so it switches easily from electric to propane, as does our refrigerator. The only appliances we have to use the generator for are the microwave and our hair dryer. At Junction Creek, we also had cell service and internet so we decided to settle in here for a few weeks and do some repairs to Bubba. I celebrated my 59th birthday there and thanked God for my many, many blessings.

Somewhere between Monument Valley and Durango, both of Bubba’s roof air conditioners died. And we discovered that our dash air wasn’t working either. All this on top of the new set of tires that we had to buy in Nevada and the destroyed storage bay that resulted from the blowout. And there are those who think life on the road is easy! Luckily, I am married to a mechanical genius who robbed parts from one roof air conditioner and repaired the other. He found replacement parts for the second air conditioner online and placed an order for them. Yes! We were on the mend.

Then, our refrigerator died and we both sank into a blue funk. We wondered what we had done to make God so mad at us! Now, replacing Bubba’s refrigerator would be no easy feat as it will not fit through the exit door. That means that the windshield would have to be removed and the fridge taken out through the front window. And the cost? About $4,000. So, Linesteen diagnosed the problem and decided that the cooling unit had gone out. He got online again and found a company (coincidentally, in Plumerville, AR) that rebuilds RV refrigerator cooling units for $1,000. So, he ordered one. We had no idea how we were going to get the darned thing installed but it was heading our way! Once it arrived, we began the 2-day task of removing the old unit and installing the new. Of course, the old refrigerator had to be removed from the wall (it is a built-in side-by-side) and it weighs about 200 pounds. But we figured it out and got the new unit installed. We then wrestled it back into the wall and crossed our fingers. Boy, were we happy when it worked again! Yes, Jerry is a genius.

We stayed at Junction Creek for a total of 24 nights. It was a great campground for Harley as they were not strict about the “dogs on leash” rule. He had quite a time chasing chipmunks, ground squirrels and squirrels. And Jerry got Bubba back in good working order. While we were camped at Junction Creek, we took a day trip on the Silverton to Lake Como and Animas Forks Ghost Town 4-wheel-drive trails. This whetted our appetite for more high-country adventure. We also had a wonderful dinner and visit with our friends, Tom and Mary Orsini, who have a home in Durango.

We left Durango on July 29 and settled into Sunshine Campground, about 5 miles south of Telluride. Sunshine was another beautiful campground and our campsite was beside a pristine alpine lake. We stayed 6 nights there and ran Ophir Pass, the Alta Ghost Town and Alta Lakes Trail, Imogene Pass Trail, and Yankee Boy Basin – all 4-wheel drive trails. The backcountry scenery was breathtaking. Unfortunately, while we were there, our propane hot water heater died. The electric element still worked but we were dry camping so we had to start the generator to heat water. Again, Jerry diagnosed the problem and ordered the parts online. He had them shipped overnight and, within an hour of receiving them, the repairs were done and Bubba was well again. You cannot own an RV and not be mechanically
inclined . . . see what I mean?

I must mention, at this point, that we ran Ophir and Imogene Passes with our good friends, Bert and Robin Parker and their sons, David and Jordan, about 20 years ago. What great fun that was and our trip this time brought back many wonderful memories.

From here, we would head to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and then to Lake City.

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