Leadville, Colorado

High Altitude Bike Ride

We had purchased travel insurance for our February trip to Merida Mexico. Then we canceled our trip and met the requirements for a refund. But after being ignored we received an email saying we had been denied due to covid. I was so angry that I got on AIG's social media and let them have it. They removed my comments (no dirty words). After venting I decided to let it go. I hate negative energy and knew the little guy wouldn't win. A month later, received an email from another adjuster requesting information about the flight. I sent the requested info and got another email later that day saying we would get a refund for our airfare $975! Hopefully, someday we will get there.

At 10,000 feet, Leadville is the highest town in North America and home of the former Climax molybdenum mine.  The mine closed when the molybdenum was no longer needed to harden steel after WWII. The town lost 8 out of 10 jobs and became a sad place to live. Leadville is notable for the Rocky's many 14,000 foot peaks easily seen from town and the headwaters of the
Arkansas River. 

It was once a rather worn down town but now getting a facelift with many people from Denver and Colorado Springs finding Leadville affordable yet close to ski resorts and purchasing second homes among the Historic District. And it is only 35 miles from our campground.

The Mineral Belt Trail an 11.6 mile multiuse trail with numerous trailheads and access points in Leadville. Six miles of this trail meanders through the historic Leadville Mining District with views of
the Sawatch and Mosquito ranges and Turquoise lake. It starts at 10,100 feet and goes up to 10,650 feet and had me breathing hard. We added on some back roads for a few more miles.

We were glad to see him wearing his mask.

There were several sets of bear prints along the trail.

This was a confused bear.

Overlooking Leadville.

The trail is well maintained and smooth for both summer and winter activities. Part of the trail was blocked with a detour sign as they were repairing part of the path. If we had known how bad the road going down was, we would have turned around and ridden in the opposite direction. My hands and arms were buzzing from all of the bumps we hit on the way down.

We plan to do it again once the repairs are finished on the path.

Outside the mining museum in town

Some whimsical landscaping. 

We stopped to visit from a distance with this artist working on her neighbor's yard.

After a stop at Subway, we were ready for a picnic at Clear Creek Reservoir on the way back to Buena Vista. I don't think the fish were biting. But the people seemed content to enjoy the day.

We have heard from friends that we haven't seen in a while and it really made our day. I don't think we realized how separate everyone is right now. It also made us realize that we should do the same and reach out to friends and family even if we can't see them in person.

Charleston, SC

A day at the beach

It's a good thing we changed our plans to visit New Orleans. We had reservations at Bayou Segnette State Park, just a ferry ride across the Mississippi River to NOLA. The state of Louisiana closed the park, canceling reservations making it available to isolate Corona virus patients if needed.

We pulled into Oak Plantation RV Park in Charleston, SC. When we called 10 days ago, they only had a couple of open sites. As we were checking in, the desk clerks kept answering the phones for cancellations.  On Monday, the park was half full but by Friday only 10% had RVs.  Walking around the RV park to get in our 10,000 steps, we would pass other people but everyone is keeping their distance but still friendly with a wave. We are fortunate to be in a place that we can get outside and not feel cooped up while keeping our distance. 

Snowbirds from Canada are returning early. Most of them carry additional medical coverage while they are out of Canada and most insurance companies have given them until March 23 to be back in Canada due to the Corona virus, at which time the coverage will expire. There is some leeway if they have a valid reason for not making it back. But let’s face it, who would want to battle an insurance after the fact?

We were scheduled to camp host at Table Rock State Park in northwest South Carolina starting April 1 but have decided to cancel and to avoid interacting closely with people. We found a campground near Greenville to use as a base to hike and cycle in the state parks nearby for the next month.

Foley Beach was a treat on the edge of Charleston. The town had a big St Patrick's Day street party over the weekend before the bars and restaurants closed.

The beaches weren't very busy but the bars had lots of young people enjoying spring break. The drive up windows at chain restaurants have long lines. 

It was good to spend time with Mike's daughter and her family in Lexington, South Carolina. She has been going through treatments for metastatic breast cancer which has been tough on all of them. She looks great even though she just went through a rough patch.

It was fun seeing his grandchildren. We watched Mia play soccer, Peyton play his cello, TJ was sworn into the Navy and Bryceson as he is buying his first home. Where did they time go?

We found many tourist sites we had planned to visit closed. Many guided bike tours go through this area. We saddled up and loved the ride from Sullivan Island to Isle of Palms and Fort Moultrie 19 miles from our campground on Johns Island near Charleston. 

A barrier island and closest beach to Charleston with a kick your shoes off feel with golf carts to get to and from the beach.

Our 20 mile ride under the trees and along the Atlantic Beaches.

The British Royal Navy attacked Fort Moultrie on Sullivan's Island it on June 28, 1776 during the Revolution. Standing on the Fort overlooking Charleston, we can imagine the battle.

Cannon Row at Fort Moultrie is home to eight pieces of heavy artillery original to Charleston Harbor. Each piece has a story to tell.

So many colonial type of homes to ride by.

The bridge from Charleston to Sullivan Island has a bike/walking lane overlooking the bay that the  cycle tours ride across.  

Carnival's Sunshine is in dock for 14 days with the crew that will be quarantined for 14 days. The passengers were all released.

An old oak with Spanish Moss blowing in the breeze.

We should have plenty of hiking and cycling while in Greenville, South Carolina while we figure out what is next. Everyone stay healthy out there and 6 feet away.

Tualatin Valley and Saddle Mountain

A quick month at LL Stubb Stewart

Our nomadic life is constantly changing along with our address. As a traveling nurse, we would choose three month travel contracts based on the areas we wanted to spend time. My first was contract in Connecticut. We would take the train to NYC or drive to Cape Cod on my 4 days

off, returning in time for my 3 days at the hospital which can get pretty tiring. But what an opportunity to see the country. As we reached San Francisco, we slowed down, learning to explore closer to home and enjoy the immediate area, finding ourselves dancing to the music in the park near our apartment or riding our bikes along the bay.

 The past 4 years, we would travel 6 months, returning to Arizona for 6 months to work and refuel after the excitement of new places and constant moving. After several years of returning to the same place, it was time to mix it up once again. This time the opportunity of staying a month in these wonderful state parks and feeling like we are contributing is a real treat. Also, not having to find a place to stay over holiday weekends is a bonus.

Relief Camp Host is something we would do again in the future.  

Tualatin Valley Trails

Along the Wine and Quilt Trail, 60 quilt panels have been installed at local area farms and agriculture related businesses. Each quilt tells the story of the property owners and their relation to quilting. 

One draw for us was the 51 mile Tualatin Valley Scenic Bikeway that includes the 21 mile Banks-Vernonia Bikeway, which passes through quiet rolling hills and 

 farm country roads with little traffic. Many people from Portland ride the 30 miles along the bikeway to camp at Stubb Stewart's hike/bike camp, one of our favorite places in the park.

Mt St Helen in the background

Mt Hood in the back

The county has put a lot of effort and money into its smooth roads for cyclists. 

Trail from Banks 

Saddle Mountain Recreation Area

Saddle Mountain Trail, halfway between Fort Stevens State Park and LL Stubb Stewart, had been on our radar for a while. Our window to hike it was closing as our time to leave and head back to the ocean was fast arriving. 

Even though it was raining on our last days off, we put on our rain gear and headed up the trail.

If the trail’s natural beauty and wildflowers weren’t enough to entice us to the top, the panoramic view from the summit did.  We hear on a clear day you can see the sweep of the Columbia River as it enters the sea, miles of Pacific shoreline and on the eastern horizon, the Cascade Mountains in Oregon and Washington. We plan to return on a clear day to check it out.

I was thankful for the hiking poles on the slick wire holding the trail together.

The trail is steep and difficult in spots, with a 1,640 foot rise in elevation over 2.5 miles.

The first and last half miles were the steepest. We felt each step in our thighs on the way up. On the way down our knees were thankful for the poles to hold us from sliding.

We  hear there is a view.

We didn't get to see the views on our hike or enjoy the harvest from the farms we rode our bikes by this month. We plan to return in August to be interpretive hosts at Stubb Stewart so we can remedy that. But that is a whole other story.

 The berry Mike brought to me as a gift wasn't quite ripe. It wasn't so much a gift but more of a chance to find out how ripe it was without testing it himself.  Needless to say, this did not get him any cudos.

Salmon Berries

 I occasionally wonder why we can't be content living in the same place with occasional trips. But realize that we could and are appreciative of the opportunity we have to travel, meet new people and

see new place as we attempt to find balance in our lives while we still can.