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5/3/12, Nameless (Doc’s) Canyon, Colorado - This is my third night without phone or internet service. I’m starting to get the internet heebee jeebees - ha ha. I could actually get in touch with the rest of the world; if I either climbed a small mountain or drove 5 more miles down the road. Since neither of those options is going to occur, I’ll just sit here and shake!

We started the morning at our campsite, a mile below the pass. Last night, when I pulled through the wire gate and parked on a flat spot in the meadow below, I misjudged the steepness of the hill that I would have to ascend in the morning. Bob and Bill tried their best, but about six feet from the top, they failed to conquer the incline. After moving a couple of rocks, and backing the wagon and trailer down the hill, I parked in on a flat spot and broke out my secret weapon - the Doc-ster!

I had to move a few more rocks and logs, then I kicked it into Unicorn Hitch gear and conquered the hill. I initially thought I would get an early start and be on the road by 7:15 am. But, all of the morning fun cost me an additional hour and a half - oh well, who’s counting?

HItched up and ready to pull out after a great lunch at a roadside park along a creek at the head of a beautiful canyon.

The morning drive saw us descending through large open grass parks, interspersed with thick stands of spruce and fir trees. In the distance, snow covered mountains poked their heads over the tops of the trees.

Around noon, the lads and I turned into the head of a narrow canyon. A clear mountain streamed gurgled it’s way through rocks as it followed the road down the narrow canyon. A mile downstream, I turned the team into a roadside park for lunch.

After leading the lads down to the stream, they each ‘tanked-up’ with about 15 to 20 gallons of water. Since several of my water jugs were empty, I broke out my sump pump, hose and extension cord and filled up all of the containers.

My handy sump pump not only works good for putting stream water in containers, it also comes in handy to replenish the wagon tank with potable water from a couple of jugs I keep for this purpose.

While I was at the roadside park, I met some very nice people to include a photographer and Kristen, a nice lady that works for the BLM. Since my daughter recently started a job with the Department of the Interior, that made us almost kin!

After lunch, the lads and I started down the canyon. Even though the canyon is very narrow, the traffic was no problem; they were considerate and obeying the 35 mph speed limit.




	The pictures I took really don’t do this canyon justice. With the gurgling mountain stream, spruce trees and stark rock faces, it’s a thing of extreme beauty.

The upper five or six miles of the canyon (mile marker 12 to 18) is government land and is really fantastic. At least once per mile, the BLM had campgrounds and picnic locations. I highly recommend it - now if I only new what it was called. There were no signs naming the creek or canyon and I couldn’t look it up on the internet. So, until someone tells me different (and I’m sure they will) it’s Doc’s Canyon - named for a really fine horse.




		I can just hear B.O.B.’s thoughts, ‘Bobby boy, you know we ain’t pulling this wagon up there!’

Tonight, I’m camped 5 miles from where State Route 114 joins up with U.S. 50. Are camping spot is okay, but the ground was too hard to put fence posts in, so the lads are tied to the wagon. After 25 miles today, they’re pretty tuckered out so they’re real quiet. I just used the halogen floodlights on the side of the wagon to give them there last bucket of water and flakes of hay for the night.

If I could sum up the day’s surprise, I would have to say that it was breathtakingly beautiful!

It’s been a long day, so I’m about ready to hit the sack. A couple of hours after I start out in the morning, I should pick up a cell signal. As soon as I do, I’ll upload the blogs for the past three days. I’ll have to check and answer E-mails later.