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5/21/10, Placerville, CO - After Joel served up a great breakfast, I got off to a late start, but I knew I wasn’t traveling too far.

Right after leaving his place, I started dropping off the mesa and into the San Miguel River Canyon. Norwood Hill is a pretty good sized hill, but not near as bad as coming down Slip Rock Hill, a few days ago. I used the same recipe for success, that I did on slip rock - stopping often to cool the brakes and use the red and blue flashers to warn oncoming traffic.

Norwood Hill - a 7% grade for two miles, that dropped about 1000 feet in elevation to the river below.

You probably noticed that this blog contains fewer pictures and that they’re not quite the same quality.  My digital camera finally gave up the ghost,  So, until I reach Montrose, I have to shoot pictures with my cell phone and send them to myself via E-mail.

I’ve noticed, that here in the Colorado Mountains, most drivers have been very courteous and patient.  I think that’s not only a reflection of the drivers’ character, but also of the roads. When the roads are similar to the one in the photo above, being patient is not only nice, it’s also a requirement for survival.

After descending to the bottom of the canyon, I started trekking up the river. By the time I get to Placerville, I’ll be back at the 7200 foot elevation, that I started the day with.

Our camping spot, in the picnic area above a boat launch for river rafters.  Due to the remote location, I’ve tied up B.O.B, for the night.  This reduces the chance of a horse escape several fold and keeps the other two in the area if they do get out.  I try not to pull out Bill for this task, as he’s a pain in the butt when he’s tied to the wagon. With Bob or Doc tied I can usually get a full night’s sleep.

Tomorrow, after picking up a few things in Placerville, I’m headed up route 62 towards Ridgway. First, I have to climb almost 2000 feet, to get to the top of the Dallas Divide (8900 feet). There’s a high wind warning out for tomorrow, so I’ll see how far I get before I stop and turn our butts to the wind.  As I climb up towards the divide, I’ll be passing to the north of the Sneffels Range.  This mountain range, when viewed from the north is very spectacular, and is very stark, much like the Tetons.