camping

This morning I awoke to find that the fall color was moving in. And quickly.

Many of the local mountain trails connect Ouray, Teluride, and Silverton, so if you’re in the area and you’re Jeepin’ around, you’ll most certainly end up visiting Silverton. Silverton is a former silver mining camp, most or all of which is now included in a federally designated National Historic Landmark District called the Silverton Historic District.

Here’s a nifty little video describing Silverton and the surrounding area:

Corkscrew Gulch was built in 1882-1883 — during the race to get wagon roads from Silverton and Ouray up to the silver mines that had been discovered on the Red Mountain Divide. For me and Ruby Jean, it’s a glorious journey to the top of the world — just in time for the fall color to arrive.

Taking a few days to acclimate to the altitude…

One of the effects of high altitude is light-headed dizziness. Driving on narrow, rugged roads that are barely clinging on to the side of a mountain at 11,000 feet isn’t advised. So today, Ruby Jean and I decided to take an easy (non-technical) drive up Brown Mountain.

Even so, the views were spectacular.

Along the way, I found dispersed campsites — even near the top. I stopped and asked someone about them and guess what? He lives in Centerville, Ohio!

So, sitting high up in the San Juan Mountains, we had a strange (but fun!) chat about Bill’s Donuts and Marion’s Pizza.

Small world.

Nestled high in the San Juan Mountains, Ouray was established in the mid-late 19th century by miners in search of sliver and gold. The town sits at about 7,800 feet, but the surrounding mountains frequently exceed 12,000 feet in elevation.

Due to its unique history, the entire length of Main Street is registered as a National Historic District. Here’s a great video summarizing why Ouray is a desirable destination in 2018.

Wait! Did you say that Ouray is the Jeeping Capital of the World?!? Well, Ruby Jean heard you and is ready to go…

Time to leave Houston (and that horrible heat + humidity combination) and head home via Colorado. But along the way, it’s comforting to stop and see some old friends.

When you ask avid RVers how they came to choose their current rig, they’ll often recount all of the not-so-right setups they’ve had. For most, finding the right unit takes a bit of experimentation and while our motorhome offered many wonderful advantages, it simply wasn’t the right fit for us.

Enter the Cricket.

Yeah, it’s a bit strange looking, but it really fits the bill. With a laser cut aluminum super structure, it’s light enough for Ruby Jean to pull.

The interior is built like a tank, but it’s is also extremely flexible with lots of truly useful storage.

Of course it’s more minimal than the motorhome, but it’s not lacking in amenities. The Cricket boasts a kitchen (with hot water and fridge/freezer!), an outdoor shower, and even a cassette toilet!

Best of all, everything (except the optional A/C unit) will run for days on the 12-volt dual-battery and 40 lbs. propane system, making off-grid camping a natural choice.

And keeping those batteries charged is easy with our solar suitcase!

Oh, and we don’t have to go camping without our bikes thanks to this handy roof rack.

So let’s quit blabbing about it and hit the road! Hey, those Rocky Mountains look pretty cool…

Did you know? There’s some excellent tent camping just over the NY border…

Time for a little local back-country camping with my best buddy.

Driving around Washington D.C. offers an endless parade of nondescript office park buildings — like the one pictured above.

Imagine our surprise when Google navigated us to a popular breakfast location in the parking lot of one of these buildings. “Google knows best,” we thought, and entered using the only door we could find.

With no receptionist desk in sight, we hunted around and stumbled upon some slightly obscure signage.

“Ah ha! So we ARE in the right place!” Turning left we found this…

But the faint smell of grilling breakfast burritos urged us on. Eventually we stumbled into an outdoor courtyard.

Could this be where the fabled patrons sit and eat their eggs?

Yes! Although, maybe we should start reading the restaurant descriptions more carefully…

Our time was limited in the Research Triangle and the fact that our campsite was 30+ minutes from town meant we were a bit isolated. Even so, we managed to discover a few gems…

Check your feet and you’ll see that this is your new place for contemporary art and design.

And hey, if you’re in the mood for great food, a long list of craft beers, AND books (all at the same time) look no further than Brewery Bhavana!