Just me and the dogs on the roads of NM and CO

[Sleam]

Heron Lake/ reservoir. The water is so far down that the boat ramps lead to a meadow of weeds and grass.


I hated it but the dogs loved it! They ran and ran and no one was around so we all just hung out and explored for hours.




A funny time after all the lakes and creeks I've been camped next to on this trip.

 

[Sleam]

I packed up after breakfast and once the dogs all came back to the truck of their own accord. They drank water and claimed their spots in the back. Time to carry on.
We took our time once again and stopped at a few places to stretch our legs, eat and drink. But I have to say, it was good to get home.



In time for another sunset.



Thanks for coming along on this trip with me. I hope it inspires you to explore the San Juan Mountains in Colorado. I'll be going back again this year, that's for sure. Maybe with a roof top tent though? Thanks again, Sleam

 

[Sleam]

Wow, nice report and great adventure.

Thank you! Do you ever get up that way? There are so many back roads to explore.

 

[Crenshaw]

Great trip report! I run a surf shop right across the parking lot from River's Edge restaurant in Salida where you stopped for lunch! Drop in next time. Way to take advantage of our unseasonably warm weather!

 

[Sleam]

Great trip report! I run a surf shop right across the parking lot from River's Edge restaurant in Salida where you stopped for lunch! Drop in next time. Way to take advantage of our unseasonably warm weather!

Will do! It was a great day in town. Beautiful setting. And as a local you can probably point me in the right direction for more camping options. Thanks!

 

[zzz150]

We spent a day around Gunnison, somewhere I have fond memories of from 1999! Anyway, big lunch at a cafe (the first meal out this trip so I deserved it) followed by a wander around the shops. It was nice but not as fun as I remembered, oh well! Off uphill with a full gas tank, ice, beer and groceries. Not a bad day. Up to Taylor reservoir as the stepping off point for some exploring. I'd come here in a 71 VW beetle and took dirt roads that I then found out afterwards were some of the hairiest mountain passes around, which explained the looks I got from all the jeeps and rovers.

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A stormy evening with the dogs, damp firepit, stuck in the back of the 4Runner for hours with three dogs. Camping like this is only good in dry climates. A roof top tent next I think, somewhere I can have solo time and stretch out. But it means changing out the roof rack and buying a RTT which aren't cheap are they?

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But we make the most of it, taking a walk as soon as the rain stopped. Oliver was very happy about that.

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It was a cod night, the coldest so far.

Big fire time.

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The dog with the deuce hangin out the bottom has got to be the funniest picture I've ever seen on this site! Awesome looking trip too.

 

[DVD]

Great trip. There must be some joke in our 2 recent reports: you with 3 dogs and me with 3 twenty-something young guys.
I look forward to exploring the areas in your report; thanks for sharing.

 

[Scott H Murray]

Great trip I cannot wait until it is cool enough for me to get back out camping with my dogs

 

[SmoothLC]

What a great trip. Always nice to get a different perspective on the San Juans.

 

[Sleam]

the funniest picture I've ever seen on this site! Awesome looking trip too.

hehe - bad I know but when I took the photo I couldn't see! Oliver, he's famous now...

And thanks everyone, I had fun. Post your photos of the area if you have a chance. I want to go back soon and find new places. It's been years but Platoro and that area would be one destination. Other easy mountain passes too. I think I'm getting a rtt so I'll sleep better for sure. Be well!

 

[film842]

I'm sitting up here in rainy *** Oregon reading your excellent post and I have to say that your trip hit all my hot buttons...lots of blue sky, happy dogs, relaxed informal travel and camping. Late this year and next year I hope to explore the desert southwest so I'm going to get the maps out and recreate your trip as best I can and put it in the hopper for next year.

A couple of questions if I could. I have no experience with traveling and camping in the desert southwest. My only experience was screaming down the freeways on the way to and from Mexico in August and it was (to me anyway) hotter than hell. So, my question has to do with summer temperatures and whether or not they affect your plans/destinations?

Second question is about your lucky dogs. Just guessing, but it looks like they were able to pretty much roam free when you stopped which assumes that you could trust them to return? I presently have a 10 year old Border Collie/Australian shepherd mix who always stays close and I want to pair her up with another medium to full size dog and then be able to let them run free. Will be getting a rescue dog of some sort and have been wondering if there are any tricks to help them assimilate together. I do have to tie Lucy up in populated campgrounds but that's only because she's protective.

At any rate, enjoyed the hell out of reading your thread.

 

[kmlacroix]

Nice story.

 

[BlackDogTundra]

AWESOME!

That was a great trip! And those were some HAPPY dogs!!!!!:shakin::shakin::shakin:

 

[Sleam]

Thanks everyone!

Film842 - I was up in the mountains around the San Juans mostly and its 8000 to 10,000 feet elevation so temps were perfect, partly why I go there in summer. Tee shirts and shorts in the day, lots of layers at night. Look up say Pagosa Springs on the average temps, do the same for some other places you want to hit. Mid-south NM and AZ are super hot in August and Colorado is warm in comparison.
The dogs, two of them run off sometimes but on trips are more cautious and stick around. I'd let them run free if no one was around or in big valleys so i could keep track. I"d get nervous in the mountains/ trees. But keeping them hungry and feeding them at odd times helped so they'd come when called, or worst case if I started the truck and pretended to drive off!
Have fun with the pups, they loved it on the road. I have a week off end of March and trying to think where to go next! Arizona perhaps?
s

 

[Sleam]

I'm sitting up here in rainy *** Oregon reading your excellent post and I have to say that your trip hit all my hot buttons...lots of blue sky, happy dogs, relaxed informal travel and camping. Late this year and next year I hope to explore the desert southwest so I'm going to get the maps out and recreate your trip as best I can and put it in the hopper for next year.

Hi again, I forgot to mention I'm part of a Facebook group about traveling the Southwest with dogs. Here's the link in case you're on there too. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1377515049236881/

s