Wes and Jan see the US Wanderings and Side Trips

Mancos, CO Sep 18, 2008

After a short drive, we arrived at Target Tree National Forest Campground, 20 miles west of Durango and 7 miles east of Mancos. We plan to boondock for a few days. The campground is a nice little campground. There are a few spaces that could handle a 32 or 34 foot RV, but not many. We were really crowded to get into a space where we could get satellite reception. However, the roads are tight and the trees and bushes are right up to the road. We have a few new scratch marks on the side and we had to cut some branches to get in and out of our space. There are so many trees and Oak bushes, we could only get a partial lock on the satellite. The internet came in fine, but only channel 119 on Dish Network. Wes was happy because he could watch Glenn Beck. The best part of this campground is that we are about the only ones here. There are 25 spaces and only two are occupied.

It took most of the afternoon to get set up, so we just relaxed through the evening. Since we had no TV and electricity was by battery, we played games and read.

Today, we checked in at the Mancos Visitor Center. It is a restored victorian home. The volunteer there was very helpful and we picked up quite a bit of information on the area.

We drove into Mesa Verde and checked out the Morefield camground where we have reservations for Sunday - Wednesday. We were not impressed. It was dry and dusty and the spaces were very small. We would have a difficult time squeezing into them. We talked with the reservation office on our way out and they assured us they would not charge us a fee for canceling. Also, the road from the entrance to the campground is very steep and curvy.

On to the Far View Visitors Center. We were put off by the rangers who were explaining and booking guided tours. As I eavesdropped, I decided I would not be able to handle the conditions of some of the tours. Most tours involved climbing ladders up and down and the entrance to one of the dwellings is through an 18 X 12 inch tunnel. Even if I was thin enough, I am sure my claustrophobia would kick in:-) We visited with the clerk in the gift shop and mentioned that we were disappointed not to be able to see anything without a tour. She got out her little map and showed us everything we could see without a tour. There is a lot and we are grateful we were able to talk to her. We pretty much have our Mesa Verde trip planned out. We only have to wait and see if the Watsons want to go with us on Monday or Tuesday.

We then headed southwest to the Four Corners Monument. It is a desolate drive with no cell phone service. It was an interesting place, but not particularly exciting. All I can say is - "we can now mark that off the list".

Back to Cortez where Wes was excited to find a good RV service shop. He was able to purchase the parts we need to repair the awning and a few other odds and ends. I should have gone in and shopped because he told me later they had the miniature Wave heater I was looking for.

Then back to our little home in the trees for the evening. Checked the internet, watched Glenn Beck and played more games and read some more. This is a nice life.