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Buena VistaJun 27, 2009
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The Arkansas and the D&RG
North on Route 285
Mount Princeton from Campground
On Monday we left Cañon City following the Arkansas River upstream first along route 50 to Salida and then northward on route 285. Along the river we continued to see rafters. The tracks of the Denver and Rio Grande were on the other side of the river and appeared to be serving as a graveyard for old coal cars.
About 25 miles north of Salida we headed north for a couple of miles on route 24 and arrived at the Snowy Peaks RV Campground where we set up for a week's stay. As I write this I am looking out the See Ya window at the peak of Mount Princeton. Mount Princeton is one of the Collegiate Peaks that include Yale, Harvard and Columbia as well.
On Wednesday morning we headed back to Salida (Sa - lie - da) to visit my cousin Vicki and her husband Terry Robertson. The Robertsons live in a very comfortable home in a great location overlooking the Upper Arkansas River Valley with a view of the Sawatch and Sangre de Cristo Mountain Ranges.
Vicki and Terry are both retired Air Force officers and have primarily lived in Oklahoma and Colorado since retiring. They have two neat dogs named Jake and Molly. Vicki gave us a tour of the Salida area during our visit and she and Terry came up to see us at the campground on Friday morning.
In between, on Thursday, Sue, Arnie and I took a short hike on the Barbara Whipple Trail. The trail lies at the foot of Main Street in Buena Vista and begins with a foot bridge that crosses the Arkansas and allows hiking on the steep hill sides on the other side. There are some great views from the trail.
On the town side of the river there is an additional trail that runs along the bank. Arnie enjoyed a couple swims and we came upon an interesting "furniture arrangement" near a new housing development. The furniture appears to be made of concrete then covered with ceramic tiles and is actually quite comfortable. It appeared that the developers were going forward despite the current housing economy.
Tomorrow we plan to explore the Cottonwood Pass that climbs into the mountains.
