Exploring Colorado’s Mountain Magic

We’ve been to Colorado many times and each year yearn to go back to the mountains where we explore new locations and find nature’s magic among the clouds. This year Mark signed up to do the Colorado Gold Rush Motorcycle Ride. His goal was to ride the mountain passes that were blocked by snow during his 2023 Trans America Trail trip (see our book Two View of the TAT on Amazon). I decided to tag along and do some hiking and bicycling while he rode his motorcycle. In the end, the trip didn’t go as planned, but we still found mountain magic and had a grand adventure. 

Our long trip from Illinois to Colorado started on Thursday, August 7, 2025, in very hot weather. We stayed several nights along the way before reaching our destination of Ouray, Colorado. The first night was at Sand Hills State Park near Hutchinson, Kansas. Friday night we stayed at a KOA campground in Canon City, Colorado where we were able to refill our RV propane tank.

Figure 1. KOA campground in Canon City, Colorado.

Saturday night we reserved a spot at a Harvest Host location called the LaNoue DuBois Winery, which was south of Montrose. The winery owner directed us to a big field next to his vineyard about a half mile from the tasting room. At first it looked good. We parked along the river and put out the awning. I did my daily meditation. Mark tried to walk to the river, but it was too steep with too many trees. I was worried when a small breeze picked up and had just stepped inside to bring in the awning, when it turned into a gusty, dust storm. I grabbed one arm of the awning as the awning’s wind generated auto retract started to work, but it goes in too slowly. I kept saying “No, no, no,” while Mark grabbed the other arm of the awning. In the end it went in without breaking, but dust was everywhere in the camper. We decided not to stay in that spot. Instead, we went to town for supper because the winery didn't have food and it was too hot to cook inside the van. Back at the winery we parked by the building instead and enjoyed a bottle of wine on their patio. 

Sunday morning, we decided to spend some time at Ridgway State Park on the way to our Ouray campground since we couldn't check in until 1:00 p.m. We went to the park’s visitor center and realized that this area was where the John Wayne movie True Grit was filmed. We hiked a few trails and checked out one of the campgrounds, which was very nice. 

Figure 2. View of Ridgway State Park's reservoir from a hiking trail.

When we got to Ouray, we stopped at the town’s visitor center, and a nice lady gave me good ideas of things to do while Mark rode his motorcycle each day. I’d already done the Via Ferrata there, but this time I had my bicycle and there was also a hiking trail that went all around the town. We walked into town and met Mark's friend for lunch, then drove to our J4+1+1 campground where we stayed the next three nights. At first, I was very disappointed. Our site (#16) was in the middle of an asphalt and gravel area between many other campers with no view of the river. Yet, it was a very good spot for Mark to meet his fellow Gold Rush riders each day and that was why we were there. Each day, I grew to like it more. We were tucked into the edge of Ouray, nicknamed the "Switzerland of America" due to its similarity to the Swiss Alps. We were next to towering cliffs that surrounded the town. The evergreens and plants on the cliffs were quite pretty, and we had a good view of the mountains in the distance.

Figure 3. Ouray, Colorado view.

Mark had been planning the Colorado Gold Rush Ride for months, and he was so excited for it to begin. After we arrived, we went to the rider’s welcome meeting, though it wasn't much of a meeting. We did meet the lead guy that Mark had been emailing. Riders came from as far as Mexico City to do the ride each year. It was free but had fundraisers included to raise funds for the trail maintenance organizations. After the meeting three of us went to the St. Elmo Hotel bar and had some drinks. Later we had dinner in the Ouray Brewery. I had a good Billy goat burger that had an impossible burger with goat cheese. 

Figure 4. Mark leaves for his first riding day in Ouray, Colorado.

Monday August 11 was Mark's first riding day. He rode with his friend and two other guys. After Mark left, I did yoga then loaded my bicycle into the van and drove back to Ridgway State Park to spend the day. I started at a trail across from the park’s entrance, but once I was on the trail I didn’t like its isolation and openness. I had already paid the park fee at that gate, so I drove to the visitor center and asked the ranger for suggestions. His idea to spend the day at the Dallas Creek day use area was perfect. First, I hiked the Dallas Creek trail. The ranger gave me an interpretive brochure so I could follow the signs there, which I loved. It was a perfect 1.1-mile hike with a little elevation change. I identified many plants along the way. I also saw a small red snake on a narrow path between willows along the creek, though it quickly moved away into the willows and I walked on.

Figure 5. Dallas Creek Nature Trail stop #20 was a 300-foot boardwalk of composite materials through natural springs and a variety of plants.

After the hike I had lunch in the van and unloaded my bicycle. This was my first real ride on my new electronic bicycle, and I was ready. I rode along the Marmot run bicycle path to the other end of the day use area. The ranger said this paved path was one of the most scenic in Colorado with perfect views of the San Juan mountains. He was right! I loved riding my new Aventon eBike. It gave me just enough workout and allowed me to go farther and thus see more than I could hiking. I rode out to the park’s reservoir and watched kayakers and fly-fishing fishermen. One fisherman scared me as he climbed out of the willows by Dallas Creek. I thought he was a bear.

Figure 6. Marmot Run bicycle path between Ridgway State Park and Ridgway, Colorado.

I rode my bicycle back to where the van was parked and continued outside of the park to the Dennis Weaver Memorial Park. There I sat by the river under a juniper tree. The Uncompahgre river was narrow and shallow, rock lined, and very swift. It was a very pretty spot with grass and other vegetation all around me. I sat where I could see and hear the river well. The connection with nature there was just what I needed to finally relax into the trip. 

Figure 7. Dennis Weaver Memorial Park near Ridgway.

Mark rode into camp after his first day riding the mountain passes and said, “Best ride ever.” He knows I love it when he says that. He had a blast riding the mountain passes. He was a little concerned because his bike was cutting out at the end, so he took the seat off and checked connections then plugged in the battery trickle charger. The next morning it all seemed fine – for a while.

Figure 8. Mark at Engineer Pass.

Figure 9. Mark's views from the mountain tops.

Tuesday morning Mark left for his ride, and I did yoga. I had planned to do some writing and then maybe bicycle around town before my scheduled afternoon fly-fishing lesson. Instead, Mark called me mid-morning and said that his motorcycle was not working. His friend hauled it back to camp with his jeep and Mark decided to take the motorcycle to a Montrose KTM dealer for diagnosis, hoping he could continue the Gold Rush Ride. 

On his way to Montrose, Mark dropped me off in Ridgway to do my fly-fishing trip. Tony, my guide, met me at RIGS Fly Shop & Guide Service in Ridgway. He had me put on rubber socks and wading boots that were ankle high, then we drove in his Bronco to the Dennis Weaver Memorial Park. Mark and I had just been there wasting time before my 1:15 p.m. appointment. Tony and I hiked downstream a ways, which included some uphill hiking. The altitude made me winded, but I did fine. At the river Tony showed me how to use the fly-fishing rod and reel. It was quite different from others I've used. The technique was more like cane pole fishing to me. As I was trying to figure out how to cast, a fish got on. I brought it right into the net. Tony had me hold it for a picture. That's the only fish I caught, though I had a few others hit my rig. I think it was too hot for trout to be very active. My rig had an indicator (bobber) on a nylon line with two small lures below it: a fly and a leech. The nylon line was tied to a bigger line that floated and wound around the reel. 

Figure 10. Rhonda caught a trout during her fly-fishing lesson.

We walked in and out of the water, back upstream, and fished in several holes. Tony said I did very well and was a natural. He didn't have to tell me much. I think I was easier than most of his other clients. About 4:00 p.m. I started to get tired of standing and lugging my backpack that I didn't really need. We hiked to the Bronco and drove back to the store at 5:00 p.m. where Mark met us. It was funny because Mark had spent his afternoon at the same park as he waited for me, not knowing I was there.

Figure 11. Rhonda fly-fishing the Uncompahgre River.

After Mark picked me up, we had a beer and tacos in Ridgway. On the way back to Ouray we stopped at the Orvis Hot Springs. I had been there during my Silverton Yoga Retreat in 2022, but Mark hadn't. It is such a nice place and the natural springs felt so relaxing.

On Wednesday we checked out of our campground, then drove back to Ridgway where Mark rented an eBike at a shop. We rode bicycles from Ridgway up to the State Park and back again. It was the same route that I did on Monday, though we went farther and it was fun having Mark there too. We rode 10 miles for a couple of hours, stopping for snacks and to enjoy scenery along the way. 

Figure 12. Mark bicycling the path near Ridgway, Colorado.

When we returned the bicycle in Ridgway, I noticed more locations where they filmed the movie True Grit. From there we drove to Montrose to get Mark's motorcycle. They had worked on it a couple of hours but couldn't fix it, so we cancelled our campsite at Crested Butte and Mark’s Colorado Gold Rush Ride was over. It was a disappointment, but we didn’t take long to formulate a new plan, and soon were driving the Million Dollar Highway south to Silverton. 

Figure 13. Million Dollar Highway.

Since visiting the area in 2022, we’d been wanting to camp at South Mineral Campground near the Ice Lakes Basin. It’s a very busy national forest campground and we knew it would be hard to get one of the first come, first served sites. We lucked out and got the last one available, site #4. We arrived about 3:00 p.m. and after settling in we did a short walk along the creek. There was a fire ban so instead of a campfire we cooked burgers and beans on our camp stove outside. From our campsite we could see the mountains all around us and especially loved the upper green meadows areas. It’s our favorite type of camping with large sites surrounded by nature. We saw many different birds, squirrels, and chipmunks. Deer came into camp each evening. The air there was very thin at 9,863-feet but we quickly adjusted. 

Figure 14. Our campsite at South Mineral Campground near Silverton, Colorado.

On Friday morning, Mark made pancakes on the camp stove and then we hiked up to the alpine lakes. The trailhead was near our campground. Mark says that it is the hardest thing he has ever done. Wow! That hike was brutal. As Neil Peart from RUSH says, “Adventures suck while you're having them” and that was certainly the case that day. We started up the trail at 9:09 a.m. I carried everything in my backpack, including two liters of water for two people. It was all uphill to the lakes. The trail was 8 miles round trip with a 2,600-foot elevation gain to over 12,500 feet. The altitude and steep climb made for a very difficult, yet rewarding, hike. 

Figure 15. Rhonda at the Ice Lake Basin trial intersection.

We hiked up through a burned-out section, past a waterfall, a short meadow, an evergreen area, and another small meadow, before reaching a “T”  in the trail. A young man was coming down and said we should do the trail to the right to the Island Lake first since it's a more gradual climb. It was still a steep climb, but less gravely and steep than going clockwise to Ice Lake first. I said that I trusted him, and we went that way, however I questioned his logic many times during that last mile. We had to take more and more breaks as we neared the top. We went slow from the beginning but as we reached 11,000-feet the trail got steeper, and we slowed down even more. We would take about 10 steps and stop for five deep breaths. So, on we went, up 10 steps, stop for 5 breaths, up 10 steps, and so on. At one point I told Mark I couldn't make it because I was a bit lightheaded and it was hard to walk. But then we got inspiration from a few hikers coming down. In the end, we persevered and made it to the top.

Figure 16. Mark resting along the trail up to Island Lake.

On the way up we kept shedding layers. At the top we put them all back on. It was cold, cloudy, and windy up there. I had hiked to Ice Lake during my Silverton Yoga Retreat but had never seen Island Lake. Island Lake is a most intense royal blue color. We sat by it and had an apple and drank some more water that we’d been sipping all the way up. 

Figure 17. Rhonda at Island Lake.

From there, we decided to hike on around to Ice Lake, but just as we rounded Island Lake it got windier and colder and started to rain. My hands were so cold. I had my head down to keep my hat on and went briefly down the wrong trail. Mark quickly corrected the path, but we hadn't gone far when we needed cover. Mark said, “I need my poncho”. We hunkered beside a rock and put on the little rain ponchos I'd brought. They immediately warmed us up. Luckily, it wasn't long until the rain stopped, and we ventured on. I cinched the poncho up with my backpack straps and Tilley hat.  I looked crazy, but I was warm. That section between the two lakes was quite treacherous. One section was steep, and you had to scramble on all fours. I put both trekking poles on one wrist and crawled my way across. It wasn't that bad, but you had to be careful.

Figure 18. Mark hiking between Island Lake and Ice Lake.

As we arrived at Ice Lake it got even windier and colder. We took a long look at the ice-cold blue lake nestled into the granite bluffs with wildflowers of every color all around. Water flowed into the lake on the far side and out on the side we stood on. From there it flowed downhill over smoky colored rocks. We wanted to stay but it was too cold and already 2:00 p.m. Most people hike earlier in the morning to avoid the daily cold rain shower that often happens in the alpine lakes. It took us four hours to reach Island Lake and another hour to get to Ice Lake.

As soon as we headed back down from Ice Lake it started to get warmer and easier to breathe. I quickly took off the poncho and more layers. The rocky trail sloped down for the first half mile or so and was difficult to navigate, but not as bad as going up. We stopped partway down that section to sit on a rock and eat a snack. The rest of the way down was hard on the knees but still easier than going up. We got back to our campsite about 5:00 p.m., just as our water ran out. It had taken us eight hours to do the eight-mile hike.

Figure 19. Rhonda climbing down from Ice Lake.

Our camper felt hot, we hurt, and we were exhausted so we just laid on our beds in front of fans with the generator running the air conditioner. This site didn’t have electricity. My middle back hurt the most, probably from carrying the backpack. My right sciatica hurt too, but mostly we felt good. I was so proud of Mark and myself for completing such a difficult hike. We are so glad we did it!

After resting a bit, I took a shower and then I went and paid for two more nights at that campground. We knew that we would have trouble finding a place on the weekend and loved this campground. I made quesadillas for supper, using up the fresh avocado and tomatoes and limes that I had brought. After supper, we continued sitting outside for a bit, but we were exhausted so soon went inside. We streamed a movie with the Starlink satellite using the van’s inverter to power it. I also charged our fan batteries. 

We left the inverter on when we went to bed. At 2:00 a.m. I heard a beeping noise warning that the inverter had low battery power to operate, so I turned it off. It took us a long time to get back to sleep after that, then another beeping woke me up at 6:00 a.m. This time the solar power and RV batteries were at critical low levels, too low to even start the generator. Mark started the van for a little power and heat, but when the stove didn't work for coffee, we decided to go to town. In Silverton we went to an RV park and asked if we could pay for a spot to plug our RV into a power supply for a few hours. They were very nice and sold us a spot for $40. We plugged in and it immediately started charging. We had to reboot some of the screens but everything else worked fine. Later our campground host told us of a way to jump start the generator without having to plug it in. We are always learning more about this rig.

While the van charged, we walked around Silverton. It is a historic mining town and walking around it feels like going back in time to dirt streets and swinging saloon doors. We had a very good breakfast at Natalia’s restaurant, formerly an old brothel. It felt good to sit and relax. After eating we went into a few stores but didn't buy anything. By the time we got back to the van, it was mostly full power, so we filled the RV water tank, and headed back to camp.

At camp everything seemed to be functioning fine. Mark worked on his motorcycle while I read a book. Later we took a walk to the creek and spent about an hour sitting by the water. I read while Mark hiked up the South Fork Mineral Creek where he found an awesome waterfall area. Later we fixed pizza in the Dutch oven on the camp stove outside. We sat outside quite a while enjoying the cool weather and scenery.

Figure 20. Waterfall along the South Fork Mineral Creek.

Friday morning Mark made pancakes and then we hiked up to the waterfall that he had found. Behind it were several more waterfalls in the gorgeous mountain stream. We walked along the stream and steep cliffs as far as we could, then cut out to the road. The road wound through a large meadow and was all uphill. We walked down to the stream through the meadow’s corn lily, asters, and grasses. However, it was too rugged without a good path and several bear droppings. So, we went back up to the road and hiked up, up, up until it seemed too far to walk. The walk back down was easier and pretty to see the meadow and mountains around us. Back at camp Mark made grilled cheese and soup for lunch. 

Figure 21. Meadow area along South Fork Mineral Creek and Road.

It was a great last day at South Mineral Campground. Later that afternoon, we walked up the creek adjacent to the road for quite a ways then back to our camper. The views there were incredible. As we walked, I regretted that we only had one more night, but then I had a feeling that I wasn’t completely leaving. I wondered if part of us -  our essence and vibes - would remain there and merge into the mountain magic. We also take some of the mountain’s magic with us as it continues to send us peace and hope when we need it most. I felt like I was part of that environment and that I could return any time in my mind.

Figure 22. South Mineral Creek.

We awoke Sunday morning to 39-degree temperatures. After coffee and oatmeal, we left that magical mountain retreat. As we headed toward home, we reminisced about past trips along that route and what we had done. Tyler and I had been to Chimney Rock National Monument, so since we were going right past it, we stopped for Mark to see it too (See Botanical Journey's book on Amazon). It now had a new visitor center and bookstore. We unhooked the trailer and drove to the upper parking lot to hike the interpretive trail. Such amazing views, history, culture, and stories in that place.

Figure 23. Chimney Rock National Monument.

That night we lucked out again and got a first come, first served national forest camp site in the Park Creek Campground. It was located adjacent to the south fork of the Rio Grande River just past Wolf Creek Pass. Site #12 was another gorgeous spot at the end of the campground with access to the river. We enjoyed our evening though I didn't sleep very well. 

Figure 24. South Fork of the Rio Grande River adjacent to our campsite at Park Creek Campground.

Monday morning, we left early and drove all day to Sand Hills State Park in Hutchinson, Kansas again. It was very hot there, so we stayed inside the camper van after setting up. Tuesday, we drove all the way home, arriving about 5:00 p.m. It is always good to be home, but we missed the mountain air and views. We will return and hopefully next time Mark can ride his motorcycle on more mountain passes, while I explore more of the breathtaking mountain magic.

Figure 25. Mark's view while riding the Colorado mountain passes on his motorcycle.