Gateway, Colorado
The whole point of going through Miami was to make our way to Colorado before the biting flies appear in late June. And the first place we stayed in Colorado was Gateway. How’s this for a campsite? Sweet, huh? Gateway is on the Dolores River. If you have a 4WD, you can get to Moab from here, or so it appears from the map. I don’t have a 4wd. I rode my trike up the road 7 or 8 miles and got into Utah, but turned back when the hills got so steep I lost traction. Below you can see the giant tree I camped under. It was the usual Comedy of Terrors getting into the campsite with my ginormous RV, which was not made for turning sharp corners, going down washed-out roads or fitting under trees. Thankfully, I punched no holes in the rig (this time), bashed no dents in my doorframe (this time) and managed to execute a graceful 1,000 point turn to circumnavigate a few large rocks and wedge myself into a space where there were no low branches. This time.
It was in Gateway, however, that I finally lost patience with my rig, which I have clung to like a limpet for the last 7 years. There was a washed-out section right at the top of the hill as I turned to get down to the river, and the whole time I was in the campsite (3 weeks) I fretted about my ability to get out again. I decided I couldn’t take it anymore…I had to have a 4WD rig with some maneuverability. More on that later. For the time being, though, let’s enjoy Gateway, which is awesomely beautiful.
Cliffs around Gateway campsite in the early morning.
I rarely score a campsite like this. And indeed, I probably shouldn’t have scored this one. I got it because the sane, normal person pulling a trailer that was on the road in front of me rejected it due to good sense. Not having good sense myself, I promptly took the site and blessed my good fortune.
The whole Dolores canyon around Gateway and toward Moab looks like this. Massive red cliffs. Gorgeous.
Looking across the river from the campsite
This is a sentimental inclusion to commemorate the last trip in my Flamingo Flyer. I love you, but you’ve taken your last bash, ding, hole and dent from me. Bless you.