luck – Live Laugh RV

Let’s continue our easterly trek …… Our stay in Montrose, Colorado, was way too short, but luckily the summer rain held off long enough for me to get in a few hours exploring Black Canyon of the Gunnison. This would be my third visit exploring this small National Park and I never tire of the view. It’s like a mini Grand Canyon but instead of the various shades of red sand stone rock that’s common in the southwest, there’s an unusual blend of gray and black granite rock. Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Colorado

Moving on toward Gunnison, Colorado….. Just off Highway 50 about an hours drive east of Montrose, the highway starts to meander along the Blue Mesa Reservoir. This is the largest reservoir in the state of Colorado stretching approximately 20 miles long with about 96 miles of shoreline.

Elk Creek Campground, Blue Mesa Reservoir, Colorado

It was near the end of July and temperatures were expected to be in the 80 degree Fahrenheit range, and with no large trees to provide shade, we wanted the ability to run our air conditioner. Thus, we decided to scope out a campground with electric hook-up (our generator will not power the A/C).

We pulled into the Elk Creek Campground, the only national forest campground along the Blue Mesa Reservoir with electric hook-ups, and started searching the campsite posts for an available site. By the way, there are several private RV parks on the north side of the highway that offer full hook-ups. We wanted to be near the lake.

Elk Creek Campground - Blue Mesa Reservoir — Elk Creek Campground – Blue Mesa Reservoir – west of Gunnison, Colorado

The task of trying to read each campsite pole with the dates quickly became daunting so we drove up to the visitor center to ask if any sites were available. The ranger didn’t squirrel think so, but informed us the camp hosts pretty much handle the campgrounds and we should check with them.

Just as we were turning to leave the building, she told us about a couple who pulled out that morning for a family emergency. It was highly unlikely they’d be back, and we should verify with the camp hosts to see if we could have their site.

Bingo! We lucked out and scored another great campsite which allowed us to visit Crested Butte, one of my favorite Colorado mountain towns.

Oh, how I wanted to linger around this part of Colorado longer, but responsibilities beckoned along with a campground reservation that I had made just a few days earlier. I figured our good luck in snagging great available campsites couldn’t possibly continue, and since we needed a place to park for two weeks, I managed to reserve the only electric site still available at Lake Pueblo State Park for our time frame. Whew, I breathed a sigh of relief when I clicked ‘reserve now’, but I did wonder what might be wrong with the campsite.

Site 313 - Lake Pueblo State Park, Colorado — Site 313 – Lake Pueblo State Park, Colorado

Upon our arrival, we were pleasantly surprised with our view from site #313. Although it was sloped up and down to the left, it wasn’t a problem for us seasoned RVer’s (I still snicker being referred to as “seasoned” – kind of like a good steak, hehe!). I must admit, Al and I have become quite proficient at leveling up the 5th wheel. I knew exactly where and how to stack our Camco 44505 Leveling Blocks – 10 pack and signal Al to back up and stop. I guess after four years of full-time RVing, we should have this figured out, huh.

A familiar view - For ten years, this was the view from my rear deck. Our sticks and bricks home was located four miles from this campsite. — A familiar view – For ten years, this was the view from our rear deck. Our old sticks and bricks home is located four miles from this campsite.

This would be a working stay! We had a bunch of things to attend to during our time in Pueblo West. This was our old stomping grounds and it’s still where we have a bunch of things in storage including our construction/utility trailer. But first on the agenda was my flight from Denver to Chicago.

Al’s sister had recently moved to Denver from Rockford, Illinois, and we were looking forward to seeing her new place. So the day before my flight, we took the two-hour drive up to Denver and spent the night at her place.

flying The following morning, Al dropped me off at the airport and while I visited with family in Illinois, he enjoyed some time with his sister.

Once again, the travel Gods smiled upon me and my flights, weather and visit were perfect. I couldn’t have asked for anything better.

Back in August, Delta Airlines had a serious computer melt down which caused massive delays across the country. I was booked back to Denver the day after the melt down. I was a tad nervous! Between possible security lines at O’Hare Airport and issues with Delta, I arrived at the airport three hours early. It took me a total of ten minutes to get through security. That’s got to be some sort of record for fast airport security. I literally walked right up, no line, set my purse and bag down on the conveyer, shoes too of course, and through and out I went. I remember thinking, “Wow, did that just happen?”

M Flight y flight to Minneapolis/St. Paul (yeah, I needed to connect through MSP) left on time and arrived early and the same with my flight from Minneapolis to Denver. I felt so badly for all the folks around me who had spent the night at the airport and were still scrambling to get a flight home not to mention the gate agents having to deal with distraught passengers. It was an unfortunate mess for a lot of people.

Ok, ok… if you’re anything like me, you might be wondering why I didn’t book a direct flight from Denver to Chicago and back? Well, I could’ve if I had flown another carrier. My original airline reservation was from Idaho Falls, Idaho to Chicago, Illinois and Delta was my best choice connecting through Salt Lake City. Thus, I booked on Delta, and apparently Delta Airlines does not fly direct from Denver to Chicago. I had to connect in either Minneapolis/St. Paul or Detroit, thus MSP it was.

Let me just say, it was a crazy six months for us with lots of twists and turns. I’ll eventually get around to sharing all the highs and lows of our adventures, but do note, overall it was mostly fun and filled with a lot of unexpected delights.

One of my favorite adventures occurred in mid August when we bid farewell to Colorado and said hello to New Mexico. In most situations, timing plays a key role in how we feel about a place. And after a very hectic month, we needed to find a spot to relax and regroup.

Aaahhh! Just what I needed to regroup and rejuvenate the soul - a fabulous hike! — Aaahhh! Just what I needed to regroup and rejuvenate the soul – a fabulous hike!

Our two week stay at Lake Pueblo State Park was anything but relaxing. I was out of town for six of those days. Al played handyman for his sister during my absence. When I returned we cleaned and prepared the utility trailer to be moved, rearranged/sorted through things in storage, worked on our RV air conditioner and all the while Al was dealing with an injured back (he had been dealing with the back issue all summer long since the work camping gig 😦 ) Yep, we needed to find a place to chill and relax.

And we found it in Santa Fe……. The travel Gods continued to smile upon us…..

Hmm, what’s on your Christmas wish list? Al likes this GPS while I’ve been eyeing this pressure cooker!

Luck! Do you believe in luck or are you a believer in people making their own luck? I was thinking about luck this past week with all the hubbub surrounding the Power Ball lottery. Since I’m a firm believer in both, I joined the ranks of lottery purchasers with the high hopes of being one of the lucky ones. After all, you can’t win, unless you play…. right! whooping cranes

When I came home from the grocery store and told Al I bought a lottery ticket(s), he was surprised considering we can count on one hand the number of times we’ve bought lottery tickets. Just like millions of other American’s, I was lured in by the hype and insane amount of money. I justified my purchase by considering it a donation. Lottery money is usually used for good causes. In Colorado, the money supports parks and recreation. Here in Texas, the money goes toward education and veterans. Realizing my chances of winning anything were slim and none, I sought solace in knowing my ten dollars worth of lottery tickets went to a good cause.

But the fact that I didn’t win any lotto money doesn’t mean my week wasn’t full of good luck. Ah, to the contrary! A blogging friend recently commented to me, that a person has better luck at winning the lottery than seeing a whooping crane in the wild. (It was after this comment, that I bought the lottery tickets…. hoping I was one lucky gal LOL)

how lucky - 2 whooping cranes and a roseate spoonbill in fight — how lucky – 2 whooping cranes and a roseate spoonbill flying by

The majority of whooping crane photos featured on this blog are photographs of WILD whooping cranes. They aren’t banded and their lineage dates back to the 1940’s to the last remaining fifteen whooping cranes in the world. Whooping cranes were close to extinction and still remain high on the endangered species list.

whooper_map_E This group of whoopers that winter in the Rockport, Texas, area are referred to as the Wood Buffalo National Park wild whooping cranes. Their migration takes them from the far northern reaches of Alberta, Canada, south 2,500 miles to the Texas Gulf Coast. Looks like these Canadian cranes have joined the ranks of RVer’s who escape the harsh northern winters by heading south and becoming winter Texans.

So, do I consider myself luckier than a lottery winner? Maybe I should….. but just think of all the good I could’ve done for the cranes had I won the lotto…. even second place would’ve been quite acceptable 😉

Great Blue Heron – If a heron sees his shadow……

Just like the lottery, bird photography requires a certain amount of luck; being in the right place, at the right time, with the camera at the ready. However, I have to take the effort to make that luck happen. In this case, I have to make my own luck and get lucky in the process (hubby’s ears perked up with the last part of that sentence).

Getting lucky might mean hanging around a place watching the clouds roll by for an hour or more in the mere hopes of catching a glimpse of a rare or endangered bird, let alone a photograph. This is where patience and perseverance pays off, and a little luck is always welcome. photograpy

Driving around scoping out great locations in hopes of capturing a unique sunset or sunrise photograph can also be challenging, but is there such a thing as a bad sunrise or sunset? I think not. Some are just Birding more spectacular than others and I consider myself lucky to be able to capture those truly amazing ones.

The other morning, I was dressed and out the door by 6:50 a.m. with my travel mug filled with hot, black coffee and my camera battery full. I had high hopes for a beautiful sunrise and I was going to capture it so I could share it with all of you.

I drove to a couple of my favorite little spots along the coast. I tried some new spots as well. Then I waited, and waited some more. The thick cloud cover wasn’t producing the results I had hoped for.

A beautiful sunrise, just not the photo op moment I had hoped for. — A beautiful sunrise, just not the photo-op I was looking for.

With the photography a bust, it was time for me to run a few errands. First stop was the post office. I arrived at 8:40 a.m. thinking they’d be open by 8:30. Wrong – they didn’t open till 9:00. Ah, what’s a gal to do for twenty minutes with a camera and empty media card sitting in the passenger seat?

Interesting grove of oak trees. Dozens of Great Blue Herons spent the night on top of them. — Interesting grove of oak trees. Dozens of Great Blue Herons spent the night on top.

How about a little exploring? What was supposed to be twenty minutes of aimlessly driving around to kill some time, turned into over an hour of discovering one unique sight after another. When I came upon an enchanting grove of wind-swept oak trees topped with dozens upon dozens of Great Blue Herons, I swiftly pulled the truck off the road. Wow! This was so worth the post office not being open.

As I ventured further down the road, a shot of pink caught my eye. I quickly found a place to pull over and park. I donned my favorite camo shirt and green hat and slowly walked through the weeds. Talk about winning a birding trifecta …. boo-yah! I hung around with this diverse group of locals until they wandered out of sight. Birding

It was well past 10:00 a.m. when I finally headed back over to the post office. Talk about an interesting morning. What started out as an unlucky morning with a poor photographic sunrise and the post office being closed, turned into a lucky morning of birding. If I had sat in the post office parking lot waiting for it to open instead of aimlessly exploring, I never would have stumbled upon these wonderful sightings. Was it luck or did I make my own luck? Hmm, when’s that next Power Ball drawing 🙂

“Luck, that’s when preparation and opportunity meet” – Pierre Trudeau

You can read about my trip to the Aransas Wildlife Refuge here and here.