Author: Michael Eaton

Today I got into Flaming Gorge – wasn’t too long of a drive from where I was camping. I stopped off at the dam and went to the visitors center here – not much going there really.

I went up towards Dutch John which is a small town near the reservoir Stopped by the fly shop to get some advice on where to fish in the area. Got some bad news though. They were releasing water from the reservoir and fishing the river was not going to be possible.

It was a little disappointing because the river is supposed to be one of the best spots to fish in the entire country. But all good really – I can still fish the reservoir.

I went up the road to this little cove and walked a while along the ridge and found a decent spot for fly fishing. I didn’t catch anything but there wasn’t much to catch as far as I could see. I was there for a few hours and saw only a handful of fish feeding at the surface.

I went up the road and fished there too but still nothing. I didn’t see many people catching much. I gave up after a few hours and I took a nude swim once I was done. The water was super cold!

I camped at Antelope Flats which was even further north up the road. Really great campsite and there was really no one there. It was just me and another family and the campsite probably had 80 or so plots. 

Woke up in the morning and fished near the campground. I was seeing way more fish in the morning and I learned a few more techniques as far as fixing my rod with weights and bait.

I was able to catch two trout – my first two trout of the trip (if you don’t count the two small ones I caught with the help of Craig in Red Feather Lakes). The second one I caught was actually quite large. I would say a little over a foot and over four pounds. I was pretty pleased with myself.

I headed back towards the dam and went a little further to the Red Canyon area. This part of the gorge has the reddest rocks and this is where the area gets its name from. I did a hike around the rim of the canyon. It wasn’t challenging – just a few miles and it was rather flat. Great views though.

Afterward, I headed towards the west side of the lake and did some fishing but didn’t catch anything. I lost the last lure that I had which was kind of shit because I had gotten a fish to bite while I was there. I have to practice tying the clinch knot so that my hooks and lures are more secure.

I found a little campsite just in the bay on the west side of the lake and it was free. I was quite happy with it. As the sun was setting the colors of the canyon walls became clearer and I could see the different layers of rock which was pretty cool.

I made my way to Jensen and hit up the Utah Visitors Center – got a lot of useful information there. I do feel like my father with all these different maps and pamphlets though.

The first stop on this side of the park was the dinosaur bone quarry. It really was something to see, to be honest. They found dinosaur bones here in the early 1900s and though most of them have been dug out there is still a section there with the bones. The wall of bones is enclosed in a structure that functions as a museum.

From there I made a few stops. Went to the campsite and it’s right along the river here. Just up the road from the site, you can drive to an area where there are two small hikes into the canyons. There is an abandoned homestead there as well that you can wander around in.

The canyon hikes reminded me a bit of Australia to be honest. It was hard to imagine that I was in the US while I was walking out of there.

When I got back I made another attempt at fly fishing. Definitely better than the first time but still getting the hang of it. The next stop has a lot of great fishing and I’d like to stop by a fly shop and get an idea of what’s going on.

I got into Vernal the next day which is a fairly large town – I mean it has a Wal-Mart and a Lowes.

I’ve been having trouble with my rear right tire. It’s been losing air fairly consistently and I left the campsite early and found the nearest gas station so I could fill-up the tires.

I went to Lowes to pick up a portable 12V air pump – it’s not the best to be fair but it works well enough that I could use it in a pinch which is really all I need it for. 

Problem was that when I was testing it in the parking lot I accidentally locked myself out of the car. The van will lock the doors when the engine is running and I didn’t have the windows rolled down enough to be able to get at the lock.

This is the second time this has happened to me. I really wish that the doors would lock once it actually starts moving. I was able to get a locksmith around in 15 minutes or so. The benefits of small-town living I guess.

I played some golf afterward and the course wasn’t so bad honestly. Good price too. I played with these older gentlemen and it was actually a really fun time. Broke 90 but I was all over with my drive. Everything else was on though.

I grabbed a shower at the community center and then drove north of town to BLM land and slept there for the night. Really pretty views outside of the mining quarry across the way.

I went on a short hike along the river after I packed up camp and I was able to get pretty close to where the river enters the canyon.

I drove another hour to this town called Dinosaur. There’s another entrance to the national monument here. An appropriately named town. I stopped off at the visitors center and checked to see if my car could make it to Echo Park. The road isn’t paved and I wasn’t sure if 4WD was required. Luckily only high clearance is needed and that’s exactly what I have.

The drive to the campsite wasn’t so bad. The first mile or so was tough because it leads down into the canyon. It’s just a bunch of switchbacks. But after that, it was pretty straightforward. The trip from town to the campsite took me about 2 hours or so.

The area around the campsite is really stunning. The river wasn’t too far and I took a hike a few miles along it after I settled in. There is this gigantic rock sitting right on the edge of the river here. It’s called Steamboat Rock and yeah, it’s just one of those really cool geographical features you can find out here.

I met a friend at the campsite. His name is Dan and he is driving his motorcycle from Wyoming back to where he lives in Utah. We had a pretty solid conversation for a few hours.

He recently went through a messy divorce and he is only 32 years old. Kind of crazy what can happen. You do all the right things sometimes but you still end up suffering. Maybe we will reconnect when I am traveling through Utah.

I left the campground in the morning and drove back towards the main park road. It takes you out to the main lookout and they have a 2-mile hike out to one of the rock overhangs. The view was really amazing.

Not much really happened the rest of the day to be honest. I stopped in town for a few things and I found a BLM campsite just over the border in Utah. I should be able to find more free camping now that I’ve crossed over. There’s a ton of BLM land in the state.

My next stop was Steamboat and I decided to play some golf when I got there. I had played the course last year with Mom and Dad when they came to visit. It’s a links-style course and the layout is really fun. It was so windy though! At least 25 mph, if not more at times. But I had fun. It was today or no day because the weather was supposed to get worse as we got closer to the weekend.

I rented a room at one of the local resorts. It was cheaper than usual because it’s the offseason here now. The room had a kitchen which I took advantage of. I made some meals that I could heat up easily when I get back on the road. 

There was a hot tub too and I definitely took advantage of that. I met this couple and we had a really good chat. They are new parents and it was cool to get their perspective. Not everyone raises a newborn during a pandemic.

It had snowed a fair bit overnight but the roads were alright to drive. Big shout out to Alexandra for convincing me to take my ice scraper for the car. I had a fair bit of snow to brush off the roof before I could get going.

I drove a bit and filled up my water tank in the next town over. It had snowed and it was just a wet and muddy mess near the water pump. 

I noticed that water would spill out of the tank every time I started driving. I would make a stop and I would find a small puddle of water at the bottom of the water cabinet. My first idea was that it was coming from the ventilation tube area. When the tank is over ¾ full the water will slosh around while I am driving and leak out of the opening. 

I went to the store and got a cap to close it up. It came with one but I am unsure where it is. Probably in one of the containers I have on the roof but the cap was super cheap so I’d rather just pay the $2. 

I drove a bit today and the water was still leaking – more than it was before. I took a look around and I saw a small drip from the water tank where the pipe fittings connect. I don’t think it was the pipe fitting honestly. It’s in such a tight space though, so it was hard to tell for sure.

I got this silicone tape and wrapped the area with it. I also got Teflon tape and re-did the cap that I had put in previously. So we will see what happens.

It doesn’t seem to be leaking when I am standing still. Like overnight nothing builds up so that good news. I will just have to monitor the situation.

My original plan was to go to the Utah entrance of Dinosaur National Monument. But along the way, I decided to check out a campsite on the opposite end of the park. You can’t drive through the park so it’s kind of an out and back type deal.

I’m glad that I stopped in because the campsite is really beautiful. Right along the Yampa River. It warmed up after the snow in the morning so it was nice to be outside there.

You can take a river trip along the Yamba and it takes you through the canyons that make up the national monument. The pictures look pretty unreal if I’m being honest. Maybe I will try to take a rafting trip up here in the future. I think I would enjoy it.

The volunteer rangers here are from Boston and it was fun meeting them when I got in. They have a pretty noticeable accent which is just super funny. I’m in the middle of nowhere US and I roll up to the campsite and this guy is speaking like he’s standing outside Fenway.

Woke up around 8:30, had some breakfast, and did some meditation and a little slackline again. I managed to get my second foot down after mounting the line, if only for a second or two. I can see I have grown since I was in Byron Bay. My attitude towards the line is one of learning now and it hadn’t been that way the first time I tried.

I drove north to Estes Park, got a coffee at the supermarket there, and went into the national park. I was able to get the annual pass which will be useful once I get into Utah.

I went up the trail to Bierstadt Lake – I hadn’t done this one before. I brought the fly rod with me to try and see if I could get some practice in. The trail wasn’t very difficult. I got up to the lake in 45 minutes or so. 

The views from the lake were really amazing. Definitely the best out of all the lakes that I’ve hiked to in that area.

The fly fishing didn’t go all that great. I did a few casts alright but it didn’t go very far. It is definitely going to take some time to get the hang of casting correctly. It was windy, too so it wasn’t the best place to practice for my first time. The flies are so light that if it’s too windy they won’t go anywhere.

I found a campsite near Rustic – which I’m not sure is even a real town based on the map. This is a beautiful area though if I’m being fair. The gorge on the drive through is very tight and there are tons of campsites along the river here. Too bad they are all still closed for the season. I don’t think they will open up for another week or two.

I really just wish they would leave the campgrounds open year round and out of season it can function as a dispersed campsite. I can understand why they don’t want to do that but it sure would be a big help for me.

The next day I made my way up to Red Feather Lakes. It’s about an hour from where I camped along a mostly dirt road. I was right. Rustic wasn’t a real town but they did have a general store there and the ladies were very helpful.

I stopped at one of the larger lakes there and took a walk around – it was quite beautiful. I wish I had brought my camera. I wasn’t sure if I was going to try to fly fish because it was so windy. But I found a spot where it wasn’t so bad and I gave it a go for about 45 minutes.

I didn’t catch a fish but I did feel better about casting. You have to have patience though. Your fly gets stuck in the grass and you have to go and dig it out. You fuck up a cast to all hell and you have to untangle the line. 

I was walking back and I struck up a conversation with an older man that was also fishing. I asked him if he had any tips as I was just starting out. He told me to come down and join him – he wanted to help me catch a fish.

He set me up with one of his flies and a floater and he gave me a few tips on casting. He helped answer some questions I had about different parts of the line and rod. He explained how the different types of flies did different things and how each was meant to attract a fish.

I ended up catching two small trout and it was great. I am more excited now obviously but real big thanks to Craig. He was so kind and patient and odd and funny. 

I drove to Walden and spent the night there. It’s actually quite a beautiful area – it’s on a plateau and it’s surrounded on all sides by the mountains. There is a wildlife refuge there – the highest in the US as far as altitude is concerned.

I found some BLM land outside of town right next to the lake and camped there for the night. The sunset was really beautiful.

Today is the day. I am a little nervous, to be honest. I know for a fact that I can do this. But you spend some time living in comfort and the doubt creeps in. 

I think my biggest fear is that I will be lonely. That I will be bored. I wish I had a dog that I could bring with me. But I can’t adopt a dog right now. There are definitely negatives to being a nomad. You have to make some sacrifices.

But I always meet people wherever I go. In October when I went on my first trip with the van I was able to meet someone at the dispersed campsite near Fort Collins. And I was able to meet people on the road in Telluride and Crested Butte. 

I know the chances of me being lonely are low but yeah, I just wish I had someone or something to share the experiences with. Don’t get me wrong, I would much rather go on this adventure alone and never meet anyone than slog it out at a public accounting job. At least that is my feeling right now. 

Anyway, I started out in the late afternoon today and went to the video game store to get a new adaptor for my PS2. Seems like it’s working well.

I dropped off a bunch of things at Goodwill. Had a lot of extra clothes that I had brought with me to Colorado. I had to get rid of a few things. My mindset was that if I haven’t touched it in the last year I can’t really come up with a good reason to keep it.

I set off for Nederland because it seemed like the best (and perhaps only) dispersed camping close enough to Denver. The first campsite I went to was closed. Too early in the season I guess. The weather has been so nice but they don’t open the campsites until a certain date, regardless of the weather.

The second campsite, Gordon Gulch, was open and it was fairly easy to find. There were some people there. Probably the best dispersed camping I’ve seen this close to Denver. I used the portable BBQ for the first time and had a delicious dinner. Did some slacklining before bed and crashed pretty early.

I got to Telluride just as the lifts were opening. And you can park right up next to the lift here so it’s just a short walk. What else could you ask for?

The first day was really solid. Just hopped around the whole mountain and tried to get myself situated. The views from the top are really like nothing else. The valley is so tight. It feels like the surrounding mountains are on top of you.

The trails were pretty bare here like they were at Crested Butte. They were in desperate need of some snow but I still had fun the first day. The forecast showed that it was going to snow six-plus inches in the afternoon that day. So I decided to rent some wider skis so I could enjoy the powder properly.

But by the time I made it to the hostel in the late afternoon, it still hadn’t snowed. By dinner time nothing. And only when I was about to head to bed did it start flurrying a little bit.

I was talking to a few guys in the ski shop and they weren’t confident that the storm was going to come good. One of the mountains close to the resort had a knack of getting dumped on and leaving the valley with nothing. The mountain is called “Storm Catcher” in the native tongue because it does just that. So that made me a bit worried that we weren’t going to get the snow.

The hostel itself was actually really nice. Very clean and you could tell that it was recently renovated. They had a few hot tubs out back which was a blessing. I met some cool people while I was there.

One of the guys I met works for a crypto non-profit and we had a long conversation about the industry and where we see things going in the future. I also meet a few people from Switzerland who were traveling around the US for a few weeks.

I found out that even the most difficult runs in Europe are groomed. There’s a different rating system out there so the most difficult runs are not exactly a double black. But you’ll never find a cut run with bumps or moguls in Switzerland. If you want to find bumps you have to go off-trail.

The snow out there has more moisture than it does in Colorado. So a day or two after it snows the powder isn’t powder anymore. Going off-trail is really only feasible just after it snows. Or else you’re skiing on ice basically.

Anyway, I woke up in the morning and I saw it had snowed a bit. Maybe an inch or two at the hostel. But at the mountain, it had snowed more than that. And it was still coming down when I got on the lift.

It snowed throughout the day and it made the whole resort into an amusement park. It was cold as hell though because the sun was trapped behind the clouds. I had to take a break every hour or so and warm up in the huts.

I found that the front side of the mountain was getting the best of it and the moguls were just so powdery. It was beautiful.

It’s amazing how a bit of snow just changes the game. You can really go at these runs more aggressively because the extra snow slows you up a bit when you’re trying to make turns. I hit some of the harder double blacks and even some of the extreme terrain. Fell a few times but who cares. I was having a blast.

The night consisted of a hot tub soak and the next day was basically the same thing. Woke up early and hit the mountain for a full day. The day after the snow is always the best. Clear skies and sunny. I was happy to experience the mountain the way that you can when you get some fresh snow.

I was considering staying another day but I felt it was best to head back home. My body was tired at this point and I needed a proper rest before starting work. I will make it back. Probably not this year but next year for sure.

This mountain has to be one of the best that I have ever visited. It’s sneaky big and it’s just so damn steep. I want to come back and do more of the terrain you have to hike to. But again, it’s a bit difficult to tackle those kinds of things when you are by yourself. I’ll have to make some new friends.

Time to take a few days off from skiing. The legs were pretty sore. The next stop on the trip was a place I’d been looking forward to visiting for some time. Great Sand Dunes National Park. I made the drive after skiing the day and stopped near Alamosa which is about a 40-minute drive from the park.

I found a little parking lot outside of the small nature reserve near town and slept there for the night. Holy shit was it cold! I think it dipped down to negative ten or fifteen during the night. It’s never good when you wake up and there is frost on the ceilings and the walls.

I was at the park at 9 o’clock and stopped in the gift shop to buy a few goodies for Alexandra and Luke. There was only one hike that was available during the winter. Through the dunes to the highest one, giving you a 360-degree view of the dunes and the Sangre de Cristo mountain.

There were a handful of people out and about but not so many that it felt crowded. I’d imagine it is a beautiful place to be during the summer. But I think it’s more peaceful during the winter because of the lack of people.

The hike was not overly challenging. It probably took me close to an hour to get to the largest dune that I could see. The only frustrating part is that you’re hiking uphill on the sand. So every step you take to go up the hill you are sliding half a step back.

When I got up there the views were unreal. It’s one of the more unique vantage points I’ve ever had. It’s like you’re in the Sahara Desert but you have these snow-capped mountains in the background. I was the only one up there for a while and I meditated for a bit. It was so quiet and peaceful up there.

I finished up the hike around lunch and cooked a meal there at the picnic ground. I started off shortly after towards Zepata Falls which was about 10 miles back down the road. A short hike but it was really cool to walk up the frozen river to the waterfall. I don’t think you can actually hike to the falls when the water is flowing.

I guess I was the only person that brought crampons because I got up there and everybody was slipping and sliding all over the place. And I’m just walking along the river without a care in the world. Everyone was like “Woah that was such a good idea”. But I was surprised no one else brought some. Whenever I hike in the winter I bring my spikes.

There was a campground close by to the hiking trail and I decided to stay there for the night. Really beautiful views of the Great Sand Dunes and the plains. It was the first time on the trip that I was able to make a campfire. So that made me happy.

My friend Megan was moving across the country from Los Angeles back home to Alabama and we’ve been in contact about it for a month or so. We wanted to organize somewhere to get together for a few days. Originally she was considering coming through Colorado but it didn’t really make sense since it was completely out of the way for her. So we decided to connect in New Mexico.

I didn’t mind too much because I could do some skiing at Taos on the way down. The drive took about 5 hours and I was able to camp ten minutes outside the resort. A very different situation than what I had experienced at the resorts in Colorado.

The mountain itself was a pleasant surprise. It wasn’t as big as the mountains I have skied thus far in Colorado but it was certainly steep. They were in need of snow (what’s new) but I had still had a fun time. The only complaint really was the lack of sun. The way that the mountain is situated it basically sits in the shade all day. So it was a colder experience than I would like.

I made a friend towards the end of the day. I was sitting down at the base relaxing a bit and she just kind of came up to me and started talking to me. She thought I was somebody else but we got to talking and I grabbed her number. More on that later.

From there I was off to Santa Fe to meet up with Megan. We had some dinner and we found a place to sleep just outside of town. A dog park we could park in overnight without being bothered. Worked out alright and it snowed a bit overnight too. Megan loved that.

We were quickly on our way to Valles Caldera the next morning. It is a nature preserve northwest of Santa Fe. The ride up was beautiful but to be honest, there isn’t much to do there during the winter. There are some great natural hot springs in this area but they were extremely difficult to get to on account of the snow. The roads weren’t plowed and the Chevy wasn’t going to be able to make the trip so I didn’t try.

We found a few hikes to do during the day and we found some small hot springs to hike to. They weren’t really big enough or hot enough to entice us to take a dip but at the end of the day, it was still cool to find some. We made the best of an area that really just didn’t have that much to offer this time of year.

We slept on top of the pass near Jemez Springs because we couldn’t find a proper campsite. Similar to the hot springs, we just couldn’t get to the campsites on account of the snow. It was frustrating because I really wanted to have a fire. It was brutally cold that night.

The next day we went back towards Santa Fe and we stopped off at Bandelier National Monument. It’s an old Native American settlement with cliff dwellings and everything. They have ladders and you can climb into the cliff dwellings too. Kind of a small taste of what Mesa Verde would look like I would imagine.

That evening Megan hit the road again and I made my way back towards Taos. The friend I made was working at Taos for the season and suggested I come back and ski another day. She offered to give me a free day pass and I was happy to accept.

The lift tickets on the weekend are fairly expensive. So she was able to save me $170 which was unreal. It had snowed a few days earlier and the conditions were much better than the first day. I really owe her for making my experience in Taos that much better.

I got a late start in the afternoon so I just stopped off at Keyston and skied for a half day. I had been there earlier in the season and there wasn’t that much snow. I was expecting more cover this time around but it was still very thin.

I spent a good portion of the time seeking out runs with smaller bumps to practice on. I’ve been skiing for over twenty years and I honestly didn’t have a clue what I was doing on moguls. It was time to change that. Before heading out on this trip I made a point of watching a few videos on the correct way to ski moguls.

I think the first thing I had to get down was keeping my feet calm and connected to the snow when going over the moguls. Previously I would kind of freak out if I had to ski over a few bumps to get to a better place on the trail to make a turn. I would flail and lose my balance and that would understandably ruin my flow. The small bump runs are really good for practicing this.

It’s very difficult to park overnight in Vail so I decided to give the Copper Mountain parking lot a try. Copper is just on the other side of Vail Pass. The drive from there to Vail only takes 25 minutes so it was a good location to spend the night. There were other RVs and campers parked in the lot and so it seems this is a well-known spot. Power in numbers I suppose. I didn’t have any trouble.

The parking situation is pretty ridiculous in Vail if you ask me. If you want to park in one of the lots close to the lifts you have to pay thirty dollars. So you have to pay two hundred dollars plus for a lift ticket (if you don’t have a pass) and on top of that, you have to pay for parking. It’s a bit insulting honestly.

I didn’t want to do that so I did a bit of digging and I found a park that had free parking. There is a bus stop close by and the bus takes you into the resort. From one of the stops, it’s only a short walk to one of the lifts. The buses ran on time the two days I was there so it wasn’t so bad doing things this way.

Vail is a huge mountain and I spent most of my time on the west side of the resort the first day. I found some nice cruisy runs with some moguls mixed in. I spent a lot of time in the Game Creek Bowl just because the conditions were better there and they had a good amount of moguls I could practice on.

The second day I went towards the middle of the mountain and did a lot of the runs near the Avanti Lift. There was a big mogul run along the lift line that I thought I was ready for but it didn’t work out that way. Fell a ton but I guess if you’re not falling you are not challenging yourself.

I went towards the back bowls in the afternoon and did a lot better than I had done when we all went around NYE. I even skied the trees a bit so was definitely getting better with the bump runs. It’s fun to see yourself improving.

The next day a storm was coming in so I decided to head towards Breckenridge and then home a bit earlier. I just didn’t want to drive over the pass in the snow in the morning and then potentially again in the afternoon. It was probably the right decision because the driving conditions weren’t the best in the afternoon. The van is doing exceptionally well in the snow though. As long as I don’t come to a stop on an incline and have to accelerate again there aren’t many problems with traction.

I skied mostly Peak 6 and 7 at Breck which were mostly new to me. The snow was really good but the visibility was poor above the treeline. I went to the top of Peak 6 and literally could not see anything. That was a bit nerve-wracking because I didn’t know the trails that well. The snow conditions weren’t that great up there honestly which was a surprise. I would like to go back and ski these runs when the snow is better.