After poring over the maps I settled on Junction Creek Rd. A little before Junction Cr Campground (god preserve me) the decision loomed...Forest Road 204 or 205. 204 said NO CAMPING FOR NEXT EIGHT MILES (7 miles past Animas Overlook). It HAD to be good.
Six miles past Animas Overlook I encountered Rick. He was working on his trailer and, having just finished oiling the wood and tightening the screws in the board ends, was about to lay some carpet to further protect it. Retired from computer programming, he'd bought the Bounder six months earlier; the trailer was new too.
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| Too steep to Hike |
This was a wide spot, hardly more than the length of the Bounder. I was curious about how he'd managed to get facing downhill. "It was a six-point turn", he said...meaning it took six attempts. He described how, at one point, he was trying to go back but nothing was happening. When he got out to see if maybe there was a rock he discovered he was up against the mountain.
The dropoff is like the upside, almost straight. He stamped his foot to show how he'd checked the edge for firmness before pulling up to it, but admitted he wasn't totally convinced; the fact that it'd hold him didn't guarantee the motorhome.
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| Flaunting its patina and pumping its forearm - Mercedes rules, maaaaaaan! |
There was some annoyance with the Forest Service. They'd said the road was accessible to all; that there were trails where he could ride his (motor)bike, and there was dispersed camping. Well, there *was* dispersed camping, but the boulder at the 6.8 mark was a formidable impediment, even for Rick. As for trails, you couldn't hike on these hills, let alone ride a bike.
As I turned to go he said his wife had finally told him, after 30 years and some children, she'd never loved him. But, he added, he'd reached the point of being able to say it out loud so he knew he was getting over it.
I'm still wondering how he got the trailer turned around.
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