Almont, CO

November 19-23

Brandy decided to treat me with an escape to Three Rivers Resort for my birthday a couple weeks ago.

I had requested the 20th and 23rd off; the plan was to leave early that morning and drive through, then to return the following Monday. I figured since I was off Thursday and Friday for the holiday, I might as well just take the whole week off.

As is standard protocol though, we wound up leaving Thursday after work and driving up to Durango. We stayed at the EconoLodge on Highway 550 where Brandy gave me two more birthday gifts (after having already given me a nice, heavy, 2 layer parka for the snow we were expecting, and two pair of warm, wool socks.) She gave me a pair of flannel sleep pants and a flannel button down shirt that traveled well with me on the trip.

We slept very well that night, even to the point where Brandy had to wake me up (that never, EVER happens.) We got up, packed up and left to make the last 2 1/2 hour drive in to Almont.

We got into the area a little early to check in so we decided to cruise through Crested Butte. It was surprisingly deserted which pleased us, but we didn’t stop anywhere (except to take some pictures) as we’re still playing it VERY safe from COVID.

After our short drive through Crested Butte, then CB South, we stopped for groceries at the Safeway in Gunnison, then headed to the resort. We checked into a TINY cabin… 230 square feet. Most of it taken up by the full size bed. There was a small dining table with stools, and one wooden kitchen chair. A tiny kitchen with just about no counter space was tucked into the corner.

We had four days’ worth of luggage and groceries with us so it took several trips to unload the car but we finally got it done. I was able to cook up a couple steaks, asparagus and some mashed cauliflower for dinner but finding room to prep was a bit of a challenge.

We decided to call it a night at around 9:00, We crammed our oversized bodies into the creaky full size bed and tried to sleep. That didn’t last long. I woke up at about 5:00 Saturday morning with my back killing me, having not slept well at all. It was freezing in the cabin, too. It was 14 degrees outside when I woke up.

In the tiny cabin, there weren’t a lot of options for me to run off to. I could either stay in bed, where I’d likely toss and turn eventually waking Brandy in the process, or go to the bathroom. So I went to the bathroom. I noticed the hot water tank was about half the size of a standard residential sized water heater, so I knew my shower was going to be cut short.

I went ahead and took a shower, stopping before I used up all the hot water. I wanted to save some for Brandy. Once dressed I sat in the wooden chair in the corner of the room until Brandy woke up then I started breeakfast.

As I was cooking, I noticed movement out of the corner of my eye, through the window in the front door to the cabin. I looked over and saw a deer just outside the door. I ran over, phone in hand, and snapped pictures of the four deer that were walking by.

I went back to cooking breakfast when I heard water running somewhere within the cabin. Brandy was still in bed, so it wasn’t her in the shower. I peeked into the bathroom and saw that the miniature hot water tank was dumping its contents into the bathroom.

Brandy, having previously worked at the resort, called the maintenance guy who promptly showed up and told us it was going to be a while before he could fix the leak. He asked if he could move us to a different cabin, with a bigger bed and… I didn’t hear the rest because before he finished talking, I was already packing up.

We wound up moving to a larger, two room cabin with a queen sized bed, a separate front room, and a much larger kitchen. Re-packing the car was a hassle, but it was well worth it to move to a much more comfortable setting. After unpacking and starting to settle in, I headed into town to buy more booze before returning and calling it a night.

On Sunday, we took a drive up to Taylor Reservoir. We’d been up there on a past trip, but it was a whole different experience in the snowy conditions we experienced. There were hardly any other cars on the road so we had ample opportunities to pull over and get some pictures of some beautiful winter scenes.

Unfortunately, back at the cabin, the snow was a lot more subdued. Little patches of sticking snow here and there, but by and large it was otherwise dry. We had anticipated snow showers the whole weekend but alas, the reports were premature and it didn’t snow until after we had left.

We woke up early Monday then headed to the office for the resort. We spoke to the office manager who gave us the keys for the hall where Brandy and I will be getting married. We scoped it out to make sure it was going to meet our needs, then looked at the house where the lot of us will be staying, including Brandy and I, our parents, my son and our best friends. Unfortunately, the house won’t be quite large enough to hold all of us, so I just booked the accommodations for my friends, which is a cabin right next door to the house where the rest of us will be staying.

After we checked it all out, we headed back into Gunnison, got gas, loaded up with snacks and made the 6 hour drive back home.

It was a nice relaxing trip, as most of our trips usually are, but as I always say, the best part of a vacation is going home. Now, having been home for nearly two weeks, I’m ready to embark on our next adventure.

Brandy’s friend is moving from Nebraska to the southern part of Colorado. She and her husband will be in Alamosa next weekend, the 12th, for some house hunting and Brandy and I will be going up there to meet them.

In the meantime, I’ve been wanting to start training for long backpacking adventures. I’ve dreamt of overnight or even three day hikes through the wilderness. In my physical condition though, that’s not a possibility, especially at higher elevations. In my efforts to reach that ability, I’m committing to taking increasingly longer hikes through the lower elevations and steadily going higher until I can hike the trails on top of Sandia Peak. I’m starting tomorrow, Saturday, December 5, with a VERY short hike around the Copper Trailhead Loop, a 1.3 mile loop trail that starts at 5,931 feet and only goes up 154 feet from there. Alltrails.com estimates the walk lasting 38 minutes. I’m sure it will take much longer for Brandy and I to make it, but the point is, we’ll be out there. I’ll try to make a short post about the experience this weekend.

In the meantime, check out some more pictures from the trip up to Almont by visiting the Photo Diary page.

I leave you now with these word from philosopher Saint Augustine who said, “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.”

I’m writing my book now.

-Phil