Getting settled in Buena Vista

The weather has warmed up a bit and the snow has melted in the low country. We ended up having several nights getting as low as 18! Our Montana is not really meant for those low temps, but we did just fine. Sean filled our tanks and we unhooked from the faucet to help prevent freezing.  Here are some chilly May weather photos here in our campground.

After the storms passed, we went walking behind the Rv park and found what looks to be a bone yard of dead deer. I am not sure where they all come from but it was kind of weird!

We have finally gotten to do a little hiking.  I had no idea how much the elevation can hamper ones breathing and then consequently, make ones heart go pitter patter!  We have done only two hikes other then walking around here.  Buena Vista is around 8000 feet and it seems most hikes go UP!  Our first hike was close to town and only had about a 500 foot elevation gain but it wore us out and it was only 4 miles.

    Kayaker practicing on the Arkansas river

Our next hike was quite a bit more challenging with a 1200 foot elevation gain.  We hiked up to beautiful spot called Harvard lake and it's final elevation was 10,200.  My ap rated it as a moderate hike but that rating must be by people who live here and are use to the elevation gain! I had to go very slowly to deal with the elevation. Sean is feeling it too but not near as badly as me. Remi seems to have no issues with any of it and loves all the forest smells!  Also most trails are not officially open here until June and we know why now. We came upon quite a bit of snow on the trail and since most of those parts bordered a creek, you had no choice but to plunge through it.  Sean and I had some problems here and there but poor Remi would break through sometimes and all four legs would be stuck in the snow drift. Sean would grab his harness and pluck him out. Ahh the look on his face when he was stuck was priceless! The follies of having only 6 inch legs!

    Harvard Lake

Our job is going well. Sean works with the guys doing maintenance stuff and I work with the ladies cleaning cabins and bathrooms.  I also may help out in the store from time to time and Sean and I have been made the official breakfast cooks.  We cook our first breakfast for the park this Saturday.  People actually will be paying for this breakfast so we are feeling a bit pressured.  It was one thing to cook free pancakes at the Riviera resort in Blythe and another to charge $6 or $7 for a pancake breakfast with eggs and bacon or sausage! Hopefully we are successful. If not, I guess they can ask another one of the couples to give it a try.

One of the couples that we started to work with ended up leaving after only the second day of work.  They were our age and from San Antonio, Texas and had been full timing for a year just like us. Turns out there 10 year old granddaughter was put into foster care and they had to go back and legally adopt her and her half sister so as to spare them from the foster system. So at 50+ they are going to start all over raising two little girls and in a motorhome as they sold their house before hitting the road.  I felt so bad for them! Not that we all don't love our grandchildren and we would do the same, but to start this lifestyle of full time RVing, then have to put it on hold for another 8 years or so..... It had to be hard.  I wish them the best.

Currently we are working 4 days on and four days off, however, we ended up helping out an extra day this go around.  It takes a lot to get a campground ready to go after being shutdown all winter.  This Memorial Day weekend is sort of the kick off to the season and the owners are expecting us to be quite busy.  However, Denver is getting hit with some weird hail storms and tornado warnings.  That might slow some folks down from heading out.  It is clouding up and thundering here now but I don't think the area is expecting the same issues as Denver. Or at least not to the same degree.  We shall see! 

    Deer out our window a few days ago