Loop de Loop
Looking at the map I see there is a "mountain loop road" that starts about 8 miles from the camp ground and makes a loop through what looks to be some pretty rouged mountains and eventually comes out again near the RV Park. Figuring the best I can it looks like it will be roughly 100 miles from start to finish. Looks like the road is paved all the way around with a few small mountain towns thrown in so we can maybe find a stop for lunch. Sun is supposed to be shining today so lets load the jeep and head out. Three cameras, several Hershey bars, pop, water, banana, and a couple apples and we're off. Estimate is at an average of 40 mph, stopping for pictures, and lunch we should be back in about 4 to 5 hours.
The trip did not start out well as we missed a couple turns early on and had to back track several times. Once we got further along there were no turns to screw up on and all we had to do was follow the road we were on. In other words the Loop de Loop.
The map showed a lot of National Forrest Camp Grounds along our way and upon reaching the first one along a river we decided to drive in to it and check it out, plus nature was callin'. We were stopped just short of the privy by some forest tree trimmers and their chain saws as they were felling tree's and told us the park was closed. They paused long enough for Kathleen to use the privy and I had a chance to ask them some questions. I wanted to know if they knew anything about the route we planned to continue on and they commented we had come about as far as we could go as just up ahead the pass was still closed from snow and there would be a gate across the road. If we intended to ever come back there was a visitor center just up the road a bit and if they were open we should stop and get a better map. The road was paved at this point but they indicated that very shortly it was going to turn to gravel/dirt and would stay that way for better than half way around the loop. Dang, we were so looking forward to this drive.
The visitor center was open and a very pleasant gal informed us that the gate had been opened, the forest service had plowed about a quarter mile of heavy snow just over the pass and the route was declared safe to travel as of yesterday. She commented that even the locals didn't know it yet and seemed quite pleased that she could be the bearer of such good news.
As noted above with the first picture of the flower, at the lower elevations with the snow having just melted a few flowers, proud of their ability to survive, are poking their heads from the ground.
The higher we climbed the less flowers we saw but the cascading water flows coming down the sides of the mountains became ever more present. The river we were following was running quite full.
We were soon to leave the paved road and continue on with most of the road becoming one lane with pull offs should you meet someone (we never did).
The drive was awesome. The fact that we were making the trip and in approximately 50 miles of narrow gravel/dirt road we saw only one other vehicle and he probably was a forest service person, made for a fun day. That four to five hour drive turned out to be more like seven. One hundred miles, seven hours------not bad.
We never did see the sun and it felt like we were in a rain forest most of the time but it also didn't rain.
A great way to spend the day. The week-end is coming and we will reserve that for family time, but next week if we can find another adventure we will go for it.
