Tag: elk

Rocky Mountain High with Bighorns and Bullwinkle

A little over a decade ago we called Colorado home for about five minutes.  In the dinky town we lived in, Erie, the most exciting thing to happen was Biscuit Day.  On this leg of our journey, we were headed north of our former stomping ground to check out Fort Collins.  Another city on our potential forever home list to put to the test.

What’s ironic is that we went from a town that looked like you were smack in the middle of Germanland in Disney to one where Disney actually used it as a model for their main street.

When you hang out in downtown Fort Collins it is easy to see why Disney used it as inspiration.   It was love at first sight for us.

It had everything on our wish list for our forever home town: outdoors nearby, not many tourists, and a lively vibe.

As we explored the area we began to scratch our heads and wonder why we ever left Colorado.  The rugged, natural beauty makes it perfect for lots of outdoor fun.

Oh wait (head smack), WINTER!  The last year we lived in Colorado we survived an awful blizzard that shut down Denver International airport for three whole days!  But, being here in summer seemed lovely.  That is until we hiked Horsetooth Rock Trail mid-morning and realized it gets freaking hot!  It is like we were inches away from the sun instead of millions of miles.

We were beginning to see we might have a goldilocks complex about weather. This may be why we ended up back in California where the temperature is (almost) always just right.  Is this a red flag that we may have expectation issues for our forever home location?

Best thing we did?

Being a short drive from Rocky Mountain National Park, we were itching to get out there and spot some wild animals.  We were on a quest to have major sightings and even researched the best possible locations to spot Bighorn Sheep.  We had a checklist of must see animals on our journey and these guys were at the top, unchecked.  So, they were our highest priority in the Rocky Mountains.

As we headed up towards Estes Park, at the base of RMNP, bingo! We spotted them right away.  They were cliff climbing on the side of the road.  One look at these guys and you can easily see how they got their name.  How do they even hold those giant noggins up?

Driving into the town of Estes Park, we were concerned that the rest of the day may be a letdown.  We had already found the number one item on our wish list, so would everything else be ho-hum?  Well, these majestic elk eating their way all over town refused to let that be the case.

We were so close to them from the truck you can even hear them chowing down on their breakfast.

We really did hit the jackpot on animal sightings with this expedition.  A few minutes after driving into the national park entrance we saw a moose!  We thought we would have to wait until Canada to see a Bullwinkle!

Best thing we ate?

A bakery strikes again in the best thing we ate category.  You know we are always looking for a good bakery.  Especially in a town we are considering for our forever home.  Well, Little Bird Bakeshop is the real deal.  Their Ricotta Fennel Muffins were the bomb.  A little bit savory and a little bit sweet they are the most amazing breakfast treat.  Yeah, it is hard not to rhyme when thinking about these muffins.

When they say from scratch here they really mean it.  Not my apple pie from scratch using a store bought crust, but like really from scratch.  They even make their own fresh ricotta for these muffins.  No shortcuts!  These suckers were so good we went back the next day for another.  Sadly we learned they have different baked goods every day and no more ricotta fennel muffins.  Boohoo!

What we learned?

You know the saying how the more you learn the less you know?  This is because now you have a ton more questions about the thing you just learned instead of being blissfully ignorant.  That is how we feel about our review of Fort Collins as our forever home.  It was another big hump in our evolution to figuring out what we want.  Or was it?

We initially thought if the downtown had all of the things we wanted and there was nature around, then it was a slam dunk.  This city had a great downtown and lots of nature, but we were missing something.  We didn’t get “the feeling.”  Maybe we need some hills and coziness in the landscape instead of a flat valley?  We are still uncertain.  The problem is, we are learning how much we don’t know about what we want.  Maybe we are just supposed to pick something that is good enough.  Maybe “the feeling” isn’t real?

One thing we do know is when your choice is wide open, not dictated by a job or a significant other, it is almost harder to make a decision.  Decisions are way easier to make when there are less options.

Colorado you will always be close to our hearts.  Until next time…

Next Stop: Grand Teton National Park

These Mushrooms are Bananas

Our route had us continuing up the California coast.  We were prepared for redwoods and ocean views, but not for the depression of continuous rain.  We know, we know California needs the rain!  But come on…our towels in the Airstream never dried out! We definitely praised the sun gods when any little bit of sun trickled through the forest…

There were multiple campground stops as we made our way up to the tippy top of California…Duncan Mills, Mendocino, Myers Flat, and Eureka.  You would think driving along the coast in California that sand would be sand and ocean would be ocean, but in Northern California, one town beach after another can be totally different…

Like in Jenner where the Russian River meets the Pacific

and Glass Beach in Fort Bragg where sea glass is the silver lining of ocean trash dumping in the 50s and 60s

and Moonstone Beach in Trinidad, CA

or even Gold Bluffs Beach, in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.  Here Roosevelt Elk are sitting on the grassy/sandy part of the beach with the ocean just behind the trees (promise it is there!).

Best thing we did? 

You would think the answer to this question would be hiking among the majestic trees.  With driving roads like Avenue of the Giants and walking through the Redwood National and State Parks we were indeed amazed by all the trees labeled Big, Giant, and Gargantuan, wait that last one might not be on a actual sign, but after five or six hikes we saw them as they were…trees.

Extremely large trees, but still trees.  So, our eyes began searching for other things in the forests we conquered.  Banana slugs intrigued us for a hot minute (mostly trying not to step on them).  They seem to slither around on the trails like they own the forest!

While neon yellow slugs may be interesting, mushroom hunting became an obsession for us during these hikes.  Let’s be perfectly clear, hunting not foraging. We were certainly not prepared for eating them just yet given we could die if we make the wrong assumptions.  However, searching for mushrooms is like looking for Waldo or staring at those posters where you have to make yourself practically cross-eyed to see the image.  Once you start looking you see them everywhere and you can’t stop.

Best thing we ate? 

Olives.

Yes, olives.  Not the kind you popped on all your fingers at Thanksgiving as a kid or the briny kind stuffed with blue cheese that you dunk in your dirty martinis as an adult.  These were wood fired Castelvetrano olives at Saucy in Ukiah.  Wood fired = mind blown!  They were mixed with caramelized orange zest and fennel, roasted garlic, and chili to give them extra flavor, but the true depth came from the seared olive flesh.

These olives are important because they were not only yummy, but also represent our motto “Next Stop Always.”  You might think that it simply means always investigating new places, but it is really a reminder for us to strive to learn and grow.  To never get stuck being comfortable just because it is known. That is where the olives come in…Gary never liked olives…ever!  They were too briny, vinegary (remember the oysters) and just pure unappetizing to him.  But, following our motto, he tried again and loved these! So, remember to always be open — maybe you just haven’t yet experienced something in the right way.

An honorable mention must go out to the dessert we had at Café Beaujolais in Mendocino simply because it was called Candy Cap Mushroom Banana Cake.  Um hello, mushrooms, banana slugs, have you even been paying attention???  Not necessarily the best dessert of all time, but they made it with Candy Cap mushrooms, so they get an A plus for creativity.

What we learned?

Rain and RVing don’t mix for long periods of time.  Once in a while it is fun to hear the rain bouncing down on the aluminum roof and have it sooth you to sleep.  But, if you are going to be in it for very long you need a dehumidifier, covers for your fans, and a good therapist to talk you out of the depression.

Oh that’s why all the full time RV peeps stay in in places such as Arizona, Utah, Texas or other drier states until the Pacific Coast spring fully passes. Oh, well, live and learn!

Next Stop: The Beaver State