May 18, 2021: Dolores, Colorado

5/18/21 OUR RV ADVENTURES:

We have now been on the road for two full weeks. I know that for some people that is not much, but for us it is. This week has been different from last week in that we are staying for two weeks at an amazing RV place on the Dolores River. It is much easier to be hooked up to electricity and water all the time and to not move every few days, but my heart wants to go into the woods and camp by rivers and look out into meadows and onto mountains. That’s just me. I want to boondock.  But, when I told my family about this wonderful place, 

RV CULTURE: The thing that I have found while at this RV campground is that there is a different group of people - an RV culture. Most of the people we have met here are full time RVers. They have been living out of their RV for from 3-7 years without going home. Most do not have another home. Nearly all of the people that we meet are our age or older. Some live on a fixed income, so they do the WorkAmp (work camp) program or they boondock. There are about twelve couples who work this campground. They clean the cabins, do landscape, work the office, etc. They work three days and are off three days - about 20 hours a piece per week. They get their rent, electricity, water, butane, and laundry furnished as well as making minimum wage. It is not a bad deal. Every campground has its own rules and perks. One couple who works here is going to work in Alvin, Texas this winter. All the man has to do is keep the pool clean. She doesn’t have to do anything, and they get their place paid for. The only problem with this is that they have to commit to 6 months per place. If you work the State Parks, you only have to commit to 2-3 months at a time. This could be an alternative to high rent.

THE RIVER: This campground is right on the river. AMAZING! So we decided to test out our canoe. The problem is that a canoe takes on water. We didn’t know that, and by the time we rode out the last of the two mile stretch, our canoe overturned, and we had to drag everything to shore. So we decided to invest in an inflatable kayak. We didn’t want a kayak at first because it hurts Lyndyl’s shoulders to row above his head, but on a river, there is not much rowing - mostly guiding. I think it will be fun. I will let you know. The kayak should be here on Monday, the day we leave.

HIKING/BIKING: Because this place is so amazing, we messaged all of our kids and told them that they should come. Cloud and his family took us up on it. So fun! There is so much to do here, but after I told the story of riding the river, they didn’t want to do that. Haha. So we went hiking. So much fun. There are tons of hiking/bike trails in this area. We went on Boggy Draw 199. It is a 9 mile hike, but we only made it about 2.5 miles in before people were wanting to turn around. After Cloud’s family left, Lyndyl and I took our bikes down to Boggy Draw and rode that same trail. WOW! We are soooo out of shape. I had to stop at the top of each hill to catch my breath, but by the time I had ridden nine miles, it was getting easier. This trail took us mainly through the woods. We want to go back and do another trail that is 11.7 miles. This is the way to exercise. I love it, but man am I sore.

RV LIFE:

I think we have about figured out how to do this. Our black water/gray water works. Yay! We are very comfortable. Everything else works, too. We thought that we would cook outside on our fire pit because that is what we do at home, but we have an outdoor butane two burner stove that is amazing. We love outdoors.

OH THE PLACES WE GO:

DOLORES RIVER RV CAMPGROUND: I would recommend this place to anyone. This is a great place and a great location. It is close to so much, and it is on the river. Apparently the only months you can float this river like we are doing is in May and June. After the snow melts, the river becomes a trickle. I think. That’s what I read.

BOGGY DRAW: If you take Hwy 31 out of Dolores toward the mountains, you will come to Boggy Draw Trail Head road. Turn right and go till you come to the parking lot of the trail heads. So many places to go. Hike. Bike. Please take your mountain bikes! Fun! After we got through riding the 199 trail, we took our pickup around on the road 527. It is legal to camp for up to 14 days anywhere off of this road. Oh my goodness! The meadows. The woods. I want to go, but we have already paid for two weeks at Dolores River RV. If we had only known. Do you know what I think it is? Our back wall opens up to whatever view we want. I don’t want an RV campground view. I want that meadow with yellow flowers blooming everywhere.

MESA VERDE: Wow! Wow! Wow! Mesa Verde is only about 20 miles from our campground. Then it is 20 miles to the top of the mesa. Mesa Verde is one of the reasons we chose Dolores to camp. It is very close. The ride up to Mesa Verde is spectacular. I would put it in the same category as the Million Dollar Highway. Steep. Scary. Spectacular!!! Then the history! The cliff dwellings! The Indians! So much!

OH THE PEOPLE WE SEE:

It is funny that the people we meet here in the campground we don’t get to know as much. I don’t know why. We meet people who go back into their trailers. Nice people. I just didn’t get to know them. The only memorable person I met was today at Walmart. The woman checking us out was older, and it looked like she was hurting, but she smiled. I asked her how she felt, and she said her body is getting older, and it is doing whatever it wants to do. As I left, I gave her my card, and I asked her if she had worry in her heart. She became animated, and said, “Well, heck yes.” So I asked her if she wanted it to go away, and she said, “Yes! And all of this other stuff, too.” She pointed to her stomach. I think that was what was hurting. I took her to Jesus, and I said, “Say you are guilty of worrying.” She did, and she started kind of dancing. I told her to go to my website, and I told her that if she would give Jesus her worries and her fears, her physical symptoms will go away. I believe that with all of my heart. I will probably never see her again. I don’t even know her name.

WITNESS HIM NOW:

I want to record what I see God doing. I think He worked in the lady in Walmart. I am not sure, but I know that He is working in me. Sunday morning, my friend Annabeth Martin called early and woke us up. She said, “Do you know what is going on?” No. What? Then she told me about all the bombing that were happening in Israel. Then she just started talking. She sees things that I do not see. Everything she sees, points her back to what God is doing. But what she said was, “Jesus was a prophet. Jesus was also the prophetic work, and Jesus is the fulfillment of all prophecy, and because Jesus lives in us, He is fulfilling prophecy through us. This is the mystery - Christ in you, the hope of glory!” Oh my goodness. This ministered to me. It is not what I do. It is Christ who lives in me. Prophecy is being fulfilled. Wow! God encouraged me that morning.

Then Annabeth, who thinks our whole trip is prophetic, said, “Do you know what Dolores means?” No. “It means sorrow, but you are anointed with the oil of gladness and joy. Go and pour oil into that river of sorrow.” So I did. I put Frankincense oil into the river before we got in. Then my son said, “Do you know what Dolores means? In Spanish it means ‘pain.’” So in my mind, there is something going on with pain and sorrow. In Isaiah 52-53, we understand that Jesus bore our pain and He carried our sorrow. I started to pray. Then I started seeing all the Indian history, and my heart reached out to the pain and the sorrow in this nation. LORD, thank you for all that You did. Now, heal! In Jesus’ name. Then I began to think about the Indians. The pain and the sorrow. And I began to pray.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

I want to record our costs. We started our trip on I want everyone to know what we are doing. So the first week went like this:
WEEK !: (5/4-5/11)
Gas $299.10 ($2.87-$3.39 per gallon)
Food $219.28
Groceries $96.85
Vineyards/Alpaca Farm $138.00
Parts: $81.35
RV Parks $81.35
Park Passes: America the Beautiful $80.00
TOTAL: $1109.87. (miles driven 1300.3)

WEEK 2: (5/12-5/18)
Gas $10.75 (motorcycle)
Food $47.89
Groceries $271.59
Parts $56.12
RV Parks - Dolores ($44-$49 per night) $293.26
TOTAL: $679.61. (miles driven 76)
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I did not put in the cost of our trip - kayak $509.