Another "Retire in CO" thread... (Denver, Boulder: campground, live in)

[EricBabula]

Originally Posted by COcheesehead

I wonder if the OP ever made it here?

I'm still alive! Got a new job at the beginning of April and have been busy, busy! I check in every now and then, but haven't added much, if anything - sorry.

We're still looking - actually, I'm planning our trip for late this summer as I type this! Yup, I'm late to the game as always! We like to live on the edge, with our vacation planning! Hoping we can still find places to camp, in or near our three chosen base-camp locations. Booking will be tonight or tomorrow. Still plotting everything out on a map, so I can see if I'm even in the ballpark of what we want to see from each base-camp.

Hope all is well!

[brightdoglover]

Originally Posted by EricBabula

I'm still alive! ...

We're still looking - actually, I'm planning our trip for late this summer as I type this! Yup, I'm late to the game as always! ...)

Remember to get in touch!

[EricBabula]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

Eric was on this site as recently as last night and has posted in several threads from which I gather he's looking at several spots in COLO. Hopefully he'll chime in with how it's going.

It's all going well, Mike! I've just been swamped, and doing a bit too much procrastination on this trip! Par for the course, for us!

I've been plotting out our trip today - maps and charts and campgrounds and dates........

Looks like we're going to have the three base camps: Estes Park, Salida and Ridgway - probably in that order. And, we'll do day-trips to a bunch of towns around each area. The hope is that we'll get a great feeling from some towns, or a general area, so we can start to narrow down our overall search. If not, we'll just have to come back again! Awww, darn!

Of course, we'll want to take in a number of great hikes while we're at each area, also. And, we'll be peaking for waterways where we could (in our retirement years) do some calm-water kayaking (slow, lazy rivers or calm lakes). And, we'll also be looking at bicycling opportunities (road or scenic trails - not hard-core mountain biking).

Still debating on whether we should, on our way from Salida to Ridgway, take the long route to take a peek at Creede and Lake City. On the one hand, from the pics I've seen, and the Google Earth views, both look absolutely beautiful! On the other, there was a thread that mentioned that both towns are very much into ATVs/OHVs, etc. And, we want a peaceful mountain life, not having to listen to the buzzing of those vehicles while sitting on our deck. How bad is it, really?

So, that's the basic plan. I could elaborate on the towns we're planning on visiting, but I didn't want to hurt any feelings if I left your town/choice off the list. It's not that your town is "off" the list - it's just that we probably won't get there this time. There will be a next time, I'm sure! We aren't going to make any final decision based off this trip. We have time! We're not retired yet, and don't have to buy anything now, or even in the next year or three. We can search until we find what feels good.

Anyway, thanks for keeping me on your minds!

[EricBabula]

Originally Posted by brightdoglover

I hope to meet Eric and family later this summer when they check out this area (Montrose/Ridgway).

I'll be sure to let you know when we'll be in Ridgway area!!! Would love to meet up for a drink or something!

[COcheesehead]

Book early if you can. Campgrounds around the state are full, so I am told by my camping friends.

[waltcolorado]

We would like to crash this Ridgway party also if possible!! I will send Brighdoglover a PM..

[EricBabula]

Originally Posted by waltcolorado

We would like to crash this Ridgway party also if possible!! I will send Brighdoglover a PM..

I'll put you on the very exclusive guest list! You may have to show your ID to the bouncer at the door!

[EricBabula]

Ok, for those of you who might still be looking at this thread, our trip is all set for this September!!! I can't wait!

As I mentioned before, we'll have three base camps where we'll be actually camping: Salida, Ridgway, and Estes Park (in that order, based on how reservations worked out at this late date). From those base camps, we'll be making side-trips to nearby towns, also, to see if something hits us as feeling like "home" for when we retire. If that doesn't happen, we'll just have to make another trip at another date, until we find where we need to live!

While in Salida, we also plan to visit: Nathrop, Johnson Village, Buena Vista, Poncha Springs, Cañon City and Florence.

On the way from Salida to Ridgway, we're actually taking a southern route because of road outages on Hwy 50 west of Gunnison, so we'll get to pass through Pagosa Springs and Durango!

While in Ridgway, we also plan to visit: Ouray, Silverton, Telluride (for fun - we can't afford to live there!), Montrose, Delta, Hotchkiss, Paonia.

While in Estes Park we'll probably do more hiking than looking around (I mean, c'mon, we LOVE RMNP!), but plan to also visit: Allenspark, Nederland, Jamestown, Lyons, and maybe northward to Glen Haven, Drake and Rustic.

So, that's the plan.......until we change it on the fly! If I missed your town, sorry! That doesn't mean we won't visit it eventually! I have a feeling this will be the first of a few reconnaissance trips, and we'll pick different base camps for the next trip(s).

Of course, this trip will not be all traveling and researching different towns. We'll have to do a fair amount of hiking while we're there, also!

Since we haven't really visited the Salida area or Ridgway area, does anyone have hiking suggestions in either of those towns or surrounding areas?

[COcheesehead]

Download this app from CO Parks and Wildlife. Then just open the map to where you are and all the trails will appear. If you click on the trail, then all the details on length, where to park etc appear. It’s easy to use and a nice resource.

https://cpw.state.co.us/CTS

[brightdoglover]

Originally Posted by EricBabula

Ok, for those of you who might still be looking at this thread, our trip is all set for this September!!! I can't wait!

As I mentioned before, we'll have three base camps where we'll be actually camping: Salida, Ridgway, and Estes Park (in that order, based on how reservations worked out at this late date). From those base camps, we'll be making side-trips to nearby towns, also, to see if something hits us as feeling like "home" for when we retire. If that doesn't happen, we'll just have to make another trip at another date, until we find where we need to live!

While in Salida, we also plan to visit: Nathrop, Johnson Village, Buena Vista, Poncha Springs, Cañon City and Florence.
Since we haven't really visited the Salida area or Ridgway area, does anyone have hiking suggestions in either of those towns or surrounding areas?

I would caution OP to consider altitude (forget where he is coming from- Wisconsin?) Ridgway is 7,000, Ouray 8,000 ft. Hiking might be a bit tough depending on your acclimitization. I know when I used to fly in from Boston, I certainly felt the altitude (short of breath) and once when driving "the scenic route" from Denver to Ridgway, a full-blown altitude headache and such. My aunt almost popped a gasket and had to go to the ER in Montrose (6,000 ft) for BP. It pays to be attentive to these altitude changes, for sure.