Crystal River KOA Camping ... Happy 4th

After a long outing yesterday, and with today being the 4th of July, we planned an easy day for ourselves. We had a nice time, but admittedly our plans fell a little flat after the magnificent views we enjoyed yesterday on the Independence Pass drive.

Starting in Basalt, the 42-mile Frying Pan Road that passes by Ruedi Reservoir follows the Fryingpan River … through the valley by the same name. By the way, the spelling of the name of the river is not a typo … the road is two words; the river (and the valley) is one word. Why? No idea. But here’s the legend behind the name itself …

"The reason for the unusual name of the river is that when a group of trappers was attacked by a band of Ute Indians, only two men survived, one of whom was injured. Leaving his wounded friend in a cave close by, the last man left to summon help, but not before hanging a frying pan in a tree so that he could find the cave again on his return."

Back to our day. No sooner were we on Frying Pan Road that we came to a signage board. So we pulled off to read the information. That’s when we learned that the area is a state wildlife area as well. Alas, no luck with seeing critters, but we did find a short path down to the edge of the river. Turns out that this was a good find as later we would be returning to have lunch at this spot.

The road hugs the green-clad red cliffs on one side and follows the river on the other side … meandering as the river twists and turns. It’s a pretty drive, but the pull-outs are not designed for optimum photography. The vegetation was tall, hiding the river from view in most places. Yet, those pull-outs were filled with cars — fly fishermen (and women) angling in the frothy water as the river cascades and gurgles over the rocks.

The biggest disappointment of our drive came when we arrived at Ruedi Reservoir, which dams the Fryingpan River. The place was a zoo. Seeing the crowds from the overlook on the road did not inspire us. But keeping our fingers crossed that we might find a quiet spot somewhere, we continued on. It wasn’t to be. In our search for a spot of solitude, we took the time to drive through the campground loops to see if they would appeal for a future stay. A definite no is the answer to that question. The sites were haphazardly situated, making the campgrounds seem especially chaotic ... no real shade or privacy either.

As we left the reservoir, I suggested to Mui that we return to the spot we had found early on and have lunch there. He agreed and we set off on the return drive. We were not happy to see several parked cars when we arrived at our destination. But we persevered. Turns out the cars belonged to anglers … none of whom were using “our spot.” We set up our portable picnic table on the gravel bar and had a delightful meal, serenaded by the gurgling Fryingpan River.

It wasn’t quite 1:30p when we found ourselves driving through historic downtown Carbondale. The place was surprisingly dead and we thought for a minute about wandering around for a bit. But then changed our minds as it was so darn hot.

Instead, we drove to Redstone — about 10 miles south of the KOA. The village was established in the late 19th century by industrialist John Cleveland Osgood as part of a coal mining enterprise. Today, it is a census-designated place in Pitkin County and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The big draw here is the Cleveholm Manor, which is commonly referred to as Redstone Castle. The Tudor style manor is now a hotel. During “normal times,” tours are offered, but in these COVID times, only private tours are available — 4 people for $150. No thank you.

We did eventually wander over to check out Redstone, but first, we parked across the road to take a look at the historic coke ovens that are lined up like soldiers … one after another .. shoulder to shoulder.

The ovens were built in 1899 by Colorado Fuel and Iron. They were used to “coke” (or refine) the coal mined from Colorado’s Coal Basin. Once the coke was ready, it was then shipped to the Colorado Fuel and Iron facility in Pueblo, Colorado to make steel, much of which was used for building the locomotives, steel rails, and barbed wire that settled the American West.

During the heyday of the coking operations, there were some 200 beehive ovens … made of stone and covered by earth. Today, 90 or so ovens remain … some in better shape than others. Not much to see really, but we walked up and down the length of the ovens to take a couple of snapshots. On the far end, we stopped at a monument — consisting of mine roof support shields — dedicated to the miners of Coal Basin.

From the ovens, we crossed the road, intending to wander down the main street of Redstone, which is lined with a series of shops selling tourist trinkets and such. The historic Redstone Inn was way too crowded, so we took a pass on checking it out and walked in the opposite direction. We didn’t get far as it was just too hot under the sun.

Mui went back to get the car while I continued a bit further. Here I found a gem in the form of the Redstone Church. The building itself is nothing special, but in the chapel on the second floor I found nature-inspired stained glass windows … beautiful.

We were back at the Cruiser by 3:00p. Mui’s plan was to take a nap. My plan was to sit on the patio and catch up on the journal. Mui’s plan went off without a hitch. My plan worked out partially. I got my writing done. But I had to settle for doing it indoors as the grey clouds overhead portended rain.

In fact, not more than ½-hour after we got home, it started to pitter-patter on the roof. Big plopping drops. Eventually, the sound of the rain tapered off … only to resume in short spurts. No patio time for us today.

After dinner, we settled down to watch a docudrama titled “Shackleton’s Captain.” A well-done depiction of Captain Worsley, whom I credit with playing a huge role in saving the crew of the Endurance. (If you are not familiar with this fascinating saga of Antarctic exploration, this Wikipedia article will get you started … https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Trans-An….)

We have another long outing planned for tomorrow. Whether we do the whole 205-mile loop or just do a portion as an in-out drive is TBD. We’ll play it by ear.Read more