Thursday, June 2, 2022
I woke up today feeling somewhat better and inspired by blue skies. After eating breakfast, we headed to the nearby Devil’s Backbone trailhead. We have passed by this interesting formation more than once every day since we arrived at Riverview RV Park and now was our chance to see it up close.
The abundant signs at the lot insisted that it cost $10 to park. However, the small kiosk only took credit cards and refused to recognize either of mine. Fortunately, a kind fellow hiker paid for our ticket with her card and we reimbursed her with cash.
We did a scenic 2.5 mile loop hike that provided views of the backbone formations and a look through the keyhole, an opening in one of the rock vertebrae. The backbone was an eroded-down sedimentary stratus that had been uplifted to a vertical position. We hiked along the upper rim of a nice valley and could see equivalent strata on the opposite side of the valley. After returning to the parking lot, we decided to head to Old Town Fort Collins.
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| The Devil’s Backbone |
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| Along the Trail |
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| We were being watched |
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| Jane and the Devil’s Backbone |
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| Jane at the Keyhole |
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| Through the Keyhole |
After a 40-minute drive, we parked in Old Town Fort Collins in a street-side space with a two-hour limit. We walked amongst the shoppes and restaurants and decided to eat at Phillipe’s Bakery and Bistro. We had a filling French lunch including cafe au lait, an appetizer and dessert. We again walked through the pedestrian section of old town and especially enjoyed browsing in Nature’s Own, a store selling interesting rocks, minerals and fossils. We then returned to the car and drove back to the campground, once again passing along the periphery of the campus of Colorado State University (CSU).
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| Old Town Fort Collins |
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| Location of our French Lunch |
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| Home of the Rams |
Back at our motorhome, we napped awhile. Then, we attended to mundane activities: laundry, emptying and purging the gray and black tanks, and storing away the water and sewer hoses. We then headed out to nearby Berthoud Brewing Company for beer and a veggie pizza. Upon returning to the motorhome we hitched up the toad for an easy take-off in the morning, then enjoyed some quiet time before retiring.
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| Beer Time! |
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| Pizza for Dinner |