Canon City, Colorado

I decided to visit Canon City before I turned my sights on heading north.  It is about 45 minutes (bus driving time) from Pueblo.  Once I arrived I went to the local BLM office (Bureau of Land Management) to find some information on interesting hiking areas that also allowed for dispersed camping.   The head biologist (who was called out when I mentioned I wanted to see the wildlife), was a 30 year veteran.  He seriously downplayed my concerns of having a negative altercation with a man eating beast (cougar or bear).   He even advised me that my original thoughts on obtaining a 'distressed small animal call' was a good idea.   He then told me my best bet was to go to Deer Haven, another 30 miles northwest.   This would be the best place since the roads there are the most practical for my travels at this time of the year.
He was mostly right.  The roads were paved except for the last two miles of gravel road.   It was uphill to me all the way, with some places so steep I was lucky to get to 30 mph on a 55 mph road.  I didn't really realize how uphill the trip in was until my return trip home and I had to ride the brakes almost the whole way back to Canon City.  It wasn't all steep but a bus gains pretty good momentum if you have miles and miles of descent. It was a fun drive though, seeing the snow covered range of the more western Rockies.

Anyhow, I get up to Deer Haven in the early afternoon.  Putting ranch in the name is obviously a prank pulled by the guys at BLM to fool the hopeful innocents like myself.

When I get off on the gravel road, I notice that there is snow and ice on the road.  At first I thought that's cool.   I haven't really driven the bus on ice before and wasn't real keen on trying it for the first time here.  But it seemed patchy and it was my only way up to the trail head where I would camp.  The first half mile was fine.  Then I came to a fairly serious incline with about 100 yds of straight ice road bending into a curve at the top.  I went gingerly up the hill not wanting to approach the icy curve too fast.  I was a smidgen too cautious because when I down shifted into my lowest gear, the bus came to a halt halfway up.  I tried to resume up the hill.  The dually tires started spinning.  It is really an unnerving, vehicles with 4 load bearing (official rear axle weight 13,000 lbs according to CAT scales) drive tires rarely spin out.   I hit the brakes and the bus begins to slide backwards a few feet.  Strangely, I could smell burning rubber from where the tires had been spinning (although when I walked it later there were no tire dips in the ice that I expected hot, spinning tires to leave).  I am checking the side view mirrors to see where the back of my bus is in relation to the road.  It was still good.  I then manage a backwards controlled coast/brake/slide back down to an earthen part of the road.  Shortly after, my air brake alarm started going off, signalling that I was dangerously low on air.  This happens from repeatedly tapping the brakes instead of a nice, smooth, continuous pressure being applied.  Fortunately I was just about to get all 6 tires down the hill to the dirt part of the road.   I set the emergency brake and walk up the road to see what I could do to get the bus up the road.  This is a very steep, very wet ice road.  Quickly, I discovered I could not even walk on the road, it was too slippery.  I had to examine the road from the side where the snow had a layer of ice over it but my weight allowed for my feet to break through to give me traction.   I went back and got my axe from my basement storage compartment.    I intended to bust all that ice out of the way.  That didn't happen.  This was thick ice, probably once snow, that had been driven on, melted slightly, then froze again in the high altitude freezing nights, repeatedly.  I decided to make strips (similar to rumble strips on the side of highway lanes that let you know if you start going off the road a little)  in each of the lanes my tires would be going up.  This should help give my tires some kind of traction.  Strategically I place about 8 of these strips in each lane.  For good measure, I dug up some gravel from other exposed sections of road and sprinkled it over the ice on about 25 yds of the steepest part and on the curve.  I then get back on the bus, back it up another 50 yds because I want to get a running start up this hill and make sure I keep moving the whole time, hoping my steering tires hold true at the curve.
In a nutshell, it works.  I had spent 30 minutes swinging an axe onto bone jarring frozen ice and ground, in high altitude, slip sliding my way up and down the road fetching gravel and dirt, and the gambit paid off.

This is video immediately after making it up the icy mountain road.  I was still a little amped up from making it up to the camp area.  It is difficult to detect the degree of slope, but it is steep.  Also at the top there was less snow and more road.

After the elation of conquering the road passed, I went about exploring the area.  I saw tons of tracks but not a single animal.  On the advice of the expert at BLM, I had purchased the 'distressed animal' call  designed to bring predators running (Coyotes, Fox, Bobcat, Mountain Lion).  Upon reflection of my current isolation situation and lack of a firearm, I thought it best not to be traipsing through the wilderness sounding like a hurt bunny.  I did use the call when I returned to the bus, but only while sitting in the driver's seat and sticking the call out the side window.  I had no luck with that.

Here are a couple of pics from the hike.

Baby cat paw prints (even smaller than my cat's)

I am sure in the spring and summer this area is hopping with wildlife.  I do appreciate Nala keeping an eye out.  That perked ear look says 'Is that a cougar sneaking up you?'  She's kids like that.

This is Pike's Peak.  A fourteen'er (14,000 ft or higher mountain).  The mountain is about 40 miles away from me.  Notice the peak is literally in the clouds.

My camp was only at about 10,000 feet.  The high altitude still affects things.  I had forgotten about how drastically.  My propane heater constantly went out and finally just stopped starting altogether (the owner's manual says that it is common in high altitude).  My generator took a little extra coaxing and carb adjustment.  Some vehicles may even experience vapor lock, where the engine stops working temporarily because of the uneven air pressure between fuel tanks and outside air.   Every bottle I opened let out a small whoosh of air.  And my sealed bagged goods looked like the photo below.  Very taunt.

Overall, it was a good experience in Rocky mountain camping.  I stayed the one night and left the next day once it had warmed up above freezing.  This trip served as a reminder that high altitude camping has it's own quirks to overcome.   

I am now back safely in Pueblo.  I will be heading up north in the next few days.