John Martin Reservoir, Colorado’s newest state park was a great find, in Hasty (Gateway of Recreation). Looking for the KOA we’re not sure we passed or ever found, we decided instead to camp at the state park. Completing a $5.7 million reconstruction project in 2002 a new visitor center, camper services building, dump station, campground and many bathrooms were all added. Electrical facilities handicapped access points and group picnic and camping facilities have all been improved.

There are two camping areas here, Lake Hasty and The Point, below the dams. The Point is a basic campground and is located on the main reservoir right next to the Arkansas River. We stayed at Lake Hasty with its many amenities, including 109 electrical campsites with picnic tables, fire rings, and tent pads. New bathrooms have been built, tucked into an area of shade trees.

Famous for its boating and fishing, John Martin Reservoir has warm water fish, species with crappie, saugeye and catfish. Our wildlife sightings include a fox and Tarantula spider creeping across the road. Something spent some time under our camper at night but we never figured out what it was.

Linda and Pat drove over to the only grocer in the area: Valley Grocery, bought spaghetti and sauce and green beans for dinner. And, I never thought I’d say this but, I’m beginning to tire of S’mores for dessert!

We awoke to a light rain and a little fog. By 8:30 a.m. we began dismantling popup between raindrops, attempting to get it closed up before it was too wet. By 9:30 a.m. we were on our way and took a detour to go out over the dam. What a view from on top of the dam.

Skipping by Las Animas, our first stop heading west is La Junta at McDonald’s for coffee. Raining harder, we plug on to Pueblo where we find a Kinko’s from which to send the log. We’re back in civilization. All the usual culprits have taken up residence on Hwy 50. Boston Market, Pier 1 Markets, Target, Home Depot and on and on. As we leave Pueblo it isn’t long before the landscape changes. In the distance loom the Rocky Mountains, it’s beginning to look a lot like the west. I’m beginning to feel at home.

Heading north on US 50 toward Grand Junction we pass through Rocky Ford, Kit Carson country, Manzanola and Fowler, we’re moving out of southeastern Colorado. During our drive today we’ve seen the best fall colors since leaving Chicago. They don’t last much of our route as the landscape changes from trees and bush to mountains and canyons, resembling desert.

Right before Canon City, we go through Florence, leaving US 50, taking Colorado 67 south 2.5 miles. Here the plains end and the Rockies begin. Coming into Canon City, we can see from what we’ve read that this is a place to spend more time. A very interesting city, Canon City, CO has a population of 15,431 and its elevation is 5,332 ft. The only city that boasts a museum about Colorado prisons. We did drive though the historic part of town with its charming old buildings, original motels and western style stores. There are several expedition and rafting businesses here if you’re interested in rafting the Royal Gorge or Arkansas River. At the head of the Arkansas Valley, Canon City is shadowed and sheltered by a close ring of mountains. It’s here where the Arkansas River bursts from its run to the Mississippi River. It’s also here that Tom Mix hero of silent westerns launched his career in 1910. "Cat Ballou" and "True Grit" are two movies filmed here. Home to 13 correctional facilities and Museum of Colorado Prisons, Cannibal Alferd Packer was once a prisoner here, as was 11-year-old murderer Anton Woode. It’s also the current home of the Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility and Women’s Prison, among others. There’s much to be said about this little haven. The next time through I’m definitely spending some time in this one-of-a-kind-museum that displays a gas chamber, confiscated inmate weapons, disciplinary paraphernalia and historic photographs, as well as a cell block from a former women’s prison.

The highlight of our time in Canon City was the nerve-racking 3-mile ride over Skyline Drive, a paved, one-way road that traverses the crest of a ridge 800 feet above town. Although RV’s and cars towing trailers weren’t allowed on the drive (a fact we didn’t know until later), Linda navigated the three miles very gingerly. I jumped out a couple of times to take pictures.

One of the most scenic spots is Royal Gorge, eight miles west of Canon City and four miles off US 50. With its suspension bridge, said to be the highest span in the world, you can look down into the gorge. Vehicles larger than a car are not permitted on the bridge so we parked and walked a couple of short trails for the best views of the gorge. There is also a railway, aerial tram and a train that runs through the canyon on a 24-mile route between Canon City and Parkland. For the high-risk folks there is a place to bungee jump and when we were there, someone was doing just that. We also read in the paper about a young man who was climbing the royal gorge.

Leaving Royal Gorge Park (Canon City) we travel through Bighorn Sheep Canyon. Winding roads, railroad tracks and a river parallel our drive on Hwy 50. This is the land of prehistoric fossils of sea-living creatures. Southeastern Colorado boasts fossilized remains of animals dating back to the Pre-Cambrian era 570 million years ago. Prime territory for finding thousands of fossils, the Commanche Grasslands include land in Baca, Otero, Bent and Los Animas Counties.

Jogging to a mailbox in front of the visitor’s center in Salida, CO a gentleman noticing my Alaska sweatshirt asked if I came all the way from Alaska. "No," I replied, "Chicago area." He answered "Me too, Oak Park," Plopping our postcards in the box and on my way back to the car I told him we were traveling across Route 50 on our way to Sacramento after going east to Ocean City, MD. He smiled and wished us good luck.

Salida is a town of 5,000 residents and one I would have liked spending some time in. We drove to the historic downtown area with its charming shops and feel of a refurbished old town that caters to tourists. The elevation is here 7,036 and Pat is feeling a little shaky. We can see Mount Shavano and its 14,230 feet peak off to the northwest.

The word Colorado means "the color of red" the state named by Spanish conquistadors. Some of the old ornate structures in Salida date back to 1880. The small, old homes, many renovated resemble "pink ladies" painted in various colors. The restaurants, some trendy, carry such names as The Laughing Ladies Café and First Street Café. And an "S" on the mountainside alerts us to the town. A practice that’s common out here.

The railroad and the Arkansas River, our partner since Kinsley, KS, continue to accompany us along Hwy 50 but will soon leave us here and begin to flow in opposite directions at Maysville. Leaving Salida we drive through San Isabel National Forest (1,109,782 acres), on our way to the Monarch Pass Summit and the Continental Divide, the highest point in Colorado.

More than 700 miles of trails are available to backpackers and those taking saddle trips into the backcountry. Summer activities and camping are available at Twin Lake, Turquoise Lake Recreation areas and the Spanish Peaks National Natural Landmark. There are 17 peaks that exceed 14,000 feet, among them Mt. Elbert the highest in the state at 14,433 feet. Many ghost towns and wilderness areas are accessible by foot or horseback.

As we’re just about to Gunnison, the sun is beginning to set. It’s 6:30 p.m. and traffic is stopped for cowboys herding their cattle, with the help of their dogs, across the road. The scenery has turned to green fertile valleys, surrounded by red-tinted rocks. A tourist area, Gunnison boasts 2 million visitors a year. A haven for hunting, fishing or camping, the temps can reach into the 90s during the day, dipping into the 20’s at night.

We decide we’ll forego cooking at the campsite tonight and instead go into town for something. Consulting our Route 50 books, we come with a recommendation: Garlic Mike’s out on Hwy 135. We order take out of pizza and salad and in the meantime, have a nice chat with the manager. He tells us that two men from New Jersey opened the restaurant 10 years ago, one a chef. One of the men now owns it himself and has received much praise from travelers, locals and even the famous. We notice a picture and "thanks" on the wall from the Duchess of York, Fergie.

Tonight we’re staying at the Gunnison KOA in a small cabin.