Colorado Springs - Mountaindale Campground

Roger here....  We have been at the Mountaindale Campground now for a week.  This RV resort is located 15 miles south of Colorado Springs in the rocky, isolated hills.  This is an amazing campground for those of us who like large manicured sites in a natural setting.  

Many of the campsites, as ours, are cut into the hillside in attractive terraces.  The vertical cuts are covered by stone walls.

This view from our motor home entry illustrates how large the sites are.  Lots of room to spread out.

Here is a view of the other half of our site, highlighting the fire pit perched on the edge of the rocky ledge.  You may have noticed that the surface of the sites and roadways are all covered with pink granite stone.  No mud here.

It has been a great place for a little relaxing, a little hiking with the dogs, a little visiting with friends,  a little planning, a major project, and a skirmish.

A little relaxing:

We found a shady spot for our hammock.  Dianne is actually taking a nap.  She never takes naps.

My horizontal view from my lounger.

My vertical view.







A little hiking with the dogs:

The owners of the RV park are planning an expansion of the park.  Newly plowed and graveled switchbacks ascend the rocky hillside and provide an ideal pathway for hearty dog walks.  Close looks provide smaller unmaintained pathways for further exploration.  The view from above is panoramic.

The views at sunset are especially nice.  By the way, we carry pepper spray on these short hikes as black bears have occasionally been sighted in and near the campground.

A little visiting with friends:

Dianne already showed you a picture of me with Dennis and Carol, friends from Retama Village. 

Last night we had another great evening.  One of the English teachers, Pam, that I hired when I was a principal heard we were in town.  She invited us to join her and her husband, Bill, to see their beautiful new home and enjoy a delicious dinner.  Pam, an extremely gifted teacher, was honored as the teacher of the year by the staff of her school when she retired a couple of years ago.  What fun we had reliving the good times we shared.  Forgot the camera :-(.

A little planning:

We had intended to make this our last major stop before slowly working our way back to south Texas.  However, we changed our minds --- retired people can do that.  

In a couple of weeks we are headed to Indiana to have repairs and remodeling done on our motor home.  Most of the repairs that are scheduled to be done by Newmar (the manufacturer) are minor.  Our rig has been remarkably reliable.  More on the remodeling later, but suffice it to say, the inside will have an entirely new look.  

I have been spending time charting our new route to Indiana and our subsequent return route to Texas.  

A major project:

Dianne is a project-lovin' woman.  When she decides to embark on one of her endeavors, it is wise to accept it and stay out of the way.  She will be filling you in soon about how she has been spending the majority of her waking time.  (Dianne here:  and why I was collapsed and sleeping in the hammock photo above.)

The skirmish:

There is a lot of wildlife at our campsite.  Numerous deer wander by every morning and evening.  They frequently walk through the middle of our site.  This always puts Tequila and Bandido on alert.  Tequila whines.  Bandido may bark or growl a little.  However, nothing sends them into a complete, berserk frenzy like our visiting squirrel.

Our furry, scampering, chattering friend knows exactly how long the dog leashes are.  He delights in skulking to the edge of safety before hopping into one of our trees and taunting our hapless canines.  He shows no fear toward them, or me either for that matter.  He dares them to try to climb the tree.  The daily squirrel visits require about a half hour of cajoling talk to calm our poor doggies down.  

The pet picture of the day was taken this morning. The weather here has been perfect for the most part, but it was raining this morning.  The rain caused a delay in our daily walk to the dog park.  The picture shows one of Bandido's favorite toys that he placed at my feet as a gentle reminder that it was time to go.