OUR TIME IN CLIFTON, CO IS COMING TO AN END.

 The weather is getting progressively cooler so it is time we headed down to warmer areas.  One of the reasons we were here longer was on my birthday our hot water tank sprang a leak so we were without hot running water for over two weeks.   Of course our tank was long since discontinued so an alternative had to be bought then we had to wait for a mobile tech to install it. n The dealer was booking mid December!  I had thought about attempting the repair and am glad I didn't after watching the repairman struggling to retrofit the different water tank.  Our old tank was fifteen years old and we used it full time for over eleven of those years including with the nasty Arizona water.

We continue to enjoy our friends here in Clifton and Grand Junction and I've been exploring new country and looking for geocaches.  Our friends would like us to stay longer but there are places I would like to visit before the weather gets too cold.  We're targeting next Monday as our departure date.  Tomorrow is the American Thanksgiving and we will celebrate it with our hosts, Jim and Judy. The rest of our friends will be with family tomorrow.

Alpenglow on Grand Mesa.

In the canyon along CO Hwy 141.

Backroad 31 4/10 off of 141.  Not for the faint of heart!

Looking down on CO Hwy 141 and the Grand Valley in the distance.

Grand Valley. Clifton and Mt Garfield are on the right and Grand Junction leading off to the left.

The Elk Range of the Colorado Rockies.

I was looking for a geocache and finally noticed this neat looking piece of wood.

When I pulled it out and turned it over, by golly, there was the log with a piece of paper inside for me to sign.

Road 31 4/10 was pretty rough in spots and the CRV only hit bottom once but I had to be creative at times.

The Bureau of Land Management had some areas closed to vehicle use.

I call this "Grasping at the Moon"

I went for a walk along a trail that took me to the river yesterday and I found a couple caches as well.  The snow is creeping down from Grand Mesa.

Mt. Garfield is a dominant fixture in the area.

The trail passes through a working ranch. 

The Colorado River and Grand Mesa.

Mt. Garfield is a dominant fixture in the area.

Mt. Garfield is a dominant fixture in the area.

While searching for a geocache I noticed this metal tag and thought it out of place.

Giving it a tug, I found this.  There is a tiny piece of paper in there that I had to extricate and sign.

How he attached the plate to the lid.  There's an idea for me to work on.