We move camp just 35 miles today up to Salida and the Colorado Peaks area.  Hardly worth the trouble you’d say but it puts us along the Arkansas River in a beautiful valley with lots of wildlife and classic 14,000-footer views.

I wake up just as it getting light.  I have been watching for a clear morning to see the Sangre de Cristo Mountains show their colors, red at sunrise.  We get a bit of a rosy glow.  Not exactly what I hoped for but it is lovely.

Check out is early and we are on the road by a little past 9.  Check-in at Rocky Top, our next stop, is 2:30 so we looking for a nice stop to spend a few hours.  We settle on a raft take-out area along the Arkansas that is just a wide spot along US 50 but we have a nice river view and we are in the right terrain for big horn sheep.

The big horn don’t disappoint.  One, two ewes and their lambs make their way across the far bank to drink from the river.  Then there is a broken stream of mamas and their young until a band of about 20 drinks, then moves up the riverbank back into the scattered juniper.  Next the rams appear, 6 of them I think, trailing along behind the girls.  This is our first big horn sighting this trip and that’s always exciting.

Rafters come by as well.  It is a quiet section here but there is lots of flow so probably some exciting moments on upstream.  We are undecided as to whether we will be rafting this pass through.  We will have to decide today or likely won’t be able to get a reservation between now and Friday when we move on.