2 years 3 months is a lot of patience. I'm heading to Salida area end of Sept for an event. I'm going a day early to search and check out the Puma Path area etc. I'll be on my ebike, goes off road and on trails easily. Im hoping this case will be headed to trial with remains located by then, but if not do any sluethers have a particular area pinpointed as highly probable. I know some members have done extensive research and would love to here your thoughts.
One thing I might suggest is head out to Fooses lake, bring a chair, coffee or lunch and just reflect on the surroundings, it's going to be beautiful with possibly peak fall colors. Imagine being in that area and having only a couple of hours to make a body completely disappear, then imagine doing that possibly in darkness all the while leaving no trace.
Take your bike and if you can go down the road to the driveway, maybe rubber neck at whatever you can see from the road down towards the house(don't enter the driveway or stay to long
). While at the end of the driveway looking down it, turn your head 90 degrees to the right then pan back east, the mountain after the first valley you see is the mountain with the mine shafts on it, that has quite a bit of speculation. Imagine heading 3/4 of the way up that mountain (on a pack trail) in the time that it could have happened, then dispose of a body in a way that will not be found. To get to that trail it is the first little road/trail you go by on the right before the driveway, it leads to the campground where the mountain trailhead is that heads up to the mine on the side of the mountain. Even if your acclimated to the elevation, it's another 1,000' feet up (the collapsed mine elevation is about 9,900'). Bike the trail and see if you can still find the pack trail heading up to the mines, take note of the creek you go over and imagine it during snow melt. Also, imagine you only have a couple of hours ... leaving no evidence.
If it's your first time in the Maysville/Monarch area I would recommend just checking things out and get a feel for the area, I think it is still pretty tough to nail down a spot to go look at, especially with the couple of years that has passed. IMO, you may come away with the thought there is no way this could not have been planned. IMO, I don't think it's coincidental they were home alone that weekend, it was more convenient. Set your trip meter on the vehicle and drive the mileage he did, take a look at that turn around at the Garfield mine. Toss an old phone out the window while turning around and find it, that might give you a search radius if that's where it is.
On a side note, Bike the Colorado trail there south of the lake, it's gorgeous, but it also gets up to 12k feet fairly quick so take caution and remember you have to go back down. North of 50 is just as good. Alltrails has some maps of the biking in that area as well as the trail leading to the campground from Puma Path.
Maybe take a drive making the stops that he did at the times that he did and thi. Sure this area is remote and vast, but you have a time frame, Mother's day weekend(crowded), right after/during snow melt, etc. That vastness could equal the vast number of possibilities as to what happened, and you also have Barry thrown in all that(IMO).
IMO she is fairly close to the PP house, possibly a worksite, and or relocated. The movements, stops, noises could all be disposal of evidence. Think about it if it was an oh moment. I wouldn't be surprised if he was a poacher and knew what to do.
I wish it would be possible to run into the daughters ex boyfriend and have a beer and pizza while chatting. It wouldn't hurt to chat with local bartenders during dinner as well.
I don't think it is as easy as, what are some spots to search, but could be used to narrow down some of your own opinions and develop some search area ideas and theories to throw out here.
Just some ramblings and personal opinions.
mapcarta.com
www.eytan-nielsen.com
www.vinosalida.com
