2011

Our first official night of camping was in the Pine National Forest between Woodland, Colorado and Buena Vista, Colorado.

We took a little afternoon hike to get a bird’s eye view of camp spot.  Look closely to see the RV and Jeep.

We also found a great place to sit outside and enjoy the mountains (unfortunately Pikes Peak was behind us and not in front of us), but we did have a freshly brewed beer and a pretzel as an appetizer.

On our way to Cripple Creek we took the Skyline Drive, why take the highway when you can take path less taken?

There was still plenty of snow when you were above 10,000 feet. 

Cottonwood Pass, just outside of Buena Vista.

Taylor Reservoir – Recreational Area

Lakeview Camp Ground in the Gunnison National Forest…potentially the next camp spot.

We were also quite fascinated by the snow sculptures created by the melting snow.

St. Elmo consisted of a General Store, ATV shop, and a Ghost Town Bed & Breakfast, but the most entertaining part of the town was the fearless chipmunks and humming birds.

Up close and personal with the chipmunks.

This chipmunk has definitely not missed a meal.

It was about 6 miles to the top of Tin Cup Pass, we were within about a mile and half, but then the snow became too much of a barrier. We attempted the snow but sliding sideways is not good life choice on an undersized, rocky road, so we retreated. It was still a fun afternoon adventure.

The vast numbers of humming birds were so use to tourist that they would rest long enough around the feeders for non-blurry pictures to be taken. 

After Winfield we headed toward Independence Pass that takes you over the mountains to Aspen. Our purpose was not to go to Aspen but to see the Twin Lakes area and see what kind of camping it had to offer.

After Twin Lakes we headed for Leadville where we had spent about 5 days on a previous trip due to the transmission repair to the RV. Leadville is one of the highest inhabited cities in the contiguous United States (at just over 10,000 feet) and the view was 180 degrees of snow-capped mountains. Gorgeous! Mountains for as far as you could see…looking left, center, and right.

We ended today’s journey by going to the well-known Silver Dollar Saloon which was established in 1897. Good burgers, beer, and tunes were on tap for the rest of the afternoon.

However, the trip up to Tin Cup Pass was worth the view at Mirror Lake.

So we decided to try Cumberland  Pass, the owner of the general store in the tiny town of Tin Cup said you could make it over this pass if you have a shovel and are ambitious enough …no such luck at 12,000 feet we were stopped by the snow drift over the road.

We may have to change the license plates to MT MULE (Mountain Mule).

Oh, and just for fun ... if we win the lottery, I kind of like this house we passed on the way back to the RV from Gunnison.

And our final plan of the day was for the Vacation Enthusiast to enjoy some of his favorite things about camping… a view of the mountains, a fire and some Johnsonville cheese bratwursts.

On our way we passed through Crested Butte, a ski town with eclectic shops, eateries and beautiful scenery.

In order to get to the parking lot of the Copper Creek Trailhead, a 4x4 is recommended. Notice that the wheels kind of look like chocolate covered donuts or is that just my thinking?

To me a hike implies that there is an intended path in order to reach your destination. However, our first obstruction away from the path was the rushing water in the creek bed.

We also went through 3 avalanche areas where it we were fighting with the bushes and trees that were down.  This wasn’t so bad on the way up, but on the way back when our legs felt like lead, it was a little more difficult to crawl over the obstacles.

The last 1-1/2 miles of the journey was in packed snow. Well, not all of the snow was packed; sinking to knee height snow (and occasionally hip high snow) didn’t make it any easier.

Today's Dialog

• Lars would ask, “Should we turn back?”

• I would say, “How close are we?"

• His response, “...1/2 mile, 1/3mile and then 1/4 mile.”

• I would say, “No, we are too close not to see it.”

• 6 hours later...We made it!

Suggestion: Wait until the snow has melted (probably mid to late July) when there is actually a hike path to take!

Without a GPS device, I don’t think the lake would have been found.

Suggestion: Wait until the snow has melted (probably mid to late July) when there is actually a hike path to take! Without a GPS device, I don’t think the lake would have been found.

We made it back to the RV at about 8:30pm (20:30) with pizza box in hand from The Brick Oven in Crested Butte. Thank goodness for meat-lovers pizza-to-go!

Why leave the RV when we can relax and look at views like this?

Our first thought was to go to The Castles, rock formations that take the shape of castles via the Ohio pass. Nope not today...too much snow!

Ok, ok, so we will go to Irwin Lake and see the campground & picnic area.

We didn't make it all the way to Irwin campground...

So we shall go to Lost Lakes, nope... road closed to campground due to renovation.  How about Emerald Lake, nope... not when there is snow from an avalanche.

Should we cross or not? Jeep snorkel?

Since we can't seem to get where we are going, let's play...guess the carcass...any thoughts?

Today we left Lakeview and the Gunnison National Forest, traveled through Blue Mesa Recreation Area and then took the North rim of the Black Canyon up to Grand Mesa National Forest.

Blue Mesa Recreation Area

Gunnison River as it winds through Black Canyon with the San Juan mountain chain in the background.

Colorado traffic jam on the way to Grand Mesa.

The trip up to Grand Mesa took a little longer, Due to the steepness and altitude climb, we had to let the RV cool down two different times … the engine and transmission ran hot, warning gauges are a good thing. The views were worth the wait, this is just one of the many lookouts near the top of Grand Mesa.

Island Lake, one of the many lakes we passed on the way to Jumbo campground (which had just opened last week, due to snow).

Today we headed out to see the back country of Grand Mesa. This is the view from Land’s End

While at the observation point, Lars met Chip and Dale who loved the sunflower kernels he had to offer.

From Crater View you are able to see Land’s End which is a large mesa/peninsula that you are able to look and see Grand Junction below.

After leaving Crater View we headed down the rough, 4X4 trail only to find patches of snow. Hmmm…it was a little too much snow for the (blue mule) jeep…yes, stuck again. The mud puddles were fine, but not the hard packed snow. Three of four wheels had no grip, since the frame of the jeep was resting on top of the snow. No handy shovel or gloves to speak of…until some nice ATVer’s came and helped bail us out. Lets just say we struggled for about an hour and half.

We came down from Grand Mesa (10,000ft) to Highway 70 (5,000ft) where it was in the mid 90’s, yuck. However the scenery on Highway 70 around Glenwood is stunning with the steep rock walls on both sides and the Colorado River flowing along aside, it is definitely a great view. You also get to tunnel through the mountains, which felt somewhat cooler.

We arrived at our new camp spot in the Arapaho National Forest on Granby Lake. There were several campgrounds, but we opted for Sunset Point in Rainbow Bay. The campground is approximately ½ between the town of Granby and Grand Lake. 

Today, June 29th, we Jeeped around the towns of Granby, Grand Lakes, and Arapaho National Forest.  Our thoughts were to take a ride (2hours) to Steamboat Springs but the weather turned to stormy in the afternoon.

Eagle’s nest in Willow Creek

They say that weather in the mountains can change fast, be prepared. Wow, they weren’t kidding. We saw dark clouds across the lake, but all of sudden the winds picked up and it was so strong that it knocked out about 20 Lodge Pole Pines from the root.

Not only were trees down, but one of those pines landed on top of the Jeep (better than on the RV). Luckily, there was only a little roof damage. The forest rangers that came around to check on the safety of the campers and assess the damage said that this kind of wind was rare.

For the next few hours we heard the sounds of chain saws and generators. There we canopies and tents that were headed for the dumpsters after the storm. Once the forest department workers removed the tree, we were able to repair the roof with a little duct tape (glad the roof on the Jeep is gray…it’s a good match).

July 1st 

The weather was stunning, so we hung out at the camp site enjoying the sun (and charging batteries with solar panels) and the lake.

July 2nd  Steamboat Springs

We tried to Jeep around to view Elk and Grouse Mountain, Coral Peeks (on route CR 21) and Stillwater Pass… nope too much snow or the roads were washed out, so we opted for going to Steamboat Springs (where it was a little too toasty for us …86 degrees) for the day. On the way back we waited around to see the fireworks in Granby, where we saw a great sunset. After waiting awhile, we decided to go back to the campground to see if we could view them from there.

July 3rd Grand Lake

We traveled to the town of Grand Lake where we strolled around until the afternoon rains would come. On the way we say great views like this one of Lake Granby (Lake Granby, Shadow Mountain Reservoir and Grand Lake are all next to each other).

This is Kawuneeche Valley as you enter the park from the Grand Lake entrance station.

The Never Summer Mountains Chain

The view from the large RV windshield.

Lava Cliffs viewed from the Trail Ridge Road near the Alpine visitors center (12,183 ft).

Nymph Lake (elevation 9,700 ft) had a magnificent reflection of the mountains.

Dream Lake (elevation 9,900 ft) was like so clear that you could see the Rainbow Trout.

So, close to Lar's plate, yet so far away… no license, no fishing.

Keep on  hiking Viking.

Emerald Lake (elevation 10,080 ft) still a little frozen.

Before leaving RMNP, our early morning mission was to see the elk and moose that hang around the Beaver Pond area on the other side of the park.

We traveled back over the Trail Ridge Road, where we stopped and created a now (2011) and then (circa 1933) photo of The Great Rock Cut just past the highest point of the road at 12,183 ft.

We were also hoping to take the Old Fall River Road, which is rough, steep and perfect for a jeeping experience. We had heard it doesn’t usually open until the beginning of July, so we reversed our vacation order in hopes of driving this back road that parallels Trail Ridge Road. Didn’t happen, when we talked to the Ranger, she said it may not open at all this year because the road is pretty washed-out and worse than usual because of the high snow fall totals.

We came back to the campground(I love the waterfalls on the road to Grand Basin), packed up our stuff and headed for the last night of camping in the Roosevelt National Forest (near Boulder) called Meeker Park.

Since we will drive over the night to get back to St. Louis, we decided to view a few more canyon roads, Longs Peak, and any animals we could find.

St. Malo Church on Hwy 7 near Meeker Park

Longs Peak is the last of the 14teeners (elevation 14,256 ft) going north in the Rocky Mountains, including Canada. The thought of hiking this mountain was more hours than we had left of vacation (and I am sure you would need snow shoes… I think we will wait until another trip).

As we were leaving Roosevelt National Forest we did see a couple of animals at the Meeker Park picnic area, one male bear and one female elk…who knew that they would play so nicely together. 

Time to head home.