ANOTHER CAMPING EXPERIENCE

A while back we did our first camping trip up on the Grand Mesa.  We tried to get near Bonham Lake, and couldn’t.  Upon finding the “perfect” camping spot it started to storm-forcing us to sleep in our small Chevy Tracker.  The next day we found another camping spot, got set up enjoyed a great lunch, and then comes yet another storm, followed by several more behind that one.  Making our first outing a very wet camping experience.

Knowing that our time is winding down, we still wanted to try again to camp on the Grand Mesa. So packing up on Saturday night, making arrangements to get off work one hour earlier, with thunder head clouds looming close by once again, we took off for our second camping adventure on the Grand Mesa.

The last time we did this trip, we turned into what we thought was a driveway to someone’s home in the Grand Mesa National Forest, but turned out to be the maintenance yard for the forestry and that the road actually comes around to the North end of Bonham Lake.  This is where we found the perfect camping spot.



There was only two downfall to the spot we choose, but we soon learned to live with those minor imperfection.  One was chasing cows away from our site.  The other downfall was we were down winded from the maintenance yard where apparently they use it and run a generator from 8-4. 
Even though we had looming thunder heads close to us, we only got a sprinkle late the first night after we went to bed.

who was ever in this spot previously was gracious enough to leave us some cut down wood and along with what we brought, we had plenty to keep fires going for the two nights and to warm our bodies in the mornings.

So, after setting up camp, we walked around and talked with a fellow camper who brought their 5th wheel in.  It was then time to start a fire, only to learn that the matches we brought with us had a bad striker and could not get a matches to light!  Brian even tried to get the match going by using the cigarette lighter in the car and it still wouldn’t stay lit.  After several failed attempts, he finally walked down to our fellow campers to see if they had some “good” matches.  While he was gone, I got the cig lighter going, ran over to the campfire, lit the match and manage to get the wadded up paper to finally light!  So when Brian got back I had a wonderful camper fire going and was doing the “dance”.  I was really proud of myself!



We ended up with several unwanted guest towards dusk and had to chase them away-cows!   They were invading on us and it was time to head them in another direction.  An hour later, here came another group of cows.  Our campsite must have looked appealing to them, and once again we had to chase them away.  Did I mention I hate cows?….

We were awoken the next morning to first a bird called that sounded like a puppy crying and then those dump ole’ cows mooing and bawling.  It was very chilly and a camp fire was needed to help warm our bodies while the coffee was being brewed. 
Upon going for a morning stroll, we looked back at our nice camp site and once again the cows were coming up behind us.  We walked back and decided that they were far enough behind and didn’t they would invade our site while gone. 
We took the hiking/OHV trail for a mile or two and then decided it was time to head back before we did get ourselves lost.  We were surrounded by combinations of Aspen and Pines. 



Upon returning back to our campsite, those cows were getting very close to us once again.  So Brian went to chase them away, however one bull was going to stand his ground and I was beginning to wonder who was going to win.  Brian blew the air horn and I guess the bull didn’t like it-so he turned around, leading the rest  of the herd to follow him.  We no longer had anymore issues for the remainder of our stay with the cows.

With the weather being perfect and the sun out bright we decided to take the canoe out on the lake.  This would be Leah’s first time in our canoe and we wonder how she would do.  She kept hanging on the edge, trying to bite at the little waves we created.  I was so worried that she would jump out.  We took her leash and strapped it the middle seat.  Brian told me to let her go and if she did jump in, he would rescue.  sure enough before long I heard a loud splash and as I looked back she was swimming in the cold water!  Brian scooped her up and for the rest of the ride, the canoe felt it was hitting bottom as she shivered.  I bet she doesn’t do that again!

For the remainder of our time, we did have thunder clouds loom by and some really loud thunder, but never any rain and our trip was spectacular and the most enjoyable camping experience we had thus far.



We did forget some vital essentials like; paper plates-we ate cannibal style and loved it.  We forgot our suntan lotion and got burned like a lobster.  We forgot knives-fingers worked great (clean ones-mind you).  The worse were our matches-but other campers came to our rescue.

Who could have asked for anything better?  We hiked, canoed, sat by a wonderful camp fire, cooked on the fire and just enjoyed each other’s company with no TV, cell phone or computer.  I think more couples should do this….

TRIP TO THE ROCKIES-Part Three

After a somewhat restful sleep at Lake Dillon, we got up and headed out.  I slept ok, but Brian was worried about me, so he didn’t sleep very good.  Anyways when we woke, the temp had to be near 40 degrees and tearing down camp became very cold on our hands.




In our haste the night before, Brian accidentally spilled what coffee grounds we had, so we had no coffee to help warm us up until we got to a gas station.  After fueling the car and our tummies with hot coffee, it was time to adventure on back home.  My breathing went back to normal and the wheezing had stopped-but I still felt low key and low energy-but I wasn’t going to give in.

As we headed westbound on I-70 the temps slowly warmed up.  It was time to shed the jogging outfits and put on shorts, and finally put more than coffee into our bellies, oh and of course-feed Leah.

We made a stop at a rest area that also was the entrance to the Hanging Lake Trail.  We had all good intentions of hiking on this trail.  However, first sign we saw said no dogs allowed on the trail!  Well that sucked, for we obviously could not leave her in the car either!  So the trail would have to wait for another time….We do understand why and the reasoning why dogs are not allowed on the trail, and therefore will by by the rules.

So back on the Interstate heading homeward bounds.  Next rest stop and pull off was fascinating to us.  We discovered where they put in for rafting on the Colorado River and was fun to watch them get ready to head down the river.  This was called Grizzly Creel Rest Stop.



We had to laugh at this one poor guide.  He was trying to get those on the right side of the raft to start paddling-and all they wanted to do was wave at us while I took their pictures.  The river guide had to do everything from keeping them from going in constant circle with no help from his crew mate!  It was funny, and they did finally headed downriver-in the right direction.

Next stop was back to Rifle where we picked up a pizza and headed towards Rifle Gap to rest and eat.  After a rest, we headed to Rifle Falls where we finally was able to hike a little and even taken our little girl with us.






Wished we would have grabbed our flashlights our of the car.  We knew there were some caves, but not sure how far they really went in and without flashlights and having Leah with us-we didn’t explore any farther than the entrance to the caves.

After walking a while, I was once again feeling not so good and it was just time to head back home.  I think with the elevation I may have developed a sinus infection.  We will do this trip again, when we have more time to allow are bodies to adjust to the elevation.  It’s trip well worth and hope that others enjoy the beauties of the Rockies as we sure did!

TRIP TO THE ROCKIES-Part Two

After turning back around at the Georgetown exit, it was time to head towards Breckenridge, where we will try to find us a camping spot for the night.  The descend downwards was a long haul and the road construction made it even harder-specially to truckers.  We actually had one trucker just ahead of us that had to use the runaway ramp.  We think he was having more engine trouble than brake trouble.
We couldn’t help but laugh at the signs on the Interstate that stated something like this:  “Lost brakes?  don’t take the exit, the road ascends just ahead…”  I know it’s really not funny, but just sounded funny.  The other sign that caught our eye was:  “Truckers don’t be fool, descend for another (number) of miles.”

We decided that we will have no trouble taking our  motorhome through the Rockies.  the worst descend for us will be in the heart of Denver-or so we are told, but I think we will be just fine.  So now comes some fun time…..

You could easily see that the town of Breckenridge was not only a college community but also a richly ski resort community.  You saw no run down homes, and again all carried the Swiss Alpine looks.
After carefully reading the instructions to the Lower Chrystal Lake, and taking only two wrong turns, we finally found our destination and found it-disappointing.  According the directions and usage guide-it stated “mildly busy”.  To us we would think a few cars, and some hikers-NOT!  The parking lot was over flowing.  We put the car into 4-wheel drive and went just in a little ways deeper into the Crystal Lake area.  Found a camping spot, but wasn’t totally sold on it.
Time to grab a snack and then hike further on up-maybe in hopes of finding the Crystal Lakes and maybe another camping spot.





As we walked, we kept ascending, making our breathing a little labor.  We only went so far and decided that this just wasn’t the spot for us.  time to look at the map and maybe find another camping spot.  It wasn’t quite noon-so we still had plenty of time to find something.

We continue farther down on HWY 9 with intentions of taking a loop cross country on 4 wheel drive.  I knew we would find a camping spot along the way that would be remote and quiet for us.
As we kept ascending up hill we wonder what we were getting ourselves into when we came upon Hoosier Pass on the Continental  Divide!  I was so excited to be on the divide and wanted to explore the area a little.

As we walked around, we found the perfect campsite that would suit us just fine.  It was time to set up camp for the night and hunt down some wood.  Wood finding was easy, for many fallen pine tress were on the ground-dead from the beetles.



Now it’s time to hike up the Continental Divide and be in the heart of the Rockies.  What an awesome experience!!!



The view was so breath taking that I had to stop and take constant pictures.







As we walked, we kept climbing higher and higher, and decided that our lungs and heart needed a rest, so back down to our campsite we headed.  Sure wish we had more time to spend in this area, but we would need our bodies time to rest for the height of the elevation that we were on.



After finishing cutting our wood, starting a campfire it was time to get something to eat and just sit back and relax.  As we are relaxing, I finally realized I had lost my watch.  The watch meant a lot to me, since Brian bought is special for me over 17 years ago.  But I think when I picked up Leah, the clasp must have come undone and therefore was lost at the Continental Divide.  There was no way we were about to climb back up to find it.  So it was a sad time for me…

As the evening went on, my breathing started to get more labor, my sinus completely shut down and my face started to swell a little.  Brian said I was getting paler by the minute and then I started to feel sick.  If I got up, everything would spin.  It was decided that I was getting altitude sickness and we would need to get to lower elevation.  Thinking our camping trip was done and we would head back home, I really felt sad that this had to happen.  Poor Brian had to pack everything back up on his own and we had to head on down.

As we got down to Lake Dillon, about 1000 feet lower, I was already feeling better.  I told Brian I would feel fine if we would spend the night at lake Dillon.  I would rather camp there than try to drive all the way back to our park in the dark.  So we found a nice spot at Lake Dillon on the White
I think if we would have more time at the higher elevation and rested before exploring,  I would not had that trouble.  But we were on a short time schedule…

Part Three will continue on our saga heading back on I-70 Westbound-homeward bound.

A CAMPING ADVENTURE-#1

Several years back we tried tent camping and it just didn’t work out for us and so we gave it up with a vow that we would never try that again…

There are areas that we really want to adventure onto, and not a place that we can take our motorhome.  So once again, we bought another tent.  We also wasn’t so sure how our little Min Pin-Leah would take to sleeping in a tent.  She likes to prowl at night when she hears noises outside.  So this was going to be very interesting-least to say.

On top of the Grand Mesa lays the Mesa National Forest with many different Forest Service Roads and ATV roads.  there are also over 50 lakes to explore as well.  You have your pick to popular resorts to a desolated out of the place where few will travel.  The latter was what we were looking for.  It would be easy for a person to get lost with all the forestry roadways.  But with the help of a park ranger and maps, we knew approximately where we were heading.  So off on to our first Camping Adventure we go.  Right after work one day we took off, with thunderclouds licking on our heals, If  luck was with us, it would just be a quick thunderstorm, and be over and we would be able enjoy the rest of the evening.

As we got closer to our destination, we also could see the ominous dark clouds heading towards us.  We just hope we could get our tent up and settled in before it hit us.  Bonham Lake was our destination and as we came upon the first section to check out we liked the area.  However, to place our tent in just the right spot, we would have to be at least a 1/2 block to a block away from our vehicle and being in bear country, we weren’t sure we wanted to be that far away for the first time.  All the nice secluded spots were already occupied.  So we went farther down the road.

We came to a split with yet more options for other lakes.  We came upon Neversweat Lake and really liked it  even found a few spots that would suit us.   We did have to put the car in 4-wheel drive just to get up on the little hillside with the perfect view.

In the meantime, that thunderstorm was finally upon us with intense lightning and thunder.  We try to first set up a shelter for out tent with a tarp.  Brian was tying the tarp over our heads to trees and to our car when all of a sudden a bolt of lightning hit closer than I would have cared for.  I screamed and jumped into the car with Brian right behind me.  As the storm pounded us with lightning and thunder, and then pea size hailed started to rain down on us!  The tarp didn’t get tied down all the way and it started to flap in the wind-hitting the car on my side making a horrible noise.  At one point Brian try to go out and secure it, but with the wind and rain he was soaked in seconds.

Hail on the Ground

Brian trying to attach the Tarp-with no luck

We had no choice but to sit in the car until the storm passed through.  When it finally let up and we could get out, the temp had plummeted and it was very chilly.  We manage to get out our stove and warm up can soup to help warm our bodies.  As we looked around we were surrounded with mud and water.  It was decided that we would shift things around in our car and sleep in the back for the night.  Mind you that we have a 4-door Chevy Tracker with not much room, but we would make due for the night.

Lake Neversweat-after the storm

The next morning, after a very rough and cramped night, we got out and first thing first-make coffee!  Then it was time to explore a little to see if we really wanted to stay in this spot or move to some where else.  We came across our first problem of the day…we were on this little “island” and couldn’t get off without driving!  The small creek that we crossed to get to this hillside was now twice as large as the night before.
After being wet and muddy, we knew that Cottonwood campground was just a few miles away and although we really didn’t want to be in a “developed” area,  we decided at this time that was our only option. Driving just a few miles on the Forest Service Road, we found another small lake and a nice little area that we could put the tent and salvage the rest of the day.  The lake we choose is named Kitson Reservoir according to our Delorme Topo.

View from the one end of the Lake

Finally we have our camped set up and ready to go!  Now it’s time to hunt down some firewood.  We found this old dead pine tree that about a foot was sticking in the water.  We hand sawed it off, wrapped a rope around it and then dragged it back with the car.Now it’s time to cook a hearty lunch; Chicken cooked over charcoal, with fried potatoes…mmmmgood.  Oh no not again, another storm once again heading our way.  It’s a good thing dinner was just about done, but now we have to hurry to eat and get things cleaned up and put away before it hits us.  Thank goodness it wasn’t as bad as the one that hit the night
before.

Snow still lingers in areas

mmm-smell those potatoes frying

Rain lets up, it’s time to try and keep our campfire going.  Brian re-arranges the rocks, hand saws the dead tree in half and gets a good fire going.  As we try to put the rock barrier back around the log, I didn’t know that one of the rocks was used for cooking the chicken, so upon picking it up I managed to burn 3 of my fingers on my right hand….
Storm number 2 (or is it three?) builds and again rains down on us.  I don’t know how he did it, but Brian manages to keep our campfire going through all the storms.  In the meantime I’m keeping ice on my fingers-it’s the only thing that is soothing the pain.  Upon investigating it appears I will have one good blister on one finger and small ones on the other ones.  It’s not as bad as it could have been….
Storm lets up, sunshine at last…so it’s time to take a small hike and a little adventure.  But as we walk, we notice once again storm clouds building-time to head back to camp-bummer….For the rest of the day storms continued on and off making us dodge in and out of our tent.  And yet, the campfire keeps on burning.  I soon learned Brian’s secret-lighter fluid.

Brian adding fuel to keep the fire going

Our one and only visitor

The next morning upon rising, we see once again that we are between rain-after a little better night sleep, we decided to give up on the camping for this trip.  So we packed up early morning, without coffee and headed towards home.

We have decided with all the rain and mishaps, that is still was a nice adventure and we defiantly want to come back again to this area to explore.  We will just make sure that there is no rain chances the next time!  As for Leah, our Min Pin, she was on her best behavior and a true champ through all of this!  When we got home, all she wanted to do is sleep, sleep and sleep, as well as we did!

Collbran down under all those clouds

We will adventure again up on the Grand Mesa again for there is just so much to see.  Whether you like being alone or being around folks, there are many options to sight see  and explore up there.
so what’s our next adventure?  Will be in a couple of weeks as we want to check our Rifle Falls and Rifle Gap.