Travelogue

Tommy “leisure diving" - AJGWe met up with the boys at Marys Lake Campground in Estes Park where I had reserved 2 nights. It was Friday, and things get pretty busy in these popular areas on the weekend, so I am glad we did, because the campground was full. It was pretty nice too, with views of the mountains, a small heated pool, and a laundry facility.

I knew about this laundry facility from the campground guide, so I had strongly urged Tommy to bring his dirty laundry on vacation, because I knew that he wasn’t spending his free time in Boulder in laundromats—too many fun things to do to waste time with such menial tasks. So, he actually listened to me and brought along a laundry bag the size of Delaware, which he proceeded to lug across the campground. He looked like Santa Claus.

John “leisure diving" - AJGWhile three full washing machines chugged away on 5 weeks’ worth of dirty laundry, we hung by the nearby campground pool and passed the time watching the boys demonstrate the art of “leisure diving.” For the uninformed, leisure diving consists of jumping into a pool, or other body of water, while striking a “leisure pose” in mid-air. The diver’s skill must be matched by that of the photographer, who strives to capture this idiotic moment at the exact point where the diver is at peak height and parallel to the water. It was hysterical.

I feared we were making spectacles of ourselves, but figured what the heck, no one knew us, right? It was then that we had our second encounter (in ten years of travel) with a fellow camper who recognized us as the family on the “Lolo’s Extreme” website. “Oh, great.” I quickly tried to think of what other embarrassing antics might have occurred since our arrival in the campground. I became totally self-conscious. The man was extremely nice and complimentary of our travel tips and recommendations. We tried to behave ourselves the rest of the evening. Well, at least until Tommy’s friend John decided that he would really like to sleep under the stars on the roof of the RV. The trouble was that the way the campground was laid out, the row behind us was slightly higher with a birds-eye view of what must have looked like a giant caterpillar (John in his sleeping bag) mating with our AC unit on the roof.

Gang at start of Longs Peak Chasm Lake hikeWe rose early Saturday morning, our first full day at Rocky Mountain National Park and Tommy’s 20th birthday. The plan for the day was a nice full-day hike followed by dinner in Estes Park that night. I had found www.protrails.com, a website that described hiking trails in Colorado, so I had the boys look at it to select a good one. Our criteria was that it had to be challenging enough to interest three athletic young men while not simultaneously killing their mother, it had to have a lot of elevation gain, and most importantly, it had to have spectacular views. We unanimously chose the hike to Chasm Lake at the base of Long Peak, an 8.4 mile hike with about a 2,500 foot elevation gain. (http://www.protrails.com/trail.php?trailID=61). It was described as moderately strenuous to strenuous, but the rewards were supposed to be worth it. The end goal was Chasm Lake, a stunning alpine lake, surrounded by the steep flanks of Mt. Meeker, Longs Peak, and Mount Lady Washington.

"False" Chasm LakeThe hike began at the Longs Peak Trailhead right off Route 7 around 10 miles south of Estes Park. Since the trail starts outside the boundaries of the park, there is no entrance fee. We knew the trailhead parking lot would fill up early on a weekend, so we got there by 6:30 am, but still had to park about a half mile down the road from the already full parking area. The other reason for starting so early was that afternoon thunderstorms are quite frequent, so it’s nice to get your hike done ahead of them.

There are two hikes that will remain forever etched in my memory – the cable route up the back of Half Dome in Yosemite and this one. They both share two qualities: scenery so breathtaking it could make your heart stop and the possibility of tumbling down to an untimely death and really make your heart stop. With the Half Dome hike I knew what I was getting into and felt comfortable, although nervous, with the situation. This one took me completely by surprise.

Snowfield traverse on Chasm Lake HikeThe hike started innocently enough through a lovely forest of lodgepole, spruce, and fir trees and across the top of a waterfall before reaching the treeline. From there, the forest was supplanted by “krummoltz,” a German word meaning “twisted wood” to describe the stunted, irregular growth patterns of the trees caused by the poor soil conditions, thinner air, and extreme weather conditions at this altitude. More than half the hike was above the treeline across open tundra with terrific panoramic views.

As we approached what I believed to be the end of the hike, I was so energized and inspired by the experience that I rambled on and on to Herb about this hike being one of the best, if not “thee best” hike we had ever done. Ah, there it lay before us -- Chasm Lake, a pristine alpine lake with cliffs rising from its shore. It was at this moment of epiphany that I was informed by one of our party that this was not, in fact, Chasm Lake, but just a warm-up. Oh. Okay. I would try to control my enthusiasm until the true climax of the hike.

Mom traversing snowfield - TJGThe trail continued above the “false Chasm Lake” along the base of Longs Peak. Eventually we came to a snow-covered section where previous hikers’ footprints could be seen closely paralleling the cliffs that rose to the right. While the section they had walked on was flat, it was only about a foot wide before dropping precipitously to the left at about a 45 degree angle. But no worry about slipping on the snow and plunging to an untimely death in the lake below, because the boulder field at the bottom would be sure to stop me first—very comforting. I was having a heart attack. One false step and I was going to slide about 50 yards, at every increasing velocity, into those rocks. The family assured me that I was worrying needlessly and compared it to walking on a snow-covered narrow sidewalk. And, they added, my trekking poles would keep me balanced . With their encouragement, I began what had to be the slowest crossing of 200 yards in the history of hiking. Actually, I was wrong, because my way back would be much slower. After much coaxing and holding of hands, I finally inched my way to the other side, kissed the ground, and paused to let my heart stop pounding. It was at this moment of relief that I saw Tommy’s friend John, who was looking back at the snow-covered section we had just crossed, gasp and cry out, “Oh my God, someone just slid down into the rocks.”

Taking photos on the Chasm Lake HikeJohn was the only one of us that saw it happen. Just as I feared, a hiker slipped a bit on the snow and careened down the hill at really fast speed. He bounced off a lone rock halfway down the hill, which probably slowed him down, and then continued all the way to the bottom where he hit more rocks. Herb, the boys, and John tried to clamber down to see if he was alright, and John, who is a Wilderness EMT, eventually took his own chances crossing a lower section of snow to get to him. Although very badly shaken up, the guy was pretty much okay. No serious injuries, although we did hear later that he broke his wrist. A ranger showed up to help escort him back down. I don’t even want to think about what would have happened if he had hit head first.

Family at Chasm LakeGreat! Now I was on the other side of this mess and the only way back later was to cross it again. I kept asking anyone we encountered, including rangers, if there was another way out of here. I would have been willing to rock climb up Longs Peak and over rather than repeat what we had just done. Less than reassuring, everyone said that going back was the only way out and that conditions would actually probably worsen throughout the day as the snow became slushier. It was very hard for me to relax and enjoy the real Chasm Lake, which really was incredibly beautiful. Herb insisted on taking our family Christmas photo here, but as I expected, the expression on my face was more appropriate for Halloween. Everyone else was having a great time, eating lunch, taking pictures, and just enjoying the scenery. I just wanted to get it over with.

Andrew contemplating Longs PeakWhen we got back to the gorge, John scampered across like he was on a walk in the park. Herb stayed in the rear, I found out later, to film the fiasco. Meanwhile, my very sweet sons stayed with me to both emotionally and physically move me across the expanse. Tommy went first. He held my hand and kicked his shoes into the snow with each step to make a deeper and more secure spot for me to place my foot. Andrew came behind me and held onto my backpack in case I started to slip. We looked like some bizarre Conga line. Herb said we were actually making things worse, because in some sections the snow was just a bridge between rocks and that our collective weight could have broken through causing us all to fall a dozen or so feet to rocks below the snow. Luckily I didn’t know this at the time, because the last thing I wanted to do was endanger the boys as well. Boy, do I love those guys. I really think I couldn’t have done it without them (and my trekking poles). Herb got lots of photos of me stooped over like Quasimoto being escorted from the bell tower. I’m glad he found it entertaining.

When we got to the other side, I was so incredibly relieved. I didn’t feel that my fears were totally unwarranted, especially in lieu of the fact that someone actually did fall. I then noticed that there was a young couple sitting on the rocks who had had a ring side seat for my rather embarrassing hiking performance. They were trying to decide whether to make the crossing. I feel kind of bad that my pitiful display might have been the deciding factor in their decision to not go on, because they did miss out on a truly awesome view beyond. However, then again, maybe they would have gotten hurt. Probably not, but I’m sure it was going through their minds.

Nervous Lolo crossing the snowfieldLater on we got into a philosophical discussion as to the role the national parks should play in preventing people from hurting themselves—whether they should provide people with the freedom to take risks or close off areas that could be dangerous. Herb argued the freedom point of view and asked me if I willing to see the Grand Canyon rim enclosed by a fence so people couldn’t fall off the edge. I agreed with him that it shouldn’t, but just felt that it would be nice if people could be warned as to what they were getting themselves into, so that they could decide for themselves whether they were ready to handle the risk. I think that is generally the case, but in this instance it was a matter of changing conditions that created a situation that normally wasn’t a problem. I spoke to a man that did this hike every year in July, and he said he had never seen so much snow at this time of year. Also, people have to be somewhat responsible for the wisdom of their behavior. For example, the guy that slid down today was wearing Sketchers rather than hiking shoes, so he probably didn’t belong out there in the first place.

Dad checking out roof for John to sleep - AJGThe walk down was uneventful—a quality I now appreciate in a hike. We were all in a hurry to get back to camp so we could shower and get on to the next event, which was Tommy’s 20th birthday dinner.

We always tease Tommy that he gets special treatment on his birthday, because if often falls on one of our trips. In fact, it was his 7th celebrated on the road. He had spent his 9th birthday lunching at the beautiful Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton-Glacier National Park, his 10th mountain biking down Whistler-Blackcomb Mountain in British Columbia, his 12th rafting the Colorado River near Moab, his 14th desperately searching for something to do in Newfoundland (link), his 15th listening to a fiddler in Seward, Alaska playing such hits as “A Week in Eek” (link), his 16th lunching at the incredible Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite (link), and now his 20th hiking the spectacular Rocky Mountains. Not bad. Poor Andrew—his birthday usually falls during final exams.

But the birthday bash was not over yet. There was still a night out in Estes Park. On the hike down, I got a recommendation for a good restaurant from a woman that lived locally and worked for the park system. Without hesitation, she said Mama Rose’s.

John waking up on roof of RVMama Rose’s was a fine choice. It was located in Barlow Plaza, right alongside the Big Thompson River which flows through town. Funny coincidence. When researching this trip, I had found some free music concert possibilities for this night. One of them was in Barlow Plaza, but for the life of me, I couldn’t find Barlow Plaza on any map, online or otherwise. Well now here we were, sitting on the steps watching the river flow by, listening to live music by Dick Orleans. I felt quite smug for having pulled this off

After a nice dinner, a walk through town, and some ice cream we headed back to camp to settle in for the night—or in John’s case, to settle “out” on top of the roof of the RV again. Sadly, the next day (Sunday), we had to part with the boys. Tommy had to return to work in Boulder and Andrew was to continue west to Napa Valley to visit his girlfriend. The RV was certainly going to be a lot lonelier, but quieter and neater too. Herb and I would try to cope.

Description

Longs PeakLocated at the eastern gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park serves as a base camp for exploring the park. Surrounded by gorgeous vistas of the Rocky Mountains, the town and its Riverwalk along the roaring Big Thompson is a destination in itself. While the year round population is 3,200, the town comes to life in the summer when tourists flood the town after a tough day on the trails to enjoy its many restaurants, galleries, and shops.

Travelogue

Determined Pine TreeToday our objective was to all converge at Marys Lake Campground in Estes Park, right outside the eastern entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park, where I had reserved a campsite for two nights. Tommy and Andrew had to go back to Boulder to pick up John, Tommy’s friend who would be joining us for the weekend, and they would head up together in the evening. Herb and I would take the more scenic Peak to Peak Highway up to Estes Park.

Since Tommy didn’t have to be in Boulder until John finished work, we thought we would try to do something together before taking our different paths to Estes Park. We all thought a run would do us some good, so Tommy, who had spent the summer training on the trails around Boulder, suggested the Betasso Preserve in Boulder. Going back to Boulder was a bit out of the way for me and Herb, but we felt it would be worth the extra miles. Maneuvering and parking an RV in Boulder is not necessarily an easy thing. Fortunately, I had called the Chamber of Commerce while planning the trip and found that the best place to park an RV would be at the Target at 2800 Pearl Street (28th + Pearl).

After depositing the RV at Target, we jumped in Tommy’s car and headed back out of town to the Betasso Preserve. We retraced our steps on Boulder Canyon Drive (Highway 119) for about 6 miles before Tommy turned onto Sugarloaf Road and drove up to the Preserve, which overlooked the town of Boulder. I must say I was pretty impressed with Tommy’s local knowledge of the area. We would never have known that this beautiful place existed. While mostly a mountain biker’s heaven, the trails in the preserve were also great for running.

Picnic lunch at Betasso PreserveWe chose to run the popular 3.2-mile Canyon Loop Trail which leads through a lovely pine and fir forest and grassy meadows. Also, by Boulder standards, it was considered relatively flat. Since we are usually accustomed to running 5 to 10 miles, I figured we would do the loop twice. Once again, I was humbled by the high altitude. The boys took off at a much brisker pace than Herb and I could emulate for more than 10 feet and soon disappeared from view in the forest, while Herb and I plodded along at a more reasonable and enjoyable pace. I felt pretty good at first, but then the legs got heavier and the slight headache returned. This was my third full day at high altitude, which apparently wasn’t enough. I began to do what the boys refer to as “Eatin’ it.” Herb seemed to be faring much better. Perhaps, his additional days out West before my arrival had given him an altitude adjustment advantage. I finally succumbed to what I hate to do on a run – walk. I just couldn’t run anymore. The sun was beating down on me and my legs felt like lead. Tommy, who had been out in Colorado for 6 weeks already, was the only one of us that took that second loop. Andrew and I looked like we had just run a marathon.

We had a nice picnic lunch on a table overlooking a nice view of Boulder. I can understand why outdoor enthusiasts flock to this area. Plus, training at this area must make you feel like superman when you get back to sea level. Before separating from the boys for our drive up to Estes Park, we stopped at Tommy’s favorite store: REI, which sold every conceivable toy to be used in the outdoors. It was a very tempting experience.

Herb and Tom after running Canyon Loop TrailWe said goodbye to the boys for now and headed back out on Boulder Creek Canyon road towards Nederland where we would meet up with the Peak to Peak Scenic Highway, this time heading north on Route 72 and eventually Route 7 towards Estes Park.

Since it was just the two of us, we decided to spend the day doing something we like to do, but which the boys have not yet developed the same level of enthusiasm for – geocaching. For a full explanation on what geocaching is, see the description in our last stop or check out www.geocaching.com. Real briefly, geocaching is kind of like treasure hunting or orienteering. It involves using a GPS and a series of hints to search for hidden containers (ranging from tiny micro-size ones to large ammo boxes) that have been hidden by fellow geocachers. Some geocaches have little “treasures” in them (mostly little junky trinkets that you would normally throw out), but the real attraction is the journey towards finding them. There are over a million of them hidden throughout the world, and the people hiding them are usually locals that know about interesting places to visit that you would never come across otherwise. We think it’s fun. The boys think it’s embarrassing.

We “bagged” six of them along the way—a fairly productive day—and in the process discovered a lovely swimming beach along Boulder Creek, a great view of the Barker Reservoir Dam, and several awesome views of babbling brooks and snow-capped peaks. We were so absorbed that we didn’t realize the time until the boys called us from Estes Park wondering where we were. They were hoping to find us all settled in with dinner cooking. No wonder they hate geocaching. It makes us such neglectful parents.

Description

The Peak to Peak highway (Colorado Highways 119, 72, and 7) is a 55-mile scenic drive with spectacular snow-capped mountain vistas of the Continental Divide. Going from south to north, the drive begins in Central City and passes through Blackhawk, Nederland, the old mining towns of Ward and Allenspark, and Meeker Park, before arriving at Estes Park near the eastern gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. Map: Map: http://www.byways.org/explore/byways/2114/travel.html

Although there are quicker routes to Estes Park from the Denver area, this is by far the most scenic. Peak to Peak Magazine's calls it “one of the most beautiful mountain roads in the country."

Travelogue

Lolo enjoying Boulder Falls mistBefore heading out to Golden Gate Canyon, we stopped briefly at Tommy’s office to meet his coworkers and boss and to collect Andrew, who had decided to spend the night at Tommy’s apartment in Boulder instead of sleeping in the Walmart parking lot with us – I can’t understand why.

Tommy had managed to get the following two days off to spend with us by adding an extra two days onto the end of his internship. Today (Wednesday), however, he was going to participate in his office’s team-building day before driving out to Golden Gate Canyon to meet us that evening. The teambuilding event was going to culminate in a 3-person team go-kart race that evening. Rumor had it that it got pretty intense, so he absolutely didn’t want to miss it.

Hiking the Raccoon Loop TrailHerb, Andrew, and I set out on Boulder Creek Canyon Drive (Highway 119), which wound through Boulder Canyon along Boulder Creek. It was a beautiful drive, and I was intrigued by the walking/biking trail that ran along the creek for a good part of the drive. Boulder is a town known for its outdoor enthusiasts, and it appeared that many of them were out on that trail biking, walking, running, and just in general enjoying the beautiful scenery. The creek also looked like a fun place for tubing and kayaking, but this year it was still too high and fast to safely do that.

About 11 miles into the drive, we made a brief stop at Boulder Falls where North Boulder Creek plunges into Middle Boulder Creek. There is a short trail that leads to a viewpoint just below the 70-foot cascade. Continuing on, we came to a large reservoir near the town of Nederland before the road turned south toward Golden Gate.

Dad belaying Tom at Clear Creek Canyon - AJGAlong the drive I kept anxiously looking at my cell phone to see if and where I got any coverage. It’s funny how we have become so dependent on constant access to the outside world. For years we traveled without cell phones and it never bothered me. Now, I go into a panic anytime those little bars disappear. My major concern was the ability to reach my 91-year-old mother, who although is in an assisted living facility, is very dependent on hearing from me about 20 times a day. I took note of the fact that I had coverage just a few miles south of Nederland, but then lost it from that point on all the way to our campground in the park. So, we turned around and drove back towards Nederland so I could call my mom and warn her that we might be out of touch for a few days.

We arrived at the Reverend Ridge Campground on Gap Road in the northwestern corner of the park, where I had reserved a site for two nights. A lightning strike the day before had taken out the campground water supply, but fortunately we had a full tank and could shower in the RV.

Tom descending Clear Creek Canyon climb - AJGFor the afternoon, I had selected what I thought would be the fairly easy 3.3-mile Raccoon Loop Trail. What I forgot to consider was that we had been at 200’ above sea level just yesterday morning and were now at 9100’. We are in pretty good shape—especially Andrew, so we couldn’t believe how big an effect the altitude had on us. We all had this annoying little headache and felt like we were dragging ourselves along the trail. I guess the good part was that the hike took up a greater part of our afternoon than planned. It was a lovely hike. It started at the campground and wound its way through beautiful aspen groves and wildflower meadows, across babbling brooks, and eventually to the highlight, Panorama Point, where we were rewarded with sweeping views of the Continental Divide.

Back at the campground, we relaxed in our forested site and awaited the arrival of Tommy after his tough day of teambuilding at the go-kart track. He arrived triumphant, having been part of the 3-person winning team.

The next day, Tommy was our planner and guide. During his summer in Boulder, his interest in rock climbing had really taken off, and he had gained a lot of local knowledge as to where to go. Herb had been an avid climber for 10 years before the boys were born, and was having a great time getting back into it as the boys took an interest in it as well. This part of Colorado has so many east-west canyon roads that wind along creeks surrounded by rock walls perfect for climbing—Boulder Creek Canyon, Coal Creek Canyon, Golden Gate Canyon, and Clear Creek Canyon, just to name a few. Clear Creek Canyon near Golden was our destination for the day. Since we could use Tommy’s car and leave the RV behind, we were able to drive the steep and windy, non-RV friendly, Mountain Base Road through Golden Gate Canyon State Park down to Golden Gate Canyon Road into Golden and then back out on Clear Creek Canyon Road. This place is really incredible.

Tom leading Clear Creek Canyon 5.10 - AJGThe type of climbing that Tommy likes to do is called sport climbing. What that means is that rather than the traditional way of putting protection pieces in the rock as you climb to prevent you from falling, the bolts and protection are already permanently fixed to the rock. It’s a bit safer and quicker to set up a climb. Because of his newly found local knowledge, Tommy knew exactly where along Clear Creek Canyon to find the sport climbing wall, so it wasn’t long before we were settled at the base of a rock cliff and he was scampering up a 5.10 climb on the wall. Herb really enjoyed his first exposure to sport climbing as well. I enjoyed safely reading my Kindle on the solid ground below.

After the boys had their fill of climbing, we drove into Golden in search of the Coors Brewery—not too hard to find as it takes up most of the town. It is the largest single brewery facility in the world. We parked our car and got on line for the shuttle bus which would take us the few blocks to the brewery. After we were already in line, I noticed a sign that said that IDs were required to partake in the free sampling at the end of the tour. I panicked because I had left my wallet in the car, but Herb rightly assured me that (unfortunately) no one was going to question the fact that I was over 21.

The tour was pretty cool—self-guiding so you could take as long as you wanted to get to the end goal: the free sampling room. At one point in the tour, they handed out a little Dixie cup size sample of beer. We had heard that there were three free samples, so all we were expecting at the end were two more Dixie cups of beer, but to our surprise—and delight—the free samples included 3 full-size beers per person—quite a bit for those sea-level types not used to the high altitude. Since Tommy was only 19 and couldn’t partake in anything but free soda, he was immediately appointed our designated driver. Not being a particularly big fan of Coors beer before, I was pleased to find two beers that I really enjoyed: Killian’s Irish Red and Blue Moon.

Mom on Coors Brewery Tour - TJGI’m actually pretty surprised they give away this much free beer, but I think I might have figured out why. At the beginning of the tour, they took a picture of each family in front of a green screen. When you got to the end of the tour and the end of your three beers (and sobriety), they showed you the picture of your lovely family (made lovelier by the beers) in front of a variety of backgrounds. For a mere $15, we bought the one where we were lined up in front of a stack of kegs. It just goes to show you that there is no such thing as a free beer. Proudly carrying what we thought at the time might become our family Christmas card photo, we stumbled out into the bright sunlight and walked the streets of Golden for a bit before driving back to our campground in Golden Gate Canyon.

Back at the campground, Herb and I decided to do some geocaching while the Tommy went for a run. Andrew had to make the tough call of running with Tommy or geocaching with us. He must have really been hurting from the high altitude, because he chose to come with us on an activity that he still thinks is pretty silly.

For those of you fellow travelers unfamiliar with geocaching, I seriously recommend learning more about it (see www.geocaching.com). It can be a life-changing event. No seriously, it is a very interesting concept that has brought us to some very interesting and out-of-the way places. Very briefly, geocaching is kind of a treasure hunt, sans the treasures. Geocaches are waterproof containers (ranging from tiny little containers to ammo boxes) that contain little trinkets for trading—items that you would just throw away if you found them in your house, but for some reason feel like treasures after having gone through so much trouble trying to find them. There are over a million geocaches hidden in over 100 countries throughout the world. People searching for them use a GPS to guide them to usually within 30 feet of the hidden cache. From there, clues help the seeker zero in on the find. I know it sounds a bit silly, but it is actually a lot of fun and has exposed us to a lot of great places that we would never have found on our own.

Parents geocaching - AJGThe clue this time was “green machine” and our GPS led us a short distance back down Mountain Base Road to a beautiful meadow overlooking the town of Black Hawk in the distance. See, already geocaching had brought us to a beautiful spot that we would not have discovered otherwise. We followed our GPS pointer part way down the hill and into the woods where we soon came across the wreck of an old green steamroller. I think we had found our “green machine.” Now the hard part began – finding a tiny 35mm film canister hidden somewhere within it. Andrew was truly amused by two grown adults, who he had known and respected his entire life, determinedly poking their heads, and sometimes entire bodies, into a rusty old wreck to find a hidden “treasure.” He even recorded it on his camera for posterity. He must have been so proud of me when I eventually cried out, “Found it!”

Description

Lolo and Tom at Panorama PointGolden Gate Canyon State Park, located on the Front Range 30 miles west of Denver and 13 miles northwest of Golden , contains 12,000 acres of unspoiled landscape – rugged canyons, wildflower meadows, lodgepole forests, lush aspen groves, and meandering streams.

The Park contains 36 miles of hiking trails, 22 miles of which are also open to mountain biking and horseback riding. As the average elevation of the park is 9100 feet, hiking can be a challenge for those unaccustomed to the altitude. A major attraction is Panorama Point Scenic Overlook, where visitors can see 100 miles of the Continental Divide.

There are several camping options:

• Reverend’s Ridge campground, just off Gap Road, has 97 tent and RV sites, 57 of which have electrical hookups.
• Aspen Meadows Campground has 35 sites for tents only.
• Backcountry Camping - there are four backcountry three-sided shelters which can sleep up to 6 people without a tent
• In addition to the four shelters, there are 20 backcountry tent sites open year-round . Many of these sites are located in large, scenic meadows and are surrounded by 10,000 foot peaks. Backcountry camping permits must be obtained at the Visitors Center.
• 5 cabins and 2 yurts, each of which accommodate 6 people

Side trips from Golden Gate Canyon:

• Clear Creek Canyon is located along Clear Creek, just west of Golden. It is reached by taking US 6 West from the center of Golden. Besides being a beautiful drive, the walls of the canyon provide a playground for rock climbers. The following website provides details on the climbing routes available throughout the canyon : http://www.mountainproject.com/v/clear-creek-canyon/105744243
• Golden is located 15 miles west of Denver, along Clear Creek Canyon at the foothills of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. The town was founded during the Pike’s Peak gold Rush in 1859 and served as the capital of the Territory of Colorado from 1862 to 1867. Its population is approximately 17,000. Today Golden is best known for its being home to the Colorado school of Mines and the Coors Brewing Company. Free 30-minute, self-guided tours of the brewery are conducted throughout the day. At the end of the tour, free samples of the various beers produced are provided.

Travelogue

Andrew and I rose at the crack of dawn to catch our 7:00 am flight to Denver. I rarely fly, so I must admit to some anxiety and excitement – mostly excitement though. The flight was uneventable, and Andrew and I enjoyed a leisurely lunch in a TGIF in the Fort Worth/Dallas airport while waiting for our connection to Denver. It was so nice spending time together, just the two of us, and it was kind of cool that he was the more experienced air traveler guiding me through space rather than the reverse role that I had played with him for the previous 22 years.

Dining at Mountain Sun BreweryHerb was anxiously awaiting our arrival in Denver. While we were en route, he situated the RV in a Walmart parking lot in Broomfield, nearby to where Tommy was working that summer. Tommy dropped his car off with Herb on his lunch break, so that Herb wouldn’t have to maneuver through a busy airport with the RV to pick me and Andrew up.

When Andrew and I got to the baggage area, we spotted Herb, who seemed really, really happy to see us. I guess life on the road alone isn’t quite as much fun as sharing it with those you love. He definitely looked ready for some company and family time. It was all coming together as planned. I couldn’t believe that that night the four of us would be all together having dinner in Boulder. The way the schedules were that summer, the boys were never home at the same time, so we had to enjoy them sequentially. The next few days were it for us, and I think we were all pretty enthused about spending some time together, something that we used to take so for granted.

At 5:00, we picked Tommy up from work. I was so happy to see him. It had been about 6 weeks since he left home for his internship in Boulder – the longest that we have ever been apart. I tried to control my enthusiasm so as not to embarrass him in front of his co-worker who was hitching a ride home to Boulder with us. I would have to save the hugs for later. Tommy’s little Subaru got even cozier when we picked up his roommate John along the way.

After dropping off Charlie the co-worker, we went to Tommy and John’s apartment right near the University of Colorado. It was a bit messy—and I am being kind, but I held my tongue. I didn’t fly all the way out here to be a nag. That’s my home job.

Tommy had done some asking around at work for dinner recommendations and was told that the Mountain Sun Brewery would give us the “quintessential Boulder experience”. I was hoping that I would get my second wind, because we had been up since 4:00 in the morning and it was already 10:00 pm eastern time. I had so been looking forward to this evening that I wasn’t going to let a little sleep deprivation get in the way.

The Mountain Sun Brewery was located near the Pearl Street Mall, a really cool 4-block, pedestrian-only area that is filled with shops, restaurants, bars, street entertainers, and lots of college-age kids – I was beginning to feel old and wrinkly. We probably could have walked from the apartment, but instead we drove closer to the Pearl Street Mall, just in case it started raining again. Their apartment was located right in the heart of the Boulder action. They must have had a blast this summer.

Despite our 8:00 reservation, the Mountain Sun Brewery was so crowded and overflowing with happy people having a good time that they weren’t ready to seat us yet. Other nearby places weren’t half as full, so we knew that Tommy must have made the right choice. This was definitely the place to be.

After much apologizing for the wait, we were finally seated. The food and service were great and sampling the different beers was great fun – for three of us anyway. Tommy and John were still 19, so for them it was probably a pretty boring spectator sport. We had so much fun that night. I caught myself several times just grinning from ear to ear as I looked around the table at Herb and the boys (and Tommy’s friend John too). People must have thought I was hitting the samplers a bit too hard, but I swear it was just the company that was making me so happy.

Description

Boulder is located 30 miles northwest of Denver, at the foot of the Flatirons of the Rocky Mountains. It has a population of 97,000, and is home to the University of Colorado. While, like many cities in Colorado, it began as a mining town, it has today become a center for scientific and environmental research and high-tech companies.
The town is an outdoor enthusiast’s dream with over 40,000 acres of open space within the city limits, 56 parks, and 200 miles of trails. Biking, running, hiking, fishing, and rock climbing are some of the favorite activities in the area. In surveys of best places to live, Boulder achieves top rankings in health, well-being, quality of life, education, and art.
Just a few of Boulder’s attractions include:

• Pearl Street Mall – a four-block pedestrian-only mall in the historic downtown district with street entertainers, restaurants, and shops
• Boulder Creek Path – a 16-mile walking/biking trail through the city and west into the Boulder Creek Canyon
• National Center for Atmospheric Research – pink-sandstone building located atop Table Mesa in the southwestern foothills of Boulder where scientists study weather, climate change, ozone depletion, etc. On display are weather balloons, satellites, and supercomputers that simulate the world’s climate. Free admission.
• University of Colorado – CU and its 29,000 students pretty much dominate the city. Its cultural and sports events have helped make Boulder what it is today.
• Eldorado Canyon State Park – 850-foot canyon located 5 miles southwest of Boulder. It is popular for mountain biking, hiking, and rock climbing.

Travelogue

Boyd Lake campingBoyd Lake was a park that Lolo selected that would put me close to Boulder for the next day’s car transfer with Tommy, and the subsequent pickup of Lorry and Andrew from the Denver airport. This was my last night as a solo traveler! The 1,900 miles that I had come made it seem like a lot more than 4 nights from NJ, and I was looking forward to a complete reunion with my family.

The park was somewhat crowded, and lake access was limited, but for one night I could tough it out. I downloaded the coordinates of the nearest geocaches into the Droid and took off on the mountain bike to get a sense of the park.

The park has miles of nice paved and unpaved biking/jogging paths. Using the bike gave me the ability to easily cover lots of ground, and also find a few geocaches on route.

The next morning, in anticipation of additional family members, I cleaned up the RV, topped off the water tanks, dumped the holding tanks, and plotted a course to the Broomfield Walmart, where I would meet Tommy for the first time in 7 weeks (our longest separation ever). Using his Subaru, I would then pick up Lolo and Andrew from Denver International Airport.

Description

Boyd Lake State Park, located just one mile east of downtown Loveland in northern Colorado, is home to one of the largest lakes in the northern Front Range. It lies at the western-most edge of the plains at the foot of the snow-capped Rockies.

The 1,700 acre (at full capacity) lake is popular for boating, water skiing, fishing, windsurfing, swimming hiking, and biking. Facilities include a sandy beach and pavilion for swimming, a 148-site campground with paved pull-through sites, a marina with boat ramps, and a paved walking/biking trail that connects to Loveland’s path system.

Travelogue

Lake McConaughy camping on bluffI had been looking forward to a few days of rest at Lake McConaughy, even before the tribulations of the previous two days. For me, the “real west” begins when the rules and regulations of the east, meant to protect its citizens from themselves, are replaced with a minimum of regulations, mostly disregarded, that give its citizens the right to have fun, or kill themselves trying, without the threat of litigation.

While Lake Anita in Iowa has only one small swimming beach that is closed when lifeguards are off duty, Lake McConaughy is one massively large swimming/boating/fishing/water skiing lake without any adult supervision that I could find. Its location, smack in the middle of the very dry flatlands of Nebraska and Colorado, is a natural draw to anyone looking for some water to help beat the heat and play in. It attracts a wide assortment of water craft for fishing, towing insanely oversized inflatable objects, and going fast to impress members of the opposite sex.

There are several campgrounds that offer electric hookups, and the prime sites with lake front views and access are usually reserved close to a year in advance, as part of a multi-family ritual vacation (similar to what we have done boat camping on the islands at Lake George, NY). Not to worry however, since the rest of the lake's perimeter is fair game for camping as well, for the bargain rate of $15 a night. However, this year the water levels were probably the highest I had ever seen, and many of the beaches and beach-front camping areas were now submerged in 10’ of water.

I approached the Lone Eagle Campground with trepidation since the visitor center said that while there might still be an electric site available, I would have to drive the 10 miles to the campground and check the posts to be certain. I took 2 laps around the perimeter where the electric sites were, and was surprised to see someone leaving a site directly overlooking the lake at 4:00 in the afternoon. Just to be sure, I pulled in and checked the post. No Reservation? “You got Lucky,” said the women in the next site overlooking the lake. She said the previous campers had used the site for most of the day, and then just decided to leave the premier site available to the next taker, ME!

Mother & daughter tent pitching teamHer next question took me off guard. “What Exit?” I wasn’t really sure what this meant, but when she said she had lived in NJ, I remembered the Exit # bumper stickers that some people in NJ had to advertise their exit on the Garden State Parkway. I was embarrassed to say that I didn’t even really know what exit I was, so I said exit 163 hoping that there was such an exit, or if not, that she wouldn’t call me on it. She also told me that she and family friends had reserved the 3 sites on either side of me on the bluff over 6 months ago for this vacation that they take every year.

The next day was my first non-driving day and was supposed to be a “rest day”. While I started the morning with a light swim and a little beach-front reading, the back of my mind was still asking the unfortunate question, “What would Lolo do?” Traveling with Lorry is rarely just sitting around, so I left in the near mid-day sun for a 5-mile jog. Judging from the looks I got, I’m sure there are not a lot of joggers who go out in the mid-day Nebraska sun (I’m not sure I should have either).

After rehydrating and a shower, I decided to add another “activity” to the narrative of this website. Actually I could add 2 activities if I took the mountain bike down some of the trails in pursuit of a few geocaches that were supposed to be hidden around the lake.

I was about to give up on the first geocache when both the Garmin and Droid gps’s were pointing me into a forest flooded with 18” of water. I didn’t think it would be worth traipsing barefoot in the muck until I saw a plastic container floating around the theoretical position of my targeted geocache. Hmmm, plastic trash or geocache container? It turned out to be the geocache, which I signed and then relocated to higher ground to spare the next treasure seeker wet feet.

The day ended with a great sunset, and the visual of new neighbors setting up a campsite next to mine. Every member of the family, including the dreadlocked boyfriend, set up the camp with the competency that repeated practice brings. The precision mother/daughter tent pitching team was my favorite.

Description

Lake McConaughy, nicknamed "Big Mac," is the largest reservoir in Nebraska. It is located just a few miles off Interstate 80 near the Colorado border. The reservoir, which is over 20 miles long and 4 miles wide when at full capacity, was formed on the Platte River by the Kingsley Dam. The lake has over 100 mile of white-sand beaches along its shore line.

To Nebraskans, the main attraction of Lake McConaughy is water activities--swimming, boating, windsurfing, skiing, and world-class fishing. Trophy size catfish, walleye, stripers, bass, and trout have been caught in "Big Mac."

The park has 200 tent and RV sites. However, most people choose to primitive camp right on the beach at the water's edge. Camping is on a first-come first-serve basis.

Travelogue

Maybe I’m getting older, or maybe Lorry helped with the driving, but the 621 miles to Lake Anita from the Flying J felt a lot longer than they did in 2005. In fact, I wasn’t even planning on going this distance. Rather, my co-pilot at home had selected a campground at Walnut Woods State Park near Des Moines, which would have me parked by 6:00. Alas, it was not to be, since it was a Friday night, and the 21 sites at the campground were completely booked for the weekend. No matter how many times I circled the little campground loop, no sites would open up, and the campground hosts were nowhere to be found. I was getting really tired with the extra 20 miles in city rush hour traffic to get here and was hoping to crash in the daily overflow, but with the hosts missing I didn’t want to chance a late night ejection, so I headed out to drive the extra 68 miles to Lake Anita.

Lake Anita camping on lawnNow I had a GPS to get me back the highway so it shouldn’t have been an issue. In fact I had two/three GPS’s. One was the trusty, but somewhat outdated Garmin 2610 on the dash, and the second was the Motorola Droid cell phone using Google Maps for navigation. A smaller battery powered Garmin 60CSx used for Geocaching was resting comfortably in the bureau drawer.

Still, with all this satellite firepower and the fatigue of the miles, I was having a bit of difficulty finding the best way back. And the cell phone GPS was taking me down a dirt road that the Garmin 2610 didn’t even have in its database.

That’s when the final bit of untested technology proved its worth. The boys and I have recently enabled Google Latitude on our cell phones. What this does is allow Lolo (or any other trusted friend) to look at a Google Map and instantly see where in the world you are. It has a few glitches, like when it told Lolo that I was in mainland China, or Andrew in a maternity hospital in NYC, but when it works, Lolo can instantly see where all of her “men” are at any point in time across the country.

While I was driving down the dirt road, frantically in pursuit of some pavement that would get me back to Route 80, the cell phone rang. It was Lolo, asking why I was going down that little road to get to the highway. She could actually see my little smiling face avatar move down the Google Map on her computer. I was amused, impressed, and then grateful when she informed me that the next left turn should get me back to some semblance of civilization.

In another 1.5 hours and around 7:45 I arrived at Lake Anita State Park. Even at this hour it was over 90 degrees with a comparable humidity level. And of course, since it was still Friday night, every electric site was taken, so the promise of a good night’s sleep with continuous air conditioning would remain an unfulfilled fantasy.

However, there were plenty of spaces on the “no hookup” section (I wonder why?), and I quickly found a reasonably level spot to park and ponder my situation. Since there was still an hour before the “quiet time” began, I ran the generator to get some air conditioning and poured myself a tall G&T to help loosen the pains in my neck and back. The micro-wave produced some edible fare, and after a quick shower in the RV I was primed for bed.

At around 2:00 AM the sirens went off, but I had already been up for over an hour. Now I think I know why the people of the Mid-west are as God-fearing as they seem to be. The continuous lightning and thunder storm that I could see from my bedroom window was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. Heron Lake in 2002 was the closest comparable in lightning, but this included torrential rain and wind gusts that rocked the RV. Through the near continuous lightening flashes I could see my unfortunate follow campers with tents, fleeing to their cars while trying to secure the tents in the drenching rain.

At this point, I had only the sirens to contend with. I’m still not sure what the appropriate response to a siren is. As an easterner, I tried to call up Radar Now, or Weatherbug on my cell phone to get a radar visualization of the storm and any warnings, but I had no coverage. Hence, I just watched what my brethren did, and was ready to leave at a moment’s notice if someone suggested that we might be in the path of a tornado.

Finally, the storm seemed to fade away, and I was left to try and get a bit of rest before the next day’s drive to Lake McConaughy.

Description

Lake Anita State Park is located in southwest Iowa about 5 miles south of Interstate 80. The park, which contains a beautiful 171-acre artificial lake, is very popular for swimming, fishing and boating.

There is a campground with 144 sites, all within easy access of the lake.

Travelogue

Lazy Daze camping in Flying JWhile this might be the first time that my name appears on the byline of a trip stop, this is not the first time that I have traveled solo in the RV. That dubious milestone was set this last February, when in an effort to cure a sinus infection, I migrated south for a 3-week stay in Florida. The good news was that it worked!! In a few weeks my infection was cured. The bad news was that I was traveling solo, since Lorry couldn’t leave her 90-year-old mother for such an extended duration.

Despite 10 years of motor home travel across the country, I was still a little anxious about solo travel, and the extended absence from Lolo. I couldn’t do anything about the spousal separation, but before the February solo trip, I did make a few modifications to the RV which included:

• RV Cams 56-CHNV video backup camera and 5.6” monitor
• Six new Michelin LTX M/S tires and a TireTraker tire pressure monitoring system
• Viewsonic 24” HDTV and ASUS 1000he netbook PC
• Android phone for Google Maps navigation and internet connection.

Since everything had performed flawlessly on the 3000-mile solo Florida trip, I was a lot less apprehensive about this trip. I would visit some of our favorite stops on the way out west (same as our 2005 trip), and in less than 5 days be reunited with my family in Boulder, Co. It sounded like a great plan, and spirits were high as I left the driveway and pointed the Lazy Daze west once again.

Morning coffee water with HydroplaneThe Toledo Flying J has been a regular stop for us because it’s the perfect distance from our home for a first nights stay. The 560 miles over 11 hours are not too tough on the first day of a trip when trip fatigue has not yet set in, and the excitement of starting a new adventure is high.

Arriving in time for cocktails I took a spot with a sunset view of the trucks leaving the fuel pumps. My only neighbor was another RV that was trailering a hydroplane boat. I think he was traveling solo too, and I felt somewhat inadequate as I have never trailered anything behind the Lazy Daze. Our 20’ Grady White boat weighs 4000# and sits on a 26’ trailer which would be a bit too much to tow. Perhaps a small car or a motorcycle trailer to carry my Honda ST1100 will be on the hitch on the next trip.

Description

Flying J's are Travel Plazas that cater to truckers and RV's. Their numerous services include gas, a dump stations, propane, fast food restaurant, limited groceries, and even showers and a barber shop. However, the best feature of all is the RV section that allows overnight parking.

They are conveniently located on most of the interstates (except for the East Coast)

Travelogue

Too bad the weather had put a damper on our last two days and caused us to cut our vacation a day short, because otherwise it had been a really great trip—not as dramatic and exciting as some our trips in the past, but really fun nonetheless.

Now it was time to get back to reality. Andrew had the GREs in 3 days and Tommy had to head back up to school the following weekend to lead a freshman orientation backpacking trip. After spending so much time together over the last week, I wasn’t sure whether I was looking forward to or dreading how quiet the house would be when they left. In either case, it is what it is and we would adjust once more.

Description

Our home in Upper Saddle River, a suburb of New York City.