Camping at 9,000 feet

Last year we were less than pleased with our state park experience in Colorado.  I couldn't believe that was the best that the centennial state had to offer, so we started searching for other campgrounds for future trips. 

Spot #15

What we discovered was Reverend's Ridge campground at Golden Gate Canyon State Park. It sounded like absolute heaven to us - up in the mountains (over 9,000 feet we found out), surrounded by pine trees, no cell or internet service, and plenty of nearby hikes.  Oh, and also only 30 miles outside of Denver!

The pad for our trailer was the biggest I have ever seen. We could have easily put in two trailers and trucks of our size in our spot! 

Since it is so close to Denver, this place books up FAST. We had a hard time reserving a spot even though we were doing it 6 months in advance (which is when they start accepting reservations). Every night we were there EVERY spot was reserved.

Our campsite was HUGE as well! 

Since we had a very specific window that we wanted to be there, we didn't get the spot we had our eye on, and instead got a pull through spot on the interior of the loop.  Which meant that we had clear views into the other spots that were also on the interior of the loop.  So, even though we were up in the trees, and our spot was huge, it wasn't very private, which was a bummer.

Fire time! 

Luckily, the majority of the neighbors we had over the 10 nights were really quiet - except for a group of 50 something ladies who came up for a girls weekend.  We still spent plenty of time outside enjoying our hammocks in the afternoons and fires in the evenings (when the weather cooperated - it got much cooler and rained more as the week went on).  We even got out Mr. Woody and cooked up some smores!

Mr. Woody toasting some marshmallows

We started off continuing with our running/work/hiking plan for the first half of our stay.  Let me tell you - trying to run or hike when you are out of shape at 9,000 feet is NOT easy.

All smiles as we start our hike

We chose a 3 mile hike that was labeled "moderate" as our first hike.  The trail head started in camp and it was supposed to take us to a place called "panorama point", so it sounded like a great idea. 

A beautiful day for a hike

 However, the trail guide failed to mention that this hike basically scaled down the side of a canyon and back up - TWICE.

You can't tell, but this path is not only rocky, but also straight up

 It was much more difficult than we were prepared for - even after a summer of miles of hiking, the elevation was something we were not prepared for.

A short FLAT portion of the hike

Pretty purple wildflowers

Even though we suffered through it, we both really enjoyed the views and the hike itself. And, panorama point definitely lived up to its name! 

Mountains in the distance at panorama point

After that hike, we were both a little beat up and sore, so we pretty much took it easy for the rest of our time.  We spent a lot of time just relaxing - a lot of reading and just enjoying the nature around us.  I tried to soak it all up because I don't know when we won't be able to be in this type of environment again.

Sunset back at camp

Now we are back on the road on our way back home. In just a short 24 hours, we should be pulling in at home! We are currently in the same KOA in Salina we stayed at for our last stop last year to use their electricity and water to do all of our laundry, get the trailer clean, and get ourselves all packed up so that when we get home it will be easier and quicker to unpack.

I have a couple of wrap up blog posts planned, so hopefully I can get those done in the next few days!

Run, Work, Hike, Repeat...

Our week in Rocky Mountain National Park was the end of the "tourist" portion of our summer trip.  We spent the first half of our vacation going to new places to see and experience.  Since RMNP we have moved to Cheyenne Mountain State Park - just outside of Colorado Springs - to start the "camping" portion of our trip.  That means (to me anyway) that instead of sightseeing, we have been just hanging out at camp.  It has been a wonderful change of pace!! Our daily agenda has been to wake up, go for a run (we are following the couch to 5K model), come back to camp and work in our shaded shelter, then hike one of the many hikes located directly in the park.

 I don't know if it is because I am so happy to be out of that RV park, but I am really loving it at this state park. It is really close to Colorado Springs (and directly next to Fort Carson) - in fact we can see the entire city from up here on the side of the mountain - which is normally a negative for me, but I am actually really enjoying the views.  It is especially pretty at night with all the city lights.

Kora watching a bunny

Enjoying a fire.

View out the back of our site at night.

Even though we are really close to civilization we saw a ton of wildlife.  On my very first run (through beautiful thick fog) I came around a corner and was face to face with a deer.  So far we have seen a large snake (gopher snake?), prairie dogs, tons of bun buns (rabbits), birds, and some super large (like 2 inches long) beetle.

Our site is great - private and we are backed up to the edge of the cliff so we have great views out the back of the city and farmlands.  Our spot is huge - definitely big enough for us - with a concrete pad that was already level. Plus we have full hook ups here AND even a laundry facilities! And, we are only 2 miles from a Safeway so it was a piece of cake to get groceries.

View out the back of our campsite.

Tomorrow we are leaving and heading to our last big destination before heading back home and getting back to reality.  We are staying at another state park that is in the woods with NO cell or internet service.  So if you don't hear from us for 10 days or so, you know why.  It will be interesting to stay for so long without any phone or internet, but I am ready for the challenge!  I am super excited about some more "real" camping before having to head back to reality!!

Rocky Mountain National Park

We just left Rocky Mountain National Park after spending a glorious week there exploring the region. Just a warning - this post is going to be quite long since I am cramming our entire week into one post! 

The first few days we laid low, spending time working at camp, getting groceries, and exploring Estes Park while my leg healed from the ladder of doom on the Notch Trail back in the Badlands NP.  After I could finally walk without hobbling around, we did a "practice" 1/2 mile hike around Bear Lake.  This is the most popular hike in the park and it was easy to see why.  The lake was beautiful and the trail is very easy - paved and fairly wide the whole way round. That also meant that there were HUNDREDS of people on this trail at the same time.  Not exactly the type of hike we usually look for, but it was pretty and it confirmed that my leg was ready for a "real" hike.

Bear Lake

So, the next day we ventured back to the Bear lake region to hike the 1.8 miles (straight up!) to Emerald Lake (3.6 miles RT).  Because it gets so busy (there are several trail heads in this region) they offer a free hiker shuttle from a large parking lot a few miles away.  It sounded like a great deal until we got there and saw this huge line.

Waiting in line for the shuttle to take us to Bear Lake and our trail head

The park service was on top of their game, though. They had buses running every 5-10 minutes or so, and we didn't have to wait TOO long. However, once on, they make stops at the various major trail heads (I think there are 4 total?) and our trail head was the very last stop. That meant it took us about an hour just to get to start our hike after parking the truck.  

SELFIE!

Once we got there, we finally started our hike. This hike goes up into the mountains past 2 small lakes (Nymph and Dream lakes) with the trail finishing at Emerald lake.  This hike is labeled as "moderate" and the first half (to Emerald Lake) was a consistent climb, often with stairs (boo!) with a total elevation gain of almost 700 feet. 

The lakes and the surrounding area WAS beautiful, but the entire trail was PACKED with people. But, the lake at the end helped make up for the mass of people.  

Emerald Lake

The next day we decided to try a different location (and to go MUCH earlier) to see if we could avoid the crowds a bit.  We chose the 2.8 (5.4 RT) mile hike out to Ouzel falls based on a review we overheard from a local on the trail the previous day. 

So, by 7:45 am we were hiking this gorgeous trail.  We were a little lower in elevation and you could really tell by the different ecosystem from the previous day.  The whole hike takes you along the river/creek past several falls and cascades until you finally reach Ouzel falls.  Along the way you walk through a portion of the forest that was burned in a fire the same year I was born.  It was pretty cool to see an entire "baby" forest that is growing that is the same age as me! 

A forest the same age as me!

We also saw some wildlife including a snowshoe hare, a blue grouse, and a chipmunk.  We heard from the park rangers when we were leaving that some people right before us spotted a black bear and two cubs! I am bummed we didn't get to see a bear!!!

Critters on our hike

This hike was AMAZING. We both loved it. Beautiful scenery, peaceful nature.  Just lovely.  It was  longer than the the Emerald Lake hike, and it actually had more of an elevation gain, but it felt better because A) not very many stairs (have I mentioned that I hate those built in "stairs" using logs in trails?) B) hardly any people on the way up.

Ouzel Falls

We encountered TONS of people on the way back down though and by the time we reached the parking lot, it was completely full - they were having to turn cars away or make them wait for someone to come back out and leave!

Ouzel Falls

The next day we gave our legs a break and drove into Boulder to meet up with Jason's cousin and her husband.  It was great to see her (it has been probably close to 10 years since we have seen her!).  We had a nice lunch and walked around downtown Boulder and chatted.  

Cousin meet-up in Boulder!

For our last full day we chose to hike something completely different - the Ute trail up in the alpine tundra. 

Ute Trail Panorama

It was amazing - we were up at over 11,000 feet and had incredible views of the surrounding mountain ranges - and Estes Park at our turnaround point. 

Images from Ute Trail 

The hike was relatively flat, but at such high altitudes AND having to scramble over rocks the entire hike, it made it a little more of a workout.

The elevation at our highest point in our hike

It was so nice to end our time in RMNP in a completely different type of hike - it allowed us to get into the mountains and see the park from a different point of view - complete with wildlife, like the several Yellow-Bellied Marmots we saw near the trail. 

Some interesting plants and animals in the alpine tundra (including a Yellow-Bellied Marmot and some Rocky Mountain Sunflowers

After our hike, we ventured back into Estes Park to check out the Stanley Hotel. Jason is lucky because I had completely forgotten that the Stanley Hotel was right next to where we are staying. They offer several different tours, including an overnight ghost tour!!! (For those of you who don't know, the show Ghost Hunters went to the Stanley several years ago). If I had remembered in time I would have totally signed us up for that.  As it was, they made us pay $5 to park and then they only allowed us on the grounds and the lobby area of the hotel. They had everything else off limits except for people on tours or guests. It was still pretty cool to be there - it was a beautiful old hotel.

The Stanley Hotel in Estes Park

We really enjoyed the Rockies, but our RV park, Elk Meadow RV Park, was a little weird. It had some definite pros; the roads and sites were really big and easy to navigate, the buildings on the property were all historical buildings (like the old RMNP lodge that was reassembled on site here), and the RV park was literally on the border of the national park, so that made it very accessible.   But, there were also some cons - there was NO PRIVACY at all. Just a huge open field where we were all parked. Also, they have a million rules and it felt like it wasn't a very friendly environment with a bunch of "don't _______" signs covering everything. Plus, even though they had a ton of rules, they didn't seem to enforce any of them, like not allowing kids under 16 to be in the hot tubs. We did get a view of the mountains out the back, but that also included a view of a storage lot of RVs.  With all that said, it should be noted that we didn't really see anything that looked any better.

Some actual elk at the edge of the RV park!

We had a great time in the park area but were definitely ready to move onto our next adventure!

South Dakota Part 2

We were just as active on the second half of our time in South Dakota as we were on the first.  On Thursday we stayed in camp and did a bunch of needed chores and work and then we proceeded into downtown Sturgis to check out the local culture.  As some of you probably know, Sturgis is the location of the famous annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally where motorcycle enthusiasts from all over the country converge during the first week of August.  Jason and I are not that into motorcycles, but we have friends who are, and even a couple of friends who rode from Oregon to Sturgis to go to the rally two years ago.  So, we were curious about the town has been running this rally for 74 years.

We scoured the internet and came up with a list of half a dozen or so bars (or saloons as they seem to be called here!) that were supposed to be the best (at least during the rally).

The Knuckle

We went first to the Knuckle Saloon.  It was interesting because it is also a little mini museum of antiques and the surrounding area.  I thought it had a pretty cool vibe in there - plus we discovered a local microbrew - Crow Peak which is brewed in Spearfish. I really like the Canyon Cream Ale and Jason liked the 11th hour IPA and the Pile O' Dirt Porter. Plus, the cans were absolutely beautiful!  We also had some amazing Buffalo Blue Beef Tips as our first round of food for the night.

One-Eyed Jack's Saloon

Our second stop was more of a dive bar called the Oasis Fireside. From there we moved onto One-Eyed Jack's Saloon, which was both of our favorite spot - although clearly not a regular for the folks that live in Sturgis - we were the only ones inside!  It was huge with quite the assortment of stuffed animals on the walls.  Also some very well done murals were in each room giving them a different theme.

Other saloons we visited

We also went to Easyriders (which felt a lot like being inside a Chili's or something - not a lot of local culture) and from there to Sidehack's Saloon (which was having their weekly biker night).  All in all, we had a fun time exploring downtown and the various saloons we made it too.  We really enjoyed how there weren't too many people there, and I seriously can't quite imagine the chaos that it must be like when the rally is going on.

On Friday (and the Fourth of July) we left early to head down to Mount Rushmore National Memorial.

Mount Rushmore Selfie!!

The memorial is amazing - they have done a great job making it accessible for everyone and the exhibits were very interesting.

Row of flags and Mount Rushmore

I really enjoyed taking the short hike that takes you up close and personal (like, if you ever wanted to stare up a president's nostril, here is your chance!).  Since we were there fairly early it wasn't very crowded yet.

We actually waited in line to get this picture up George Washington's nose.  Worth it?

By the time we were done with our short "hike" president reenactors had just come out and were taking pictures.  It was pretty much a once in a lifetime opportunity to get to be at such a patriotic place on the Fourth of July AND to get our picture taken with President Lincoln AND George Washington, all with a great shot of the sculptures in the background!!  

George Washington and Abraham Lincoln! 

By the time we left the memorial, it was starting to get really crazy. The line of cars just waiting to get in stretched far beyond what I could see - once again, so glad we got there early! Then we drove the short drive to Crazy Horse Memorial.

Crazy Horse Memorial

So, this is a huge rock sculpture that memorializes Crazy Horse.  It will be HUGE when it is completely finished - like 10 times bigger than Mount Rushmore or something like that. It is being completely built by donations, gifts, and entrance fees (which were crazy expensive - $11 per PERSON vs the $11 per entire carload at Mt. Rushmore). 

What the memorial will eventually look like when completed

They were doing a special blast for the Fourth of July, but we left early - which turned out to be a good thing because, again, as we were leaving, there was a LONG line of cars trying to get in, and no real parking spots left.

"The Fighting Stallions" 

Something about this place didn't set right with me for some reason. I walked away feeling like I had been scammed somehow. The food at the restaurant that we had for lunch was not good. At all.  I am glad that we went since we were right next to it, but I definitely get the hype behind it.

After Crazy Horse, we drove out to Jewel Cave to try to take in a tour - but apparently since it was a holiday weekend, they were super busy and we would have had to wait over 2 hours to take a tour. We weren't all that interested in sitting around, especially since we had some grocery shopping to do and a 90 minute car ride back to our camp, so we scrapped the cave tour.

Badlands Selfie!

On our last full day in South Dakota, we drove out to Badlands National Park to check it out and take in a hike.

So many different colors here!

We had heard about Notch Trail and depending on which description you read was either going to be very difficult (or even impossible!!) or super easy.  Based on our current level of fitness, we figured it would be somewhat of a challenge. 

Hiking Notch Trail

The hike is not very long and a lot of it is fairly flat.  Then, you come up to this "ladder" that you have to scale to get up to the upper level of the hills. Going up was not that difficult, but going down was a whole different situation. 

Climbing the ladder

Once at the top, you hike along a very narrow path hugging the cliff for a bit until it levels back out and you continue your hike in a canyon.  

You are rewarded at the end of a stunning view of the park and surrounding areas.

Made it to the end!

The hike was amazing - I am so glad we did it. It was quite hot and that little bit of a climb and some of the scrambling you have to do to get over some rocks was somewhat difficult, but the views were awesome and hiking through the canyons was like being on another planet. I have never seen rock quite like this before.

Amazing

After getting to the end, we had to make our way back and down the ladder again.  Luckily for us we only had one couple waiting to come up for us, so we didn't create too much of a log jam.  The bigger issue was that somehow I pulled a muscle in my left quad coming down this ladder. The steps were not evenly spaced and I think that I over reached for one of the steps.  After a couple of days I am finally getting better, but it was fairly annoying to have to hobble around everywhere! 

And this is how you hurt yourself, climbing down a ladder!

The Badlands were very pretty. My camera once again doesn't bring out all the subtle colors. There were some places that looked almost rainbow-like in the layers of color. 

Wall Drug Store

On the way back to camp, we stopped at a "famous" tourist trap - Wall Drug.  I had been seeing signs along the freeway for this place for hundreds of miles as we drove from the Tetons to here.  I figured we had to check it out since we were literally going through Wall to get back home. So, we went in....and almost immediately back out. This place is HUGE and is filled to the brim with crap. Between the amount of people and how close all the shelves of tourist trinkets (and all kinds of other crazy items) it started to really freak me out.  I don't do well in places like that - makes me super anxious.  I am pretty sure that I didn't hurt Jason's feelings when I told him I was done! I guess there are all sorts of different rooms with all kinds of random stuff in that may or may not be better than the parts we saw, but that is one place I personally don't ever need to go to again! 

All in all I really loved the parts of South Dakota we saw. I was surprised at how much I liked it - I really felt at home in the Black Hills. I could definitely see going back - there is definitely enough to keep us busy for a really long time!