Grand Lake boondocking

So, yea… our plans changed [again] since we were last at Crested Butte. With a heat wave rolling through the state, we decided against going to Black Canyon of the Gunnison and then off to Dinosaur National Monument. Those areas were going to be seeing 90’s and up, and there is no way you want to be without air conditioning in that kinda heat in Colorado. So, we aimed high… high elevation that is.

This past week we have been parked in the National Forest just outside of Grand Lake. While it served the purpose of free-camping (4 weeks straight, thankyouverymuch) and cooler temps, the place has gotten a lot more crowded since last I was here. Just about overrun with OHV riders and the big 5th wheels they come with. Still, we found a good spot a little further out than originally planned, and the traffic was manageable. It was to be a short week here anyway – just a single fun-day and the rest were all work-days. At least we did make it back into the National Park for a short drive and hike, but not much else was accomplished other than the boring stuff.

The afternoons in Colorado during the summer are always exciting. Thunderstorms rolled through, one in particular with a ton of lightening, keeping up just wet enough but not too wet. The local Moose family came out for dinner one evening and hung out right outside the trailer for a half-hour or so. And that about caps the excitement of this week. We are off to [near] Steamboat Springs for a few weeks, which should be a bit more exciting and our finale to this summer’s Colorado camping.

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5 Responses

  1. Tina says:

    Love the layout and look of your blog!

    Tina

  2. I went to Stillwater Pass a while back, and the ATV/dirt bike people in the meadow were joined by the gun people. Or maybe they were the same folks. Luckily, when I came back from a day in RMNP, a spot had opened up down on the first part of the road. Much quieter.

    • Van-Tramp says:

      Yea there were a few shooters up there when we were there too, but they were respectful about their distance to others as far as I could tell. It is National Forest, and they do have just as much right to be there as anyone else, so it is just part of the deal with camping on public land.

      Target shooting usually requires some flat land, no road or water (river or lake) or any structures within 150 yards. It is pretty easy to find places in which the shooting is prohibited by the regulations and settle into one of those areas.

      • It’s part of the conflict between those who go out in the boonies to get away from the noise of civilization and those who go out in the boonies to make the noises they aren’t allowed to make in civilization. Sure, they’re allowed to shoot, but it imposes their will on everyone within earshot. It’s presumptuous, especially when they know they aren’t the only ones out there.

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