A week in Colorado

[frieed]

This was kind of a last fling with my daughter and her boyfriend before she went off to college this fall.
The original plan called for two nights by Flaming Gorge, followed by a couple nights at my sister's cabin above Idaho Springs CO, with more nights camping and crossing various passes after that. Once we arrived at the cabin, we decided to stay and do day trips from there.

We departed Draper at around noon on Fri. July 29 and motored toward Flaming Gorge via Evanston. We stopped at the Ranger station in Manilla to make sure there were no fire restrictions (there were none) and we climbed up to search for a place to set up camp. The original plan was to do a little sightseeing then make camp, but since we arrived at around 4:30 we decided to find a campsite in case things filled up for the weekend.

We found a really nice spot off of Deep Creek Rd., a numbered loop (914 if I remember) but not a formal campground.

We got the tent up and the grill going for steaks,




Then the kids got the hammocks set up and settled in.



After a tasty meal of steak, garlic fried potatoes, and green beans, we settled in for an evening by the fire.


The following day we woke up to low clouds. I took a walk and then once the kids got up we had some breakfast. We then
took a quick spin through the Sheep Creek geologic loop before heading down to Vernal to do dinosaur stuff.



We ate lunch at the Quarry Grill and Brew Pub in Vernal (highly recommended), went on the the Utah Field House of Natural History (no interesting pics from there), then we went to the quarry at Dinosaur National Monument.






If you haven't seen Dino Nat. Mon. you should add it to your list since it really is amazing.

Now thoroughly tired from the 95* heat we ascended to the campsite, only to be met with rain.
After a simple dinner of spaghetti and meat sauce (covered pots tolerate rain well) the weather broke and we were treated to clear skies and cool temps for the evening, not to mention a stunning display of stars.

 

[frieed]

Sunday dawned with heavy overcast skies so I shook the kids awake early so we could get the camp torn down before the rain hit.
Loaded up, we buzzed on down to Vernal for a leisurely breakfast at Betty's diner. Another win in the food department.
Pancakes, a homemade sausage patty the size of a pancake, and fresh raspberry jam.

We headed out of Vernal on HW 40 and stayed on it through Steamboat Springs and on to Winterpark with rain off and on the whole way.
Leaving Winterpark, we crested Berthoud pass only to be met with stop and go traffic. Apparently, this is normal for Sunday afternoon since most of Denver is returning from the mountains. 8 miles in 1.5 hours and we finally get onto I70 only to get off immediately at Idaho Springs.
I gassed up in Idaho Springs, contacted my sister via their landline before my cell lost service, was ready to head up the mountain when the truck threw a Check Engine Light. The truck would barely idle and would not accept any throttle. Luckily I had my Bluetooth OBDII adapter and Torque app on my phone so I pulled the codes and got two; P2111: throttle stuck open, and P2112: throttle stuck closed. WTF? So I cleared both, restarted, and the truck ran flawlessly the rest of the trip.

Upon arriving at the cabin (on Edith Lake, a private lake) we were greeted by this



with this view from the front porch


Now I understand why Michelle was raving about this place.

I does seem to be infested though



Dinner that night was the Lasagna I brought with me, Caesar Salad, veggies, and a nice bottle of Red.

 

[frieed]

The agenda for the next day was a trip up to Mt. Evans.
At 14,130 ft, this is the highest paved road in the U.S.



The air is a bit thin, but the views are spectacular. We were very lucky with the weather too, a nice balmy 72* with almost no wind.

Looking north



Looking South



After lunch we settled into a few walks around the lake and some fishing to add to dinner of burgers.

 

[frieed]

Tuesday was the day we experienced the Georgetown Loop Railroad and a mine tour.

The steam locomotive (converted to burn diesel)


The Engineer


Devils Gate Bridge



various mine machinery... a pump


A generator



A dynamite warmer (hows that for sketchy?)


Dinner that night was in Idaho Springs at TommyKnockers brew pub.
I had the best fish and chips I've ever had, Ashton had the Bison burger, and Jessica had a very tasty Mac & Cheese

 

[frieed]

Wednesday we took a day trip up to St. Mary's glacier and lake.

A fairly quick but rough hike with a great place to spend the day at the end

 

[frieed]

Thursday was overcast with intermittent rain, but I hiked from the cabin to Sugarloaf peak and back. I fairly simple 7.2 mile hike if it wasn't for the 2200 ft of elevation gain.
Once at the top I snapped this panorama with my phone just before the rain started in earnest and I hightailed it down.




More fishing and sitting by the fire ensued.

Friday I helped my sis and brother in law with a few things around the cabin then hung out with their son when he showed up.
Sat we hit the road by 7:00 am, heading home.
All in all, a great trip.

 

[Hickey]

Thanks for the trip report. I drive through Colorado quite often, but hardly ever get to see more than the interstates. It's an incredible place for outdoor enthusiasts.

 

[Tonkaman]

Awesome trip! Thanks for the pics

 

[Bart]

Great trip report and that is a awesome cabin. Love Idaho Springs, CO.

 

[bryson]

Very cool report!

 

[LT.]

Excellent report with stellar photos. Thank you for sharing.

Rob

 

[zmotorsports]

Excellent report and great pictures. Looks like an awesome time. Beautiful cabin and setting.

Mike.

 

[TJDukit]

Very cool. Really makes me miss the states right now.

 

[frieed]

Thanks for the complements, folks.
The trip really changed my thinking for the next trip, specifically, I'll pick a particular area to explore, set up camp, then do day trips from there.
I can set up more stuff (I have a shower tent and EZ up) and not have to deal with the tear-down and repack very often.

 

[RogueJeepr]

Thanks for the report. If I ever make it into Colorado, I'll definitely try to hit some of these spots.
Mnt. Evens would be a must or Pikes peak.