We left home about 10 am and stopped at one of the first pullouts on Highway 14, Picnic Rock. Penny was anxious to get in the water to swim! The Poudre River is still running pretty high and fast with the winter snowmelt runoff, so we had her on a harness and leash. She couldn’t keep up trying to catch sticks, but she sure had fun trying. We did find a couple spots where she could play, so she was a happy dog! After drying her off and cleaning her muddy paws, we were back on the road.
We turned off on the Pingree Park Road and kept our eyes out for a spot to boondock (dispersed camping) in the Roosevelt National Forest. All along the 6 mile drive to Jack’s Gulch Campground we saw the charred remains from the 2012 High Park Fire. It was devastating.
The spot we wanted to park in already had a camper and horse trailer and most of the other “free” areas were not at all level, so we ended up in the campground. No problem – it isn’t full and the goal was to get away.
We settled into site 44 and the rain started coming down. We fixed lunch, ate, and as it happens in Colorado, the sun came back out. We took a walk and Penny had a fun time trying to catch the ground squirrels. Back to the RV for reading and naps. We played three games of gin rummy – Tobey is ahead, 2 to 1.
Tobey took Penny for another short walk and then got the grill going … and the rain started again. This time it poured! Tobey was the brave soul with the umbrella by the grill – but the pork chops were perfect. The weather forecast was for 50% chance of rain … and we will probably be lulled to sleep tonight with the drops falling on our roof. Hopefully we will get a hike in between the 60% chance of rain forecast tomorrow – and we hope that some of this rain is making its way to Fort Collins!
Well – we are definitely in Colorado! After dinner the rain stopped and the sun came back out, so we went for a walk around the campground before settling in for the night.
Saturday – July 12
We really slept in today – it was after 8 this morning before we got up! We made bacon and blueberry turnovers, then headed out for a hike. It wasn’t raining, but it was overcast, so we put on jeans and loaded the backpack with ponchos – just to be safe. We headed down Old Flowers Road and planned to follow it to the trailhead leading to Beaver Park. It wasn’t long before we were both shedding our jackets and wishing we had worn shorts!
Penny was having a great time and loved the the hike. She was out in front and always on the lookout for water. We spotted these bluebirds on the trail – they don’t look very blue just sitting there, but you could see the color when they flew.
Before we left Fort Collins, Tobey installed a “Map My Hike” app on his phone so we could tell how far we traveled. After almost two hours of hiking, we finally arrived at the trailhead that leads to Beaver Park – another 1.8 miles up! We started and I wimped out after having hiked 3.5 miles. If we continued to Beaver Park and retraced our steps, it was 10.3 miles round-trip. If we came back on the Beaver Creek trail it would have been over 12 miles. This being my first hike of the season, I wasn’t sure I could handle that far – especially with the mounting clouds. We turned around and headed back to camp. Near the trailhead is a memorial to the crew of a B-17 that crashed nearby during WWII. He have hiked to the crash site before – it is very interesting.
The wildflowers are blooming like crazy up here and it was really fun to see.
We settled into site 44 and the rain started coming down. We fixed lunch, ate, and as it happens in Colorado, the sun came back out. We took a walk and Penny had a fun time trying to catch the ground squirrels. Back to the RV for reading and naps. We played three games of gin rummy – Tobey is ahead, 2 to 1.
Tobey took Penny for another short walk and then got the grill going … and the rain started again. This time it poured! Tobey was the brave soul with the umbrella by the grill – but the pork chops were perfect. The weather forecast was for 50% chance of rain … and we will probably be lulled to sleep tonight with the drops falling on our roof. Hopefully we will get a hike in between the 60% chance of rain forecast tomorrow – and we hope that some of this rain is making its way to Fort Collins!
Well – we are definitely in Colorado! After dinner the rain stopped and the sun came back out, so we went for a walk around the campground before settling in for the night.
Saturday – July 12
We really slept in today – it was after 8 this morning before we got up! We made bacon and blueberry turnovers, then headed out for a hike. It wasn’t raining, but it was overcast, so we put on jeans and loaded the backpack with ponchos – just to be safe. We headed down Old Flowers Road and planned to follow it to the trailhead leading to Beaver Park. It wasn’t long before we were both shedding our jackets and wishing we had worn shorts!
Penny was having a great time and loved the the hike. She was out in front and always on the lookout for water. We spotted these bluebirds on the trail – they don’t look very blue just sitting there, but you could see the color when they flew.
Before we left Fort Collins, Tobey installed a “Map My Hike” app on his phone so we could tell how far we traveled. After almost two hours of hiking, we finally arrived at the trailhead that leads to Beaver Park – another 1.8 miles up! We started and I wimped out after having hiked 3.5 miles. If we continued to Beaver Park and retraced our steps, it was 10.3 miles round-trip. If we came back on the Beaver Creek trail it would have been over 12 miles. This being my first hike of the season, I wasn’t sure I could handle that far – especially with the mounting clouds. We turned around and headed back to camp. Near the trailhead is a memorial to the crew of a B-17 that crashed nearby during WWII. He have hiked to the crash site before – it is very interesting.
The wildflowers are blooming like crazy up here and it was really fun to see.
We were still smiling as we made our trek down the hill. I recently got a new waterproof camera which we took on the hike and it is easier to take “selfies” with!
We made it back to the RV about 1 pm and according to Tobey’s app, we hiked 7.03 miles, had elevation changes from 8264’ to 9000’, and burned 1450 calories. Fun. All three of us were tired and hungry, so we fixed lunch and even gave Penny a noon snack, then we ALL took naps! The rain started around 1:30 – and lasted for a couple hours – glad we chose not to go on or those ponchos would have had a good workout. This is a view from the RV window this afternoon!
After the rain stopped, there were huge puddles near the fire pit where we watched six little birds having a grand time taking a bath! They were in the water splashing around, then hopping on the picnic table to flutter their wings and dry off in the sun. It was humorous and entertaining to watch.
We decided we should take advantage of the lull between the storms and take another walk before fixing dinner. There is a nice trail that circles the campground then we walked the loops in the campground on the way back. Penny loves exploring!
We made it back to the RV about 1 pm and according to Tobey’s app, we hiked 7.03 miles, had elevation changes from 8264’ to 9000’, and burned 1450 calories. Fun. All three of us were tired and hungry, so we fixed lunch and even gave Penny a noon snack, then we ALL took naps! The rain started around 1:30 – and lasted for a couple hours – glad we chose not to go on or those ponchos would have had a good workout. This is a view from the RV window this afternoon!
After the rain stopped, there were huge puddles near the fire pit where we watched six little birds having a grand time taking a bath! They were in the water splashing around, then hopping on the picnic table to flutter their wings and dry off in the sun. It was humorous and entertaining to watch.
We decided we should take advantage of the lull between the storms and take another walk before fixing dinner. There is a nice trail that circles the campground then we walked the loops in the campground on the way back. Penny loves exploring!
We knew that the High Park fire in 2012 had come close to the campground, but we didn’t realize how close until we took this trail – it is just along the edge of the camp! This is one of the views looking back to the east.
We made it back to our RV and we’re still smiling! 
Tobey grilled burgers before the rain started again – now we are waiting for it to let up so we can put the grill away! Another successful day camping in Colorado.
Sunday – July 13
Another lazy morning – sleeping until 8 am! After pancakes and bacon, we packed up the RV and moved to the day-hike parking lot because we wanted to hike part of the Little Beaver Creek Trail. Penny seemed to know the way – we followed the Old Flowers Road for the first half mile – same as yesterday! She was having a ball.
Sunday – July 13
Another lazy morning – sleeping until 8 am! After pancakes and bacon, we packed up the RV and moved to the day-hike parking lot because we wanted to hike part of the Little Beaver Creek Trail. Penny seemed to know the way – we followed the Old Flowers Road for the first half mile – same as yesterday! She was having a ball.
The sun was shining so we wore shorts today and left the ponchos in the RV. After Leaving Old Flowers Road, we turned and headed into the Comanche Peak Wilderness area. It is a nice trail that winds in and out of the forest and follows the Little Beaver Creek. Penny could hear the creek and was beside herself trying to get close enough to swim! About 1-1/2 miles in, there is a wide spot with a log bridge across the creek. It is also a good spot for little dogs to enjoy the water!
She wasn’t happy about getting out, but we had ground to cover!
We passed more wildflowers in bloom – and lots of our beautiful state flower, the columbine. It was really beautiful!
She wasn’t happy about getting out, but we had ground to cover!
We passed more wildflowers in bloom – and lots of our beautiful state flower, the columbine. It was really beautiful!
A little over 3 miles in, we decided to head back to the RV for lunch. Penny wasn’t finished with the creek, so we let her get in a few times on the way back. We did pass one small beaver dam on the creek, but we didn’t see any beavers. 
We ended up hiking 6.21 miles and had a great time – and no rain! We got home about 3:30 and unloaded and cleaned up the RV. Laundry is now in the washer and it’s back to the age-old question, “what’s for dinner?” Until next time, happy trails!
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