We have had several happy accidents with regards to campsites. At Arches, we were planning to backpack, but the park ranger recommended that we not. We learned from some cyclists that most parks have nice campgrounds for backpackers and cyclists, but Arches is small and does not. So we made a mad dash for the trail we wanted to hike before dark. When we got there, the official booked-six-months-in-advance campground did not say “Full.” It turned out that they were working on the big site that is set aside for church groups and Scouts and whatnot, and so were allowing individuals to set up for one night at a time. That is where we met the cyclists, a couple on day 50 of 90 or so. They saved up and quit their jobs and liked everything except wind.
After Arches, we set our GPS for Dinosaur National Monument, which is on the border of Colorado and Utah to the north. We ended up on the far eastern Colorado end, where the road dead-ended. There were no dinosaurs and no access to the rest of the park.
However, there was this beautiful campground that we had nearly to ourselves. A ranger waded across the river and disappeared into the brush for a few hours. When she came back, she said she was checking the fences and that this spot was popular in the spring for river rafters, but now it is too low. She showed us where to go, 45 miles away, for the dinosaurs.
Right this minute, we are holed up in our tent in Wyoming, waiting for the rain to stop. September 28th. I am not sure when I will be able to post this. Last night was the lunar eclipse. The moon looked like it was obscured by smoke, and the stars were spectacular.
No comments:
Post a Comment