4th of July, Unabridged

A cancellation at the Winding River Resort in Grand Lake, CO, allowed us to plan an extended weekend up there.  The plan and reservations were for Thursday through Sunday, but Wednesday afternoon came and we packed in a hurry and left anyway.  I was hoping at least 1 campsite would be available at Rocky Mountain National Park since it was Wednesday, but no such luck.  The Elk Meadow Lodge and RV Resort just outside the main entrance to the NP had a number of spots open for the evening, so we pulled in there in the nick of time.  A nasty storm reached us from the mountains just after we set up the camper for the night.  I'm liking having a camper :)

The next morning we did some shopping at the Estes Park Safeway.  I don't believe we have ever seen a Safeway that busy.  We continued up Fall River Road and into the NP.

This was the first trip with our Jeep in tow.  I had just gotten the truck setup for towing the Jeep with the camper the same week.  The camper hangs out the rear of the truck about 18", so towing the Jeep normally would cause the Jeep to interact with the rear camper jacks.  I used a 12" off-the-shelf hitch extension to give the Jeep just enough room for turning.  A U-turn would still cause a problem, so we just have to pay attention.  We were able to park the camper and use the Jeep to tool around to town and such all weekend.  Having the Jeep was great.

On up Trail Ridge Road, we finally spotted a herd of elk above tree line.  If you've never been on Trail Ridge Road, it is a fantastic ride.  Rising to 12,183 feet, it follows a path offering spectacular views of the mountains, valleys, and everything in between.

We continued down the other side of the Continental Divide and on to Winding River Resort, just outside the NP entrance.  After checking in, setting up, and having a nice quiet lunch in the camper, we set out for Grand Lake.  We parked at the town park by the lake and walked to the docks.  The grass was wet, so we sat on a bench enjoying the lake atmosphere while keeping on eye on our little Calvin at play.  After finishing off a root beer float from the local ice cream shop, we walked up to the downtown boardwalk shops.  It drizzled off and on the rest of the afternoon.  We took some time and walked around the entire campground and eventually made our way over to the Thursday night ice cream social.  It turned cold as the sun set.  After a quick wander around to see the ponies, cows, bunnies, goats, pigs, and sheep, we headed back to the camper.  And all night it rained.  I'm liking having a camper :)

Friday morning it rained.  I wanted to go hiking, though.  We did our normal morning routine and I got things ready to go on a 3.5 mile hike along the east shore of Shadow Mountain Lake.  Calvin had fallen asleep in the Jeep before we made it to the trail head.  We pulled him out of the car seat and strapped him in the child carrier backpack.  He woke up smiling.  The rain was letting up and drizzled off and on for a while.  Mommy pulled away in the Jeep while Calvin bobbed along as I hiked down the trail.

The trail crosses over the river a 1/2 mile or so downstream of the Shadow Mountain Lake Dam.  The area was clearly getting a lot of wet weather this year and all the rivers and creeks were rushing, the lakes and wetlands full.  Our trail made it's way back up to the dam via a boardwalk at the mouth of an entire valley of grasses swaying softly just above a vast marsh.  The sun was shining as we hiked past the dam and along the east shore of the lake.  Calvin started to nod off again and bobbed behind me for the next couple miles.  Most people we pass would comment on how good Calvin had it.  Being carried in a comfy seat with a gentle bounce certainly sounds nice.  Maybe my dad would do that for me :)  Calvin and I were playing as we hiked past the Shadow Mountain Lookout Tower trail and I stepped aside as a couple came jogging down the lookout trail and past us.  Clouds started building again as Calvin laughed hysterically when he would grab my hat and pull my head backwards.  We played like this for some time as it started drizzling.  A final short climb up the trail brought us to the East Shore Trail Head.

We arrived much earlier than expected.  I was anticipating a 5.5 mile hike, while it ended up being only 3.5, so Jenn wasn't yet waiting for us.  I could see a larger storm just to the west, clearly dumping rain on the area.  I had no mobile phone service, so I asked a gentleman we passed earlier if we could take some shelter in his car while the storm passed.  He was in no hurry, as his wife and kids were shopping in town.  Sam was vacationing with his family from Texas.  Calvin sat on my lap and ate lunch meat, cheese, and raisin bread while Sam and I talked about hiking, careers, fireworks, and weather.  The storm had abruptly turned north as we had climbed in the car, so it only drizzled and later rained lightly while we sat talking and entertaining Calvin.  An hour passed before Jenn drove in earlier than planned at 2:30pm.  She didn't see us in the car and backed into a parking spot where she could easily see us at the trail head.  Calvin and I thanked Sam for the shelter and walked over to the Jeep.

Jenn was surprised to see us, and glad to see we were okay.  She hasn't yet gotten accustomed to being away from Calvin for long periods and was just glad to see us.  I was tired and hungry, so on our way back to camp we stopped by the Trail Ridge Grill for a buffalo burger.

After relaxing and playing with Calvin at camp, we had dinner and went for a walk around a nearby mountain neighborhood.  The dirt roads were muddy and filled with large puddles all weekend.  I wonder if they make mud terrain tires for strollers?  Kodo's paws, legs, and underbelly were caked with dirt and mud.  I'm liking having a camper :)

Saturday morning, the 4th of July, brought more rain as I packed up the backpack again for another hike.  The plan was to take the Tonahutu Trail from the North Inlet Trail Head and head to the Kawuneeche Visitor Center on our way back to camp.  This route is a heavily used horse route by the local horseback riding operations.  I didn't actually encounter any horseback riders, though the trail was dug deep by horses.  I had little knowledge of this area and never hiked here before.  I was a little worried the trail would be to steep for me with Calvin on my back.  By the time I had reached the spur trail turning towards the visitor center, I had barely warmed up and Calvin was still having lots of fun.  The Tonahutu Trail closely follows Tonahutu Creek, which like others, was flowing wildly at max capacity.  I decided to try and text Jenn that the plan was too short and I was going to continue on up Tonahutu Trail  and head to Green Mountain Trail Head via Green Mountain Trail.  After a couple attempts, the text message was sent and I decided to continue on my alternate route.

The trail was very muddy due to the weather and required very good hiking boots.  A couple of guys wearing tennis shoes passed me slowly while I continued to hike.  They had a tough time navigating the mud.  After a short time they stopped, waiting for the 3 women following behind.  I took the opportunity to get one of them to help give Calvin a drink from his sippy cup, which I could only do by removing the backpack.  As the 3 women in their group came up they laughed at the sight and we talked briefly about Calvin.  They decided to stop here and turn around.  I continued up the trail.

The trail climbed consistently, but easily, alongside the creek.  Two short sections climbed a little more steeply.  It rained off and on throughout the morning hiking.  It started to clear up finally, but the stillness brought out the mosquitos.  I had not planned on the little buggers, and ended up hiking a fast pace rubbing and swatting at my arms and shoulders the next mile or two.  I was hoping to spend some time at the Big Meadows area for lunch and a rest.  By the time I reached the area I was still swarmed and Calvin was getting hungry.  I pushed on a short while to the Green Mountain Trail intersection and had enjoyed the Big Meadows views only briefly.  I watched in my rear view mirror while mosquitos attacked Calvin's head.  Calvin didn't seem to notice.  At the trail intersection I asked several people for some repellent.  The first group had a single dried out wipe that I tried using anyway.  I could still smell the chemicals and I think it did help a little.  The next couple had brought some spray and were happy to help.  This helped tremendously.  Mosquitos were still around and eager to attack, but at least it calmed down enough to feed Calvin some lunch.

Calvin was pretty oblivious to the mosquitos and slowly ate his cheese and bread while he diverted his attention back and forth to rocks, dirt, people, and everything else that was new.  A lone hiker was coming up to the intersection during this time, and I noticed he had a little girl of his own in his backpack carrier.  We talked briefly about the mosquitos and how he didn't think of bringing repellent, either.  Just as he was about to continue on, the same couple I borrowed some spray from came back up the trail, heading back.  They were more than happy to let the other hiker and little girl use some of their spray, as well.  I packed up earlier than I had hoped when it started drizzling again.  A group of teenagers watched as I strapped Calvin back in the backpack seat.  One guy was intrigued by the backpack, saying he had never seen anything like it before.

Calvin and I headed down the Green Mountain Trail, which climbed up a small ridge before heading downhill the remainder of the hike.  Just as I took Calvin off and took him out of his seat under a bathroom structure roof at the trail head, it started to rain hard.  Jenn was not waiting for us.  The text message I had sent earlier did not specify what time I expected to be at the trail head, nor did it explicitly let her know I wanted her to pick us up there.  After the rain stopped and Calvin and I played with rocks and zippers for some time I asked a fellow coming out of the bathroom if he had mobile phone service.  I did not.  He did and let me borrow his phone to call Jenn.  Turned out Jenn had every intention of picking us up but was confused about what I'd want to do since I had the Rocky Mountain National Park entrance pass with me.  At $20 for a simple day pass, I understood our plight.  I could either spend another $20 or hike with Calvin another 5 or so miles.  I saw Jenn round the bend in the road a few minutes later.  I pointed at the Jeep coming and told Calvin that Mommy was coming.  I asked if he could see Mommy.  Before we could even make out the driver's face, Calvin was looking at the Jeep and started to hesitantly wave, recognizing the Jeep, but not the driver.  As soon as Jenn was clearly visible and waving back, Calvin's smile grew big and he waved more insistently.  It's so much fun to watch Calvin become more aware and be able to visibly see him understand a situation and react accordingly.

During the afternoon and evening we played in the camper as it rained.  I was headstrong about going to see the fireworks show at 10pm.  Jenn was a little worried about trying to take a 1 year old to see fireworks.  We agreed to try.  After the rain stopped and the evening starting cooling down, we put Calvin down for a nap at 8:15p and would wake him up in 30min or so.  Jenn knew this was kind of a bad idea, but she let me continue with the plan.  At 8:45p, Calvin started stirring, so I went to get him out of bed.  "WAAAAAAAHHH!" was all we heard for the next 30min or so.  He did not like being woken up.  I was almost ready to give up and cancel the idea when we tried putting him in the car seat in the Jeep.  He started quieting down and it looked like it might work.

We had scoped out town earlier to see where we might want to watch from.  Grand Lake only has one way in and one way out.  You can then go into the downtown area, or travel a higher road around town to the far end of the lake itself, where a trailhead and public boat launch offer a wide open space at the shore's edge.  As we approached the town's main entrance, cars were already lined up on the shoulder, parked.  We were still a mile from downtown.  We continued on our plan up the higher road towards the boat launch area.  The cars and people thinned out quickly along this road, most clearly headed into downtown.  The boat launch was filled with cars, but not quite packed.  The little Jeep fit easily in a space between some other cars, the hood pointing directly at the center of the lake.  Calvin was still doing fine.  We climbed out of the Jeep and stood around waiting for the show.