WHITE RIVER NATIONAL FOREST - HEATON BAY (August 11, 2007)

Heaton Bay is a campground on Dillon Reservoir in Frisco. According to my book, Colorado Campgrounds: 100 Best and all the Rest, Heaton Bay ranks among the top 5% of all Colorado Campgrounds. What we didn't know however, is that Heaton Bat is closed for the season due to clear-cutting to remove trees killed by pine beetles. Our reservation was cancelled and refunded back in January, but we missed it on our statement.

So after washing and waxing the camper, washing the truck, packing the Porta-bote, all our bikes, inline skates, and enough food and beverages for a long weekend, we arrived at Heaton Bay only to turn around and haul everything back to Castle Rock. Sure, we tried to find any available site at nearby campgrounds, but this is Colorado. Everything was booked solid.

Courtney cried. This was her trip to plan every meal. She was so heart-broken. I didn't fully understand how much she loves to go camping until this happened. For me, sure, I was upset, but not horribly. This is our 4th season camping and we have had 33 enjoyable trips since 2004 (not including the rattlesnake at Jackson Lake and the trip to Eleven Mile). We burned 1/2 a tank of gas driving to Frisco and back in one afternoon. We packed the camper at 12:30 PM and unpacked it at 5:30 PM.

Melea and I talked that evening and wanted to salvage the weekend, especially since Courtney was so disappointed. So, we spent all Saturday here.