STATE FOREST STATE PARK (June 10, 2005) |
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Our first trip in June was to State Forest State Park.
We chose site 117 and it was perfect. Long and level, it had lots of
space and trees everywhere! It had been raining before we arrived, and
many of the sites had standing water right where you park the trailer.
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We chose the "scenic" route to State Forest. That
meant going over Berthoud Pass. We encountered rain and even snow!
The easier route would have been I-25 to CO-14 west over Cameron Pass.
If we go back, we'll go that way instead. The one thing we would
change about State Forest is to pave the campground roads and sites.
When it rained, it became very muddy. And on Sunday the dump station
tank filled up before we could get there. That was not a nice
surprise.
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State Forest is near several small lakes. What an
amazing photo this turned out to be.
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One of the trails we hiked had information points to
learn about life in the forest. Here you see Mom reading the
literature for this stop in the hike. We also rode our bikes on
another trail. The weather was cool, sometimes rainy, and never rose
above 60 degrees.
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Dad and his three great kids take a break on their hike
around the beautiful campground. The cooler weather was a welcome
change as well.
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Carly really enjoys going on hikes with us. She
pulls the leash so hard she seems to choke herself. Great snow-capped
mountain in the background.
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The kids learned that over time, this lake will fill with
sediment and plant life and will eventually become a meadow. In the
background you can see the beginning of the process taking place.
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Saturday turned out to be the warmest day...warm enough
to eat lunch outside. Sitting second from the left on the kids row is
Courtney's friend Dani who was camping with her family in water-logged site
111.
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We took the Yukon on a 13-mile off-road
journey....something we would regret later given the amount of dirt and mud
attached to the body. I am happy to report that when we arrived back
home, the Yukon XL was restored to its usual luster.
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Carly patrols the campground looking for vermin and
friendly neighboring campers.
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Saturday night was steak and dogs night (Courtney doesn't
like steak and Cameron and Kendal wanted both steak and hotdogs). They
eat this much and they are only 11 and 8 years old! Well, everything
turned out yummy and nobody went hungry. Melea made Dijon potatoes,
green beans, and French bread to complete the meal. After dinner we
played a mean game of Sorry! and then met our friends at Site 111 (a.k.a
campsite on a lake) and visited around the fire. We stayed there until
nearly midnight. Cameron fell asleep in his chair, and Kendal was
struggling to stay awake. Courtney had no problem staying awake while
playing games with Dani in her camper.
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