John Martin Reservoir, Hasty, CO.
A large lake in a desert, what could be better? Basically having the whole area to yourself? Priceless.
Our first full day at John Martin Reservoir was beautiful, calm winds, flat lake, so we kayaked 3.5 miles to a stone outcropping. Every day that the wind was calm we were out on the water exploring the many rocky coves, and watched the pelicans and other birds. There were great trails for bike rides and the open area gave us opportunity to train the dogs to run alongside – great exercise for all. Even our cat Cole got in on the bike action, but he does think he’s a dog, so there’s that. There’s lots of space here for boondockers, including some nice spots lakeside.
March in the Colorado desert means 85o one day and 42o the next! And when the wind blows, it really blows – dust and all, so it’s batten down the hatches or head into town. Las Animas was the closest town of any size and we really enjoyed the Kit Carson Museum. We had a great conversation with the curator and got a taste for what the early days of the area were like. There are other very interesting sites around the community, including the Fort Lyon National Cemetery.
Side note: You know you’ve gone hardcore full-time nomad when your journal entry states, “31st – This shouldn’t be noteworthy, but today was SHOWER DAY! Woohoo!”
BEST MUSEUM AWARD GOES TO…
We passed Bent’s Old Fort a couple times driving to and from Las Animas and so on our travel day we stopped and spent several hours there. Absolutely worth the time!
This is a re-creation of the original fort, located along the Santa Fe Trail, which wasn’t a military fort but for commerce between the various tribes, trappers and buffalo hunters. This fort is so well done. It feels as if everyone who lived and worked there simply dropped their tools and walked away.
I think Bent’s Fort is the best museum/historic site we’ve seen on our travels to date, and the self-guided tour means you can spend as much time as you want. Calvin and I could totally live in a place like this. We had cast iron envy, loved the layout and simplicity, and completely soaked in the vibe of the place. Well done!
April 1st, 2020 brought us to a Forest Road above Woodland Park, CO. It was still pretty snowy at that elevation and all the best boondocking spots were occupied by a logging camp, so we found a little spot for a quick overnight and I learned an important lesson about altitude sickness – my scarred lungs do not like being above 9,000 feet. In the morning, Calvin asked where I wanted to go and my only answer was, “DOWN!”
Manitou Springs was down enough and we do what we almost never do – paid for a site at an RV park. Pikes Peak RV was very gracious, letting us check in before 10 AM and recommending a fantastic breakfast spot a short walk away. Our spot was right next to a bubbly creek that soothed us into a restful sleep.
Manitou Springs is a really neat little tourist town, and we did a pretty thorough drive-around tour of the area, including a loop through Garden of the Gods. The highlight of the day was a huge dog park that a local recommended. We easily spent a couple hours just letting Daisy and Toby run around like maniacs. They loved it!
We continued on to a suburb of Denver to visit friends that I can’t believe has been seven years since we saw each other. Had the most amazing time with Oak and Virginia – we provided the steaks and Oak provided the seasoning – Man, has he mastered the seasoning! Why you’re not selling this, Oak, I will never know!
Woke up the next morning at Camp Cabella!
Easter found us at our second paid camping spot at St Vrain campground not far from Longmont, CO. Easter itself was very busy due to holiday day-users, but come 6 PM the place got really quiet. My favorite feature of St. Vrain is the pond. I got to paddle around on clear, calm water for hours, even got some work done in my kayak office. Monday and Tuesday at the campground were very peaceful and we finally had a chance to catch our breath after some pretty stressful travel days. Still, it was a very expensive splurge – three nights paid camping – and being in developed campgrounds means the animals are contained in one way or another, which does not make for happy adventure critters.
We’re sure the wide open spaces of Wyoming will be more our style.