After our Eleven Mile State Park stay, we went back to Manitou Springs for a couple days to visit Pike’s Peak. Chris has never been to the top, he wanted to check that out…We’ll cover that in a separate post later.
After Pike’s Peak, we kind-a back-tracked somewhat and went back up thru Woodland Park, Lake George and headed west towards Granite and Clear Creek Reservoir. Were gonna stay at the campground on the west side. It’s supposed to be free?!? We’ll check it out and see. Not a spectacular drive over, but not too bad. Some spots with good views and good scenery. A lot of flat high county.
We get to the campground and get a good spot, pretty close to Clear Creek. There was a few other campers and RV’ers there already, but not packed by any means! Most were hunters actually, It’s Elk Bow Season and Muzzle Loaders season. Nice, quiet spot…AND it’s FREE! The only stipulation is that everyone that stays there has to have either a hunting or fishing license. There are no services or utilities here…so we’re boondocking! LOVE IT!
We get set up pretty quick, Chris finds a spot and sets his tent up. Have to stop every 3.4 minutes and throw the toy to the dog….if not sooner. Very windy here in the valley, playing heck with the tent. Pretty cheap Coleman tent, we’ll see if it holds up to these winds.
First night is good, slept very well. That is until we woke up to TWENTY SIX (26) degrees!! It was COLD! Normally, one would get up and turn the furnace on, but ours has a bad circuit board. Seems this model has a problem with water getting into it and frying it. So that’s not possible. So I get up and start the inverter and turn on the electric heater. Warmth comes pretty quick.
So the first full day here we’re going to get out and check things out. We drove up the valley on a county dirt road. Map says there is a couple small “Ghost Towns” up there. The first one is Vicksburg Mining Camp. After a bone jarring, cervical disk rupturing drive that seem like forever, we arrive. It was NOT worth it, sorry Historical Society. A few buildings, some equipment sitting around the grown up yard, all locked up and deteriorating. There was another one several miles on up the road, decided to not risk the ruptured disk and turned around. Didn’t find any good fishing spots either. Not much on the agenda today, explored, relaxed, did a little fishing in Clear Creek. Pretty sure these fish were “native” fish. Very difficult to catch. You have to sneak up on them, after a few casts in each area, they know you’re there and you might as well move on.
Not sure which day the cheap tent bit the dust, but it did. Just could not stand up to some of the afternoon wind gusts. So, Jr and Jr dog join us in the trailer. Normally, a 97 lb German Shepard would not be welcomed in an RV Queen bed, but I think we’ll need the body heat for these frosty mornings!
