Mining, specificly Gold mining, was the prime motivator in populating this area many years ago.
Our time off is spent driving along narrow, crooked mining roads that cling precariously to mountains.
Ghost towns, old mines and mills, as well as some restored residences, are real eye candy along our routes !
The air is a bit thinner and cooler here at our Summertime hideout, Columbine campground, 9200 feet up in the front range of the Rocky Mountains.
Nonetheless, a couple of sharpeyed geocacher’s spotted our travelbug hiding on the back of our campsite’s name board.
Steep and twisty, yet wonderfully beautiful, the road up to Guanella Pass, will constantly amaze as it is traversed.
Click photos for better view.
Guanella Campground is a marvelous primitive campground that can be above the clouds, as in this photo. Denver, the mile high city, is located down below the clouds in this photo.
The climb up to the pass reveals several nice lakes that generate power. Note the large power line tower in the background.
This series of pretty lakes has day use and picnic sites , located along the crooked climb up to the pass.
Restrooms and parking areas at trailheads, make access to the hiking trails quite handy.
Our days off from our campground management job are usually spent exploring our new assignment’s ranger district. We are in the Arapaho National Forest’s Clear Creek district.
This, our fourth year of full time RV’ing, is also filled with lots of sightseeing.
Jeepin’ the Rocky mountains is a continuous chain of marvelous sights. Our time off is spent exploring and muttin’ aroun’ in the Jeep. Here is a peek.
This road dropped off down into Idaho Springs. It was a first gear drive, all the way down.
The Bald Mountain Trading Post was closed as we passed through on our way to the parachute steep drop down into Idaho Springs.
This remote, ancient Rocky Mountain mining town had way more to see than we had time for. We will be back to see more of Nevadaville Colorado.
Echo Lake campground in Clear Creek Ranger District, is up pretty high, but it is worth every minute of the very beautiful drive.
Click photos for a better look.
Click the photo for a view that will let you read the sign with all the details about North America’s highest highway.
That is echo lake in the background behind the sign.
So, how high is it, one might ask ? High enough that the University of Denver has a High altitude research laboratory located there !
Betty and I were sight seeing in tee shirts. There was snow under all of the trees. We didn’t tarry outside of the Jeep’s warm interior for very long.
Seven miles of steep and very twisty highway to get back down to Idaho Springs, mostly in second and third gear, with the engine holding back.
I sure do like the jeep’s new five speed automatic transmission that shifts electronicly, making the long descent in lower gears easier.
It looks good from the front. but . . . . . . .
The errant microburst has downed timber all over the campground.
A contractor has cut up the timber into camper manageable lengths for firewood.
And the slash has been stacked out of the way.
Columbine campground, 9200 feet up in the front range of the rocky mountains.
It will be home sweet home as we are off of the grid for a little over one hundred days !
This is our fourth Spring/Summer of getting paid to camp in the Rocky Mountains.
One of the first things that we saw as we arrived at our new campground assignment,
was the signs of off season vandalism.
Guess who’s tax dollars will be spent,
replacing and repairing all
of these signs.
Kind of a sad state of affairs.
