TWINKLING

Way off in the distance and far below, we could see it twinkling, the mile high city, yet it is nearly a mile below us. As the distant street lights began to blink out, the Eastern skyline becomes brighter. The jagged outlines of Spruce and Fir trees thrust up toward the heavens. Coffee mugs steam gently as we watch the new day unfold before us. We are sitting on the front step of the Welcome Center at the BLRA. Soon, the onslaught of visitors will start to arrive, as they escape the confines and the heat of the metropolis below. As the first morning calls of birds echo across the asphalt of the welcome center, we can hear it in the distance. It is the hum of tires on pavement as the first visitor of the day climbs up the steep highway to where we are.

10,300

Our campsite here in the BLRA is ten thousand three hundred feet high. Here is a look at our site, nestled back amongst the fir trees.

For a larger view, click the photo. The roof top solar panels have full sunlight nearly all day, so we still haven’t ran our generator but once, on a day off, when Betty made biscuits for breakfast.  The TV satellite dome picks up well here, so we haven’t even deployed the tripod antenna.

One thing that our site has that we have never had before, is a Bear box to keep bears out of ice chest and so forth. It sure makes for good dry storage right on our campsite !

We have paved roads, water and sewer hook ups, man, are we ever in tall cotton !

Our fire pit and barbeque grill have never been used ! We’ll fix that at the first opportunity !

The angle we are parked at nearly puts the awning out over the picnic table.

The 4th of July has been busy here at the BLRA and the weather has been exemplary ! Nights down in the low 40’s, days up in the low 70’s and rain to sleep by at night !

The BLRA, is a good Summer Workamper site.

GATEWAY

The Brainerd Lake Recreation Area is used by outdoor enthusiast all year long. The building below is the warming house for Winter activities at the Gateway.

There is no electricity up this high in the BLRA, except for that generated by Mother Nature. Look along the roof top of this four barreled out house at all of the lightning rods ! Click for a better look, and you just won’t hardly believe how many are there !

 

Lightning above ten thousand feet of elevation is quite the experience !

In the photo above, we could tell as we drove up that all four of the seat lids were left open by the last users, because the circulation was impaired or disrupted. Sure enough as we started our morning sweep and paper routine we put the lids down and all odor was gone up the flue and a faint mist could be seen above each pipe.

Outhouse technology 101 ?

BLRA

It’s an acronym, BLRA is, and it stands for Brainerd Lake Recreation Area. Yesterday we moved from the Arapaho Bay complex to the BLRA, located 10,300 feet up in the front range of the Rocky Mountains. Here is a look at our first sunup while we are parked in a temporary site, waiting for crews to finish clearing Winter blow down timber.

The view out of the living room window.

We are temporarily staged in the day use area near the lake.

Here is a closer look at Brainerd lake.

The streams are all flush with run off from the quickly melting snow pack.

Our team members are beginning to arrive from their various staging sites where they were awaiting the word to go to their assigned areas. After they get their campsite set up, they begin to dial into their start up details with our area manager.

We are finally in to our regular assignment after a wait for snow pack to melt off.

And so it begins, another Summer adventure up high in the Rocky Mountains !

CHAIR

Several years ago, while camped in Trujillo Meadows, located in South Central Colorado near the New Mexico State line, we inherited a chair. Geri and Chuck forgot it by the campfire when they left to continue their trip. Years have passed, and though we communicate on a regular basis, and have had several near misses, we still haven’t had a chance to return the chair.

As you can see, we have put it to good use, and, have nearly worn it out.

It is beginning to show wear around the edges.

Sun is fading it, and I am quite sure that as many campfires as it has seen, probably smells like smoke.

The arm rests are frayed and the back rest is swayed.

Geri and Chuck, your chair is nearly used up ! We have faithfully and diligently stored and transported your chair for you, but now it ain’t much punkin’. Please remember that inflation has ran cost up when you send money to us to buy a replacement chair !

He, he, I hope that every one realizes that this is a long standing joke that we have enjoyed with Chuck and Geri ! We write about the chair from time to time to trot out a old and valued joke that we share.

Chuck, we will take cash, check or money order !!!

BREEZE

The morning’s chores are done, the campfire poked up, awning ran out and a bonus, mid morning cup of coffee sit’s on the folding chair’s table arm. A Macadamia Nut and White chocolate cookie wrapper is beside the nearly empty coffee cup. It is Friday and early arrivals are already starting to filter in.

Greeting each new arrival with a hearty “Hello, welcome to Roaring Fork”, do you have a reservation that I can help you find ? Or, maybe, “ are you finding everything that you need ?

The task at hand is similar to what a door greeter at Wal Mart does, except that I am in a al&l hat, tee shirt with name tag and cargo shorts with sandals. And sitting in a camo folding chair.

This evening we begin the process of rounding up our plunder to get ready to move to our regular assignment for the Summer.

DODGING

Seems as though where ever we are at on our work camping tour around America’s Heartland, we be a’ dodgin’ !

Coming across Oklahoma on interstate forty during this trip West, we either sped up, drove longer days or slowed down to stay well clear of tornadic activity that we were monitoring  several ways, including the internet.

To get to our campground this Spring, we had to dodge around a couple of snow closed passes.

Today’s thing that we are monitoring is a nearby forest fire that we may have to dodge, should the wind shift direction.

Next week there may well be a whole new situation that we are monitoring, just incase we need to dodge something or other.

Wow ! That’s a pretty good excuse to have lots of cool electronic toys laying around !