Places I've Been

Summer Camping Trip - Day 4 - Alpine Loop

Day 4 - Alpine Loop

Today we decided to drive part of the Alpine Loop trail.

On the way, we saw a bunch of sheep on the hillside.

As we neared Animas Forks, we saw an old mining ghost town and stopped to explore for a bit.

We then drove up to Engineer Pass, despite warnings that we wouldn't make it with the trailer (we did).

It was starting to get late and we didn't have a campground lined up, so we headed back towards Animas Forks, where we saw a few nice places for wilderness camping.

We arrived as it started to get dark and had just set up the tent and started the campfire when a major thunderstorm and torrential rains hit. We hunkered down in our tent (part of it leaked slightly) for a couple hours until the rain stopped and we could make dinner. The stars were beautiful once the skies cleared (although it was really cold!!)

Summer Camping Trip - Day 5 - Silverton to Montrose

Day 5 - Silverton to Montrose

Today, the skies were clear and we packed up the tent. Steve would have liked to spend another night here, but we had plans to meet my parents and brother in Montrose.

For much of the drive, we took forest roads and avoided the main highways.

We saw lots of deer along the way

It was a beautiful scenic drive.

We then had a break from camping and spent the night in a motel in Montrose.

Summer Camping Trip - Day 6 - Montrose to Grand Junction

Day 6 - Montose to Grand Junction

Today, we met up with my parents and my brother's family who were also traveling to the area and headed towards Grand Junction.

We arrived in Grand Junction mid-afternoon and checked into a motel (same one as the rest of my family). We then took the afternoon off from driving/sightseeing and the girls had fun playing in the motel's swimming pool. Everyone went out to dinner together, and my dad ordered Rocky Mountain Oysters for everyone to try. We didn't tell any of the kids what they were until they tried a bite!

Summer Camping Trip - Day 7 - Grand Junction to Moab

Day 7 - Grand Junction to Moab

Today, all of us headed to Moab to visit Arches National Park.

The weather was overcast with scattered showers most of the morning

Once we got to Arches, we walked along many of the trails to see the different arch formations.

At the end of the day, we parted ways with my family as they headed back to Colorado and we set up camp in Moab at Pack Creek Campsite. When we first pulled in, we were the first campers there, and it was next to a sketchy mobile home park, that we didn't feel super safe. We debated leaving, but then set up our tent, down by the creek.

As more campers arrived, we felt better about the location and decided to stay for both nights we reserved. It turned out it was a really nice location.