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  • Moving Day ... Ridgway SP to Mueller SP

    October 13, 2020 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 57 °F

    We had a blue-sky day for our 238-mile drive from Ridgway State Park to Mueller State Park in Divide, Colorado. Despite the sunshine, it wasn’t a very warm day. We started out at 28F when we left Ridgway. Went up to 48F at Monarch Crest (elevation 11,312 feet at the Continental Divide). Finally reached 68F at Mueller SP. No complaints, though. Good driving weather.

    We wanted to drive up and over Monarch Pass before the forecasted high winds kicked up. Hence our plan was to get on the road by 7:30a, just as the sun was breaking over Enchanted Mesa. We missed that self-imposed deadline by 30 minutes, but still managed to get through the pass before the wind speed rose.

    Wanting a relatively short driving day, we didn’t dally much along the way today. Just a couple of stretch-your-legs stops for Mui and a brief lunch break at Monarch Crest. Our plans to set up the picnic table for al fresco dining, alas, went by the wayside. Despite the lovely sunshine, the windchill simply made it much too cold to eat outside.

    Our route today took us back on US-50 part of the way. Near Poncha Springs, we turned on to US-285 and then onto US-24 after we passed Nathrop. Both these sections were unfamiliar to us, but we found them to be easy driving. In fact, we made such good time following this route that it was 1:45p when we pulled into Mueller State Park.

    This is our second time camping at this state park. The first time was in August. At that time, we stayed in the Grouse Mountain Campground at the very top of the road that runs through the park. I had hoped to stay in that section again, but there was no availability showing when I went online to book our site.

    My suspicions that the campground was closed turned out to be accurate. I guess there aren’t enough people willing to camp at this elevation at this time of the year. The closure reduces the sites that need to be maintained from 132 to half that number. Smart!

    So, this time we’re in site 42 in the Conifer Ridge Campground. It’s a half-moon pull-through pad with a big patio set on a terrace built out from the edge of the road. We have a nice view down to the meadow with mountains in the distance on one side. Though there are plenty of trees, our orientation is such that we get no shade whatsoever. The site is wide open and gets the full brunt of the winds, too ... which was the case today.

    With only a 30A electric pedestal to hook up to — no sewer or water here (though water spigots to fill up are ample) — it didn’t take us long to get settled. At one point, when the wind died down a bit, we sat on the patio and enjoyed the fresh air. The sun actually felt good since the temp had begun to drop by then.

    We managed to stay out long enough for a quick meal ... watching the mule deer grazing in the meadow while we ate. Once the sun was behind the tall trees, though, the temp dropped so sharply that we had no option but to move indoors.

    There are some very strong winds in the forecast for tomorrow. We have a non-refundable reservation for an outing tomorrow afternoon. Whether we'll do a hike in the morning, however, is TBD based on weather conditions.
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