Montrose County

A cool, crisp fall day found us starting another camping trip ... this one taking us to two Colorado state parks. First up ... Ridgway State Park ... some 300 miles away.

My planned stop at Quail Lake Park, just 20 miles or so from our house, turned out to be a bust. Cars were parked in the area reserved for long vehicles, leaving us with nowhere to pull in. There was an upside, however. We shaved 20 miles or so off the original route via Pueblo.

Our route took us on US-50W, following the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area through the scenic Bighorn Canyon. The Lone Pine campground and day use area provided us with a nice place for a lunch stop ... the fee covered by our Aspen Leaf Colorado Parks and Wildlife pass.

Then up and over Monarch Pass we went. It was here that the Cruiser crossed the Continental Divide for the first time. Driving past small towns, we reached Gunnison and kept going. Crossing over the Blue Mesa Reservoir a couple of times, and following the unseen Black Canyon of the Gunnison, we eventually made it to Montrose. From there it was a short drive on US-550 to reach the Pa-Co-Chu-Puk Campground in Ridgway State Park.

The campground’s name comes from the language of the Ute Indians. It means Cow Creek. Located north of the Ridgway Dam, this is the FHU section of the the three campgrounds that lie within the boundaries of the state park. Electricity is 30A throughout.

Our site — #265 on the G loop — backs up to the Uncompahgre River ... hidden by tall bushes, but audible as it flows within the confines of the rocky river bed. The concrete pad is level. We have a fire pit/grill ... which will remain unused. We don’t do campfires and Mui prefers to use our propane grill for cooking. The site is spacious enough to provide privacy from neighbors and we have room to set up our new shade shelter. The orientation of the site is such that our patio will be in the sun all day, so the shade shelter will come in handy.

We are partially connected to the rest of the world ... DirecTV satellite signal 👍🏻 ... T-Mobile cell signal 👎🏻. We knew the latter would be the case when we set out on this trip, so we’ll go to the Ridgway Library to use the wi-fi there to check-in with family and friends.

It took us 8.5 hours to drive the 300 miles or so from Colorado Springs to the campground. Why did it take us so long? Mostly because the curvy roads required low speeds. Then there was the climb up to Monarch Pass ... at first a gentle and steady grade ... then a steeper 6-7% grade for about 10 miles. Of course, we also had to go back down some 5,000 feet from 11,312 feet on the other side of the pass. Add to that a few dalliances along the way to enjoy the scenery and have lunch. Well, you get the idea.

We’ll be taking it easy tomorrow!Baca selengkapnya