Zirkel Mountain and that range that it is a part of must be crossed from west to east in order to get to the broad valley that leads to our destination, State Forest State Park.. We crossed the mountains just east of Steamboat Springs over Rabbit Ears Pass and headed north on CO 14 highway. State Forest State Park is said to be Moose Capital of Colorado with over 600 individuals roaming around the Never Summer Mountains. All the Rangers back at Steamboat Lake told us it was a great place to visit. We were pretty excited with anticipation as we drove north. The long valley we traversed to get there after crossing the mountains at Rabbit Ears was super hazy, though. The smoke from the wild fire in the Zirkel Wilderness was blowing west to east right down into the valley we were in. It was nasty. You could literally taste it. At times you could not see the mountain ranges that hemmed us in. These are ranges in the 10,000’+ category...not hard to see under normal conditions, more hard to miss.
Reaching the town of Walden, we turned off 14 and headed east for 30 miles to the Park, roughly following the Michigan River that is born up in the Never Summer Range. It reminds me of the Elk River that originates in the Zirkels and flows in the Yampa at Steamboat Springs. (more about Walden in a moment) Being Autumn, the flow was low, but still wild and beautiful. Moose habitat was everywhere. This river snakes around the little valley it has cut through over the ages and is framed largely by willows and low shrubs. It’s a smörgåsbord for Moose. There are even signs on the highway advising to be careful for Moose straying out on the pavement at night. Here in Colorado we have seen more Moose than bear. I wonder what the population difference is between the two?
A word about Walden, Colorado. I’ve mentioned in past entries that our experience in Colorado during Covid-19 has been that 90%+ of the folks here wear masks as prescribed by the Governor. There is a spirit of cooperation and responsibility on the subject. Not so in Walden. Stopping in the local grocery store we found no one, not even the clerks, wearing masks. No Plexiglas separating the checker from the shopper...no evidence whatsoever that there is a pandemic going on. I counted 6 shoppers in the store wearing handguns. It struck me that in this town of about 400 people everyone must know everyone else. Why would you need a handgun to go grocery shopping? Why would you want to protect yourself with a handgun in a grocery store but not protect yourself and others with a mask? You probably know everyone in that store. The irony of that still hangs in the air over that little town. I came to find out later that the mayor has stated that he refused to abide by the governor’s orders on the mask issue. So, I suppose, not being able to account for the town’s behavior in any other way, that the issue of masks and guns is political and not practical. Emotional and not fact-based. We left the store buying as little as necessary. I, for one, did not feel safe in there. The overt glaring at me as I walked down the bread aisle was funny, if not just a little weird. I had a mask on.
State Forest State Park is immense. It’s Colorado’s largest state park. One side of it butts up against Rocky Mountain National Park. Most of it is wilderness-like, if not precisely wilderness designated. It’s wild and woolly. Where we camped, Ranger Lakes, is awesomely set in a pocket valley where the Michigan river and several springs are dammed to form these small lakes framed by spruce, lodgepole pines and boulders. Frame-able pictures occur to you every turn you make. It’s hard to take a bad photograph. The main road that leads up and over a pass leading to Fort Collins, CO is shut down due to a wild fire that has been raging up there for about a month. This makes for the place being more quiet than usual. Road noise in the valley is driven very low, and that is great because I noticed there is a great echo-effect here. Due to the framing of the valley by steep mountainsides, sound echoes musically. Coyotes in the night have their cries multiplied by the echoes.
Trout rise every evening here in the pocket Ranger Lakes. Though plentiful, they are not as large as those you catch back at Steamboat Lake. Raptors punctuate the sky and issue their piercing cries every now and again. And Moose, yes, Moose are here. My first morning as I set out on a very early walk was greeted by a Mama Moose and her yearling. I got a great video of them heading away from me across a hillside. Every day we were here we spotted Moose. We saw no bears, though they are here as well. Moose are more dangerous...and Lord, are they big. They are a thrill to see in the wild. It’s so exhilarating to know that animals this large in North America can still roam free. When you typically see them it’s evening or early morning, sometimes twilight time. That adds to the aura of it, I think. The sun at low angles. The heightened atmosphere of night being near. I simply love it.
Diane and I took some great hikes here. One hike circled the valley near Ranger Lakes for 6 miles and gave great overlooks of the serpentine path of the Michigan River and its prime Moose habitat. We did not see Moose on that trip, though. I think that it being noonday when we set out the animals were hunkered down for nap time in the heat of the day. Prints and scat were abundant for Moose and Elk as well as Mule Deer. It was a fabulous hike for us. Another day we hiked on the other side of the Park in an area near Michigan Reservoir. We found a little dirt road and parked the Jeep. The road headed up the mountain and was designated a hiking and snowmobiling path as well as a Jeep road. He headed out. The road went up at a decent hiking grade for about 2 to 2 ½ miles. Little springs gurgled out from the mountainside here and there. It being a very dry summer here I was surprised, but then again, it had snowed two feet here two weeks ago. Scats of snow were still evident here and there in the shade. This, too, was a wonderful hike. Coming down the mountain was a breeze, especially considering the grade going up we had just done. No large mammals were seen, but the views were exquisite. The Aspens in this area were in full fall regalia, brilliantly golden and fluttering in the cool breezes. All of our senses felt born again. This...is why we live as we do these days.
One night as we sat in our camp chairs during the approaching darkness we had a unique visitor. It was getting cold and we had blankets wrapped around us to ward off the chill. No campfires allowed during this dry spell. We had the dogs, Heidi and Dash, out there with us. They got chilled as well so we had them up on our laps. It was a cozy moment for all of us as we stared out across the valley beneath us watching for wildlife. All of a sudden Dash shot up in my lap as if a lightening bolt had struck a few feet away. Heidi did the same on Diane’s lap. I immediately turned to look in the direction they were focused. Here came a beautiful and large Red Fox slowly prancing about 15 feet from us. He did appear scared or apprehensive at all. He, in fact, circled us, all the while staying only about 15’ or so distant. He made a complete circle of our little enclave that took perhaps a minute or so to complete, all the while the two dogs going stark raving mad at the prospect of his bravery. It was a moment to remember. I’ve never encountered anything like it. It took just about all our strength and trickery to keep the dogs contained during the encirclement. Now, in retrospect, I think two things were probably going on the mind of the sly Mr Fox.
1. He may have been looking for a handout. He might be used to campers and perhaps some have fed him in the past giving him the courage to get close enough for a hot dog handout.
2. He may have been trying to lure the dogs into a chase where he would run into the woods with them following, giving him a chance to turn and pounce on one of them for tasty dinner for himself. I know Coyotes will do this trick.
There is no cell phone connectivity in the Park. The only place you can get receptivity is at the little store on the edge of the entrance to the Michigan Reservoir campgrounds. For $5.00 you can get wifi for the length of your stay in the park. It works great and it’s deal if you’re staying for a few days. We stayed for a week, so it fit us perfectly. That little store is a great place run by a couple of really friendly folks. I highly recommend you trading there. They also manage the series of mountain yurts that are scattered throughout the area. You can get a real taste for the wildness of the area by staying in one of their yurts. They are placed remotely, though you can drive to them. The lady who co-owns the store bakes pastries that are out of this world if you get hungry, too.
All in all, during our week here, we saw two Red Fox, a Bald Eagle. 6 or 7 Moose, Gray Jays, Sterling Jays, Elk, Chipmunks too numerous to count, a Muskrat in one of the Ranger Lakes, heard Coyotes at night, and we trapped two mice in the motor home. Mice in a your RV are simply a fact of life out here. We haven’t figured out a way to stop them from getting in, especially as it gets colder. NO one I’ve met in an RV on the road has figured it out either. Oh, they will tell you, “Use mothballs”, “Use dryer sheets”, “Use Irish Spring soap bars”. “Put lights under your RV at night”. We’ve tried them all. We still get mice from time to time. The only thing that we found that is effective is trapping them. We’ve used the conventional mousetraps, which can work, and we’ve used glue traps. Unfortunately, glue traps work the best. I say “unfortunately” because it’s a tortuous way to go for the mouse. Once caught, they try frantically to free themselves, which they can’t. Then, once I know We've caught one, usually when I wake up in the morning, I have to kill them. You wouldn’t think I would shrink from that duty, but I don’t like it...I hate it actually. For a guy that has no compunction about killing and cleaning a fish for dinner, how is it I hate killing little mammals? I can’t explain it. Though I know they carry disease I have a soft spot in my heart for the little furry critters.
After a week here we left on a Sunday morning for the Black Hills, SD. We’re going to vote in Rapid City for the presidential election and take in Autumn in the Black Hills while we’re there. Not a bad option! State Forest State Park in Colorado is a keeper in our books. It’s one of the best places we’ve been to in our travels. Next time through here we will stay beyond a week, it’s that great. The more you see, the more you realize that there is even more yet to see and do here. The stuff of great experiences and great memories. Avoid Walden if you can, though.