What is the population of Denver these days? 2-3 million? Does anyone know for sure? It’s growing so fast that the infrastructure of the city cannot keep up. We drove north from Colorado Springs to Denver on Interstate 25 and it was bumper to bumper the entire way. Often, the traffic simply stopped. Frustrating to say the least...and this on a Sunday.
Our destination is Golden Gate Canyon State Park, about 40 miles west of Denver. Our idea was to dry camp somewhere near Golden Gate as our reservation there isn’t until Monday. Seeing all these casinos located in Central City and Blackhawk we thought for sure we would be able to park in their lots as you can in many parts of the country. What we found was that these casinos are built nearly vertical in this narrow valley barely 1/8 of a mile wide. There are no lots to park in! Additionally, there was an antique hot rod hill climb road race going on so the area was literally buzzing with cars and people. No room in the Inn. Fortunately we talked the local KOA into giving us his last overflow parking spot for the night.
Golden Gate is a wonderfully laid out state park. In late September, autumn has taken hold of the Aspens and the weather. Brilliant yellow leaves flutter against an impossible blue sky while the temperatures hover between 45 and 75 degrees. Absolutely perfect for anything you want to do outside. The hiking here is tremendous and well appointed. One particular hike, the “Raccoon Trail” takes you on a loop to an sublime overlook called, “ Panorama Point” I would have to say this viewpoint of the Rockies rates as one of the best I’ve ever encountered, and after a strong hike to get to the point, it’s quite the reward.
One particular night our dog, Maxine, was having a tough time and I was outside with her at 3:30 AM trying to do whatever I could to calm her diarrhea...or at least get her to finish the attack. It was dead quiet outside in the campground. The area is known to have bears and mountain lions as well as elk. All of a sudden there was the strongest, most eerie sound I’ve heard in a long time. I couldn’t place it at first, but then realized that it was an elk bugling. It was the season. What a strange, yet unerringly natural sound. If, upon hearing this, you are not made to feel just a little bit smaller than you thought you were, that you really, truly are part of the natural order of things, then you must be some kind of alien being from another planet. I enjoyed the heck out that experience.
After a few days our daughter, her husband, Dane, and our two grandkids came to visit us at Base Camp RV Park. It was the only place we could find a spot to camp what with it being a beautiful fall weekend and us so close to Denver proper and its environs. We had a spot for Nell and rented a cabin for the kids. The folks at Base Camp run a very nice camp and do a great job of it. We highly recommend it for families. We spent the weekend doing various fun family things. There is s narrow gauge railroad not far from here on I-70 that is a great place to take a family, or, simply go yourself. It’s interesting from a historical perspective, amazing in its layout and a lot of fun to ride. The kids loved it.
We had a great experience at the Visitor Center for the Golden Gate Canyon State Park. They have a marvelous set of exhibits there and the Junior Ranger program, so we thought the kids would really enjoy it there. Lo and behold, when we arrived a bull moose had taken up temporary residence at the small pond that lay beside the Center. Talk about exciting!