As we left Denver heading west on I-70, we hoped to get over Eisenhower Pass (11,000 ft.) without hitting snow or bad weather, and even though the weather cams at the Pass looked fine, you never know. In this case, however, all went well, and we sailed up and over the Pass without hitting the brakes or the gas. I just set the cruise to 60 and the truck did the rest: the built-in engine brake worked like a charm—really saved the brakes. We were heading for Colorado National Monument, a Monument Valley-esque area about 4 hours west of Denver. After about 2 hours, though, we felt like stopping to stretch our legs and gawk at the mountain beauty, so pulled off at the Eagle-Vail rest area and wandered inside the Visitor’s Center. As we admired the photos for sale, Leah struck up a conversation with the Volunteer at the Center, Steve Taylor—who also happened to be the photographer. In addition to recommending restaurants in Eagle, Steve mentioned that one of the most beautiful campgrounds in the state, Sylvan Lake State Park, lay only about 1/2 hour up a twisty road at 8500 ft, a gem, he claimed—and showed us photos, as well as an article in the Denver Post, to prove it. Well, that was enough for us. After jotting down the best restaurants in town, we started the drive to Sylvan Lake. The paved road became narrower the higher we climbed, until no more pavement. Just a curvy dirt road leading up…and up some more. Would we get a good site?…with a view…any generators or noisy neighbours? Our thoughts were interrupted by a sign: “This is bear country. Behave accordingly.”
OK...
Almost there...
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| On the way to Sylvan Lake State Park |
Sylvan Lake:
You can just see the campground mid-right in photo above. This is a campground mostly for fisherman, so there are many sites right on the lake; however, they are cheek-by-jowl close together. But the campground was nearly empty, so from our site on the lake we could only see one other camper and it was quite distant.
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| Our site, Sylvan Lake State Park, Colorado |
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| Beautiful... but cold (8500 ft.) |
Even from inside the trailer, the view was lovely:
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| Sylvan Lake from inside the RV |
In the next few days, hikes around the lake revealed the remaining fall colours:
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| On a walk near Sylvan Lake |
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| Walk around Sylvan Lake
This guy (below) hung around our campsite. I think he's a Stellar Jay??
More fall colours from a drive in the nearby mountains:
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| Near Basalt, Colorado. |
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| Lonely tree on a lake.
The cold finally chased us out of Sylvan Lake, but we'll be back.
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