On the Road with Maya: Wildflowers and Moose

Dumont Lake and fireweed

Our campground in the Routt National Forest

Fish Creek Falls near Steamboat Springs

We hiked to falls while we were staying in town.

After our stay at Lostman Campground, not only did Silver need a good charging but everything electronic we had needed power. Originally, we had planned on taking Silver the rest of the way on Colorado Hwy 82 through Aspen and staying in Carbondale or Glenwood Springs. But it was the weekend and both places were booked up completely. We needed electricity and not another forest campground so, we went back through Independence Pass and over to I-70 then up to Steamboat Springs where we did find a commercial campground to suit our needs.

A family does Yoga at our campground in Steamboat Springs

Our energy restored, we traveled about 20 miles east of Steamboat Springs to Dumont Lake Campground in the Routt National Forest. This campground was at 9,600 feet, one of the lower elevations we had camped in several weeks. We had a good camping spot with some large trees to shade us but we also made plenty of solar energy during the middle of the day. The generator and the refrigerator were happy to be at the lower elevation as well. We were still having thunderstorms, however it rained lightly or missed us completely most afternoons. But the very best thing about our campground was the wildflowers. The surrounding meadows were just bursting with yellows, blues, reds and purples. The trails were lined with wildflowers, the lake was surrounded – it was a beautiful place to stay.

Wildflowers around Dumont Lake

David hikes through fireweed on the CDT/Wyoming Trail

One morning as we were hiking on the Continental Divide Trail / Wyoming Trail, we saw two moose (a cow and calf) near the lake. As we walked, they started towards the lake and went swimming across. We were at a good distance and watched their progress for several minutes. As we continued along the trail we paralleled the moose and kept our eye on them off and on for half an hour. We lost them in the woods but as our trail left the lake and entered the forest, we saw three more moose, this time a bull, cow and calf. We don’t know if it was the same cow and calf with a bull or three different moose but what a great morning! Neither one of us had ever had such a long sighting or seen so many moose at once.

Moose cow and calf swimming in Dumont Lake

Bull in velvet

Three moose in the forest

We hiked every day, took Maya for afternoon wildflower walks and hiked a trail in the Sarvis Creek Wilderness, another new wilderness for us. Our last afternoon at the campground a big thunderstorm rolled in and we not only got rain but about an inch of hail! It was pea-size or smaller but it really came down hard. The temperatures dropped from the 70s to the 40s in a matter of minutes. We were glad to have Silver’s protection and felt sorry for all the tent campers around us. Most of the hail didn’t melt and it was in the 30s when we woke up the next morning. Just a reminder that weather in the mountains is very unpredictable.

After the hail storm

Well, it is August and time to be thinking of that eclipse that seemed so far away at the beginning of our adventure. We are in Rock Springs, Wyoming and are heading over near the Grand Tetons in a couple of hours. It was so hazy driving here yesterday. The many fires in the west are making visibility a challenge and it is likely to stay hazy for the next month. So we aren’t sure exactly where we will be for the eclipse. We don’t have reservations in a campground and have heard that some places are charging $250 a night for a camping spot! Some campgrounds have a four-night minimum requirement, so $1000. Hard to believe. David and I may be viewing the eclipse from a Walmart parking lot. Stay tuned for our eclipse adventure. It is sure to be one.