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Our Week in Grand Lake

written by Amanda July 21, 2013

I’ve fallen a bit behind in blog posts this week. So in an effort to catch up I am forgoing a long narration of our last week’s activities for a quick review of how we spent our time in Grand Lake.

As usual there were quite a few afternoon rain storms…

Grand Lake

Afternoon rain storm

That occasionally led to rainy afternoon hikes. One day we left the house with the intention of hiking to Cascade Falls. The drops started to come down just as we got in the truck and by the time we reached the trailhead it was raining steadily. We were determined though, and after donning our rain gear set out on the trail.

Grand Lake

If you look closely you can see the rain drops on the river

The distance to the falls was 3.5 miles one way. It rained for probably 2 of those miles, then the sky cleared and we ended up with some very pleasant hiking weather. Yay!

Grand Lake

The sun peaking through the forest

Grand Lake

At the falls

Marmot sighting! This is the first time I have gotten close enough to get a photo of one. Too bad all I had was my phone so I couldn’t zoom much. Isn’t he cute? I think he thought if he stayed completely still we would think he was part of the fence. Silly Marmot.

Grand Lake

Hi there little Marmot

We also got in a few sunny afternoon hikes including one to nearby Monarch Lake.

Grand Lake

Monarch Lake

The trail made a loop around the lake and at the far end crossed several rivers. Phineas was very pleased with this arrangement.

Grand Lake

Fun in the river

On the other side of the lake we got a good look at some cool islands.

grand lake

Back to the lake

And Phineas took one last swim.

grand lake

A little shake after his swim

Our second sunny day hike was on a network of hiking/biking trails on the edge of town. We did the Colorado River loop. The trail wound through a very nice forest filled with young lodgepole pines.

grand lake

A young forest

Only a short distance into the hike we had a moose encounter. A mama and baby were grazing right on the edge of the trail.

grand lake

Mama moose & baby moose

grand lake

Munching Moose

At the end of the trail we found the Colorado River. It’s quite a bit smaller here then when we last saw it back in Moab.

grand lake

The Colorado River

As usual Phineas wasted no time jumping in and testing the waters.

grand lake

Phineas in the river

We also spent some time exploring the cute little town of Grand Lake.

grand lake

Downtown Grand Lake

Grand Lake

Walking the streets of Grand Lake

Finally, we spent a very nice evening with fellow travelers Lisa and Hans of the blog Metamorphosis Road. For the past few months we have been traveling on a similar path through Colorado, but we never seem to be in the same place at the same time. For once we were in the same town and took the opportunity to finally meet in person. It was great to hang out with yet another full-time RVing couple. As usual, we shared stories of life on the road and and even got some helpful advice from them about the trip we plan to take through New Mexico next spring. It appears that we will we cross paths again this September, and we look forward to spending more time with them. This time I did remember to take a photo. Unfortunately it is a very blurry indoor iphone photo- but I am sharing it here anyway.

grand lake

Finally meeting Lisa and Hans

Next up we are heading across the Rocky Mountain National Park for our last week in Colorado.

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Amanda

previous post
Stillwater Campground
next post
A Day in The Rocky Mountain National Park

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6 comments

Gay and Joe July 21, 2013 - 10:03 pm

A moose and a baby moose….how exciting is that? And those trees…my goodness they are tall! Those were some beautiful hikes and Phineas sure had a good time! It just doesn’t get much better, does it?

Colorado is on list for next year…I can’t wait!

Reply
Amanda July 22, 2013 - 2:26 pm

It was pretty cool to see both a baby and mama moose. Unfortunately, I don’t think the mama was too happy to see us, or our dog!

Reply
Leigh July 22, 2013 - 12:04 pm

I’m so jealous – I have yet to see a moose!

Reply
Amanda July 22, 2013 - 2:27 pm

Really, no moose at all? There were a lot of them back in VT, but you usually saw them on the side of the road, not on a hiking trail.

Reply
wheelingit July 23, 2013 - 11:23 am

Been totally enjoying your posts on Grand Lake & RMNP. We spent almost a month there our first year in the RV and really loved the area. Like you we were bummed about the devastation of the Pine Beetle (it’s totally wiped out a lot of the local campgrounds), but really enjoyed the surrounding area, hiking & lakes. FUN that you met Hans & Lisa too!!
Nina

Reply
Amanda July 24, 2013 - 10:58 am

Your blog was part of the reason why we choose Grand Lake. It seemed to be a much more chill area then the east side of the park. I think it was a great decision and we loved the area- despite the lack of trees.

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About The Watsons

About The Watsons

This is the story of Tim & Amanda. Since 2012, we have traveled the U.S. while living and working from our renovated 25-foot Airstream. Follow us on our crazy journey in search of beautiful scenery, fun adventures, interesting people, tasty foods, and more…

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