Taylor Park, CO

Saturday, September 11

Andi and I let Tory and Aden sleep in for a bit on Saturday morning, then we packed up the RV around 10:00am and drove from Hecla Junction campground, just south of Buena Vista, over the Collegiate Peaks, to Taylor Park Reservoir on the west side of the mountains. Our RV had an easy time making it through Centennial Pass, and the scenery along the way was spectacular. The aspen trees are just starting to change color from green to yellow. Tory and I always get a little carsick from the twisty turns through the mountains, so we stopped at the top of the pass for some fresh air and to admire the view.

Taylor Park Reservoir is an outdoor enthusiasts’ paradise offering tons of recreational activities. There aren’t many big lakes in Colorado, so the allure of the water definitely draws people to the area for fishing. We find ourselves to be lake snobs, however, after living in Minnesota and Wisconsin so the Taylor Reservoir wasn’t any spectacular to us.

The view of the mountains always takes our breath away though, and the scene outside our campsite at Lakeview Campground in Taylor Park was pretty incredible.

Once we got settled into our campsite mid-afternoon, Tory and I sat outside at the picnic table and played games while Andi read a book and Aden sulked around complaining there was no internet. Tory got a Pop-It game board for her birthday that we’ve had a lot of fun playing on this trip. Tory and I also played Cat’s Cradle and colored together while listening to the first quarter of the Husker football game on the radio. It’s nice to slow down once in a while and just enjoy each other’s company. Camping gives us this opportunity, which is one of the many reasons I love this time together. I can’t remember when I last sat down and played games with the kids at home.

The air temperature was perfect this afternoon in Taylor Park. It’d been in the upper 80’s in Buena Vista yesterday and now at 9,400 ft. elevation, it was 70 degrees and sunny.

Andi and I decided to take the kids for a bike ride to check out the area. Most of the roadways were bumpy dirt roads which didn’t make for the most enjoyable riding, but the perfect afternoon weather made up for it.

Back at camp, Andi reheated a pre-made meal we’d purchased in Buena Vista from Spark Provisions. We love these pre-made meal services when we’re traveling because it allows us to eat healthy and great-tasting food on the road without having to carry all the ingredients with us in the RV, or take the time making a homemade meal. Tonight we ate jerk chicken with pineapple salsa, red potatoes and carrots. The food was a little spicy for the kids, so they ate spaghetti and pears. Everyone was happy.

After dinner, we watched the movie Jinxed together. Aden’s been begging to watch this movie, and it is a fun way to wind down the night together.

Sunday, September 12

Our RV batteries were low on juice the next morning which meant that we needed to run the RV generator for a bit. If we’re not plugged in to power overnight, we usually need to get up and going first thing the next morning to give everything a charge again. And since it’s kinda rude to turn on our generator at 6:30am, Andi and I quickly packed up the RV and drove to a scenic overlook on the Taylor Reservoir so that we could turn on the generator without disturbing anyone. Tory and Aden were still sleeping and didn’t wake up until after we’d set up shop at the overlook. “Where are we?” Aden said when he opened his window shade around 7:30am. I suppose it would be a little confusing to go to sleep one place and wake up in another!

This morning, Andi reserved us a Polaris Rzr to go riding in the Taylor Park area. This area is known to have some of the best ATV trails in the country. Around 8:30am, we drove the RV about a mile to Colorado Adventure Rentals. After going over the vehicle safety information and trail map, we were on our way.

Trail riding is one of our family’s favorite things to do together. It’s fun to explore areas we wouldn’t normally get to see with our RV.

One kid is screaming in the backseat and the other is shouting for more … I’ll let you guess which one!

The trails offered all types of riding - from smooth gravel roads and open pastures to bumpy, rocky hillside climbs. We crossed over the Continental Divide at one point, drove through the town of Tin Cup, and stopped for a break at the gorgeous Mirror Lake.

Around 1:00pm, we made our way back to the rental place in Taylor Park. Next stop: Crested Butte, CO