Date Of Trip: July 8-9, 2006
Should We or Shouldn’t We Go?
This trip almost didn’t happen. The weather forecast was for 70% chance of heavy rain on Saturday. But, trips are hard to cancel. Would it be harder to follow through? We decided to expect an adventure. So, we set out at 10:30 AM Saturday morning.
Unexpected Visitors: Us
Failing to plan ahead, we called our Colorado Springs and Larkspur friends as we were driving through Colorado Springs and Larkspur. Visiting them was unanimously our favorite part of the trip.
The Forecast Did Mean Heavy Rain
At 4:20 PM, we left Colorado Springs, drove to Mueller State Park, set up camp, and cooked dinner. Just as we sat down for dinner, it started to rain hard! So we dashed to the van with our food and anything else we could grab. In the van, we ate dinner, watched the rain, and ran to the bathrooms when it calmed down a bit. The next morning we woke up early with the threat of rain. So, we ate and packed up camp early.
Highlights of Mueller
We walked Dragonfly Children’s Nature Trail. Then, we drove to the Mueller State Park Visitor’s Center. I was very impressed with all the wildlife exhibits and information. The fact that one third of the park’s trees are Aspen, makes this park feel like a unique Colorado State Park. Learning about Mueller Ranch and gold mining in the area was a very interesting historical perspective on this land. Winning awards for Best Campground, Best Family Camping, and Unique Cabins, this Colorado State Park is extremely well done.
The Future
In the future, I can imagine extended stay camping with the heated shower house and laundry facilities. The cabins would be fun, but the Ranger suggested reserving them six months ahead of time.
