Kelly Dahl Campground

Posted on August 21, 2005 by ardith

Date of Trip: August 20 – 21, 2005
Location: 3 miles South of Nederland, CO
Elevation: 8197 ft.

Highlights

The kids were just learning to ride their bikes and practiced on the rocky roads of the campground. I don’t think I would recommend it, because we lost many chains and survived many crashes. I think it was hard on their bikes. Although we drive through Nederland often on our way to ski at Eldora Mountain Resort, this time we took the time to stop in Nederland and become more familiar with the town.

Challenges

We spent most of the evening in our van staying out of the rain. It was a cold evening at that elevation.

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Bear Creek Lake Park

Posted on August 13, 2005 by ardith

Date of Trip: August 13th – 14th, 2005
Location: Morrison, CO
Elevation: 5773 ft.

Lucky Arrival

We arrived around 10:00 AM on a cloudy Saturday morning with no camping reservation. A concert was scheduled at Red Rocks Amphitheater across the highway that night. We were given the last campsite available. The website for Bear Creek Lake Park is excellent.

Things We Did At The Park

We rode a paddle boat, fished with bobbers off a dock, and hiked Owl Trail along Bear Creek. The visitor center had a wildflower garden, a bull snake, a bird watching window, and an amphitheater. The night time star show at the amphitheater was cancelled due to rain that night!

Campground

We chose a non-electric tent site in view of the playground. The campsite was also in view of Highway 470. We saw and heard a car crash that night on the highway. It was sad and strange to watch the emergency vehicles arrive while sitting around the campfire.

Town Visited

We quickly drove through Morrison to look for a place to eat for lunch. We didn’t find anything so we headed up to Red Rocks.

Nearby Places Visited

Dinosaur Ridge We stopped at site 4? on the dinosaur tour that showed the big prints along the steep hill on the road. The entire walking tour would have taken at least 2 hours on foot. Guided tours were available.

Red Rocks The visitor center was beautiful. We ate at their food bar. They had a more expensive Sunday brunch, too. I really enjoyed the historical movie and tour through Red Rocks Visitor Center. The combination of geography and music history creates a feeling of timelessness. The view reminds us of Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs.

Things to do next time

* Go to a show at Red Rocks
* Do a more extensive Dinosaur Ridge Tour
* Reserve a Yurt at Bear Creek Lake Park
* Swim at the beach at Bear Creak Lake Park

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Viewing a Rocket Launch from Port Canaveral, FL

Posted on December 21, 2004 by ardith

Date of Trip: December 21, 2004



In anticipation of a rocket launch, we packed the van full of relatives and headed for Jetty Park in Port Canaveral, Florida. We payed a parking fee at the park, which was very inexpensive compared to other options for seeing a launch. Check the Jetty Park link above for current costs. The park boasts a playground and refreshment stand which was very entertaining for our young group of rocket watchers. We were not the only group to come to the 1200 foot fishing pier to watch the launch. But, we found the pier to be an exciting place to wait and watch the sky. While waiting, we got a lucky glimpse of some porpoises swimming in the water. After a couple hours of postponements, we felt very fortunate to see the launch that day. (Launch photos by MDL)

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