Rio Grande National Forest, CO AUG 21, 2019

With just one stop left in Colorado we left Great Sand Dunes National Park and headed to our campground west of Antonito in the Rio Grande National Forest. We had a nice trip except a passing RV threw a rock up and chipped our windshield. This is the third chip in the windshield we have had since May. We will need to call Safelite once again when we reach Santa Fe in a couple weeks. 

Along the way we stopped in Alamosa to stock up on groceries at Walmart. We could see the sky starting to darken in the direction we were headed. Back on the road again we had a lengthy backup due to road construction that brought us to a standstill. The wind picked up and in the distance we saw streaks of lightning.

After the traffic delay we arrived at our campground and discovered a storm had hit thirty minutes before our arrival.  The ground was covered with pea size hail that blanketed the ground like snow and the temperature had plummeted to 48 degrees. We were very thankful that traffic backup delayed our arrival. IMG_20190823_105909IMG_20190823_110158

Ponderosa Campground is a small campground located in a canyon amid tall mountains and is right along a river. It is a popular campground for those who enjoy fishing with many people returning year after year. It was a puzzle to me why people would stand for hours fishing when it is a catch and release campground. To each his own but if you can’t even eat what you catch, why bother? 20190823_170907

We had a nice campsite right along the river and it was very relaxing to see and hear the river. Those fishing didn’t hesitate to enter our campsite to access the river but it didn’t matter since it was entertaining to watch them.  With daytime highs in the low 70’s and lows in the upper 30’s to low 40’s, the weather was perfect. IMG_20190823_10592020190823_16522720190823_165401

After an enjoyable and relaxing four night stay it was time to say farewell to Colorado. We spent six weeks in western Colorado and will certainly miss the cool temperatures, beautiful views and excellent drinking water. 

Next up: New Mexico and hot temperatures once again 

Leave a Reply