Camping With Friends

Mountain Park on the Cache La Poudre River

Mountain Park Campground on the Cache La Poudre River was the site of last week's camping trip with friends. Wayne and I and six other couples shared adjoining camp sites, meals, hikes, conversation, and fun during our three day adventure. The closest town is tiny Rustic (well named) with little more than a general store, bar, and cafe where we enjoyed a fish and chips dinner on our last night.

Camp Bliss on a Beautiful Day in the Rockies

Dinner Gathering With Friends

Delightful Camping

We went on our first camping trip of the season Sunday to Wednesday in Moraine Park Campground in Rocky. It was a wonderful relaxing three days with beautiful weather. Tuesday morning we hiked the Fern Lake Trail. I was eager to see the enormous boulder that had come crashing down the mountain, destroying trees and leaving giant gouges where it hit the ground and bounced or rolled. This happened after our big "weather event" of last September. Wayne had seen it on an earlier hike when the gouges were fresh. They are filling in with vegetation and aren't as obvious.

My mom and a friend came out to our campsite one evening for a picnic. We were entertained by a golden-mantled ground squirrel that hopped up onto our fire ring (before we started the fire) to beg for food. The nights were cold but we were cozy in our sleeping bags. The wild flowers were especially numerous and early blooming. Our camp ground was full of purple wild iris and bright yellow false lupine.